#(why am i censoring america.....)

[steakout-05]

australia please stop postponing the garf movie date for the love of god please stop i BEG of you *gnawing on my cage* *clawing up my enclosure* *about to literally explode*

[thenightling]

I am very disappointed in the people praising the censoring / editing of Roald Dahl's books.   Let me tell you a little story.   About five years ago I decided to re-visit Treasure Island.  I found an unabridged version.   I was surprised to discover that Long John Silver had a black lover.   Because the book used the term "n--ress" the mention of her was removed from many American editions of the book when I grew up.

Note: I am not saying they removed the N word.  I am saying they removed her *all together.* I didn't know Long John Silver had a love interest until I was in my thirties and read an unabridged version of the novel. It revealed so much about the story that I hadn't noticed before. 1.  That Long John Silver believed in love despite what was considered a cultural norm of the time.  He didn't care about what others considered proper and he was in love. 2.   It shows that even Robert Louis Stevenson acknowledged the existence of interracial couples and yet no movie version I can think of addressed this until the TV series Black Sails. 3. It helped remind me of the culture of the era in which Treasure Island takes place and when it was written, the stigma against interracial relationships that existed in America right into the twentieth century and in some places is still a thing. Sometimes books tell us more than just a story.   They show us how a world was once viewed.   I felt like this was an important discovery, that Long John Silver had a black lover (or wife).   And I was even a little angry that I had been robbed of this in previous readings of the book.   I think the removal of words like "Fat" and "ugly" from Roald Dahl's books does us a disservice.   It "cleans up" the past and denies a chance for us to learn some of the less pleasant aspects of the past and how and why language has changed since then.    What should be a teaching point and experience is lost in the name of sensitivity.   I felt cheated and it even felt a little racist that Long John Silver's love interest isn't mentioned in many editions of Treasure Island.  And I feel that one day there may be similar feelings if people discover they aren't reading the original versions of Dahl's books. Try to remember the original reason Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit  451.  It wasn't about an evil government taking away people's blooks. It was about this group and that group getting offended at various titles until they just banned everything to try to make everyone happy.    

[artfight]

I'm not really understanding why nipples need to be mature filtered. They were shown all the time in the cartoons I watched as a kid? Off the top of my head, Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Dexter's Lab, heck even The Little Mermaid? Can you guys explain the reason for deciding they're inherently mature? Because it feels like an over-correction from tumblr and twitter's "Female presenting nipples"?

The government where we are based (United States of America) has required us to censor female-presenting nipples, however we have decided to filter ALL humanoid nipples, regardless of gender, to combat that sexism.

I was not on the team when the decision was made, so I am not sure which specific law requires us to do so, but I imagine it is similar to COPA; as we have minors on our site, we must comply with those guidelines. It's unfortunate that we have to do so, though we may look into our legal options to remove the required filter sometime in the future.

[mcflymemes]

TO CATCH A THIEF PROMPTS *  assorted dialogue from the 1955 film, adjust as necessary

not only did i enjoy that kiss last night, i was awed by its efficiency.

left in a hurry, huh?

i'm in love with you.

now that's a ridiculous thing to say.

you're leaving fingerprints on my arm.

[name], why bother?

my only comment would be highly censorable.

some nights a person doesn't need to drink.

the book you're reading is upside down!

they came for me an hour ago.

i called the police from your room and told them who you are and everything you've been doing tonight.

why don't you own a place like this?

the pastries are light as air.

even in this light, i can tell where your eyes are looking.

i haven't stolen a piece of jewelry in fifteen years.

what do you think of my kitchen?

now, let's get down to business.

now i am going to have you investigated.

coincidence can be terrible.

how many did you kill?

you are a man of obvious good taste in everything.

my nerves could stand a drink.

say something nice to her, [name].

you make the choice.

you're here in europe to buy a husband.

the man i want doesn't have a price.

so this is where you live?

thank you. you've been most unkind.

if i'm ever hungry, i'll eat someplace else.

what can i do for you, [name]?

you need clothes and money?

take my boat and go to the islands.

i'm thinking of going home to america.

i wouldn't put it past you.

it has to be somebody who knew every detail of my technique.

you don't believe me any more than the rest.

i don't like running, hiding, and leaving a trail of doubt in everyone's mind.

i shall defend you when i can.

the police are chasing the wrong man.

they're all looking for you.

i only made one mistake.

i was talking about the fireworks!

doesn't it make you nervous to be in the same room with thousands of dollars worth of diamonds, and unable to touch them?

you're mad.

if they catch you, nobody will believe what you say.

you have a rare skill for inspiring confidence.

i only do one favor a day.

look, if you don't want to do this...

you're getting us wet!

a man should never regret his past.

what's on your mind?

i was just thinking about you.

i work for a living.

you can't touch me.

i don't know what you wanted. i know what you got.

in that case, we should hurry.

may i ask you a personal question?

if you're caught, would you be angry with me if i pretended that i was going to give you up to the cops?

act as if you're a pretty girl out for a ride.

don't buy any new clothes with the money yet.

nobody will ever recognizes me in these.

we're both taking a big chance.

what happens to you if i'm caught?

you made a bad choice of profession.

suppose it falls into the wrong hands.

why don't we enjoy our lunch first?

i don't want to seem impatient.

for what it's worth, i only stole from people who wouldn't go hungry.

i'm sorry for ever starting in crime.

i look back with horror on every job i pulled.

something bothering you?

i'm having dinner with them tomorrow.

i will continue to complain.

want me to buy that for you?

i have an intense dislike for it.

[jangillman]

WHO AM I VOTING FOR - AND WHY?

That moment when someone says, "I can't believe you would vote for Trump.”

I simply reply, “I'm not voting for Trump.”

I'm voting for the First Amendment and freedom of speech.

I'm voting for the Second Amendment and my right to defend my life and my family.

I'm voting for the next Supreme Court Justice(s) to protect the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

I’m voting for the continued growth of my retirement and reducing inflation.

I’m voting for a return of our troops from foreign countries and the end to America’s involvement in foreign conflicts.

I'm voting for the Electoral College and for the Republic in which we live.

I'm voting for the Police to be respected once again and to ensure Law & Order. I am tired of all the criminals having a revolving door and being put back in the street.

I’m voting for the continued appointment of Federal Judges who respect the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

I’m voting for keeping our jobs to remain in America and not be outsourced all over the world - to China, Mexico and other foreign countries. I want USA made.

I’m voting for secure borders and legal immigration. I can’t believe we actually flew in 380,000 illegal immigrants into our country.

I am voting for doing away with all of the freebies given to all of the illegals and not looking after the needs of the American citizens.

I'm voting for the Military & the Veterans who fought for this Country to give the American people their freedoms.

I'm voting for the unborn babies that have a right to live.

I’m voting for peace progress in the Middle East.

I’m voting to fight against human/child trafficking.

I'm voting for Freedom of Religion.

I'm voting for the right to speak my opinion and not be censored. I am voting for the return of teaching math, history, and science instead of indoctrination of our children and pronouns.

I'm not just voting for one person, I'm voting for the future of my Country.

I'm voting for my children and my grandchildren to ensure their freedoms and their future.

What are you voting for?

Trump/Vance2024. 🙏🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸

Copied from another post but it embodies my thoughts as well

. Feel free to copy and paste on your page or anywhere else. This is how we all feel.

[prodigal-explorer]

i dont exactly consider myself a pro-shipper but i am VERY anti-censorship. i hate all censorship. absolutely nothing in media should be censored whatsoever, the only exception being media that is marketed towards children because it should be up to parents/guardians/trusted adults to decide what media children are ready to consume.

but when it comes to adults? hell no.

“but but but it’s a problematic ship!!! 🥺”

there are problematic romances in real life. there are abusive relationships and sexual assaults in real life. we cope with these things by reading and writing about them and realizing that we are not alone, we are not crazy, we are going through something real. media is meant to connect people, and with the influx of social media, people don’t connect with each other anymore and censoring stories about sensitive topics purely because they’re problematic is severing that connection even more.

“but but but it’s pedophilia! 🥺”

i am a victim of pedophilia. i know many people who are also victims. again, if we don’t tell these stories, then there will be kids who have nothing to connect to who think that what they’re going through is normal or that it’s something only they will understand. it doesn’t normalize anything. if you read about pedophilia and your first thought is “okay great, now i can be a pedo because i read about pedophilia!” then it’s not the story or the author’s fault. it’s the pedo’s fault because they’ve always been a pedo. they were just looking for something to twist into justifying their actions.

and also the example i just described is something that absolutely NEVER happens. it’s something that antis made up so they could spread their censorship bullshit.

we should read stuff we disagree with. we should read stuff that is disgusting and messy and horrible if we want to. because those are all stories about the human experience. and if we censor one thing, what’s to stop people from censoring everything?

do you antis know about the wales padlock act? in america in the 1920’s until i believe the 50’s or 60’s, there was a LAW that stated that people could be ARRESTED if the media they created had any form of “obscenity” in it including nudity, pedophilia, and oh, you know what else? homosexuality. transgender characters. in fact, a play called god of vengeance by sholem asch was forcibly closed down and all actors and producers were arrested for “obscenity” because it described a beautiful and loving homosexual relationship between two young women.

do you see now? do you get why censorship sucks? you can’t just have some censorship. anybody can view anything as obscenity. bigots will turn ANYTHING into obscenity and lump it in with all the “problematic” stuff y’all want to censor. lgbtq+, interracial romance, etc. it could all be lumped in there and censored too.

i would rather have a few stories in the world that i disagree with or a few stories that make me uncomfortable than absolutely no stories that depict the human experience in a raw, unfiltered, uncensored way because when you censor art, it immediately severs all human connection that could have been formed from it.

so yeah. antis get the fuck off my page unless you want to change. i hate you and all the censorship bullshit you stand for.

[idesofrevolution]

Let’s talk honestly

So I just wanna share where I’m at these days with Tumblr, the community, and some concerning developments as of late. Firstly, I want to thank all 5k of you for supporting me for almost a decade on this platform. It has been a wild ride with ups and downs but this community has really given me an overall positive impact on my self image, bettered my writing skills, and helped to come to terms with who I am as a person and as a kinkster. So above all, I have so much gratitude for y’all, thank you.

Over the last couple of months, I have taken notice to some difficulties on behalf of Tumblr and their censorship efforts against queer erotic writing. I have had to fight more flags and community labels than ever before, and it has really affected my desire and motivation to publish more stories. If only certain folks with their mature censor turned off can read my posts, that fuckin sucks. But I admittedly got rather stoned last night and thought about why Tumblr is cracking down so viciously on our content. I think I’ve come to my own conclusion there.

I am and have been extremely alarmed by a number of tropes that have become relatively commonplace in recently posted tf prose. As I have mentioned countless times before, underage people have no business being in your sexual fantasy fiction whatsoever. The amount of writers I’ve seen recently posting stories focusing on 12-16 year of children being erotically transformed is disturbing to put it delicately. Especially those which maintain the children’s psychological age intact, but even without that trope it is inappropriate, unacceptable, and should not be platformed on Tumblr.

In addition, I’d like to touch on another trope: homophobic tf. Now I have no issue whatsoever with Gay to straight, as being straight is a valid expression of sexual orientation. There is nothing wrong with featuring characters from a wide array of identities. That being said, this new content of lib to con, MAGA tf, gay bashing tf… it’s disgusting. In the current world we live in, these types of archetypical characters do exist in the real world and are causing real significant harm to queer folks. These groups of people are actively, in their own words, trying to eradicate the LGBT community in America. These types of people exist all over the world as well, and queer identifying people live in legitimate, actual fear for their lives. I question why we fetishize individuals who seek a literal genocide of an entire peoples, and whether it is acceptable to do so. I point to the fetishization of Nazism as an apt comparison: a hypermasculinized group of people who sought eradication of a group of people based solely on concrete identities which could not be changed. I believe we as a community have rightly deplatformed such content, and I cannot fathom why this current iteration is in such a Renaissance.

These are just two examples of obvious reasoning as to why Tumblr might righteously suppress tf erotica on their platform. Can I blame them? No. Frankly, I understand completely. If the community refuses to monitor and moderate its on content, then Tumblr as the platform most certainly will.

I’m unsure as to what the future looks like for Ides, as this current trajectory is not something I’d like to participate in. I’m hoping like minded writers will be a bit more critical in choosing the tropes and prompts for their stories, but in all honesty, I have significant doubts. Rest assured, I will touch base with y’all before I do anything drastic. But in my opinion, the writing is on the wall.

[digi-lov]

Sistermon Noir debuted along with her younger sister Sistermon Blanc in Digimon Collectors back in 2012. They later appeared in 2017 in Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Hacker's Memory's Chapter 7, as well as being obtainable as partner Digimon.

When the game was localized, Sistermon Noir was changed to Sistermon Ciel, due to her invoking religious imagery being considered a no good for North America.

The European version did not get censored though. Some screenshots for comparison:

[Japanese version | European version (German) | North American version]

In 2018, a year after the North American release of Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth: Hacker's Memory, Sistermon Ciel got officially added to the Digimon Reference Book. It was also obtainable through a download code in the Digimon Pendulum Ver. 20th.

While her model in Hacker's Memory was only a recolor with a few very simple model changes, in both her normal and awakened form, she received a redesign with her introduction to the Reference Book. This also changed her weapon of choice from Sistermon Noir's guns to a katana. The Book states that she is the elder twin sister of Sistermon Noir and an assassin at night.

Now, I think there is a conversation to be had about Sistermon Noir's cencorship. Where is the line? Why is Sistermon Noir not okay, but Sistermon Blanc and Sistermon Ciel are alright? Is it just because of the black nun outfit? Isn't the name "Sistermon" and a white nun outfit also invoking relgious imagery?

Also why is this not acceptable for christian imagery, but the monk imagery of Sanzomon is no problem?

Now I am not saying there should be more cencorship. I just think it's somewhat hypocritical. Having grown up in Germany, where this kind of cencorship is not present, and with words like "hell" ("Hölle") or "damn" ("verdammt") being very much present in children's television, seeing Sistermon Noir getting completely wiped from the Western version of the Digimon Card Game is just ridiculous to me. But that is my personal opinion of course.

Now, to the cards. All cards of Sistermon Noir got replaced with Sistermon Ciel in the English release. Name and Type were all changed accordingly, however recent Errata added that each Sistermon Noir is supposed to also be coinsidered as being named Sistermon Ciel and having the type Data, as well as all Sistermon Ciel to also be considered as being named Sistermon Noir and having the type Virus. In BT10 Sistermon Ciel got her first card in the Japanese release, which of course then was kept as is in the English release.

Furthermore, cards that featured Sistermon Noir had her erased.

They did however, miss her in the background of this card:

[darkmaga-retard]

Mark Wauck

Aug 26, 2024

I’ve been looking for something sensible to say about the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov by Macron in France. I’ve read the arguments that this is all political, directed by the fact that Telegram is one of, perhaps the, most important platforms for getting out reliable information regarding the Anglo-Zionist wars against Russia and Palestine. In other words, Durov is being pressured to submit to censorship demands, under the pretext of cooperating with criminal investigations. I find those arguments persuasive, but I’m hampered by the complexity of some of the issues involved, including matters involving international legal cooperation. This morning commenter Brother Ass provided a link to Robert Barnes discussing the matter—I highly recommend it.

However, I’d like to turn to another legal commentator, Jonathan Turley. Turley did and interview on Fox News, but still hasn’t written about the Telegram matter. Fortunately, Daily Caller has an article that provides a substantial transcript of what Turley has to say, which I’ll quote at length:

Jonathan Turley Slams ‘Global Censors,’ Says Americans Should Be Afraid After Telegram Founder’s Arrest

“So, the authorities say the app was being used for organized crime, drug trafficking, fraud, cyber bullying and promotion of terrorism. Despite all of that, you’re still against his arrest. Why?” Earhardt asked. “I am. People need to realize what’s really going on here. We haven’t seen anything akin to a charging sheet, but it appears that he’s being arrested under these European laws that are designed to force social media companies to engage in censorship,” Turley said. [Turley called the European] … Digital Services Act (DSA) … “one of the greatest threats to free speech that we have today around the world.”

Turley goes on to argue that, as with the previous confrontation with Elon Musk, the US—which lacks the kind of anti-free speech laws that Europe has in the DSA—is using Europe as a proxy to attack free speech and the free flow of information in America.

[canichangemyblogname]

This is what it's like reading the news right now:

Al Jazeera: "Israeli troops shoot and kill 5-year-old girl in the West Bank." Me: "Wow. That's egregious and cruel. Why would anyone do this? Am I missing something?"

Let's go check the Israeli-sanctioned American news network, CNN. I know they run everything past Israeli military censors before publishing, so maybe they have a different picture.

CNN: "One dead in West bank shooting." Me: "Wow, that's alarmingly vague."

Let's go somewhere else.

Times of Israel: "Bullet found its way into woman from the West Bank." Me: "That's an... interesting way to portray this."

Let's go somewhere else.

Fox News: "Israeli troops neutralize suicide bomber in the West Bank." Me: "Umm, this must be a different story. Hold on. Wait. It's not?"

Let's go somewhere else.

New York Times: "New poll shows Jews hate America. The way to make them loyal again? Imprison college students." Me: "This is simultaneously antisemitic and a gross mischaracterization of the pro-ceasefire protests. Who okay-d this story? Do you even have anything on the Palestinian child?"

Let's go somewhere else.

Haaretz: "5-year-old girl dead in the West Bank. Here's why she would have been a threat to Israel as an adult." Me: "What?"

No. Let's go somewhere else.

The BBC: "IDF Colonel on Girl Found Dead in the West Bank." Me: "Found dead? Why-- what about her family?"

Let's go somewhere else.

The AP: "Expert: Harsh Israeli rhetoric against Palestinians may lead to more violence, death of 5-year-old girl." Me: "May? Okay..."

Let's see what else is out there.

NPR: "Unchilded and Defenseless: The Impact of Israeli Military Detention and State-Sanctioned Violence on Palestinian Children." Me: "An investigative report--"

Some rando in-- like-- Ohio: "Palestinians don't exist! NPR is calling for Genocide!"

Meanwhile, Israeli-state social media-- like-- every, other day:

[rosethreeart]

Thanks for the info Anon! That person is very clearly just being a racist fuck especially considering that they said “everyone south of the equator has brain rot and that there’s only one sane country there” like idk man maybe if people in Latin America are saying you’re wrong (or enough people are saying shit to you to make you form that statement) you as someone who isn’t South American, are probably in the wrong.

@ the anon who told [censored user] about it: Like…if you have a problem with me or my oc why are you going on some random ass persons blog??? Talk to me directly??? Also I am Argentinian (which you spelt wrong btw it’s either that or an Argentine) my father is literally an immigrant from there so shut the fuck up.

This is reason why I said I don’t want to hear anyone who isn’t Argentinian’s opinions on it so thanks for proving me right <3

I would have been MORE then willing to hear you out as to why I was “wrong” but fuck off

Also if it wasn’t obvious by my response already it very much is about my oc

[cannibalisticdespair]

🔥 localization

Quite simply: you're not there to rewrite things, and if you think it's morally objectionable... why are you making a creator you have moral objections to more money? Because it makes you more money? Isn't that extremely crass and hypocritical? If you've got moral objections, don't make money for the people you have moral objections to the art of? It's like if in 2000, Christians made censored versions of Marilyn Manson CDs and sold them officially with him receiving his proper cut of the profits. You realize how insane that sounds, right?

But like, the debate has gotten pretty stupid because of word mutation. "Localization" is a lot of things, most of which are good. Like, earlier I linked a translation of Komaeda's aborted love confession. This is what it looks like unlocalized:

Please don’t forget… With you, I am… The hope sleeping inside you, love from heart.

At the link, they marked parts where they'd done a bit of additions just to make it fucking readable. I removed that, because that would still be a dash of it. That looks like Komaeda just got some additional brain damage on top of his preexisting brain damage, because Japanese cannot 1:1 translate to English. The poster's localized translation meanwhile?

Please don’t forget that I love y-… The hope sleeping inside you… from the bottom of my heart.

The meaning is preserved, but it's put into what actually sounds like human speech again. That's localization! There's no problem with that!

And even beyond that, languages have their own figures of speech and metaphors and quirks and puns and stuff that just don't translate. And it makes sense to alter that into something that the viewer can comprehend, because otherwise it sounds like a non sequitur unless you're a student of the culture.

But to just rewrite someone else's work because you don't like it and try to supplant it with that? Like, fanfic rewrites aren't being sold for a profit and claiming to be the official work, that's different for those reasons. But doing it in an official capacity, without permission? With permission, go apeshit. Panty and Stocking is a perfect example of "had permission, did great". But "I hate this thing so I'm going to get the rights to it to change it out of spite"? From an artist POV, that's a shitbag thing to do, simple as that. And you're still making them money! Like, isn't that crazy? "I hate your work so much I'm going to make this thing I hate palatable to other people who would hate it so you can profit more off of it!" That doesn't make any goddamn sense, right? I'm not crazy? That's nonsense logic? If you have moral objections to a thing, don't make the creator of that thing more money? I feel like I'm crazy because like, nobody ever says this but it seems so goddamn obvious? Is everyone just so infected by capitalist brainrot that the concept of "but I can make money too!" overrides it and that makes sense to people?

And then, because this is likely related to my ranting about NIS America: don't fuck around with the translation of things to just strip the local culture away because foreign cultures scary? That's xenophobic and also harms the text? It's 4Kids bullshit? Like, with Danganronpa, fucking about with the name order and honorifics created so many problems for them. The entire "Toki" nickname thing in UDG is the result of them fucking around so much. Komaru just always called her "Fukawa-san". Then, with that, she switches to "Toko-chan". And like, that's super cute and I love that? Persona keeps these things, why can't Danganronpa?

Oh, and also, for the love of fuck don't alter the text to support your ships. Which is also a thing NIS America did in V3. Kokichi's notes on Shuichi said "untrustworthy?" or something like that in Japanese and "trustworthy?" in the English. Because someone on the team shipped Kokichi and Shuichi, and each translator was given a character to handle because their methodology is fucking batshit. I shouldn't need to say this!

Other things not to do: don't make a character come off as mentally disabled if he isn't in the original? NIS America, again, Gonta. Don't remove a character's bad traits to whitewash him because you don't want people to dislike him or cause drama because a character did a bad thing? NIS America, Kaito. Bruh's bigoted. That's a major point of him. He was raised by two elderly people and is the Toxic Masculinity guy of V3.

DR1 had Mondo, SDR2 had Souda and Fuyuhiko, DR3 had Juzo, and V3 had Kaito. It's a running theme of toxic masculinity. If Kaito's slur-usage was kept, you'd certainly look at how he interacts with Shuichi differently, right? Same with how he is with Maki? That's the point: he's trying to help, but his helping isn't the best because he's doing it in literally the only framework he knows. He's not a malicious piece of shit human being, he's someone with prejudices he hasn't had the chance or opportunity to unlearn, and it's not like Shuichi is gonna be any help. And, ya know, it acts as a counterbalance to Tenko. And now he'll never get the chance to learn and grow as a person. His potential is cut off.

So yeah, localization isn't inherently bad, but altering the text to suit your own personal views is shitty to artists, and also just goddamn weird that you'd have moral objections to someone's work but also want to make them more money.

[shiyro]

@love-overdrive replied to your post: "Okay so im slowly reading sbr but..."

oh sorry,, like backstory/design/ what they’d be doing in the sbr universe

This is Shiloh Cash

Pronouns: He/They

Gender: DemiMan (AFAB)

Age: 24

DOB: Mar. 4th

Namesake: Johnny Cash

Horse Name: Styx

Stand: TBA (I need help w giving him a stand, tbh it anyone has old school rock songs they'd rec lmk)

So back story is:

Shiloh has joined the SBR to ensure he keeps his inheritance from his dead grandparents. Won't go into too much detail as I don't feel like tagging or censoring, but Shiloh's dad is an abusive POS. All he wants is to buy some land far away from his home and have a little farm of his own. He's the oldest of 5 siblings. He is from Texas, iirc Dallas, to be specific? Or at least the Dallas area.

I am still working on the details on meeting Johnny and Gyro. But I'm vibing with Gyro approaches Shiloh at a checkpoint bar. He sees Shiloh sitting all by himself, and Shiloh is what we would call a "pretty boy" in looks. So naturally, Gyro is drawn to him... though later, Gyro reveals he felt literally drawn to Shiloh. As if they were meant to meet each other. (Yes, ShiYro has the soulmates dynamic that plays in every AU)

Shiloh is a tsundere, and while yes, he too feels drawn to Gyro. He immediately blows him off. I suppose I could make it where Gyro vaguely invites Shiloh to join him and Johnny. That sounds like a possible thing he'd do.

Heading into now, Gyro hc territory: So this came from my friend, but Gyro writes home. He loves his family dearly. So when he meets Shiloh and starts doing this race with him and getting to spend time with him. He writes home about how much he loves and adores this man.

Anyways, gotta drop this factoid somewhere: Gyro knows Shiloh is AFAB not because of his "medical" background but because of him accidentally walking in on Shiloh mid shower/bath. He never treated Shiloh any different after learning this fact, nor did he ever tell anyone Shiloh's secret. This put Gyro on good terms with Shiloh. He knew he could definitely trust Gyro after that incident.

Later on, Gyro tells Shiloh why he's doing this race and Shiloh's reasoning for being in this race change. He chooses to actively help Gyro win first place. He wants to bring Marco to America so that they all can become a family. Shiloh agrees to adopt Marco with Gyro and that the three of them will live on a big lot of land and have a big happy family together after the race.

And that's all I got for now xD there's a Fantasy AU and Chainsaw Man AU for shiyro but I'm too tired to add any info about that

[batboyblog]

LOUISVILLE — She wanted to hear Henry’s voice again. So she went to her son’s room on an overcast February day and started digging through the boxes he left behind, looking for something he’d written to give her guidance.

Henry Berg-Brousseau always knew what to say.

Eight years had passed since he’d told Kentucky lawmakers how it felt, at 16, to be the only transgender student at his high school. Eight weeks had passed since he’d killed himself, at 24, at his Northern Virginia apartment.

It was Henry who’d inspired his mother, Karen Berg, to run for Kentucky’s state Senate, helping her win a seat in an overwhelmingly Republican legislature now contemplating a pile of anti-trans bills.

All morning long, the doctor turned Democratic lawmaker had been pacing around her Louisville house, trying to figure out what she could say to stop them.

“Don’t shake. Don’t cry. Don’t let your voice waver,” Karen, 61, muttered to herself as she did the laundry. “Short and sweet is better.”

Henry, who’d worked as a press secretary for a major LGBTQ advocacy group, often reminded her to speak in sound bites, to repeat phrases so listeners could absorb the message.

But would the people with power in Frankfort pay attention?

It was an election year in Kentucky, and amid America’s widening cultural rifts, Republicans were pouncing on gender identity issues. Already, almost a dozen new anti-trans laws had been proposed in Kentucky: censoring books on gender, barring doctors from providing hormone therapy to trans teens, banning them from certain restrooms and locker rooms.

Five days earlier, a senator running for lieutenant governor had stood a few feet from Karen and introduced legislation to allow teachers to use students’ birth names and pronouns against their wishes. He was greeted with thunderous applause from colleagues.

Karen, one of just six Democrats in the Senate, couldn’t believe it.

Now she headed down to the basement and sat among the 30 boxes that had arrived from Henry’s apartment in Arlington.

“I keep searching for his smell, but I can’t find it,” she said, rooting through his old shirts.

She found herself returning to his childhood bedroom.

“God, I could use his advice right now,” she said quietly, as she leafed through his high school yearbooks.

It was in ninth grade — when Henry came out as transgender to his classmates — that the cruelty and isolation peaked. Parents Karen had known for more than a decade called to say they didn’t want Henry talking to their kids anymore. Bullies hacked his Tumblr blog and repeatedly sent him messages telling him to kill himself. The first of several suicide attempts followed soon after.

From one crate, she pulled a thick stack of binders from Henry’s time at George Washington University in D.C.

“These must’ve been from his classes when he came home during covid,” she said. As she flipped through them, the neatly penciled handwriting on one college-ruled page jumped out at her.

“Oh my God,” she whispered as she made out the first words on the page.

“What am I living for?” it read. “Why? What is keeping me?”

Underneath, her son had written out in tidy columns across two pages the apparent pros and cons of killing himself.

“I can’t,” Karen said, struggling to breathe. “I didn’t expect this. I’m not ready.”

She laid the pages down.

She thought about the hour-long drive to Frankfort the next morning and the eight-week legislative session still ahead. She thought about the fellow state senators she planned to plead with in private. And about the floor speech she was still composing to persuade them to back away from more anti-transgender laws — for her sake, for the sake of her son, for the sake of others like him.

“If they’re going to pass these bills,” she said, “I want them to see me and my dead child and know that they are killing other Henrys out there.”

Continue

every single line of this is heart breaking.

[longeyelashedtragedy]

lampard life update

just got the sweetest message from a Very Experienced Social worker i worked with. censoring things that identify the specific place i worked, and my name bc i fucking HATE my name and would rather pretend it didn't exist:

basically this is the kind of feedback i've been getting for the past almost 24 hours--my phone's been blowing up between coworkers and people who work for the City Government (TM). i talked shit on the phone with said Dana this morning (who is...amazing and this very passionate jewish lady who totally plays into my Mommy Issues and she wants to meet me for coffee) and she said she'd act as a reference and gave me some interesting job tips. mind you, i've only known these people since october.

-as i said to protect daniel james i've applied to more jobs in the past 12 hours than frank lampard has applied to in the past 7 months! people are like "you should rest and relax" and like yeah, but i'm not young enough to be on my parents' health insurance anymore and as marieke said, being unemployed in america is scary. being close to broke in nyc is terrifying! i'm stressed as fuck but also never have to enter that trauma pit with the Evil Boss again?

-i was crying last night not even because of me but because of thinking of all the people i work with and support who i didn't get to say goodbye to and i don't know what they will do without my support cause i have no idea who tf will replace me. and whoever does, isn't going to know the context of how to help these people. i literally called some people of my own volition today--i still have access to the city databases that i use--and will have some more calls monday. i cared. i fucking loved my job in terms of the actual duties and responsibilities, and i was GOOD at it when i wasn't being traumatized by, as my New Job Work Bestie said on the phone last night, "a stupid evil cunt." if the shoe fits lol. like literally there are people whose timesheets i sign on fridays and i have no idea who the fuck else can sign them and how will they get paid!!!!! i was frantically texting them at like 11 last night because fuck! that's not fucking right if people don't get paid bc of this evil woman!

-people are advising me to lawyer up and lawyer parents are looking into it. they messed with the wrong bitch! the reason why i am possibly pursuing this is because at the time of my termination~ i had already opened the process of an ADA (americans with disabilities act) accommodation request, feat. a letter from my psychiatrist discussing my PTSD, which is not like. A fun thing to discuss multiple times with multiple people at work, and yet i did. Because i wanted to try to make it work, and all i fucking asked for was to be moved to another job location. My job has around 50 locations. In no universe is that a difficult request, plus, i was asking for a like secondary thing instead which was--fucking staff the vacant position at my job so i was no longer one person doing a two person job.and WEIRDLY, on wednesday i was just told that i WAS getting another person--on monday! she's someone i vaguely know, and we had an amazing zoom talk yesterday afternoon--so like. wtf? the famous dana (see above) said that at the least we could bully them into a better severance package if they were afraid i would sue. The place i worked at is Very Behated in new york and the media thrives on the place getting negative attention.

-another option that occured to me is that i was fired by Evil Boss because she thought i was going to rat her out about things she is doing that are unethical and probably illegal. (i know this sounds dramatic but i won't go into job details in public for various reasons--i already revealed too much in the screenshot!) i was not going to do that, but also i wasn't DEFENDING her and saying what she was doing was okay, and that came to her attention yesterday and she went the fuck off on me. she told me i had to tell the famous dana NOT to inform people that their rights were being violated, and i'm like---I cannot tell someone what to say and not to say, and that would be a REALLY SHADY THING TO SAY? so this bitch probably got spooked. Who even knows what happened but this is clearly one of the most unjust sackings in history 😂 maybe they will hire mourinho to take over my position

-how did i make such a positive impact on 7914433 people while having the most horrific trauma episode since before i started taking meds? damn. i guess i put my whole longeyelashedtragedussy into making connections and truly enjoying them

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Monica Harris

Published: May 21, 2023

Recently, I was reminded of just how easy it is to be silenced in America now.

Two few weeks ago I published an article on Medium (linked here on my blog) about the impact of transgender inclusion on the rights of women and lesbians. I felt it was a timely and topical subject, and as a gay woman of color I obviously have a vested interest in this issue.

So, you can imagine my shock when, less than 24 hours after the article appeared, Medium’s Trust & Safety team removed it for violating community rules. I was further warned that repeated violations would lead to possible suspension of my account. My crime? Posting “hateful content.” (before continuing, I would encourage you to read the article yourself).

For perspective, I have more than 1,000 followers on Medium and have published nearly 70 articles on this platform. I’m a Harvard educated lawyer and am on the Board of Advisors of the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism. I’m also a published author and a TEDx speaker. In fact, much of my writing focuses on bringing people together around our shared values and interests. In my entire career, I’ve never been accused of using hate speech or advocating hateful positions. Yet now I was being silenced for expressing my legitimate concerns about an issue that affects me and others in my community.

This incident is laced with many ironies, not the least of which is that I’ve spent much of my life feeling invisible and not having a voice. Growing up black and gay in the 70s and 80s was an alienating and often heartbreaking experience. Thankfully, as America has been forced to reckon with its insidious legacy of racism, sexism, and homophobia, the landscape has changed. Barriers have crumbled and hearts and minds have opened. I now enjoy a thriving legal career in the entertainment industry. I have a white partner and a biracial son. We happily live our alternative lifestyle in a red state that is overwhelmingly white and Christian. The past two decades have empowered me and helped me find my voice.

But now I fear that I’m in danger of losing my voice again. I worry that I and millions of other women are becoming invisible — not at the hands of right-wing extremists, but by people who promote tolerance, inclusion, and equity.

Medium’s content curators purportedly removed my article because it “disempower[ed]” and excluded others based on “protected characteristics,” i.e. biological men who identify as women. Yet they had no qualms about disempowering and excluding me — a member of not one, but three “protected” groups — from their online community.

Further, I was silenced for expressing my belief that inclusion of biological men in women’s sports and prisons, and other historically protected spaces potentially undermines the rights and safety of biological women and lesbians. Yet the act of deplatforming my article was, itself, proof of the marginalization I lamented in my article.

When I shared the incident with a left-leaning friend, she cautioned that conservatives, Nazis and right-wing extremists have created a dangerous environment for transgender Americans. While this is undoubtedly true of some fringe elements on the Right, I’m neither a Nazi nor an extremist. Why should my legitimate concerns be conflated with fringe elements with whom I have nothing in common? If an article that raises thoughtful questions and concerns on behalf of other protected groups can be characterized as “hateful content,” then what is the threshold for hate?

You don’t have to be gay, female, or a person of color to appreciate the danger this poses to all Americans. If the boundaries of prohibited speech keep growing, then we can effectively be silenced by anyone who disagrees with us or is offended by our opinions. All they have to do is call us “hateful.” But if we live in constant fear of offending others, then how long will it be before we’re too afraid to say anything?

Freedom of speech is one of our most cherished rights. While designed to protect us from censorship by our government, it’s indelibly woven into the fabric of American society. The free and open marketplace of ideas is what makes our country unique. It’s enabled groundbreaking innovation and thought and empowered historically disenfranchised groups.

Given my unique background and experience, freedom of speech holds a special place in my heart. After all, where would I be today if voices that made others uncomfortable had been muffled? Moreover, what will the future hold for all Americans if we continue on this path? Without unfettered freedom of speech, attempts to foster inclusion become illusory and performative.

Protecting this sacred right is neither easy nor painless; it demands our constant effort, vigilance, and above all, our selflessness. What we safeguard for ourselves we must also be willing to safeguard for others, even those with whom we vehemently disagree.

Unfortunately, Medium and a growing number of platforms and legacy media outlets aren’t willing to do the hard work. They’ve decided that freedom of speech should be sacrificed if it makes others uncomfortable — even if the people expressing themselves have lived in discomfort most of their lives, and in many cases still do. They’ve elected to trade one of our most fundamental rights for tolerance that’s often selective.

These well-intentioned guardians of “safety” fail to see that true tolerance must be expressed not just by our words, but also by our deeds. The noble goals of inclusion and equity become meaningless if we arbitrarily sacrifice these principles when it suits us or those with preferred agendas. Selective tolerance isn’t progressive; it’s regressive.

True tolerance also requires that we be on the same page about the rules of free speech. We’re entering an era of increasing social conflict, but we can’t navigate this challenging landscape and resolve our differences if the boundaries of free speech keep shifting, often without warning.

For now, I write with a giant question mark over my head. Will I be branded a TERF on Medium if I continue to advocate for the rights of women and lesbians? Will I unwittingly offend others with the subject matter of my next article? Will it be “the one” that terminates my account?

The only thing I know for certain is that this is no way for anyone to live in a free society. If we can spend billions of dollars to fight for the freedom of people in a country 5,000 miles away, surely we can find the courage to defend this precious right at home. Let’s spend less time talking about inclusion and more time practicing it.

==

No one is immune to the ministrations of the puritans.