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Ess Writes Things

@esswrites.bsky.social
869 followers 1.4K following 363 posts

She/they. Researcher, writer, educator, and other stuff. Gender-hacked dyke, neurodivergent, (invisibly) crip. Creative stuff at esswrites.com

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Reposted by Ess Writes Things
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 10/09/2026
Some folks will claim that this is hyperbolic, but what I wish people would understand is that tech initiatives like this serve as a means of eroding consent and lower the barrier for the persistent capture of people’s image, voice, data, or whatever else a gadget can glean.
pcmag.com
Apple's New Siri Recap Turns Every Apple Watch Into a Mass Surveillance Nightmare
Apple's always-listening AI feature promises neat summaries of your daily conversations, but it forces everyone around you into a nonconsensual recording experiment.
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Micah @rincewind.run · 02/09/2026
it's not an exaggeration to say that jk rowling is the world's most powerful and prominent transphobe outside of elon musk it's easy to not buy a tesla and it's easy to not watch the harry potter tv show
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
I imagine there is also a socioeconomic element, as US outsourcing of animation in the 90s and aughts drained the local talent development and opportunity pools, while the local video game industry went through its indie explosion and decimation a decade or two later than animation??? (Speculation!)
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Caveat, this comment is based on vibes and not knowledge: I wonder if it has to do with the cultural salience of video games in the US (as opposed to comics/manga)? A lot of ugly US animation reminds me of dated 3D console graphics and I feel like intentionally evokes that aesthetic.
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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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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Me: is this new follower a bot? Lot of quote posts and reposts… ::I take a quick look through my post history:: huh. Better post something original and funny. ::settles for this::
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Conyer Clayton @conyerclayton.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
The lake-shaped excuse, my third collection of poetry, is out Oct 6 2026. Pre-order available now! A conversation between mother and daughter beyond death; an elegy, a prayer, a regret “Brilliant and painful” —Mikko Harvey bookstore.wolsakandwynn.ca/products/the... @wolsakandwynn.bsky.social
The cover of the lake-shaped excuse by Conyer Clayton with the text “Oct 6 2026" and "Available for pre-order”
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 07/06/2026
I don't think people are ready for catastrophe that is coming at the end of this year that will be the severe shortage of fertilizer due to the Iran war and a super el niño at the same time. We could be looking at a massive famine that will kill tens of millions.
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
How sad. I managed to batch post in the wrong order. Last time I trust the "+" button! You get the picture, though...
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Given this, the social media and deplatforming of sex workers, creators of erotica and pornography, and other folks who generate or reproduce adult-oriented content should scare the crap out of the entire LGBTQIA+ community. (And, given the history censorship -- women's health advocates.) (2/3)
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
So when folks on Bluesky are telling you to support adult creators, to support free speech and the right to create sexy stuff, even if it isn't your kink and you're repressed, remember: the definition of "obscene" or "sexually explicit" or "adult" can always be expanded to silence more people. (3/3)
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
The strategy Julia Serano is highlighting here is an old (and well-tested) one. It is also CONSTANTLY deployed in carceral settings, where extreme censorship has thrived. (Read the section on "Content Based Prohibitions" here, for a crash course: sr.ithaka.org/publications...) (1/3)
sr.ithaka.org
Security and Censorship - Ithaka S+R
Despite resurgent public interest in censorship issues, research and reporting on prison censorship policies remain largely localized, with few wide-scale studies of the issue. The highly decentralize...
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
I've gotten so bad at making friends and being social irl. It's clear what I have to do now. The one path open to me... is to put all my investment into cultivating one-sided parasocial relationships on the internet. ::begins going through your post history, stops blinking -- maybe forever?::
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Er. to clarify -- the nation state functioning similarly is not part of immunity-as-defense, but a parallel logic and structure that emerges in tandem with it, evident in the discourse/philosophy of sovereignty in Western philosophy and (more lucidly critiqued) by folks like Césaire, Fanon, Wynter.
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
immunity as defense. The (specious) idea that the body and the nation state are both simply policing their borders from foreign, corrupting invaders. When we know in reality, everything is permeable, porous, all the way down. Firm lines are always drawn with violence.
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
to fit the political and rhetorical expediency of the moment. It's a similar discursive structure to the one used to attack immigrants in the current moment. (Narratives of contagion from always-already-othered "outsiders.") Historically it both shaped and constantly returns to the concept of (3/4)
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
You can trace this rhetoric back through turn of the 20th century crowd theories, further still to mid-nineteenth century social darwinism and texts on criminality/degeneracy and genius. It is the same rhetorical/epistemic violence seen throughout the history of coloniality, repackaged... (2/4)
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Excellent read here from Julia Serano. This is also -- obviously, but sometimes the obvious is worth stating -- another connection between the current eugenic revival and the anti-queer (and racist/ethnocentrist anti-immigrant) campaigns (1/4)
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Julia Serano @juliaserano.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
NEW ESSAY: Origins of the Anti-Trans “Groomer” Slur. it provides historical context, a timeline of how it spread, & how it shapes anti-trans/LGBTQ legislation. pls share! on Medium (friend link): juliaserano.medium.com/origins-of-t... & Substack (no paywall): juliaserano.substack.com/p/origins-of...
juliaserano.medium.com
Origins of the Anti-Trans “Groomer” Slur
a timeline, plus historical context and future implications
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Jennifer Adcock @jenkatwrites.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
happy pride, shoutout as always to the 1978 gilbert baker pride flag which had pink and turquoise stripes for SEX AND MAGIC AND ART, and in this house we support gay sex and gay magic and gay art
Baker pride flag with the explanation of the symbolism of each color.
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Alexis Sara @alexissara.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Alright, welcome to Alexis Sara's Lesbian nerd news for Pride Thread. I'll be going through Game Showcases and what not to show what looks like it might be sapphic coming up! I'll try and play some demos and stuff too and you know, you can follow along.
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Katelyn Burns @katelynburns.com · 01/06/2026
We're only running this deal for this week so you better act quickly! I have a paywalled piece about the World Cup coming next week that you'll be able to read without paying if you grab this deal.
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🥀 Serana 🥀 @serana666.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Y’all we all got put up a big stink about this account level moderation. Sex workers (especially poc and queer sex workers) are going to get absolutely fucked by this at a time when shit is already so bad.
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nic.tattoos @nicterhorst.com · 31/05/2026
Reposting, because I'm not seeing a lot of non-NSFW artists talking about this and I'm starting to see the accounts go down If you want to see NSFW Art specifically-- remember to set your "Sexually Suggestive (cartoon)" setting to warn/show It's a totally different setting to the other NSFW labels
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
If only I knew during my first puberty what I did during my second, we could’ve gotten this body done in a single draft. It’s okay, though, I am a writer.
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Even better if they do it on Mars and leave the Earth to the rest of us. Broken things can be mended. Wounded things can heal. Just… not while suffering continued and escalating violence.
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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 31/05/2026
Really sucks how so many headlines now are just eugenics Mad Libs.
theguardian.com
Are ‘mind children’ the future of reproduction?
Forget dirty nappies. In Silicon Valley, there’s increasing chatter about virtual offspring
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Úna-Minh's ✨ Open to Work ✨ @unaminh.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
IMPORTANT: For any artists/writers/etc etc, using Linktree to point people to their work, from 5 July, they'll be feeding all imagery you use on your landing page into DALL-E by OpenAI. I deleted my account this morning.
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Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 31/05/2026
Prisons across the U.S. are stripping away physical mail in what they claim to be an effort to combat drug smuggling. Here's the truth: Mail scanning does not stop drug use behind bars — but it does hurt incarcerated people & their loved ones.
prisonpolicy.org
Mail scanning isn't the solution to drug use in prisons -- here's why
We explain how to push back on harmful and ineffective mail scanning practices in U.S. prisons.
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Freedom to Read Project @freedomreadproject.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
What happens when publishers begin avoiding LGBTQ+ stories before a book is ever challenged? This article explores how years of censorship efforts are creating a chilling effect across the publishing industry, making it harder for queer voices & stories to reach readers bookriot.com/queer-books-...
bookriot.com
Queer Books and Authors are at a Breaking Point
Authors, agents, publishers: every part of the industry is seeing the strain of five years of escalating anti-LGBTQ censorship.
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Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 30/05/2026
I’m a climate scientist. Let me fix this headline. “Nearly a century ago, scientists showed that burning fossil fuels warms the planet. Today, we know human emissions account for over 100% of the warming. Yet dark money and disinformation still work to keep Americans addicted to fossil fuels.”
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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Just a reminder that immigrants inside Delaney Hall are on their ninth day of a hunger and labor strike in protest of inhumane conditions and this was Governor Sherrill’s response last night:
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
I might say that is the prog rock I didn’t know I needed.
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Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 29/05/2026
👀
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Gabrielle A. Perry, MPH @geauxgabrielle.blacksky.app · 23/05/2026
Louisiana has decided to cede the entire parole decision-making process to an algorithm that will decide if you die in prison or not. There will be no human input or nuance allowed. Even our parole board is sickened by this. LINK: veritenews.org/2025/04/10/t...
veritenews.org
TIGER, the algorithm banning Louisiana prisoners from parole
A Louisiana law cedes much of the power of the parole board to an algorithm that bars thousands of prisoners from a shot at early release. Civil rights attorneys say it could disproportionately harm B...
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Why are you nonbinary? Wrong answers only: Because I never learned coding or computer science.
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Sometimes I think about joining in on THE DISCOURSE™️. And then I remember my gender is a haunting, my sexuality is a dusty mirror, and all my words are cracked and hollow bones, the marrow all sucked out.
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Benjanun Sriduangkaew @ Persephone Effect out now @benjanun.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
She's gotten out of a difficult situation and is now safe, but needs help to stabilize. As a bonus, if you send her at least $60, you can book a consult with me that I've never offered anywhere: I'll improve your book's marketing--cover art, summary, and more. You can gift the consult too!
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Dani Finn 🐙 🏳️‍⚧️ 📚 @danifinnwrites.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Once again @pghlesbian.bsky.social does the reporting no one else will do. She was also the one who broke the Nex Benedict story. This is who Lucas Redbeard was as a person. This is who they hated so much they murdered him.
One friend wrote "I remember well that to be around him felt like I, and anyone else in the room, were his closest friends and family just to be together with him. Every time he visited my place felt like a little celebration, he was impish and had the most inviting, ear to ear grin when he'd greet you. The energy he radiated was stunningly unique, bright, loving, curious, not to mention devastatingly funny..... to hear this happened to someone who brought so much light to so many people is really hard to fathom."
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Dr. Damien P. Williams, dread portent down from a mountain cave @wolven.blacksky.app · 22/05/2026
Today is the last day to comment to the FCC that LGBTQIA2S+ names, stories, identities don't need a warning label. This new potential rulemaking is an attempt at criminalizing the mere fact of being trans or otherwise queer, in the name of discrimination, bigotry, and persecution. Tell them no, now.
glaad.org
Tell the FCC that LGBTQ Stories Don’t Need a Warning Label | GLAAD
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is targeting LGBTQ stories. They are trying to control what you see on television. This government overreach is dangerous...
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Ah good reminder that I meant to buy this already. Done and done.
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Dang, off the cuff human synthesis and analysis are going to become such rare, prized skills in the future. And likely such denigrated, mocked character traits by billionaires who want to depress their value and limit too many people from seeking them.
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 22/05/2026
These 8 Democrats voted to pass a national ban on trans teachers and mention of LGBTQ topics. Rep Henry Cuellar (TX) Rep. Don Davis (NC) Rep. Cleo Fields (LA) Rep. Laura Gillen (NY) Rep. Vicente González (TX) Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH) Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA) Rep. Eugene Vindman (VA)
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
This is next in my watchlist. Getting me (even more) hyped!
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🎃 Killy Witches 👻 @tillybridges.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
this was HR 2616 which also bans books by or about trans and nonbinary people from schools START CALLING YOUR SENATORS NOW CIS FRIENDS TRANS KIDS NEED YOU
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Rebecca Watson @skepchick.org · 21/05/2026
You only have a few days left to tell the FCC that they should stop trying to force broadcasters to classify trans and nonbinary people as inappropriate for children to see on TV skepchick.org/2026/05/the-...
skepchick.org
The FCC Wants to Rate LGBTQ as Obscene
Transcript: This is going to be shocking to anyone born in the past decade, but back in the 2010s, one of the rightwing’s favorite things to complain about was “trigger warnings”–simple state…
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max booth will never die @interrobangbus.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
close friends who are aware of my bizarre, fucked-up personal situation have encouraged (bullied) me to create more of a clear-cut fundraising campaign to help with my upcoming move. if you can chip in, great! thank you! but please only do so if you can spare it. 💚 ko-fi.com/interrobangb...
ko-fi.com
Buy Max Booth a Coffee
Become a supporter of Max Booth today!
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Ess Writes Things @esswrites.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Just popping in to say, I appreciate this thread! Good reminder we aren't crazy and what we're perceiving is real, but also that others are subject to more immediate violence and we have to maintain perspective without gaslighting ourselves or each other. Also, yes, things should stop sucking.
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Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 18/05/2026
If you're reading this, my cat and I have boarded a one-way flight out of the United States. The Trump administration wrongfully denied my work permit renewal; after months of demanding that they follow the law, we have run out of legal recourse, and I have no choice but to leave the country. (🧵)
giveinmay.org
Support Alex's Emergency Relocation + Next Steps on Give In May
Alex is leaving the US after his work permit renewal was wrongfully denied by Trump's USCIS.
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