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Ess Writes Things

@esswrites

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

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Latest posts by Ess Writes Things @esswrites

This is the best encapsulation I have seen of what it means to be trans right now.

And how deeply it hurts to see the moment with clarity.

Read it.

11.03.2026 22:05 πŸ‘ 112 πŸ” 29 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

""I'm afraid I could be arrested if I travel to that state for your wedding and need to use the restroom at the venue ..."

11.03.2026 08:59 πŸ‘ 2474 πŸ” 823 πŸ’¬ 21 πŸ“Œ 41

Want some warm fuzzy trans news?

Read the feelgood story of how I spent 2025 unexpectedly adopting a trans son and ended up accidentally founding a transmasc social club together πŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈπŸ₯Ή

So proud of Troy for taking the initiative to grow this into something massively important for our local community

10.03.2026 16:37 πŸ‘ 199 πŸ” 50 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Lit for Queer Liberation 2026 Silent auction 'Lit for Queer Liberation 2026' hosted online at 32auctions.

And it's the first day of the Queer Liberation Network Fundraising Auction today! Tons of signed books, calls with agents, manuscript critiques and more! Including the illustrated edition of Murderbot, hardcover Witch King & Queen Demon, mass market Raksura:

www.32auctions.com/organization...

08.03.2026 16:03 πŸ‘ 162 πŸ” 81 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

This Monday vibe is brought to you by ambient anxietyℒ️.

Ambient anxiety: when you can’t choose what global and local acts of state terror and incongruously mundane activities give you existential dread, choose them all, with ambient anxiety.

09.03.2026 19:23 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

To everyone who needs to hear it: Trans folks have been saying this is coming for years, now. Anti-trans actors weren’t shy about their goals. We know our history and we know the next steps in the authoritarian shuffle.

Please listen to trans folks.

05.03.2026 18:28 πŸ‘ 55 πŸ” 38 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 2

A nation of newspapers and newspapermen indeed. I guess "objectivity" is when you're such a smug and effortless propegandist you don't even notice how deeply sick you've become.

02.03.2026 13:37 πŸ‘ 404 πŸ” 94 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

As of tonight, licenses of trans people across Kansas are being invalidated en masse, enabling the overnight criminalization of an entire group of people for going about our lives. It’s often said you never know when you’re living through history, so let me assure you: that’s what’s happening now.

26.02.2026 01:30 πŸ‘ 10822 πŸ” 5225 πŸ’¬ 86 πŸ“Œ 338

it took an expensive, coordinated effort & a lot of people saying β€œthis doesn’t matter” to get from a bathroom ban costing one state $400 million & a gubernatorial race to β€œtrans people must turn in their documents which become invalid in a few hours or face fines & potential jail time” in 10 years.

26.02.2026 04:58 πŸ‘ 4000 πŸ” 1586 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 16

it's 2016: north carolina introduces a bill to ban trans people from using bathrooms safely. there's a national outcry; companies withdraw business up to and including the NCAA cancelling a publicized game. the bill fails.

it's 2026: kansas passes a law nullifying trans people's licenses. crickets.

26.02.2026 04:06 πŸ‘ 7306 πŸ” 2547 πŸ’¬ 62 πŸ“Œ 117

BREAKING: The Department of Education has ended its directive that attempted to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in schools nationwide.

This is a victory for academic freedom and education equity.

18.02.2026 17:39 πŸ‘ 41053 πŸ” 10834 πŸ’¬ 476 πŸ“Œ 1027
Preview
As Bernie Sanders Comes to California, Wealth Tax Opponents Intensify Efforts

Read this sentence slowly:

β€œGov. Gavin Newsom, crypto executives and business leaders are ramping up efforts this week to stop the proposed wealth tax...”

gift link:

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/u...

17.02.2026 22:56 πŸ‘ 3420 πŸ” 1295 πŸ’¬ 140 πŸ“Œ 322

When you’re a UK trans woman, you roll invisible dice every day before work. All sixes, and a coworker with billionaire money will take your employer to court over you, you will be on the news, and when you leave the country, men with abuse allegations against them will call it a victory for women.

15.02.2026 14:07 πŸ‘ 1202 πŸ” 269 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 1
Preview
Cancer in Confinement PJP writers on suffering from the leading killers in behind bars β€” a problem of neglect, delayed care, and poor coordination

Today, we launched β€œCancer in Confinement,” a series exploring why cancer is often deadlier inside U.S. prisons than in the free world. This is the big project I mentioned yesterday. I hope you will read and share.

11.02.2026 15:04 πŸ‘ 125 πŸ” 75 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 2

Memo: Meta plans to add facial recognition to its smart glasses in 2026, saying the political tumult in the US would distract critics from the feature's release (New York Times)

Main Link | Techmeme Permalink

13.02.2026 14:27 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 3

This is a very good summary of the SAVE act.

13.02.2026 00:10 πŸ‘ 54 πŸ” 29 πŸ’¬ 7 πŸ“Œ 1

The Trump administration is planning to terminate $600M of CDC grants to CA, CO, MN, and IL. We're publishing the full list.

They are using vulnerable communities as a weapon to dismantle public health, targeting partisan enemies, and manipulating media. 🧡 1/5

grant-witness.us/posts/2026-0...

10.02.2026 16:18 πŸ‘ 133 πŸ” 107 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 10

I have incarcerated comrades & loved ones who are enduring the daily torture of US prisons. They also continue to make art. They often don't have the proper supplies and yet they make it knowing that it will never make it out to anyone else. But they continue to make art nonetheless. Keep making art

08.02.2026 01:51 πŸ‘ 1619 πŸ” 362 πŸ’¬ 14 πŸ“Œ 0
Illinois SB3842 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly Summary (2026-02-06) MHDD CD-TRANSGENDER [Referred to Assignments]

Illinois Republican State Sen. Andrew Chesney wants to use his SB 3842 bill to declare all trans folks legally mentally ill.

legiscan.com/IL/bill/SB38...

06.02.2026 22:32 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 4

Your timeline sounds empirically better than mine.
::stares into the abyss::

02.02.2026 15:22 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

This is just a reminder that it is totally valid if you opened a browser window, a text message, or a feed today and felt overwhelmed and depressed.

It’s okay to not be okay.

The hypernormalization of the moment is effed. Take care of yourselves and each other.

26.01.2026 22:39 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
CHARLES RAFFERTY
The Problem with Early Warnings

People don't like to leave a party unless the house is actually on fire. Even then, if the flames are far enough away to be pretty, they'll finish their drink, take one more pass at the hors d'oeuvres.
How things happen has always been unclear. Hurricanes begin in a place where no one lives.
Agents of the government start to wear masks. Fascism is a word my neighbors won't use yet. They are following
the law, they say, and the sirens are coming for someone else.

CHARLES RAFFERTY The Problem with Early Warnings People don't like to leave a party unless the house is actually on fire. Even then, if the flames are far enough away to be pretty, they'll finish their drink, take one more pass at the hors d'oeuvres. How things happen has always been unclear. Hurricanes begin in a place where no one lives. Agents of the government start to wear masks. Fascism is a word my neighbors won't use yet. They are following the law, they say, and the sirens are coming for someone else.

This hit so fucking hard today.

26.01.2026 20:52 πŸ‘ 7284 πŸ” 2742 πŸ’¬ 34 πŸ“Œ 49
Preview
Opinion | State Terror Has Arrived

M Gessen: In case anyone still thinks they are immune, No one is safe. #Minneapolis Gift article from The New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/o...

25.01.2026 15:07 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I will not argue with strangers on the internet during my lunch break.

I will not argue with strangers on the internet during my lunch break.

I will not argue with strangers on the internet during my lunch break.

I will not argue with strangers on the internet during my lunch break.

…

05.01.2026 19:52 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.

Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.

03.01.2026 10:52 πŸ‘ 59753 πŸ” 20294 πŸ’¬ 1558 πŸ“Œ 1137

Being an American feels like getting on a school bus and then your bus driver decides to do a drive by

03.01.2026 14:02 πŸ‘ 8189 πŸ” 2271 πŸ’¬ 75 πŸ“Œ 93

We seem to be bombing Caracas. There are 3 million people in Caracas. This is an unprovoked attack. This is a war crime. This is criminal. We are the bad guys.

03.01.2026 06:29 πŸ‘ 329 πŸ” 106 πŸ’¬ 6 πŸ“Œ 3

Just here to wholeheartedly second this endorsement of @sabs.bsky.social and How Far the Light Reaches.

02.01.2026 20:42 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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ChatGPT could prioritize sponsored content as part of ad strategy β€” sponsored content could allegedly be given preferential treatment in LLM’s responses, OpenAI to use chat data to deliver highly pers... Are we going to see ads in ChatGPT's answers soon?

β€œStaff discussions on ad implementation have ranged from prioritizing sponsored content in the chatbot’s answers to adding a sidebar that shows ads related to the user's query.”

27.12.2025 17:28 πŸ‘ 65 πŸ” 24 πŸ’¬ 13 πŸ“Œ 20

Thanks for sharing this document, @rweingarten.bsky.social.

I read it, and I believe it's inexcusably inadequate and will not prepare teachers or schools to confront the very real dangers of the "A.i." products pushed by your partners, including OpenAI.

A few thoughts for your consideration...

24.12.2025 03:43 πŸ‘ 1145 πŸ” 414 πŸ’¬ 13 πŸ“Œ 93