polerin
@polerin.bsky.social
White trans woman, radical lefty, geek, pro web dev, derbyDerbyDerby. Will eat for food, & rock your face off. Or on. On is good.
Seattle-ish
Seattle-ish
Pinned
polerin
@polerin.bsky.social
· Aug 25
On Friday, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management issued a memo announcing that, beginning in 2026, all federal employee health plans will be barred from covering gender-affirming care for both transgender youth and adults.
Trump Admin Memo Bars Federal Health Plans From Covering Gender-Affirming Care
The memo also mandates that insurers cover “faith-based counseling,” otherwise known as conversion therapy.
truthout.org
I cannot state this strongly enough:
Trans healthcare is literally lifesaving. I would not be here today if it were not a thing.
It is not something that can be put off in a healthy way, it is not a frivolous lark. We exist, and we hurt in ways that most cis people cannot start to understand.
Trans healthcare is literally lifesaving. I would not be here today if it were not a thing.
It is not something that can be put off in a healthy way, it is not a frivolous lark. We exist, and we hurt in ways that most cis people cannot start to understand.
Reposted by polerin
All of the Democrats around the U.S. proposing more pretrial detention and fighting reforms to the cash bail system should be thinking about why, across modern history, authoritarians are obsessed with increasing the power of the government to detain people before any trial.
November 26, 2025 at 3:37 PM
All of the Democrats around the U.S. proposing more pretrial detention and fighting reforms to the cash bail system should be thinking about why, across modern history, authoritarians are obsessed with increasing the power of the government to detain people before any trial.
Reposted by polerin
Why shouldn't police abolitionists be included if pro-police people are?
November 25, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Why shouldn't police abolitionists be included if pro-police people are?
Reposted by polerin
He was traveling from Oklahoma to DC, not even an international trip
The professor was detained on his way to an academic conference in Washington, D.C., according to the colleague.
ICE Detains University of Oklahoma Professor With H-1B Visa, Colleague Says
www.newsweek.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:03 AM
He was traveling from Oklahoma to DC, not even an international trip
Reposted by polerin
Alaska vowed to resolve the murders of Indigenous people.
But when one nonprofit asked state law enforcement officials for a fundamental piece of data — a list of Indigenous murders they’d investigated — the state said no.
With @adn.com
But when one nonprofit asked state law enforcement officials for a fundamental piece of data — a list of Indigenous murders they’d investigated — the state said no.
With @adn.com
Alaska Vowed to Resolve Murders of Indigenous People. Now It Refuses to Provide Their Names.
When the nonprofit Data for Indigenous Justice filed public records requests with the Alaska Department of Public Safety concerning cases it had investigated, the state rejected them.
www.propublica.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Alaska vowed to resolve the murders of Indigenous people.
But when one nonprofit asked state law enforcement officials for a fundamental piece of data — a list of Indigenous murders they’d investigated — the state said no.
With @adn.com
But when one nonprofit asked state law enforcement officials for a fundamental piece of data — a list of Indigenous murders they’d investigated — the state said no.
With @adn.com
Reposted by polerin
Sometimes I think about how much you understand this country's few safety nets were always conditional depending on who you were, and the less you understand that, the more susceptible you are to the Reality Break Inducement Device.
"I mean it can't be that dangerous they wouldn't LET it be public"
"I mean it can't be that dangerous they wouldn't LET it be public"
November 24, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Sometimes I think about how much you understand this country's few safety nets were always conditional depending on who you were, and the less you understand that, the more susceptible you are to the Reality Break Inducement Device.
"I mean it can't be that dangerous they wouldn't LET it be public"
"I mean it can't be that dangerous they wouldn't LET it be public"
Reposted by polerin
The white man's ice is colder and the billionaires' ouija board is more demonic?🤦♂️
Imagine if you developed a software that's designed to optimize in engagement BUT ALSO is a pipeline of the worst shit on the internet. And you're going to engage with it, over and over.
Imagine if you developed a software that's designed to optimize in engagement BUT ALSO is a pipeline of the worst shit on the internet. And you're going to engage with it, over and over.
I'm literally just living a normal life while also experiencing a theophany via communication with the satellite called VALIS.
November 24, 2025 at 9:11 PM
The white man's ice is colder and the billionaires' ouija board is more demonic?🤦♂️
Imagine if you developed a software that's designed to optimize in engagement BUT ALSO is a pipeline of the worst shit on the internet. And you're going to engage with it, over and over.
Imagine if you developed a software that's designed to optimize in engagement BUT ALSO is a pipeline of the worst shit on the internet. And you're going to engage with it, over and over.
this pisses me off.
people trying to tie ICE and CBP directly to trump and shedding the democratic responsibility for propping them up and finding their expansion without repercussion during the Obama and Biden eras.
BOTH parties created this monster. yeah there are differences, but they overlap
people trying to tie ICE and CBP directly to trump and shedding the democratic responsibility for propping them up and finding their expansion without repercussion during the Obama and Biden eras.
BOTH parties created this monster. yeah there are differences, but they overlap
Insufficient is the gentlest way to state it. They should be trying to destroy that shit instead of making it more palatable, more normalized. We shouldn’t be experiencing this shit at all; making them seem like regular cops is NOT gonna fix shit.
eric swalwell said on msnow that a major goal of a dem majority after the midterms would be for ice masks to come off and badges to come out, this is insufficient
November 24, 2025 at 5:06 AM
this pisses me off.
people trying to tie ICE and CBP directly to trump and shedding the democratic responsibility for propping them up and finding their expansion without repercussion during the Obama and Biden eras.
BOTH parties created this monster. yeah there are differences, but they overlap
people trying to tie ICE and CBP directly to trump and shedding the democratic responsibility for propping them up and finding their expansion without repercussion during the Obama and Biden eras.
BOTH parties created this monster. yeah there are differences, but they overlap
Reposted by polerin
Insufficient is the gentlest way to state it. They should be trying to destroy that shit instead of making it more palatable, more normalized. We shouldn’t be experiencing this shit at all; making them seem like regular cops is NOT gonna fix shit.
eric swalwell said on msnow that a major goal of a dem majority after the midterms would be for ice masks to come off and badges to come out, this is insufficient
November 24, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Insufficient is the gentlest way to state it. They should be trying to destroy that shit instead of making it more palatable, more normalized. We shouldn’t be experiencing this shit at all; making them seem like regular cops is NOT gonna fix shit.
Reposted by polerin
not to put too fine a point on this, but anything that makes ice feel more like regular cops is counterproductive
ice is a gestapo horror show whether it shows id or not
making them 'normal' will let normies excuse its worst actions
'ice can do whatever so long as we know the officers names' foh
ice is a gestapo horror show whether it shows id or not
making them 'normal' will let normies excuse its worst actions
'ice can do whatever so long as we know the officers names' foh
November 24, 2025 at 2:30 AM
not to put too fine a point on this, but anything that makes ice feel more like regular cops is counterproductive
ice is a gestapo horror show whether it shows id or not
making them 'normal' will let normies excuse its worst actions
'ice can do whatever so long as we know the officers names' foh
ice is a gestapo horror show whether it shows id or not
making them 'normal' will let normies excuse its worst actions
'ice can do whatever so long as we know the officers names' foh
Reposted by polerin
this is picking up steam so by all means watch and judge for yourself. what i see here is a lot of focus on fighting in the national arena with a lot of lukewarm answers to very pressing issues. “prepare kids for the ai economy”? we need to be talking about breaking tech companies up dude.
Rep. Swalwell promises “get sh*t done approach” to California governor’s race
YouTube video by MS NOW
youtu.be
November 24, 2025 at 4:01 AM
this is picking up steam so by all means watch and judge for yourself. what i see here is a lot of focus on fighting in the national arena with a lot of lukewarm answers to very pressing issues. “prepare kids for the ai economy”? we need to be talking about breaking tech companies up dude.
Reposted by polerin
No. Abolish. Fire. Prosecute.
This is the *moderate* position.
This is the *moderate* position.
eric swalwell said on msnow that a major goal of a dem majority after the midterms would be for ice masks to come off and badges to come out, this is insufficient
November 24, 2025 at 3:50 AM
No. Abolish. Fire. Prosecute.
This is the *moderate* position.
This is the *moderate* position.
Reposted by polerin
What I'd really like is new research on whether there've been any improvements in the racial & gender disparities in facial recognition systems in the past 5 yrs. Run the baselines again, see who & what it gets wrong, in what contexts. We know the effects (👇🏾; ≥10, now, btw), & need more process data
Artificial Intelligence is Putting Innocent People at Risk of Being Incarcerated
There are at least seven confirmed cases of misidentification due to facial recognition technology, six of which involve Black people .
innocenceproject.org
November 23, 2025 at 9:15 PM
What I'd really like is new research on whether there've been any improvements in the racial & gender disparities in facial recognition systems in the past 5 yrs. Run the baselines again, see who & what it gets wrong, in what contexts. We know the effects (👇🏾; ≥10, now, btw), & need more process data
Reposted by polerin
Yesterday my partner and I counted all the ads along Chicago's Brown Line for "Friend," a company selling an AI chatbot pendant, and tallied how many of those ads were defaced.
Still working on a longer piece on this, but here's the quick and dirty: we counted 104 "Friend" ads total, 42 defaced.
Still working on a longer piece on this, but here's the quick and dirty: we counted 104 "Friend" ads total, 42 defaced.
November 23, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Yesterday my partner and I counted all the ads along Chicago's Brown Line for "Friend," a company selling an AI chatbot pendant, and tallied how many of those ads were defaced.
Still working on a longer piece on this, but here's the quick and dirty: we counted 104 "Friend" ads total, 42 defaced.
Still working on a longer piece on this, but here's the quick and dirty: we counted 104 "Friend" ads total, 42 defaced.
Reposted by polerin
Since February, according to my latest analysis, almost 600,000 Black women have been economically sidelined. The November 20, 2025, Jobs Report makes clear this isn’t a blip. It’s a structural crisis. That is not a recovery. It is a redistribution of opportunity.
The exit economy is here. Black Women are paying the highest price | Fortune
This isn’t a blip. It’s a structural crisis. And it's not a recovery, it's a redistribution of opportunity.
fortune.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Since February, according to my latest analysis, almost 600,000 Black women have been economically sidelined. The November 20, 2025, Jobs Report makes clear this isn’t a blip. It’s a structural crisis. That is not a recovery. It is a redistribution of opportunity.
Reposted by polerin
BREAKING:
Sorry to interrupt the football, but Kilmar Abrego Garcia has filed additional information claiming the feds misrepresented Costa Rica's position on accepting Abrego Garcia.
www.courtlistener.com/docket/70475...
Sorry to interrupt the football, but Kilmar Abrego Garcia has filed additional information claiming the feds misrepresented Costa Rica's position on accepting Abrego Garcia.
www.courtlistener.com/docket/70475...
November 23, 2025 at 9:00 PM
BREAKING:
Sorry to interrupt the football, but Kilmar Abrego Garcia has filed additional information claiming the feds misrepresented Costa Rica's position on accepting Abrego Garcia.
www.courtlistener.com/docket/70475...
Sorry to interrupt the football, but Kilmar Abrego Garcia has filed additional information claiming the feds misrepresented Costa Rica's position on accepting Abrego Garcia.
www.courtlistener.com/docket/70475...
Reposted by polerin
In a previous iteration of my career, I sometimes worked with kids who had been lured by adults on the internet. Without fail, it started on a Meta product. Reading these allegations makes me want to spit fire, because I’ve seen the end result and it can take a lifetime to heal from.
November 23, 2025 at 7:39 PM
In a previous iteration of my career, I sometimes worked with kids who had been lured by adults on the internet. Without fail, it started on a Meta product. Reading these allegations makes me want to spit fire, because I’ve seen the end result and it can take a lifetime to heal from.
Reposted by polerin
So Musk is paying Africans in Africa to pretend to be Americans afraid that Africans are going to take all the good jobs from Americans so that the Americans in America will fear the Africans in Africa who don't have to travel to America because Musk already gave them jobs in Africa?
Huh.
Huh.
If I’m understanding this correctly, X is owned by a white nationalist who pays poor people of color in developing countries to pretend to be working class white Americans to scare other white Americans into being afraid poor people of color from developing countries are going to ruin America?
November 23, 2025 at 8:11 PM
So Musk is paying Africans in Africa to pretend to be Americans afraid that Africans are going to take all the good jobs from Americans so that the Americans in America will fear the Africans in Africa who don't have to travel to America because Musk already gave them jobs in Africa?
Huh.
Huh.
Reposted by polerin
A friend who teaches theology shared with me a post about CS Lewis's Mere Christianity, which discusses foundational Christian logic across denominations. It reminded me of Dale's tweet below, and I wanted to share some thoughts here regarding modesty and respectability, which are often hot topics.
November 23, 2025 at 7:35 PM
A friend who teaches theology shared with me a post about CS Lewis's Mere Christianity, which discusses foundational Christian logic across denominations. It reminded me of Dale's tweet below, and I wanted to share some thoughts here regarding modesty and respectability, which are often hot topics.
Reposted by polerin
To simplify: the thing that made American higher-ed unique was the institutional organization around education as a PUBLIC GOOD, rather than as an elite training ground, or job training.
This aspect is nearly dead, killed by a thousand budget cuts.
This aspect is nearly dead, killed by a thousand budget cuts.
Really important to stress that the Crown Jewels of the US higher education system were never the Ivies or elite SLACs (other countries have equivalents of these) but the well-funded, large, cheap, and excellently staffed public state university systems bringing high quality education to the masses.
One of the bragging rights that the US ed system had in the 20th century is that we didn't have education tracks. Essentially, any kid could go to a CC or state school & major in whatever they wanted to (obviously an oversimplification). I fear this aspect of the American dream is dying.
November 23, 2025 at 5:56 PM
To simplify: the thing that made American higher-ed unique was the institutional organization around education as a PUBLIC GOOD, rather than as an elite training ground, or job training.
This aspect is nearly dead, killed by a thousand budget cuts.
This aspect is nearly dead, killed by a thousand budget cuts.
Reposted by polerin
Trying very hard to link transness with dangerous criminality is disgusting, but so is the following implication that only sane, well-behaved people should be allowed to transition, if any.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of over 314 questions outlined here including eg Do you start fires? Do you steal? Do you physically assault people?
growinguptransgender.com/2025/09/19/q...
growinguptransgender.com/2025/09/19/q...
Questioning trans kids
The UK Government and UK research councils have contributed £10 million pounds to a series of research studies on service users of the newly established Children and Young People’s Gender Services.…
growinguptransgender.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Trying very hard to link transness with dangerous criminality is disgusting, but so is the following implication that only sane, well-behaved people should be allowed to transition, if any.
Reposted by polerin
somebody on here suggested awhile back that a pretty compelling 2028 Democrat campaign promise would be "on day one I will deploy a WPA-scale army of forensic accountants across every square inch of the federal government" and I think about that every day
It’s crazy to think about the crimes we’re going to learn about after this regime ends.
We’re already hearing about Watergate level crimes every week. Imagine what will come out after it’s over.
We’re going to need a full accounting of all that’s been done in violation of the constitution.
We’re already hearing about Watergate level crimes every week. Imagine what will come out after it’s over.
We’re going to need a full accounting of all that’s been done in violation of the constitution.
November 23, 2025 at 12:25 AM
somebody on here suggested awhile back that a pretty compelling 2028 Democrat campaign promise would be "on day one I will deploy a WPA-scale army of forensic accountants across every square inch of the federal government" and I think about that every day
Reposted by polerin
They're available now, BTW.
Cyberpunk X-Cards by Brian Transplant
Printable safety tools for tabletop games involving high tech and low life.
briantransplant.itch.io
November 22, 2025 at 9:14 PM
They're available now, BTW.
Reposted by polerin
You know what’s going to make trans kids hate themselves and their body more than they already may do?
Years of exhaustive probing and predatory physical and mental tests that will result in being told “sorry, you’re not allowed to live”
You can run a nation and destroy these kids for far less
Years of exhaustive probing and predatory physical and mental tests that will result in being told “sorry, you’re not allowed to live”
You can run a nation and destroy these kids for far less
The “Pathways” trial is, IMO on more than one level, a thoroughly unethical piece of “research” to be carrying out on children, especially children who are part of a marginalised minority.
November 22, 2025 at 2:25 PM
You know what’s going to make trans kids hate themselves and their body more than they already may do?
Years of exhaustive probing and predatory physical and mental tests that will result in being told “sorry, you’re not allowed to live”
You can run a nation and destroy these kids for far less
Years of exhaustive probing and predatory physical and mental tests that will result in being told “sorry, you’re not allowed to live”
You can run a nation and destroy these kids for far less
Reposted by polerin
This is being required of trans teens in the UK in order to start puberty blockers. There is a limited time period in which PBs are even useful.
Are there ANY medical treatments that require this many pre-requisites? This is designed to exhaust patients so that they age out of the system.
Are there ANY medical treatments that require this many pre-requisites? This is designed to exhaust patients so that they age out of the system.
The “Pathways” trial is, IMO on more than one level, a thoroughly unethical piece of “research” to be carrying out on children, especially children who are part of a marginalised minority.
November 22, 2025 at 2:05 PM
This is being required of trans teens in the UK in order to start puberty blockers. There is a limited time period in which PBs are even useful.
Are there ANY medical treatments that require this many pre-requisites? This is designed to exhaust patients so that they age out of the system.
Are there ANY medical treatments that require this many pre-requisites? This is designed to exhaust patients so that they age out of the system.
Reposted by polerin
I just designed ten cyberpunk-themed X-cards.
Well, by "designed," I mean I superimposed various hazard symbols over royalty-free neon cityscape photos.
I've never been X-carded as a GM, but I remain open to the possibility. I want to have a fun, welcoming table for all.
Well, by "designed," I mean I superimposed various hazard symbols over royalty-free neon cityscape photos.
I've never been X-carded as a GM, but I remain open to the possibility. I want to have a fun, welcoming table for all.
November 22, 2025 at 5:31 AM
I just designed ten cyberpunk-themed X-cards.
Well, by "designed," I mean I superimposed various hazard symbols over royalty-free neon cityscape photos.
I've never been X-carded as a GM, but I remain open to the possibility. I want to have a fun, welcoming table for all.
Well, by "designed," I mean I superimposed various hazard symbols over royalty-free neon cityscape photos.
I've never been X-carded as a GM, but I remain open to the possibility. I want to have a fun, welcoming table for all.