P
@polysemy.ca
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P
@polysemy.ca
· Feb 16
2025: Here's an ongoing thread of the books I've read this year.
Reposted by P
Gender-affirming care saves lives
1. A landmark study was just published in The Journal of Pediatrics.
It found a 68% reduction in suicidality for trans youth getting HRT.
It also found only 7 of more than 400 stopped taking HRT... and of those that did, 4 still identified as gender-diverse.
Transgender care saves lives.
It found a 68% reduction in suicidality for trans youth getting HRT.
It also found only 7 of more than 400 stopped taking HRT... and of those that did, 4 still identified as gender-diverse.
Transgender care saves lives.
Study In The Journal Of Pediatrics Finds Trans Youth Care Lowers Suicidality, Few Detransition
The groundbreaking study found that suicidality dropped for transgender youth receiving hormone therapy by nearly 70%, with only 7 patients of 432 discontinuing treatment.
www.erininthemorning.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Gender-affirming care saves lives
Reposted by P
I feel like the last couple decades of "is representation good or not?" discourse missed more important questions of "how fragile is representation?", "what do we do when multiple industries eliminate it as an intentional move against us?" and "how can we sustain queer artists when shit goes south?"
"According to the report, [...]during the 2024-25 television season, queer characters increased across platforms by 4%, bringing the total to 489. However, the Thursday report found that 41% of those characters will not return." www.thewrap.com/glaad-where-...
Nearly Half of All LGBTQ+ Characters Will Disappear From TV Next Season, GLAAD Study Finds
The 2024-25 TV season recorded 489 queer characters across broadcast, cable and screenings, but cancellations and plot find a deep decline to come
www.thewrap.com
November 21, 2025 at 7:13 AM
I feel like the last couple decades of "is representation good or not?" discourse missed more important questions of "how fragile is representation?", "what do we do when multiple industries eliminate it as an intentional move against us?" and "how can we sustain queer artists when shit goes south?"
Reposted by P
Fixed it for you. Idiots! If the exclusion is based on appearance then it will certainly impact cis folks as well as trans folks.
November 20, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Fixed it for you. Idiots! If the exclusion is based on appearance then it will certainly impact cis folks as well as trans folks.
Reposted by P
Omar El Akkad’s One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This wins the National Book Award for Nonfiction! Read more here:
buff.ly/r2NOkNr
buff.ly/r2NOkNr
Omar El Akkad on Genocide, Complicit Liberals, and the Terrible Wrath of the West
On October 25, 2023—when Israel’s war on Gaza had already claimed the lives of 6,500 Palestinians, including 2,500 children—the Egyptian-Canadian novelist and journalist Omar El Akkad posted …
lithub.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Omar El Akkad’s One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This wins the National Book Award for Nonfiction! Read more here:
buff.ly/r2NOkNr
buff.ly/r2NOkNr
Two months into the worst IIH flare-up since 2011, and I'm very tired of it. I get out of breath cutting vegetables. I can't concentrate on books at all. I usually read 10+ a month, and I don't think I've finished a single one.
November 20, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Two months into the worst IIH flare-up since 2011, and I'm very tired of it. I get out of breath cutting vegetables. I can't concentrate on books at all. I usually read 10+ a month, and I don't think I've finished a single one.
I'm starting to teach a new French 101 class this evening. Very excited about it. Looking forward to meeting the students!
November 13, 2025 at 10:41 PM
I'm starting to teach a new French 101 class this evening. Very excited about it. Looking forward to meeting the students!
Reposted by P
on this insight, Graeber was absolutely correct. in the vacuum created by the neoliberals’ ban on dreams, neofascist visions & creativity have flourished
Hopelessness is an important element of Neo-Liberalism
September 5, 2025 at 3:47 PM
on this insight, Graeber was absolutely correct. in the vacuum created by the neoliberals’ ban on dreams, neofascist visions & creativity have flourished
Reposted by P
If the AI bubble really is bursting, please take this lesson from it:
Nothing marketed to you this relentlessly is ever worth it. If it was, they wouldn’t need to beg you.
Nothing marketed to you this relentlessly is ever worth it. If it was, they wouldn’t need to beg you.
August 20, 2025 at 5:17 PM
If the AI bubble really is bursting, please take this lesson from it:
Nothing marketed to you this relentlessly is ever worth it. If it was, they wouldn’t need to beg you.
Nothing marketed to you this relentlessly is ever worth it. If it was, they wouldn’t need to beg you.
Reposted by P
Thousands of Israelis stayed home from work, flooded city streets and blocked roads and highways across the country on Sunday, staging some of the largest anti-war protests in months as the military prepares for a major assault on Gaza City. wapo.st/4mvMVfK
August 17, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Thousands of Israelis stayed home from work, flooded city streets and blocked roads and highways across the country on Sunday, staging some of the largest anti-war protests in months as the military prepares for a major assault on Gaza City. wapo.st/4mvMVfK
Reposted by P
I also think it’s worth noting that the leftist leaders who most terrify the establishment (and not by any means exclusively in the GOP) are coalition builders. the FBI killed Fred Hampton because, among other things, he was bringing Black, Hispanic and white groups together to organize on housing
August 16, 2025 at 4:44 AM
I also think it’s worth noting that the leftist leaders who most terrify the establishment (and not by any means exclusively in the GOP) are coalition builders. the FBI killed Fred Hampton because, among other things, he was bringing Black, Hispanic and white groups together to organize on housing
Reposted by P
i’ll never get over how blatantly and proveably lying is one of the best political strategies of the modern age
August 16, 2025 at 4:50 PM
i’ll never get over how blatantly and proveably lying is one of the best political strategies of the modern age
Reposted by P
Don't want innocent people to be whisked away without a chance to defend themselves? Then every single person (including the Worst Person You Know) deserves that chance.
August 16, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Don't want innocent people to be whisked away without a chance to defend themselves? Then every single person (including the Worst Person You Know) deserves that chance.
Currently putting together a course which includes a section on propaganda, so this is timely!
I have a good example of language in uk news that sanitises and legitimises racism its things like “backlash against antiracism“
Language on immigration in UK news and politics found to have ‘shaped backlash against antiracism’
August 2, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Currently putting together a course which includes a section on propaganda, so this is timely!
Reposted by P
I have a good example of language in uk news that sanitises and legitimises racism its things like “backlash against antiracism“
Language on immigration in UK news and politics found to have ‘shaped backlash against antiracism’
Language on immigration in UK news and politics found to have ‘shaped backlash against antiracism’
Pattern of ‘hostile language’ in media and debates likely to describe people of colour with less sympathy, report says
A pattern of “hostile language” in news reports and UK parliamentary debates is more likely to describe people of colour as immigrants, or with less sympathy, researchers have found.
The race equality thinktank the Runnymede Trust analysed more than 63m words from 52,990 news articles and 317 House of Commons debates on immigration between 2019 and the general election in July 2024. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
August 2, 2025 at 7:57 AM
I have a good example of language in uk news that sanitises and legitimises racism its things like “backlash against antiracism“
Reposted by P
The 12th annual international Gender Census 2025 is now open until at least 30th August 2025!
survey.gendercensus.com
It's for anyone whose gender (or lack thereof) isn't described by the M/F binary. It's short and easy, and results are useful in academia, business and self-advocacy.
survey.gendercensus.com
It's for anyone whose gender (or lack thereof) isn't described by the M/F binary. It's short and easy, and results are useful in academia, business and self-advocacy.
July 30, 2025 at 4:02 PM
The 12th annual international Gender Census 2025 is now open until at least 30th August 2025!
survey.gendercensus.com
It's for anyone whose gender (or lack thereof) isn't described by the M/F binary. It's short and easy, and results are useful in academia, business and self-advocacy.
survey.gendercensus.com
It's for anyone whose gender (or lack thereof) isn't described by the M/F binary. It's short and easy, and results are useful in academia, business and self-advocacy.
Reposted by P
If you were alive in the 1980s, this is among the most wonderful & truly incredible things you have ever witnessed in your lifetime.
July 28, 2025 at 2:15 AM
If you were alive in the 1980s, this is among the most wonderful & truly incredible things you have ever witnessed in your lifetime.
Reposted by P
If you're a UK citizen, you can sign this petition to attempt to have the act repealed. This is much more effective than whining about Bluesky and "moving to Discord or Twitter" (both of which will be forced to comply or will block/be blocked by the UK) petition.parliament.uk/petitions/72...
Petition: Repeal the Online Safety Act
We want the Government to repeal the Online Safety act.
petition.parliament.uk
July 24, 2025 at 7:12 AM
If you're a UK citizen, you can sign this petition to attempt to have the act repealed. This is much more effective than whining about Bluesky and "moving to Discord or Twitter" (both of which will be forced to comply or will block/be blocked by the UK) petition.parliament.uk/petitions/72...
Reposted by P
The UK is no stranger to excessive amounts of regulation being passed to try to curb problems rather than actually trying to solve the problem at the root, because solving the problem would involve showing extra kindness to the vulnerable and underprivileged. See also: psychoactive substance ban
July 24, 2025 at 6:59 AM
The UK is no stranger to excessive amounts of regulation being passed to try to curb problems rather than actually trying to solve the problem at the root, because solving the problem would involve showing extra kindness to the vulnerable and underprivileged. See also: psychoactive substance ban
Reposted by P
Changing your phone display to black and white might seem minor. But the tech oligarchs are drawing us into our devices, trying to make us think the world in our palms that’s more vibrant than the world outside. All the while they’re taking over the outside world.
www.jphilll.com/p/set-your-p...
www.jphilll.com/p/set-your-p...
Set your phone to black and white
This title is literal.
www.jphilll.com
July 23, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Changing your phone display to black and white might seem minor. But the tech oligarchs are drawing us into our devices, trying to make us think the world in our palms that’s more vibrant than the world outside. All the while they’re taking over the outside world.
www.jphilll.com/p/set-your-p...
www.jphilll.com/p/set-your-p...
Reposted by P
A horrifying statement published today by the Editorial Committee of the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency.
"Without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die"
Translation from French to English by @cnorristrent.bsky.social:
"Without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die"
Translation from French to English by @cnorristrent.bsky.social:
July 21, 2025 at 11:21 PM
A horrifying statement published today by the Editorial Committee of the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency.
"Without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die"
Translation from French to English by @cnorristrent.bsky.social:
"Without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die"
Translation from French to English by @cnorristrent.bsky.social:
Reposted by P
Wow—the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention (named after Raphael Lemkin, a Holocaust survivor who coined the term genocide) says plainly:
"No more discussions, meetings, reports, sessions, summits…IF YOU HAVE THE POWER, YOU MUST USE IT."
"HISTORY WILL DETERMINE THE RECTITUDE OF YOUR ACTIONS."
"No more discussions, meetings, reports, sessions, summits…IF YOU HAVE THE POWER, YOU MUST USE IT."
"HISTORY WILL DETERMINE THE RECTITUDE OF YOUR ACTIONS."
July 21, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Wow—the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention (named after Raphael Lemkin, a Holocaust survivor who coined the term genocide) says plainly:
"No more discussions, meetings, reports, sessions, summits…IF YOU HAVE THE POWER, YOU MUST USE IT."
"HISTORY WILL DETERMINE THE RECTITUDE OF YOUR ACTIONS."
"No more discussions, meetings, reports, sessions, summits…IF YOU HAVE THE POWER, YOU MUST USE IT."
"HISTORY WILL DETERMINE THE RECTITUDE OF YOUR ACTIONS."
Reposted by P
A nice reminder of the immense power contained in saying “no.” When people refuse to comply, it raises the costs ($$$, political, social, etc) of enforcing authoritarianism. They very well might try anyway, but every person that says “no” is another point of friction.
www.npr.org/2025/06/28/n...
www.npr.org/2025/06/28/n...
Around 100,000 march in Budapest Pride event in defiance of Hungary's ban
Marchers gambled with potential police intervention and fines to participate in the annual Budapest Pride, which was outlawed by a law passed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's right-wing governing part...
www.npr.org
June 28, 2025 at 10:30 PM
A nice reminder of the immense power contained in saying “no.” When people refuse to comply, it raises the costs ($$$, political, social, etc) of enforcing authoritarianism. They very well might try anyway, but every person that says “no” is another point of friction.
www.npr.org/2025/06/28/n...
www.npr.org/2025/06/28/n...
Reposted by P
He and his husband were terrorized by homophobes who murdered him, in case you didn't know, which you very understandably might not given the headlines.
The exonerative voice was initially reserved for cops, but now it's applied to the IDF and even random hate criminals
June 4, 2025 at 11:07 AM
He and his husband were terrorized by homophobes who murdered him, in case you didn't know, which you very understandably might not given the headlines.
Reposted by P
also sometimes what feels like “spam” tactics to you is just desperation, not a grift. people are trying to get our attention with whatever tools work. yeah I get way more requests every day than I can keep up with, but that’s comparatively such a champagne problem as a person in a safe cozy house
Gazans are constantly being run off Bluesky, under the guise of “spam”, for having the courage to ask for help in a time of urgent need. This platform was meant to be the safer, community-focused alternative. This is an important space for mutual aid. Please consider signing.
We were hoping that this letter to @bsky.app could first be shared by a Gazan, but we were too worried that doing so would get their account deleted so we are sharing first.
You can sign on to the letter about the unfair treatment of Gazans on Bluesky here:
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
You can sign on to the letter about the unfair treatment of Gazans on Bluesky here:
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
May 24, 2025 at 8:05 PM
also sometimes what feels like “spam” tactics to you is just desperation, not a grift. people are trying to get our attention with whatever tools work. yeah I get way more requests every day than I can keep up with, but that’s comparatively such a champagne problem as a person in a safe cozy house