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Yes, I’m okay, and even better than that

Zinnia Jones, , , , Leave a comment

Photo of a woman standing, with short purple hair, glasses, a purple shirt and maroon hoodie, a pendant of an inverted cross.
I don’t want to talk about or even think about Twitter (or as I call it, the Site of Damnation) any more than strictly necessary, so I’ll make this brief. I left the platform a couple weeks ago because the realtime nature of it was unhealthily addictive to me, was taking up extraordinary amounts of my time, and was incredibly stressful to the point of adversely affecting my health. At the height of it, I realized I had been unknowingly chewing sores into my lips and tongue while coping with days of targeted harassment. After leaving I almost immediately realized I didn’t even want to go back, and there was essentially no reason to do so — fundamentally, it is a second-by-second update of everything to get upset about in the world. Participating meant being incentivized to seek applause by constantly adding to the negativity and sharing more for people to become upset about. Of course it wasn’t healthy for me to be exposed to that environment; who would look at that and say “this is a daily experience I would love to have”? The platform is structurally poisonous. Continue reading “Yes, I’m okay, and even better than that” →

Yes, I’m okay, and even better than that
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Welcome to The Orbit, an atheist blog network for social justice

Zinnia Jones, , 2 Comments

Today we’re launching The Orbit, a blog network of atheists advancing the values of intersectional feminism and social justice, and offering diverse secular perspectives on some of the world’s most pressing issues. The network is home to more than 20 nonreligious commentators from many walks of life, all of them bringing their unique experiences, insights, and outlooks together to spark discourse and move conversations forward in secular and social justice communities alike.

For those of you who are new to this blog, I’m Zinnia Jones. I’m a professional writer and researcher, a radical feminist, a secular activist, a trans woman, and a mom, living in Florida with my partners Heather and Penny. As a former Christian, I’ve been vlogging on YouTube since 2008, addressing faith issues and political developments with a focus on LGBT topics. After transitioning in 2012, I’ve increasingly covered trans-related subjects with an emphasis on the experiences of trans people and the impact of structural prejudice on our lives. These themes have featured prominently in my web series, Gender Analysis. I’ve written at Freethought Blogs from 2012 to 2015, spoken at the Florida Secular Rally and SF Pride, participated in panels at Women in Secularism III, and made appearances on Al Jazeera America and CNN to discuss trans healthcare access in prisons. Continue reading “Welcome to The Orbit, an atheist blog network for social justice” →

Welcome to The Orbit, an atheist blog network for social justice

Hello, Freethought Blogs!

Zinnia Jones56 Comments

Hi, I’m Zinnia Jones, and I’m very excited to be one of the newest members of the Freethought Blogs network. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m an atheist from Chicago, now living in Florida with my partner Heather and our two awesome kids. I’ve been producing videos on YouTube since 2008, mainly focusing on religion, atheism, LGBT rights, politics, ethics, and common errors in thought. Generally, I take an interest in anything that seems to need a strong dose of clarity in reasoning, whether the topic is political, religious, moral or philosophical. I’ve recently contributed to TheNewCivilRightsMovement.com, the Huffington Post, and The Fight magazine, and I’ll now be joining my fellow YouTubers ZOMGitsCriss, Thunderf00t and Ashley Miller on Freethought Blogs.

For those who already follow my channel, videos will continue to be posted as usual. They’ll just be mirrored on my blog, along with a transcript and additional commentary on a daily basis. You might also see some pictures of our pet rats, and maybe even the occasional post from Heather. In the coming days, I’ll be posting a selection of my past videos so that newcomers can get a sense of my style and approach. As for the all-important commenting policy, I strongly encourage you to call me out and correct me when I’m wrong – with the caveat that trolls and other dishonest people may have their comments highlighted, mocked, and used as a jumping-off point for further discussion.

Finally, I’d like to thank Ed Brayton, Natalie Reed, PZ Myers, and all of my viewers for helping to make this possible. This is an incredible honor, and I’m elated to be writing alongside some of the greatest skeptics and atheists in the movement. Thank you so much for this opportunity. Let’s do this!

Hello, Freethought Blogs!