Bird boys having a ‘lame-off’.
is it bad that I thought for a second there that Bruce had grown the world’s most awkward facial hair
(via orbific)
MINDGOGGLING
I fight crime
aaaaaaaaaaugh
I got a farmer’s tan today
nooooooooo
(via orbific)
The Positive Spaces Project: the story of Nouri
Nouri
“It was very hard, because we thought I was the only one here, and then after a while, we recognized that we are not alone…It was a relief.”
Since meeting a community of transgendered people in Ottawa, Nouri feels happier than when she first arrived in Canada from South Asia with her family several years ago. Nouri is 21 years old and she spends her time taking English classes – two a day! – and going to arts programs for trans newcomers at a local community centre. She has found it helpful to have somewhere to share the worries that she is facing, and especially likes being able to get together with other trans people to talk about challenges like finding employment. Most important, though, are the friendships that Nouri has made at the school she attends with her older sister: “Now I am very happy. We have a lot of friends there, and we are going, talking to them. And when I am absent, they are missing us.”
While friends have provided a sense of community, Nouri also has a number of different service providers in her life who support her and her family – a settlement worker, a translator, her teacher from the job skills training program and the doctor at the community health centre. Granaz, her teacher, has been especially helpful. Not only has she been discreet and confidential about Nouri’s gender identity, making her feel comfortable in class, but she has also helped to have her name changed from her legal male name to her chosen name, Nouri, on documents used at the agency.
Nouri also hopes to eventually change her name legally. Having a male name on government documents while living as a woman has created confusion in some situations, as well as discrimination when looking for a job: “For now it’s a problem because I am one person, and my name is another person. I was applying for some job, and I didn’t get it, because my real name is another, and they found out I have two names. This is our problem now but maybe, after the surgery, I hope to be done everything.” Another time, when Granaz was away, the substitute teacher read Nouri’s male name off the class list during roll call and caused her tremendous embarrassment and distress.
Sometimes helping Nouri negotiate negative attitudes about trans identity has its own negative consequences. For example, even Granaz, who Nouri likes so much, advised her to pretend that she only speaks English with people from her home country so that she won’t have to answer personal questions. While intended to maintain her privacy, this also means that Nouri is cut off from her community: “We were embarrassed sometimes. It’s hard for us to talk to people because everything was in change, and we didn’t know how to explain to them. In this way we keep a little bit separate.” At the same time, Nouri feels hopeful about her and her family’s life here. She finds strength in her faith – “It’s all coming from Allah. Allah helped us to come here and now I can change my gender, and this is our best wishes here.” – and with her English steadily improving and a good group of friends, Nouri’s next project is to take sewing classes to learn to make clothes!
He’s too busy taking care of everyone else to do it for himself
Captain America and Bucky #624
(Source: asknatasharomanova)
From a native woman
What’s that? No honey, the fact that the okimâwastotin (that headdress worn by clueless hipster girls all the time) is generally reserved for males in Plains cultures is not sexist or patriarchal. You can stop trying to ‘save us from sexism’ thanks.
In fact, we were centuries ahead of you in the gender equality department. There are of course a great diversity of socio-political traditions in our various nations, but one thing comes through loud and clear…our women held positions of power. Not merely over hearth and home, but politically as well. In some nations, women run the roost, and this without denigrating or subjugating men (in case you were worried).
Centuries of racist and sexist interference by European powers has taken its toll. We do indeed face sexism in our communities, to an extent unthinkable before Contact. It is sadly the case that the oppressed often internalise their oppressor, and the oppressor for us has always been racist, and sexist.
To combat this, we look to our traditions, which are egalitarian. Where men and women are respected and venerated. We do not fumble towards equality as sameness, as so many settler feminists insist we should (in our context only, as they often recognise this is a ridiculous approach otherwise). We revive equity. We acknowledge different gender roles, and recognise that the female is not subservient in our cultures.
When we discuss ‘women’s power’ and ‘women’s roles’, you hear echoes of your history. But your history is not ours. Our history speaks proudly of the strength of our women and our men. Gender roles were not created in our societies to elevate men and turn women into chattel.
You settler women have much to overcome. Your history is fraught with inequality and abuses. I am sorry that you come from such twisted traditions.
Do not attempt to transplant your historical circumstances into our Nations. You have no idea what the headdress means in our cultures. To claim that the restrictions on who can wear it are ‘sexist’ merely highlights this ignorance…your inability to see outside your own cultural norms, outside your own sad, sexist cultural history.
Colonisers always believe they have the right to define reality, particularly for those they have colonised. What kind of feminist are you, when you take part in these inequalities of power, and proclaim for us the meaning of our own symbols and traditions?
In case you’re not sure, it makes you a racist feminist.
(via whitepeopleprotips)
Idris Elba reveals the story behind the name of his production company ‘Green Door’ [x]
Oh my god. You fucking genius.
(Source: oh-whiskers, via wishyouweremegan)
colored queer waters: “Cis” is hate-speech. Don’t use it.
You may call me female.
You may call me woman.
You may refer to me as she, her.
You may NOT refer to me as “cis”, because “cis” is anti-woman hate-speech.
Respect my boundaries.
i’m sorry but please have all the seats
“cis” is an extremely far cry from hate speech
that’s akin to calling a fork the tool of the executioner
cis will not get you discriminated against by way of housing, medical access, employment, marriage/legally recognized partnership, and run in with that basket of fun times called the prison industrial complex in the united states
cis wont increase the chances of you being the victim of a hate crime
cis wont get you misgendered up down and side ways
the only thing cis will get you is validation that you’re privileged in this society for no better reason than existing and sucking up good air with such bullshit comparisons of cis being a form of hate speech
so from one cis person to another
please, you epically silly cis heaux, proceed to have all the seats
nice smackdown
Military mom ‘proud’ of breast-feeding in uniform, despite criticism
National pride, or disgrace? A photo gone viral of two servicewomen breast-feeding their children while in uniform has added a new layer to the debate over nursing in public.If you think this is a “disgrace”, just quit following me now.
^^^
(via historicalslut)
smdy:
During World War II, Josephine Baker served with the French Red Cross and was an active member of the French resistance movement. The French Resistance was a group of individuals who helped to win the war against the German Nazis enemy with undercover work. Using her career as a cover Baker became an intelligence agent, carrying secret messages written in invisible ink on her sheet music. She was awarded honor of the Croix de Guerre, and received a Medal of the Resistance in 1946. In 1961 she received the highest French honor, the Legion d’Honneur from French president Charles deGaulle.
She would also tuck tiny notes into her skirts when she did burlesque routines, and would dance up to the intended recipient and let him pluck it out. Really brave, really smart, really interesting lady, on top of all her artistic talents.
how cool is she?
(Source: brandos, via wishyouweremegan)
