Last month, I relaunched the Ace Journal Club.  We discussed a psychology paper, and next month we’re discussing a gender studies text.  Not of interest to most readers, but it’s a thing that is happening.  I also started a series about split attraction models on The Asexual Agenda.

Also, in case you missed it, Crip Dyke was at the Portland protests!  You can start here and go forward.  Or if you read just one thing, you can read about the worst night.  Summarized in five words: Tear gas, lots of it.

‘Mum’s day off is it?’: what adopting as a same-sex couple taught us | The Guardian – This article is less about same-sex parenting, and more about the disproportionate labor that mothers perform.  When a kid has two fathers, they’re often presumed to be straight men supporting their wives, and they get praised for doing ordinary parenting.  File this under “Are the straights okay?”

The Women’s-Only Spaces Myth | Reprobate Spreadsheet – HJ examines the history of the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, infamous for excluding trans women.  The leadership believed they were protecting attendees from sexual violence, but in fact most attendees did not agree with the decision, and the leadership was guilty of covering up sexual violence perpetrated by cis women.

What everyone gets wrong about cancel culture | T1J (video, 17 min) – T1J has some good thoughts on this subject.  I particularly agree that “cancel culture” is a frankenstein concept–the problem is not that these things don’t happen, or that they aren’t sometimes bad, but that “cancel culture” is a poor way to understand or address the issues.

Many have observed that “cancel culture”, such at it is, has also been practiced by the right, for instance in the “cancellation” of the Dixie Chicks or Colin Kaepernick.  But generally, we don’t talk about those as examples of cancel culture. I say it is correct not to talk about them as examples of cancel culture.  It is better to speak directly about the issues, such as the Iraq war, and race.

Critical Confusion | Asad Haider – This article discusses some critics who believe that academic Neo-Marxist/Postmodernist/Critical Theory is the underlying force of modern social justice advocacy.  Unsurprisingly, the critics do not understand what they are criticizing.

But let me also say–and I’m thinking of the Pharyngula commentariat–I feel like a lot of defenders also do not understand what they are defending.  I think Asad knows what he’s talking about, but most people don’t.  I think we should question the urge to immediately defend an academic field as if social justice itself depends on it.  Social justice activists are not reliant in academic theories, we are an independent stream that occasionally draws ideas from academics, among other sources.  I say this as an activist who actually does read scholarly works (see: journal club above), and has an ambivalent relationship to them.

Gender according to the Cis, based on their cakes | Incoherent Queer Screaming (video, 3 min) – A satirical presentation that combines gender deconstruction and cake, what more could you want.