Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
@knownforms.bsky.social
She/her, they/them. Writer, Researcher. Work in Strange Horizons, Tin House, Electric Lit, and more. I used to do research for Roxane Gay.
Pinned
The Price: A Queer Daughter of a Queer Mother - Electric Literature
I am doomed to die an ugly death or at least to be separated from my partner, probably violently. So is my queer mother and my partner and my cousin and many of my friends. We are all doomed, it seems...
electricliterature.com
I wrote this and it's still true but also, I've since gone no contact because she's toxic and have been writing a response ever since electricliterature.com/the-price-a-...
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
As always, Julia has been taking wonderful care of her baby sister, but both girls are struggling. They can't sleep through the night because of the constant shelling. If you can, please help them afford food and milk. chuffed.org/project/157569 @mommunism.bsky.social @pepsffk.bsky.social #SkyHelp 🍉
February 15, 2026 at 3:20 PM
As always, Julia has been taking wonderful care of her baby sister, but both girls are struggling. They can't sleep through the night because of the constant shelling. If you can, please help them afford food and milk. chuffed.org/project/157569 @mommunism.bsky.social @pepsffk.bsky.social #SkyHelp 🍉
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
As I say here, there is no scientific justification to revoke the engagement finding. In fact, over the last 15+ yrs, the evidence of how climate change affects our health has only grown. Higher risk of allergies, dementia, fertility, heart disease, and death: that’s what’s on the line. @nature.org
There is No Scientific Justification to Revoke the Endangerment Finding
The U.S. EPA's decision to repeal the Endangerment Finding will limit the government's ability to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.
www.nature.org
February 12, 2026 at 9:45 PM
As I say here, there is no scientific justification to revoke the engagement finding. In fact, over the last 15+ yrs, the evidence of how climate change affects our health has only grown. Higher risk of allergies, dementia, fertility, heart disease, and death: that’s what’s on the line. @nature.org
"A concern troll is a person who participates in a debate posing as an actual or potential ally who simply has some concerns they need answered before they will ally themselves with a cause." geekfeminism.fandom.com/wiki/Concern...
Client Challenge
geekfeminism.fandom.com
February 15, 2026 at 4:09 PM
"A concern troll is a person who participates in a debate posing as an actual or potential ally who simply has some concerns they need answered before they will ally themselves with a cause." geekfeminism.fandom.com/wiki/Concern...
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
"Perhaps successful activist literature is that which ultimately gives birth to a new and better political context and, in doing so, writes itself into obsolescence."
artreview.com/notes-from-n...
artreview.com/notes-from-n...
Notes from New York: Writing into Oblivion
What can an American history of leftist zine distribution teach us in the era of ICE, MAGA and AI memes?
artreview.com
February 13, 2026 at 7:37 PM
"Perhaps successful activist literature is that which ultimately gives birth to a new and better political context and, in doing so, writes itself into obsolescence."
artreview.com/notes-from-n...
artreview.com/notes-from-n...
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
God, what an interview. Gisèle is such a powerful woman.
"Fighting that shame on an individual level, rejecting it for myself, also meant working for the collective. ... one of the accused kept staring at me, wanting to force me to look down. But I just kept staring back until he lowered his eyes."
"Fighting that shame on an individual level, rejecting it for myself, also meant working for the collective. ... one of the accused kept staring at me, wanting to force me to look down. But I just kept staring back until he lowered his eyes."
‘They All Tried to Break Me’: Gisèle Pelicot Shares Her Story
www.nytimes.com
February 15, 2026 at 3:48 PM
God, what an interview. Gisèle is such a powerful woman.
"Fighting that shame on an individual level, rejecting it for myself, also meant working for the collective. ... one of the accused kept staring at me, wanting to force me to look down. But I just kept staring back until he lowered his eyes."
"Fighting that shame on an individual level, rejecting it for myself, also meant working for the collective. ... one of the accused kept staring at me, wanting to force me to look down. But I just kept staring back until he lowered his eyes."
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
Democrats are suggesting reforms for ICE, but the reality is: abolition is the way forward, not reform.
Read the latest from our co-founder Andrea J. Ritchie in @thenation.com!
Read the latest from our co-founder Andrea J. Ritchie in @thenation.com!
Abolition Is Still the Only Way Out of This
Forget the useless so-called “reforms” to ICE and policing currently on offer. We need much more fundamental change.
www.thenation.com
February 13, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Democrats are suggesting reforms for ICE, but the reality is: abolition is the way forward, not reform.
Read the latest from our co-founder Andrea J. Ritchie in @thenation.com!
Read the latest from our co-founder Andrea J. Ritchie in @thenation.com!
Brad gets it. Justice for survivors.
But (as they agree) it’s as important to listen to those harmed by sexual abuse, to shift the conversation away from sensationalization and toward solutions that attend to the needs of survivors.
msmagazine.com/2025/12/17/e...
msmagazine.com/2025/12/17/e...
The Epstein Files Matter Only If We Center Survivors
The latest On the Issues with Michele Goodwin episodes reclaim the Jeffrey Epstein files from men ... for women, victims and survivors.
msmagazine.com
February 15, 2026 at 7:59 AM
Brad gets it. Justice for survivors.
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
The thing that makes this extra funny to me is that I think the cat is about to say this is all moving too fast…
February 15, 2026 at 4:39 AM
The thing that makes this extra funny to me is that I think the cat is about to say this is all moving too fast…
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
PSA! Today (Feb 15) is the last day to submit through our general submissions queue. Then, we'll be reading ONLY for The Smokey ($4700 prize pot) until May 10. Free general submissions reopen May 15! Exceptions: paid multiple submissions and senior editor feedback (reading for September issue).
February 15, 2026 at 7:53 AM
PSA! Today (Feb 15) is the last day to submit through our general submissions queue. Then, we'll be reading ONLY for The Smokey ($4700 prize pot) until May 10. Free general submissions reopen May 15! Exceptions: paid multiple submissions and senior editor feedback (reading for September issue).
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
need noise cancelling headphones for my own thoughts sometimes
February 14, 2026 at 4:48 PM
need noise cancelling headphones for my own thoughts sometimes
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
But (as they agree) it’s as important to listen to those harmed by sexual abuse, to shift the conversation away from sensationalization and toward solutions that attend to the needs of survivors.
msmagazine.com/2025/12/17/e...
msmagazine.com/2025/12/17/e...
The Epstein Files Matter Only If We Center Survivors
The latest On the Issues with Michele Goodwin episodes reclaim the Jeffrey Epstein files from men ... for women, victims and survivors.
msmagazine.com
February 1, 2026 at 4:48 PM
But (as they agree) it’s as important to listen to those harmed by sexual abuse, to shift the conversation away from sensationalization and toward solutions that attend to the needs of survivors.
msmagazine.com/2025/12/17/e...
msmagazine.com/2025/12/17/e...
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
Having an abuser-in-chief in the White House, who brags about assault and his own imperviousness to accountability, and pretends to channel revulsion at the system of corruption he most exemplifies, is corrosive for all of us.
February 1, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Having an abuser-in-chief in the White House, who brags about assault and his own imperviousness to accountability, and pretends to channel revulsion at the system of corruption he most exemplifies, is corrosive for all of us.
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
Meanwhile, when allegations involve extreme harm and immense power, the process often looks slower, more opaque, more cautious. Or non-existent.
It exposes something deeper than any one case.
Our system doesn’t respond to harm. It responds to status, narrative, and power.
It exposes something deeper than any one case.
Our system doesn’t respond to harm. It responds to status, narrative, and power.
February 15, 2026 at 1:45 AM
Meanwhile, when allegations involve extreme harm and immense power, the process often looks slower, more opaque, more cautious. Or non-existent.
It exposes something deeper than any one case.
Our system doesn’t respond to harm. It responds to status, narrative, and power.
It exposes something deeper than any one case.
Our system doesn’t respond to harm. It responds to status, narrative, and power.
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
This.
As a former public defender who represented thousands of people, I can’t stop thinking about the contrast the Epstein files raise.
I watched 1000s face swift, devastating punishment for far less serious conduct — poor, marginalized, & presumed dangerous from the start.
I watched 1000s face swift, devastating punishment for far less serious conduct — poor, marginalized, & presumed dangerous from the start.
February 15, 2026 at 6:17 AM
This.
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
bully them more
Discord distances itself from age verification firm after ties to Palantir's Peter Thiel surface https://kotaku.com/discord-palantir-peter-thiel-persona-age-verification-2000668951
Discord's Age Verification Has A Weird Link To Palantir's Peter Thiel
The third party company Discord could use for their ID collection is mired in surveillance concerns and links to Epstein via one of its investors
kotaku.com
February 14, 2026 at 11:29 PM
bully them more
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
Oh my GOD King County Public Health is just wilding out for Valentines Day (and a lovely one).
February 13, 2026 at 11:51 PM
Oh my GOD King County Public Health is just wilding out for Valentines Day (and a lovely one).
Re-reading Ross Gay's Book of Delights and wishing you all the joy and delights and also rest. 💜
February 15, 2026 at 7:23 AM
Re-reading Ross Gay's Book of Delights and wishing you all the joy and delights and also rest. 💜
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
The new batch of Epstein files make me retch. They reveal the rot of abuse & corruption at the highest levels of government, finance & tech.
As Rebecca Solnit observes, it feels like: “rapists all the way down, and enablers all the way up.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
As Rebecca Solnit observes, it feels like: “rapists all the way down, and enablers all the way up.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Jeffrey Epstein cover-up is an affront to US democracy | Rebecca Solnit
Democracy means a society and system in which everyone’s rights matter. Rapists count on this being untrue – and Trump is proving them right
www.theguardian.com
February 1, 2026 at 4:48 PM
The new batch of Epstein files make me retch. They reveal the rot of abuse & corruption at the highest levels of government, finance & tech.
As Rebecca Solnit observes, it feels like: “rapists all the way down, and enablers all the way up.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
As Rebecca Solnit observes, it feels like: “rapists all the way down, and enablers all the way up.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
I’ve been thinking of these words from Grace Lee Boggs, as I see how my neighbors and my community, and neighbors and communities across the U.S. have been showing their love “for people and place” with their whole, brave selves.
Happy revolutionary Valentines to Minnesotans, to folks all over -
Happy revolutionary Valentines to Minnesotans, to folks all over -
As Jimmy Boggs used to remind us, revolutions are made out of love for people and for place. He often talked about loving America enough to change it. 'I love this country,' he used to say, 'not only because my ancestors' blood is in the soil but bc of what I believe it can become.'
-Grace Lee Boggs
-Grace Lee Boggs
February 15, 2026 at 7:16 AM
I’ve been thinking of these words from Grace Lee Boggs, as I see how my neighbors and my community, and neighbors and communities across the U.S. have been showing their love “for people and place” with their whole, brave selves.
Happy revolutionary Valentines to Minnesotans, to folks all over -
Happy revolutionary Valentines to Minnesotans, to folks all over -
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
Platner's dismissive comments about sexual assault in the military were so disgusting that a candidate who had experienced assault in the service dropped out to endorse Mills rather than risk Platner getting into the senate. www.everythingishorrible.net/p/progressiv...
Progressive Candidate Has Dropped Out Of ME Senate Race
Not Platner. Daira Smith-Rodriguez
www.everythingishorrible.net
February 15, 2026 at 7:10 AM
Platner's dismissive comments about sexual assault in the military were so disgusting that a candidate who had experienced assault in the service dropped out to endorse Mills rather than risk Platner getting into the senate. www.everythingishorrible.net/p/progressiv...
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
"Love isn't just something you feel. It's something you do everyday...Love isn't about what we did yesterday; it's about what we do today and tomorrow and the day after."
-Grace Lee Boggs (1915-2015), The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the 21st Century
#everynightapoem #ofsorts
-Grace Lee Boggs (1915-2015), The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the 21st Century
#everynightapoem #ofsorts
February 15, 2026 at 6:04 AM
"Love isn't just something you feel. It's something you do everyday...Love isn't about what we did yesterday; it's about what we do today and tomorrow and the day after."
-Grace Lee Boggs (1915-2015), The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the 21st Century
#everynightapoem #ofsorts
-Grace Lee Boggs (1915-2015), The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the 21st Century
#everynightapoem #ofsorts
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
If the people who made THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS can recognise it as transphobic, so can you www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...
‘Silence of the Lambs’ Team Reckons With Transphobia Criticism: “There’s Regret”
As the hit movie turns 35, Ted Levine opens up to The Hollywood Reporter about complicated feelings over playing Buffalo Bill and the representation of gender: "It's unfortunate that the film vilified...
www.hollywoodreporter.com
February 15, 2026 at 6:26 AM
If the people who made THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS can recognise it as transphobic, so can you www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
"Ofelia was heroic and brave in the face of ICE's detention and threatened deportation of her father”…attorney representing Torres, said..”We mourn Ofelia's passing, and we hope that she will serve as a model for us all for how to be courageous and to fight for what's right to our last breaths."
February 15, 2026 at 4:32 AM
"Ofelia was heroic and brave in the face of ICE's detention and threatened deportation of her father”…attorney representing Torres, said..”We mourn Ofelia's passing, and we hope that she will serve as a model for us all for how to be courageous and to fight for what's right to our last breaths."
ABOLIS ICE/DHS AND IMPEACH AND ARREST NOEM
Our story @chicagotribune.com: Chicago teen Ofelia Torres, whose father was detained by ICE while she fought cancer, dies. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/14/c...
February 15, 2026 at 2:30 AM
ABOLIS ICE/DHS AND IMPEACH AND ARREST NOEM
Reposted by Mel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now
Hey ya'll you should consider checking out Void's Sex Worker Saturday this Valentines day to show these beautiful folks some love and appreciation 💕
🖤 Remember to be kind and tip generously folks 🖤
#SupportSexWorkers
🖤 Remember to be kind and tip generously folks 🖤
#SupportSexWorkers
Happy Sex Worker Saturday Valentine’s Day edition!🖤
Open ya wallets! 💵💵
Fellow SWers, post your tip links/needs below!
If using an img use alt text or put alt4meNSFW to be reposted.
🖤🧡
Everyone else, we pay and support SWers around here, so tip and share the thread!!
Open ya wallets! 💵💵
Fellow SWers, post your tip links/needs below!
If using an img use alt text or put alt4meNSFW to be reposted.
🖤🧡
Everyone else, we pay and support SWers around here, so tip and share the thread!!
February 15, 2026 at 2:28 AM
Hey ya'll you should consider checking out Void's Sex Worker Saturday this Valentines day to show these beautiful folks some love and appreciation 💕
🖤 Remember to be kind and tip generously folks 🖤
#SupportSexWorkers
🖤 Remember to be kind and tip generously folks 🖤
#SupportSexWorkers