thinking about the difference between “fire and blood” and “winter is coming.” between, essentially, “look how intimidating we are,” and “we’re not easily intimidated.” and, yeah, i just love that for house stark.
There’s some new ‘guidance’ for schools in the works, which aims to force teachers to inform parents if a child is questioning their gender, or identifies as trans.
This would also involve refusing to acknowledge a child’s gender identity without express consent of the parents AND the personal approval of the head teacher.
I can’t stress enough how dangerous this will be for trans and queer children in the UK. Some of you may remember Thatcher’s Section 28, a piece of legislation designed to “prohibit the promotion of homosexuality”.
Practically, this bill legalised homophobia and orientation-based discrimination for years.
THIS guidance for teachers will be worse. This guidance directly targets trans children and puts them at risk of discrimination, harassment and abuse by the people supposed to protect them.
Below is a link to a petition you can sign to counter this guidance. If you can, PLEASE write to your local MP. If they are labour, it is likely they will have opposed Section 28 when it was released and, if enough determination is shown CHANGE CAN HAPPEN.
This is devastating to trans youth but a secondary effect is gong to be making the school hostile to queer staff. Let’s be real, the staff members who are visible queer are the ones who these kids are overwhelmingly going to come out to who are going to be put in this position where they have to choose between protecting that child and their legal obligation to report (which is obviously the government’s fault, not the kids). This is going to push those people out of education which is then going to make the environment even more hostile for young queer kids and reduce non-queer children’s exposure to queer people. You don’t have to make a law saying trans people can’t teach, you just need to make teaching ideologically impossible for queer people.
There were once three brothers travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river too treacherous to pass, but being learned in the magical arts, the three brothers simply waved their wands and made a bridge. Before they could cross, however, they found their path blocked by a hooded figure. And Death spoke to them.
Morning Doodle: He consulted his map as they reached a crossroads. “Zoya was nice enough to look at,” he said as he led them farther west. “But there was more to it. She was the only one who treated me the same after I lost my arm.” “Horribly?” “She couldn’t have shown me more contempt. Her insults were a lot easier to bear than Nadia constantly fussing over me.” “That’s what sisters do. I assume.” (Leigh Bardugo’s King of Scars CH 8)
Artist Notes: For references to Zoya’s friendship with Adrik and Nadia, since it’s such a small and overlooked thing that nobody ever really talks about it, here are a few passages:
Abruptly, Adrik snarled, “I’m glad Sergei’s dead. I’m just sorry I didn’t get to wring his neck myself.”
“You’d need two hands for that,” said Zoya.
There was a brief, terrible silence, then Adrik scowled and said, “Okay, stab him.”
Zoya grinned and passed him the flask. (Leigh Bardugo’s Ruin and Rising CH 12)
“You held the cave?” Zoya asked.
Tolya nodded. “He made a bubble as soon as we heard that last boom.”
“Huh,” Zoya said to Adrik. “I’m impressed.”
At the elation that burst over his face, she groaned. “Never mind. I’m downgrading that to grudging approval.” (Leigh Bardugo’s Ruin and Rising CH 5)
“Zoya, Nadia, can you get us there?” They’d been flagging before, but I needed to believe they had some reserve of strength to call on.
“I know I can,” Zoya replied.
Nadia’s earnest chin lifted. “Try to keep up.” (Leigh Bardugo’s Ruin and Rising CH 12)
Tolya enveloped his sister in an enormous hug, while Zoya gave Nadia and Adrik a grudging embrace. (Leigh Bardugo’s Ruin and Rising CH 14)
debut is my childhood next door neighbor i spent hours with as a kid. fearless is my daughter i want to watch shine. speak now is my baby sister who looks up to me and asks me for advice. red is my older sister who would drive me to the mall and listen to my social problems. 1989 is my really cool best friend who i know is a huge goofball in secret. reputation the mysterious girl i have a massive crush on. lover is the mysterious girl who has a massive crush on me. folklore and evermore are the friends i’ve known forever, and no amount of time and space will ever weaken our bond. midnights is my mother, slowly revealing parts of her past as i long to know the girl she was at my age.
