Category: things i read this week

Is it time for another link round up? It’s time for another link round up.

Don’t feed the trolls! Time to boycott the media feminists (Stephanie Farnsworth)- A call to boycott people who thrive off of controversy.

Nicki Minaj reading Maya Angelou– Shiver-inducing magic.

You are exactly like all the others, whatever they say (Sam Ambreen)- Sam turns her fire on highly pervasive racism among people and the media.

Precariousness and Grievability—When Is Life Grievable? (Judith Butler)- An excerpt from a previous essay, well worth reading in light of recent events.

The Logic of Masculinist Protection: Reflections on the Current Security State (Iris Marion Young)- Again, this is an old essay, written in 2003, and it really, really shouldn’t still be so completely relevant.

After the Paris Attacks: 4 Questions We Need to Ask (James Butler)- These are all incredibly important questions.

Test (Robot Hugs)- Proposing a new metric for female character development: the fleshlight with a postit test.

Silenced! …. Permanently. (Natacha Kennedy)- Highlighting what silencing means for paid cis people like Greer versus trans woman like Vicky Thompson, and how the former category have blood on their hands.

And finally, my friend is in a lot of trouble. They’re young, black and queer and living with psychosis. They need a bit of money to make it through the next few months. I can vouch that they’re awesome and may be overstating the problem. Please consider donating or sharing.

 

It’s that weekly round up time again!

The Gay Men Who Hate Women (Sean Faye)- Excellent analysis of the problem, with particular focus on how misogyny from gay men affects trans and queer women. Unsurprisingly, Sean got a lot of shit for this article. And so did women sharing the article. From gay men. Who are totes not misogynistic.

How to Write a “Political Correctness Run Amok” Article (Julia Serano)- Brilliant, witty piece on the whinings coming recently from the Greers and Bindels of the world.

Fascism (Tressie McMillan Cottom)- Examining the relationship between the media and activists, with focus on how Mizzou students were branded fascists for their suspicions.

The Fifteen Questions we work with (Undercover Research Group)- These are questions worth asking to check if there is an undercover cop in your midst.

People Don’t Hate Safe Spaces, They Hate The People They Protect (Miles Johnson)- This is an excellent article on the function of safer spaces and the reaction to them.

“We must unite globally against police brutality” Marcia Rigg on building an international coalition (Marcia Rigg)- The sister of a man killed by police states the need for global action.

Why our conversations about Paris have been broken from the start (Zoe Samudzi)- By far the best thing I’ve seen on the Paris attacks.

Volunteering At An Abortion Clinic Made Me Lose Patience With The Abortion Debate (Kaye Toal)- Why access to abortion is not a debate.

Autogynophilia pathologizes normal female behavior (Tobi Hill-Meyer)- Short critique of the transmisogynistic pseudoscience of autogynophilia.

Stalling Civil Rights: Conservative Sexual Thought has been in the Toilet Since the 1940s (Gillian Frank)- A short history of debates about who should (and should not) be allowed to access public toilets.

No such thing as straight women? The real danger behind this study. (Consider the Tea Cosy)- You probably saw the study, now here’s the takedown.

Relying on volunteering is more unfair than you think (Sasha)- Great piece on how relying on volunteering to assign tasks usually ends up with women doing the heavy lifting.

And finally, if you’re enjoying these posts and want to support me, please consider becoming a patron. It means a hell of a lot to me.

It’s link round-up time again. Dig in!

MY NAME IS LEGION – The British Legion and the Control of Remembrance (Rod Tweedy)- It’s Remembrance Sunday so read this if you haven’t already.

Choosing Queer: I Was Not Born This Way, And That’s Ok. (Hari Ziyad)- Beautiful article on the choices the author made to be queer.

“Radical Self-Reliance” Is Killing People. (Kitty Stryker)- Deeply personal discussion as to how this trend is harmful.

Street Harassment in Nottingham: The Problems with Policing (Nottingham SOLFED)- A feminist critique of using police to deal with street harassment.

Why I Don’t F**k with Feminism, Even If It’s Intersectional (Jaime A. Swift)- How feminism has failed Black woman and how important Black women’s own organising and spaces are.

Fact check: study shows transition makes trans people suicidal (Cristan Williams)- Fact checking a favourite study that transphobic bigots love to trot out: the author thinks their interpretation of her findings is bollocks.

I Love Dick is one of the most important books about being a woman – no wonder it’s being dismissed (Dawn Foster)- This is a great article about one of my favourite books. You should read this, then read I Love Dick.

And finally, here’s a live stream of kittens, because you deserve it.

Hi everyone. I read things. Perhaps you may find them interesting?

Do You Know About Action T4? The Erasure Of Disabled People From The Holocaust Narrative, And Why It Matters Today (Granite and Sunlight)- This is a very important bit of history, and we must remember it.

How likely is an all-male speakers list, statistically speaking? A mathematician weighs in. (Lauren Bacon/Greg Martin)- This is a beautiful little bit of maths, and confirms what a lot of us suspected.

I am not here to inspire you. (stars & spirals)- Following a post that went viral, Becca examines being seen as an inspirational disabled person.

From #BlackLivesMatter to Anti-Austerity: Women of Colour and the Politics of Solidarity (Akwugo Emejulu)- What women of colour are doing, and how they are shut down in white-dominated spaces.

Black Girl Down… and Up (Prison Culture)- Concise piece on the violence Black girls face.

The Feynman Lectures on Physics, The Most Popular Physics Book Ever Written, Now Completely Online (Open Culture)- Free seminal physics, everyone!!!!!!

Why I call my son ‘he’, against my better judgement (Dorian Stripe)- On the difficulties of raising a child outside of societal obsession with assigned sex.

I don’t need fire safety talks (Barty Bantbrose)- A humorous take on the whole George Lawlor thing.

 If Germaine Greer’s views were radical, this transgender woman wouldn’t have been sent to a men’s prison (Ella Griffiths)- Shit that shouldn’t need saying, said well.

And finally, even though it isn’t Halloween any more, have a bat cat.

It’s link round-up time again!

Feminist Consciousness (Sara Ahmed)- Amazing essay, exploring how we as feminists reassemble how we see the world.

‘When I Needed A Neighbour Were You There?’: Addressing Racism In Britain, The Elephant In The Room (Siana Bangura)- How white people completely failed to intervene to stop a hate crime.

Why I glued myself to a ticket barrier and shut down the Eurostar (Tatiana Garavito)- A report from and the story behind some important direct action.

pinkwashed: are young gays selling out to capitalism? (Sean Faye)- Excellent essay from Sean, exploring how far we have to go.

To be real: On trans aesthetics and authenticity (Sean Faye)- Sean’s been on fire this week, cracking out these must-reads.

Why I won’t date another ‘male feminist’ (Kate Iselin)- One of those pieces where I just nodded along and was like yes to this all the way through.

The Thai Women Behind the First Bar Run Entirely by a Sex Workers’ Collective (Charlotte England)- Great read on sex workers organising together and building something for themselves.

I Photograph Black Shelter Cats Because They’re The Last To Get Adopted And Are Often Euthanized (Casey)- The title covers the important stuff, but also look, it’s really cute black cats.

Racism is… (Shane Thomas)- Explaining everyday racism.

Mapping the intangible (Stars and Spirals)- Deeply personal, beautiful writing exploring mood.

Fan artist retells the whole story of ‘Mad Max’ in Egyptian hieroglyphs (Aja Romano)- Introducing Takumi Kanehara’s incredible interpretation of the story.

Ban dangerous legal high Cake.– I don’t usually share petitions but this one is important.

Meet the Rapper Keeping #BlackLivesMatter Alive By Releasing Music From Prison (Tom Barnes)- Richie Reseda is releasing music from prison with a crucial message.

The Hoverboard Scene In Back To The Future 2 Nearly Killed A Stuntwoman (Charlie Jane Anders)- This is a story of men not listening to a woman.

And finally, the Australian cast of The Lion King sing on a plane and it’s fucking lovely.

Presenting, the weekly round-up!

I’m A Man And I Had An Abortion (Anonymous)- Stories like this show how trans liberation and reproductive justice must go hand in hand.

Purple Prose: Bisexuality in Britain– This looks bloody excellent, an accessible, 101 reader for and about bisexuality. I’ve bunged in a bit of money, because I really want a copy. You should too.

Metropolitan Police not racist (says Metropolitan Police) (London Campaign Against Police and State Violence)- Important response to data showing the pigs don’t give a shite about racism.

Quantifying stigma: pitting the mental against the physical (Stars and Spirals)- Great piece on mental and physical health stigma and how they intermingle.

“Arabian Street Artists” Bomb Homeland: Why We Hacked an Award-Winning Series (Heba Y. Amin)- This is some brilliant work.

Technigal (Robot Hugs)- Cute comic telling the story of how a trans woman’s experience of mansplaining increased exponentially as she transitioned.

This heartbreaking post explains why Facebook Memories needs to change (Rachel Jennings/Holly Brockwell)- FB memories is causing a lot of unnecessary grief to a lot of people. Why it’s fucked up, with a workaround to opt out.

Beyond the Binary: What the Media Gets Wrong About the “Trans Tipping Point” (Alok Vaid-Menon)- Who is being left behind?

on being disabled and bisexual (petitetimidgay)- Short video drawing attention to how disablism exists in queer spaces, too.

Chivalry Isn’t Dead, You Just Don’t Know What the Fuck it is. (Better Myths)- Next time some fedora wanker calls you milady, shove this up his arse.

How I Earned My Porn Star Name (Lorelei Lee)- On how all names and bodies are constructs.

The Things My Sister Doesn’t Know Yet (Tilly Jean)- Heartbreaking post from a big sister on what she knows her 18 year old sister will experience soon.

An Open Letter to George Lawlor (Elle May)- A young student takes Lawlor to task.

7 Things White People Definitely Didn’t Discover But Get Credit for Anyway (Zak Cheney-Rice)- Columbus Day was earlier this week, and this is a very fitting way to mark it.

Uncovering The Secret History Of Myers-Briggs (Merve Emre)- Longread delving into the ubiquitous “personality test”, in all its invalid, racist, sexist history.

And finally, look, it’s a gorilla getting some kittens for her birthday, and everyone looks so damn happy.

I read things, and I share them. Here are some things I read this week that I found interesting.

From safe spaces to court summons, how did it get here? (Chimene Suleyman)- One of the best analyses of the campaign against Bahar Mustafa I’ve read.

Bahar Mustafa’s charge shows why feminism shouldn’t respect the law (Robyn Sands)- A great piece on feminism, respectability and the law.

Why geek movie franchises have a director problem (Gavia Baker-Whitelaw)- Examining an enormous issue plaguing geek movies.

Why I protested with Sisters Uncut at the Suffragette premiere (Sarah Kwei)- An activist explains why the protest happened.

The loneliness of a Black non-binary soul (Jacq Applebee)- On how whiteness is centred in the nb scene.

Why It’s So Difficult to Diagnose Autism in Girls (Somer Bishop)- Looking at fuckups from medical science.

And finally, oh look, it’s another kittycam!

I am going to try to make these weekly again, because the more time passes the more unwieldy these round-ups become. Anyway, here’s some things I read recently that I found interesting. You might find them interesting too.

From Cecil the Lion to a Pig’s Head: Why rich white men do what they do (Chimene Suleyman)- Very good article on that time the Prime Minister fucked a pig and how unsurprising it is in a world where rich white men get a free pass.

Crowdfunder: Translate “Porn, Whores and Feminists” to English (Petra Östergren)- Porn, Whores and Feminists is an in-depth independent analysis of Sweden’s policy on sex work (read more here). Please contribute to translating this vital text so that English-speakers can understand the truth about the Nordic Model.

The Limits of Trans Liberalism (Nat Raha)- A 101 on radical transfeminism, covering topics discussed in Juliet Jacques’s memoir Trans. (I read Trans and I loved it)

How corporates co-opted the art of mindfulness to make us bear the unbearable (Zoe Krupka)- This is such a good idea and resonates a lot with my own experience of mindfulness therapy through an occupational health department.

Intersectionality is not a label. (Latoya Peterson)- Has intersectionality lost its punch? This critique of how it is used today is well worth the read.

A Pregnancy Souvenir: Cells That Are Not Your Own (Carl Zimmer)- If you carry a XY foetus, you end up with XY cells all over your body. An interesting one for the Biological Sex Is A Social Construct folder.

To some cunt on twitter (Ideology)- Gloriously bitter poem about anti-gentrification protests.

What is a Family? (Dorian/Beyond The Binary)- Dorian introduces their queer family, and it’s very very heartwarming.

This Obscure Tumblr Sexuality Saved My Life (Bitty Navarro)- A woman’s quest to find a name for her demisexual identity.

The Reason This “Racist Soap Dispenser” Doesn’t Work on Black Skin (Max Plenke)- On technological racism and the things white engineers just don’t think about.

An Olive Leaf (Robert Kazandjian)- A poem filled with generational trauma from genocide.

The Recompiler– A new technology magazine focusing on the work of marginalised groups.

These 4 Behaviors That Fictional Media Tells Us Are Romantic Are Actually Really Harmful (Ashley Truong)- Busting some myths of things we’re told are romantic.

Study: White people react to evidence of white privilege by claiming greater personal hardships (David Edwards)- Sounds like an Onion headline, but actually legit. Scientific citation for what most of us already know.

“I respect trans people, but I would never date one.” (JensGender)- Exploring a really common trope among cis people who claim to be allies but still immediately rule the group they claim to support out of the dating pool.

And finally, have a cute comic about how a cat got a fabric fetish.

Hi everyone. First of all, let me say I intend to read a bunch of Jackie Collins novels in the near future. Some may scoff, but she was a truly influential novelist whose work will likely be dismissed by snobs. Anyway, here’s some things I read this fortnight that I enjoyed and found interesting.

Detained Voices– People held in immigration detention centres share their experiences, and update on protests they are holding.

Trending Homonationalism (Natalie Kouri-Towe)- This is a very good primer on the concept of homonationalism.

In Praise of the Radical and Unapologetic Nicki Minaj (Chaedria Labouvier)- This is the sort of thing you cheer as you read it.

Why I love wearing hijab (Ruqaiya Haris)- The hijab can be a gateway to freedom, and this awesome woman explains why.

One lawyer’s crusade to defend extreme pornography (Edward Docx)- Excellent feature on lawyer Myles Jackman, who focuses on the absurdities of obscenity law.

Why girls don’t get diagnosed with autism (Sarah Thomasin)- A short examination of the double standards in autism diagnoses.

Bodies of Water (Jenna Braeger)- This is a painful read on people drowning in the Mediterranean. Perhaps we should drop the “get in the sea” meme on the light of that which seems so obvious now.

‘No Blacks’ Is Not a Sexual Preference. It’s Racism (Samantha Allen)- Why “just a preference” isn’t just a preference.

Signs and Sensibility (Chris Marshall)- A brief history of London’s road signage, this is nerdy but really fucking interesting.

Bias in the Work Capability Assessment: Analysis of Results of 1,000,000 WCAs (Wordthings of Jon)- Using statistical analysis beyond anything the government release, there’s a lot of bias against the poorest, most disabled people.

I Am an ObGyn Resident Who Entered My Field Specifically to Perform Safe Abortion Services — These Are My Reasons Why (Caroline Payne)- I’m glad doctors like this exist.

How can she leave if she has nowhere to go? Housing and domestic violence (Sisters Uncut)- How the government force women to remain with their abusers.

Give Your Money To Women: The End Game of Capitalism (Lauren Chief Elk-Young Bear)- An interview with some of the originators of this movement, and its significance.

I Said No When A Man Asked Me To Smile, So He Physically Made Me (Juliet Bennet Rylah)- Why a lot of us find the phrase “smile, love” chills us to the bone.

Snapping Back, Slowing Down: The feminist think piece industrial complex (Chanelle Adams)- An excellent critique of how feminism is done.

Men being deceived by makeup [comics] (Megan Nicole Dong)- These made me laugh a lot.

And finally, here’s what the Bible would look like if it used the word “problematic” instead of “wicked”.

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All right, you lot, it’s links roundup time again.

End demand for marriage (Feminist Ire)- On marriage, borders and the nonsensicality of anti trafficking laws.

What The Rentboy Raid Tells Us About The Gendered Rhetoric Of Trafficking (Morgan M. Page)- Analysis of how language is used.

How the Feds Took Down Rentboy.com (Melissa Gira Grant)- A thorough explanation of the context and the laws used to raid a website for sex workers.

Rentboy wasn’t my ‘brothel’. It was a tool to stay alive in this economy of violence (Anonymous)- A sex worker explains why he needed sites like rentboy.

My transgender sterilization, or why my consent meant nothing. (Queer Anarchism)- When is consent not consent? Heartbreaking piece of an experience far too many people have had throughout Europe.

The Market Goddesses (Katherine Cross)- Great piece on the ideal woman, as created and marketed by capitalism.

Stuck with a terrible landlord? As if tenants have any other choice (Dawn Foster)- Dawn writes a lot of very good stuff about Britain’s housing crisis and this is the latest such piece.

Violent Matter (piercepenniless)- piercepenniless got kicked off twitter for quoting a couple of lines of poetry. Here, he reflects on the poetry and violent rhetoric.

‘Hannibal’ is subverting everything we know about male relationships (Aja Romano)- Interesting analysis of the recently-deceased TV show. Farewell, beautiful murder husbands.

And finally, have a baby meeting a cat for the first time because it is so cute it made my heart burst.