RE: https://blackqueer.life/@Damselfly/117127966681977281

Once again, Black Fedi users being treated to abuse and denialism by so-called educated people.

If you're white and think you've never "seen" racism, that means that you are perpetuating it. All you have to do is crack a book, read an article by someone not melanin-challenged, or listen to even one Black person in America.

This is not advanced calc, this is not Rust programming, this goddam Kindergarten basic shit, so get with the program, or stop calling yourself intelligent.

So yeah, it's happening to me: Partner of 20 years decided we should split. 20 years ago I was relatively abled, working and earning. Now, I'm Disabled, often ill and not able to hold down a job. The car that was mine died after I stopped being able to drive it, so partner replaced it with their own. My uncle helped buy the house we live in, but partner's the only one on the title. I have few options. Please no advice cause even I don't know the whole deal yet. Hugs welcome though! <3

I feel as though I'm going mad, but this is the world we live in so: Can someone please tell me that #Roots by #AlexHaley is still in print? I'm not finding new copies of it for sale, for some reason. I can get older editions used, I know. Any leads/obvious things I'm overlooking? (I'm not overlooking the racism that could leave such important work unmaintained, but I'm desperately hoping against hope).

It is exhausting to log in and see yet another otherwise-cool person complaining about #AltText . Y'all realize what you sound like, right?

"These damn Blind people, always wanting to know things just because everyone else gets to know them!"

"The worst thing about going to the theater is the wheelchair ramps!"

"I want doors with barriers you need to Leap over! Fuck short people!"

Anyway yes, the biggest problem with Mastodon is that people want to be able to use it.

*eyeroll*

Being LGBTAI+ is fun, partly because no-one uses language the same way so we wind up with a lot of Alphabet-Soup-of-Babel.

I say I'm Bisexual. Bi refers to 2 or more, so it fits. Also, when I Tried to call myself Bi in the mid-90s, I was Roundly shouted down by Everyone; now I'm old and belligerent.

Gender actually doesn't factor in my attractions at all, so even if there's no 'letter for me' usually, it's a Label, not my identity itself.

tbc: to each their own! labels can still be useful.

T Von Singletary is one of the most generous, knowledgeable and persistent organizers I've ever met. They have devoted years of work and dedication to urban farming, environmental preservation and rehabilitation, and justice for Black and Brown communities.

They've taught me more of their lived experience than I had any right to, and they're still my friend, demonstrating their eternal patience.

None of this pays well.

Please help, if you can:
https://gofund.me/e7a3fbb1b
or
CashApp: $Misha2919

I am possessed of an estranged family, except for a brother who sends me videos of animals who come to his backyard feeders. "Just in case" he's a govt employee, we'll call him Craig.

I'd sent him a brief email, and he replied. The first half was ... weirdly emotionally in-tune. He said he missed me. I was nonplussed.

... Jerk thought it would be funny to send me the AIgen reply first. I told him I was confused about the 'newfound empathy' and now I'm calling him Craigbot forever. lol/ugh ffs

Are you looking to up your donations to #Black individuals for any reason?

Von Singletary is an activist and organizer. They have devoted years of study and work to urban farming, environmental preservation and rehabilitation, and justice for Black and Brown communities.

None of this pays well.

They also have medical needs that aren't being fully met. Any contributions to them will benefit multiple individuals.
Please help them. They really need it.

CashApp: $Misha2919

#UrbanFarming

So my partner of 20 years, a genuinely brilliant autodidact and also fairly odd, once found a CD in a used bin called, "The Amazing Sounds of Threatened Birds". Intrigued and slightly disturbed, he bought it for a dollar and brought it home to play.

There, it Finally occurred to him that the birds were, in fact, Endangered, and Not being menaced with tiny knives, or aggressive audits or something.

That made more sense, really.

It's now 'cool' to post photos and videos of death but I remember when it wasn't and that was awesome because survivors didn't get retraumatized and also algorithms didn't have the chance to spotlight violence against Black and Brown people in a bid to desensitize viewers to it. I wish people just didn't want to see it.

I'm working on a timeline-switching portal but I'm stuck on the quantum differential equations and I cant' find the right proportion of sassafrass to holy water. :(

I am seeing lots of posts from Black Fedi users about the racism situation here. (Not only recently, but maybe an uptick). I very much hope that white users are listening and learning, because this is the Biggest issue I can see holding us back from being a truly inclusive environment. As long as we have white people of various levels of marginalization deciding that a little oppression means we don't have to think about our own bigotry anymore, we are going to be silencing Black voices.

TW: mention of genitals, surgery
***
When I was four years old, I told my mother I was sure I was Both a boy and a girl, not one or the other. She told me, "God made you a girl", and now I can't unhear her saying that, knowing she knew what she knew. I wonder what my life would have been like without surgery, what I might have felt or experienced, whether sex would ever have been easier to navigate for me. I wish I had the chance to know for sure.

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TW: mention of genitals, surgery
***
...they were referring to the clitorectomy I was given in the first week of my life. I still don't know my exact status. I know there are genetically XX children who are born with and later develop less 'typical' anatomy. Combined with my known traits, I know that I could have chimerism, or something else. I'm afraid to get genetic testing, especially in our current environment, for privacy reasons.

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TW:Mention of genitals, surgery
***
Today is Intersex Awareness Day. I only became aware that I was Intersex in my 40s. For decades, I wondered why I didn't look quite like any 'other women' genitally, and why I had no sensation where there was supposed to be a 'bundle of nerves'. Turns out, a bunch of vague references from my parents to "the surgery" were Not referring to my bilateral hip dysplasia, (which it turns out is not treated surgically)...

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So hypothetical: Does anyone know Ireland's policy on asylum from the US for trans masculine, disabled people? Strong Caveat: This person cannot work consistently and Must receive benefits. My understanding is that for many countries, this is an absolute no-go without accompanying support persons in the refugee's party. This person would almost certainly be alone. I don't hold out a Ton of hope here, but figure it can't hurt to ask.

AnyFedi in or around #MedicalScience or #Materials with the knowhow to answer this?: I have drug-resistant HS with extensive scarring and multiple active wounds at any given time. I am looking Desperately for a substance that is:
1. Thin and flexible
2. Breathes like cloth
3. Clings like film
4. Bonus points: PG-free (but if you know of one that isn't, please still mention!)

I'm hearing whispers about knit materials and synthetic skin and wondering...

Please for the love of everything, when you are talking about people in the US, Kindly remember that if we are Disabled, Poor, ETC., we likely have NO ability to leave this country. Trust us. We know how bad it is. Read history, or heck, look at Anywhere Right Now to see that this is the case for a significant portion of any population. My hometown took in the Only Jewish refugees given sanctuary in the US in WWII. There were ~1,000. Many people do not get out, ever. Have some understanding.

Any other newish #ASL Students around? I've been trying to find people to practice with at my level. Suggestions/volunteers? Have Zoom room, can host, or attend someone else's.

I am, tbc, a Very newbie. If you can describe your emotions, I'm about a week out from understanding any of that. I am very very up for learning new signs as we go, if people are in different programs.

I'm new enough that I'll probably need some text communication, but keeping it sound-off in study sessions.

Addition for Transparency:
My info comes from work with the Oswego Historical Society and study with members of Seneca Nation. When I lived there, Native history was slightly more integrated into our local education/experiences, in part because the older generations were often mixed-heritage.

My own background is almost solidly Irish, dash o'Swiss. My family arrived during the Civil War and settled near Pittsburgh. I have no Native American ancestry that I'm aware of.

The Monongahela were murdered by European incursions and diseases, and after the dissolution of the Nation, Haudenosaunee and other Nations fled their own persecution to live here.

I am drawn to the mixing places. I hesitate to even Allude to identification with Native faith, and if I am out of line, I hope someone will tell me, but this feels more like something fundamental to the land itself. For better or for worse, this is where I live. I would rather feel its energy, than not.

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