Lauralee Dukeshire (she/her) @LauraleeDukeshire@qoto.org

There’s something very worrisome happening in Ohio that we should all be aware of. If it succeeds, it could serve as a blueprint for the GOP nationwide. But there’s an opportunity to stop it—and all of us, particularly folks in Ohio, can help. I explain in today’s piece. https://statuskuo.substack.com/p/the-gop-is-trying-to-steal-democracy?sd=pf

It’s hard to image 70 percent of Democrats backing a twice-impeached, criminally-indicted, narcissistic sociopath as president, but that is where Trump stands with his GOP base.

Ignorance breeds intolerance. If you keep people ignorant, they're more likely to be intolerant of things they don't understand.

If your power depends on intolerance, then ignorance becomes your sword.

Conference organizers: it is not safe for your trans participants to go to a conference in Kansas because they can no longer safely and legally pee there. Florida is likely to do the same soon. And maybe in the future any state without positive protections in law already in place.

Pick your future venues carefully and ask for escape clauses in your venue contracts should anti-trans laws be passed.

Missouri due to be first state to restrict adult gender-affirming care : NPR

A good article about this bullshit happening in Missouri over transgender care.

#trans #transgender #LGBT #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA

Why care about galaxy clusters? Their massive gravitational pull warps time and space, distorting but also brightening what’s behind them. This makes them great “magnifying glasses” for background galaxies. In fact, we found this protocluster with the help of another cluster!
#JamesWebb

The Far Right likes to play Dressup, but nobody else is allowed.
#LGBTQI #Trans #Texas
https://www.texasobserver.org/sid-miller-department-agriculture-dress-code-transgender/

They say don’t be
too presumptuous
all of this is new
nobody can honestly tell you
what will happen to you
after you’ve had it
10 or 20 times,
and that’s fair enough
for you don’t know how you’ll be
(or if you’ll be)
after 10 or 20 times
but better not to risk
having to find out.

Equatorial Guinea reported another case of #Marburg yesterday, the 17th confirmed case, a child who has died.
The government is trying to portray this outbreak as winding down. But there have been 2 new cases in the past week. The outbreak is not over.
This is the third largest Marburg outbreak on record, with 40 confirmed & probable cases & 35 deaths.
Marburg outbreaks are typically very small. Only 2 have registered over 100 cases. Let's hope this outbreak doesn't become #3. bit.ly/3osQytQ

Listen, this isn't just #transphobia.

It's regressive and sexist, too.

The right moved from "we have concerns about trans people" to "boys must wear pants and girls must wear dresses" almost instantly.

Moderates should take note.

#trans #lgbtq #feminism

https://www.texasobserver.org/sid-miller-department-agriculture-dress-code-transgender/

With Tucker out at Fox I can now think back fondly to the segments he did about me and my team when I was running Snopes and the years of death threats that followed. Hope he's having a really shitty day

Jack Dorsey enthusiastically co-signed the deal that betrayed 200 million Twitter users and handed their accounts over to a fucking right wing egomaniacal billionaire. You’ll have to excuse me if I’m not eager to sign up for another one of this dude’s schemes.

3/ Guess #ClusterFox doesn’t like losing all that money after all, huh?

Today marks one year since I woke up 5 days into my COVID infection without taste or smell. Both are still mostly missing. I’m very fortunate and can smell some things that are important to me: my children’s hair, laundry fresh off the clothesline, some flowers and many herbs. I can sense sour and sweet and spicy, though I might not be able to differentiate between different foods.

However: I’ve given myself food poisoning a dozen times because I can’t tell when things are rotten and when meals make no impression, you don’t remember when you put them in the fridge. I cannot smell natural gas, and have not noticed a couple times when I bumped a burner or the igniter didn’t work. (I now light the burner with a lighter every time to make sure.)

Like a lot of other folks with this long-Covid symptom, I have parosmia. Some foods and smells remain horrible. Coffee tastes and smells like oily cigarette ash. Apples taste like gasoline. Peaches taste like garlic. Cheese mostly tastes rotten and coconut tastes like soap. We haven’t traveled much, but trying to put together a safe meal on the road has been nigh impossible a couple times.

I’m incredibly fortunate that anosmia and parosmia are my only #longcovid symptoms and to have the resources to buy the foods that do work for me, but this sucks. I’m consulting with a new doc tomorrow, but have been told my insurance will almost certainly deny any treatments we try. Also, I’d like to thank the Korean people for kimchi. Throughout all this, it’s the one food that has always tasted like itself and on bad days, falling back on kimchi fried rice has been a blessing.