In 2008, queer anarchists gathered in Chicago to plot a disruption of the electoral spectacle and cohere a network out of emergent youth crews in multiple cities. Fifteen years later, the proposals put forward then — criminality, autonomous self-defense, riots, and orgies — are needed more than ever. The intervening years have been marked by intensification — of crisis, alienation, loss, and struggle. The right wing no longer hides behind euphemisms: they want to exterminate trans and queer people. The left offers only false solutions: vote, donate, assimilate. A decade of representation, symbolic legal victories, social media activism, and mass-market saturation has left us worse off by all metrics. Our fairweather friends won’t save us from the consequences of their strategy of empty visibility. The inescapable conclusion is that we must come together to protect ourselves.

History confirms the queer legacy of building connection in a world that hates us, the legacy of riotous joy—the legacy of bashing back. The attacks will continue on our nightclubs, forests, story hours, and siblings. To hold on, we need spaces—underground if necessary—to re-encounter each other, spaces to remember, build, share, and conspire.

In this spirit, we are ecstatic to announce the return of the Bash Back convergence! Fifteen years from the original gathering, Chicago will host the 2023 convergence September 8–11. Comrades, old and new, are invited to discuss what’s still vital in the past and what’s needed in the present. In keeping with tradition, the convergence will include presentations, workshops, distros, parties, and other opportunities to make trouble.

Excerpt:

This detail bears repeating, as it crystallizes Republicans’ selective approach to free speech: Teachers are not required to use their trans students’ chosen pronouns, but trans teachers are expressly forbidden from using the pronouns that align with their gender. The policy appears to stand in direct violation of the First Amendment, as well as the Supreme Court’s Bostock decision, which protects LGBTQ+ workers from discrimination.

The fact that the rules for students’ chosen names apply to both cis and trans children may at first appear as merely a cynical ploy to avoid legal challenges, as anti-trans laws have consistently been blocked in federal courts in recent months. No one truly believes a teacher will face disciplinary consequences for calling a cis boy Rob without a form from his parents. Any such rules will be selectively enforced to attack gender nonconformity.

Excerpt:

In Ukraine, many of the same groups lobbying for greater international support against Russia’s invasion are also speaking out about the need to make sure that money gets to its intended recipients. “Huge money always comes with corruption,” said Vita Dumanska, leader of the Chesno movement, a Ukrainian anti-corruption group. “We can’t keep silent on this.”

Excerpt:

To underline Blanchfield’s point, the ChatGPT book selection process was found to be unreliable and inconsistent when repeated by Popular Science. “A repeat inquiry regarding ‘The Kite Runner,’ for example, gives contradictory answers,” the Popular Science reporters noted. “In one response, ChatGPT deems Khaled Hosseini’s novel to contain ‘little to no explicit sexual content.’ Upon a separate follow-up, the LLM affirms the book ‘does contain a description of a sexual assault.’”

Rigged Vote

Explanation:

Sprawling emission nebulae IC 1396 and Sh2-129 mix glowing interstellar gas and dark dust clouds in this nearly 12 degree wide field of view toward the northern constellation Cepheus the King. Energized by its central star IC 1396 (left), is hundreds of light-years across and some 3,000 light-years distant. The nebula's intriguing dark shapes include a winding dark cloud popularly known as the Elephant's Trunk below and right of center. Tens of light-years long, it holds the raw material for star formation and is known to hide protostars within. Located a similar distance from planet Earth, the bright knots and swept back ridges of emission of Sh2-129 on the right suggest its popular name, the Flying Bat Nebula. Within the Flying Bat, the most recently recognized addition to this royal cosmic zoo is the faint bluish emission from Ou4, the Giant Squid Nebula. Near the lower right edge of the frame, the suggestive dark marking on the sky cataloged as Barnard 150 is also known as the dark Seahorse Nebula.

PinkWug

Excerpt:

On Friday, local police, acting like the Gestapo, raided the office of the Marion County Record, as well as the home of its owner and publisher. They used a trumped-up search warrant approved by a compliant local judge to seize newsgathering equipment, including the computers and cellphones of reporters. The raid was so traumatic that the publisher’s 98-year-old mother, who was the newspaper’s co-owner, died on Saturday as a result.

The police were trying to suppress the truth that the newspaper had uncovered about a local restaurant owner who hosted an event for the region’s far-right member of Congress, Rep. Jake LaTurner.

The Marion County Record was doing basic accountability reporting, the lifeblood of small-town journalism.

Excerpt:

While living in Chicago as an obviously gay man, I felt free to be my unabashed self, clad in all manner of sequins and androgyny. On the road, not only did I literally not have the closet space to accommodate such a wardrobe, but I often didn’t feel safe presenting myself the same way in unfamiliar regions. Despite experiencing kindness across the country, there were times when I’d be too wary to exit the RV at rural gas stations, deterred by the glares I was getting through my window. And in Wyoming, a beautiful state that I adore, a group of teens shouted homophobic slurs and joked about assaulting me—all while I was wearing the most muted, all-black outfit I could possibly find to “hide” myself.

Censored by the the CCP in its crackdown on the "Let it rot" movement. More from the China Daily Post.

本视频为鬼山哥（作者本人）在Acfun发布的补档，现已404处理

穿上一件破旧的长衫 径直来到鲁镇酒店 Wearing an old long gown, I went straight to the Lu Town Hotel.

叫来伙计 温两碗酒 一碟茴香豆九文大钱 I called the waiter and asked for two bowls of warm wine and a dish of aniseed beans for nine coins.

我说着之乎者也 惹来嘲笑 不知不觉涨红了脸 As I spoke jargon, I attracted ridicule and unknowingly turned red in the face.

你怎么这样污我的清白 喝口酒与他们继续争辩 Why do you tarnish my innocence like this? Take a sip of wine and continue arguing with them.

骆驼祥子 之所以死 是因为他拉车不够努力 The reason why Rickshaw Boy Xiangzi died was that he didn't work hard enough to pull the cart.

鲁迅 的每一篇文章 都碰了不能碰的话题 Every article by Lu Xun touches on untouchable topics.

陈胜吴广 的日子不甜 是因为不能脚踏实地 The days of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were not sweet because they could not be down-to-earth.

最后时刻目光移向我 问我到底算个什么东西 As the final moment approached, the gaze turned to me and asked what kind of person I really was.

我看看长衫说我是 I looked at my long gown and said, I am

阳光开朗孔乙己 阳光开朗孔乙己 a cheerful and optimistic Kong Yiji, a cheerful and optimistic Kong Yiji.

他那离谱的文笔 质问我服不服气 His outrageous writing style questioned whether I was angry or not.

阳光开朗孔乙己 阳光开朗孔乙己 Cheerful and optimistic Kong Yiji, cheerful and optimistic Kong Yiji.

劳动力倒进河里 我也不便宜卖你 I won't sell myself cheap even if I throw my labor into the river.

阳光开朗孔乙己 阳光开朗孔乙己 Cheerful and optimistic Kong Yiji, cheerful and optimistic Kong Yiji.

你开着兰博基尼 却笑我不够努力 You drive a Lamborghini and laugh at me for not working hard enough.

阳光开朗孔乙己 阳光开朗孔乙己 Cheerful and optimistic Kong Yiji, cheerful and optimistic Kong Yiji

这腐朽的旧社会 和我有寄吧 关系 This corrupt old society has nothing Fxxking to do with me.

虽然我每天都洗脸 但口袋比脸还干净 Although I wash my face every day, my pocket is even cleaner than my face (because I am penniless).

我只好穿着长衫 替官老爷抄书忙个不停 I can only wear a long gown and work tirelessly to write documents for the officials.

本以为工作很清闲 不曾想却是玖玖陆 I thought the job was easy, but it turned out to be 996 .

干完后因恶意讨薪 饥饿的我被官兵抓走 After finishing the work, I was caught by the officials' soldiers for maliciously demanding wages while starving.

这万恶的旧社会 为什么会没有劳动法 Why does this wicked old society not have labor laws?

我们寻常百姓的尊严 为何会轻易被肉食者践踏 Why is the dignity of us ordinary people easily trampled by the carnivores?

这些离谱的故事与遭遇 现在也没人敢回答 No one dares to answer these outrageous stories and experiences now.

最后食客们目光移向我 问我你为何一点也不怕 Finally, the diners' eyes turned to me and asked why I wasn't afraid at all.

我笑着说因为我是 I smiled and said, Because I am

阳光开朗孔乙己 阳光开朗孔乙己 a cheerful and optimistic Kong Yiji, a cheerful and optimistic Kong Yiji.

势单力薄的枝丫 早已放弃了挣扎 The powerless branches have long given up struggling,

阳光开朗孔乙己 阳光开朗孔乙己 Kong Yiji, optimistic and cheerful, Kong Yiji, optimistic and cheerful,

棱角被岁月冲刷 徒留了几道伤疤 The edges and corners have been eroded by time, leaving only a few scars,

阳光开朗孔乙己 阳光开朗孔乙己 Kong Yiji, optimistic and cheerful, Kong Yiji, optimistic and cheerful,

乐观是我的爪牙 面具下眼泛泪花 Optimism is my tool, tears in my eyes behind the mask

阳光开朗孔乙己 阳光开朗孔乙己 Kong Yiji, optimistic and cheerful, Kong Yiji, optimistic and cheerful,

你问我幸不幸福 我只想说句脏话 You ask me if I am happy, and I just want to greet your mom with Fxxx!

听我说完了之后 店内充满快活的空气 After I finished speaking, the air in the restaurant was filled with joy.

那些谩骂质疑反驳嘲笑 与我有何关系 What do those insults, doubts, rebuttals, and ridicule have to do with me?

读书是为了中华崛起 而不是去送外卖快递 Reading is for the rise of China, not for delivering takeout or express.

所有人听完后露出放肆的笑容 After everyone listened, they showed a reckless smile,

除了那个傻逼的 Except for that idiot,

阳光开朗孔乙己 阳光开朗孔乙己 Kong Yiji, optimistic and cheerful, Kong Yiji, optimistic and cheerful,

撕开这腐朽的墙 寻一丝正道的光 Tear down the decayed walls and seek a ray of light on the right path.

阳光开朗孔乙己 阳光开朗孔乙己 Kong Yiji, optimistic and cheerful, Kong Yiji, optimistic and cheerful,

无论批评和赞扬 都需要有人鼓掌 Whether criticism or praise, there should be someone to applaud.

阳光开朗孔乙己 阳光开朗孔乙己 Kong Yiji, optimistic and cheerful, Kong Yiji, optimistic and cheerful,

精选的评论之上 有多少热血难凉 How much hot blood is there beyond the selected comments that cannot be cooled?

阳光开朗孔乙己 阳光开朗孔乙己 Kong Yiji, optimistic and cheerful, Kong Yiji, optimistic and cheerful,

孔明是我的理想 商鞅是我的下场 Smart Kong Ming is my ideal, and being dismembered by five horses and being torn to pieces like Shang Yang is my fate.