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Transgender rights are human rights! I #StandWithGavin.

Show your support for Gavin.

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Emotional baggage. (via el_moebes)

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The Folly of the #NotMyPresident Hashtag

Let’s face it:  If you are an America living in American in 2017, Donald Trump IS your president until he is removed from that office (either at the end of his term(s) or by another lawful means of removing an elected official.)  That is just a fact that isn’t up for debate, like it or not.  So, unless you hold that everyone using the hashtag is clinically delusional--and if you do I recommend this followup article--it is safe to assume most of them probably aren’t being literal!

Alright, if they don’t actually mean that he isn’t the POTUS, what do they mean?  In my view, they’re showing that they don't believe Donald Trump has their best interests, or that of their family, friends or neighbors, at heart and that they don't have to respect him as president until he proves them wrong. That is an incredibly powerful statement, but also perfectly OK because it is based on their personal opinions of the man.  We each get to have our own personal opinions, we don’t have to share the same one and we shouldn’t attack each other for thinking differently.

Of course, some people do literally mean that they reject his legitimacy as President and that has to be okay too!  If you disagree with me, consider that Trump did it first.  In 2012, shortly after Obama’s re-election, Donald Trump took to Twitter with the following:

We can't let this happen. We should march on Washington and stop this travesty. Our nation is totally divided!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

November 7, 2012

The logic follows that anyone using the #NotMyPresident hashtag now has to stay in America and plan on becoming President themselves in 2020, at which point it will be perfectly logical for them to complain about their protesters.

Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

November 11, 2016

If there is folly in the #NotMyPresident hashtag, it is that it is too imprecise. It is not a rejection of the fact tht Donald Trump was elected President, it is a rejection of the idea that this means they have to sit silently under his thumb until the next election.

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pack your bags nerds we’re moving to Antarctica

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I won't be silent about things that matter. If I'm walking down the street and I see someone hurting someone who has less power than they do, I'm not going to hold hands with the person doing the hurting, tell them it's ok if they disagree with me, or ask them how we can work together to help their victim. Nope. I'm going to step in and say "STOP IT, this is not okay!" And then I'm going to take the hand of the person who was hurt and do whatever I can to help them.

Unknown

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I have lived all my life in the minority and I’ve never really been aware of it, until now.  Disabled people are not an obvious minority, we all look and speak differently from one another, wear different clothes, worship differently; some have disabilities that can’t be seen from the outside, but we are there, we matter too. Our President-elect has shown a willingness to mock us, brush us aside and throw us out the same way he treats all minorities.  And the people, largely, have supported him in this

I am not saying that my minority group is any more or less important than any of the others. I will not forget you if you are in fear for the future.  I will support you all as best I can, and I only ask that you do the same for me.

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Dark times all around but there are still people out there who love you

Do not hurt yourself, do not hurt others, get help, talk to someone, anyone. Humanity has survived before and we can do it now if we all just support each other. My country and my people let me down and endangered my life but there’s nothing I or anyone else can do about that so let’s try to spread the love that is so clearly lacking.

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So true

PSA: Include disabled people in your lists of minorities that are being negatively impacted by this right now. Do NOT forget about us.

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I wear glasses.  Can I manage without glasses?  Well, yes, probably.  I could squint a lot, constantly move up close to anything I want to see, take the bus or a taxi if I want to go anywhere.  I could just accept that I’ll never be able to see eagles flying in the sky or whales jumping out of the ocean.   But why?  Why try so hard to manage life when I could just put on a pair of glasses?  No one would ever suggest a near-sighted person should just work harder.  No one would say ‘Maybe that’s just your normal’ to someone that needs glasses.  They would say ‘Let’s go to the eye doctor and get you a prescription so you’re able to see again.’ You shouldn’t have to try so hard.

My doctor (paraphrased), when I expressed doubts about going back on an anti-depressant.  (via

webreakthenwebuild

(via squidilydink)

This is such a good analogy because nobody thinks about it like this.  If you wear glasses, you literally need constant use of a medical aid to experience the world like most people do.  If it were anything besides glasses, that would be considered a disability.  But needing glasses is an extremely common, visible, and accepted form of disability to the point that we don’t even consider it one, we just accept that some people need glasses and that’s perfectly normal and there’s nothing wrong with needing to rely on them.

That is how all disabilities and illnesses should be seen, and how we should look at treatment for them.  You have a problem, and you need help dealing with it, and there’s nothing wrong with either of those things.  That’s perfectly normal and that’s okay.

(via ninjarobotclone)

Reblogging myself bc ^^that^^ was such a beautiful addition.  ~JJ

(via teachthemhowtothink)

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Enlightening Uber Ride

The other day I was taking an Uber to the bus station.  In the middle of the trip, my driver asked me, completely out of the blue, if I was Christian.  I was taken aback, but answered honestly that, yes, I was a Christian.  He then began telling me of the ways that Jesus had impacted his life, as casually as I might talk about the weather.  As he explained this, I was thinking how best to warn him to be careful who he shared this with, at the risk of causing offense and losing his job.  Thankfully, I thought better of it before I said anything. Ever since I became a Christian, I have hesitated to share the Good News of Christ with anyone until I knew they agreed with me.  I believed this was out of a desire to avoid being offensive or intrusive, but really, it was a fear of losing their respect.  My Uber driver either had no fear, or set it aside to serve God as an example to me.  When God calls, should I fear the loss of friendships, of jobs, of freedom, or even the loss of my life? No.  Rather, I should respond boldly to the call and trust the protection and provision of my friendships, jobs, freedom, and life to God. I am not the example that my Uber driver was.  I know I will fail more than I succeed for a while, but I will try to do better.  And if you are Christian, and this note provides you any encouragement to do the same, than know that I am right there with you, and that God is already working.

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I have to try this.

Open Sourcing the Brain

OpenBCI has developed a 3D-printed headset that allows our brains to interact with software. Want to measure the effect of meditation on your brain? It��s possible. Want to control a prosthetic limb with your mind? It’s possible. Right now, the only thing OpenBCI’s tech can’t do are the things we haven’t thought of.

(via Open Sourcing the Brain - Freethink)

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it’s ok 

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Odds are that if there’s something that I love, I’ve accidentally run over it. My feet, my friends’ feet, my family’s feet, my hand, my clothes, my laptop, my textbooks, my dog’s tail, the president of my college…

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funny, yet vindicating.