#resolving gender inequality

[auroramizutani]

(via Olabisi Ajala’s Daughter)

[kiwisa]

Legacy or Leverage? ✷ f1 fanfiction

✷ OPENING OF HEAVY ARE THE HANDS CARRYING THE NAME ( F1 Grid x F1 Driver! Senna! OFC )

━━━━━  NEXT !

in which... the news is out: senna's daughter is joining formula one. people are not happy !

NOT UNLIKE POKER, Formula One is a game where one learns to keep their hand hidden until the start of the season. As teams begin to reveal their cards one by one before the pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, Williams has gone all-in with an unexpected line-up.

While the Russell-Latifi duo remains unchanged, the team’s “third wheel” has caused quite a stir. Isadora Senna, the only daughter of the three-time world champion, has been chosen as the British team’s reserve driver.

For the first time in 45 years and Lella Lombardi, a woman will enter the F1 World Championship. With this move, will Williams take the pot or bust? 

While several female figures across all sports—amongst which Susie Wolff—have hailed the decision and spoken of a “historic event” for women's rights, a wave of hostility from the most fervent motorsport fans is washing over Isadora Senna. Many are already questioning her ability to compete in the F1 championship, as well as the role nepotism played in this decision.

It is undeniable that Isadora is her father’s daughter, but the resemblance lies less in the iconic name than in her talent on the track. On many occasions, Senna’s only child has proved herself to be talented behind the wheel, with a track record not unlike that of a Max Verstappen.

━━ SEE ALSO ON PADDOCK PRESS.

"I never had anything handed to me" Isadora Senna denies nepotism allegations

Will Lewis Hamilton break the record and become an eight-time world champion in 2021?

Susie Wolff speaks out against misogyny in motorsports

Becoming the 2009 Karting World Champion at only 15 years old, Isadora Senna went on to win the 2015 GP2 Championship at 21 during her first year in the competition—after having faced numerous entry rejections based on her gender. 

Thus, it would not be surprising to see the prodigy succeed in the big league, just as her father did from 1984 to 1994. But will the opportunity arise ? For—as a reserve driver—Isadora Senna may not race this season. 

Already, several women are sceptical about this position, pointing out an only-partial progress. According to renowned feminist journalist Glenna R. Colburn, “it is a way for the FIA to pussyfoot around resolving the burning issue of gender inequality within the motorsports industry.”

“They're going to milk everything revolving around her appointment and what it means for women, without ever putting her on the track and risking disturbing the established patriarchal order,” she asserts.

So, should we view Senna’s new status as a real step forward in the world of motorsport or just a woke concession that will ensure both Williams and the FIA positive media attention?

Sort by Most Relevant ↓

Anonymous 2 hours ago

They only put her in because of her father’s name. That’s a great play on Williams' part but let’s see how long it takes for them to realize she’s just not cut out for it.

Anonymous 5 hours ago

F1 is slowly turning into a joke. Wokeness is destroying everything.

Anonymous 1 hour ago

Great, now they’ll probably start giving her handouts just because she’s Daddy’s girl. Just wait until she’s up against real competition. She won't stand a chance.

Anonymous 4 hour ago

I’d rather see a fresh face in the sport than someone riding off their father’s coattails. 

Load more comments

✷ Subscribe to the Paddock Press's newsletter to keep up with the latest F1 gossips !

@sainz43 @quickstappen @dozyisdead @ilovegreengrapes @star73807-blog @binisainz @honethatty12 @thesparklylover

[jellytheteawolf]

Yunbing blast

Reference

Random doodles under cut (cw gender bend, suggestive borderline nsfw??)

Been really into masc for masc yunbing yuri. Inspired by 小红薯67E919C7 on xhs, who draws a lot of yunbing yuri. Lowkey saved me

CW SUGGESTIVE!! Nsfw implied!! I have no idea what to do with this. Can I even share it anywhere..

Aftermath

Anyways new gods reborn is kind of ass /affectionate. I say this with all the love in my heart. Literally the entire last 10-15 mins of the film I was just repeating "this is so ass" under my breath.

There were a lot of really nice points that couldn't form anything cohesive. The movie sort of lost it's impact/direction after they deviated from class inequality to lyx's identity crisis HELP. Like yea I get it's supposed to set him up as a typical hero so him believing he was a 灾星 would like. "Hit" more ig. But it just falls flat. It's just there as a prop with no visible emotional weight

I can say that for almost anything tbh like su junzhu, hell even all the ppl that got hurt it just felt like OK. That happened. They were all just pieces to prop up hero lyx without deeply investigating why. Why does he want to help ppl? Well bc hes a hero that's what he does. Well now it's shallow circular logic help. I do like the acknowledgment of nezha's inherent/unintentional cruelty though, when hed disappear everytime lyx tried to help ppl, since i feel many 洗白了他

Anygays I feel the movie could've felt so much more emotionally real if they capitalized (no pun intended) more on the themes of class inequality/the absurd extreme gap between the rich and poor. Like yea if they did that it'd probably never be made and get censored everywhere but 💀 all the elements/vibes were there!! The 1920s jazz vibes with kasha dressed like a flapper with cn elements (qipao), the retro hong kong and old shanghai beijing old money aura. Perfect setting design to make the inequality idea work

Then they tossed it all for lyx's identity crisis and have it resolved by affirming him in a stereotypically masculine affirmation way like oughh damsel to save, ur a hero yayy like ok. Might be biased bc I want to see de san and lyx beat the shit out of each other. Not that pathetic fight where de san got murked in like 1 min tops 😭 also at the end when he's like 法宝拿了 I cringed so hard omg can you not get anymore 直男

Ao guang and swk/macaque had really good designs though, especially swk. His attitude and character design is so memorable, honestly the entire movie was worth it to see him in motion.

Ik it sounds like I'm hard shitting on the movie (a little) but I really am fond of it. It's trashfire but it's my favorite trashfire /lhj if yunbing were yuri it would've made everything better

[gumjrop]

Common Symptoms Were Fatigue and Decreased Exercise Tolerance, According to a 2022 Survey

Inequities In the Prevalence and Severity of Symptoms Observed Across Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Neighborhood Poverty

December 26, 2024 — Today, the New York City Health Department announced that 80 percent of adult New Yorkers infected with COVID-19 who were surveyed experienced at least one symptom lasting one month or longer. According to the results of the COVID-19 Experiences Survey in 2022, the most common symptoms were fatigue and decreased exercise tolerance. While post-acute symptoms may resolve within 12 weeks, many people will go on to develop Long COVID, an infection-associated chronic condition characterized by symptoms lasting three months or longer.

“This survey shows us that the symptoms following COVID-19 infections are a significant public health issue for New Yorkers. Black and Latino communities, women, transgender people, and those living in low-income neighborhoods were more likely to have symptoms, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on marginalized communities,” said Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse. “We must invest in a comprehensive long-term response to the COVID-19 pandemic that focuses on prevention through engagement with health care providers and community members. Services for people experiencing the long-term physical, mental, social, and economic impacts of COVID-19 infection should be accessible to all.”

Post-acute symptoms are those that last one month or longer. To better understand experiences of COVID-19 post-acute symptoms, the Health Department conducted the COVID-19 Experiences Survey in November and December 2022. Adult New Yorkers who were members of the probability-based NYC Health Panel were invited to take the survey if they had confirmed or suspected COVID-19; 2,081 people completed the survey online or by phone in English, Spanish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, or Traditional Chinese. The results provide insight into how post-acute symptoms relate to health care seeking, social and demographic factors, disability, and mental health.

Some respondents reported many symptoms at different levels of severity, while others reported few symptoms, only mild symptoms, or none at all. Inequities in the prevalence and severity of post-acute symptoms after COVID-19 were observed across race/ethnicity, gender, and neighborhood poverty levels.

The prevalence of mild symptoms was similar across socio-demographic groups.

Moderate symptoms were more prevalent among Latino and Asian/Pacific Islander adults compared with white adults, and among people living in high poverty neighborhoods compared with people in low poverty neighborhoods.

Severe symptoms were more prevalent among women and transgender or non-binary adults compared with men, among Latino and Black adults compared with white adults, and among people living in very high and high poverty neighborhoods compared with low poverty neighborhoods.

Increasing symptom severity was associated with activity limitations and depression. Those with at least one severe symptom were more likely to report activity limitations compared with those who reported no post-acute symptoms (60 percent vs. 6 percent), which may result in social, economic, and mental health difficulties.

People with at least one severe post-acute symptom reported 10 days of reduced ability or complete inability to carry out usual activities or work in the past month, compared with 6 days for moderate symptoms, 3 days for mild symptoms, and 1 day for no symptoms.

One in three adults (33 percent) with at least one severe post-acute symptom after COVID-19 had probable depression, higher than those reporting only mild symptoms (6 percent) or no symptoms (2 percent).

Black and Latino New Yorkers, women, transgender adults, and those living in low-income neighborhoods were most likely to report severe symptoms, reflecting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing pandemic in these communities.

To address inequities in awareness about the long-term health impacts of COVID-19 and the importance of preventing new infections, the NYC Health Department partners with community and faith-based organizations to serve as trusted messengers and provide tailored and culturally resonant public health outreach to NYC communities.

Anyone can become very sick from COVID-19. To find a COVID-19 or flu vaccination site, visit nyc.gov/vaccinefinder or call 212-COVID-19 (212-268-4319).

#031-24

MEDIA CONTACT: Chantal Gomez PressOffice@health.nyc.gov

Gomez, Chantal. “Health Department Finds Most Adult New Yorkers Infected with COVID-19 Experienced Symptoms Lasting One Month or Longer.” Health Dept. Finds Most Adult NYers Infected With COVID-19 Experienced Symptoms Lasting 1 Mo or Longer - NYC Health, NYC Health, 26 Dec. 2024, www.nyc.gov/site/doh/about/press/pr2024/nyc-adults-with-covid-19-experienced-symptoms-one-month-or-longer.page.

I’d like to highlight that date: December 26, 2024.

[cipheramnesia]

I mean saying the movie supported men's rights kind of ignores that what the kens did was painted as bad. Like that was very much the message of the film

That was the text of the film but not the message.

I'm not going to apply greater nuanced analysis to a movie that had all coherent structure papered over in producer notes. But for a movie that spends a lot of time pointing out situations that are unfair, not equal, or "bad" it didn't have anything to say about why or what might actually resolve the inequality.

Not saying it needs to author the revolution or anything, just it kinda stopped at "patriarchy bad because men rule all and are dumb boys who are gross" and I think that's boring? It's like hey, inequality sure is bad! And it seems like weird and wrong the girl empowerment doll for diverse women is exclusively developed by old white men! Followed by crickets chirping.

I was kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop, like yes, this is a pretty fun satirical look at gender and... and..? And that's it. Barbie world goes back to hierarchical control in a perfect utopia. The real world is unaffected because all those executives are just silly guys who are trying their best. Gloria gets to be a good mom, and hands her ideas over to the corporation. The new line of Barbies are Barbies that just don't want anything at all. And Margot Barbie just leaves.

Which is unfortunate because it starts out with a great deal of very interesting ideas, but ends up without anything much to say at all. It uses all the right words but mostly just kinda ascribes broad universal meaning and morality rather than considering any of it could have some underlying complexity.

We all know feminism can't hold hands with capitalism, but the Barbie movie wants the cache of the feminist movement beholden to the bottom line of Mattel's investors. And as a fun movie about children's dolls it's fine, but it's also selling itself as a feminist film, which it very much is not.

[plastikov6]

plasticove, i have to do a thesis for my project and i don’t know what to make it about. would you mind giving me ideas? oh, and my teacher prohibited vulgarism and insults.

consistency between jewish behavior in the bible and today

roots of modernity in the french revolution and ultimately christianity

freemasonry, with its secrets exposed, is not what it seems

the fallacy of valuing the economy over quality of life

mormonism as a fed breeding program

explain the thinking of a right wing mass killers like mcveigh or breivik

the false dichotomy between supporters and detractors of the vietnam and iraq wars. their framing is implicitly cultural marxist: either save nonwhites with or from our imperialism

wireless mind control

how emo and numetal should have chronologically traded places, based on what would have been an appropriate reaction to our political and social environment

pornography and political control

why birthrates are declining wordwide. you're going to have to use your mind for this one because it's probably not just one factor and it is regularly lied about

the history of /pol/

why racemixing is actually bad for you

why the ukraine war is a false dichotomy intended to make way for even greater global zionist power, because both sides are actually ultimately zionist by the broader and more accurate definition

why our gentile billionaires and politicians are not "elite" in any way or form. They don't even hold power

why your votes don't matter with regard to key issues like mass immigration. Both parties have a record of violating the will of the people to bring in millions of nonwhite immigrants

resolving gender inequity in mass shootings

why people don't execute or hang political leaders for treason anymore

why elon musk is such a faggot

how our government-- through funding, military support, and anti-BDS laws-- is complicit in Israel's war crimes

israel's role in 9/11

how trump isn't really a white nationalist, or even right wing, but rather meant to placate dissidents

[haggishlyhagging]

The aspects of feminism currently given voice in pop culture are the most media-friendly ones, the ones that center on heterosexual relationships and marriage, on economic success that doesn't challenge existing capitalist structures, on the right to be desirable yet have bodily autonomy. Watson's speech to the UN was centered on “inviting” men to get invested in feminism, in order to better legitimize it. Sheryl Sandberg's much-heralded Lean In philosophy is about women conforming to workplaces that increasingly see them not as human beings but as automatons with inconvenient biology. The feminism they espouse is certainly reasonable, but it's not particularly nuanced. It doesn't get to the root of why men might not be invested in feminism or why corporate culture forces untenable choices. It doesn't challenge beliefs or processes or hegemonies so much as it offers nips and tucks.

Despite every signal boost for feminism, every spot-on viral video about beauty standards, every badass, take-charge female film or TV role, and every catchily named nail polish, the beliefs behind the word "feminism" remain among the most contested in political and social life. The question that has always been at its heart—Are women human beings, with the same rights, access, and liberties as men?—is increasingly posed in spheres where it should have been resolved decades ago. This increasingly looks not like a world that has finally emerged into fully realized feminism, but like a world in which we are letting a glossy, feel-good feminism pull focus away from deeply entrenched forms of inequality. It's a feminism that trades on simple themes of sisterhood and support—you-go-girl tweets and Instagram photos, cheery magazine editorials about dressing to please yourself. The fight for gender equality has transmogrifted from a collective goal to a consumer brand.

-Andi Zeisler, We Were Feminists Once

[yourreddancer]

WHAT MELANIA AND IVANKA SAID ABOUT USAID

Donald Trump — abetted by his unelected assistant president, Elon Musk — is trying to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

He has called USAID a “tremendous fraud.”

Interesting, then, that both his wife, Melania, and his daughter Ivanka have worked with and praised the agency.

In 2018, Melania Trump — who was First Lady at the time — visited Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi with USAID.

She said this:

“We care, and we want to show the world that we care, and I’ve partnered and am working with USAID. And that’s what I want to share — that we care.”

And this:

“I wanted to be here to see the successful programs that the United States is providing to the children.”

And this:

“We are having funding, so we are helping the countries, and we are working hard for helping them and we will continue to help.”

Ivanka Trump, for her part, took credit for leading a $50 million USAID program in 2019 to empower women in developing countries, saying:

“We know there’s a correlation between gender inequality and conflict, there’s tremendous amounts of research. ... It is in our domestic security interests to empower women.”

And on a trip to Africa of her own, Ivanka visited Ivory Coast and Ethiopia to announce millions in USAID assistance for women entrepreneurs.

Ivanka even used some $11,000 in USAID funds to buy video equipment for an event at the White House in 2019, during her father’s first term.

For those not caught up in “DOGE”-driven ideological extremism, supporting the humanitarian work of USAID is common sense.

Public Citizen is suing Trump over his attempt to dissolve USAID. Our earlier note about this new lawsuit is copied below in case you missed it.

On Friday night, a federal judge granted our request for emergency action to stop the Trump regime from putting 2,200 USAID workers on leave and to bring back the hundreds put on leave earlier in the week.

But this is only a temporary interruption to Trump’s (Musk’s?) plans. We will be back in court next week. This lawsuit is far from over.

******

This past Thursday night, Public Citizen sued Donald Trump for shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

By dissolving USAID — in clear disregard for the law and the Constitution — Trump has touched off a global humanitarian catastrophe.

Originally established by Congress in 1961 — when John F. Kennedy was president — USAID is a vital humanitarian organization that provides life-saving food, medicine, and support to much of the rest of the world.

But Trump has illegally ordered USAID workers to stop doing their jobs, frozen the agency’s funding, and prepared to lay off or fire nearly all employees.

With USAID in disarray, medical clinics, soup kitchens, refugee assistance programs, and countless other critical projects across the globe cannot operate.

This is a humanitarian nightmare of Donald Trump’s and Elon Musk’s making in service of ideologically bizarre interests.

Last Monday, Elon Musk bragged that he had spent the weekend “feeding USAID into the wood chipper.” The Constitution is clear — Congress created USAID and only Congress can dismantle it. Not MAGA sycophant and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Not President Donald Trump. And definitely not the unelected Elon Musk.

Public Citizen is representing the American Foreign Service Association and American Federation of Government Employees in this case, with co-counsel at Democracy Forward.

Our lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction barring Trump, and State Department or Treasury Department officials, from taking any action to dissolve USAID absent congressional authorization. We are also seeking a temporary restraining order — mandating a reversal of the Trump regime’s unlawful actions and a halt to any further steps to dissolve USAID — until the court has resolved our suit.

By the way, we have now filed five lawsuits against the Trump regime (and there are more to come). Here are the other four:

1. We’ve told you about the suit we filed, within moments of Trump being sworn in, challenging the secrecy and structure of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency that is being run by Elon Musk.

2. We also sued over the removal from publicly accessible government websites of a broad range of health-related data and other information used by health professionals to diagnose and treat patients.

3. We’ve been emailing you about the suit we filed earlier this week to block the illegal invasion of privacy being carried out by “DOGE” at the U.S. Treasury Department.

4. And, on Friday morning, we filed a lawsuit to block “DOGE” from improperly accessing private information at the Department of Education.

[auroramizutani]

(via Olabisi Ajala’s Child)

[milfstalin]

And informants and provocateurs are the state’s hired gunmen. Government agencies pick people that no one will notice. Often it’s impossible to prove that they’re informants because they appear to be completely dedicated to social justice. They establish intimate relationships with activists, becoming friends and lovers, often serving in leadership roles in organizations. A cursory reading of the literature on social movements and organizations in the 1960s and 1970s reveals this fact. The leadership of the American Indian Movement was rife with informants; it is suspected that informants were also largely responsible for the downfall of the Black Panther Party, and the same can be surmised about the antiwar movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Not surprisingly, these movements that were toppled by informants and provocateurs were also sites where women and queer activists often experienced intense gender violence, as the autobiographies of activists such as Assata Shakur, Elaine Brown, and Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz demonstrate.

Maybe it isn’t that informants are difficult to spot but rather that we have collectively ignored the signs that give them away. To save our movements, we need to come to terms with the connections between gender violence, male privilege, and the strategies that informants (and people who just act like them) use to destabilize radical movements. [emphasis mine.] Time and again heterosexual men in radical movements have been allowed to assert their privilege and subordinate others. Despite all that we say to the contrary, the fact is that radical social movements and organizations in the United States have refused to seriously address gender violence[1] as a threat to the survival of our struggles. We’ve treated misogyny, homophobia, and heterosexism as lesser evils—secondary issues—that will eventually take care of themselves or fade into the background once the “real” issues—racism, the police, class inequality, U.S. wars of aggression—are resolved. There are serious consequences for choosing ignorance. Misogyny and homophobia are central to the reproduction of violence in radical activist communities. Scratch a misogynist and you’ll find a homophobe. Scratch a little deeper and you might find the makings of a future informant (or someone who just destabilizes movements like informants do).

[gamesindustrynormal]

It's national coming out day today, back when I was still closeted I spent a good amount of time thinking about what coming out would be like. As I started my transition I started writing down the things I wanted to say – telling my story, in a way – but as I slowly came out to groups of people I realized that telling my story wasn't something I needed to do. The messages I posted at work and on social media ended up being short and factual. The impact it would have on my acquaintances would be minor at best, after all, and I figured the ones that wanted to know more could ask.

This being said, reading the accounts of other trans people has been helpful to me, and I do think every story is unique in some way. So I'm writing it here.

Compared to most of my trans friends, I grew up in a climate that was very egalitarian. The expectations of boys and girls were very similar – we were all expected to learn how to cook and clean, to sew and do woodwork, to have athletic as well as artistic pursuits. I definitely tended to favor activities that had a majority of girls doing them, but boys and girls being friends was not seen as a problem and I never got any pushback. I realized wanting to partake in the "wrong" things that were still gendered made me different, but suppressing those things didn't have a great impact on me. Like, I understood that I wasn't supposed to wear dresses, but honestly most women rarely did that anyway.

Feminism was a big talking point back then, and the dominant idea was that gender differences should be minimized or erased in pursuit of stamping out inequality. And that's the mindset I had grown into when I first heard about transgender people.

It is important to note that the media climate at the time had no sympathy for explicit gender nonconformity. Men pretending to be women was always absurd and played for either comedy or horror, sometimes both. Blanchard had published the autogynephilia drivel, and the common view was that people who wanted to change their sex were crazy, perverts or predators. I mean, some people still believe that but as a teenager I literally had no other impression. When we went over the concept in biology class there was a picture of a man with a beard putting on a wig, my teacher scoffed and proclaimed it to be weird and never touched the subject again. In response to the hostility, the trans community had adopted a narrative of being born in the wrong body, that they were the gender they said they were on a fundamental level and that it would be impossible for them to live as their assigned gender.

It seemed like a way to resolve my feelings and find community so I read everything I could come across from and about trans people. But ultimately it wasn't satisfactory – most of the time, I hadn't been prevented from doing what I wanted, girly or not. I had my friends, my intellectual and creative pursuits, I was doing fine – not despairing under the weight of dysphoria. There were still things I was missing, sure, and I always knew that given the option to be seen and treated like a woman I would have taken it without hesitation. I didn't feel like I could realistically pass though, which meant if I tried I would just be seen as a freak. And there were certainly trans women who didn't pass – if they chose to transition and I was scared to, clearly I did not have the fundamental female essence that the trans women were talking about.

Honestly, perversions and hangups seemed to explain it more easily, like we were supposed to pursue an equal society so struggling with the trappings of manhood was something everyone did, right? thinking about changing your gender felt almost regressive – you were both shirking responsibility and giving it a weight that it shouldn't have.

I talked to a few mental health professionals over the years, they mostly just asked me if I was trans and I said no, which was not super helpful. Finally my current therapist asked me to deconstruct my feelings, stop thinking about it as an all-or-nothing affair and really consider what femininity meant to me, how I could have more of it and how that would feel. Looking at the different parts of transition individually is what finally helped me move forward – I changed my pronouns to they/them, people started saying that and it was a relief I didn't even know I needed. I started accessorizing more, felt better about how I looked and got positive responses for it.

My therapist suggested makeup and I said I was uncomfortable looking at my face in the mirror – they then asked if I had thought about hormone replacement and what it would do for me. Thinking about what the effects would be and how they would individually impact my well-being made it a much easier decision to make than seeing it only as part of a sex change. It took a month or two on hormones before the mood changes kicked in and I started feeling at peace with myself – the rest of it got much easier to figure out after that.

I started transitioning fairly late. I will probably live longer under my current name than my deadname, but it is by no means a given. And for sure part of me wishes I had started earlier. Early enough not to worry about hair loss. Early enough not to have to surgically revert some parts of puberty, and live with other parts. Maybe most important, early enough to work on my identity and flaws at an age where it is more accepted to do so. But at the same time, I can't say I have not taken advantage of some of the privilege afforded me – would I have been as successful an engineer? Would people have placed the same faith in me? Would I have been able to push through impostor syndrome if I wasn't surrounded by peers who looked just like me? I would like to think passion would have carried me, but statistics imply I would have given up. I don't know the person I would have been had I transitioned earlier – she doesn't have my experiences and I don't have hers. For this reason I could never spend too long obsessing over what-ifs.

As a closing note, in script-writing they talk about “the lie the character believes”. I fundamentally had three;

“I can never pass in a way that I am happy with” - having seen what hormones, makeup, fashion and surgery can do this is just not true for most people. The surprising bit is how the mental changes can make it feel unnecessary.

“If I can't pass, there is no point in doing anything” - Pre-transition it's easy to look at clocky trans women and think they have given up, that this is the best some can do and doubt yourself. But it's hard to realize that once you start getting what you want, you get happier and being happy means you maybe don't need as much as you thought you would.

“I can live out my life without transitioning” - This one is tricky, maybe I could have. I don't know that I would have been able to handle the stress of the current games-industry meltdown without being comfortable in my own skin, but there is probably a version of me that survived without. To quote Nimona though, “If I didn't, I'd die. Not die – die, I just sure wouldn't be living”

Happy national coming out day!

[literary-illuminati]

Book Review 44 – The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal

Alright, first full novel I’ve read entirely due to it getting a Hugo nomination. In retrospect that fact that there was absolutely no wait list for it at the library was perhaps a sign I should have paid attention to. I’m not sure it’s a bad book, exactly, but my god is it just chock full of little things that grated on me (which more or less tracks with my very vague memories of casually perusing The Calculating Stars when it first came out, so probably just a sign Kowal’s not for me, really.)

The story’s set in a fairly grounded space age future, on an ultra-lux cruise liner taking its passengers from Earth to Mars in speed and style. Tesla Crane, heiress, celebrity, and generally incredibly famous and unfathomably wealthy, has booked one of the nicest suites in the earth-gravity section of the ship under a false name to enjoy some anonymity on her much anticipated honeymoon cruise. Things of course take a drastic turn as a woman is murdered outside their sweet, and her spouse is framed for the crime. The shipboard security is obstructive and suspicious, bodies keep piling up, and it’s largely up to Tesla to solve the murder and clear his good name.

So first off – this is largely a style thing that grates on me far more than it should, and it probably effects my overall reading experience to an entirely unjustified degree, but – the standard etiquette in the story’s future is for everyone to use the gender neutral Mx. Using gendered terms like wife, husband, sir, m’am, or similar is also called out as being somewhere between archaic and offensively retrograde. Also, it is totally standard courtesy to list someone’s pronouns in any case where you’d their full name. In which case what is the point of taking so much care to be gender neutral of everything else. (In a sense this actually inspired worldbuilding, insofar as it’s exactly the sort of stupid language games high aristocracy or its equivalent tends to love, but the reading experience kind of grated).

The society’s generally very consciously progressive in a way that kind of calls attention to itself. It really wasn’t a surprise to see in the acknowledgement’s section that all the mentions of courtesy masks being a thing were edited in as covid happened. This is all mostly just background noise though, as far as narrative focus the only things that really occupy the story’s attention are its portrayal of disability and its bizarre class politics.

So, a key point of her backstory is that some years before the story, a lab disaster (during a demonstration of a personal assistance mech, which is actually some incredibly bitter dramatic irony I’m surprised the story doesn’t call any attention to?) killed six people and left Tesla with permanent spinal damage, chronic pain, and PTSD. Medical science doesn’t seem to have made many innovations on a cane or breathing exercises as far as mobility aids and PTSD treatment goes, but it does provide the absolutely incredible wish fulfillment device of a switch in your brain that lets you turn your pain sensitivity up or down at will. Tesla’s disability is a recurring thing throughout the book and generally the portrayal seemed fine to me? A couple conversations that bled into ‘giving the reader an important message’ territory, but only slightly and hardly the worst in the book.

The book’s attitude to class and wealth though, woof. Like, okay, the story is clearly a bit of a pastiche, a sanguine attitude to vast inequality and social hierarchy are necessary for the whole fantasy to work, but my god in that case please stop calling attention to it. The book so badly wants to simultaneously be progressive and have Tesla’s life be as maximally glamorous and exalted as possible that it gets twisted into this incredibly awkward spirals showing that she’s a good hyper-elite oligarch which really only call attention to the issue without doing anything to resolve it. Her internal monologue including some variation of the line ‘normally I hate just using money as a bludgeon to get what I want, but” happens a few too many times for it to not make un less likeable than an aristocrat who owns it.

Like, this is potentially uncharitable, but the book seems to take it as read that I find the idea of demanding to speak to a manager and having them grovel and apologize for how I’ve been disrespect far more alluring than I do? Not being that customer is a subject Tesla ruminates on at some length, and at the same time calling up her high priced lawyer and threatening to bury the whole cruise line in lawsuits while they rush to provide apology gifts is definitely portrayed as this thrilling power fantasy. It all left me actively rooting against her, at least a bit.

The actual mystery itself honestly wasn’t much to write home about – a bit confused, red herring introduced blatantly and too late, the obviously suspicious and personally unlikable character was the villain – but in a similar vein it did seem…telling, that the guy who’d been positioned as the unlikable asshole oligarch in opposition to Crane was secretly a murderous gold-digging imposter all along! Also, the fact that this was proven by a photo showing the oligarch to have been a dog guy, and the imposter being quite literally the only character in the entire book who didn’t adore Tesla’s emotional support dog. Like, c’mon.

Speaking of the dog – the book had a few recurring beats which I’m sure I’m supposed to have found funny or endearing but just overstayed their welcome with me several times over. The entire cast’s brains leaking out whenever they saw Tesla’s westie like it was some sort of platonic ideal of canine cuteness was one of them, along with like, Tesla and her spouse making out at a moment’s notice because a plot point meant that their encrypted tele-chat required skin-to-skin contact, and the book doubling as a cocktail guide. All things that if I’d liked the book I could have easily overlooked, but as is were just extra straws on the proverbial camel’s back.

Anyway, yeah, didn’t work for me.

[dreammissionedtech]

Mayaa SH: Holistic Approach To Matrimonial Law

 Mayaa SH is a prominent advocate for women’s rights and has been vocal about the necessity of reforms in family law in India. Her advocacy is rooted in her understanding of the social and legal challenges that women face within a patriarchal society. The following points outline her views on the need for these reforms:

Matrimonial Law in India, often referred to as family law, encompasses a range of legal issues related to marriage, divorce, child custody, inheritance, and property rights. Mayaa SH emphasizes the need for significant reforms within this framework to address the complexities and challenges faced by individuals, particularly women, in navigating these laws.

Understanding Family Laws:

Family laws are designed to govern personal relationships and provide a legal structure for resolving disputes. However, Mayaa SH points out that many individuals lack a comprehensive understanding of matrimonial conflicts. This gap can lead to prolonged legal proceedings and an inability to resolve disputes amicably. She advocates for alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as arbitration and mediation, which can help parties reach consensual agreements without the adversarial nature of court proceedings.

The Role of Personal Law:

Personal law varies significantly across different communities in India, often reflecting cultural norms and practices. Mayaa SH argues that while personal laws are essential for respecting cultural diversity, they must also evolve to protect individual rights—especially those of women. The historical context shows that amendments have been slow; for instance, it was only in 2013 that the definition of rape was expanded under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Such changes highlight the ongoing struggle against patriarchal norms embedded within legal frameworks.

Women’s Rights and Legal Reforms:

Mayaa SH is particularly vocal about the need for reforms that enhance women’s rights within matrimonial law. She stresses that women should be recognized as equal individuals with their own rights rather than merely extensions of their husbands or families. The amendment of marriage laws in 1976 to include cruelty and desertion as grounds for divorce is one example she cites to illustrate how far-reaching reforms can impact women’s lives positively.

Moreover, she calls for the criminalization of marital rape,a contentious issue in Indian society arguing that moral and legal arguments must converge to create a more equitable legal landscape for women. This reform is crucial not only from a legal standpoint but also from a societal perspective where women’s autonomy is respected.

Psychological Considerations in Matrimonial Conflicts:

Another critical aspect highlighted by Mayaa SH is the psychological dimension of matrimonial conflicts. She believes that understanding the mental health implications on both parties involved in litigation is essential. The emotional toll of prolonged disputes can exacerbate existing tensions and lead to further complications. Therefore, integrating mental health considerations into family law practices could foster healthier resolutions and promote well-being among those involved.

Addressing Gender Inequality in Legal Frameworks:

Mayaa emphasizes that existing family laws often reflect outdated societal norms that perpetuate gender inequality. She argues that many laws are not only biased against women but also fail to provide adequate protection against domestic violence and other forms of abuse. For instance, she advocates for stricter implementation of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, which aims to safeguard women from violence within domestic settings. However, she notes that mere existence of such laws is insufficient; they must be effectively enforced to ensure women’s safety.

Revising Property Rights:

Another critical area highlighted by Mayaa is the need to revise property rights laws. In many cases, women do not have equal access to property ownership, which can lead to economic dependency and vulnerability. She calls for reforms that would grant women equal rights to inherit property and assets, thereby promoting financial independence and security.

Comprehensive Legal Education and Awareness:

Mayaa believes that legal awareness among women is crucial for empowering them to assert their rights. She advocates for educational programs that inform women about their legal entitlements under family law. This education should extend beyond just women; men must also be educated about gender sensitivity and the importance of non-violence in familial relationships.

Holistic Approach to Family Law Reforms:

She argues for a holistic approach to family law reforms that considers various aspects of women’s lives, including mental health, economic status, and social conditions. By addressing these interconnected issues, reforms can create a more supportive environment for women facing legal challenges.

Advocacy Through Literature and Public Discourse: 

As a poetess and essayist, Mayaa uses her literary platform to raise awareness about these issues. Her writings challenge societal dogmas and encourage open discussions about women’s rights and family law reform. By engaging with a broader audience through literature, she aims to inspire change at both individual and systemic levels.

As a social and legal activist, Mayaa SH is deeply involved in advocating for reforms in family law, particularly regarding women's rights and gender-based .

Conclusion: A Call for Comprehensive Reform

In summary, Mayaa SH advocates for comprehensive reforms in matrimonial law that prioritize women’s rights, incorporate alternative dispute resolution methods, respect cultural diversity while promoting individual rights, and consider psychological factors affecting litigants. These reforms are necessary not only to improve legal outcomes but also to foster a more just society where all individuals can thrive. Thereby, Mayaa SH’s advocacy for reforms in family law in India focuses on addressing gender inequality within legal frameworks, revising property rights, enhancing legal education, adopting a holistic approach to reform efforts, and utilizing literature as a tool for social change.

About The Author

Mayaa SH is best known for her efforts to fight for women empowerment and promote transparency in the system for equitable distribution of resources .A developmental feminist and authoress, Mayaa SH has embraced feminism in the course of her journey across her vivid interactions with the women.Mayaa SH is a global humanitarian, a feminist, a literary Luminary in contemporary literature and a women empowerment culturist. She has spearheaded massive campaigns on "Say No To Character Assassination”, “Body shaming" etc.Mayaa SH is a prominent figure in the field of family law and women’s rights advocacy in India. She is recognized as a social and legal activist, focusing on issues related to matrimonial law, mental health, and women’s empowerment. Her work emphasizes the importance of understanding the complexities of matrimonial conflicts and the need for reforms within the legal framework governing personal relationships. Mayaa SH has advocated for a comprehensive understanding of family laws that encompass marriage, divorce, child custody, inheritance, and property rights. She highlights the necessity for legal systems to evolve in response to societal changes and challenges faced by women in a patriarchal society. Her insights stress that many issues within matrimonial law stem from deep-rooted biases and misunderstandings about gender roles. One significant aspect of her advocacy is the call for alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediation and arbitration. She argues that these methods can help reduce prolonged litigation in family disputes, allowing parties to reach consensual agreements rather than relying solely on judicial decisions. This approach aims to preserve dignity and mental well-being during contentious proceedings. Focus on Women’s Rights has been Mayaa's prime focus through her remedial reliefs provided to all .Mayaa SH has been vocal about the need for legal reforms that protect women’s rights within marriage. She points out historical amendments to laws, such as those addressing cruelty and desertion as grounds for divorce, which reflect ongoing struggles against patriarchal norms. Her advocacy includes pushing for the criminalization of marital rape, emphasizing moral and legal arguments to support this change.Furthermore, she has emphasised on the psychological aspects involved in family law cases, advocating for an empathetic approach that considers the mental health of all parties involved. By promoting awareness around these issues, she seeks to foster a more equitable legal environment where women are respected as equal individuals with their own rights.Mayaa SH plays a crucial role in advocating for reforms in matrimonial law in India by addressing systemic biases, promoting alternative dispute resolution methods, and championing women’s rights within the legal framework. Her contributions aim not only at legislative changes but also at fostering a cultural shift towards greater respect for individual rights within familial contexts.

References:

1)

2)

3)

[joeperciavalle]

7 Key Principles of Justice You Should Know

Justice stands as one of the most elementary values in any sophisticated society. It forms the base of equality and morality, ensuring everyone is accorded dignity and respect. Whether in the law courts, workplaces, or daily relationships, the principles of justice guide towards harmony and accountability. Below, Joseph Perciavalle identifies seven foundational principles of justice that every person should recognize to value its in-depth influence on society.

1. Equality Before the Law

 Equality before the law is one of the basic principles of justice. It enforces the principle where every human being, irrespective of their color, gender, religion, or social status, gets equal treatment under the law.

This principle is critical because no one is supposed to be above or below the law. In a society where laws are different for different groups or people, there emerges division, corruption, and a voice for injustice. For example, in democratic countries, equality remains one of the cornerstones that prevents favoritism and instead promotes fairness.

Yet to maintain equity before the law, vigilance must be continuous: for instances of discrimination, unconscious bias and systemic inequities often surface. In resolving such issues, societies can better hold their justice systems up to standards of integrity.

2. Right to a Fair Trial

Of course, one assumes a right to a fair trial as the heart of any justice system: providing an accused the opportunity to have his case heard without prejudice and under transparency.

Fair trials would have neutral-minded judges, the right to a counsel of law, and a jury or other fact-finder who does not or will not prejudge the evidence. This precept prevents wrongful judgment through false accusations, prejudices, or weak defense.

For instance, in most legal systems around the globe there are provisions such as public trial and right of confrontation in order to ensure that this principle is adhered to. "In many ways," Joseph Perciavalle says, "the very concept of a fair trial is not just about the guilty or innocent, but also about the public's confidence in the justice system itself."

3. Presumption of Innocence

The presumption of innocence is one of the most known precepts under justice; it claims that a person is innocent until proved guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

This may prevent a person from receiving wrongful punishment and shift the burden of proof to the accuser, not the accused. This can make innocent people suffer tragic and life-altering consequences without due process just for the mere act of an allegation.

A fair society upholds this principle, and out of it flows a commitment to fairness and human dignity. Sometimes public opinion, media influence, and other prejudices can sway the presumption of innocence. Belief in this principle cements the credibility of the justice systems.

4. Access to Justice

Access to justice refers to every citizen, regardless of economic or social standing, having the right to seek legal redress and representation.

Legal systems are typically complex and expensive and have been famously inaccessible for the most excluded groups; it has often taken hybrid solutions of public defender programs, pro bono service, and legal aid offices to fill the gap.

Joseph Perciavalle depicts access to justice as not only entering into a courtroom but also knowing about rights, the legal procedure, and available resources to insist on just results. Where societies invest in making justice accessible, so are their democracy and human rights reinforced.

5. Accountability

Accountability builds the rule of law on the principles of holding the individual and the institution accountable for their acts. It would apply equally on the citizens, public officers, and governments.

Oppression frequently results from the fact that those in control of power escape accountability. Corruption, abuse of power, and lack of transparency can break down the entire justice framework. Through placing everyone under accountability, societies can trust their institutions.

For example, anti-corruption laws, checks and balances, and mechanisms such as ombudsman offices enforce accountability. According to Joseph Perciavalle, accountability is an anchorman against tyranny and an anchor of ethical governance.

6. Transparency

Adding more trust, understanding, and fairness in justice systems, transparency in it ensures clear publicity of law-making processes from the start to the court trial procedures in any country.

Public trials, published judgments, and accessible legal records help explain judicial decisions in such a way that they eliminate secretive or arbitrary decisions. Transparency also encourages citizens to scrutinize the justice system in such a manner as it is held up for achievement of high ethical standards.

Though, by nature, inherently bureaucratic or corrupt systems do not usually allow easy access to transparency. The greatest innovations have been to open court records access and allow citizens to observe live hearings across the various countries.

7. Restoration and Rehabilitation

Justice is more than just a crucible of punishment; it is a method of restoring balance and rehabilitating those who have gone wrong.

Restorative justice tries to repair the wrong through dialogue between victims and offenders, helping both to move forward. Rehabilitation seeks to reintegrate offenders into mainstream productive society.

These restorative and rehabilitative measures are contrary to punishment-oriented justice models, which address issues in a more reactive approach focusing on retribution. Communities require these restoration and rehabilitation initiatives in order to deal with the root cause of the problems so that crime may be reduced to manageable limits or completely eliminated and recidivism decreased, making communities cohesive.

Joseph Perciavalle emphasizes the importance of these humane approaches toward building a fair and empathetic society.

Why These Principles Matter

The seven principles of justice are highly interrelated and are helpful for the proper working of a society. These principles maintain human dignity, protect rights, and keep social order. Individuals can participate in this process if they understand and believe in these principles.

Justice is not just a system of laws but "a reflection of our collective values and commitment to fairness," Joseph Perciavalle notes. Reckon and gain for the world: where justice is a right, and not a privilege, is born through perception and voice for principles.

Justice is a concept but also a call to action. The seven principles we take on the paths of fairness, equality, and accountability add to what society seeks. Vigilance, compassion, and relentless pursuit all relate to justice. Maybe these principles will guide our efforts toward an even better, more equitable world.

[peterrsthomas]

Why Fantasy, Why Now

The world is a little bit on fire right now. Climate change is getting worse. Politics have taken a shift to the right, threatening the rights of historically marginalised peoples. Technology is developing at a rapid pace—creatives are being displaced, jobs are under threat.

In this world, Fantasy occupies a special place. It offers an escape, yes, but not just escapism—it’s a lens through which we can view and process our reality.

Firstly, Fantasy gives us the freedom to isolate a problem and task a character with finding a solution. The problem can reflect something we face in our real world. In doing so, the reader is given the opportunity to consider the solution space. With our protagonists, we explore what the various options are.

From Frodo in The Lord of the Rings to Vin in Mistborn, our heroes are challenged to take on evil and oppression. They try different ways to solve their problem. They fail, and get back up—this is what keeps them relatable, and the reader cheering them on—until they find something that works. 

And it isn’t just about finding strength and power: Kvothe in The Name of the Wind shows us how intelligence and wit can be used to fight a struggle against poverty. We seem him struggle at numerous times, and we’re with him as he explores ways to attend the University, despite his background.

In most stories, in the struggle between good and evil, good (usually) ends up on top. (Not always, but usually!) This gives us hope that the struggles we face will one day be resolved. We also learn the costs associated with different actions, the drawbacks, the mistakes—the things we may want to avoid rather than repeat. Through such works, we learn not just what to do, but what to avoid, and how to think critically about our own world’s challenges.

Mistborn begins in a world where evil has already won, yet our heroes still find a path toward hope and redemption. Hope emerges here from a seemingly hopeless world. In contrast, Legends & Lattes reveals to us smaller victories, more personal, where an orc warrior who has tired of adventure can find fulfilment in opening a coffee shop (and in the relationships she forges along the way).

A core aspect of Modern Fantasy is the exploration of oppression and difference, race and culture, sexuality and gender identity. Through Fantasy, people who may not have a voice in our world are given time to speak, to explore their concerns, to be heroes and represent the power to change. Above all, even though many of the creatures and peoples we encounter are not human, Fantasy helps us explore and understand our common humanity, our shared personhood and experience.

Terry Pratchett’s Guards, Guards! and Men at Arms (and numerous other works, honestly, but I pick these as they’re fresh in my mind!) explores class discrimination and systematic inequality through the members of the City Watch. Here, peoples of different races and backgrounds and genders explore and overcome their differences in ways that are humorous, touching, and sincere. Similarly, the Edge Chronicles presents a world where many creatures (from Banderbears to Sky Pirates) must learn to coexist despite their differences.

When the world around us gets too much, Fantasy allows us to disappear into a world unlike our own, full of mystery and adventure. But that does not mean we are running away. Like the heroes in our stories, we enter these worlds not to abandon reality, but to return changed and better equipped to face it. The best stories don’t just transport us: they transform us.

Much of this is, of course, true of Science Fiction as well. Where Fantasy uses far off worlds and systems of magic to explore these issues, Sci-Fi uses far off futures and technological changes. Asimov’s Foundation series explores how civilisations can deal with large-scale crises; through Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? we question our humanity in a world of advancing technology; similar questions are raised in Asimov’s Baley—Olivaw series (my favourite being The Naked Sun) where the closing gap between robot and human, and the restructuring of human society around that, is explored.

From finding solutions to considering mistakes, from giving marginalised peoples a voice to giving us the strength to face our world, literature is powerful. And it’s needed now, more than ever. So tell me, what about you? How have the stories you love changed you or given you strength?

[silverity]

Why do you call yourself a "marxist feminist?" your analysis is closer to mainstream reactionary narratives and radical feminism in general - why the obfuscation and lies?

i became a communist, specifically a marxist leninist, at about 15. i educated myself on Marx, Lenin, Engels, Mao, Stalin, Ho Chi Minh, Castro, Che Guevara, Kwame Nkrumah, Thomas Sankara, Kim Il Sung — id say most of the fundamentals necessary to developing a communist understanding.

from my own Black upbringing i already knew Malcolm X, but i read further about the civil rights movement's Black leaders and revolutionaries, such as the Black Panther Party, Black Liberation Army, Fred Hampton, Huey P Newton, Kwame Ture, George Jackson. read Black scholars like James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, bell hooks, Du Bois, Fanon. also read Parenti, Said and Freire. i made sure as a Black woman to learn from Black women and marxist women, so i both read about and read the works of Rosa Luxemburg, Claudia Jones, Assata Shakur, Kathleen Cleaver, Nawal El Saadawi and Angela Davis.

so i was a marxist leninist in marxist circles for a very long time, and for all that time i was very pro-trans. now, there's been a rising tide of misogyny in the mainstream for the last couple of years, and i noticed men of all races in marxist circles were either failing to address it or addressed it only with reactionary, backwards analyses. many started voicing outright misogyny themselves under the guise of criticizing "bourgeois white women". it seemed they'd only read the works of marxist men and hadn't paid any attention to the women as i had. even other marxist leninist women, though their analysis was solid, were not focusing on women's issues directly. there's this tendency among marxists to treat feminism as some inborn component of marxism though they're not doing any direct study nor work on it at all. they think a class revolution will resolve everything when that's not entirely true. we will have to restructure society around gender/sex, race and many other inequalities, not just class.

so i turned to feminism. i went back to the aforementioned marxist women, who cover topics such as anti-imperialism, anti-capitalism, prison abolition, Black nationalism and so on, but for the first time focused exclusively on the situation of women. this time i read marxist women for their marxist feminism, incorporating also Evelyn Reed, Silvia Federici, Ellen Willis, Clara Zetkin, Sharon Smith. as you may have noticed from the name, marxist feminism is sourced from feminism (yes, radical feminism) as much as it is marxism. many of these marxist feminist women drew from radical feminist women, both to further their own marxfem theory as well as to contrast it.

& i wanted to read what they were referencing for myself, so i began to read radfem works for the first time. i was surprised that what marxists had always dismissed as "white bourgeois feminism" was actually incredibly intersectional and insightful. and that even the white radical feminist authors were accounting for race and class, with many directly interrogating marxist theory and building upon Engels' analysis in Origin of the Family. i now firmly believe that to wholly understand the oppression of women you must understand our position under the intersection of both capitalism and patriarchy.

so!!!! i arrived at marxist feminism but with heavy influences of radical feminism. i would say my politics are a combination of the two (which some would call socialist feminism) but i prefer to keep the marxfem label owing to my marxist leninist origins (socialist is too broad a term), and also because my approach is still generally that of a more marxist leninist structural analysis, first and foremost [edit: this was true but i now prefer socfem]. where marxist feminism provides a materialist, anti-capitalist analysis of the exploitation of women, radical feminism scrutinises the interpersonal relations between the sexes under patriarchy and its gender hierarchy. radical feminism also covers a lot more ground pertaining to women: women's history, feminist anthropology, women in media, science, psychology & so on. im particularly interested in radfem deconstructions of Judeo-Christian theology as of late.

thus it was with this new radical feminist understanding of women's oppression, and the analysis of other radfems of the trans rights movement, that i realised The Terfs Were Right All Along: gender identity ideology is regression masquerading as progression and will never liberate women from our degraded position so long as the female body continues to be exploited and abused. our oppression under both capitalism and patriarchy is the oppression, exploitation, and regulation of our female biology. after all, it's only women who are able to produce workers for the capitalists and the state, and children for the men and the society. this is the origin of women's oppression that began thousands of years ago. the oppression of women today is the systemic exploitation of the human female.

i went back and recalibrated my marxism as well and in doing so realised dialectical materialism doesn't lend itself to gender identity theory whatsoever (something a lot of other marxists have realised too). a liberation movement has to address the situation of women, it has to address our material reality. it cannot work off of idealism. i find mao really great on dialectical materialism, so let's look at his writings. according to Mao, "Idealism considers spirit (consciousness, concepts, the subject) as the source of all that exists on earth, and matter (nature and society, the object) as secondary and subordinate" whereas "Materialism recognizes the independent existence of matter as detached from spirit and considers spirit as secondary and subordinate.... [Idealists] cannot point out the materialist truth according to which consciousness is limited by matter, but believe that only consciousness is active, whereas matter is only an inert composite entity."

marxism is alternately termed "scientific socialism" for a reason. we are not idealists like the utopian socialists. we do not deal in idealism, we analyse reality through the scientific method of dialectical materialism. as Mao writes "Materialist dialectics is the only scientific epistemology, and it is also the only scientific logic. Materialist dialectics studies the origin and development of our knowledge of the outside world. It studies the transition from not knowing to knowing and from incomplete knowledge to more complete knowledge; it studies how the laws of the development of nature and society are daily reflected more profoundly and more extensively in the mind of humanity."

to "[belong] to the materialist camp" in Mao's words, we must "[recognize] the independent existence of the material world, separate from human consciousness — the fact that it existed before the appearance of humanity, and continues to exist since the appearance of humanity, independently and outside of human consciousness. To recognize this point is a fundamental premise of all scientific research.... what we call consciousness is nothing else but a form of the movement of matter, a particular characteristic of the material brain of humanity; it is that particular characteristic of the material brain which causes the material processes outside consciousness to be reflected in consciousness."

in essence, the internal is a product of the external. not the reverse. this does not support the supremacy of "gender identity" over sex, nor does it support the extreme position assumed by some in the trans movement, of the subjectivity or non-existence of sex altogether. we have to transform society in order to transform ourselves, which in this context would mean the abolition of gender throughout the whole of society— not the promotion of individualist self-identification with ascientific microlabels. gender identities do not liberate anyone from the confines of gender—they further lock you in, making you an ardent defender of the tool of your own repression. evidently, supporting gender identity ideology would not only be the betrayal of the proletarian woman and the fight for her liberation, and the liberation of everyone repressed by this system, it would be the betrayal and the distortion of marxism itself. a vulgar materialism.

if you want a more thorough breakdown of my ascent to terfdom or anything more about marxism leninism that'll probably have to be another post. let me know! i'll leave you with this from Mao on dialectical materialism: "The world is nothing else but the material world in a process of unlimited development.... If the proletariat and all revolutionaries take up this consistently scientific arm, they will then be able to understand this world, and transform the world."