Sea Of Clouds Over Mount Yoshino.

miss athena

Lyft just offered me free credits to break the strike this week.

There’s a lyft / uber strike planned this week from 7am to 9pm on Wednesday May 8th. I got a notification this morning that every ride taken this week gives me credit on future rides. I found that tempting but then remembered why they are doing it - to encourage folks to cross a picket line. I for one won’t be taking advantage of this offer, as I stand in solidarity with people utilizing their right to free speech to bargain for better working conditions.

Consider this a friendly reminder to those who follow me that this is happening, and I hope you’ll support the apps’ drivers in their quests for better pay.

aquarryl on ig

UK Trans Rights

WHAT'S THE CURRENT PROCESS FOR LEGAL TRANSITION IN THE UK?

Currently, if you wish to legally change your gender in the UK, you must:

-get signatures/letters from 2 doctors, usually your GP (general practitioner) and your psychologist at a GIC (gender identity clinic) who has diagnosed you with gender dysphoria

-Live as your gender for at least 2 years AFTER diagnosis

-Undergo a rigid mental health background check to rule out mania or psychosis (rather ableist in itself; mentally ill trans people are still trans!)

-Go in front of a panel of strangers and prove you are "trans enough".

WHAT HAVE THE UK GOVERNMENT DONE TO CAUSE OUTRAGE?

There were recently plans in place to repeal this process and allow trans folk to self-identify their legal gender (to change it without doctors and the panel). Today (20/9/20), the government announced they will scrap this plan this week, despite a survey saying 70% of people are in support of repealing the current process.

This process is severely taxing for us. It ends lives, it ruins lives. It's not acceptable. We need a change to the process, and we need it now.

WHAT'S THE ISSUE WITH THIS PROCESS?

-It is extremely difficult to get a diagnosis under the NHS (the UK'S mostly free healthcare system). Due to chronic underfunding, waiting lists for an initial assessment are 2-5 years long a lot of the time, particularly in Northern Ireland where there is only one doctor who can diagnose GD. This is just for an initial appt, let alone future appts to diagnose and determine the right course of action. Furthermore, if your GP is transphobic, they may not vouch for you being trans.

-Most trans people have lived as their true gender for many many years before being able to legally change their gender. This only adds usually unnecessary waiting time, likely worsening many's gender dysphoria as they will still legally be being referred to as the wrong gender.

-Again, mentally ill trans people are still trans. In rare cases, serious MH issues may be the reason someone believes they are trans, e.g. we see many people with body dysmorphia mistaking this for dysphoria. However, to say disorders like psychotic disorders and bipolar disorder usually mean the person is not really trans is both ableist and transphobic.

-You know yourself better than anyone. These people will be looking for signs of distress and suffering in childhood, which is not present for many trans people. You do not have to know young to be trans, or be miserable. Strangers will NEVER know you better than yourself; to allow them to play such a huge role in a pivotal, life-changing (and possibly life-saving) moment is absurd

Source:

UK trans rights

UK trans rights

what's happening?

UK followers please i urge you to sign this petition so this issue can be debated in parliament. Non UK followers please DO NOT fill this out but share it. Parliament will use outside interference as an excuse to make the petition invalid.

Petitions - UK Government and Parliament

Petition: Reform the Gender Recognition Act.

Reform the GRA to allow transgender people to self-identify without the need for a medical diagnosis, to streamline the administrative proce

This vein visualization technology uses near-infrared light, which is absorbed by blood but reflected by the surrounding tissue, to locate veins up to 15mm deep, and then projects the results back on the skin | source                          

Just your daily reminders:

Racists are a problem

White people are not

Homophobes are a problem

Straight people are not

Transphobes are a problem

Cis people are not

Sexists are a problem

Men are not

And most importantly,

Hating an innocent person solely because of their race, sexuality, or gender makes you a fucking asshole

just dropping a truth bomb