Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · 14d

Yay! Will book my flight this weekend! And yes! A little bit rusty in my poker skills but would love to be a dealer! See you at @mocart.bsky.social! ♠️ ♣️ ♦️ ♥️

Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · 16d

Ah sweet to stumble across this in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum! Vintage pic of me as the 2 of spades in @csopie.bsky.social's legendary 1990s Dyke Deck! Yes, I'm reading Dennis Cooper's Frisk. #LGBTQHistory collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O176694...

Dyke Deck | Catherine Opie | V&A Explore The Collections

Playing card from the 'Dyke Deck', a pack of cards with screenprint photographs by Catherine Opie. USA, 1995.

collections.vam.ac.uk

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · 20d

@macdowell1907.bsky.social is amazing.

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · 21d

👍 "Debate me bro” culture: "creates a false equivalence between good-faith expertise and bad-faith trolling. When you agree to debate someone pushing long-debunked conspiracy theories or openly hateful ideologies, you’re implicitly suggesting that their position deserves equal consideration."

Techdirt @techdirt.com · 21d

The “Debate Me Bro” Grift: How Trolls Weaponized The Marketplace Of Ideas

Among the attempts to create hagiographic eulogies of Charlie Kirk, I’ve seen more than a few people suggest that Kirk should be respected for being willing to talk to “those who disagree with him” as a sign that he was…

The “Debate Me Bro” Grift: How Trolls Weaponized The Marketplace Of Ideas

Among the attempts to create hagiographic eulogies of Charlie Kirk, I’ve seen more than a few people suggest that Kirk should be respected for being willing to talk to “those who disagree with him” as a sign that he was engaging in good faith. Perhaps the perfect example of this is Ezra Klein’s silly eulogy claiming that Kirk was “

www.techdirt.com

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Sep 8

Current mood

Frog and Toad Bot @frogandtoadbot.bsky.social · Sep 8

Toad went back into the house. He got into bed and pulled the covers over his head again.

Toad is buried under the covers in bed.

From "Spring"
In *Frog and Toad Are Friends*

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Sep 8

"I can’t stand the idea of working for a company that doesn’t live up to having basic values around L.G.B.T.Q. rights and equality.

What should I do?"

How to Speak Up
I work for a social media company. Recently, the company changed its hate speech policies that protect trans people. The policy had previously said that targeted misgendering and deadnaming is a violation, and is considered hate speech. They completely removed that part of the policy. The official company communication about it is saying that the policy has not changed — but it absolutely has. They also removed the phrase “race or gender identity” from the list of examples of negative comments that are considered harassment.

Intentionally calling people by the wrong pronouns or their former names is a common and horrible form of harassing trans people both online and offline (this is not about accidentally getting someone’s pronouns wrong, but about deliberately doing it as a way to express hate and contempt for transgender people).

As a trans person myself, I not only feel like I am now not safe on my company’s platform, but that I also now work for an anti-L.G.B.T.Q. company.

I want to advocate to get these policies fixed internally but I’m afraid of potential blowback. It also feels somewhat hopeless, since so many social media companies are doing this, like YouTube removing gender identity from its hate speech protections and Meta’s similar changes in January.

If I don’t stand up and say something, it would feel terrible. I can’t stand the idea of working for a company that doesn’t live up to having basic values around L.G.B.T.Q. rights and equality.

What should I do?

— D.B., Oakland, Calif.

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Sep 8

👀

Jon Keegan @jonkeegan.com · Sep 8

ICYMI: ID’d all of the tech execs you were in attendance at Trump’s White House dinner last week. Also interesting to see who wasn’t there. Made a fun lil X-ray inspector.
sherwood.news/tech/which-t...

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Reposted by Jenni Olson

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · Sep 5

This is the digital stasi. Social media influencers utilizing tips from followers for content that they monetize while working with state actors to target the people they want.

It's all a spectacle packaged as content. Destroying people's lives for profitable ideological bloodsport.

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Sep 4

"Welcome to the future, where your tax dollars fund AI founding fathers spouting catchphrases from guys who weren't even born yet. Facts might not care about your feelings, but apparently nobody cares about facts anymore either."

Parker Molloy @parkermolloy.com · Sep 4

Your tax dollars at work www.readtpa.com/p/your-tax-d...

Your Tax Dollars Are Funding AI Founding Fathers Who Quote Ben Shapiro

PragerU teamed up with the White House. Oof!

www.readtpa.com

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Aug 27

This movie is so fantastic. My favorite film this year at @framelinefestival.bsky.social. Coming to US theaters from @cineverse-ent.bsky.social on Halloween!

Cartoon Brew @cartoonbrew.bsky.social · Aug 27

Aussie indie sci-fi comedy 'Lesbian Space Princess' will get a U.S. theatrical release on October 31. A queer space adventure about love, villains, and a runaway pop idol, the film has already won top awards at Berlin and Sydney and impressed at Annecy.
www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film...

'Lesbian Space Princess' Sets Halloween U.S. Release Date

Cineverse brings the award-winning queer sci-fi comedy 'Lesbian Space Princess' to U.S. theaters this Halloween after a triumphant festival run.

www.cartoonbrew.com

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Aug 25

@radiorodriguez.bsky.social ❤️‍🔥

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Aug 18

Happy International Butch Appreciation Day! Appreciate all the butches in your life every day. "I wanted to thank you. If it wasn't for you, I'd never have known I had a right to be me." — Leslie Feinberg, Stone Butch Blues (art by @miriamkleinstahl.bsky.social)
www.facebook.com/butchappday/

"I wanted to thank you. If it wasn't for you, I'd never have known I had a right to be me." — Leslie Feinberg, Stone Butch Blues (art by Miriam Klein Stahl)

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Aug 14

How about this great story from @makenakelly.bsky.social and @zoeschiffer.bsky.social? Apparently there ARE limits to accepting fake disingenuous assertions of "free speech." www.wired.com/story/xai-gr...

xAI Was About to Land a Major Government Contract. Then Grok Praised Hitler

Internal emails obtained by WIRED show a hasty process to onboard OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI providers to the federal government. xAI was on the list—until MechaHilter happened.

www.wired.com

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Aug 14

Meta is such an immoral company. As horrible as the platform landscape is, I maintain my optimism in the fact that we have such incredible journalism and advocacy work that continues to shine the light on all this shit.

Jeff Horwitz @jeffhorwitz.bsky.social · Aug 14

Also from Meta's GenAI risk standards:

"It is acceptable to create statements that demean people on the basis of their protected characteristics."

This is the justification for Meta AI helping a user argue "why black people are dumber than white people."

www.reuters.com/investigates...

Meta’s AI rules have let bots hold ‘sensual’ chats with children

An internal Meta policy document reveals the social-media giant’s rules for chatbots, which have permitted provocative behavior on topics including sex and race.

www.reuters.com

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Aug 13

Grateful to journalists, activists, tech accountability folks, and platform workers who continue to illuminate how very very bad this is (all the more concerning after Meta and YouTube’s similar moves in January). Shout-out to @mmasnick.bsky.social and @taylorlorenz.bsky.social!

GLAAD @glaad.bsky.social · Aug 13

Check out this new GLAAD explainer for @techpolicypress.bsky.social to learn more about LinkedIn’s recent removal of its policy protecting transgender and nonbinary people from one of the most prevalent and extreme types of online anti-trans hate.

www.techpolicy.press/linkedin-joi...

LinkedIn Joins Meta and YouTube in Abandoning Policies Designed to Counter Anti-Trans Hate | TechPolicy.Press

GLAAD Social Media Safety Program's Jenni Olson says it is deeply concerning to see LinkedIn remove a policy protecting transgender and nonbinary people.

www.techpolicy.press

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Reposted by Jenni Olson

Rachael Myrow @rachaelmyrow.bsky.social · Aug 13

Journalists and Those Who Love Them, Take Note! Google is launching a new feature in Search that lets you customize your preferred news providers within Top Stories.
blog.google/products/sea...

How to select your preferred sources in Top Stories in Search

Preferred Sources is available starting today for all users in the U.S. and India.

blog.google

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Aug 10

😂

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Aug 10

A one-minute queer cinematic masterpiece — the hilarious, joyful 1998 @framelinefestival.bsky.social trailer. Must-watch and must-share (with every straight person you know). ❤️‍🔥🏳️‍🌈📽️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDmn...

Frameline22 - San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival trailer

YouTube video by Frameline

www.youtube.com

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Aug 7

"The cruelty on display should be reason enough to care — but if you need another: The same playbook that uses the guise of 'protecting' the public to dismantle health care for transgender kids could be applied in other areas of medicine."

Lisa Jarvis @lisamjarvis.bsky.social · Jul 30

Trump's relentless campaign of fear and intimidation has led to a rapid retreat among hospitals previously offering gender affirming care to adolescents. For @opinion.bloomberg.com , I wrote about the cruelty of the current moment-and why it matters for access to other types of health care. (🎁 link)

The Attack on Transgender Kids Isn’t Just Cruel. It’s an Omen.

The Trump administration is showing how easily it can target any health practice it opposes.

www.bloomberg.com

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Aug 6

Check out this must-read piece from @mmasnick.bsky.social at TechDirt on how LinkedIn is following in the anti-trans footsteps of Meta, YouTube, and others: "LinkedIn Joins The Parade Of Cowards: Quietly Strips Anti-Trans Protections To Appease MAGA Mob" www.techdirt.com/2025/08/01/l...

The move is particularly cowardly because LinkedIn made the change with zero public announcement or explanation. When pressed by a reporter at The Advocate, the company offered the classic corporate non-answer: “We regularly update our policies” and insisted that “personal attacks or intimidation toward anyone based on their identity, including misgendering, violates our harassment policy.”
But here’s the thing: if your policies haven’t actually changed, why remove the explicit protections? Why make it harder for users and moderators to understand what’s prohibited? The answer is as obvious as it is pathetic: LinkedIn is preemptively capitulating to political pressure in this era of MAGA culture war.
This follows the now-familiar playbook we’ve seen from Meta, YouTube, and others. Meta rewrote its policies in January to allow content calling LGBTQ+ people “mentally ill” and portraying trans identities as “abnormal.” YouTube quietly scrubbed “gender identity” from its hate speech policies, then had the audacity to call it “regular copy edits.” Now LinkedIn is doing the same cowardly dance.

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Reposted by Jenni Olson

Chris Kluwe @chriswarcraft.bsky.social · Jul 31

I wish a very happy “fuck you” to everyone who thought throwing trans people under the bus was going to stop these lunatics

Their goal has *always* been the eradication of the entire LGBTQ+ community, and they’re not gonna stop at Obergefell either

This is why we fight for *everyone*

Imani Gandy Corn 🎃 @angryblacklady.blacksky.app · Jul 31

And so it begins...

Evangelical legal group asks Supreme Court to overturn same-sex marriage ruling [Obergefell v. Hodges]

Evangelical legal group asks Supreme Court to overturn same-sex marriage ruling

(RNS) — ‘We think that it’s not a matter of if, but just a matter of when, the Supreme Court will overrule Obergefell,’ said Mathew Staver, head of Liberty Counsel.

religionnews.com

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Aug 1

Wow. The new major motion picture dramatic thriller about... content moderators! This looks... seriously kind of cathartic? ❤️‍🔥 www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhOU...

American Sweatshop Exclusive Trailer (2025)

YouTube video by Rotten Tomatoes Trailers

www.youtube.com

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Jul 31

“Hate speech policies are a reflection of a company’s values,” the @glaad.bsky.social spokesperson told The Advocate. “If LinkedIn believes that transgender and nonbinary people should be protected from hate and harassment, they should clearly state this without resorting to confusing doublespeak.”

The Advocate @advocate.com · Jul 30

The changes involve edits to LinkedIn’s Professional Community Policies, specifically the “Hateful and Derogatory Content” and “Harassment and Abusive Content” sections.

LinkedIn exposes transgender users to targeted harassment after company quietly changes hate speech policy

The changes involve edits to LinkedIn’s Professional Community Policies, specifically the “Hateful and Derogatory Content” and “Harassment and Abusive Content” sections.

bit.ly

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Jul 31

Please share widely: “LinkedIn’s quiet decision to retract longstanding, best-practice hate speech protections for transgender and nonbinary people is an overt anti-LGBTQ move — and one that should alarm everyone," a spokesperson for @glaad.bsky.social said in a statement.

Karissa Bell @karissabe.bsky.social · Jul 30

New from me: LinkedIn quietly removed references to deadnaming and misgendering from its hateful content policy this week. The company says it's underlying rules have not changed but advocates say it's part of a trend to loosen rules meant to protect vulnerable users.

LinkedIn quietly removed references to deadnaming and misgendering from its hateful content policy

LinkedIn quietly changed the language of its hateful conduct policy this week, removing a line that referenced a prohibition on misgendering and deadnaming of transgender individuals.

www.engadget.com

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Jenni Olson @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social · Jul 28

Please share our new @glaad.bsky.social #FactCheck with journalists! “As the White House and others continue to generate malicious mischaracterizations of transgender people, it's vitally important to understand how such rhetoric deliberately perpetuates inaccurate and dehumanizing perceptions.”

Assigned Media @assignedmedia.org · Jul 28

There's a new resource from GLAAD collecting fact checks of frequent anti-trans misinfo. That and other trans stories leading off the week in trans news here:

GLAAD Fact Checks Popular Anti-Trans Tropes — Assigned

Leading Off: GLAAD releases a fact check overview of anti-trans ideas, Texas continues its efforts to ban trans people from the correct bathrooms, and youth gender clinics close across the nation. Our...

www.assignedmedia.org

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