CN Lester 🏳️‍⚧️

Stopped doomscrolling, took myself on a walk with the amazing new episode of @ologies.bsky.social and learnt about revolutions - and even for someone who's done a fair bit of activism, there were vital new things to learn. Feeling grateful for all the other people who give a fuck and make it count.

And above all, you let life defeat you. All the gifts your parents gave you, all the love and patience of your friends, you drowned in a neurotoxin. You let misery win. And it will keep on winning till you die -- or overcome it.

Stopped doomscrolling, took myself on a walk with the amazing new episode of @ologies.bsky.social and learnt about revolutions - and even for someone who's done a fair bit of activism, there were vital new things to learn. Feeling grateful for all the other people who give a fuck and make it count.

regular reminder that "he wants" ≠ "he will"

the president of the united states wants to use the american military to kill american citizens on american soil. that's the whole story!

Britain invested a /lot/ of energy into telling the world that's what it is. That's the purpose of soft power institutions like the British Council - selling a Cool Britannia of Bend It Like Beckham, Blur versus Oasis, Amy Winehouse and green and pleasant landings.

The tragic thing about the nativistisation of UK politics is that it is the direct opposite of how Britain sells itself - /mostly successfully/ - to a huge chunk of the world. If you go to /even many former colonies/ of this island youll find they genuinely roughly believe in London Olympics Britain

Sums up this most dismal moment.

Don’t worry, once we’ve helped them come for immigrants and trans people, they’re sure to be appeased and dedicated to solidarity in our great big tent and not come after anyone else, as history teaches

We need a bigger tent, that’s why we must betray and expel the following types of people:

Any of those public figures who say the words "Western civilization" all the time now should be immediately disregarded and also has a type of porn on their laptop that cannot be legally described in any known human language.

It certainly appears the United States murdered an innocent fisherman who was a husband and father to four children, claimed he was a "narco-terrorist," posted a video of the execution, and then made jokes about it

when he's right he's right

London people - on October 16th I'll be talking to the phenomenal author @bschillace.brandyschillace.com about trans history, fighting fascism, and what happens when you shine a light on the research the Nazis tried to burn. Could you help us to spread the word? www.waterstones.com/events/the-i...

we should take away all their money so they can’t do this

In case we forget because so much happens every day, I think it's pretty clear they knew EXACTLY whom they blew up because Vance said as much and I hope someone will report on this

As an addendum to Mallory's excellent thread on therapy: it's essential for me that my therapist understands what it's like to live under real threat. I'm incredible lucky to have that, and also had to go through a lot of bad therapists before I found her.

Often one complaint won't be enough to stop a but a therapist that treats you like this will hurt others, and if enough people complain the complaints will be taken seriously eventually.

If the therapist or counsellor has a professional licensing or accreditation body they will usually publicly have a code of conduct. Many ban this kind of behaviour and you can write to them to complain.

If you know a young person who says they've had a therapist like this, let them know: it's okay to find this upsetting, the therapist is in the wrong.

That doesn't mean the counsellor telling you you're wrong and demanding you prove things like your gender identity, or why you think you identify the way that you do.

You're not a lab rat for them to dissect. The therapy process is supposed to be about a productive relationship where they work with you to help you make sense of what's going on for you.

Counselling and therapy sessions are supposed to be safe spaces to address and manage difficult feelings not bury them.

Conversely, the therapy room isn't supposed to be about endless exploration of feelings the counsellor or therapist is interested in but that are not bothering you.

Sometimes these sessions will be about helping you recontextualise difficult feelings. That's fine and good! This should be about helping you learn ways to trust and use your feelings better and make sense of them.

However it shouldn't be about making you hide, deny or distrust your feelings!

This goes double for therapists and counselors dealing with young people who had no choice in selecting the therapist/counselor.

You have a right for your sessions to be a safe space for you and your development. For it to help you understand yourself.

Everyone, even therapists has a right to their beliefs, but the therapy room is not a space for therapists to push those beliefs on clients.

Therapy is a process where they get money out of it and you get a safe space with an expert listener who can help you unpack your experiences and feelings.

Safety Advice:

I keep seeing young trans people on social media talking about therapists disrespecting their pronouns and parents telling them that the therapist has a right to their beliefs.

I want to be clear: you have a right to the therapy room being a safe supportive space for YOUR growth.

St John's church, Glastonbury peering out of the mist. Photograph taken this morning from Glastonbury Tor on Michaelmas day.

the other half of this that I've never really gotten over: this all but explicitly amounts to valorizing being "asleep". people are really out here wielding "I have no idea what's going on, historically speaking" as a credential

Million-year-old skull rewrites human evolution, say scientists New analysis suggests our species began to emerge at least half a million years earlier than we thought

I saw this and I am always amazed at how little we actually know about so many things: www.bbc.com/news/article...