Anna
@annaoats.bsky.social
Former academic and current nerd of local government, New England politics, and queer sci-fi. Build more housing.
Reposted by Anna
“it’s reasonable to ask questions about trans girls in sports” was always intended to mainstream transphobia.
It’s absurd that people fell for it. Democrats are constantly letting oppressors set the terms of debate instead of just saying “no, fuck you.”
It’s absurd that people fell for it. Democrats are constantly letting oppressors set the terms of debate instead of just saying “no, fuck you.”
December 18, 2025 at 2:12 PM
“it’s reasonable to ask questions about trans girls in sports” was always intended to mainstream transphobia.
It’s absurd that people fell for it. Democrats are constantly letting oppressors set the terms of debate instead of just saying “no, fuck you.”
It’s absurd that people fell for it. Democrats are constantly letting oppressors set the terms of debate instead of just saying “no, fuck you.”
Reposted by Anna
The youth aren't going back, imho. Shame on the Democrats, in particular, who voted for the cruel cruel bill. You voted to make lives harder for young people and their families who love them.
I didn't manage to write the newsletter yesterday, but I have a strong idea I'm working on this morning - fleshing out the thought that the trans rights movement's greatest strength in the face of a sudden, cruel backlash is the large cohort of people who transitioned between 2010 and 2020.
December 18, 2025 at 12:36 PM
The youth aren't going back, imho. Shame on the Democrats, in particular, who voted for the cruel cruel bill. You voted to make lives harder for young people and their families who love them.
Reposted by Anna
The material and economic circumstances are going to perform critique, we will need to be ready to build, offer and imagine a way through. Everything is about to be up for grabs. There is chaos under the heavens
December 18, 2025 at 12:45 PM
The material and economic circumstances are going to perform critique, we will need to be ready to build, offer and imagine a way through. Everything is about to be up for grabs. There is chaos under the heavens
Reposted by Anna
We keep hearing from the Carville types that trans rights are a "distraction" when it's blatantly obvious it's transphobia that's being used as jingling keys
December 18, 2025 at 1:04 AM
We keep hearing from the Carville types that trans rights are a "distraction" when it's blatantly obvious it's transphobia that's being used as jingling keys
Reposted by Anna
My earnest advice to white guys with degrees who are struggling to make it in academia or journalism is that instead of blaming Black people you should consider pivoting to the public sector.
December 18, 2025 at 12:40 AM
My earnest advice to white guys with degrees who are struggling to make it in academia or journalism is that instead of blaming Black people you should consider pivoting to the public sector.
Reposted by Anna
Because Trump is nothing, he is useful as a mirror. His success mirrors the dysfunctions of our politics & media. His support mirrors the resentments & fears of his supporters. His fearsome reputation mirrors the insecurities of the left.
He is showing us what *we* are.
He is showing us what *we* are.
December 15, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Because Trump is nothing, he is useful as a mirror. His success mirrors the dysfunctions of our politics & media. His support mirrors the resentments & fears of his supporters. His fearsome reputation mirrors the insecurities of the left.
He is showing us what *we* are.
He is showing us what *we* are.
Reposted by Anna
Cambridge is a testbed for a third option: a proportional at-large council. It doesn't bake in supremacy for local interests over the citywide good. And it ensures representation of minorities. @burhanazeem.bsky.social shows how this system can allow a pro-housing coalition to grow and make change
December 1, 2025 at 5:34 AM
Cambridge is a testbed for a third option: a proportional at-large council. It doesn't bake in supremacy for local interests over the citywide good. And it ensures representation of minorities. @burhanazeem.bsky.social shows how this system can allow a pro-housing coalition to grow and make change
Reposted by Anna
If you can, you should join an organization. Your random "advice" on social media is just that, random advice. If you are part of an organization, then you can convince others to execute those ideas with you.
November 18, 2025 at 3:40 PM
If you can, you should join an organization. Your random "advice" on social media is just that, random advice. If you are part of an organization, then you can convince others to execute those ideas with you.
Reposted by Anna
Click the link for an update from the Massachusetts Housing Shelter Alliance (MHSA). #endhomelessness #affordablehousing
www.westernmasshousingfirst.org/advocacy/202...
www.westernmasshousingfirst.org/advocacy/202...
HUD Policy Changes Will Drastically Cut Funding for Supportive Housing in Massachusetts
<p>An update from the Massachusetts Housing Shelter Alliance (MHSA): Last week the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the 2025 Continuum of Care (CoC) Competition Notice o...
www.westernmasshousingfirst.org
November 17, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Click the link for an update from the Massachusetts Housing Shelter Alliance (MHSA). #endhomelessness #affordablehousing
www.westernmasshousingfirst.org/advocacy/202...
www.westernmasshousingfirst.org/advocacy/202...
Reposted by Anna
I havent read such a banger of an essay in a very long time. This is so well-written!
Maybe Don’t Talk to the New York Times About Zohran Mamdani
It’s remarkable, the people you’ll hear from. Teach for even a little while at an expensive institution—the term they tend to prefer is “elite”—and odds are that eventually someone who was a studen…
lithub.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:37 PM
I havent read such a banger of an essay in a very long time. This is so well-written!
Reposted by Anna
How can these two seemingly contradictory things about US politics both be true?
1. Partisanship is calcified.
2. Election outcomes are thermostatic.
TURNOUT. It’s not the same people who vote every time. Mobilizing, organizing, educating, party infrastructure—it all matters.
1. Partisanship is calcified.
2. Election outcomes are thermostatic.
TURNOUT. It’s not the same people who vote every time. Mobilizing, organizing, educating, party infrastructure—it all matters.
November 6, 2025 at 12:15 PM
How can these two seemingly contradictory things about US politics both be true?
1. Partisanship is calcified.
2. Election outcomes are thermostatic.
TURNOUT. It’s not the same people who vote every time. Mobilizing, organizing, educating, party infrastructure—it all matters.
1. Partisanship is calcified.
2. Election outcomes are thermostatic.
TURNOUT. It’s not the same people who vote every time. Mobilizing, organizing, educating, party infrastructure—it all matters.
Reposted by Anna
In August, @taniel.bsky.social identified 66 prosecutor elections on this year’s ballot. Three quarters of those featured just one candidate yesterday.
boltsmag.org/2025-prosecu...
boltsmag.org/2025-prosecu...
Your Guide to the 2025 Prosecutor Elections - Bolts
Key races will shape the politics of criminal justice from Philly to Seattle—plus a wild card in New Jersey. But most of November’s 66 prosecutor races feature just one candidate, as usual.
boltsmag.org
November 5, 2025 at 2:23 PM
In August, @taniel.bsky.social identified 66 prosecutor elections on this year’s ballot. Three quarters of those featured just one candidate yesterday.
boltsmag.org/2025-prosecu...
boltsmag.org/2025-prosecu...
Reposted by Anna
Tomorrow is Election Day. You should be able to register to vote then.
Maine has allowed it since the 1970s. New Hampshire since the 1990s. Why not MA?
#mapoli
actionnetwork.org/letters/ma-n...
Maine has allowed it since the 1970s. New Hampshire since the 1990s. Why not MA?
#mapoli
actionnetwork.org/letters/ma-n...
MA Needs Same Day Registration
Tuesday, September 16, is National Voter Registration Day, the country’s largest single-day voter registration drive. It also happens to be the date for a State House hearing on various voting right...
actionnetwork.org
November 3, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Tomorrow is Election Day. You should be able to register to vote then.
Maine has allowed it since the 1970s. New Hampshire since the 1990s. Why not MA?
#mapoli
actionnetwork.org/letters/ma-n...
Maine has allowed it since the 1970s. New Hampshire since the 1990s. Why not MA?
#mapoli
actionnetwork.org/letters/ma-n...
Oh my god so much this!!
So how about this: instead of the entire establishment trying to browbeat "woke" college kids into shutting up about racism & sexism, why don't they browbeat the older, wealthier, more powerful NIMBYs in their midst to shut the fuck up about "neighborhood character"?
October 29, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Oh my god so much this!!
Reposted by Anna
NIMBYs are -- in an extremely direct, measurable way -- fucking the Dem Party, and by extension, the country. They just don't come in for abuse like college kids because the leaders of the party are wealthy suburbanite NIMBYs themselves. Easier to yell at the kids.
October 29, 2025 at 9:28 PM
NIMBYs are -- in an extremely direct, measurable way -- fucking the Dem Party, and by extension, the country. They just don't come in for abuse like college kids because the leaders of the party are wealthy suburbanite NIMBYs themselves. Easier to yell at the kids.
Reposted by Anna
i think if you ride public transit enough you learn that most weird behavior is not dangerous, and conversely i think driving a car teaches you that everyone is trying to kill you at all times
October 29, 2025 at 4:49 PM
i think if you ride public transit enough you learn that most weird behavior is not dangerous, and conversely i think driving a car teaches you that everyone is trying to kill you at all times
Reposted by Anna
People across the country are fighting for their lives and also to protect their neighbors. They are doing so in the 100s of thousands every single day. You can choose to join the fight or you can pretend that "no one is doing anything."
October 23, 2025 at 4:55 PM
People across the country are fighting for their lives and also to protect their neighbors. They are doing so in the 100s of thousands every single day. You can choose to join the fight or you can pretend that "no one is doing anything."
Reposted by Anna
A lot of Americans want to be plantation owners. Not most. But more than enough to cause problems
October 21, 2025 at 8:10 AM
A lot of Americans want to be plantation owners. Not most. But more than enough to cause problems
Reposted by Anna
out here in the sticks -
where we are used to finding out the hard way that our friendly neighbors voted for people who are trying to get us killed -
it means a lot to go outside and see people we know on the street hollering in support of democracy and immigration and healthcare and LGBTQ rights
where we are used to finding out the hard way that our friendly neighbors voted for people who are trying to get us killed -
it means a lot to go outside and see people we know on the street hollering in support of democracy and immigration and healthcare and LGBTQ rights
Can I ask, what did the No Kings protest actually accomplish? I mean, in real terms, what have these protests materially changed? I can't help but feel these one off protests are merely a heatsink for energy and anger rather than a path for meaningful change and disruption of the system.
October 21, 2025 at 1:08 AM
out here in the sticks -
where we are used to finding out the hard way that our friendly neighbors voted for people who are trying to get us killed -
it means a lot to go outside and see people we know on the street hollering in support of democracy and immigration and healthcare and LGBTQ rights
where we are used to finding out the hard way that our friendly neighbors voted for people who are trying to get us killed -
it means a lot to go outside and see people we know on the street hollering in support of democracy and immigration and healthcare and LGBTQ rights
Reposted by Anna
BREAKING from PP
We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*
The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:
Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer
More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
by @nicolefoy.bsky.social
We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*
The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:
Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer
More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
by @nicolefoy.bsky.social
More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.
The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...
www.propublica.org
October 16, 2025 at 4:06 PM
BREAKING from PP
We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*
The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:
Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer
More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
by @nicolefoy.bsky.social
We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*
The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:
Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer
More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
by @nicolefoy.bsky.social
Reposted by Anna
HUD laid off so many fair housing investigators on Friday that it shuttered the regional offices that oversee discrimination cases in 9 states: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
HUD Issues Layoff Notices, Targeting Fair Housing Staff With Deep Cuts
Fair housing staffers who investigate claims of housing discrimination at field offices nationwide were among the hundreds of HUD staffers who received layoff notices.
www.bloomberg.com
October 11, 2025 at 2:24 PM
HUD laid off so many fair housing investigators on Friday that it shuttered the regional offices that oversee discrimination cases in 9 states: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Anna
UNTIL IT’S DONE, Ep. 4: Sylvia Rivera
In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.
As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.
In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.
As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.
October 11, 2025 at 12:33 PM
UNTIL IT’S DONE, Ep. 4: Sylvia Rivera
In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.
As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.
In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.
As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.
Reposted by Anna
A Worcester nonprofit is dead because a grant application contained a single mention of DEI.
archive.ph/uQqep
archive.ph/uQqep
October 3, 2025 at 10:19 PM
A Worcester nonprofit is dead because a grant application contained a single mention of DEI.
archive.ph/uQqep
archive.ph/uQqep
The HUD website used to actually be so informative and helpful for a government website but now we have this:
September 30, 2025 at 6:17 PM
The HUD website used to actually be so informative and helpful for a government website but now we have this:
Reposted by Anna
What occurs is a battle of imaginations, not just in the meat world but online. Those invested in AI want to create impression of *inevitability* of a product, wedded the idea of "progress," even if this is activated in people in part cause of their memory of mediocre futuristic novels or movies 2/?
September 29, 2025 at 9:12 PM
What occurs is a battle of imaginations, not just in the meat world but online. Those invested in AI want to create impression of *inevitability* of a product, wedded the idea of "progress," even if this is activated in people in part cause of their memory of mediocre futuristic novels or movies 2/?