This was at some department store. The doors had keypads on them so I went back to the entrance to ask this kid if I could be let in. The dude gives me a smug little smirk and radios for someone to meet me back there. No one showed up after like seven minutes and as I left the aformentioned mall operator was going through some poor ladys cart item by item. I was later able to find an unsecured restroom a block away.

Even the strip malls have gone mask-off, this shit sucks.

I've had a lot of conversations with cis people about the trans experience and most of these have been cordial, if not enjoyable! While most of the points raised when discussing the struggle for trans liberation elicit sympathy from these people the topic of minors transitioning tends to get the strongest and most oppositional responses. They seem to believe that the possibility that someone may regret transitioning for identity or reproductive reasons justifies blanket bans on transitioning for minors. I've also heard concerns about gender affirming care being used as an avenue for medical abuse, of which I am unaware of any verified cases.

How does one approach the topic of trans liberation for trans minors? Obvously debatelord antics aren't going to win hearts and minds but there has got to be some narrative angle that resonates with cis people or otherwise dispells their fears of cis children coming to harm.

• Link To Transgender Law Center Statement
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Transgender Law Center Condemns SCOTUS Opinion in Hecox and BPJ

NATIONAL – Transgender Law Center decries today’s ruling by the Supreme Court in West Virginia v BPJ and Little v Hecox, which greenlights discrimination against transgender youth who want to participate on sports teams that match their gender identity. The majority opinion, fully supported by all six conservative justices, allows the sports bans in Idaho and West Virginia to stand.

“Today’s sweeping ruling is a huge overstep of this court’s power to push ideology over honoring basic civil rights,” said Shelby Chestnut (they/he), Executive Director. “We know a future is possible where every person, no matter who they are, has the freedom to live and thrive as their authentic selves. Our people are organizing in every community to make our voices heard, hold our leaders accountable, and build a world that works for all of us.”

All nine Justices upheld the sports bans on the basis of Title IX. The majority opinion also ruled that these bans are not a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. In the dissenting opinion, Justice Sotomayor noted, “In the end, to the Court, the facts do not matter, even though the consequences are serious.”

“It is egregious that the Supreme Court authored this opinion, upholding these clearly discriminatory bans,” said Shawn Thomas Meerkamper (they/them), Managing Attorney. “Every young person deserves to move through life free from discrimination or exclusion. We are steadfast in pursuing every legal avenue possible to ensure all youth, including transgender youth, can belong.”

While the long-term impact of the Court’s ruling is not yet known, this will likely affect civil rights protections for transgender people in many other areas.

“We have always known that the courts have never been a validator to our worth or our existence,” said Mariah Moore (she/her), Director of Policy & Programs. “Time and again, our civil rights have been fought for and won when we show up together and make our demands crystal clear. No matter who is in power, we will continue banding together to create a future where every person can live freely as themselves.”

Transgender Law Center filed an amicus brief in the case to uplift the lived experience of transgender athletes and the importance of sports in their lives. Read their stories here.

Today, the Supreme Court also issued its decision in Trump v Barbara. In a 6-3 decision, the Court struck down the administration’s Executive Order targeting birthright citizenship, holding that the order violates the 14th Amendment.

“All of us, no matter where we come from, deserve safety and belonging in the place we call home,” said Isa Noyola (she/her), Director of the Border Butterflies Project. “The ruling today reaffirms that everyone born in this country deserves recognition, rights, and the freedom to participate in our society. We all belong here, and we will never stop showing up to create a world where current and future generations can thrive.”

• Link To Erin Reed Article

Both of the above links are worth the read but the tl;dr is:

• Discrimination against trans student athletes is ok, school bathroom bans may be as well.
• Ruling is narrow and does not remove other protections for trans people, but may open up other avenues for attacks.

If I'm understanding this correctly, this is basically saying that sex-segregation policies in schools do not violate the rights of trans students.

Won't be linking it here for obvious reasons but it really blows that such a good url is claimed by something that sucks so bad.

The main page says:

"Queer is not the same as being gay or trans. It’s not an identity—it’s a far-left ideological weapon. Queer Marxism is one of the most dangerous and dystopian ideologies in the United States today, seeking to abolish gender, the nuclear family, and our entire way of life. It’s also one of the most misunderstood.

The Queer Marxism Project exists to document its rise as an anti-capitalist revolutionary movement, tracing its roots from the 1960s to today using primary source evidence."

Their methods appear to be a mix between Project Veritas and Kiwifarms where they collect written and recorded materials to present in freakshow style to push their point that queerness is evil or something.

The individual behind this is a self-described fascist that seems to makes a living doing freelance "infiltrate and expose" content independently and for sites like PragerU. They also have a podcast/stream with 600+ episodes that seems to be this kind of stuff but live, which seems to be a very sad waste of time and effort. There isn't much content aside from a wall of text talking about what the site will be next to links to other, equally underdeveloped projects that are basically the same thing + a merch store.

Kinda creepy honestly.

Btw I found this when looking for recordings of talks at a recent conference about queer marxism that was put on by the communist party of norway. They're not all up yet but Luna Oi!'s contribution on the state of queer rights in Vietnam was uploaded this morning, well worth a listen.

For reference, here are some images of people standing around Bradleys and BMPs

The T-15 Armata heavy IFV is the only thing of its class that is larger, at roughly 9.5 meters vs the Namer's 7.5.

Hello friends! I have an assortment of kitchen tips to share with you all, the formatting may be wierd but this is me trying to keep it organized. Discuss, share your own tips, and keep poasting to help make Hexbear healthy and strong.

• Coconut Oil Cubes

Most ice cube trays have slots that measure around one tablespoon in volume. Since coconut oil is profoundly annoying to measure I will melt it down and pour into an ice cube tray and store the cubes in a container in the fridge. You can do half tablespoon or teaspoon sized portions too but that calls for actually measuring.

• Keep Frozen Bottles of Water Around

I keep about a dozen bottles of water in my freezer since it makes the appliance more efficient and helps keep things colder, longer when the power goes out. They used to be refilled 1 or 2 liter sized soda bottles but Ive since switched to those half liter bottles of drinking water for utilities sake. They make decent impromptu ice packs too.

• Frozen Water Bottle Iced Coffee Trick

When I want iced coffee I'll pour it hot into a very large cup (I use a protein shaker bottle thing) and then place one of my many frozen water bottles inside of that and place it in the freezer. This cools previously hot coffee down to at least room temperature in 3-5 minutes without watering it down.

• Soy Curl Laundry Bag Trick

Soy Curls have a wierd aftertaste if you don't squeeze them out after hydrating but I don't like doing that barehanded or wasting cheese cloth so I rehydrate them in a small mesh laundry bag after sifting out the dust in a colander. This way I can just pull the bag out and squeeze when its done. I wash the bag after every use with the rest of the laundry but will give it a rinse before using in order to take care of any lint. Pic related, its the kind of bag I'm talking about.

• Buy Big Size, Use From Little Container

Buying seasonings in bulk and then decanting into spice bottles saves a lot of money and reduces waste. Use a wide-mouth funnel for this. Same goes for soy sauce, I have one of those resturant-style pour bottles and I refill it from half-gallon jugs, the difference in price by volume is astronomical.

• Miscellaneous Other Tips

I keep a hot sauce bottle filled with water next to my stove. Its really good for dispensing a splash of water when doing that in-pan steaming thing or deglazing.

Having multiple sets of measuring spoons is really useful, helps avoid "cross contaminating" spices or measuring powders after liquids. Its also nice if youre being lazy about doing the dishes.

Baking powder expires and it expires for real.

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Image credit to Kevin Gill on Wikimedia Commons

The planet Venus is the easiest of the planets to spot with the naked eye from here on earth. Due to her high albedo and proximity to the sun she will appear at dusk, heralding the appearance of the stars before disappearing through the night, only to return at dawn as the stars fade into the morning light.

Join our public Matrix server!

https://rentry.co/tracha#tracha-rooms

As a reminder, please do not discuss current struggle sessions in the mega. We want this to be a little oasis for all of us and the best way to do that is not to feed into existing conflict on the site.

Also, be sure to properly give content warnings and put sensitive subjects behind proper spoiler tags. It's for the mental health of not just your comrades, but yourself as well.

Here is a screenshot of where to find the spoiler button.

spoiler

(Vehicle IDs for the image above, from left to right: Marder IFV, Bradley IFV, M1 Abrams, behind the Abrams is a British MXT-MV, VAB wheeled APC, and Leopard 2A4)

(Vehicle IDs from left to right: M1 Abrams, Leopard 2A4, Marder IFV)

(Vehicle IDs from left to right: I'm 99% sure the woodland camouflaged vehicle in the background with the Finnish flag is a Patria Pasi 6x6 wheeled APC, in front of that is an MXT-MV, Leopard 2A4, and a Turkish BMC KIrpi MRAP)

(MXT-MV, this appears to be the most heavily damaged vehicle on display)

The Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at Overseas Military Operations in Pyongyang opened on April 27th and amongst many other things the museum has an outdoor display for captured western armored vehicles. If I have misidentified anything feel free to correct me.

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International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDoV) is a day for celebrating the lives of transgender people, recognizing the contributions we make to society and rallying against the discrimination we face. TDoV also functions as a counterpart to the International Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR)^[TDoR is observed on November 20th and memorializes those of us who's lives were stolen by transphobic violence, particularly trans women of color. TDoR was initially founded in 1999 in remembrance of Rita Hester, Chanelle Pickett, and Monique Thomas, three black trans women who were murdered in the Boston area.]; with TDoR being a somber occasion and TDoV having a more celebratory nature.

For this week, in observation of TDoV, I invite you all, the posters in our community to write a little bit about the celebration of trans lives.

Join our public Matrix server!

https://rentry.co/tracha#tracha-rooms

As a reminder, please do not discuss current struggle sessions in the mega. We want this to be a little oasis for all of us and the best way to do that is not to feed into existing conflict on the site.

Also, be sure to properly give content warnings and put sensitive subjects behind proper spoiler tags. It's for the mental health of not just your comrades, but yourself as well.

Here is a screenshot of where to find the spoiler button.

spoiler