Just Another Random Poem

Summer of 2015
This summer is a revolution
And children of the future
Will likely have to remember these
Dates,
Cramming for the newest,
The latest and greatest
Brain-draining exam.

This summer has been testing
As my black and trans sisters
Are murdered around me
And the TV only mentions
White people's names.

This is the summer
Of 2015 -
A silenced summer
As Jennicet Gutierrez
Screams for justice.

This is a summer of justice
Of vengeance for violence -
Of remembrance,
Because being black
Shouldn't be a crime.

This is a summer of sexuality,
Of bodily autonomy
Because in one small way
Rich white Christians
Are forced to respect my
Humanity,
Because I have the satisfaction
Of slightly increased control
Over my own body.

This is the summer
In which the world finally knows
That Josh Duggar didn't allow his sisters the same.

This is a summer
In which history has been repeated
In which blood has been shed.
In which people have died.

This is a summer
In which childless mothers have cried
Because #AllLivesMatter
As long as those lives are cis and white.

Let's learn from this summer of 2015
So that, as they study it in history class,
The children of the future will not repeat our mistakes.

Thoughts About Josh Duggar

TW: rape, misogyny, rape apologism, Christianity, incest

Until now, Mod Frey and I have been largely silent on the topic of Josh Duggar.

So I'll write a post about him - and, more importantly, the fact that he raped five girls.

Look, if you've even vaguely heard of 19 Kids and Counting - a show I've long despised - you probably know the gist of the story by now. Nine years ago, sweet little Joshie, then a teenager, fondled the breasts and genitalia of five young girls, four of whom were his sisters. His parents and a state trooper - a man who is currently serving time for child pornography - deliberately covered up the crime until the statute of limitations had passed. In fact, Duggar's rapes would have gone completely unreported if not for some investigating that uncovered accusations of rape (I don't know all the details on this, but I assume said investigating was done by someone who finds the Duggars as creepy and horrifying as I do; I praise their unknown name).

And the "help" these people got for Josh was a few months of carpentry work. Under a family friend who also covered up his crime.

Now that I've covered the background of the crime, let's get to the aftermath.

1. People have been calling this a "controversy"...and do I even need to explain why this is wrong? The man is a SERIAL RAPIST. He's the scum of the earth. That shouldn't be controversial. It should be horrifying.
2. People have been defending Josh Duggar. See #1.
3. Josh Duggar was once on the Marriage and Family Council. You know, one of those cults that pretends to "love homosexuals but hate homosexuality" or some other crap. Or maybe they just openly hate queer people. I don't even know anymore. These cults all look alike to me, and the Duggars really are one by themselves.
4. So...why is being queer a sin, yet rape is still defended?
5. People who defend Josh Duggar, I really need to know. Do you just have some strange obsession with making sure nobody has control over their own bodies?
6. In one of many awesome tweets responding to Josh Duggar's serial rapes - let's call them what they are - a woman said something along the lines of "I don't know why anyone's surprised by the cover-up. Putting the needs of a son over multiple daughters is the very definition of patriarchy."

Well said, strange woman. Well said.

I Just...(TW: rape, homophobia, child molestation, pedophilia, mention of death, Christianity, sexism, victim-blaming, ableist language, conversion therapy)

I saw the most horrifying conversation about this video. Obviously, the therapist was horrible and deserves to have his license and Ph.D revoked and the boy's parents are absolutely disgusting people for putting their child in conversion therapy. All three of them need to be in prison as far as I'm concerned.

But that's not even the worst of what people have said. Don't read the rest of this post unless you're feeling powerful; even as I write this post, my stomach is twisting up in knots and my hands are shaking so hard I can barely keep from misspelling every word (yay for spell check and fancy education). I'm only doing so because I hope that one day, no one will have to write these posts.

A straight cis Christian man, Pittman STEELE LLC, had this to say: "gay is not normal, it is a Lifestyle, yeah you have the right to do as you please that's between you and God, but dont try to make it normal it has been around for centuries, and it's angering God the whole time!,...and remember when there was no AIDS, look if you want to be Gay be Gay but you don't have to advertise your sexual preference, im straight but I don't have to announce it, our sexual life is Private and it should always be that way, if someone is Gay ok, but don't try to rewrite Scriptures and make a fool of GOD, he didn't want this to be a part of our lives, people chose their Path and thats their right, but at some point you will have to Answer to the ALL MIGHT GOD, read the word it is clear that God wanted no parts of this type of lifestyle, dont get me wrong God didnt want straight men running around shagging every woman they encounter either but im just saying."

1. Being queer isn't a lifestyle. A 'lifestyle' would imply that it's a choice. Which it's not.
I never chose to be bisexual. I never chose to be gray-panromantic. I never chose to be genderfluid. I was just born this way (edit: I wrote this post before Lady Gaga made her transphobic and intersexphobic comments and before I came out to myself as gray-ace). The only thing I chose was to not hate myself.
2. Don't try to make it normal? Why the hell not? Part of the reason queer people are so discriminated against is because straight-ness and cis-ness are considered the default, the norm. And you know what? Let's just get rid of this ridiculous normal concept altogether and celebrate the fact that we're all different and all awesome. But a lot of people get treated like absolute shit and we need to change that. And honestly, marginalized people give no fucks if privileged people feel oppressed by our demanding to be treated with respect and dignity, our trying to "make it normal".
3. Of course he doesn't have to announce his heterosexuality. People are just going to assume it. No one's going to blink if he held hands with his girlfriend in public. But if I held hands in public with mine (if and when I get one) when I'm not passing for male? We are likely to have hateful slurs screamed at us by total strangers or risk being attacked and raped, being denied medical treatment or jobs or the privilege to adopt kids (not that adopting kids is really relevant right now) or service in restaurants and stores.
4. Yes, people's sexual lives are private...as long as they're not queer, apparently.
5. Don't try to rewrite Scriptures? What makes this guy think queer people, many of whom are culturally atheist or Jewish or Muslim or pagan or are culturally Christian but leave Christianity after being discriminated against by straight cis Christians (often straight cis Christians whom they trusted and loved, which makes the whole thing that much more twisted and vile), are at all interested in what the Bible has to say?
6. Who the hell does this guy think he is, thinking he knows what God wants? He's not God. Think about that for a moment. Now repeat it in your mind until you understand. Also, all Christians reading this who 'love homosexuals but hate homosexuality'? Back the fuck off. You're not God. You don't get to tell me or anyone else how to live our lives. You don't get to cause us psychological damage or concern troll or try to force us to conform to your ideals because you want to 'save' us...but many of you do all of that anyway. That shit is not okay.

Freedom of religion does not mean freedom of Christianity.

Another straight cis Christian man, PrepperWork Shop, said this (and many other atrocious things): "and a man and a woman is not some deviant behavior most faggots are kid fiddlers."

I'd call him out, but the other commenters did it so much better than I ever could. Particularly a rather badass woman named Ariella.

Here's what she had to say (among many other awesome things): "Really? 'Most homosexuals are kid fiddlers?' Because...I was raped as a kid by a straight man. So, yeah. Exhibit A."

And here's what PrepperWork Shop told her in reply: "Well you shouldn't have provoked it."

He just victim-blamed her for being raped. As a child, by a grown man.

Honestly, there is just so fucking much wrong with both of these men. As Ariella puts it: "you deserve to die. You and Pittman both deserve to go to prison and be forced to pick up the soap every single fucking day for the rest of your lives until the other inmates drag you off and torture you both until you die screaming."

*wide-eyed slow clap*

The things people say on the internet. Just those things.

I do believe Ariella concluded this post better than I could.