Sun, 01 Jan 2023 08:35:39 +0000

Rare personal sharing time, since it's new years eve. It's been a weird fucking year. Some ways things have got better, other ways worse.

In terms of the positives, I love the people in my life and they anchor me. I just spent the evening with my girlfriends (an anarchist and a communist, call me little miss left unity), a friend, and my little sister. We watched the rocky horror picture show before midnight and sorry to bother you after. Great vibes all evening. Generally I'm able to lean on a dependable group of friends and comrades. Never thought I'd get to just live relatively happily as myself but I can, and it's amazing.

I'm a term from graduation, one year early, though I'd wanted it to be 1.5 (since I'm masochistic or something idk) and my schools scheduling fucked me over. Finished my sociology degree this term and complete an early course I skipped which will finish my computer science one next term. Then, I get the wonderful freedom to suffer under capitalism balancing work, home affairs, my social life, and organizing, without school tossed in.

I've spent the year doing research on trans rights, both academically (for classes and research papers) and on Wikipedia (coincidentally, it's about a year and 10 days since I started editing). Opsec and all, the research I'm doing off Wikipedia is great stuff that gives me a sense of purpose and helps in my own way push for trans liberation. All I can say. In terms of Wikipedia: 8 articles created and dozens more edited, which has made two high profile TERFs, one a conversion therapist another a somewhat closeted racist/fascist, complained about my articles sticking too close to reality and therefore reflecting poorly on them. A bunch of mid tier and inconsequential ones have also complained and ended up being blocked or sparing everyone the trouble by rage quitting.

In terms of negatives: the whole rising tide of fascism thing, continuing and worsening capitalist crisis, and an earth being poisoned, just the usual... Had a lot of rocky money periods, been in more close calls with fascists than I'd like, watched more police brutality against my friends, loved ones, and even myself (though not to the same extent), paid more tithes to big tobacco than I'd like, and generally spent another year watching and experiencing pain and suffering. Fighting back, though it sparks some joy, is not exactly restful. At the same time, doing nothing paradoxically drains me more often. Also, one of my first articles was about the vimes boots theory/economic index, and holy shit has the price of cheap food been rising. Wages certainly haven't been going up like that.

So, all in all, been a pretty good year for me, adjusted for the larger societal negatives which are unavoidable for most anyways. I feel hopeful for the next one, with any luck we'll see a resurgence in and expansion of organizing and resisting oppression of all kinds. The more cynical part of me however keeps reminding myself they're making lists of trans people in texas and the far right seems dangerously organized on all levels. Feels like there's only a hair trigger holding back full on state sponsored trans genocide (one could argue quite convincingly that it's already started and we're just seeing the first missiles in the volley). Either way, if things get better or worse, I'll continue to fight for a better world with every fiber of my being in every way I can, I promised that to myself a long time ago.

I want to extend a thanks to all the people I work with on Wikipedia, I'd have given up on it a long time ago by now if you hadn't been there. Here's to another year of building the encyclopedia! And thanks also to all the journalists covering these issues, you're fighting the good fight and should be proud!