feature image by The Washington Post / Contributor via Getty Images
Organ Meats by K-Ming Chang comes out next Tuesday, and get ready, because it’s so great. Preorder now and stay tuned for a review as well as an interview with K-Ming.
Saw This, Thought of You
Protesters on Capitol Hill Call for Israel-Gaza Cease-Fire, Hundreds Arrested. CBS News reports: “Hundreds of protesters demonstrated on Capitol Hill and occupied part of a House office building on Wednesday, urging lawmakers and the Biden administration to push for a cease-fire in Gaza, which has been under Israeli airstrikes since a deadly Hamas terror attack.”
The action was organized by the Jewish anti-Zionist organization Jewish Voice for Peace. And as an accompanying piece, here is The Nation‘s interview with an activist from JVP: Jews Say “No” to War Crimes in Their Name. To learn about future actions organized by JVP, follow the org on Instagram.
Aaaaand related: Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jan. 6 Apologist, Calls Peaceful Jewish Anti-War Protest an “Insurrection.” The New Republic says it best: “The Georgia congresswoman’s hypocrisy knows no bounds.”
Queer as in F*ck You
Hate Crimes Against Trans and Gender Nonconforming People Increased by Nearly 33% in 2022.
Book banning news continues: Scholastic Book Fairs Are Putting Some “Diverse Titles” in a Separate Category.
“Let Gaza Live”: Protestor Interrupts Biden Speech at LGBTQ+ Rights Gala. During Biden’s speech at the Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner over the weekend, an activist shouted: “Let Gaza live! Ceasefire now!” Biden claimed not to hear.
Trans North Carolinians and Montanans Are Suing Their States Over Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws.
A Federal Judge in Montana Has Blocked Montana’s Drag Ban (Again).
Anti-LGBTQ+ efforts are not limited to the South and red states. I’ll keep saying this over and over again. How Conservatives Are Waging a Coordinated, Anti-LGBTQ+ Culture War in California Schools.
Some LGBTQ+ news from around the world:
- India’s Supreme Court Has Declined to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage.
- Poland’s Conservative Anti-LGBTQ+ Party Has Lost Its Majority in Parliament.
Political Snacks
Ron DeSantis Reminds America That Harvard and Yale Graduated an Ignorant Bigot.
One More Thing
These Ilya Kaminsky lines have been all over my feeds, and they keep echoing in my head:
terrorist attack and deadly airstrikes, seems very colored
Hamas has to release the hostages before anything happens, Hamas is still sending rockets into Israel, no chance of a ceasefire.
Dudes! The protestors were arrested for protesting INSIDE of a congressional building (which is illegal), rather than protesting OUTSIDE of the building. They were ticketed and released.
What is this?? Is autostraddle becoming just a cog in the Iran-Russia-China propaganda machine? Are y’all just clickbaiters now? Is this your new ownership structure baiting you on, or is it that none of you actually have training in political journalism and the responsibility of careful message framing to avoid sensationalism? All serious questions.
Sorry that last part attacking training/credentials was unnecessary. I know I don’t have the training to deal with such a delicate topic in a careful journalistic way (why I haven’t written any articles about it).
Let’s continue to be critical of our country and Israel and ask for the best from them and defend universal human rights. BUT LET’S NOT FORGET TO THANK OUR LUCKY STARS THAT WE HAVE THE FREEDOM TO CRITICIZE!
And, to that end, let’s not spread misinformation that makes it seem like people are being punished for legal protest in the United States. If we’re going to aid and applaud the misinformation-induced toppling of democracies far and near for being imperfect arbiters of justice, let’s at least be self-aware while we’re doing it.
A powerful testament to the courage of hundreds of Jewish activists standing for peace. Their arrests in Washington echo a passionate plea for a ceasefire in Gaza, highlighting the diverse voices advocating for humanitarian resolution amidst conflict.