this is a Canadian petition to uphold charter rights for transgender and minority communities if youre Canadian, please sign it. if youre not Canadian, please share it. www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...

So, today I'm wrapping up People Watching. Massive thanks to everyone who has supported it & all the cool people I've met and drawn. I wrote an article in the Sunday Magazine today talking about the lessons I've learned doing it - and there were so many. www.thepost.co.nz/culture/3609...

This is such a good piece by @thespinoff.bsky.social showing how NZME’s (who own the Herald and Newstalk ZB) billionaire director chooses to use his money - harassing @sanjanah.bsky.social and TVNZ thespinoff.co.nz/media/19-12-... thespinoff.co.nz/media/19-12-...

@violetblue.bsky.social Kia ora Violet! Just DM’d you about getting rewards to people from my crowdfunding campaign. Cheers!

Absolutely love this! Such an important message. Thanks @itsbabs.bsky.social

I am absolutely gutted to hear some douchebag(s) has gone through my crowdfunding rewards and targeted at least one person at their workplace for offering a reward to support me. That is absolutely stink. Imagine being that nasty and petty. It’s the yin to today’s #SecretSantaAoNZ yang.

Ditto!

Bit disconcerting to see Susie Wiles is trending on social media #NotThatSusieWiles

Now waiting for my giftee to open their present! #SecretSantaAoNZ

Right. Time to unwrap my #SecretSantaAoNZ gifts. So I ended up with two Santas as the elves were a little worried my original Santa wasn’t going to make it in time. But they did! So I’ve got two pressies to unwrap.

It’s #SecretSantaAoNZ opening day today! If you don’t know, here in Aotearoa New Zealand some lovey peeps organise a country-wide secret Santa over Bluesky/Mastadon with people buying/making gifts for people they don’t know. Follow the feed today if you need reminding how awesome social media can be

There appears to be more to my secret Santa present as another parcel arrived today! #SecretSantaAoNZ

Look at this beauty! Thanks Secret Santa! I love it already 💕 #SecretSantaAoNZ

OK, Tāmaki Makaurau, the hornet army is on the march. Time to saddle up, cut up some bottles and trap the little bastards before they do any more damage. MPI has bumped up the zone so if you're inside that purple line it's time to get busy. More info here: www.mpi.govt.nz/news/media-r...

Paid off my loans! Thanks so much to everyone who supported my crowdfunding campaign, whether that was by pledging, offering rewards, or sharing it. Now to get those pledges fulfilled…

Seconded!

Easy peesy!

Christmas tree and lights are up & #SecretSantaAoNZ pressie is posted! I’m starting to feel in holiday mode but there’s still two weeks till Christmas holidays. Eek!

1. New Zealand doctors are officially suing to reverse the country's ban on puberty blockers for gender affirming care. “These regulations are being enacted based on politics, not on clinical evidence." Subscribe to support our journalism. www.erininthemorning.com/p/were-takin...

PATHA are putting together some comms about donations. I don't know how much they need, but you can donate to the action here. (There is a specific dropdown box to tag the donation to the blockers action): patha.nz/donate

This is why I mask indoors when sharing air with others, regularly test, use air purifiers, and get a COVID booster every six months, most recently on Monday. Saddens and infuriates me governments and organisations are letting us down despite all the evidence these protections are still needed.

This is actually quite brilliant, up to and including the final sentence 🔥

Important news NZ peeps! Great to see PATHA challenging this terrible ban.

It’s freezing in Gaza and people need food/clothes. Emily Writes is raising funds to help 60 families. We are gonna have lots of Christmases in our future - let’s give these families a fighting chance: chuffed.org/project/1589...

Morning peeps! Final tally from my crowdfunding campaign is just over $194,500, incl the donations made directly. I’m blown away! Pledge Me will be in touch to collect your gifts shortly. Thanks so much for all your support!

LOL Of course they do <sigh>

I’ll tell you what I do love. Lego, obviously. But also feminist pins and tea towels. I cannot get enough of them. Last weekend I got a pin shaped like a coffin with the words ‘Bury the patriarchy’ on it. Would quite like one that says ‘Bury the broligarchy’. Or something anti-AI #SecretSantaAoNZ

Only latex! And react very badly to mosquitoes. Hate coriander with a passion #SecretSantaAoNZ

Love cats. Very sad not to have any anymore. Also love fish and aquariums. Would love a dragon. #SecretSantaAoNZ

Hmmm. Musicians would be The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Nirvana, Prodigy, XX, The Beth’s… Fave authors are Terry Pratchett, Chris Brookmyer, Jane Harper, and Liane Moriarty. TV shows - currently loving The Pitt and Slow Horses & obvs Lego Masters Australia #SecretSantaAoNZ

I love board games but we mainly have to play cooperative ones as I’m pretty competitive (mainly because I want to know how to beat the game and other players end up being collateral damage…) #SecretSantaAoNZ

I also love doing sudoku and quite fancy trying a cross stitch/embroidery set some day. #SecretSantaAoNZ

Don’t drink alcohol. Mostly drink water and decaf coffee that family mock me for basically being just coloured water! #SecretSantaAoNZ

OMG, with my crowdfunder going on I’ve been a bit distracted and forgot about #SecretSantaAoNZ! Sorry to my Santa for dropping no clues at all. Oops! I love jigsaw puzzles, especially the murder mystery ones where you don’t know what picture you are making

Your gentle reminder that my crowdfunding campaign ends tomorrow night… Thanks everyone for all the love. It’s been amazing. www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/852...

It’s been lovely chatting to people about my legal action and crowdfunding campaign. A few days ago I was interviewed by the Skeptics Zone peeps. Here’s the link if you want to listen www.skepticzone.tv Please share!

I have no idea how we are expected to fund our postgraduate student’s studies. To be fair, I’ve been funding mine from my own pocket for years, using money I earned from paid talks & radio/paper columns. But I’m approaching 2026 with no paid columns anymore & no paid talks lined up. It’s a bit scary

This funding environment is brutal. Four grants rejected this month :( The latest a small grant-in-aid from a charity that I’ve not had a no from in the ~15 years I’ve been applying to them. They always try to give a little bit. And this for follow on funding for work published in Nature Comms 😢

Morning peeps! Please check out my thread. I’m crowdfunding to support an important menstrual cup study. Please share widely! 🙏

Hey peeps! It's been 2 weeks since I launched my crowdfunding campaign, and your support and generosity have blown me away. You folks rock! But with 3 research grant rejections this month & 2 weeks left to go I’ve decided to set a new stretch goal & pivot… 1/8

Starting to think about shopping small and local for presents? I make all my products myself, mostly from fabrics I've designed myself. You can find my homewares at birdandbeach.co.nz, which is the business I run with my husband. (You can also follow us here at @birdandbeach.bsky.social.)

NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen. Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.

Spread the word. Sign-ups close on the 19th

Gift idea for the cat lover in your life, my hilarious Cat Operator’s Manual (with free stickers!) Maybe your #secretsantaAoNZ recipient hints at being a feline fancier. Available online and at Whitcoulls , Paper Plus and gift stores nationwide cuddleUnit5.com

Reminder for anyone who needs it about Assoc Prof Siouxsie Wiles’ fundraiser - she was there for us through the worst of Covid, let’s return the favour

Thank you @writagal.bsky.social for always lighting the way. We have had an uptick in donations today and they are so very welcome. I reckon after today, we all know what’s needed is a safe and secure alternative reporting option - and that’s what we’ve built @tika

It's beginning to look a bit like Christmas, With sign up going live!🎶🎵 So here's the Bluesky Secret Santa AoNZ, with some friends from Mastodon along for the ride. We hope you are looking forward to some fun, and that we can bring it to you 🎄 Official hashtag: #SecretSantaAoNZ App: secretsanta.nz

Auckland peeps! Some dates for your diary!

It was lovely to chat with @skepchick.org about my case and my crowdfunding campaign. It’s a looooong interview so maybe bookmark it for the weekend 😂

Thinking only of Rosalind Franklin today, and what was stolen from her (and so many other female scientists alongside her).