Farrah Garland

Listening to the "Weird Little Guys" (great podcast) about American neo-nazi and creator of the term "white power" George Lincoln Rockwell. During the setup, before they said his name, I 100% seriously thought "damn, they got the Charlie Kirk episode out FAST!"

So, that says something.

Had a lovely time this weekend w Rep Bumgardner & so many wonderful Stonington candidates & our neighbors. Getting to chat abt questions, thoughts, concerns abt our community was a great exp. We're lucky to have so many well-informed, curious, kind people living in our towns (& running for office!)

I'm at a local coffee shop waiting for my meeting.

I'm my "idk where I'm going but im gay" shirt. The most STUNNING woman walked by and said "hey, i LOVE your shirt"

Excuse me while I just dissolve like cotton candy in the rain in the best possible way

It's not a book, just a short article about a very cool disabled musician :)

Do you know about this INCREDIBLE human?!
If you don't, you should - open.substack.com/pub/thefarra... or link in bio ✒️

#SubstackWriters #ClarenceCarter #DisabilityHistory #DisabilityTidbits #AmWriting #DeafBlind #Musician #contemporary

So if you support this quirky 3rd party candidate or like what I'm up to, you can donate here or link in bio. Every dollar makes a huge difference to this small, but big-hearted campaign:
bit.ly/farrah4boe
(I'm working on making the page prettier, but at least it works

You can also donate to my campaign to help me fund things like lawn signs.
Most endorsed GOP and Dems have their town committees to pay for these things. For me, it's all individual fundraising!

For now, you can find me, Bridget Shrivel, and Zach Boudah for Boarh at Coffee with State Representative Aundré Bumgardner at The Ditty Bag Market and Cafe this Saturday.

I'm excited to hear from folks about their thoughts about our school system, share more about my views on the beauties of public education, and how we can do more for our kiddos & educators here in Stonington.

📣 I'm running for Stonington Board of Education, and I've been endorsed by the Working Families Party!

I'm looking forward to a very community-centric, inclusive, authentic campaign.

bit.ly/farrah4boe

Today, I had to explain to my (deeply conservative, republican) mother what a Libertarian is and why many of us here in New England aren't visiting New Hampshire right now.

#PuttingTheDieInLiveFreeOrDie

A skeleton standing in the middle of a yard full of fallen leaves is dressed like Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything (1989), holding a boombox over its head.

Happy Friday all! Here's our Mutual Aid thread for the week of Friday, Aug 29

Take your meds 💊

Hydrate 🚰

Water your green pets 🌿

Check in with yourself 🫵🏽

Check in with your people 👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏿

Make one small choice that supports public health today 😷

It's never too early to start planning Halloween 🎃

Did you know that a disabled man shaped the city of San Diego?
Learn more! - open.substack.com/pub/thefarra... or link in bio ✒️

#SubstackWriters #CharlesDali #DisabilityHistory #DisabilityTidbits #AmWriting #Polio #SanDiego #politics #NoPaywall

Funny how marginalized groups not wanting to be sacrificed is "asking for perfection"

As our country becomes increasingly inhospitable and dangerous for so many of us, including people like me, I've begun looking more seriously into immigration.

Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, maybe Portugal?

The process is hard for everyone. For a disabled person, it's so much harder.

a big lessons of 2020 for the uninitiated *should* have been that cops—broadly meaning state agents—use whatever force they want on whoever they want. if you registered that, you may be able to process what we're seeing now with ICE agents

and if you didn't know it then, now's the next best time

It's not "official official" til the SOTS says so, but...

I've got all the signatures & then some from folks in our town to appear on the ballot this November as a Working Families Party candidate for Board of Ed here in Stonington!

Stay tuned - it's gonna be great

- theday.com/news/776189/...

I have the best friends, the most beautiful community. I can't WAIT to share some exciting news as soon as it's OFFICIAL official 😏

Suffice it to say, we're moving & shaking in a beautiful, authentic way here in Stonington. I'm STOKED!

#BreakFromTheStatusQuo
#AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent

Of course, these rules are flexible, as every disabled person is a unique human and has their own preferences. But these are good starting points. It's always good to start by treating all people as people, & go from there.

5. DO acknowledge us!
Treat us normally. You don't need to pretend we're invisible or that our chair is. You don't have to vacate the area we're in, avoid talking to us, avoid acknowledging our mobility aid, ONLY talk about our mobility aid. Just treat us like people. We are, in fact, people 😉

I also like when kids tell me they like my bike (so cute) & I get to tell them it's my wheelchair because my legs don't work well, & they just smile & say " oh, okay!" & skip off. This is different than rude & invasive questions from (usually older) kids & adults.

To clarify, I LOVE small kids who ask "mom, what're they doing?" & their parents take the time to educate their children abt disability w/o having ME do the labor for them. I love when they encourage their kids to ask me if I'd like to tell them more, vs teaching them they're entitled to my info

4. DO educate yo kids!
Teach your kids about disabilities, disabled people, & not to point/stare/ask invasive questions. Kids who run up to you & ask you why you're in a chair grow up to be adults who ask point-blank you if you can have sex.

3. DO give us room/make space!
Chairs take up more space, & the physics of a chair moving/stopping is very different than someone walking. It's harder for us to swerve/stop, so giving us a bit more room is super kind!

2. DO complement our chairs/mobility aids!
These fuckers are EXPENSIVE & often we spent years fighting to get them! Often we love them & are proud of them, & it's nice to know they look rad af! Just, treat it like you would complimenting someone's shirt, hair, whatever.

Also inspired by Twitter user Charlie Knight, here are some wheelchair etiquette "do's"!

1. DO offer to open the door for us, just like you would for anyone else. But please remember not to move us, no touching! Just like anyone else lol.

Tl'dr - Please just treat us like you would anyone else. We are whole people who value our independence and mobility. Please be kind and mindful.

7. Please do not lean on our chairs or use them as footrests, especially if you're a rando.

8. Much like point 1, but it bears repeating, do not move us without asking, do not set or take off our brakes without asking. We aren't furniture, we are people.

5. Don't move our wheelchairs after we transfer out of them unless we've asked you to and know where it's going. You've taken my legs!

6. We are not "wheelchair bound" or "confined to a wheelchair." We're wheelchair users. Wheelchairs are freedom!

4. Don't assume someone in a wheelchair isn't ambulatory. Sometimes someone in a chair can & will walk. This isn't an opportunity to attack them & question their disability.