You need to read this story.

This essay by @sandyernestallen.bsky.social is excellent and mirrors so much of my own experience re: estrangement and my queer and trans identities. Also I'll say I found it to be careful with how it discusses trauma. I felt comforted and relieved reading it, rather than overwhelmed or triggered

Didn’t get everything you wanted for Christmas? These single-digit billionaires can increasingly relate.

Chapter 2 is now live!

Clicking through intake forms for my kid's pediatrician, I almost automatically clicked "yes" on a consent form at the end - medical consent forms are everywhere, after all. For whatever reason, I stopped to read it more carefully and realized it was a consent to use my kid's private health info...

Trans youth healthcare is based in decades of research and supported by every major medical organization in the US. Under RFK Jr, a handpicked panel produced a dodgy report claiming otherwise. It's a clear example of Kennedy's war on science. So why aren't news organizations treating it that way?

I mean You *know* why media is treating trans health care differently But it is an important rhetorical framing, and I think more people need to use it So why is journalism so susceptible to junk science, especially when it comes to sexual & gender minorities?

Worked hard to get this into Guardian Oz & big props to @fiercemum.bsky.social for setting it up & Melissa Davey for publishing it. She will doubtless get loads of hassle from transphobes for it, but it needs to be out there. Puberty Blocker bans harm trans kids, no-one should pretend they don’t.

So much awfulness in the news around trans rights these days, so here is a great resource from the APA with "dos" and "don'ts" for teachers and school personnel about supporting kids who are exploring their gender identities. www.apa.org/ed/schools/p...

this is the government literally telling you that you don't have the right to choose your own fucking underwear

In addition to this administration trying to kill kids, and they're also coming for our binders? OUR BINDERS.

If any journalist wants to talk to a trans man with a PhD in Human Genomics who was trained in labs that studied the evolution of sex, I'm right here Or just keep platforming Republicans who have a 5th grade understanding of biology so they get more trans people killed, sure 🤷🏻‍♂️

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to announce a package of measures that would together ban gender-affirming care for minors. A press conference is set for 11 a.m. Thursday. n.pr/44xQKdD

Bluesky tonight is neatly divided between trans people and family members appropriately angry and freaking out and everyone else who has barely noticed.

A story I found about Haiti: In 1999, a group of Haitians were tired of political disorder and dreamed of a better life in the United States. So they built a small, 23-foot boat by hand using pine trees, scrap wood, and used nails. They called the boat "Believe in God."

Cville why am I hearing one million police and emergency vehicles with sirens blaring? What is going on?

One consistent theme of the anti-institutionalists is that they have not run the institutions they despise. The is akin to Rufo overseeing the implosion of New College, despite both institutions been handed massive financial resources.

I 💘the Nutured Heart Approach

Are you a fan of trans journalism? Are you an enjoyer of ranked lists? If you are either of those things, or both, we've got the end of year feature for you. Read our list of the best ten and worst five examples of journalism on trans issues of 2025. www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...

I mean, the Penn student newspaper isn't wrong, but www.instagram.com/p/DSH1X4EDwP...

1. There's going to be a lot of talk about over or under diagnosis and the conversation is going to be a mess. This is because how ADHD and ASD are defined has shifted. An ADHD diagnosis today isn't the same thing as an ADHD diagnosis ten years ago.

Breastfeeding advocates often fall into three broad groups: #1 Folks working to improve human health & know breastmilk is key, but also know that not all parents can BF & need safe, healthy alternatives...

Hey, Charlottesville: the sunset will start getting later this week! We've hit the earliest point of 4:54 PM, and on Thursday it'll be 4:55 PM. We made it. Sunrise will bottom out at 7:30 AM, and start to get earlier again in a month's time.

having seen a lot of East Coast professors commenting on the Oklahoma essay thing, one thing really jumps out: by and large, East Coast professors, particularly at the more elite schools, are not going to encounter the type of evangelical Christian who wrote that essay

In August, we got a bit of extra money from a generous donor, and I used it to expand into coverage of trans life in American prisons. This piece, by incarcerated journalist B Speaks, describes the chaos Georgia's forced detransition regime, currently halted by the courts, wreaked in one prison.

📣 Super unique opportunity here: All you have to do is follow @boltsmag.org and you’ll be providing real financial support for our independent journalism. These funds will go a long way in helping us cover the people and policies shaping local politics in 2026.

I highly recommend following them!

A must read- timely level-headed reporting about the threats facing trans and genderqueer people in America - no sensationalism, just quality journalism

If I had to say what segments of American life have taken the most serious blows, I think science, civil service, black women (and nondiscrimination law more broadly) and trans people might be my top four.

The bear would never

I don’t use this app but I noticed some supportive messages popping up and I really appreciate that 🥹💞

We killed four more people in the Pacific Ocean today, according to a video just posted to DVIDS, the military's media distribution channel

BREAKING: Trump administration plans to end prison rape protections for trans & intersex people, memo says. A DOJ memo says certain standards under the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) do not align with Trump’s Jan. 20 anti-trans executive order, @byadamrhodes.bsky.social reports.

An inependent review of medical evidence on trans youth healthcare found substantial evidence of benefit, and no evidence of harm. This was one of our top stories this year. Legacy news, who extensively covered a review finding the opposite, ignored this. www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...

We're highlighting the top stories from the past year all December as part of a drive to find new readers and surface stories you might have missed. Please share our work and tell your friends about Assigned Media, your trans news site!

What is the impact of studying STEM vs. Humanities? We consider this in Romanian high schools, where otherwise identical kids can be assigned to STEM-focused or Humanities-focused curricula. Our key finding is that kids are malleable to what they study. This happens on 4 fronts:

Expect normal people in all walks of life to believe pseudoscience, paranormal claims, and conspiracy theories. Most people do! But everyone’s different too. One might believe in ghosts, but not Bigfoot, or vice versa. Some people believe a ton such claims, some only believe one or two. Zero is rare

• Nvidia calls it DLSS Frame Generation • AMD calls it fluid motion frames or HYPR-RX

Last night's Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil was a moving gathering that provided space to honor and remember loved ones lost to anti-trans violence, rhetoric, and injustice. Boston remains dedicated to protecting our trans neighbors and everyone’s right to live joyously and authentically.

Things that will get you kicked out of academia forever: - taking maternity leave at the wrong time - spending too much time with your kids - reporting harassment - not moving every 2-3 years - taking a partner's job/preferences into account - mouthing off before tenure

“We owe it to our young people not to lie to them anymore. A democracy whose citizens operate with fundamentally different understandings of the past and its implications cannot sustain itself.”

Never forget that just a week ago, Ross Douthat and the NYTimes were asking if women ruined the workplace.

Results from a National Academies of Science report presented by @lisagennetian.bsky.social: impact of EITC and expanded CTC cut poverty in half #appam2025

Characteristics of SNAP recipients, from new @pewresearch.org analysis: —87% born in the US, 13% born elsewhere —27% employed in all months of the year, 12% employed in some months, 61% employed in no months Full analysis and downloadable data: www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

Not enough for the TSA to discriminate against transgender travelers, it also finds ways to discriminate against its trans employees. And now one employee is suing. This story brought to you by @alyssaur.bsky.social

The children’s picture book, “Strega Nona, An OldTale,” celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Author and illustrator Tomie dePaola penned the book about the Italian “grandmother witch.” (via @mprnews.org)

absolutely deranged responses here