November life notes.
Books, music, quotes... the stuff that's getting me through post election.
“Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me.”
-Rage Against The Machine
I’ve been…
Giving money to the Kentucky Health Justice Network. KHJN help Trans Kentuckians access the healthcare that they need, as well as help people seeking abortions with financial assistance, transportation, interpretation, and more.
Waking at 3.30am to stress about things that I have no control over.
Feeling pumped for Sarah McBride (first Trans congresswoman) but fucked right off by Nancy Mace and Marjorie fucking Taylor Greene.
Enjoying the smell of fresh jasmine as I walk the streets of Melbourne.
Watching Nobody Wants This. It’s ok. I hate to sound like a Debbie Downer (do I really hate it, though?), but given the rates of domestic violence within heterosexual relationships, it’s hard for me to see romcoms as anything other than propaganda. And also, why does Kristen Bell’s character know nothing about Judaism? I mean, if you start dating a Rabbi, please just do a sneaky check on Wikipedia to at least find out what Shabbat is! … But I like the fashion, and the soundtrack. And I like having Seth Cohen around again.
Listening to the adrienne maree brown episode of the On Being podcast, in which brown offers the following:
“every single large system or structure or network or political protocol, all of it is made up of small things — of humans either having or not having necessary conversations, and humans being willing to stand up for what is right and stand up against what is wrong. It’s all these small activities that we need to get great at if we want to actually have anything that would be a real democracy.” - adrienne maree brown
Reading THIS New York Times Article about how to love better. Love seems like a decent thing to focus on right now and always.
Reading Fierce Desires: A New History of Sex and Sexuality in America by Rebecca L. Davis. The chapter about the Comstock Act, a dormant federal law from 1873, is both interesting and depressing. This 150 year old statute will most likely be brought back from the cobwebbed past to prohibit mail order mifepristone and misoprostol (abortion medication). Cool.
Reading What It Takes To Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the World by Prentis Hemphill. Here is an important quote:
“When we are courageous, we can do the unexpected and start to mold the world around a vision bigger than one produced by fear. Every inch of progress, every ounce of love, every truly meaningful action from here on out will happen through courage, not comfort.” - Prentis Hemphill
Reading On Tyranny: Twenty Lesson From the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder. In order to prepare for what is potentially about to come within the U.S., Snyder tells us to:
read books.
separate ourselves from the internet.
take responsibility for what we communicate with others (i.e think twice before hitting that share button).
know the difference between what you want to hear and what is actual truth. don’t abandon reason.
make eye contact and small talk. make new friends.
give money and time to good causes.
makes sure that your passport is valid.
be courageous.
Reading my bestie,
’s new Substack about motherhood and art. Tat is someone who is always hopeful, and loving. She inspires me by the way she moves through the world and engages in conversation from a place of wonder and curiosity.Worrying. So Much. All of the time. For marginalised people within the U.S.. And around the world. And for our kids. And future generations. Worrying. Worrying. Worrying. Grieving. Grieving. Grieving. Worrying…
Feeling as though it’s far too easy for me to slip into fear, and cynicism. I think that anger is super important, and I have a lot of that, but I want to work at combining that anger with love and hope. I don’t want to lose myself in nihilism. Black radical feminists and visionaries such as Harriet Tubman, Audre Lorde, bell hooks, adrienne maree brown (the list is endless) have been able to do this for forever. And that’s not to fetishise Black feminist wisdom, but to acknowledge that these are the words and stories that I keep coming back to, and these are the people capable of and committed to creating change. And so in the week of so-called Thanksgiving, this is where my gratitude lies.
Watching my baby sleep.
Also, as I shared last month, my dear friend is raising money to cover the legal costs for a family, from Afghanistan, who are seeking asylum in the U.S.. There is a GoFundMe. They have just a few thousand before they reach their goal. You can donate HERE.
Here are some Substack reads and writers that I recommend:
- writes about what the U.S. election means for Black women in To all the overqualified Black Women.
- gives us some sound advice in In defense of hope and remind us that “… resistance grows in community. We can find strength in community, and we must celebrate our communal impulses and nurture them so we can survive and build something better.”
- writes in The truth we don’t want to face that “We aren’t going to post our way through this. The only way to fight fascism is through community involvement and care.”
I definitely recommend everything offered by People with Inconvenient Truths about Transphobes [PITT]! Their highly researched responses to anti-trans and gender critical rhetoric are SO helpful. Super important if you’re wanting some facts and data to offer to family at Thanksgiving.
Guest writer, Burke Gerstenschlager, offers Kindness as Resistance on Roberto Che Espinoza’s Substack, Our Collective Becoming. There are so many powerful words in this piece, but I keep coming back to this:
“The sobering part of kindness, the kindness that Jesus taught, is that kindness is risky. Kindness is threatening and has consequences. Protecting and aiding the vulnerable, the undocumented, people of color, women (especially trans women and women of color), trans and non-binary people, the queer person, the child, the disabled, the poor, the sick, the hungry, and so many more. These are risky behaviors for risky people. Such kindness can have repercussions, bleak ones. Kindness can get you killed. Kindness is resistance.” - Burke Gerstenschlager
Thanks for being here with me. Now, here is a playlist:
I HOPE THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES
AND YOUR COMMUNITIES
LOTS OF LOVE XX
This email was composed where I am currently staying, which is the region now known as Central Victoria. I would, therefore, like to acknowledge the people of the Kulin Nation, Traditional Custodians of the land for which I am on. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.
Thank you for this and for the mention ❤️❤️