#or if I've already updated my legal documents

[canichangemyblogname]

The gender dysphoria questions they ask you can be so silly. They ask me about my dreams and if I'm comfortable seeing the "F" marker on my passport. And - like - I don't remember my dreams, and my passport is in a safe in my crawlspace? They're asking if I'm uncomfortable or if I hesitate when marking my sex/gender on "official" forms or documents at any point in the last year. I have not had to do any such thing in the last year.

"Over the last year, have you acted and/or dressed as a member of the opposite gender in social gatherings or in private?"

And my brain immediately goes to: "define acted and/or dressed." Like. I can hardly count a t-shirt and jeans as "dressing like a man" or "dressing like a woman." Most of what I own would be classified as "unisex" (gender neutral). And what does it mean to "act like a man"? Are you asking if I chop wood in the forest at night??? What are you getting at here???

Like. I try, I guess? It doesn't work. It's not like writing emails and wearing a polo are explicitly "male" things to do.

[fiercynn]

on ao3's current fundraiser

apparently it’s time for ao3’s biannual donation drive, which means it’s time for me to remind you all, that regardless of how much you love ao3, you shouldn’t donate to them because they HAVE TOO MUCH MONEY AND NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH IT.

we’ve known for years that ao3 – or, more specifically, the organization for transformative works (@transformativeworks on tumblr), or otw, who runs ao3 and other fandom projects – has a lot of money in their “reserves” that they had no plans for. but in 2023, @manogirl and i did some research on this, and now, after looking at their more recent financial statements, i’ve determined that at the beginning of 2024, they had almost $2.8 MILLION US DOLLARS IN SURPLUS.

our full post last year goes over the principles of how we determined this, even though the numbers are for 2023, but the key points still stand (with the updated numbers):

when we say “surplus”, we are not including money that they estimate they need to spend in 2024 for their regular expenses. just the extra that they have no plan for

yes, nonprofits do need to keep some money in reserves for emergencies; typically, nonprofits registered in the u.s. tend to keep enough to cover between six months and two years of their regular operating expenses (meaning, the rough amount they need each month to keep their services going). $2.8 million USD is enough to keep otw running for almost FIVE YEARS WITHOUT NEW DONATIONS

they always overshoot their fundraisers: as i’m posting this, they’ve already raised $104,751.62 USD from their current donation drive, which is over double what they’ve asked for! on day two of the fundraiser!!

no, we are not trying to claim they are embezzling this money or that it is a scam. we believe they are just super incompetent with their money. case in point: that surplus that they have? only earned them $146 USD in interest in 2022, because only about $10,000 USD of their money invested in an interest-bearing account. that’s the interest they earn off of MILLIONS. at the very least they should be using this extra money to generate new revenue – which would also help with their long-term financial security – but they can’t even do that

no, they do not need this money to use if they are sued. you can read more about this in the full post, but essentially, they get most of their legal services donated, and they have not, themselves, said this money is for that purpose

i'm not going to go through my process for determining the updated 2024 numbers because i want to get this post out quickly, and otw actually had not updated the sources i needed to get these numbers until the last couple days (seriously, i've been checking), but you can easily recreate the process that @manogirl and i outlined last year with these documents:

otw’s 2022 audited financial statement, to determine how much money they had at the end of 2022

otw’s 2024 budget spreadsheet, to determine their net income in 2023 and how much they transferred to and from reserves at the beginning of 2024

otw’s 2022 form 990 (also available on propublica), which is a tax document, and shows how much interest they earned in 2022 (search “interest” and you’ll find it in several places)  

also, otw has not been accountable to answering questions about their surplus. typically, they hold a public meeting with their finance committee every year in september or october so people can ask questions directly to their treasurer and other committee members; as you can imagine, after doing this deep dive last summer, i was looking forward to getting some answers at that meeting!

but they cancelled that meeting in 2023, and instead asked people to write to the finance committee through their contact us form online. fun fact: i wrote a one-line message to the finance committee on may 11, 2023 through that form, when @manogirl and i were doing this research, asking them for clarification on how much they have in their reserves. i have still not received a response.

so yeah. please spend your money on people who actually need it, like on mutual aid requests! anyone who wants to share their mutual aid requests, please do so in the replies and i’ll share them out – i didn’t want to link directly to individual requests without permission in case this leads to anyone getting harassed, but i would love to share your requests. to start with, here's operation olive branch and their ongoing spreadsheet sharing palestinian folks who need money to escape genocide.

oh, and if you want to write to otw and tell them why you are not donating, i'm not sure it’ll get any results, but it can’t hurt lol. here's their contact us form – just don’t expect a response! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[bethel-rath]

Kriese - Master Post

For legal purposes, all testimonies and commentary on this page or any of the documents linked from it are allegations. The screenshots, however, are evidence. Any edits will be very obvious and for the purpose of respecting confidentiality.

Hey yall. I'm Kriese (aka Keira, aka 4 Pings: explanation of that one here). I am a former friend of Poppy and Zena's going back to Spring 2021, and I was an Archon (Moderator) of The Foundation starting around Fall 2021. I would not say I was their closest friend; but we shared secrets and they trusted me. I trusted them, too.

A lot happened in between then and now, and I have shared some of that publicly since coming out against them. I have decided to update my previous master post in order to change it from just listing the published documents to instead be a cataloging of what I feel are important or relevant statements, either here on Tumblr or on Twitter. A lot has happened very quickly in the past several months, and it is not all organized.

I do however recommend yall go check out Milena's Poppy and Zena: Abusive Hypocrites Hub Doc. In it are links to all of the already published docs, including Abusive Hypocrites 2.

Below here will be links to and descriptions of what I consider to be semi-important to important statements I've personally made publicly. They're not in any specific order (at the moment; I may go back later and reconsider).

When GayFesh Said People Privately Reached Out to Him, One of Those was Me. I discreetly talked to Fesh once while still in The Foundation. It occurred the night after he made his original public callout post on Twitter. We asked each other to keep our conversation a secret. I wanted his perspective on a few things. We didn't speak again until after I left The Foundation.

I Will Never Again Publicly Talk About RGR. Here's Why.

My First Signed Anonymous Ask to Heloise. This was done in response to Poppy posting my private DMs between myself and her after she dropped into my DMs while I was working.

Followup to That First anonymous Ask Much Later as Myself. In this I better explain what was going on around that time, why I believe Poppy reached out to me, and why I reacted the way I did.

A Signed Anonymous Ask to Heloise Calling Out Poppy Continually Using Spawn's Preferred Name. I was frustrated with Poppy not protecting peoples' identities when she herself should understand what it meant to be doxxed. This was an expression of that feeling.

I Discuss Not Wanting to Take Away What The Foundation has Meant to Others. As it became clear I would be speaking out in the future, I wanted it to be clear that just because I had issues with Zena and Poppy that should not take away from what support and community others had found there. Consider it a time capsule of my feelings and beliefs at that time.

My Offer to Talk to Anyone on Discord. Poppy initially vaguetweeted about me reaching out to Chem and Naomi, which prompted me to send Heloise this signed anonymous ask. Poppy decided to just called me out directly on Twitter afterwards. For what it's worth, I never spoke to Chem, and my interaction with Naomi was just sharing the Spawn 1 doc.

Discussion of What Lead to Me Leaving The Foundation. I sent this as a signed anonymous ask to Heloise in preparation of Luxander's stream and the publication of Abusive Hypocrites 2.

I Reiterate I Never Wanted Poppy to Lose Her Job. This is why I had my final fight in Archon.

About How I Connected With Milena After Leaving The Foundation. This signed anonymous ask was sent after Luxander's stream and Abusive Hypocrites 2 was published. I wanted to provide context for my contribution to the doc and me going public.

My Explanation of the 4 Pings Meme Poppy Made About Me. On March 22nd, Poppy created a bunch of memes about a statement I made during my final argument in Archon chat before leaving The Foundation. This is my explanation of it.

About Patchwork Heart and His Response on Stream. I had watched the VoD of the Cope and Seethe stream he went on, and I wanted to be charitable in how Patchwork Heart reacted to reading the docs (especially the stuff about Spawn).

Further Request to Give Patchwork Heart Space He Needs. I made this as a pseudo follow-up statement to the post above.

Saige Accuses Me of "Turning" Patchwork Heart with a $25 Ki-Fi Donation. This one bothered me a lot, and I responded on both Twitter and Tumblr. The Twitter posts are included within the Tumblr blog.

My Identity. This is where I revealed that I was the one running this Tumblr blog. I have not revealed the reason before, but it was due to Annie discovering my blog and thinking I was a Milena sock-puppet account. I decided that it was better to come clean about who I was rather than let that be assumed to be the truth.

I Disavow and Don't Support KF.

My Commentary on The Alt-Right Playbook. And how it pertains to this situation.

Poppy Heaps Praise on a Twitter Follower for Harassing Noehflake. So much for just wanting people to block her. I believe that is still the party line.

Discussion of Poppy's Behavior Pertaining to Control / Sex From My Perspective and Where Something Changed. This was due to an anonymous ask I received at the time.

When Did Poppy Start Getting Obsessed with Porn/NSFW Art? I provide my perspective of when I noticed the shift.

Succubi Want Consent. Why? In retrospect, it appears I might have been just mixing up the tweet thread I had caught with a previous discussion on stream as I never could find a stream segment. Well, the referenced tweet is included.

I Did Believe Poppy for Weeks About Her SA Allegations. I only changed my mind when evidence was presented about both the timeline of events and what had happened in private.

The Line Between Friend and Moderator is Fine on The Foundation. I chime in to discuss how moderators are selected by Poppy and Zena, and who was being shared the timeline of events of the Courtney Orchard / KP situation back in September 2023.

Is It a Conflict of Interest to Be a Friend and a Moderator at the Same Time? I do my best to answer the question here. It's complicated.

Timeline of Poppy and Zena Instituting a "Conflict of Interest" Moderator Rule and Sharing CO/KP Timeline of Events; Poppy and Zena Safety Report Published by KP Moderation Team. Both of these are relevant topics to stuff that happened in Fall 2023 with Poppy and Zena, Courtney Orchard, and ILoveKimPossibleALot. I was not kept particularly informed of the day-to-day details myself at the time.

I Discuss The System Reorganization of The Gentry to L'Enfants Diabolique and How Penny Changed. No, I'm not talking about Penny the OC. I'm talking about Penny the headmate.

I Give a Good-Faith Response to AnnieGal. It was clear she was not engaging in good faith with me (she later admits as much), but I did my best to engage in good faith with what she gave me. I wanted to show I am who I always was.

A Response to Night Wyld. I waited over a month to make any public statement outside of some comments on Malcolm's Poppyverse discord, and I only did so because Night Wyld publicly attacked me again on their Tumblr. The contents within finally forced me to decide to make a public statement. As their Tumblr has been suspended and Annie has taken down her reblog of the post, the evidence is currently not on this site. I still have it (as do other places).

Cross-Post From Twitter About Wiping Messages on The Foundation Before I Left and Why. I did not wipe everything, but I wiped a lot. I felt it was important people know I chose to do so.

My Recommendations for How to Behave When it Comes to Rhetoric. It's clear not everyone agrees with what I said, but I stand by it.

An Apology to Saige for Never Reaching Out. I should have done so much, much sooner.

What's The Play Here? This isn't particularly important, but I'm putting it here for two reasons. One: I did send a private message to Poppy wishing her a Happy Birthday; Two: Poppy revealed that I had sent her a Cease and Desist, and that is true.

If something is not here, it's still in the archives. Nothing is deleted.

Take care all,

Kriese, aka Keira

[crush3dmary]

Apologies if I'm more sporadic in terms of replying to messages/updating fics for the next 8 months. Explanation ahead.

As most of you know, I'm a student at the moment - I already have my degree and work as a social worker in the field, but last time I tried to apply for my MSW, I was denied as due to some bureaucratic bullshit, I'm missing some of the credits I needed to get in. So I've spent the last 3 years doing university part time so I can work at the same time, because I'm an adult and pay my own rent for an apartment I am the sole leaseholder to. Anyways, I'm in my last year of this BS and I need to redo my practicum credit because for some reason 5 years of field experience (including over a year of being a supervisor) couldn't exempt me from this, and the only way for me to get the hours I need to get this credit is to do it 3 days a week.

You know what that means! It means I'll be working 3 days of long overnight shifts, then flipping my sleep and doing 3 days at my practicum, and I have one class I need to do concurrently, so I am now busy 7 days a week. I have no days off. This is going to suck ass.

Thankfully, I started my practicum last week, and it is VERY chill, so much that it'll be a vacation from my full time job. It's fully remote and very self-driven, so less stressful than if I was having to commute to a high-action agency 3 days a week and burning myself out, but I'm still not a fan of the 7 days a week thing. At least last week I got 15 hours of practicum credit to "review documents" (by that, I mean read fic and goof off from the comfort of my own home) and it seems like most of the work will be not much more strenuous than that. So I might be able to keep up with my writing after all if this keeps up, but... I guess we'll see how it unfolds.

I'm also thinking again about registering with the provincial college of social workers again, since my registration expired mid-2021 and I never renewed it (I'm sure some of you remember the drama from around that time where Ritchie accused me of lying about my credentials, that was fun). My current organization doesn't require registry since we have staff from a lot of different backgrounds - I have coworkers with backgrounds in things like criminology, sociology, and other things along those lines, so they don't require an OCSW registration, but I feel like it would be good for me to have just in case. Downsides? First off, it's expensive, you actually have to pay about 300 dollars a year just be considered an RSW (and they charge you right around Christmas too, lmao), and secondly, I have an unusual name - Sair is my actual, legit legal name - and I've been doxxed before by unsavoury people, so if you knew where to look, you'd be able to find my full workplace contact easily. So that's a MAJOR downside and basically the biggest thing stopping me from reapplying, because I don't trust people I have beef with to be normal with that information. Sometimes having an internet presence sucks ass.

Anyways, there's some work/career thoughts. I'm not really going anywhere with this, just need to get my thoughts out and twitter has a character limit.

[clippedwingsmuses]

ooc: good morning, no icon bc i am. guh. i am so tired rn, but i had to give yall a psa update about stuff going on with me (since i just got back from my doc appointment)

basic tldr; my activity is most likely going to be even more sparse than it is for a while because i'm focused on my mental and physical health (working on regulating my bipolar disorder primarily), as well as some legal issues that i need to address; what activity i do have may be restricted to my current threads and i might not be making ooc update posts very frequently

full information (and miscellaneous ramble-venting) is under the cut

active muse check: surge, laurance, wanderer, kieran

(cw: mental health, general medical and legal talks, venting)

ooc: so breaking news, apparently it turns out my bipolar disorder might be the more major diagnosis between everything that i got checked out a couple weeks ago, i got prescribed some mood stabilizers so i should be getting them in tomorrow

im having to re-set up my insurance bc they fucked me over and cancelled it (we didn't get any of the documents that they were supposed to be giving us, and my acc on their website can prove we didn't receive them) so that's stressing me out

i also had to get bloodwork done today for whatever reason, going there and doing the bloodwork is what gave us the heads up that my insurance was cancelled so i guess i'm glad for it, but also we can't really afford to pay for the bloodwork rn (and barely if at all); i'm glad that i got it done so i can see if i have any physical issues to worry about, but at the same time that payment is gonna fuck us over for a little, cause we barely get by as it is

im also cramping which sucks!!!!! but that's small beans compared to everything else

i mean today already started off pretty shit for me, i only got about 4 hours of sleep cause my anxiety kept me up most of the night (who was surprised that would happen? not me) since i was stressing about the appointment (they're also still ignoring the potential that i could be neurodivergent, and i know damn well that i am, they just keep blaming my issues on everything else that's wrong with me, so that's stressing me out to a pretty strong degree too)

so yeah, considering all my mental health issues and the doctors visits ive basically been having nonstop for the last couple of weeks, my activity on this account is probably going to be even less than it already is; i've just got too much going on to put all my energy into fixating on writing, and even writing my novel is a chore that i've really had to trudge through the mud to finish (i'm still not even done with it)

i will still be around to write on here ofc, but i might restrict myself into not actively searching for any new rp partners for a while; i'm going to try spending my time relaxing and getting my shit sorted before i fully commit to being here as much as i have been. again, activity will still be here all things considered, but i might not be making very many ooc posts like i have been, and as far as dash shenanigans go i might be pretty quiet

my discord is open to mutuals if anyone wants to chat or discuss plots, and my ims on here will always be open as well

sorry for rambling and bitching so much on here i just like to keep yall informed, but yeah the tldr at the top basically explains all the important details outside of my rambling

[dalliansss]

do you stick your head into everyone's business, or just mine? For mairon?❤️

PROMPTS FOR THE GRUMPY VS SUNSHINE TROPE

Mairon arrives at his office located at the 52nd floor of Angband Towers -- but of course this isn't accomplished without incident, for already he has visited several departments en route to his office, terrorizing the workers there with his follow-ups and surprise spot inspections. As CEO of Angband Inc., (which is, in turn a subsidiary of Utumno Conglomerates), he seems to have made it a past time of his to keep all his workers on their toes.

He liked to 'bully' the interns and new hires, especially in the Legal Department. Mairon's reasoning of course is that, those jobs aren't just mere jobs, and that everybody hired for it should be accordingly qualified and skilled for the spot they applied for. And of course, coping with pressure is also a crucial skill in any job.

One of the few employees he cannot 'bully', as it were, is his P.A., Thuri. She has been P.A. to him for a decade now, and she is well-known for her persuasive charm and stubbornness that equals that of her immediate superior's. With Thuri, anything can be possible, which is why Mairon can't do without her. Heck, she even has higher pay than most of Angband's engineers.

So, today, Mairon finds Thuri vacuuming near the balcony area. He stops on his tracks; he doesn't see her of course but he can hear the buzz and hum of the cordless vaccuum.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Mairon asks. "Vacuuming," comes Thuri's reply. "Don't we have a cleaning team for that? Am I on glue or did we lose the entire janitorial services department?"

Thuri emerges from the balcony area, in her crisp corporate outfit and heels, dragging the cordless vacuum with her. "No," she tells him, as she too returns his appraisal. "The area was simply not clean to my tastes."

Mairon lets his eyebrows rise up before he proceeds to his own office area. During the course of the day, Thuri enters and exits his office, bringing him updated papers, memoranda and other important matters -- already organized and tabbed per urgency, just how he likes it. Color-coded tabbing, too.

Near the lunch hour, of course, Mairon slows his own work to a trickle and he pulls out his mobile phone. He opens TikTok and checks if Finrod posted any new photosets or a new Reel or is on Live. Ever since he scheduled that dinner date with the pop star, Mairon had been obligated to open his own TikTok and Instagram, and made to religiously like and collect each of his boyfriend's photos and Lives and Reels and Stories.

From obligation, it became hobby, until it coalesced into a daily ritual.

It turns out Finrod posted several new TikToks of their cats, Draugluin and Wilwarin. Mairon religiously views each one, oblivious that Thuri has entered his office with a fresh stack of documents, and was now peering over his shoulder, checking out what the hell he's doing.

He notices he's being watched when he catches a whiff of Thuri's Bvlgari perfume. Mairon jolts and whirls around his executive chair, scowl already on his face.

"Do you stick your head into everyone's business, or just mine?" He snarls at his P.A.

"Your business is sometimes my business, especially if conducted in office premises," Thuri chirps, drawing back. "Also, it's somewhat also the entire world's business since you dated the hottest pop star of the current decade. By the way, your boyfie just messengered an entire sushi platter, I've put it--"

But Mairon is already out of his executive chair at the mere mention of a sushi platter, especially a homemade one from Finrod. He exits his office, makes a beeline for the private kitchen and pantry he shares with Thuri and his security officers.

He opens the fridge and finds the sushi platter. He takes it out, cuts the tape seals with a kitchen knife, and then proceeds to gobble two sushis at once before he steals away the entire thing back to his office, where Thuri is still sorting his outgoing pile.

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head at him.

[dilucofdawn]

Diary Entry #2

I suppose I should give an update on how Lily was after we decided she would live with me at the winery

The following day after we spoke to Lisa about her and getting Mondstadt Citizen documents I sent out a few letters. I sent one to Alice asking if she knew anything about this, which she told me she didn't have any explantation on the matter, but considering Lily was true in her worlds and her enthusiasm for the new world around her wasn't a threat, we both decided not to worry any further on it. Before Alice could even get back to me I already had my answer on how Lily got her, which I will explain after this. In our letters Lily came up with the idea and saying she was related to Alice, Klee and Albedo as their cousin. Which ultimately made sense. They are all blonde, it goes well I suppose. If anyone asks about Lily's family we can just go down some story route of that.

Lily was going to type up ideas for it when I informed her that we did not have a type writer. Although it has been considered before, simply put winery matters should be written by hand, parties involved feel a sense of trust from the hand written letters. She sighed and hesitantly picked up a pen and started writing, but her hand writing was ... well in her own words "its very bad"

She spoke to me about how she had chronic pains and ever since she was a child could never write well, she spent years learning to read as a kid, so writing took the back seat. It seems in this world she doesn't"t have that problem, yet she would still have to 'learn' to write, or learn how to write adequately. I simply decided to write it down for her, after all I would have to know the backstory we setup for her anyways if we ever came across a situation that needed it.

I've spent a lot of the time with her, introducing her to things around Mondstadt and the winery. She would pick up things and study every detail of them and insight to me how she liked them, or if her "predictions/theories" on how things were, were right or not. Showing her around the winery and Mondstadt made me feel... odldly happy. Which I don't recall feeling in... a long time. Showing her around my home and her admiring every little detail and being so happy and even jumpy about it. I could tell she was trying to keep calm about how excited she was. I hope to one day convey that she doesn't need to hold back. It isn't overwhelming seeing how excited someone is at your home, although... I am not used to it. Showing her around the city was the best part, I even closed down Angel's Share early to show her around. We spent a day of her trying drinks I made for her, no alcohol, "I'm only 20 and the legal drinking age in my world is 21, I want to drink then, it feels right, I can't explain it.." was her words of some sort, followed by "I don't really like drinking anyways, it gives me a headache and it doesn't taste good, just a shot of vodka in soda is good, or I suppose, less than a shot..." so it seems she only likes extremely sweet or overpowering flavors that fade out the taste of alcohol, although I taught how to taste the flavor of alcohol in even the simplest of drinks, so its hard for me to ignore.

I feel a sense of pride and joy in showing off Mondstadt to her. It's.. relaxing.

Anywho, on the matter of how she got here. Apparently a witch from outside the world of Teyvat took a piece of her from her world, and sent her here. She used so many metaphors to explain it, but all that matters is that, there is still a Lily in her own world and she is like a clone, a fallen off hair.. so many metaphors. Apparently the witch admired Lily's love of her and Lily's love of the witches story and so in return she gifted Lily the gift of being in a story she loves. Lily did explain to me that the stories she loves most or finds the most interesting are shorter, but also not worlds you would like to exactly live in. That makes sense, a story about war or intense emotional events may be more appealing, but it isn't a world you would like to live in. I didn't take any offense to it, and in her words "In my world your story is rather new anyways, the ones I really love, I read at the beginning of my teenage years." I take no offense really, its a story, Teyvat and huge and so is apparently the story I am in. Although hearing about how I am one of her favorite characters and one of.. if not thee most one she would like to meet.. its a bit overwhelming. It's not bad, but how am I suppose to react to it? She told me not to worry about it, "We shouldn't worry about weird things anyways!" I told her what mattered is that she was here and for her to enjoy herself. She seemed to take these words in and smiled and said "thank you" to me with such true gratitude, but also calmness in her voice.

The only real problem is that I haven't been able to do any "dark knight hero duties" I simply sent the intel to others who could handle it in my place. Lily asked me if I would send any to Kaeya and I replied something along the lines of "the knights are too busy to handle this, I'll find someone more suitable" which was.. a lie..

In actuality I sent a few things to Kaeya to take care of. I didn't want to. I also just... couldn't admit to Lily I did. The whole talk about how people feel about me and Kaeya and us being brothers.. I just can't handle that situation right now. I have someone new living with me and shes going to be my partner for lack of a better terms. She always asks how I'm doing, and in exchange of her intel about Teyvat I would.. have to put up with her ... "helping me emotionally with my problems" I'm not ungrateful it's just.. thats.. it's so much. I don't wish to talk about it further.

Although.. I do appreciate her kindness to help me, even if I don't know how to respond to it.

[transgendz]

I got an ask this morning that I've taken some time to consider. I will not be replying directly to it, because its an anon, and someone claiming to be a mutual for years so if they wanna talk they can dm me, but this can be a more full breakdown than an ask can reasonably get.

I've posted proof of the cost of my roommates last ($500) appointment within the past two weeks. If anyone wants to dm me for more proof, I really don't mind.

Those who have been following me for years probably remember why I don't feel safe sharing much info outside of dms at all. It's stalking and abuse, but if anyone needs more details, I dont mind answering that either.

We have been in various stages of getting out of homelessness and seeking treatment for disability for a while now. Fought for my roommate's legal documents for years. A lot of this stuff has been going on for years before we ever asked for help online or otherwise. We got evicted as soon as the rent moratorium ended, and not long after, we got covid that almost killed us. That left me permanently more disabled and left my roommate with a brand new disability on top of the existing ones. For a point of reference, even before the pandemic, I was his full-time caregiver. I still am.

On that note, he spent most of this time last year in and out of the hospital. I am still his full-time caregiver. He still has thousands in unpaid hospital bills. Again, dm me, I do not mind providing proof of all of this. I have his medical records and permission to share them if I remove the super sensitive info such as social security number.

My posts are generally phrased similarly or the same because if I think I phrased it correctly the first time, I will phrase it that way again. I am autistic, and people who talk to me enough to get to know me know I speak on scripts, and I am very repetitive. The people in my life irl remark on it. I don't really know what else to say, except I'm far from the only person on here who does that. I'm not even the only person who does that for the same reasons. I update my posts when I get a notification, and I check my email frequently most days. I do not thank every person who helps us, and I'm sorry. I try, and will keep trying.

Food is our biggest cost due to me and my roommate both having life threatening allergies to dairy, soy, and gluten. I don't know if you can understand how expensive that is until you live it. We are trying to reduce costs though. We have a garden, are expanding to that daily, as well as a greenhouse that was already here when we moved in which we have filled. And fruit trees and berry bushes.

And pretty importantly, all of the supplies have been given/loaned to us by a family member. A lot of the plants were previously planted and came out of dormancy in the last few weeks because it's currently spring. If half of what we have planted now does well, we will be fine on food. If anyone wants proof of all that, I would actually be overjoyed to share about our progress in that. I am really proud of our plants.

I have been looking for a job, I've mentioned that in posts before, but I am still applying. I am a full-time caretaker of a disabled person while also being disabled. I am limited to online work. If anyone has anything I can apply for oh my god I would appreciate it. I will be doing yard sales now that its warmer to help unclutter that previously mentioned family member's house of antiques and collectibles, and I'll get money from that. I do commissions at my art blog @theartistrans I have been doing gig shit and trading labor for goods and dogsitting. I don't have a regular 9-5, but I work.

And I do have a second roommate. She just largely takes care of her own for now, although that's been on and off some in the past as major things happened in her life.

[oculusanubis]

UPDATE POST

Please scroll down to the first post on this page before reading this update.

New Oculus Anubis Post

Not even 24 hours after posting my write up on Oculus Anubis, I received a direct message from their revival Facebook page. I responded promptly but with suspicion - they wanted to meet. We agreed to a 6pm phone call, both of us on Pacific Daylight Time. 

When they picked up the line, I first informed them I was recording the conversation which rather than causing a brick wall to jump between us, my recipient didn’t blink an eye. “I'm an open book”, they’d said. As a potential buyer for the property, and the creator of the new non-profit named Oculus Anubis, this person is the one behind most of this recent online activity, including the TikTok page I discussed in my last post. It’s their own goal to purchase the property & renovate it as a community holistic healing center. Or, as her website states, “It will be a sanctuary where individuals can explore their spirituality, engage in meaningful events, and find solace in the presence of a supportive community”.

One thing I had found online, before posting my original write up, was the Facebook pages of a few family members in the Neal family. On several of their pages, a post was created and shared about the interested party. You can read more posts made by Alexa on the internet several years back about her grandma Sharon, found on the “Pictures Page”. Here is the post about Jasmine;

While Jasmine is the human involved in creating the new website, buying the domain, filing as a non-profit and wants to buy the land, we struggle with the legality (if anyone has legal background that wants to help, please reach out!). This case seems to be stuck in limbo. I've contacted every name listed on every court document ive been able to obtain, but from where I can see, the property is tangled up in court, still. Natalia has tried to get Sharon Neal evicted, however, this failed due to the bankruptcy court Sharon is in. This being said, the property deed was transferred to Rushmore Loan Services, LLC in 2022 & at one point in that year it was listed as “In Foreclosure'' which is why Jasmine found interest in purchasing to begin with.

Jasmine found this property from the internet and became intrigued, just like me & most likely yourself too. Already coming to Oregon, she decided to give the place a visit. With the online accounts about the family still living on their property, Jasmine reached out to a local realtor as well as the local sheriff before visiting. 

According to Jasmin the bank said that the Neal family should not be on the property but that they weren't ready to get law enforcement involved yet. Jasmine also tells me that the local sheriff, agreeing with this information, said anyone interested in purchasing the property has the right to visit it. However, the sheriff tells her, “We have no teeth in this”. Jasmine, with all this in mind, feels we might have stumbled into something bigger. A point that becomes more and more realistic as we continue to investigate this property and its occupiers. 

When Jasmine visited the Oculus Anubis location, she was only able to make it less than 100ft past the gate before being visited by Natalia and two young women (who may have been her daughters). After leaving an offering and having a silent moment with the Sekhmet statue, the trio appeared with a broom and shovels in hand. After a verbal altercation Jasmine & her partner were property “swept” off the land with Natalia physically pressuring them to leave with her bush broom.  

Jasmine got right to work, using her internet background to manifest her future vision for the property. This move has made way for dramatic reactions from Natalia, her family and even the neighbors.

Within a month of the site being up, Robert (Greg) Cantrell called Jasmine’s phone at 7am one morning. He goes on and on about how evil she is (repeats it twenty times in fact, I counted) and mocks her “spiritual calling” to the property. When Jasmine mentions an online rumor about lines of children being led from one part of the property to the next, rather than deny this, he says, “It's none of your business”. To Jasmine, this is a huge admission that something nefarious is going on.

Her claims of White Supremacy behavior from this family, is rooted in their tax evasion, using their power to take advantage of others as well as taking these spiritual monuments from another country and letting them essentially rot. Jasmine also notes to me during our phone call that she and her partner are “not quite white looking” and that Natalia's reaction to her being on the property may be rooted in racism. (This being said, when we look back years ago to an online video, we see “friends of Sharon” come onto the property to help move a statue to a safer location”, however, several minutes into this project, they get interrupted, yelled at and driven off the property by Natalia. These individuals were white. This is neither here nor there, but I think it is worth mentioning.)

Using Ai generated images to deliver visuals of Jasmine's goal for the property, she also invites donations, which she has been receiving steadily. These funds are for the future of this property, and as far as I know, aren't being used nefariously. Jasmine, being very transparent with me from our first conversation on the phone, shares receipts and tracks finances on an app she’s invited me to access. She’s also given me access to the website credentials, a folder full of information on the property and keeps me updated constantly as she builds what she believes is a case against an elite force of possible child traffickers. 

You may be wondering, what about the Halloween revival date mentioned in my last post. This event was canceled for a litter of reasons but I think regardless of what the Oculus Anubis website says, the bottom line is were no closer to understanding where our rights and the Neal family rights begin and end in regards to this property, and moving the event until we have a better grasp, lessened the likelihood for neighborhood arguments that could have ensued. Not to mention, most of the people interested in attending were not spiritually led or even in the loop about what's been going on. Bringing halfway educated individuals into a potentially harmful situation - not ideal. This being said, days before the date of the event Jasmine writes on the website that the reason for the cancellation was due to the conflict in Gaza & that it deserves our full support and attention. 

On November 17th, Jasmine sends me a link to a website for Pyramid Forest, a website with the same aesthetic as the Oculus Anubis website but a different color scheme, claiming to located in a forest in Oregon and “poised to be a world-class vineyard, and an extraordinary event and experience venue, providing unparalleled sensory and emotional journeys”. Even the images and paragraphs of information on the site feel just as Ai as Jasmine's page, down to the cheesy “team” photos & bios.

When we looked up their LLC, we found the business is listed as a Lodging & Conventions company, with none other than Sharon Neal listed as director. Really Sharon? Another business? We’re going to come back to Sharon too later in this post. According to filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Pyramid Forest files under an address that isn't associated with a property and is actually just a stretch of highway. Vlada Neal, as far as I can tell, is a real human in the Neal family. In fact, I think this is our mystery woman from the Behind the Gates advertisements years back when Sharon illegally created that non-profit (under her old, maiden name) to pay her PGE bill. Vlada is listed as the Founder/CEO/Art Director even though the documents filed for LLC have Sharon listed as director. My suspicion is that Vlada is Natalia’s daughter from before her marriage with Anthony. Or even perhaps Anthony's actual daughter?

In their SEC we see that they registered with no net worth or income requirements for ‘accredited investors’, and investment minimum of $1,000 in filings. While this is just speculation, the SEC website warns in their “10 Red Flags That an Unregistered Offering May Be a Scam” in which they include filings with no net worth or income requirements for ‘accredited investors’, and investment minimum of $1,000 in filings is in fact, a red-flag.

Another noteworthy mention would be in the “sharp uptick in not only visitors to our own, unrelated site, but also a dramatic increase in brute force attacks and failed login attempts” on the Oculus Anubis website created by Jasmine. These attacks have not stopped and have only increased with time.

The Pyramid Forest website says its working with collaborators such as Edelweiss Construction and “Ardiry Winery” but when contacted, the winery had never heard of Pyramid Forest... in fact, none of the “contributors” know anything about it. I also can’t find their listed CPA on the team, James Brown at all. He looks like an Ai generated detective if you ask me. And Tony Perez, Sensory Architect & Perfumer, lives in New York (waiting to hear back from him on any connections). 

Oh yeah, and remember that guy Michael Allen Harrison that I mentioned on my first post? He is posting all over his website and social media accounts about his album project, ‘Pyramid Forest’. And no joke, we find him listed on the website as Pyramid Forest’s “Founder/CEO/Art Director”. We see him on the internet in several places, associated with Vlada Neal and the past Behind the Gates project. 

Now, back to Sharon. Remember that “Go-Fund-Me” that Sharon had made? I was honest to goodness a little bit worried about this woman & considered even calling in a wellness check on her. However, a tight source of mine tells us that the images of the smashed bathroom aren't even in Sharon's house at all and is actually located hundreds of yards away - the tennis courts bathroom that had been smashed by vandals years ago. This lie in itself, embedded on her “Go-Fund-Me '' is just another lie in hopes to ellisit money from the public; her M.O.. I question though, who helped her make this page & is therefore implicit to this lie? I can't help but side-eye Michael Allen Harrison, as he was sure to donate $100 to the “cause”. 

Another topic to mention is something a close source said they found on the Neal property, a structure of stalled cages. The structure is just short of falling apart, being overtaken by the brambles. Inside, a dead bird carcass had begun to fossilize. Jasmine believes that these cages are evidence that children have been held here amongst the processes of being trafficked by the Neal family. Certainly, it is a little sus. Sus because we know that Natalia Neal had registered a business called Sunny’s Organic Farms, which is still up and running, according to the website (website made by Mark Neal and updated as recently as Sept 4th). But how can that be if this is their chicken coop? All abandon like that. And it’s not like the chickens could be elsewhere because the business is registered to be operating out of the Oculus Anubis address. So if this is the coop for their business that they still have registered with the IRS - this is a red flag. However, I think the red flag is leaning closer to more fraudulent activity than it is to child trafficking.  Lastly, there's this Anthony guy. Anthony Curtis Neal, all grown up. Now, he goes by Anthony Curtis and seems to have made a successful career for himself as a Project Manager. He sticks out to us because after some digging, and I can't really get into the specifics of how I know this, but we know he’s tried hacking the Oculus Anubis site at least once, and we venture to assume he is the one behind all the attacks and that the one time we saw his username in a login attempt blew his cover. Rumor has it he is living on the property again - rumors founded onhis selling of his home in 2021 and that his new address is listed as the Oculus Anubis property location. My speculation? Anthony Neal started the original online rumors about the property, to get attention on the property and cause issues for his ex-wife. Working with Vlada, I assume that he’s now attempting to “clean up” the mess he made by changing public perception of the property through the webpage and Pyramid Forrest. Is this done just to change public perception so his family can be left in peace? Or, could it be because they realize the new found attention from Jasmine's website and intrigue, will unravel the other fraudulent activity they are a part of? I mean, if it quacks like a duck, waddles like a duck - it might be a duck. 

What do we do with this information? Apparently nothing for now. The cops want nothing to do with the property & until a lawyer gets involved my hands are tied because I have no actual proof of anything. I myself just had the goal of sorting through the drama for the sake of the public, so minds could rest at ease. The fact that I'm ending this right now with no feeling of ease is unsettling. Best I can do is continue to monitor and investigate the situation and hope for some sort of resolution soon. As of now, we have a team formed for research and while we welcome any help, a word of caution. Do not visit the property. Two sources tell me that the tension on social media regarding Oculus Anubis’ recent resurgence, has created a hostile front by the Neal family. As you see by the images provided to me below, this is a dangerous place to visit. Avoid the location, please. -Harriet

[monica428]

https://gofund.me/727fc906

Preserving Our Family Home - Your Support Can Make a Difference

Dear Friends and Supporters,

I am Monica Russup, and I am reaching out to you today in a time of great need. Recently, my world was turned upside down when my beloved mother passed away. Amidst the emotional turmoil that followed, I discovered a looming threat that could snatch away the place I've called home for 57 years – our family house.

Over the past three years, unknown to me and my mother, the real estate taxes on our cherished home have gone unpaid. Now, the deadline is fast approaching – August 31st – and I find myself facing an insurmountable challenge. We need to raise $1,008.42 to prevent our home from being put up for sale. (Update - thanks to all of you who have so generously donated so far, the initial payment has been made, but I have 3 more of $1066 in Nov, Feb, and May, and then the most recent ones. I am afraid I can't make all of these payments).

I work tirelessly, clocking in 40-plus hours a week, and I can make some payments. However, the lump sum required is beyond my reach, and that's where your support comes in.

I am not just a single mom; I am a single mom with responsibilities that extend beyond my own children. I have my two teenagers, one of whom is desperately seeking employment and re-enrolling in high school, while the other is diligently pursuing her education. Additionally, I care for my 37-year-old daughter, who battles a debilitating medical condition that sometimes leaves her unable to walk. She has a 10-year-old son, my grandson, who relies on us for stability and love.

To make matters more complex (but also filled with love), we share our home with five wonderful dogs. Our land, our sanctuary, is their playground. It's not just a house we're fighting for; it's a home where cherished memories have been made, and where we continue to build our family's legacy.

Let me be clear – my mother's oversight was not her fault, and I carry the weight of not being more vigilant. But, this place has been our sanctuary for generations, and I refuse to let it slip away without a fight.

You see, I'm not just anyone; I'm someone who's journeyed through the darkest of times and emerged on the other side. I am an addict in long-term recovery, and I've worked tirelessly for the past six years to rebuild my life. Right now, it feels like everything is unraveling, and I desperately need your help to hold it together.

The photo above is of our backyard, with the fence we put in for two of our five dogs. It also captures my three daughters and my grandson – the heartbeats of this home. We're a family trying to hold onto our little piece of heaven on Earth.

Any help, no matter how small, is a lifeline for us. Your generosity will not just rescue our home; it will breathe life into our dreams, provide a haven for our family, and preserve our history. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for anything you can contribute.

I love where I live, and with your support, I hope to continue living here and building a brighter future. To all those who have already donated, thank you for your kindness and belief in our cause. Together, we can save our home and continue writing the story of our family's life here for generations to come.

With immense gratitude,

Monica Russup and Family

Now, let me explain how your contributions will be used to achieve our campaign goal of $8,000.

The immediate and most pressing need is to settle the outstanding real estate taxes to prevent the sale of our family home. This payment is crucial to ensure we maintain a roof over our heads.

We have additional property tax payments due in November, February, and May, totaling $3,198. Your support will help us meet these ongoing obligations and secure our home's future.

To navigate the legal processes involved in rectifying our tax situation and preserving our home, we may require legal assistance. This fund will cover any necessary legal fees, documentation, and administrative costs.

Over the years, our family home has aged, and it needs some essential repairs and maintenance. These funds will go towards ensuring the safety and comfort of our living space.

As mentioned, we have a family member battling a debilitating medical condition. This amount will be allocated to cover medical bills, medication, and other essential support services.

We are committed to providing educational opportunities for our children and helping them secure stable employment. This fund will assist in covering educational expenses and job-seeking costs.

Our dogs are an integral part of our family, and we want to ensure their well-being. This amount will be dedicated to their healthcare and maintenance.

Running a campaign involves various costs, including fundraising platform fees, communication, and outreach. This fund will support these necessary expenses to ensure the success of our campaign.

We want to account for any unexpected expenses or shortfalls to ensure we can meet all our financial obligations.

Your generous donations will not only save our home but also provide our family with the stability and security we need during this challenging time. Together, we can overcome this obstacle and continue building a brighter future for our family while preserving our cherished family history in our beloved home.

Thank you for your compassion, support, and belief in our cause. Your contributions will make a profound impact on our lives, and we are deeply grateful for your generosity.

With heartfelt appreciation,

Monica Russup and Family

#SaveOurHome #Grateful #RecoveryLifeLessons #PleaseHelpUs #Straykidsfamily #Staysforever

[commander-ledi]

dude i've been following you for years and i know you've been trying to transition, and i just assumed you've taken T already since you look masc in pics. i also just assumed transitioning in finland wouldn't be that hard, so seeing that post shocked me. is it the same for every people who tries to transition there or do they have excuses for some cases?

yeah i just have something funky going on with my hormones + the makeup. im still in the diagnosis process.

but yeah, transitioning in finland is difficult. basically it takes minimum one year of convincing multiple people to get to finally start the process. there is two departments for all trans people of entire country. it makes the process very slow since they just do not have enough staff and resources for all the people seeking help, and this is genuinely the only official way to transitioning.

for some its easier and faster, for some it can take many years. like in my case they are putting me through extra scrutiny for the fact that im autistic and i got adhd.

so no, its not easy at all. the process is extremely outdated and honestly inhumane (like it tells a lot that in finland trans people are required to present medical proof of being infertile to have gender on legal documents updated)

[sheerioswifties]

Hey so um.

I need your help. Everyone's. My battle for justice after the situation I was forced into for the last 5 years (see previous posts under the tag #helpbrynn for more background) and culminating in a viscous attack on me last June by my in-laws/former landlords has become harder and I now have to fight harder.

I'll explain a lot more tomorrow after I'm able to process the newest information I've been given. In brief summary though, Jeanette was arrested and charged with a class C felony (DV/domestic violence) when police had to breach the house that day; her husband Bill had conveniently left the house by that time so despite him being fully complicit in everything that happened, he got away on that technicality (that he was not there when police arrived... that's a whole other battle, trying to have him charged too, but this legal system is making that near impossible, I'd have to convince the police to charge him and they're showing clear bias in favor of these people and have this whole time- somebody please remind me to tell you about the 911 calls just that night as an example). Anyways Jeanette was arrested and charged, shortly jailed, then let out on a bail substitute, a conditional release situation (which included a criminal restraining order that is supposed to protect me from her, but she's violated it at least 3 documented times now and police wouldn't arrest despite that being the terms of the order). I had no say in this to begin with, I can't begin to explain the terror I felt when I heard they'd let her out- she is DANGEROUS and has no problem lying, manipulating, and framing- her m.o.- so yeah, it sucks being the victim, the one who was hurt and whose life was torn apart, property stolen, and rendered homeless; yet I've really had no say, no chance to try to explain all that preceded this event where she finally got caught... since it's the first time she was caught and she's an old white lady with perceived higher socioeconomic status, they're all going easy on her. They're not believing me when I say this was the tip of the iceberg, that there's other crimes I want to report, that this is a demonstrable pattern of behavior that's progressively escalated and she/they will hurt again and worse if they're emboldened once again by getting away with this, just like they bragged they would...

Sorry this is already longer than I meant it to be, again I have a lot to post about that's forthcoming. But I wanted to update you on the legal case. So Jeanette originally had a public defender, then she bought herself a criminal defense lawyer whose own website description paints proud corruption; not to mention the money she's using on this lawyer is owed to me, and so I have none to hire my own lawyer to seek restitution from all this- how messed up is that? Anyways, I've been working with the county prosecutor who was assigned to the case- eerily, her name is Jeannie Bryant (as in the state of WA is represented by Jeannie Bryant against Jeanette (Hazen) Bryant)- yeah. But so I've got all this evidence and background that you'd think would be used to build a case. Even without it though, even with just what the police saw and reported, it's absolutely dead to rights she did the crime and it's a felony. She did it. She was trying to do worse. It seems obvious on its own but then with all I have, it should be a slam dunk. But now I'm hearing that Jeanette and her attorney are seeking a plea bargain which would downgrade her charge to Disorderly Conduct, a misdemeanor. This is unacceptable and yet I've got no say. I can't even hire my own lawyer to plead my case if I had the funds, because this is criminal so it's up to the state to try the case so I've had to hope the assigned prosecutor fights well. But here we now are and there's a lot more but I wanted to update you all and see first of all if anyone out there is an attorney or knowledgeable in the legal arena that may have thoughts or referrals or recommendations. I'm also giving a heads up that since it looks like I will have to get a civil lawyer to help me pursue restitution among all the other things, I'll probably be starting a crowd funding campaign of some sort for that. For reference this is a case being tried in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington State. I know it's a tricky line legally I'm just throwing this out there into the public, especially in case they do end up getting away with this... so yeah. More tomorrow.

[uncloseted]

tw: transphobia😭 hi I'm a radfem cisgirl (I hate using "cis" and "trans" words but here I need to for the sake of the story) I've got a friend from ny highschool (we're in college now) who's also a radfem and is always sharing great feminist stuff. Yesterday, she shared the comment of a girl saying "this fight for abortion (it is illegal in my country) is for men/people with vaginas too!" and mocked it. I preferred not to make up any opinions about her because of one single post. But today, she shared a picture of Miss Spain 2019 (a trans girl) who talked about her experience with sexism, and mocked her too. This time, it was obvious to me she was just being transphobic trash. She received lots of backlash and deleted the post, but instead made a new post complaining about people caring about transphobia but not about sexism (a very stupid post, if you ask me). This time, along with some comments from other girls respectfully telling her to stop being cruel and mocking towards trans women, she received a lot of support from other TERFS (although these TERFS said they hate being called TERFS just for being honest and brave lmmfao). They said that transwomen don't belong in radfem because they just suffer from discrimination, not oppression, and listed some reasons why: according to them, trans girls don't suffer: obstetrician violence, forced pregnancy, feminicide, child marriage, genital femenine ablation, glass ceiling barriers, being implanted "maternal sense" while kids, getting their ears perfored while babies, among other stuff, and that differentiate ciswomen biological reality from trans women biological reality isn't transphobia. Other girls said they knew transwomen who were mean to them, using derogatory terms to refer to ciswomen and they were mean and cruel, using this argument to generalize about all transwomen smh.

I'm just so stoned that people could be so cruel to transwomen and set them aside from the feminist fight when they suffer from already being excluded from so many things. It sickens me that some people don't belive trans people exist and treat them that bad, specially trans girls. I wish I could debunk the info this TERFS are spreading because it's so dangerous and enables transphobics to keep harming transpeople and I find that unbearable, but I am not as informed as I should be to debute all their lies at once. Could you help me?

So starting with the question of transwomen in radfem spaces, I don’t think many (if any) transwomen would say that they experience the exact same type of discrimination that cis women do.  There’s often this idea that “trans people don’t believe in biology”, but that’s a bad faith argument.  Trans people understand biology very well, often more than their cis counterparts do, because it’s such a big part of their identity.

Yes, transwomen don’t suffer obstetrician violence, forced pregnancy, child marriage, genital feminine ablation, etc. (I can’t even find any articles on the ear thing).  They do experience femicide, at way higher rates that cis women do. Transwomen are women, and they’re discriminated against in their own way; sometimes that’s because they’re women, and sometimes that’s because they’re trans.  Transwomen are largely supportive of fighting with cis women to rid the world of discrimination for all women, cis and trans alike.  

By contrast, TERFs seem to think that because transwomen sometimes suffer a different type of discrimination than cis women, they can’t be “real women”.  But that argument makes no sense to me.  The vast majority of affluent, white, straight, cis women will never suffer the violence that is apparently so central to the cis female experience.  They’re extremely unlikely to experience femicide, child marriage, genital mutilation... and yet they can acknowledge that those issues are feminist issues, even though they’re not universal to all women.  Why shouldn’t the discrimination that transwomen face also fall under that umbrella?  And if they can accept that women who have had hysterectomies, or women who have chromosomal differences, or women who are intersex, or women who present butch are all women, why shouldn’t transwomen also fall under the umbrella of womanhood?

Further, is that really all that womanhood is to TERFs?  Experiencing the trauma and discrimination that so often accompanies being a cis women?  I don’t think inclusion to a group should be predicated on the amount that one has suffered or how many “oppression points” they’ve amassed. And I don’t think being a woman should be predicated solely on biology, especially given that we never really know what kind of biology a person has just by looking at them.  What “being a woman” is is a metaphysical question that derails the discussion of trans feminism, and it’s a question that I don’t think a lot of TERFs actually have a good answer to.  It’s just an easy way to put the burden of proof on trans people and trans allies and waste our time (but if you’re interested, I do have an opinion on this. I just think it’s best saved for a different time).

In terms of trans people being oppressed, there’s all sorts of data to suggest that trans oppression is very real.  In the US, trans people were banned from serving in the military under the Trump administration, a decision that was only overturned a few days ago, and the Trump administration also reversed the Obama- era Title VII policy that protected trans employees from discrimination.  Trans people are overwhelmingly lacking legal protections- there are no federal non-discrimination laws that include gender identity, and in some states, debates over limiting the rights of trans people to use public bathrooms are ongoing.  

About 57% of trans people faced some type of rejection from their family upon coming out.  Around 29% of trans people live in poverty (compared to 11% in the general population and about 22% in the lesbian and gay populations), and that number is higher for trans people who are Black (39%), Latinx (48%), or Indigenous (35%).  27% of trans people have been fired, not hired, or denied a promotion due to their trans identity.  90% of trans people report facing discrimination in their own jobs.  Trans people face double the rate of unemployment that cis people do (about 14%) and about 44% are underemployed. This is despite the fact that a reported 71% of trans people have some level of post-secondary education- actually higher than the general population, which is about 61%.  It’s often cited that women earn 77 cents on the dollar compared to men, but that statistic doesn’t even exist for trans women.

54% of trans people have experienced intimate partner violence (compared to about 24.3% of cis women), 47% of trans people have been sexually assaulted (compared to about 18% of cis women), and about 10% are physically assaulted in a given year. 

About 22% of trans people and 32% of trans people of color in the US have no health insurance (compared to about 11% of cis women), and 55% of trans people who do have insurance report being denied coverage for at least one gender affirming surgery.  29% of trans adults have been refused healthcare by a doctor or provider because of their gender identity.  In one study, 50% of trans people said that they had to teach their medical providers about trans care.  Trans people are four times as likely than the average population to be infected by HIV.  41% have attempted suicide at one point in their lives, compared to 1.6% of the general population.  

20% of trans people have been evicted or denied housing due to their gender identity, and trans people are four times more likely than cis people to be homeless.  Only 1/5 of trans people report that they have been able to update all of their identification documents, and 41% have a driver’s license that does not match their gender identity.  22% of trans people report that they have been denied equal treatment by a government agency or official, 29% reported police harassment, and 12% reported having been denied equal treatment or harassed by judges or court officials.

75% of transgender students feel unsafe at school because of their gender expression, 60% are forced to use a bathroom or locker room that does not match their gender, 50% were unable to use the name and pronouns that match their gender, and 70% of trans students say that they’ve avoided bathrooms because they feel unsafe.  78% of trans students report being harassed or assaulted at school.

And these are all statistics that focus on trans people at large.  The discrimination is worse for transwomen and especially transwomen of color.  All of that certainly sounds like systemic oppression to me.

Every person who chooses to be a TERF perpetuates this discrimination.  It’s just bigotry towards trans people, plain and simple.  And for what?  A reactionary fear that all transwomen are secretly sexual predators and all transmen are confused girls who don’t know better?  Unfortunately, men can be sexual predators just fine without having to jump through the convoluted hoops trans people go through to be recognized as their true gender identity, and transwomen are way more likely to be sexually assaulted than they are to be sexual predators.  There are no reported cases at all that transwomen are dressing up as men to assault women in bathrooms.  There aren’t even statistics on how frequently trans people are sexual predators. And transmen are just as capable of making informed, thoughtful decisions as cis women.  

TERFs shouldn’t be pitting themselves against trans people.  There’s just nothing to be gained from doing that.  They should be working alongside trans people to fight the patriarchy and the discrimination that cis and trans women both face, regardless of what that discrimination entails.

Last thought.  Not to be a stan or anything but if you’re interested in learning more about these issues, Contrapoints has a number of really good videos on the topic of TERFs (including one that just released today!). They delve a bit deeper into the actual questions that TERFs often bring up and provide some nuanced answers.

[adazieht]

friendship works wonders

Most likely, my blog will have an unspecified amount of time to update dark content.

I need to talk. At the same time, writing the words that have already been written. I'm angry, I'm upset, and I'm in pain. My friend I've been talking to for nine years has turned into an asshole. She was already an asshole, but she was important to me.

What the hell is her fuck! 9 years of caring, worrying for her, supporting her, taking care of her health! I didn't want anything from her at all, but respect for the fact that I'm also a living person! But she became a psychological rapist. And before, she took into account her mistakes and apologized, trying to correct herself. Even if it took half a year, but she apologized and voiced her own mistakes. Now she's a bitch. She's killing herself and her boyfriend. It hurts me. It humiliates me.

I'm a professional in the media space. At the same time self-taught. I understand legal issues perfectly, I can provide legal advice myself. I've been working hard since I was fourteen. I'm an artist, I'm a screenwriter and a writer. I know how to work as an artist manager and I worked for them! I worked in the dark corners of media organizations that didn't belong to the state. I've worked with their important documents.

I have personally been the victim of violence, illegal persecution by collectors, which my parents owed and they threatened to kill and rape me.

And, GOD, my friend devalued it. The greenhouse flower, which receives the best expensive education, worked for three years for three companies (one of which works in the European market taking advantage of the fact that there is not such a large level of designers and marketers as the Russians). This girl has devalued my entire experience. I respect her experience, but I am very angry that she, who got to work through lying about herself, sat in a temporary position of chief with no skills and thus earned the disease, devalues my experience.

And at the same time it observes all points of psychological violence (abuses). Blaming me. I wrote only one message that I was offended by her insult to my professional experience. She continued to insult.

I'm in pain all day and I'm at work. At the work of a photography designer in a dolphinarium. I like my job. I love looking at happy people and giving them smiles. I don't want to work in marketing, I don't want to work in an office. I want to give love. For my "girlfriend" I finally became lower in social status.

My feelings for her were trampled. My experience was humbled. My knowledge is devalued.

It hurts and it's sad.

She was an important friend of mine. I loved her. I respected her.

I tried to distance myself from her, but I was hoping that our friendship was mutual.

[umazes]

In the interest of having a civil discussion, I wanted to clear up the concerns I have about The Arcana. I think many of the people who have been raising concerns probably feel the same way and I don't want to be misunderstood as trying to attack the devs or kill the game, because this is emphatically not about that.

My concerns with how this is proceeding can be broken into 3 points

1. The pricing of the game.

I've said it before, but I don't mind paying for things. I've spent hundreds on merch and games. I've paid at least $50 to play mystic messenger, for optional content, and I haven't regretted it.

What bothers me about the pricing of this game is how absurdly different it is compared to other games, and how I have no idea why it's this expensive.

Most mobile dating sims (voltage and solmare, notably) tend to ask no more than $5 for a route. And that's not what I'm asking for, but it's a comparison worth noting, because I think of it every time I'm asked to pay the equivalent of $3 for a single choice in this game. Beyond that, it's costing $10 to buy a book, which ends up working out (as others have calculated) to somewhere in the vicinity of $500 if you want to play the full game.

I've never been asked for that much money for any game, ever, unless they also offer me an art book and something like a 3 foot tall statue. Even other dating sims priced in the hundreds offer posters or voicing or badges. Asking $500 per customer for just the game itself is ridiculous.

Here's where the "It's optional" argument comes in. It's optional, in the same sense that I can eat raw potatoes and cooking them with seasoning is optional. I can play the free game, but it's just not as good or coherent without the coin choices, and lacks all of the scenes that make the game what I want it to be.

The problem associated with just not buying premium content if you don't like the pricing is that from a statistical point of view, unless we explain WHY we don't want to pay so much for it, it can be misinterpreted. What if the executives think we don't want the content because it's bad? They can interpret it as mobile visual novels just not being profitable. "Don't like, don't buy" with no additional complaints can ensure the content just stops being available rather than altered to be affordable.

I want to pay for this game! God, I want to. If I could even buy a route for $50. If there was a discount the more coins you buy.

(There isn't. You save something like 81 cents if you buy the highest bulk tier as opposed to the same amount in small increments.)

I just can't afford to pay half a months rent to play one game that I have no guarantee of receiving the full content for, and I imagine that's true for many of us. And if it has to be this price, I'd just like to know why. It's been extremely unclear to me why it's priced so high.

2. The treatment of kickstarter backers.

I'll be brief here, because I'm not a backer myself.

It's very upsetting to me first and foremost that all backers were promised a free version of the game that is no longer available and can receive, at most, a $10 compensation or just suck it up.

"But they're refunding most of the kickstarter money and killing their game!" is an argument I have heard. And, well, yes. But the backers who bought tiers specifically for the promise of a full pc version have all lost out, unless the pledged $10 or less and did not buy anything in the mobile game.

I understand that a free mobile version was never a reward, and that makes sense. But for the people who pledged maybe $50 for the pc game, they've lost $40 and in addition will have to pay the $10 per book in order to still receive the content they were promised. It's absurd. At the very least, higher tier backers should be offered coin compensation. And the gall of allowing people to select neither refund nor waiting for the PC version indefinitely, of offering for people to just give their money away after this, is shocking.

The draw of kickstarters that I fund is that I pay for a product that isn't complete in order to receive it for a reduced price when it is complete, because that compensates what was essentially an uncertain loss to me at the time of pledging. This is a loss with no equivalent gain in sight and no overt plans for them to do anything much about it.

3. The response and treatment of feedback.

This one really gets me. Let me start off by saying that I am very, very much aware that they have no dedicated PR staff.

I had a recent interaction with the arcana Twitter after they found another user's untagged complaint. As has been standard to this point, they kindly advised us that paid content is optional, to which I have the response I gave above. Upon being asked again why they think the price is justified, this response was offered.

Ha ha! Funny joke! Apparently whoever was manning this Twitter account thought so. Except it wasn't a funny joke at all. Making a very callous and inappropriate joke of a real concern that has already negatively impacted users, after barging into an untagged complaint on a personal account, is about one of the worst responses I can think of. And nobody even asked for one at all, at the time.

But upon receiving that response, boy did I want a response. I've been seeing that response from them everywhere. "Send us an email". So I passed this along to some friends who do similar work and who have feedback concerns as well.

Firstly, I was told by pretty much everyone who had sent them an email that no response had been received. I brought this up in the Twitter thread, to which I received the answer that the team is small and can't respond to every email.

Well, okay, that's reasonable. Except that you DO have time to respond to every tweet, apparently.

Then send them! Throwing my feedback into some kind of void with no indication of how, if, and when they are being received is not an encouraging way to deal with customers.

Apparently, tweets are harder to pass along. Except that when I pointed out tweets can be linked and indexed in a variety of ways (it is a thought sharing platform, after all), I received the response that tweets are screenshotted and passed along as well.

Then why are we supposed to email??????

I was complaining about this confused response privately when another friend who works in customer service pointed out to me that companies tend to prefer social media over email communication anyway, because email can be treated as a legal document. This entire inability to respond to my questions promptly and honestly is making me really irritated in trying to resolve what amounts to a singular complaint that I would like to freely offer money to this game, and want to know why it's so hard.

And to be clear, I don't expect it to be resolved in a day. I don't expect the devs to work day and night to change their game. But if you are using official accounts to interact with your audience, I expect a prompt and professional reponse. I handle CSR duties daily in my job too. A simple "We will get back to you in a few days" or "This problem can't currently be resolved but we'll provide an update on how the discussion is going in a week" would suffice. Do a public update instead of responding to every email if it's too much. Walk away and respond to my tweet in twenty minutes after coming up with a better response.

If you're interacting with customers in a professional capacity, then be professional. I expect to be treated with respect and I expect to know where my feedback is going and what's being done with it, because as 85 stands the interactions I've had have been extremely underwhelming.

I'm not contacting these devs on their personal accounts and I don't want to be accused of bullying. I just don't think it's unreasonable that if I'm having a bad time trying to support this good game that I enjoy playing, I should know why.

[torchholder247-blog]

Eric L Andrist-the man behind the curtain of baddoctordatabase, bad medicine database on fb, 4Patientsafety and The Patient Safety League

What follows is an exchange with Eric L Andrist (photo bust attached to this site), the man who runs the baddoctordatabase@tumblr.com blog where he re-posts articles about doctors accused of wrongdoing, often adding his own spin to the posts. In the exchange below we removed the doctors name and identifying information as the focus is Who is Eric Andrist? and the defamatory false exposure of Innocent doctors are posted on his sites.

Us: Charges were dismissed against Dr X and his medical license is active and unlimited. Dr X was and remains innocent of the charge.

Andrist: I already posted the newer articles. However, dismissal of charges does NOT necessarily equate to rendering someone "innocent." The article clearly says:

"In an unusual move, Circuit Judge X sealed the probable cause affidavit and case information at the request of Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney X the day before Dr X was taken into custody.

The Order to Seal Affidavit and Information document indicates the record was sealed on the grounds that if released to the public, it could compromise an ongoing investigation. In addition, the release of said information is sensitive, and it is necessary to withhold this information for a short time to ensure the investigations are not impaired."

So clearly there is an ongoing investigation.

Us: Your integrity is appreciated. The citation you post above are from reporters of Online & Bulletin articles of X date. Clearly from that date further 'ongoing' investigations transpired that the State dropped charges and reinstated Dr X's medical license 'in full without restriction'. Those two current legal actions verify 'Innocence' in that surely you are not suggesting that the State would permit the doctor to resume practice otherwise. You posted Dr X to your various social media Bad Doctor related sites solely on the basis of 'the Charge against him' yet 'the Charge against him' has been dismissed..and you now refuse to take down your negative posts. That decision defeats the otherwise good intention of your site. Since the ruling no further investigation of Dr X exists. IF you are suggesting that other persons are part of a current ongoing investigation, that has no relevancy to Dr X. Please reconsider and remove.

Thank you for posting the Online Dismissal article provided to you.

Andrist: Actually, they don't. That's not how the law works. Dropping charges does not equate to innocence. It just means there was not enough evidence to proceed with the charges. The state constantly lets doctors practice when they've done something wrong! We monitor the California Medical Board heavily. We have 3 doctors currently on the Sex Offenders Registry who are practicing with clear records!

My decision to keep up the information does NOT defeat the purpose of my site because he has not been proven innocent...they just gave up proving him guilty.

If you have documentation PROVING innocence, by all means send them to me and I'll post them. But again, dismissing charges does not mean he's innocent. There's a big difference.

In court, even a "not guilty" verdict by a jury does not equate to "innocent" As we saw in the OJ Simpson case, he was found not guilty by a jury, when he was clearly guilty, and later found guilty in a civil trial.

Us: I am trying hard to understand. I get what you are saying about other cases, but am only informed about the case of Dr X. Your website states "'Innocent' until proven guilty", the 'one' charge against Dr X was dismissed, not by the Judge, not by Statute of Limitations, but by the State Prosecutor..resulting in Dr X having no charges against him. He cannot be proven 'guilty' when there is no charge against him..nor any further investigation of him. Therefore based upon your site claims, Dr X is innocent...supporting removing your posts on social media. To take any action otherwise contradicts your website virtue of Innocent Until Proven Guilty...and becomes Guilty Until Proven Innocent. Our legal system is not perfect, but it is based solely upon that same legal system that your website exists.

Andrist: You don't seem to understand what "dismissed" means. Why do you think it relates to innocence? If someone murders their spouse and they get arrested just because they were there at the time, but later the charges are dropped because they simply couldn't find more evidence linking them to the murder, does that mean to you that the person is innocent and didn't kill someone?

Innocent until proven guilty is a phrase that only has meaning in a court of law. In the real world, not so much. People judge people guilty all the time. It's on my website as a disclaimer, not as my own personal belief. I don't put information in my blog personally, I only link to stories that other reporters have already written. The stories about Dr X are other people's words, not mine. It's there for informational purposes.

In the eyes of the "law," he is considered innocent until proven guilty. But in real life, that's not the case. We as people are not bound by the laws of the court to read the facts and make a judgment based on them.

IF he is guilty, don't you think his patients have a right to know the details of this story?

What is your relationship to him?

Us: I understand both 'dismissed' and 'innocence' in both lay terms and legal terms. I also understand human nature as it relates to judging/harming others on an emotional platform. Additionally I saw that your sites were merely re-posting articles written by others. The dialogue between you and I could go on exchanging philosophical views but cutting to the chase..what evidence do you accept to prove 'innocence' of anyone posted to your baddoctor related websites?

Andrist: First, who are you and why are you asking for this? Why isn't the doctor asking me?

Us: No story here, just trying to understand how, as the site manager, to work with you to remove the post and would appreciate your guidance on what is required. Please advise.

Andrist: Well, I won't continue the conversation until I know who you are and your motives. I've been contacted by companies before who did this same thing who were paid by the doctor to clean the internet. They gave me all kinds of lies trying to get me to take a post down including bribe money. They told me the doctor was proven innocent. Then I checked with the DA's office and it was all lies. So if you want to continue the conversation, come clean.

Us: I can't be held accountable for what others do. As you can attest, I have done nothing but provide you with updated Source data (articles, legal docs) to support a reasonable request. You claim you have 'no relationship' with the folks that submit to your sites, accordingly it is illogical to require otherwise of me. My request of what constitutes 'Proof of Innocence' to you is straight forward. Without knowing your requirements, the tasks is unreachable...as from a legal platform I have already provided you adequate documentation to satisfy my request.

Andrist: Sure it is. It's my blog, I can do what I want with it. I need to know where information comes from and if it's from a person, the motives for it. You could be lying for all I know. And no, you have not provided me anything to satisfy your request. You seem to think that a dismissal equates to innocence.

If he did the things he's accused of, why should his patients not have access to the information so they can decide for themselves? Why would you want to take that away from them?

Us: With all due respect, I ask again, what would satisfy you to establish Proof of Innocence? or is your site unamenable to ever removing a post?

Andrist: Sorry, I'm done talking if you're not going to tell me who you are.

Have the doctor contact me himself.

Us: I am sorry also. You could have simply told me that you never remove anyone once you make a post.

Andrist: Why would I say that if it's not true. I've taken a doctor down when he was able to convince me of his innocence. You've convinced me of nothing except being a busy body.

Us: Name calling, really? If what you now say was true, you would easily provide your site requirements to prove innocence. There would be no motivation not to produce the requirements, yet you refuse.

Andrist: What's wrong with name calling if it fits? I don't have to provide anything. I'm a patient safety advocate, my allegiance is to the public not the bad doctors. You're asking me for a favor, I gave you the requirements for me to proceed, and you've chosen not to. You'r choice. I've refused nothing...you just don't want to play.

Us: You are partially right, this is not a game. Your site while it does serve a great public good when the doctor is 'guilty', it is negligent to have no clear protocol for the wrongly accused to clear their name, given the harm your site causes the innocent..who are 'also' part of the public you say you serve. For that portion of the posts, the innocent, however small it may be, your website does a great injustice. But that does not matter to you, it's all about the game and power. Sad.