Things I read this fortnight that I found interesting

It’s link round-up time again!

Open Barbers need a new venue!– Open Barbers do queer friendly hairdressing/barbering. This service is really amazing and necessary, but they need money for a new, accessible venue. Please help them by donating or sharing.

How Stoya took on James Deen and broke the porn industry’s silence (Melissa Gira Grant)- Interviewing Stoya and other porn performers about sexual violence. This is a very important article.

Trans ™: how the trans movement got sold out (Ray Filar)- How capitalism is attempting to coopt trans.

We can save atheism from the New Atheists like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris (Jeff Sparrow)- A good analysis of why the public faces of atheism are such seeping bellends at present.

“But I thought he was a nice guy?!” (Girl on the Net)- Great article on how rapists can appear to be nice guys… and often think of themselves as such.

Carceral Feminism: Stoya and Jessica Jones (Kiva Bay)- Why a lot of survivors don’t go to the police, examined through the frame of Jessica Jones and Stoya’s recent disclosure.

Sady Doyle on Mary Shelley (Sady Doyle)- A few tweets on why you are rubbish if you diss Mary Shelley.

When Feminism Is a Brand (Kitty Stryker)- How men use feminism as a brand or identity, and how this can turn abusive.

The Face in the Machine (Phil Plait)- How pareidolia produces something fucking terrifying.

Feminists dye fountains red in anti-austerity protest (Sisters Uncut)- Read why activists undertook this striking action.

Video: Rub (Peaches)- Probably don’t watch this video if you’re at work, or with your nan, or anywhere where it’s not acceptable to see lots of hot naked people and hear the line “Can’t talk right now, this chick’s dick is in in my mouth” on repeat.

3 Ways Men Wanting to ‘Focus On Her Pleasure’ During Sex Can Still Be Sexist (Ginny Brown)- This puts into words a lot of things I’ve felt but had trouble articulating, in particular how it turns enjoying sex into another emotional labour.

We marched for peace – not to ‘bully’ Stella Creasy (Sue Wheat)- The media have been curiously reluctant to tell truths that conflict with their narratives, so read the truth here.

And finally, here’s a woman mashing her face into bread. I don’t know why, but it’s kind of hypnotic.