EEDA Newsletter: Vol 5, Res 14: Help for Doomscrolling, Updated Anti-Trans Legislation Map, & Postcard Activism
This is a public issue of Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice. Feel free to share it!
Hi friends! I’ve been trying to be more social in ways that feel safe. Last week I made biscuits and gravy from scratch and we invited a friend over to help us eat it. On Friday we had a visit from family and fed them and visited. This week we did something on a work night (which we never do) and went to the book launch for The Worst Ronin by Maggie Tokuda-Hall. The author is a delight and so is the book. It’s been forever since I’ve been to a book event and it felt nice to be there.
Anyway, here’s a cake I made for my dad last week: a blueberry-lemon bundt from this recipe.
In this week's EEDA Pod episode, “Community Care is Self Care,” we talk about the quickening descent forcing us further into conservatism in the United States and beyond and some advice on what we can all do right now to feel less hopeless.
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Resource 1: Postcards to Swing States & Postage Increase Coming Soon
A bit of quiet activism that is available to folks is writing postcards to folks in swing states, asking them to vote in the upcoming elections. This is a proven method to increase voter turnout and it can be done in the comfort of your own home. On the site for Postcards to Swing States, you can request a stack of postcards (200 minimum) and request what state you want to send to via the dropdown menu. They’ll send you the postcards and a mailing list and you supply the postage and the labor of writing the postcards. 200 may seem like a lot but you won’t mail them until October. Also, depending on your comfort level and community, you can totally make it a social gathering. You can use colorful pens, have a bunch of snacks, put on some music, and have a few friends over to take part in some micro-activism. That’s our plan, anyway!
Here is some key information they sent to me:
Sign up now at www.turnoutpac.org/postcards
We’ll send you FREE postcards along with voter lists and instructions with proven messages; you’ll provide the stamps and mail the postcards to voters in October
You can pick from 11 key states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania,
Wisconsin(sign-ups complete), North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio,Montana(sign-ups complete), Florida and TexasSign-ups for competitive House races in other states starts July 9 (list of districts)
Also, not gonna lie, it’s something to do that will keep me from doomscrolling and feel like I am helping in some small way.
A note on the postage: buy your postage now if you’re in the U.S. and reading this on Friday or Saturday before evening because postage rates go up on Sunday 7/14.
Resource 2: Anti-Trans Legislative Risk Assessment Map: July 2024 Edition via Erin in the Morning
Erin does an amazing job of explaining so I won’t bother repeating what is so well-said at the link.
I do want to talk about the common reaction of folks, queer and not, who are privileged enough to live in those bright turquoise states, the ones labeled “Safest States With Strong Protections.” So many folks in these bright blue states respond with, “Well, here’s a map of all the places I’m not going!” which may be true but then what are we doing to use our privilege of living in safer states to help our queer and trans community members who do live in those states? Most people can’t just up and leave nor should they have to. Queer and trans people exist everywhere and we deserve to be safe everywhere. If you’re not traveling to those states, fine, neither are we, but maybe take a step back and think about ways that you can help improve the lives of the queer and trans folks that make those places their homes.
For us, personally, it’s not a fun thing to say that we’re not going to all these places. We have family and loved ones in at least seven of the more red states that are shown and it actually makes me deeply sad. Even if, say, we only planned on staying inside someone’s house if we visited, this does not protect us in the airport. Or the car rental. It does not ensure my wife’s access to health care if she gets injured or falls ill and has to go to the hospital. It does not ensure her safety if she needs to use a public restroom. Add to this that we’re a queer and interracial couple, and we’re fucked. If you say, “Well Patricia, you can travel to these places without Nicole” I’m going to need you to stop right there. First of all, solidarity is built into our marriage vows. I’m not going to support tourism or spend money in a place that would be hostile toward my wife. Second, if a place isn’t safe for my wife, I promise it’s unlikely to be feel much better for me.
I’d be interested in some kind of correlation graph with the Hate Map from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Resource 3: you’re not lazy… you’re stuck in the freeze response via Simone Saunders
A mental health provider that I trust shared this video with me and it resonates deeply. My doomscrolling has been out of control and I’ve been glued to my phone an unhealthy amount the past few weeks (by unhealthy, I mean my neck, head, and back are in pain due to it). The moment I put down my phone, I pick it up again. This video does an amazing job of explaining what might be going on and ways to interrupt this cycle.
Recent & Current Reads
Inclusion of a book in this section is not necessarily a recommendation and these books won’t necessarily be added to my Bookshop.
Recently Read:
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Your Letter by Hyeon A. Cho (out 7/23)
A Quick & Easy Guide to Coming Out by Kristin Russo and Ravi Teixeira (out 9/24)
The Ghostkeeper by Johanna Taylor (out 7/23)
Currently Reading:
Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Maree Brown
Miss Major Speaks: Conversations with a Black Trans Revolutionary by Major Griffin-Gracy and edited by Toshio Meronek
Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook: A Cookbook by Sohla El-Waylly and a forward by Samin Nosrat
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror edited by Jordan Peele & John Joseph Adams (Yes, I am still working on this. I got through one particular story and it thoroughly creeped me out so I’ve set it aside)
That’s it for this week! You can shop many books I’ve mentioned in this newsletter at my affiliate shop, The Infophile’s Bookshop, and support independent bookstores. In fact, any Bookshop, Amazon, or Etsy links in this newsletter are affiliate links so if you shop through those, it helps support my work. Or you can leave me a tip on Ko-fi, Paypal, or Venmo.
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