Oklahoma is attempting to pass a bill that would ban explicit romance novels. Authors, narrators, and sellers could all face fines of up to $100,000 and up to 10 years in jail for each instance.
If you live in OK, call your representative and tell them this bill should not be allowed to pass.
This is likely a test case. Republicans will try to pass it in OK and if it passes other states will likely try to pass similar laws.
In the meantime, get physical copies of books you like. Download those pdfs. Archive your AO3 stories and keep them on a physical hard drive. (Storing those files in the cloud could be problematic in the future as the company managing the cloud service can see what your files are)
Oklahoma is attempting to pass a bill that would ban explicit romance novels. Authors, narrators, and sellers could all face fines of up to $100,000 and up to 10 years in jail for each instance.
If you live in OK, call your representative and tell them this bill should not be allowed to pass.
This is likely a test case. Republicans will try to pass it in OK and if it passes other states will likely try to pass similar laws.
In the meantime, get physical copies of books you like. Download those pdfs. Archive your AO3 stories and keep them on a physical hard drive. (Storing those files in the cloud could be problematic in the future as the company managing the cloud service can see what your files are)
Some proof that there ARE elected officials out there, like Vice Mayor Sean Cummings in Oklahoma, who are standing up for LGBTQ+ youth like Nex Benedict and calling out the fact that our words and rhetoric DO matter.
[Context: In this video, Sean Cummings is seen speaking to Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters referring to the death of student Nex Benedict].
With all the bad news happening in the world, here's something good:
Two trans democrats in the Montana House of Representatives gave some very powerful and emotional speeches about 2 bills. One was to effectively ban drag and the other would have granted CPS the ability ro remove trans kids from parents.
These dems were able to get 29 Republicans to flip and vote against these bills. In a deeply red state they were able to protect the rights and lives of transgender individuals.
It's always possible. Making connections with people and getting to know them as they get to know you is the best way to broaden everyone's mind. To create empathy and a community. It may be hard, but it is possible to change people's minds. To get them to see you as human.
Iowa's governor signed a bill that makes discrimination against LGBTQ+ folks legal by removing them as a protected class. This is the first state to do so and sadly we will likely see other states follow suit.
Clips from the Oklahoma House floor concerning anti-trans legislation, original linked in source
Edit: I see this post is popping off again, thank you for sharing! Reminder to our youth watching this video (operationally defined as those 14-25), @bfpnola is an international, Black-, queer-, woman-, and youth-run organization. We’d love to have some new volunteers, especially from Oklahoma in particular because we don’t have any! If you’d just like to meet everyone first, this is our Discord Server. Why not start there and then you can decide? 🫂
Idaho has, today--01/01/2025--asked the US Supreme Court to revoke Obergefell v. Hodges, and strike down the legality of gay marriage.
Oklahoma is attempting to pass a bill that would ban explicit romance novels. Authors, narrators, and sellers could all face fines of up to $100,000 and up to 10 years in jail for each instance.
If you live in OK, call your representative and tell them this bill should not be allowed to pass.
This is likely a test case. Republicans will try to pass it in OK and if it passes other states will likely try to pass similar laws.
In the meantime, get physical copies of books you like. Download those pdfs. Archive your AO3 stories and keep them on a physical hard drive. (Storing those files in the cloud could be problematic in the future as the company managing the cloud service can see what your files are)
Oklahoma is attempting to pass a bill that would ban explicit romance novels. Authors, narrators, and sellers could all face fines of up to $100,000 and up to 10 years in jail for each instance.
If you live in OK, call your representative and tell them this bill should not be allowed to pass.
This is likely a test case. Republicans will try to pass it in OK and if it passes other states will likely try to pass similar laws.
In the meantime, get physical copies of books you like. Download those pdfs. Archive your AO3 stories and keep them on a physical hard drive. (Storing those files in the cloud could be problematic in the future as the company managing the cloud service can see what your files are)
Oklahoma is attempting to pass a bill that would ban explicit romance novels. Authors, narrators, and sellers could all face fines of up to $100,000 and up to 10 years in jail for each instance.
If you live in OK, call your representative and tell them this bill should not be allowed to pass.
This is likely a test case. Republicans will try to pass it in OK and if it passes other states will likely try to pass similar laws.
In the meantime, get physical copies of books you like. Download those pdfs. Archive your AO3 stories and keep them on a physical hard drive. (Storing those files in the cloud could be problematic in the future as the company managing the cloud service can see what your files are)
Christopher Wiggins at The Advocate:
Idaho Republican legislators have introduced a resolution on Tuesday urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 decision that established marriage equality nationwide. The measure, House Joint Memorial 1, claims the Supreme Court overstepped its authority by requiring states to recognize same-sex marriages. It also calls for a return to the so-called “natural definition” of marriage as between one man and one woman, a concept supporters insist is rooted in tradition. The non-binding resolution, spearheaded by the State Affairs Committee, asserts that states and not federal courts should decide marriage laws. While the resolution carries no legal weight, its introduction sends a clear signal about the state GOP’s priorities. “The Idaho Legislature insists on restoring the issue of marriage and enforcement of all laws pertaining to marriage back to the several states and the people,” the resolution reads.
The move comes even as a majority of Americans—including majorities of Democrats and independents and nearly half of Republicans—support marriage equality. A 2024 Gallup survey found that 69 percent of Americans favor the legality of same-sex marriages, a figure that has remained consistently high since the Obergefell ruling.
[...] Idaho’s resolution echoes a growing movement among conservative lawmakers to challenge LGBTQ+ rights at the state level. Across the country, Republican-led legislatures have introduced bills targeting everything from transgender health care to drag performances. The resolution also aligns with Justice Clarence Thomas’s recent remarks in his concurring opinion in the Dobbs case that overturned Roe v. Wade, which in 2022 called for reconsidering cases like Obergefell as part of a broader critique of substantive due process—the legal principle underpinning marriage equality and other rights, such as access to contraception.
Idaho House Republicans file out-of-touch resolution HJM1 to urge the SCOTUS to repeal Obergefell v. Hodges.
See Also:
LGBTQ Nation: Republican asks Supreme Court to condemn & overturn same-sex marriage