Oh, that's me! Thanks for the shoutout! (:
Someone can be "fairly respectful" or "civil" about their views on gender identity & sexuality, but if their message boils down to ideology like "I don't believe this really exists", "Be a man or a woman, ffs", or "These people are all just mentally ill", it doesn't really matter how "respectful" they are being if their message / beliefs are harmful to marginalized groups.
I don't necessarily encourage these kinds of hostile replies, but I can absolutely see where it comes from, and it is absolutely understandable.
If your beliefs can cause or encourages harm, hostility can enforce the message that it is not welcome in these places.
I would also love to know what kind of "left wing agenda" that the commenter is claiming to "cause so much harm" actually is.
As good as I feel Lemmy is, I find a lot of the meme & humor communities alarmingly depressing.
I'm not looking for 24/7 wholesome! But, man.. I just want to see funny memes.
"People don't like unregulated organizations that foster abuse and hatred!"
Wow. Crazy, right?
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Consent is not the issue here. The issue is the abuse of power.
Therapists & teachers are barred from dating their clients / students, even if they are of legal age. For therapists, it's straight-up illegal. For teachers/professors, it is against the set code of conduct and seen as unethical. There is a clear imbalance of power between the individuals. Ethical bosses also do not engage in dating employees.
This pastor led this woman to believe that this was part of the "ministry", the way things are done, and took advantage of her ignorance. He violated her & her trust in order to assault her, regardless of consent, because he uses his position of authority to do so.
Saying that this is a consent issue is absolutely wrong, and the very reason why this rat-fuck got away with it.
Saying that this is about "consent" puts responsibility onto the victim who was misled by the person in a high level of power. "Consent" bears little meaning in an uneven power dynamic. The person in position of power is the one responsible for not using their position to mislead/abuse. Full-stop.
Sexual assault by a pastor deemed "not criminal".
“It’s frustrating to know that it did happen but that Michigan law can’t protect me.”
I used to attend this church as a teen. I am not the victim mentioned in the article.
Here are some notable highlights:
>To be a criminal act in Michigan, the victim either had to fall under a special class of victims or there had to be proof beyond a reasonable doubt that there was force or coercion involved in the alleged sexual assault. — The special class of victims includes children under the age of 16, incapacitated victims, family members, students of a certain age, special education students, persons in foster care, clients of mental health professionals, prisoners, and patients of medical doctors, among others.
>“In contrast, there currently are no laws in Michigan that specifically list or protect members of a religious organization as ‘status’ victims against sexual contact by religious leaders, authorities, or pastors, etc,” according to the prosecutor’s review.
>While Michigan law does not state that it is illegal for clergy members to engage in sexual activity with church members, other states have amended their laws to include that language. Other states have also amended their laws to say that consent is not a defense in certain criminal sexual assault cases.
>It was acknowledged that clergy in counseling roles have more power than a typical counselor or psychologist because clergy are also connecting parishioners to God, said Gary Schoener, a psychologist in Minnesota that consulted on the legislation changes in the early 1990s. Since then, Schoener has also provided testimony for other states looking to similarly update their criminal sexual assault laws in regard to clergy members.
The fact that churches have clergy put into power over so many vulnerable people with no checks or balances, it's no wonder the whole system is an endless cycle of abuse that attracts the lowest of the low.
It is working as intended.
If you support churches, you are complicit. You are an accomplice. You are helping them abuse people.
I've come across more predators in churches than I ever have in any other environment.
Legitimately, I urge anyone who has children to keep them away from churches!
"Not all Christians are bad!"
Shut up. Shut up. Shut the fuck up.
Christian teachings led me into horrifying situations. It taught me the "correct" way to act. It taught me that questioning God is a sin. It taught me to trust in those who preach the word of God.
Those people abused me. Hurt me. Led me to become the broken person I am today. I'm still suffering. It finally led me to my PTSD diagnosis and I'm fucking struggling.
"Not all Christians are bad!" and "Well, they weren't real Christians!" are things I've been told. Shut the fuck up. If the wolves fit into your flock so well, YOU'RE ALL WOLVES.
Christian teachings led to this. Not """"fake Christians"""".
The church ain't paying for my fucking therapy or my bills that I struggle with since the PTSD has me struggling for steady employment. Fuck Christians and their shitty teachings.
EDIT: Did you know that in a lot of places, clergy are exempt from mandatory reporting laws? Most are also exempt from laws that keep vulnerable people safe from being preyed upon by people in positions of power. People like teachers and therapists have these laws applied to them. Clergy and church """"counselors"""" do not.
Greenery is so wonderful and relaxing. I can barely keep myself alive, so I'm not sure any abundance of plants would do well in my care!
NOOOOOO!! /s
For real, though, I've never met such a person, but they sound like fun!
Posters, plushies, stickers, and figurines. That sounds nice! It's so good to have your own clean space away from others. (:
Yoooooo I love entertainment stands/centers with storage and shelves and drawers and shit!!!! Nice!!!!
"Graham, watch out!!!"
"A poiiiiisonous snake!!"
Artwork by Tumblr user "pointclicking"
Post found here: https://allhailkingsquest.tumblr.com/post/51938240404/pointclicking-king-graham-cedric-the-owl-and-a
Cursed with a blessing
TEXT:
Witch: –turns me into a frog– now suffer
Me: –chilling on a leaf–
Witch: wait
Me: –experiencing happiness for the first time in my life—
Witch: wait no
Oh, it would keep you cozy, for sure!
It's not "weatherproof", per se, but the eyes won't be damaged by the elements, the nose has been meticulously sealed, and the faux fur can be dried pretty quickly when hung up & stored properly. The only different thing that may have to be done is to comb/brush through it as it dries.
Thank you!
I actually had things like LARP & ren faires pop into my head when I was thinking about what kind of goober besides me would like this!
Thank you! It's definitely a difficult balance to have creatures look good without looking too uncanny.
I'd probably be down with that! Send me a message if you'd like to discuss it further.
I made a more "realistic" version in my v1.0 iteration, but I really do prefer the bigger, more friendly eyes!
I made a black lion cowl!
I patterned it all from scratch, too!
Sewn both by hand & machine. Has a velcro closure on the front of the neck! Also super light, so your head & neck won't hurt while wearing it (I'm very proud of that)! I lined the mouth with soft fleece and the inside of the head with satin. It's really comfortable!
It's not a mask, so you can't see out of it if you pull it over your face!! It's meant to be worn more like a hood.
If you have any questions about how it was made, feel free to ask!
Black fur is really difficult to photograph.. it looks better in-person!
Self-drafted vinyl crossbody bag
Sloppy edge because I was just in a hurry to get it done, and I also ran out of that color.
Made it for a trip, but it's too large. I'm pretty frustrated at myself for that. Oh well..
Can bearded dragon eyesight be restored?
I took in a silkback/scaleless bearded dragons some years ago after all my fosters were adopted, as I wanted to get some experience with such a misunderstood species.
I learned an absolute ton and have been educating about silkbacks on R×ddit for some years now, dispelling myths, discouraging ownership / breeding, and swapping advice with the fellow silkback owners.
One thing I've noticed is that silkbacks seem to be prone to blindness / vision loss. We suspect that their eyes may be much more sensitive to UVB, resulting in eyesight deterioration. My own has lost most of his vision and now struggles to find food on his own.
tl;dr: Is vision restoration even possible? Surgery? I'd love for my guy to be able to see again. It really hurts me to him struggle to even feel comfortable roaming my house now. The world can be scary for a little lizard when they can no longer see what's around them.
Thank you.