Of course the bigots and fascists don’t want you to study English.

The enemy of fascism is:
Close reading
Clear communication
Questioning the meaning of what you read
Accurate spelling & grammar
Thinking for yourself
Creativity
Understanding the mechanics of argument
Imagination
Enjoyment
Joy

I'll fight you for it

Current NHS Policy requires at least 2 appointments just to diagnose gender dysphoria.
Unfortunately clinics aren't very good at recording the gap between 1st and 2nd appointments, but anecdotally it's not speedy.

Wait a third of your life for one appointment, but ya need at least two

NEWS! Woman whose party couldn't spell 'Britain' decides English degrees are a 'rip-off' newsthump.com/2025/10/08/w...

You’re afraid they’ll train AI on your posts because you are weak. I, a genius, post so badly that every word is a blow for mankind in the Robot Apocalypse by making the machines dumber and shittier.

As today is World Octopus Day I’ll again mention that a Spanish equivalent to “like a fish out of water” is como un pulpo en un garaje. It means “like an octopus in a garage.”

In case anyone has never seen the commercial that Terry Pratchett said inspired him (sort of) while writing Good Omens:

I know this is uncomfortable to admit, but there is a small area in England's second city where people are just not integrated with the rest of society. Many of them hold views that arguably go against British values.

Yes, we need to talk about the Tory conference in Manchester.

Marmaduke, six, is reported to have been the subject of near constant vocal stimming by Ellie Mulligan, 32. In response, Marmaduke concealed a microphone within his floofy orange trousers, and he is now rich beyond his wildest dreams.

This is one of the first things I mention when I talk to anyone about transition. Anyone who thinks people are being rushed through and pushed into decisions they might later regret is absolutely incorrect. Even going privately was a whole, long ordeal. Not to mention incredibly expensive.

Ewwww no that implies they are flawed but loveable underdogs

How fucking embarrassing is it for the entire political establishment that they're being outflanked on the left by MICHAEL FUCKING HESSELTINE

The way that major healthcare institutions have just decided the rules don't apply when it comes to trans people. Research ethics? Consent? Basic human dignity? Those would just be too inconvenient and it's only a bunch of trannies.

Done

I'm definitely drinking less.

The massive effect for me, though, and I know I've told you this before chiller, but I haven't told Alex: the anti-inflammatory effect of Mounjaro (specific to Mounjaro so far) has had a massive effect on my arthritis. Even without the weight loss I'd keep taking it.

Yeah that'll be used for gatekeeping :(

*Important*

We are trying to reach the large mailing list of of the award-winning Disability Support Calderdale who had their email account hacked.

The hackers are emailing from the account, looking to prey on vulnerable people asking for £200 in vouchers.

#Todmorden #HebdenBridge #Calderdale

tl;dr: Bluesky began with genuine promise: a new social media platform where users could feel safer, but inconsistent moderation quickly eroded trust.

When systemically marginalized users pushed back, Bluesky’s leadership minimized concerns and began to target them for bans.

Trying to work out the name of a film, which I’m 99% sure I didn’t make up…

It ends in a darkroom with the camera lingering on a photograph in developing fluid that slowly reveals the killer/solution, but it then turns white from being overdeveloped

Maybe Italian/giallo adjacent

Help!

#filmsky

i keep seeing posts saying things along the lines of "if i keep inviting you and you say no i'm not going to invite you anymore"

and i just need people to know if you have chronically ill friends, this leaves us with the option of masking our pain & getting sicker or having no friends 🧵 #disability

Bastards.

Or you could just have zero anchovies and zero olives and a nice pizza?

Nooooooooooooooo Manchester is too big! Leeds is the perfect size, you can walk around it in a day.

But yes Manc public transport is good

The tabloids did a bunch of scare stories in the eighties about people getting addicted to opioids from eating too many poppy seeds, which i suspect is a contributory factor