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veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 18h

The Court is transparently making up justifications to enable barbaric and extremely harmful practices agains LGBTQ+ kids.

Susan Rinkunas @susanrinkunas.com · 1d

“Four months ago, in Skrmetti, the Court used purported medical uncertainty to give Tennessee more flexibility to discriminate. Today, Alito used purported medical uncertainty to give Colorado less flexibility to protect.”

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 1d

I've written my analysis of today's grim Supreme Court oral argument in the conversion therapy case:

As far as the Court's concerned, imaginary medical uncertainty gives states the authority to hurt queer kids, and takes away states' authority to protect them

ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/chile...

veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 19h

When Democrats actually show a spine, they win.

This party could have been doing this all along, but instead they allowed an unpopular rapist and felon to consolidate an immense amount of power without much resistance. Completely shameful.

Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 19h

The Shutdown, Zombie Politics and How Trump Stumbled Into Not Being All-Powerful talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-s...

The Shutdown, Zombie Politics and How Trump Stumbled Into Not Being All-Powerful

It’s always a complicated matter to say who is “winning” a shutdown...

talkingpointsmemo.com

Reposted

Jeff (Gutenberg Parenthesis) Jarvis @jeffjarvis.bsky.social · 1d

I begged @spiegel.de to translate Jörg Schindler's excellent reporting on America's fall into theocracy and they did. As I keep saying, German journalists are doing a better job covering America's fall than American journalists. 1/
www.spiegel.de/internationa...

Trump's Crusaders: Christian Nationalists Are Gaining a Solid Foothold in Washington

U.S. President Donald Trump has opened the doors of power to far-right Christian nationalists. Their goal: an American theocracy. The separation of church and state in America is at risk.

www.spiegel.de

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veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 19h

Good thing Biden refrained from prosecuting Trump in order to promote unity!

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 22h

I will not back down.

Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power.

What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?

Donald Trump Truth Social Post: Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also.

veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 1d

Minors don't consent to treatment, parents consent on their behalf.

So essentially a therapist would be colluding with parents to forcibly convert a minor against their will. A complete travesty of everything that counseling is supposed to be about.

Ryn @reprapryn.bsky.social · 1d

Don't even know how a minor can consent to this sort of faith based talk therapy thing.

One minors don't get to choose their faith, they get forced into their parents faith. Two, parents force them to go to the counselor, usually at penalty of losing all their friends and hobbies

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veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 1d

He's going to lose many close states without the votes of 3 million trans adults in the U.S.

And yes, I'd rather see the victory of whatever follows Trump in the GOP than vote for a Democrat who will "compassionately" knife me in the back.

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 1d

Fuck Gavin Newsom. I will never vote for him and you shouldn't either.

Excerpt from an article discussing LGBT+ protections in California legislation. It states that Governor Newsom neither signed nor vetoed certain bills. One bill strengthened protections under Sen. Scott Wiener’s “State of Refuge” law. The highlighted portion reads: “At least four bills directly addressed trans protections,” followed by examples such as healthcare and patient confidentiality, streamlining legal name and gender changes, nondiscrimination in health insurance, and inclusive homelessness programs.

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 1d

Remember how the Trump administration raged about "transgender mice" because of studies involving transgenic mice?

Well, the woman who just won the Nobel Prize in Medicine wrote her thesis using transgenic mice.

Early life and education

Brunkow was born in 1961 in Portland, Oregon.[2][3] She graduated at St. Mary's Academy in Portland in 1979.[3]

Brunkow received a BS in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Washington in 1983.[4] She received a PhD in molecular biology from Princeton University in 1991, where her advisor was Shirley M. Tilghman.[5] Her doctoral dissertation was titled Expression and function of the H19 gene in transgenic mice (1991).[1]

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veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 1d

The research is clear: this is pseudoscience that never works and only brings disastrous harms onto the people it's tried on.

Think I'm exaggerating? Read the research yourself. Rarely is anything this black and white.

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 1d

Fixed.

Screenshot of a New York Times webpage. The headline reads: “Supreme Court Live Updates: Justices Seem Set to Rule Against Colorado’s Ban on Conversion Therapy Torture.” The words “Conversion Therapy” are shown with red strikethroughs. A smaller subheading below explains: “Colorado and over 20 other states have banned the practice aimed at changing the sexual orientation or gender identity of young people.” The page header includes links like “Birthright Citizenship,” “L.A. Immigration Stops,” “Unsigned Orders in Trump’s Favor,” and “Florida Immigration.”

Would you like me to also provide a shorter, accessibility-friendly version of the alt text (like what a screen reader would ideally read aloud), or keep this more detailed one?

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veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 1d

I just did an in-depth review of the research and could not find a single paper that showed any positive effects from conversion therapy. And the negative effects are incredibly terrible and numerous.

There's absolutely no reason to permit anyone to practice this, even if it's "consensual."

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veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 1d

I just did an in-depth review of the research and could not find a single paper that showed any positive effects from conversion therapy. And the negative effects are incredibly terrible and numerous.

There's absolutely no reason to permit anyone to practice this, even if it's "consensual."

Tom Scocca @tomscocca.bsky.social · 1d

It's not just that they're going to strike down a law against conversion therapy, it's that they're going to do it on behalf of made-up claims from a straw plaintiff who can't honestly show the law affected her at all

Tom Scocca @tomscocca.bsky.social · 1d

One thing about American's widespread distrust and disapproval of the Supreme Court is that mainstream news coverage mostly doesn't dwell on stuff like standing, so people don't even begin to grasp how rigged the Court truly is www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10...

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veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 1d

This is my optimism as well. The rapist administration burning everything down to the ground is going to make room for so much great stuff to grow down the line. The implosion of legacy media orgs is a part of this, surely.

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Jude "BE NOT AFRAID #4 Out Now" Doyle @judedoyle.bsky.social · 1d

Here I am, talking about how the second wave became TERFy, why it didn't need to, and how feminism can be better for everybody.

Assigned Media @assignedmedia.org · 1d

"As much as our enemies are louder and crueler, and in many cases more powerful than ever, we have more allies than ever too."

Assigned Media interviews transmasc feminist @judedoyle.bsky.social

Jude Doyle On Manhood After Patriarchy — Assigned

Assigned Media interviews transmasc feminist author Jude Doyle.

www.assignedmedia.org

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veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 2d

The Democratic platform for 2026-28 can only be "this is a travesty of American values, and if we regain power we will bring to justice everyone responsible for this."

And heavy scorn on the Democrats for not already pursuing charges against those responsible when they had a chance to do so.

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 2d

It feels crazy even saying out loud everything that they're doing but this is all really happening.

Alt text: Screenshot of an article from The Cut titled “What happened at the South Shore apartment raid, exactly?” The article reports that on September 30, about 300 federal immigration agents stormed a five-story residential apartment in South Shore during an overnight raid. Witnesses said agents rappelled from helicopters, kicked down doors, used flash-bang grenades, and detained adults and children with zip ties. Thirty-seven people were arrested, including four U.S. citizen children. A resident, Pertissue Fisher, said she was handcuffed, had guns pointed at her, and held for hours despite being an American citizen. Photos from the scene showed broken doors, scattered toys, shoes, and food.

veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 2d

This is all about a handful of hateful families wanting to have their whining validated. Terrible that the Supreme Court did just that instead of telling them to grow up and act like adults.

Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 2d

1. 4 months ago, The Supreme Court gave families a right to opt out of LGBTQ+ education in schools.

Now, in Montgomery County, Maryland, where the case originated, the results are in.

Only 43 families out of 160,000 students have exercised that new right.

Subscribe to support our journalism.

Only 0.03% Opt Out Of LGBTQ+ Education In Maryland After SCOTUS Gives Them A Right To

After SCOTUS gave families a right to opt out of LGBTQ+ education, Montgomery County, Maryland is reporting only 43 families took them up on it.

www.erininthemorning.com

veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 2d

Max out your IRA/401(k) every year

essencesimmone.blacksky.app @essencesimmone.blacksky.app · 5d

Those who are 35+, what advice do you have for people just entering their 30s?

veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 2d

One day, when this country regains some portion of its collective mind, things like this are going to look to unimaginably dumb

max tani @maxtani.bsky.social · 2d

David Ellison’s note to staff on Paramount’s acquisition of the Free Press

veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 2d

Seriously, twentysomething women trying on clothes they online shopped have a much greater reach

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veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 2d

Oligarchs being so desperate to shove right-wing propaganda down our throats totally reminds me of that character in Mean Girls who was dedicated to making "fetch" a thing

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veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 3d

I live in the part of the country with the highest concentration of unhoused people, and I can literally count on one hand the number of times I've had to do this in years.

And anyway this is an absolutely heartless and terrible thing to say.

Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 3d

Reading about Democrats who agree with Trump's plan to forcibly commit homeless people

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veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 3d

Depressed

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 3d

we need a word for a type of person who spends all their time working to live in a city so they can be near cool things, but they don't actually like going out

veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 3d

These are the people Ezra Klein wants us to empathize with and attempt to reason with.

Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 3d

During the Obama administration, Oregon Republicans were convinced the federal black helicopters were coming for them at any moment. Today they’re posting videos of black helicopters over Portland & cheering giddily about it. They hate their senator who is speaking out against the black helicopters.

Oregon Republican League Carole Hopkinson • 11h • €
Wyden's upset ..hes cheering the wrong folks.
Terrence K Williams 5
Reels • 15 hours ago • o
Follow
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ICE riot: BLACKHAWKS have been de... more
•• liams • Original audio Terrence K Willi:

veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 3d

Just a total and complete disgrace to everything that this country says it's about.

The Democrats need to understand that the only possible message for 2026-28 is "we're going to redeem this country from this shit. Vote for us and we'll make sure this never happens again in America."

Daniel Connerton @lordnad.bsky.social · 4d

@govpritzker.illinois.gov

37 and Kedzie, East Garfield, Illinois.

This is assault.

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veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 3d

I think we just have to accept that there's no reasoning with the current GOP, and we just need a modern Reconstruction to put this nation back on its feet again.

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 3d

The protests are on one block. Nothing is burning down. His justification for sending in troops is all based on lies.

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veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 5d

Remember when they were saying trans people were inherently terroristic like 2 weeks ago?

Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · 6d

Hard to tell the real illegal militia from the fake illegal militia

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veraeikon.bsky.social @veraeikon.bsky.social · 5d

"You're reinforcing gender stereotypes"

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 5d

They’re literally socially constructing gender out of sand and metal after a decade of tut-tutting about women being adult human females ONLY

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 5d

A lot of tech bros who were upset about pronouns want to confer them on their computers now that they’re dating

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