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Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them)

@melanatedmagus.blacksky.app

2.5K followers 3.5K following 4.6K posts

36. Chicago. Sociology Master’s Student interested in how Nerd Culture and also Queer Culture works, but also their intersection. Also other stuff. Not angry enough to be a socialist, too 🫳🏾 to be a liberal. Gender is a scam.

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Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · Nov 13

I’ve been thinking about how to best explain myself to y’all who are new to me, and I think I’m going to do a thing from Twitter where I repost 20 books that have had a big influence on me, but without any commentary. So here we go!

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Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · 1h

Like this isn’t just a systems issue! People have the ability to make choices other than the ones they’ve made in the past!

Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · 1h

Sure, and I’ll be honest that I think that we’ve got to find a way to admit that voters are adults who make choices that have an impact on the world that doesn’t have to trigger a conversation about blame.

Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · 1h

And that this isn’t a reason to say “everyone who didn’t do the thing I wish they had is bad,” but to say that part of the way forward is breaking through to the people who could have made a different choice in 2024 and encouraging them to make a different choice in 26/28.

Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · 1h

I was reporting what I was thinking about, not representing her ideas.

But what she said in the interview that I just sat in a theater and watched is that there are multiple reasons why people either didn’t vote or voted for Trump, and some of them did so with bad information.

Reposted by Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them)

Dr. Damien P. Williams Wants A Better Sociotechnical Paradigm @wolvendamien.bsky.social · 2d

*Lil Jon Voice* States' Rights to What

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Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · 4h

Like I think there’s a conversation that multiple people are having (with various amounts of productivity) about what needed to happen such that we have a President Harris instead, but the fact remains: 77.3 million people were confronted with the options and chose All This.

Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · 4h

I’m at the Kamala Harris talk with my family and got hit with a strong wave of “all of this could have not happened” and I hate it so much!

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Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · 4h

I’m at the Kamala Harris talk with my family and got hit with a strong wave of “all of this could have not happened” and I hate it so much!

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Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · 5h

You didn’t need to be so personal with your bullying!

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vicky 🌻 @crowwkui.bsky.social · 8d

gotham city sirens 𓅨

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Horkos @wylienewmark.bsky.social · 1d

<reading my own posts> “this guy gets it”

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Chicago, Bike Grid Now! @bikegridnow.org · 1d

If you want to help protect your neighbors by patrolling your neighborhood, we've got your back. Send us a message if you'd like to be connected to a patrol group. There are groups in:

-Lincoln Square/Ravenswood
-Albany Park
-Pilsen/Little Village
-Andersonville/Uptown/Edgewater
-Logan Square (1/2)

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Reposted by Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them)

Dr. Johnathan Flowers, Blade Wielding Bisexual (Lordean arc) @shengokai.blacksky.app · 1d

Since Link is banned, his mutual aid Fridays have gone with him. This was one of the most altruistic things I’ve seen anyone on this site do.

In light of this, I’m gonna try to fill the gap.

Drop your mutual aid requests under this thread and I will repost them for as long as I can.

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Monica Maalouf, MD @maaloufmd.bsky.social · 1d

So this IL Hospital Association memo describes an incident where ICE detained a US citizen, gave them HEART PROBLEMS, took them to a hospital where the fought with medical personnel, then left when they realized they detained a CITIZEN.

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Rebecca Colesworthy @rcolesworthy.bsky.social · 1d

🚨🚨 @utaustin.bsky.social is working to eliminate its Black studies, Latin studies, and gender studies depts -- utterly reneging on its mission and depriving students of the full educational opportunities they deserve. Please--scholars AND publishers--share & write to UT leaders. #SaveUT

UT Austin wants to eliminate its Black studies, Latino Studies, and gender studies departments. Tell them you won't stand for it.
UT President, Jim Davis, president@utexas.edu
UT Executive Vice President and Provost, William Inboden, provost@utexas.edu
College of Liberal Arts Interim Dean, David Sosa, david_sosa@austin.utexas.edu
#EducationalLiberty #SaveUT

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Josh Gerstein @joshgerstein.bsky.social · 1d

JUST IN: Unions seek immediate TRO against shutdown-related RIFs Trump admin began announcing today. Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

ShutdownRIFTROFlg101025

www.documentcloud.org

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Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · 1d

Somehow, the fact that my bread molded after 4 days is the fault of ICE and I will not be taking questions or feedback.

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Feminist Legal Studies @flsjournal.bsky.social · 19d

📣🏳️‍⚧️ Call for Papers

We are inviting papers for our special issue, “Feminist Responses to the Regression of Trans Rights: Strategies, Alliances, Hope.” The issue will be dedicated to trans-inclusive feminist legal analysis that addresses attacks on trans rights & lives.

Details below. Please share.

Call for Papers: Special Issue of Feminist Legal Studies

Feminist Responses to the Regression of Trans Rights: Strategies, Alliances, Hope

Amidst continuing backlash against trans rights, recognition and inclusion, two recent decisions from the UK have substantially impacted not only trans people’s legal status but also legal and social narratives of sex, gender and identity. The narrative that trans inclusion has a chilling effect on the rights of others, particularly women, has been adopted uncritically by both the UK Supreme Court in For Women Scotland and the Office for Students in its finding that the University of Sussex’s trans-inclusion policy had a chilling effect on free speech. These cases highlight a backlash that has been ongoing for some time, and sparks debates and fear of what may lie in the near future for trans people and kin, as well as other gender-variant persons, not only in the UK, but across jurisdictions and in a global perspective. The discourse of the ‘gender critical’ movement is splintering both the feminist and LGBT+ movements globally, with some aligning politically with the Far- and Christian Right against trans rights, adopting their terminology of ‘gender ideology’ and potentially posing a wider threat to sexual and reproductive rights.

While this a difficult situation for trans people, kin and allies, this special issue seeks to emphasise that legal battles – including battles (temporarily) lost – are also an opportunity to seek to reinforce old alliances and to form new ones, to find new legal frontiers and imaginaries, to reinforce the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of legal arguments as well as intergenerational memory of what feminist legal work is, has been and should be about. How, we ask, do these decisions (and those like them globally) reflect and reproduce structures of coloniality, heteronormativity and cisnormativity? What do these decisions add to critiques of legal feminism? What would be construct…

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J-Bo @jbogoblue.bsky.social · 1d

@blockclubchi.bsky.social @wgntv.com @abc7.bsky.social @chicagosmayor.bsky.social @ilattygeneral.bsky.social

ICE arresting WGN employee Debbie Brockman at Lincoln & Foster Ave. 10/10/25.

Shared with permission.

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Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · 1d

But Pagliacci, I am a doctor (of philosophy)!

Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · 1d

Feels bad, yall.

Alex Ji @alexji.bsky.social · 1d

I’ve been asked to advise undergrads on how to get into grad school and this is all I can think about musgrave.substack.com/p/dont-do-a-...

Don't Do a Ph.D. Now

At least in the United States

musgrave.substack.com

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Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · 1d

The arc of my life these last few years is fascinating

Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · 2d

That was what I was missing; thank you!

Kim D @kimilatad.bsky.social · 2d

The ask was for a permanent injunction, but she only granted a temporary one.

Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · 2d

I guess we’ll see tomorrow what the “in part” thing means? Because I’m not seeing the daylight.

Heather Cherone @heathercherone.bsky.social · 2d

Perry: The federal government is "temporarily enjoined from ordering the federalization and deployment of the National Guard of the United States within Illinois."

That's it. Thanks again for following.

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Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · 2d

This should be the ball game, right?

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 2d

Hamilton: "The president's judgment is unreviewable."

Nick, the Melanated Magician (they/them) @melanatedmagus.blacksky.app · 2d

This is the second time this week, too!

Toscha @poemless.bsky.social · 2d

Went outside to touch grass and a loud black helicopter was circling over me, nose down.

Toscha @poemless.bsky.social · 2d

Normal day in the neighborhood...