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Cassandra Whitaker

@casswhit.bsky.social
3.6K followers 5.6K following 424 posts

Poet, Writer, Educator 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ (She/they/Mx). NBCC, Wolf Devouring A Wolf Devouring A Wolf available from Jackleg Press. queerthewolves.wordpress.com Neurospicy

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Cassandra Whitaker
Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 29/09/2026
Riley Gaines, famous for turning her 5th place tie with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas into a far-right career agianst transgender people, has officially had her lawsuit against the NCAA thrown out by a judge today. The judge found no evidence for her claims. Subscribe to support our journalism.
erininthemorning.com
Riley Gaines' Title IX Lawsuit Against The NCAA Struck Down After Judge Finds "No Evidence" Of Funding Claims
Gaines’ attorneys argued her civil rights were violated because she competed against a transgender athlete.
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Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Finally got my signed copy of Mule from Orville Peck, white like the surrender chip. This album smacks. Brilliant addition to his catalog. Plenty of high energy on this beauty.
Mule, the inside cover to Orville Peck's new record. Featuring a white on white Peck on a white background. Peck is bearded and wearing a black mask. Peck in his underwear and tee looking down at a white floor. His white hat obscures his face. His signature is a series of peaks and valleys with a star as the dot on the i
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Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Next week! Excited for this reading! Please join us!
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Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Excited to read with these fine poets! Please join us on October 1st, free! www.eventbrite.com/e/a-very-lit...
Lineup Nicole Tallman, host Donna Vorreyer, Sarah Carey, Cassandra Whitaker
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 14/09/2026
Cis people do not understand how much trans people's rights have regressed in just 5 years. 5 years ago, there were none of these restrictions. 19 states banned legal recognition 21 states have bathroom bans 8 states ban gender marker changes on DLs 25 ban gender affirming care for trans youth
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Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
When Democrats attempt to triangulate on trans rights, it's my sense that many liberals and people in politics don't understand why many trans people are so upset. I wrote about the differences between then and now, what trans people have lost, and what we still stand to lose
autonomy.substack.com
This Is Not A Love Song
Explaining the “maximalism” of trans rights
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Haters_gonna_hate (Princess Kim K) @princesskim.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I’m Tuna 🍣 I’m a husky on death row #nycacc begging for an E Coast foster 2save me! My transport/medical is covered! If u cannot foster me, a simple repost could get me 2my human! Pls save my life! I’m urgent ‼️
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Madison Pauly @msjpauly.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Former Levi's exec Jennifer Sey fanned a culture war over trans athletes in a league that has none—to the benefit of her clothing brand, XX-XY Athletics. "I know my mom isn’t that invested" in the WNBA, her son told me. "But...I guess the vultures will circle." www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
The woman profiting off the WNBA's trans panic
Sophie Cunningham set off a firestorm. Jennifer Sey was ready to capitalize.
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Queerazon.com @queerazon.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Happy Birthday, Jennifer Coolidge! Born August 28, 1961, Jennifer Coolidge has become a beloved queer icon through her unforgettable performances, camp humor, and steadfast support for the LGBTQ+ community. #JenniferCoolidge
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Citizen.Coping @propcazhpm.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Rest in Peace Michel Wright. #BlackSky #FilmSky alt-text: photos of iconic African American actor from The Five Heartbeats and so many different roles
hollywoodreporter.com
Michael Wright, Star of ‘The Five Heartbeats’ and ‘Sugar Hill,’ Dies at 70
The New York native also was memorable as a Resistance fighter on ‘V’ and as the doomed inmate Omar White on ‘Oz.’
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Katelyn Burns @katelynburns.com · 20/08/2026
For my newsletter, I wrote about some new data showing that LGBTQ people are a massive voter base and Dem candidates should be wary of alienating them. www.burnsnotice.com/democratic-c...
burnsnotice.com
Democratic Candidates Must Beware of Betraying Queer Voters
New data from the Human Rights Campaign shows how much power LGBTQ voters have at the ballot box
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Banned Content @bonklechicken.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
My stupid contribution to Petra Parker #spiderman #trans
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Anti-Heroin Chic @antiheroinchic.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
"Do you remember the house on Hillside Street, how its emptiness felt like a portal? How it sagged and bowed and leaned, as if it were melting into the overgrowth? How one-bys held up the front porch awning, salvaged from interior walls ripped open for copper, the lath left dangling?"
heroinchic.weebly.com
Eulogy By Chad Sullivan
Warren LeMay   CC Eulogy ​     Do you remember the house on Hillside Street, how its emptiness felt like a portal? How it sagged and bowed and leaned, as if it were melting into the overgrowth?...
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Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
🚨
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Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Grateful to be included in this cool new edition of Inqueery, which features some wonderful artwork and photography from the queer community. This new magazine focuses on queer art from the Midwest, and elsewhere inqueery.shop/blogs/inquee...
INQUEERY

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Groombrides In the Heart of the State

Deep in the chamber's chamber--- in a country/that remembers fear the boot the local thug / with authority and swag- pen and paper cruelty / as benign and straight as a mouth holding a pistol-/two lovers- dear for dear--- aligned--- latticed and sturdy /as a country garden--- dears marrying each Each / night their soup--- a feast each feast--- a celebration / of their names--- their softness to each like green / curling vines-- a curling cat's tail-- a bright rainstorm / in early spring When they hold hands / the muscles of mean shake--- when they kiss /the state declares an emergency-two dears/-engendering flesh with desire / Their joya lyre--- / fingers upon the neck /breath upon breath

A Bell Ringing

Marry

-not my body

its own body-my joy

your joy

will be the sum of joy

ringing

in a body which is

only

growing still

my joy

-my body will become

will become

-our joy

- your joy's joy

from shared swings manifesting

a body

for a moment before

before the next swing

Phobia

When I wore suffering on the inside

I was my enemy-now-I wear my joy

on the outside and my enemy lends me their suffering wearing a snarl-claiming

their hate is my own hate-not theirs-alone
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sirosenbaum.bsky.social @sirosenbaum.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
In other times and places this would be the basis for a "hostile workplace" suit.
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Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Also, because there is no cell service, the main characters read and have adventures outside.
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Angie Han @ajhan.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I have seen roughly 487 "teenage girl comes of age over a summer spent at her family's waterside vacation home" YA dramas over the past few years. Sterling Point, from My Old Ass director Megan Park, is easily the best of them
hollywoodreporter.com
‘Sterling Point’ Review: Amazon’s Summertime YA Drama Brims with Heart, Humor and Personality
Hailing from Megan Park ('My Old Ass') and executive producers Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz ('The O.C.'), the series follows a teenager who inherits a Canadian island from her late grandfather.
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PinkNews @pinknews.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Teen drama Sterling Point delights sapphic fans: ‘Beautiful women and an actually good storyline’ www.thepinknews.com/2026/08/06/teen…
thepinknews.com
Lesbians are loving this new teen drama
Following the premiere of Sterling Point, fans were delighted by the Prime Video's portrayal of lesbian and queer characters.
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Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Sterling Point illustrates a wonderful chosen family, relatable 🏳️‍🌈 characters. The straight love story & 🏳️‍🌈love story enhance/enlarge each respectively as the family mystery unfolds. Heartstopper/Sort Of vibes in terms of modeling being a good human being.
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Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Enjoyed this. Why was this hated? I dug the aesthetics: dystopian port cities, Krypton, red sun planets. Perhaps the slavers/bad guys were bit derivative (Firefly, Discovery, etc) but whatever. If you read DC comics in the 80s/90s that were set in space you'll find much to appreciate.
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Lauren Theisen @laurentheisen.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
on Sophie Cunningham and a trans controversy that doesn't involve any actual trans people: defector.com/the-right-ha...
This rhetoric is ideal for listeners who believe trans women are an issue that they're supposed to care about, but don't actually have any real-world experience with them. The hypothetical trans girl who's supposedly causing all this trouble in the WNBA is the perfect tool for the conservative movement. She can't fight back, she can't disprove anyone's assumptions, and she can't garner sympathy when she's the target of hate. The perfect trans girl is the one who only exists in the imagination of the loudest cis people. Her monstrousness, the need to "protect young girls in a locker room" from her, gives them permission to enact policies that in reality only harm the anonymous girls, cis and trans, who want to play sports without the invasive scrutiny of gender-obsessed adults.
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🎃 Killy Witches 👻 @tillybridges.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
you want to provide trans books to more people? this is how you do it ETHICALLY i would be DELIGHTED to have these folks offer my books
queerliberationlibrary.org
Queer Liberation Library
Queer Liberation Library (QLL) is fighting to build a vibrant, flourishing queer future by connecting LGBTQ+ people with literature, information, and resources that celebrate the unique and empowering...
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🎃 Killy Witches 👻 @tillybridges.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
friends, please: don’t use transreads dot org they claim to support trans authors, but take our entire texts, post them for free, fundraise off it, and have the gall to claim it’s about preservation they are literally taking money from trans creators and make it harder for us to keep creating
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CN Lester 🏳️‍⚧️ @cnlester.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Everyone needs a treat, and this is today's www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Matt Damon's stunt double in The Odyssey is B.C. woman with 'the greatest arms' he's ever seen | CBC News
She might be small, but this B.C.-born stunt performer is making big waves for her part in Christopher Nolan's box-office busting epic The Odyssey.
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Morgan M Page @morganmpage.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
✨OFTV Presents: Sydney Baloue and the history of Ballroom✨ New ep of my trans history podcast digs into the many origin points for vogue and ballroom culture, trans men’s space within it, and the work Syd is doing collecting oral histories from these icons! m.soundcloud.com/onefromtheva...
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Mike Hixenbaugh @mikehixenbaugh.com · 19/07/2026
A father in Idaho, speaking to police after his child died by suicide: “There is a huge amount of animosity, every single day, thrown at trans kids. The whole fucking country. The whole fucking administration, every single fucking day.” Please read this important story by @joyurcaba.bsky.social
nbcnews.com
Idaho pushed anti-trans laws for years. Then a teen died.
The life and death of May Pollard, 16, provides a window into the tragic effect that legislation and political rhetoric have had on trans people in America.
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Nicolas Robert @robertsnickc.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
‘Self-Portrait at the Dressing Table.’ #Painting by Zinaida Serebriakova (1909) #art
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Miracle Monocle @miraclemonocle.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
In the lead up to our launch party on Thursday, we’re running interviews with many of the contributors to A LITTLE SUGAR IN THE TANK. Be sure to catch this one with Cassandra Whitaker!
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It's Trevor! @newbornstranger.com · 10/07/2026
You're watching the intro and think "wow, those are the best splits I've ever seen on stage" just wait, those are the 3rd best splits in this video alone. RIP Tandi Iman Dupree
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Tara Campbell @taracampbell.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
They're trying it again. The #BookBanBill has made it out of committee & they're probably going to try to sneak it through this summer. Don't let them hold education funds hostage to their obsession with gender & "lewd or lascivious dancing" Thx for this graphic @authorsabb.bsky.social
Get to Know Your
Bigoted Book Banning Bill
Are these your
reps? If they are,
write and call
them, repeatedly,
and remind them
that voters really
don’t like the
government telling
them what to read.
H. R. 7661
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to prohibit the use
of funds provided under such Act to develop, implement, facilitate, host, or promote
any program or activity for, or to provide or promote literature or other materials to,
children under the age of 18 that includes sexually oriented material, and for other
purposes.
Buried in the bottom
of the bill, the real
intent: defining
being transgender
as sexual activity
in itself as a step
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
towards outlawing
February 24, 2026
Mrs. Miller of Illinois (for herself, Mr. Downing, Mr. Fine, Mr. Steube,
trans existence/
Mr. Gosar, Mr. Ogles, Ms. Hageman, Mr. Stutzman, Mr. Moore of
gender non-
Alabama, Mrs. Biggs of South Carolina, Ms. Letlow, Ms. Tenney, Mr.
conformity in public
settings.
Roy, Mr. Davidson, Mr. Weber of Texas, Mr. Rose, Mr. Owens, and Mr. Self) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Education and Workforce
No Funds Used:
Restricting use of
funds is one step
short of defunding
schools and
libraries—which is
the ultimate point of
these book banning
bills. Distract with
culture war issues
to steal more money
from the public!
Now we have
wandered
into the movie
Footloose.
You know what
this means, right?
Back to teaching
predominantly
dead white men.
SECTION 1. Short title.
This Act may be cited as the “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act”.
SEC. 2. Prohibiting funding for sexually oriented material.
Section 8526 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
7906) is amended—
(1) by striking “No funds under this Act may be used—” and inserting the
following:
“(a) General prohibitions.—No funds under this Act may be used—”; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
“(b) Prohibiting funding for sexuall…
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Why did Greenwich Village become the heart of New York City's bohemia? Because it was home to a woman's court and prison, which brought gender non-conforming women - many of them queer and/or trans - to the Village from every other corner of the city www.gothamcenter.org/blog/village...
gothamcenter.org
How Greenwich Village Became America’s Bohemia — The Gotham Center for New York City History
How Greenwich Village Became America’s Bohemia By Hugh Ryan These women’s prisons believed there were only three legitimate jobs a woman could have: wife, maid, or nursemaid. For any of those jobs...
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Kyla Houbolt @luaz.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
poets.org/poem/contemp... "They are killing us & we are all just going to the office, watching tv & ordering out."
poets.org
Contemplations While Holding Sunchokes During a Blizzard
I want to be surrounded by splendor, but beauty is capitalism. This is to say
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Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
The new Pornstar Martini is out! Grateful to have two poems in the Pride issue! Fabulous folx to work with as well! You can purchase the Pride issue here... pornstarmartinimagazine.squarespace.com
Picture of pornstar Martini volume IX: Pride, which features a disco ball hanging in the forefront of the magazine cover, with another disco ball in th e back left far quadrant. The mirror balls seem to be hanging in an industrial space where there is " bisexual, lesbian, queer lighting" (a light pattern that suggests one of the pride flags) . The issue cost $7.50
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Evan Urquhart @evanurquhart.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
It's not appropriate for cis people to say that trans people are too alarmed, or that certain trans writers are irresponsibly causing trans people to think the sky is falling. I want to take some time in this 🧵 to write personally about how my skies have fallen.
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 02/07/2026
The White House is openly saying they want to eliminate a minority group and people still want to say this is about sports.
 Supreme Court Bolsters President Trump’s Push to Eliminate Transgender Insanity
The White House
June 30, 2026
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Jesspooka Kant 🎃 @jessdkant.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Trans rights have been litigated vis a vis an intentional, choreographed strategy designed at every turn to look like an organic reaction to progress. Never forget that, especially not in the coming weeks.
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Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Last month, I had the pleasure of speaking about inverting school rivalries into school communities at MSEA’s Racial Social Justice Summit. Four years ago, three high schools began hosting inter-school, student-led conferences, collaborative field trips & socials for LGBTQ youth and their friends.
Three Maryland educators at the MSEA Racial Social Justice summit sitting on a stage discussing education.
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Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Broadside art with text Queer teachers are living proof of queer futures. There is a bee and two dandelions, some leaves.
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talia jane @taliajane.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
BREAKING: On the 39th anniversary of the founding of ACT UP, protestors have shut down traffic outside Grand Central demanding “Money for AIDS and healthcare, not for ICE and warfare.”
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Laura Kate Dale - LauraKBuzz @laurakbuzz.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
God, it's frustrating how many people will watch an undeniably trans narrative and simply refuse to acknowledge it as textual canon because "they never say the word trans so that's just headcanon" Literally had people trying to tell me the same about I Saw The TV Glow lol
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moby dickgirl @eigenvectrix.northsky.social · 26/06/2026
Turns out “It is journalism’s sacred duty to endanger the lives of as many trans people as possible” was a literally accurate description of their motivations.
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 23/06/2026
A major scandal has broken out in Norway at NBTK, the national gender clinic that has notoriously limited access to care. Researchers, including SEGM affiliate Anne Wæhre, engaged in substantial misconduct and ethical violations in their research on trans people. www.aftenposten.no/norge/i/43RE...
Norway
Research
Three researchers charged with scientific misconduct in research on transgender people
– The researchers have committed serious violations of recognized research ethics norms, the integrity committee at Oslo University Hospital states.
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 23/06/2026
Thanks to the Advocate for helping to cover my analysis of the New York Times coverage over the last 12 years. www.advocate.com/politics/nat...
advocate.com
The New York Times helped turn trans rights into political controversy, analysis finds
A new data investigation says the paper of record increasingly framed transgender rights as a debate instead of a lived reality.
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Jonathan Edwards @jontofski.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Gil Scott-Heron.
A portrait of Gil Scott-Heron
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 19/06/2026
I've spent the last two months putting together this exhaustive analysis of the New York Times coverage of trans people. It covers 3,242 articles over 12 years. In 2022, the NYT shifted towards a hostile stance towards trans people in their framing. www.thedissident.news/exclusive-ho...
thedissident.news
Exclusive: How The New York Times Changed Its Coverage of Trans People
An exhaustive analysis of over 3,242 articles by the New York Times covering transgender issues from 2014-2026 revealed a stark shift towards hostile framing in 2022. In January 2015, the New York Ti...
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 16/06/2026
NPR is comparing a trans woman fleeing Texas for her personal safety with a conservative fleeing Seattle because he was annoyed with his neighbors. This is honestly insane both sides framing to a degree that is just blatant lying by omission.
A screenshot of an article excerpt that reads:
​Three years ago, Jessa Davis had an epiphany: After she came out as a trans woman, remaining in deep-red Texas felt untenable. So, she sold her house in Odessa and moved to the liberal bastion of Seattle, Wash.
​Davis describes herself as a trans refugee. Back in Texas, she says, lived in a "pretty hostile and frankly dangerous" place. "I had a lot of close calls, a lot of threats."​From blue state to red
​As Davis and others arrive in Seattle seeking refuge from hostile laws and rhetoric, some of Seattle's longtime residents, like Kirby Wilbur, have moved out, fleeing to conservative enclaves.
​Wilbur also describes himself as a "refugee." He relates an experience that is a virtual mirror image of Davis'. In Seattle, the local conservative talk show host — who also briefly served as Washington state Republican chair — felt like a stranger in a strange land.
​As he neared retirement, he and his wife Trina began thinking about an escape plan. A friend told them about McKinney, Texas, a conservative Dallas-Fort Worth suburb. Wilbur had never heard of McKinney, but decided to have a look.
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StrictlyChristo 🇺🇦🌻 @strictlychristo.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Dyeing seeds The dye is to protect them from pests and fungus and to help the seeds germinate. The dye is also used to differentiate the seeds from standard seeds so that it is not eaten by people or fed to animals.
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