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Heard the story of the girl throwing starfish into the ocean? A man watching her says "don't you know there are miles of beach and you can't make a difference?"

The girl bends down and scoops up another starfish and gently throws it into the ocean, turns to the man and says "it made a difference to that one".

I often think of this story when world events make me feel powerless. I can't help everyone, but I can help *someone*.

So... if anyone needs me to throw them into the sea, I'm here.

This news has caused some people to ask why "women's chess" even exists -- women can compete in the open tournament. The women's competitions were a recognition of just how far behind chess is when it comes to cultivating and welcoming female players.

Not that shocking they are even more far behind when it comes to even knowing what that would mean. (eg not excluding trans women.)

But all this misses the bigger point. They don't want any trans people at all in their games.

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Our landlord's realtor had to enter our apartment to make pictures for an online listing to find new renters.

When we opened the door he was surprised by our masks, like everyone, and nervously asked us if we were sick. We explained no, but underlying condition, blabla, just deal with it. I really have no energy to talk to anyone about my mask anymore.

Then he asked if he should wear a mask as well! I immediately seized the opportunity and said yes! Here you go! Handed him a fresh FFP2 in plastic wrap!

He put it on without complaining and then entered our apartment and did his work. My partner and I were so surprised, exchanging looks. This is a new experience for us. Someone willing to mask for us? No crybaby acts?!

When he was done my partner walked him outside and offered to throw away his mask inside and the realtor said no thanks, he'd rather keep it.

Look, this isn't a big win but it's the biggest mask-win I've ever experienced so I'm taking it.

#WearAMask

He’s definitely not β€œstable,” and he sure as hell isn’t a β€œgenius.” He’s an volatile idiot.
#CriminalTrump #StableGenius #FuckingMoron #DonaldTrump

@Zumbador @TheGreatLlama @actuallyautistic

The concern trolls run more regular than some time Swiss time pieces.

I tried to alleviate people’s issues w my pinned post. The old critique was always that I’m β€œβ€˜it part of the community and no one knows you”.

Now it’s my qualifications, which is it course ridiculous because the only qualification one needs to speak with other autistic people is BE AUTISTIC.

Unlike what various trolls claim, I’m actually qualified by the standards of NTs (which is what they really want to know) and that’s posted clearly on my site. For the trolls reading this, I live and work in the European Union, where people cannot just do whatever they want without proper bureaucratic oversight in 99% of fields, including autism education. I am a fully registered and regulated autism educator in the French Republic. That being said, the trolls always claim to have reviewed my site, but always conveniently leave out that part which is clearly stated, along with that I am NOT a medical or psychological clinician, as required by Law.

First it was control that I wasn’t autistic, then it was that I didn’t share my stories, now it’s my qualifications. Posting them here wouldn’t change anything as nothing has ever changed this group of people.

The reality is that all of these people fall into one or all of the following:

1. They don’t support autistic self advocacy, the Neurodiversity Paradigm, or the Neurodiversity Movement.

2. They don’t think autistic people should work with the autistic community either for free or for pay. The latter is a direct connection to the idea that autistic people’s labor is worthless.

3. They are antisemitic and it bothers them to see a loud Jewish autistic person with a platform. This has happened a number of times with the terms β€œevil”, β€œShylock”, β€œshifty”, β€œvermin”, β€œextracting souls” being used a number of times. All antisemitic tropes.

4. They’re bullies.

@Zumbador @TheGreatLlama @actuallyautistic

I’m the only person on this platform in the autistic community who is attacked and insulted with such regularity. It’s caused me much dysregulation and harm. This isn’t really about qualifications, all autistic people are qualified. No one else is asked.

It’s about autistics who internalize NT norms that everyone is lying. They don’t know much about autism or the autistic brain, which is no fault of their own. They don’t like what I have to say. It’s uncomfortable. I know. So they try to use every other excuse in the book to malign me and literally harm me.

The ban on #trans women in #chess is hitting me particularly hard.

I'm a chess enthusiast (in keeping with my careful curated rep as an expert strategist).

It's just this wtf moment that pulls the wind right out of my sails.

I know really well that lots of folks don't like us. But ... how are we ever gonna overcome a level of pure unhinged bigotry that says we can't be trusted play chess?

Obviously ALL women should be insulted by this move.

1. It gladdens my heart that a couple of shitheads who sought to avoid the wrong kind of press actually put their names into national headlines by trying to silence this paper

2. I’m quite ignorant of the process required to obtain warrants, but it seems the prosecutor not being informed of this one demonstrates how very, very shady the whole thing was.

pbs.org/newshour/politics/kans

Made the CEO laugh today!

He asked where the box cutter was so I showed him… and he politely asked if I was going to need it. I said, β€œIf I need it that bad, call the cops!"

@philip_cardella @mrcompletely This is why they're book banning and trying to take over school boards.

And then there's this guy, making the implicit threat of violence against women explicit (Locke is a pastor in Mt. Juliet pop 39k)

Morning everyone, buenos dΓ­as a todos, bonjour a tous.

This is a #ThrowbackThursday #TBThursday #Tbt and a #thirsttrapThursday also... From some summers ago at the #nudistbeach down my house. Nowadays you can still go #naked there but it has been invaded by dressed people so it is a bummer.

The previous homeowners had plastic grass in this planter, and I always thought about replacing it with real plants. 10+ years later, I finally did it. Fittonia and sansevieria. The sansevieria are tiny propagated babies right now and I’m looking forward to seeing them grow. #Houseplants

At five years old, I couldn't grasp the concept of a scapegoat; all I understood was that, because of Japan’s aggression that pulled the United States into the war, my family and I had to leave our home at gunpoint, taking with us only what we could carry. As I got older, I understood scapegoating for what it is: a channel for hate, blame, and bigotry.

My lifelong mission has been preventing this from happening again, yet my heart aches as the LGBTQ+ community faces it now. We've fought for our rights to live, love, and be ourselvesβ€”a vibrant, misunderstood, and often mistreated rainbow of identities.

I have seen where scapegoating, if left unchallenged, leads. And it is a very dark place. This week, I chose to share my story with you in the hopes that we never repeat the heinous mistakes of the past. thinkbigpicture.substack.com/p

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