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Dave Awl

@daveawl.bsky.social

1.5K followers 1.8K following 2.2K posts

Writer/Performer in Chicago. Early Neo-Futurist. Once & future Pansy King. Host of the Partly Dave Show. Russell Hobanologist. Old New Waver, erstwhile DJ. GNC/Queer. He/Him. I fly through the dark and I sing with the bees. https://linktr.ee/daveawl

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · Apr 13

Happy to see my book What the Sea Means on the shelves at the brand-new Lilliput Books in Chicago. And in such excellent company, too. 💙📚

Two shelves at a bookstore with a label reading LGBTQ plus. Books facing out on the lower shelf include Stag Dance by Torrey Peters, Harriet Tubman Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen, and What the Sea Means by Dave Awl. On the shelf above that are books by various authors including André Aciman, Emily Austin, Kate Bornstein and S Bear Bergman, Kacen Callender, Kabi Nagata, Armistead Maupin, Amy Ellis Nutt, and Jeanette Winterson.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 14h

Breathless update: looks like I got the ID wrong on the first try. After a little more study, I think this is a juvenile *black*-crowned night heron instead of a yellow-crowned night heron, based on the head shape, neck, and bill. There's a good comparison here, underneath the photos of the adults.

Comparing Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night Herons - Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Comparing Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night Herons, adults are easier to ID than thank the juveniles because they look more alike.

www.onthewingphotography.com

Reposted by Dave Awl

Human Rights Watch @hrw.org · 18h

Illegal cattle ranching has devastated Indigenous & small farmers’ lands in Brazil’s Amazon region that will host #COP30.

New @hrw.org report finds that world’s largest meat company, JBS, may have exported beef to the EU from these illegal sources.

Read our investigation 🌎👉 https://bit.ly/4ojyU5y

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 19h

Laurie Anderson's sublime live rendition of "Excellent Birds" from four decades ago. I still remember watching this film on VHS. Pure magic.

Laurie Anderson - Excellent Birds (Home of the Brave 1985)

YouTube video by Lucy Kobol

www.youtube.com

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 20h

🤭

Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 20h

Met this little guy (apparently a juvenile yellow-crowned night heron) hanging out at the North Pond today.

Close-up view of the side of the face of what I think is a juvenile yellow-crowned night heron

Full body view of what I think is a juvenile yellow-crowned night heron, with grass-like vegetation in the forefront and greenish water behind, in bright sunlight.

Slightly more distant view of what I think is a juvenile yellow-crowned night heron lurking in the grasses at the edge of the pond. You can see the pattern of white markings on the brown body feathers.

Another view of the alleged juvenile yellow-crowned night heron at the edge of the pond.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 1d

That’s right

Them @them.us · 1d

Terri Lesley said she hoped the move would be a “deterrent” to others fighting the First Amendment.

Read more: www.them.us/story/wyomin...

Librarian Fired for Defending LGBTQ+ Books Will Be Paid $700,000 Settlement

Terri Lesley said she hoped the move would be a “deterrent” to others fighting the First Amendment.

www.them.us

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Reposted by Dave Awl

Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 1d

Unless and until some kind of compelling legal and moral argument is presented as to why this is a legitimate use of deadly force, this is just…mass murder.

Amarnath Amarasingam @amaramarasingam.bsky.social · 1d

The military has now killed 27 people as if they were enemy soldiers in a war zone and not criminal suspects. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/u...

U.S. Military Kills Another 6 People in 5th Caribbean Strike, Trump Says

www.nytimes.com

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Michael J. Stern @michaeljstern.bsky.social · 1d

This. And this again.

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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 1d

It’s amazing how all the reporting is just memory-holing this part

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 1d

Gift link: some Chicago businesses now sporting signs with an alligator and butterfly design. Designer says:

“ ... because the butterfly is often known to fearlessly land on an alligator’s snout ... a butterfly is a universal icon of migration worldwide facing a much more intimidating predator.”

Cafes, restaurants across Chicago put up signs barring immigration agents

For restaurant and cafe workers, many of whom are immigrants, the looming threat of unannounced visits by ICE has created anxiety and uncertainty about their future.

www.chicagotribune.com

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Reposted by Dave Awl

Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 1d

You need to see this:

“The show of force is the point. They want these images to be out…The Department of Homeland Security is walking around Chicago with a film crew.” @jacobsoboroff.bsky.social

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Anderson Clayton ☀️ @abreezeclayton.bsky.social · 2d

North Carolina! We NEED y’all to be loud on this one with us. Join us as the legislature returns to raleigh not to pass a budget, but instead gerrymander North Carolina more to give Trump another congressional seat. ⬇️

www.mobilize.us/ncdems/event...

REDISTRICTING WATCH · North Carolina Democrats

Republicans are scared of losing, so they're cheating. We've seen redistricting battles play out across the country – and now the fight is coming to North Carolina. **We need to be outside the gener...

www.mobilize.us

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 2d

This is what they choose to do with our tax money instead of giving us health care.

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 2d

Absolutely pointless.

National Guard walk by Black Cat patrolling 14th Street on a federal holiday during a shutdown.

Reposted by Dave Awl

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 4d

UNTIL IT’S DONE, Ep. 4: Sylvia Rivera

In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.

As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.

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Reposted by Dave Awl

Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 2d

1. As some Democrats have run from transgender rights, Zohran Mamdani is showing what so many others have lacked: courage to lead with his values over pandering to focus groups.

The ad is one of the best things I've seen from a politician on transgender people.

Subscribe to support our journalism.

As Some Dems Run From Trans People, Zohran Mamdani's Latest Ad Shows Real Support

The 2 minute ad features Sylvia Rivera's story, Mamdani's commitment to transgender people, and even music from the legendary late trans artist SOPHIE.

www.erininthemorning.com

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 2d

"Until his death, he publicly insisted that he had in fact landed in East Asia as he originally intended."

The Nation Magazine @thenation.com · 2d

These days most people know that Christopher Columbus was a genocidaire and that celebrating him is a disgrace. But did you know that he was also mediocre sailor nearly forgotten to history? @edburmila.bsky.social explained the Columbus myth back in 2017. www.thenation.com/article/soci...

The Invention of Christopher Columbus, American Hero

How the founding fathers turned Christopher Columbus, a mediocre Italian sailor and mass murderer, into a historical icon.

www.thenation.com

Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 2d

I submit that "wild/predictable" is a defining concept for the time we're living in.

Asawin Suebsaeng @swin24.bsky.social · 2d

That, and also for anyone who cares to remember how much he hated Netanyahu (largely for congratulating Biden for winning in 2020) and how much he didn’t mind if Bibi were ousted or jailed or w/e not that long ago, the reversal in the time since Oct 7 has been wild/predictable to watch.

Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 2d

One of Trump’s few consistent positions is pro-corruption.

Reposted by Dave Awl

Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 2d

Police officers who publicly declare that they’ll quit if a mayoral candidate they dislike wins the election are (1) usually bluffing—sure buddy, toss away that paycheck and pension—and (2) exactly the sort of cops cities would be better off without, ones who don’t see themselves as public servants.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 2d

"The question before us in 2025 is the same as in 1850: Will Chicago obey injustice — or resist it?

"We know our answer. We have given it before."

Chicago is choosing justice over fear, as it has in the past

In 1850, the federal government deputized local officials to enforce slavery. In 2025, it demands cooperation in deportation. Chicago resisted nearly two centuries ago, and it still is today.

chicago.suntimes.com

Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 2d

Looking forward to his new book! Due out October 14.

The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 3d

Tim Curry was a 20-something stage actor living in London in the seedy, sex-drenched 1970s when he auditioned for a new B-movie musical called “The Rocky Horror Show.” In a new interview, Curry discusses the cult classic, David Bowie, Studio 54, and more. http://nyer.cm/Z9RkgrI

Reposted by Dave Awl

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 2d

This morning I ran the NYC Gaza 5K in Prospect Park for the third time, alongside the Harlem Run Club, to raise money for @unrwausa.bsky.social, which delivers critical humanitarian aid and services to Palestinians in Gaza.

I hope you'll join me in donating: unrwausa.org

Zohran jogging alongside a member of the Harlem Run Club in Prospect Park.

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Bom Tellino @bomtellino.bsky.social · 3d

It’s been said but it bears repeating: in addition to the people being abducted, all Chicagoans are being psychologically terrorized. Seeing feds driving/walking around and videos of violent attacks in places you know and love will fuck you up. Get ready, it’s coming to all of America soon.

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nb_alorakid @alorakid.bsky.social · 4d

Let's do this again, all weekend long.

nb_alorakid @alorakid.bsky.social · 12d

if you're in Chicago and need a break from all the everything, DM me w/ name + email address before 8 PM and I'll comp you for the Infinite Wrench

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Reposted by Dave Awl

mosababutoha @mosababutoha.bsky.social · 4d

⭕️ BREAKING: CNN reports that Israel will not release Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya as part of the ceasefire deal.

“The occupation refused to release Dr Hussam Abu Safiya,” a Hamas official told CNN on Friday.

💔💔💔💔

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THE NERVE @thenerve.news · 4d

‘The platforms got worse because we let them’: Cory Doctorow talks to @zoecorbyn.bsky.social about his fight to save the internet from enshittification

🔗 Read the full interview www.thenerve.news/p/cory-docto...

‘The platforms got worse because we let them’: Cory Doctorow on the enshittification of the internet

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