Vol. 27
ESSAY | NOW READ THIS | WHAT I’M READING | FINAL FRAME
Smoke and Fire
Anyone else spend the last week somewhat (OK, a lot) depressed about the smoke in the air and the general state of the climate crisis? I don’t think it was just me. I’m privileged not to have any major respiratory issues that make me extra vulnerable to conditions like what we had for days on end, and even I was feeling it: gummy eyes and stuffy nose in the morning, the taste of grit in the air, extra phlegm and coughing if I had to spend any time outdoors (even though I was mostly masked when I did). So many people simply didn’t have the option to go outside at all. Shit is off-putting, to say the last.
And this won’t be the last time we deal with such dangerous air quality (at times, the worst in the world). The wildfires in Canada continue to rage, so depending on weather trends, those plumes of incinerated northern forests will make their way back to us again. And that’s not even getting into the impacts from wildfires closer to home.
In my sadness and in order to fight off a feeling of total helplessness, I put together a short video trying to explain why wildfires are getting worse and what we can do to decrease their frequency and intensity (spoiler: part of the answer is more fire–controlled burns!). A lot of people seemed to appreciate the video, which was gratifying - but it also told me that those of us doing science communication need to do a much better and more thorough job of getting the word out about how the climate crisis is impacting us and that there are very approachable solutions. If only the folks with the purse strings and the power would take it more seriously. If only the purse strings and the power weren’t so fantastically concentrated in a tiny majority of the population, one that’s done a pretty good job of insulating themselves from the worst impacts of climate change.
And that’s the thing that’s been so frustrating, especially since I began doing this work as my full-time job: We have the solutions, the tools, the knowledge, the ability to make things markedly better–to prevent the worst impacts and outcomes and start to reverse the trend. We just lack the political and social willpower to meaningfully invest in those solutions and those people/communities who are best placed to implement them in an equitable way.
Every day, I work with and learn from people who are passionate and knowledgeable about all of it. I see the possibilities first-hand. They give me so much hope. I want to share that with everyone I can.
But I also see the very real obstacles in our way: the concentration of wealth and power with the very few and the very privileged, the misinformation, the hateful red herrings that distract us from dealing with real issues in favor of attacking our most vulnerable community members.
Like the climate crisis itself, those barriers to addressing it are all human-made. Which means we, humans, can unmake them.
Now Read This.
“Wisconsin’s Pride events grappled with renewed threats in communities large and small” [Alice Herman for Tone]
With anti-LGBTQ legislation and open bigotry taking hold in statehouses across the U.S., Pride month has taken on a new valence in communities across Wisconsin. Activists in Wisconsin’s cities and towns say they are responding to the political moment by deepening ties with their communities, rethinking event security, and creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ kids—a vulnerable group that has been uniquely affected by the rise of transphobic and homophobic policies in schools. The pandemic spurred organizers in smaller communities around Wisconsin to form or expand their own Pride celebrations, as larger events in Milwaukee and Madison canceled or went virtual. Now, nationwide attacks on public LGBTQ+ expression are putting those smaller events in a precarious position.
“The Queer Nature of Pattie Gonia” [Heated]
“Growing up, I was told all the time that my queerness is unnatural,” Wiley said. “That created a disconnection between me and nature, because I didn't think that I was nature.”
But when Wiley was able to repair that disconnect—when he was able to accept that he was, in fact, nature—he not only felt better about living in the world, he was able to create a sustainable, joyful motivation to save it.
“Dane County becomes transgender 'sanctuary' despite opposition” [Allison Garfield for Cap Times]
The County Board voted 25-1 to approve a resolution declaring that if Wisconsin were to pass a law that “imposes criminal or civil punishments, fines or professional sanctions on any person or organization that seeks, provides, receives or helps someone to receive gender-affirming care,” the board would ask the Dane County Sheriff’s Office to make enforcement its lowest priority.
Minnesota Dems racked up a dream list of wins this Legislative session. Dig into this Twitter thread or read this post to get a sense of the absolutely bonkers/wonderful results.
“Republican’s hatred for Milwaukee has reached an irrational extreme” [Christina Lieffring for Tone]
Meanwhile, Wisconsin Republicans continue their decades-long effort to strangle the the largest city in the state.
“They Never Supported Us: Target And Bud Light Show Hypocrisy Of ‘Corporate Pride’” [Erin Reed at Erin in the Morning]
When these companies faced anti-LGBTQ+ hostility, they backed down with little resistance. This reveals the reason why transgender people have been wary about corporatization of Pride: if corporate advocacy consists merely of rainbows that disappear at the first gust of fascist wind, it amounts to net harm. That support was never truly there.
"Not the odds, but the stakes." NYU Professor of Journalism Jay Rosen on how the media should be covering Trump's run for president.
“I Think You’re Confusing ‘The Good Samaritan’ with ‘The Punisher.’” [Parker Molloy at The Present Age]
The people who assert their right to march through public spaces heavily armed, citing the Second Amendment as their justification, are often the same ones who claim that feeling uncomfortable, inconvenienced, anxious, or threatened grants them the right to terminate a life immediately. How often have we heard the justification of a police shooting with the phrase, "But the officer thought the man had a gun!"? This presents an inconsistent and incoherent worldview. These individuals defend lethal violence against marginalized groups—people of color, aggressive protesters, the unhoused, those with mental illnesses, LGBTQ individuals, religious minorities, etc.—while simultaneously maintaining that they possess a divine right to patrol the streets armed with enough ammunition to wreak havoc in an El Paso Walmart.
“Moby Dyke and the Quest for Lesbian Bars” [Maddy Court at TV Dinner]
That’s why there’s so much collective grief when a lesbian bar closes – it’s fully shutting the door on a period in lots of queer lives. A bar you loved closes, and you might suddenly remember, full force, what it was to be 23 and broke and surrounded by all your friends, who all lived in the same city, and were all single and working shitty jobs and dedicated to diving into as much fun and chaos as possible. It’s not just a bar. That bar was your queer home – possibly the only safe and accepting public home you had – and that time in your life was formative!
What I’m Reading
Looking for an engaging, fun, very queer summer read? I just finished “The Gardener’s Hand” trilogy by Felicia Davin and give it two gay, polyamorous thumbs up. With richly imagined world-building, complex and intriguing characters, and a plot that’s centered around both the very personal and large-scale, fate-of-the-world mysteries and adventures, the story gripped me from the jump and never let go.
Final Frame.
Dogs make everything better.
‘Til Next Time.
Thanks for reading! Hit me up with questions, comments, suggestions, and tips on great hiking spots. And please feel free to forward this email to a friend and/or hit that subscribe button. xoxo