Weekly Seeds | July 28, 2024 | Can We Censor More of the Toxic Things?

TW: rape, transphobia, sexism, harm to humans and animals. This newsletter came out above-average on the grim side.

Spiking marine animals

In Rio De Janeiro, Sharks tested positive for cocaine in their systems. This is a sad reminder that what we put in our bodies and down the drain, impacts the animals we share this world with. Speaking of drugs, I’m currently listening and crying my way through Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. I recommend it if your nervous system can handle it.

Speaking of sharks.. this week in the election race

Now that we have our first Black and South Asian female presidential candidate, racism and sexism have entered the conversation. Examples include Harris being called a “Childless Cat Lady”, “DEI candidate,” and accused of sleeping her way to the top.

This is not surprising. Across the board, in the political, business, and academic world, women are judged based on irrelevant criteria, like whether or not they birthed kids or how they look. Check out this interactive website, which maps out gendered language in higher education teacher reviews. Date shows significantly more “beautiful” mentions for female teachers and more “smart” mentions for male teachers.

In case JD Vance is reading this, I highly recommend he check his assumptions on what “childless” means, given that Harris is parenting two kids. Plug for the new podcast mini-series from This is Actually Happening, “The 82 Percent,” which is bringing awareness to the diversity of family and relationship systems available.

Cleanse your palate from ugly politics and enjoy this Kamala is BRAT video. Still feeling scared? I appreciated listening to Tara Brach talk about compassionate activism.

More on people with power doing harm

In the summer of 2024, Elon Musk amplified anti-trans narratives, said his trans daughter was “killed by the woke mind virus”, and potentially withheld his kids from connecting with their mom, grandma, and great-grandma. My blood boils when I think about how we continue to give power to people who harm people who have less power than them. Related: Why is a convicted child rapist at the Olympics?

Cleanse yourself by reading through Vivian Jenna Wilson Threads page addressing Elon’s tweets. Want more? Check out this video of Alexis Smith, reclaiming her power in the Miss Kansas contest by calling attention to her domestic abuse story.

Some good news! How companies are working to protect sexual self-expression, education, and health

The Vagina Privacy Network was created on the heals of a report showing that accurate information on abortion and contraception is being censored by global tech platforms. The Vagina Privacy Network: offers a step-by-step protocol for those who want to stay anonymous online when seeking information on their reproductive health. 

Related, Grindr disabled location services in the Olympic Village, in order to protect LGBTQIA+ athletes from countries where being LGBTQIA+ is dangerous or illegal.

And also- check out this IG post spotlighting several of the 150 out LGBTQIA+ athletes competing in the Olympics this year.

Community Spotlight! Get Squirmy

Shoutout to the Portland PDX team for a big week. Kels and Tess just launched a new question card deck (I am obsessed with the first one), announced their podcast: PORN NERDS, and launched a new PDX social (8/22).

Note: This newsletter represents my personal opinions and thoughts. I understand I may have unexamined views and I appreciate when people point them out so that I am made aware and can start thinking about them. When I make mistakes I am committed to learning about my impact on others and repairing. 

Contact me anytime: noa@heyplura.com