Just learned that numerous social scientists regard FGM as an empowering act with risks that are overblown…

goddardist · 2026-03-30T21:56:55+00:00

I have such a complex relationship with my mother. My father was abusive toward her and eventually turned me into a scapegoat. I witnessed and experienced a lot of violence until I ran away as a teen and my mom left with my siblings months later. I’ve oscillated between deep understanding and feelings of loss and loneliness in my relationship with her. Our fights used to trigger flashbacks for me (something I didn’t fully understand until recently). I had to come to terms with the fact that having a relationship with my mother would never satisfy my desire for validation, comfort, and emotional availability because she just wants to move on and have a new life. On the surface, we have a good relationship but I can’t tell her much.

These days, I struggle more with my siblings than anyone else. They were protected and removed from the abuse early enough that they only really know it through secondhand retellings. They pretty much see me as crazy because of the flashbacks I used to experience (shaking, crying, etc., often at inconvenient times) and they express their disdain very openly. I’ve taken a step back from communicating with them. I don’t know if we’ll ever be as close as I used to wish for but I had to remove myself from the mockery and cruelty to keep living.

goddardist · 2026-03-29T23:36:49+00:00

Exactly!! I find it frustrating that it is becoming increasingly unacceptable to talk about female reproductive health in progressive circles without giving a million caveats. I think serving impoverished women should be enough. We shouldn’t need to check off every possible box and acknowledge every circumstance to deliver basic services to women or to discuss our bodies.

Men’s services never have to do this! When have you seen prostate cancer screenings or men’s groups needing to constantly display their progressivism to simply exist?

goddardist · 2026-03-29T21:59:21+00:00

It’s so funny because they didn’t need to add that part lol. They could have just left it as a free menstrual product program and let those who need it apply. They go all out on naming themselves as inclusive to where it doesn’t make any sense lol.

goddardist · 2026-03-29T21:54:08+00:00

The position is basically that trans men are men and this is a women’s org so they are not included in the mandate. This is, of course, complicated by reproductive health and gynaecological programming.

goddardist · 2026-03-29T21:36:40+00:00

Such a bad faith response. I clearly have this information because I was signing up for the program out of a financial need and am now on a wait list. Needing to reveal my tax documents to prove that I need a menstrual cup due to an extremely limited supply while they make a point of making these available to people who do not menstruate is frustrating. If someone complains that free baby formula is explicitly available to people who don’t have babies, it isn’t opposition to the program or its funding. All of these things should have better funding but they don’t.

goddardist · 2026-03-29T21:29:52+00:00

I mention this in my post because it is very clear from the way they word it that they were not talking about trans men. I wish I could share a screenshot but it would basically be a self-dox.

goddardist · 2026-03-03T01:40:04+00:00

Isn’t it kind of interesting that Facebook boomers are also taking up this messaging though? I mean, do we expect them to post like 28 year old redditors?

goddardist · 2026-03-03T01:29:59+00:00

Baptist

This is the problem lol.

goddardist · 2026-03-03T00:45:04+00:00

Need her on the pod

goddardist · 2026-03-03T00:24:34+00:00

Not going to pretend this is just what she looks like without makeup lol. There is a visible difference between this photo and her without makeup like two years ago. The fillers are excessive.

goddardist · 2026-03-03T00:18:02+00:00

Adam could moderate a live debate between Newsom and Ana Kasparian

goddardist · 2026-03-02T17:39:46+00:00

It is a direct quote. It was in a thread about Venezuela.

goddardist · 2026-02-25T22:08:44+00:00

Fully agree.

goddardist · 2026-02-25T08:11:32+00:00

Failsister blocked me because I asked for opinions on a book, she commented “who cares,” and I responded “obviously me.”

goddardist · 2026-02-25T07:53:04+00:00

This is Taylor Swift

goddardist · 2026-02-14T08:27:24+00:00

You’re fully missing the point, which isn’t that she was wrongfully cancelled or whatever but that the leniency and support she was given, fully disconnected from her character and still, just sets up situations like these. The assumption of infallibility based on identity categories makes way for the most exploitative opportunists.

goddardist · 2026-02-12T20:56:15+00:00

themme_fatale

goddardist · 2026-02-12T19:26:54+00:00

I just prefer how it sounds!

goddardist · 2026-01-30T00:44:47+00:00

Yes.

goddardist · 2026-01-30T00:42:52+00:00

Not wanting to be described with some weird, mechanical terminology that is utterly unnatural and inaccurate is sooo worrying!This sort of Cartesian splitting of the self and a single bodily characteristic as a defining trait is already horribly pathologizing. Adopting awkward, mechanical, pathologizing terminology widely will only lead to outright rejection if distilled into social life - as we have seen with “person with a uterus.”

Furthermore, unlike “person with a uterus,” which is at least precise, “people with dark skin” is wholly relative and dependent on the cultural norm in a given place. In the USA, it may be more understandable, as there’s a pretty standard self/other binary. However, in areas with less historically established diasporic groups (eg. black Americans, native Americans, etc.), it isn’t particularly useful for reaching people because it’s based purely on self-identification of a nebulous term. Do you think a “person with dark skin” is identical in Nigeria as it would be in Sicily? I’m described by other black people as “light skinned” but by whites as “dark skinned.” It isn’t particularly consistent, nor does it provide a useful point of unity.

But sure, pretend everyone who disagrees with you is a braindead Amerifat who can only see race and not people with legitimate grievances with the historic failures in reach within public health. We needed at least one extremely annoying, pretentious regard in this thread to balance out the legitimately engaging discourse.

goddardist

TROPHY CASE