Amy Marshal

Guys with sandwiches, frogs, old ladies, dinosaurs, dudes in pajamas...

The army of righteousness grows every day.

This, exactly.

This is insanely illegal and incredibly fucking dangerous.

I wrote this piece five years ago today and titled it "Hope." That was before I knew what a struggle I'd begin to have with hope just a few months later. I appreciated reading it again, so I'm sharing for anyone else who needs a little dose of unhampered hope amidst (waves hands) all this. (6/6)

Creation explodes past the sterile
Tick marks in boxes beside empty action points
Lavish
Awkward
Beautiful
Living in wonderful imperfection
Eagerly open to heart-pounding possibility (5/6)

Becoming divinely human
In this renaissance of being myself
Honest
Vulnerable
Pure
Wholly who I am
Yet beyond who I’d believed I could be (4/6)

Birth is an act of unconstrained power
Lifebearing requires surrender to forces
Greater
Richer
Stronger
Than limits set against insecurity
Checking my ability to grow in unashamed grace (3/6)

I am not frightened as the wind picks up
Thunderheads and lightning bolts inspire awe
Wild
Reckless
Alive
A tautly drawn bowstring of anticipation
Releases in exhilaration and revival (2/6)

Image of lightning bolts coming out of a cloud and the words, 'Wild Reckless Alive'

Currents sharpen the atmosphere
Spark beyond the spectrum of visible light
Excitement
Joy
Desire
Scent the air
Like petrichor from incoming storms (1/6)

Does the sign say "Lords of the Plains"?

As Erin notes, many institutions have capitulated, but some are fighting back. Way to go, districts in Chicago, Denver, and Virginia!

Image of text that reads, 'Everyone who studies US political violence finds right-wing perpetrators outpace left-wing perpetrators by huge margins. For anyone to routinely say otherwise suggests they are ill-informed, delusional, or simply lying.'

I'm getting very tired of hearing the baseless notion that "leftist violence" poses the most significant threat.

i have to say, as a trans journalist who has covered the "trans debate" for about a decade now, there is no daylight between how the trump administration and conservatives lie about tylenol and autism and how they've lied about youth trans care.

As I read this post, taking in the final sentences, I saw the makings of an awesome epitaph. "Jason Herbert @herberthistory.bsky.social was a good man who lived a good life and said some good things worth listening to." Thanks for providing a little piece of inspiration I needed tonight. 3/3

Ever since—especially after becoming a mom myself—what words I might write for my own tombstone has rolled though the tunnels at the back of my brain, occasionally popping its little head up like a prairie dog in the Badlands. Not in a morbid way so much as a statement of who I'd like to be. 2/3

(Please bear with me while I get to the point.)

My mom died when I was in high school. She had been sick, but we weren't expecting her death as suddenly as it occurred. I chose the words on her grave marker. They were meaningful to me, but I never felt like they represented the essence of Mom. 1/3

Image showing swirls of color overlaid by text that reads, 'Leave Trans People Alone'

If you think trans people have caused the problems we're facing, you're focused on the wrong 1%

An Alternative to Hope Or, The Secret Medicine for When the Thing With Feathers Stop Singing

Some thoughts for when you find you can't hope, courtesy of Emily Nagoski. I have shared this with more people than I can count over the last year, because I continue to find it so incredibly helpful. Thank you, @enagoski.bsky.social!
buttondown.com/enagoski/arc...

Image of text that reads, 'There's no one right way to read the Bible. You can read it lots of ways. But there is a wrong way, and that is any way that's harmful to yourself or someone else. Julie Faith Parker'

I no longer believe in God as I was taught to read from the Bible, but I continue to be invested in keeping others from the harm of Biblical interpretations wielded as weapons.
Quote source: thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-302-...

I agree. It is obvious when you aren't tangled in the web of lies woven to make you believe that fighting abortion access is actually protecting babies.

Image of text that reads, 'In 2014, World Vision announced that it was willing to hire Christians in same-sex marriages in the United States. The reaction was instantaneous, overwhelming, and ferocious. Prominent evangelicals and organizations denounced the Christian humanitarian organization for deviating from traditional Christian values. The charity lost more than 3,000 sponsors for needy children. Evangelical groups across the country called for a boycott. Prominent evangelicals such as Franklin Graham and Al Mohler attacked World Vision; Mohler referred to its decision as “a grave and tragic act.” Evangelical scholars called it a “betrayal.” The extraordinary humanitarian work of World Vision didn’t seem to matter; prosecuting the culture war did, even if innocent children were the collateral damage. Within two days, World Vision reversed its decision.'

Image of text that reads, 'It’s a revealing comparison: A decision by a venerated Christian relief agency to hire Christians in same-sex relationships caused an immediate, angry, and explosive reaction across the evangelical world, while the decision to effectively end a program that has saved more than 25 million lives on the African continent barely registers. Few of those who are aware of what’s happening have anything to say about it. And many who are inclined to say something pull back, fearful of the consequences. Because of the brazen cruelty of the Trump administration, we can expect there to be new murals of Jesus surrounded by children who died of AIDS in Ethiopia, new “Coffin Rows” in countries like Malawi, and fewer miracles like the one that saved the life of John Robert Engole. Evangelicals in America—for a dozen different reasons—have mostly turned their eyes away from what is happening on the African continent. They have other things to do. They have culture wars to fight.'

“This is the exact disregard for human life that animates our anger against abortion. So why are we not furious at this catastrophic loss of life?”
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv... (gift link)

Also directed toward people making jokes about families "deserving" to lose their kids in rushing floodwaters or to vaccine-preventable diseases because they voted for this or that candidate. I don't care about your politics; if you can dismiss some people as expendable, that is what divides us.

Image of a dirt road with the sun setting behind distant mountains overlaid by black text on a white background that reads, 'It's not politics that divides us. It's the utter disregard for the full humanity of other people. Putting human beings in cages and joking that alligators in the area will eat well is not politics. Denying food to starving children and calling it "trimming the fat" is not politics. Passing laws that keep people from accessing healthcare necessary to prevent their deaths is not politics. The fact that you find these inhumane acts of vicious cruelty acceptable, even laudable? That is what divides us.'

My thoughts on our country being divided over "politics."

Let's call this: "Jason made me cry again with the beautiful words he wrote."

Image of text that reads, 'Care About Other People' The letter O in Other replaced by a heart decorated with wavy stripes in the colors of the Progress Pride Flag (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, light blue, white, pink, black, and brown).

As we wrap up Pride Month, let's remember that loving and showing up for one another is a year-round practice. ❤️

Image of fuzzy rainbow stripes overlaid by the silhouette of two rings overlapping to form a heart and text that reads, 'Keep Calm And Marry On'

Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Obergefell v Hodges decision deeming state bans on same-sex marriages unconstitutional.

Image of text that reads, 'I'm not sure which is more disturbing: that the people leading our nation don't know what they're doing, or that they do.'

Anybody for both/and?

Experts believe the true number of medical emergencies is far higher.

Image of text in rainbow and trans pride colors that reads, 'A World Without Lesbians A World Without Gays A World Without Bisexuals A World Without Trans People A World Without Queer Qeople A World Without Intersex People Has Never Existed and never will'

A world without people trying to force others to hide in closets, however, is worth continuing to work toward.

Drawing of a wavy line in rainbow-colored stripes surrounded by text that reads, 'You are not too much. You are not wrong. You are not alone. You are art, and anthem, and answer. Happy Pride Month—Your Light Matters.' followed by a sparkle emoji

I've been leaning into: If I am too much for you, go find less.