Call me Ben, I am 21 years old and I am an atheist transgender woman living in a country where its a big sin to be homosexual or transgeder. The sentence is 14 years imprisonment if caught or reported with evidence.
I have been living an undercover life for four years now, my family are extremely religious and wouldn’t let it slide if they get to know about me. My uncle suspected me once, he told my parents and they promised to hand me to the Feds if the suspicions a true. My mom (who is lenient)promised to send me to corrective therapy and never allowed access to the outside world until I’m sane (they see my originality as insanity).
I can’t keep this cover up for much longer, already I’m raising eyebrows and so many are watching my every step. I’m scared, and all I ask Is be what I want in a safe environment. I don’t want to face 14years jail term nor want to be looked up in a corrective therapy.
I’m calling on the LGBTQ.
I want to move out to a neighbouring country where Its not a crime to be who/what you want to be.
The money is to cover my travel expenses and living expenses until I reach a place where I can create my own income.
I just wanted to make like a PSA. As of now I will be leaving hiatus in about two weeks, this week is finishing up classes and next week is exams so I will be back hopefully by the time winter break hits. But also, today I took my dog to the vet for her first visit, and I was told that she had double ear infections and allergies (both are normal for sharpei’s apparently) and due to that I had to pay over half of my savings and weekly spending budget to afford her medicine. If anybody could give any amount of money to help me build back up my savings/vet costs for her it’d be greatly appreciated, my Ko-Fi is in my bio.
I’m sorry for not checking my page lately, and most of my followers probably unfollowed me already, but for those who let me know about this - just thank you
every single russian person protesting the invasion of ukraine should have their effort duly recognized and respected for what it is: an act of courage and defiance against a violent, criminal regime that could target them any moment. these aren’t feel-good did-my-part went-to-mcdonalds-after protests. marching in the streets is not a simple civic exercise. writing ‘no war please’ on a camera lens at a sports event is not 'doing the bare minimum’. it’s brave and righteous and a part of this war that deserves to be remembered.
Please do not let debt collectors play in your face.
I am super busy so I honestly don’t even know if I should be taking the time to write this, but hopefully this will help those of you who may find yourself in a similar situation.
Earlier this year I received a letter of notice from a debt collector stating that they had acquired a debt supposedly belonging to me and that, per law, I have 30 days to dispute the debt. I immediately drafted a letter and sent it to both disputing the debt and request validation of the debt as well as possible settlement arrangements had they actually been able to validate said debt
I sent this letter via certified mail. Always certified mail.
About a week after the 30 day period for them to respond expired, I received a Phone call very specifically crafted in a way to invoke urgency and panic and suggest legal action. So, naturally, I called this number only to discover this was a different company that had only just recently acquired said supposed debt. I reiterated to them that I was disputing this debt and required validation in writing.
The initial conversation went smoothly, they then called me back the next day and became aggressive. They accused me of lying and did everything under the sun to try and trick me into validating this debt as mine so that they would not have to legally send me that validation. I, knowing my rights, insisted that I was disputing the debt and that they were required to send me validation despite them claiming that they were not and that they already had and many other number of lies. I refused to continue the conversation until someone had sent me validation to which they continually responded that they would be forwarding this to their legal department and blah blah blah blah blah.
Surprise surprise, I get a phone call today from yet another company, this one claiming to be in the process of forwarding my account to the county clerks office. That was an immediate red flag as the county clerk does not handle debt disputes. They would have to hire a lawyer in my state to handle this case. I asked what company this was as they had not stated initially, and when they told me I realized this was now another company who had purchased said alleged debt and we’re trying to collect on it. this one outright illegally threatening to take me to court knowing they weren’t.
Beyond that, he tried to lie to me and tell me that a debt validation was not what I thought it was and that a validation was actually just a notice that they had purchased a debt so when I received a letter stating that they had purchased this debt that would be a validation.
That is not true! Debt companies are legally required to send you notice of an allegedly acquired debt in writing and you have 30 days to dispute and request that validation. The company then has 30 days themselves to respond and validate your debt or the debt is forfeit. This man tried to lie to me and tell me that a notice was the same thing as a dead validation in order to trick me into paying a debt that he cannot validate that I am actively disputing.
This is now the fourth company that has attempted to collect on a debt they cannot validate. They know they cannot validate this debt and instead have relied on trying to trick me into paying it. These tactics would absolutely work if I did not have a sales background and or know my rights.
And this ladies and gentlemen is why you always always always dispute a debt. The last debt I disputed was immediately pulled from collections and that allowed me to get back in contact with the original creditor and work out a payment plan so that it would never hit my credit and keep my account with them current. This debt is invalid and therefore they cannot hit my credit with it nor can I collect on it or I will sue them.
If you guys have any questions about dealing with that collectors please ask me.
I’m not surprised they gave you the long ass run around on this.
For anyone that has a debt sold to a Collections Agency do exactly what OP did and request debt validation (Google-able). Most of the time, the Original company you owed debt to did not give them your Social Security Number or your date of birth; just a good phone number and address. In order to be held legally responsible for it and to be on your credit score, they need your SSN or DOB to prove it’s yours.
Usually, they’re initial call will say “Hey so before we can discuss your debt of $Xxxx, we need you to verify your SSN and DOB.” They’re lying. That means they want you to confirm it so they can legally pin that debt to you. If you send a Debt Validation letter VIA CERTIFIED MAIL, that Collections Agency has 30 days to prove you owe the debt and that it does in fact tie to you. Since in most cases they can’t, they’ll send a letter saying “We don’t have the necessary information to collect on this debt. It is now null and void.” Send copies of that to the credit bureaus, and they wipe it from your credit report.
With OP, they did the shadiest thing possible by constantly re-selling the debt, thus starting over that 30 day response period.
Never pay a debt unless you’re certain that you owe it. Especially if it’s for a deceased relative. Debt collection companies are especially predatory during the grieving period asking you to “Pay down the debt” or “Clear their good name”. Unless you (co)signed, don’t give them anything. The debt will get written off on their taxes. If you do pay, you’re locked in on that debt. You basically showed “willingness and ability to pay” which is all they need.
everybody has to do their part. as a reference, this was posted on 1 june 2020. if any links are broken or direct to a place they should not, please feel free to add on with corrections. if there is new information with better knowledge, please feel free to share. thank you.
1. donate
donot donate to shaun king. he has repeatedly collected money to “support” black people, but no one knows where the money is.
BAIL FUNDS (ALPHABETICAL ORDER; NOT A COMPREHENSIVE LIST)
note:washington dcandnew jersey have cashless bail systems.
minnesota freedom fund (as of may 30, 2020, they are encouraging people to donate elsewhere since they have raised enough money; as of may 29, 2020, they do not have a venmo, as some fraudulent accounts have been claiming, source)
reclaim the block (aims to redistribute police funding to help the minneapolis community)
twin cities dsa (provides fresh groceries and hot meals to people in minneapolis)
2. educate yourself
it isn’t enough to sign petitions and reblog/retweet/etc. nonblack people, including people of color, owe it to black people to educate themselves and correct themselves and the people around them on anti-blackness.
note: more links are in the masterposts linked below.
people need supplies to protest safely, and even if they bring supplies with them, they can often run out. if you’re able, stock up and hand them out to people protesting. for more supplies to donate, see the “george floyd action” google docs link in section 5.
water bottles (dehydration and heatstroke are not things people should have to deal with alongside bastard cops. if the police in your area are particularly violent or known to use tear gas, get the ones with the sports cap/suction-thing/etc so people can use them as emergency eye-flushes.)
snacks (make sure to take into account that people have allergies of all sorts. foods will have a little label that says “may contain” and then list any potential allergens. write the allergens on the ziploc (or any container you use) in permanent marker, or better yet, write the snacks included in the pack.)
masks (don’t forget there’s still a pandemic going on. also it will aid in deterring facial recognition when the police try to track down protestors, also part two, if the cops use tear gas, wearing a mask (with the combination of a scarf or bandana) will lessen the adverse effects. lessen, not stop.)
bandanas, scarves, etc. and goggles (ski goggles, swimming goggles, etc.) (see above for explanation on the scarves. same goes for the goggles. anti–tear gas and anti–facial recognition.)
clean shirts (for people who are heavily gassed. also helps deter recognition through clothing.)
wound care supplies (band-aids, packets of neosporin packets or a similar antibiotic, alcohol wipes, etc.; if you can, decant bactine into those little travel bottles.)
a sharpie or another type of marker (for writing bail numbers or emergency contacts on arms, hands, etc. it’s not enough to have your city’s bail fund number stored on your phone; the police won’t give it to you to look it up. give people a marker so they can write it down, preferably not washable so it isn’t easily removed.)
IMPORTANT: KNOWING FIRST AID
tear gas: if you’re hit, get out as fast and as soon as you can. take anyone you can with you. the longer you’re in the gas, the harder it will be for you to see, and it can irritate your airways, making it hard to breathe. if you’re hit, don’t run; it’ll only make things worse on your lungs. when you leave the area, take a cold shower. don’t use hot water (it will only reactivate the agent); don’t bathe (it will only spread the CS around). (source 1) (source 2) (cdc fact sheet on tear gas)
move them to a clean and ventilated area where it’s as safe as possible.
ask them if they’re wearing contact lenses. have them remove it. if they’re wearing glasses, rinse it with water.
solution of half liquid antacid, half water. spray from the inside going out, with the head tilted back and slightly towards the side being rinsed. if they say it’s okay, open the eye slightly while doing this. (source)
bullet wounds: the most important thing is to stop the bleeding. be sure to check for an exit wound and cover that as well. treat both wounds, but treat the worse one first.
making a tourniquet (a commercial tourniquet is best, but improvised ones can work as well if done properly; the most important things to remember is that tourniquets are for limb injuries and are not meant for the head or torso and that they have to be very tightly wound on the injury.)
adult cpr tutorial (youtube video by cincinnati children’s; think of “staying alive” by the beegees or “uptown funk”)
4. be a source of information
be responsible with this. people’s lives are at stake. that being said, the media is a fucking joke and the best way to get accurate information in a grassroots rebellion is amongst ourselves. record everything, but if you are going to share any information at all, be sure to blur people’s faces.
signal (encrypted messenger app; messages delete after x amount of time): app store|google play
NUMBERS TO CALL FOR ARRESTED PROTESTORS (ALPHABETICAL ORDER; SOURCES LINKED TO THE NUMBER)
remember to keep phones OFF unless absolutely necessary. cell phone towers, stingrays, location notifs can all be used to track you and other protestors. don’t fuck around. if your phone must be on, keep it on airplane mode as often as possible and only communicate using encrypted methods. no, snapchat doesn’t count. (a twitter thread on stingrays, for those interested)
#blacklivesmatter (google docs by ambivaIcnt on twitter; includes information on relevant events, other masterposts, lists of petitions and donation links, how to protest safely and protests to go to, and more)
george floyd action (google docs; includes information on apps to download, supplies to buy and donate, places to donate to, protest safety, resources on unlearning racial bias, and more)
i never see enough tips for trans women/transfem people so. here’s a video that came up about tucking :] (don’t worry she doesn’t use tape at all despite the thumbnail)
TRANSCRIPT:
*rips tape*
“How to tuck for trans Male to Female, or if you’re just really curious.
First, take that fancy-dancy duct tape, that electrical tape, that athletic tape and…
*throws it into a bin with an audible thud*
throw that shit in the trash!
It kinda works, but for the most part it frickin’ hurts, you gotta shave all the time and it’s really bad for your skin.
Instead, go to Walmart, get yourself a pair of high-waisted tights, and a pair of dr scholl’s travel compression socks.
*tears packet for high-waisted tights*
Cut the waistband out of your tights, like so.
*tears sock pack with teeth*
You’re gonna take your socks, and cut to right about… here. Then you get this cool little cuff.
Feed waistband into said cuff.
Step into each loop of the cuff. Your thingy should lay nicely in the cuff. Pull up, put on a pair of cute panties and some shorts, and it’s like you never even had a penis!
Памятка украинцам и украинкам, которых принудительно вывезли в РФ
На русском и украинском языках
ДЛЯ ТЕХ КТО УЖЕ В РФ 1. Что делать, если вы оказались на территории рф?
Свяжитесь с вашими друзьями, знакомыми или с программой помогаем уехать: @helpingtoleave_bot
Помните, что вы не обязаны оформлять беженство, заявление на временное убежище или разрешение на временное проживание. Избегайте любых манипуляций с вашим паспортом - печатей, отметок, и тд
Мы советуем не подписывать никаких бумаг и при первой же возможности отказаться от поездки в лагерь для перемещенных.
2. Как выехать из РФ?
НикакихОГРАНИЧЕНИЙ НА ВЫЕЗД ИЗ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ для граждан и гражданок Украины с точки зрения закона НЕТ.ЭСТОНИЯ, ЛАТВИЯ, ЛИТВА ПРИНИМАЮТ ВСЕХ гражданС ПАСПОРТАМИ УКРАИНЫ (в том числе старого образца и без биометрии, главное чтобы был документ, удостоверяющий личность)
Попав на территорию Евросоюза, вы можете поехать в любую страну, в которой захотите оформить статус на временную защиту, которая позволяет получить временное бесплатное жилье, льготы и финансовую помощь. Внутри Евросоюза ваши банковские карточки и сим-карты работают (в отличии от России). Медицинская и юридическая помощь для граждан и гражданок Украины оказывается бесплатно.
Вы можете не оформлять статус по прибытии, а просто устроиться на работу и снять жилье самостоятельно. Необязательно просить временное убежище или статус беженца в стране въезда - правило первого въезда было отменено.
3. Маршрут
На данный момент из России удобнее всего выбраться через пешеходную границу Россия-Эстония: Ивангород - Нарва. Наиболее удобный маршрут: добраться до Санкт-Петербурга на поезде, автобусе или попутке, оттуда выехать на маршрутке до Ивангорода (Автовокзал на ст. м. Обводный канал, ~2 часа, ~700 р). В Ивангороде можно перейти границу в Нарву пешком (~200м). Из Нарвы на электричке или на автобусе можно доехать до Таллина (2 часа, бесплатно по паспорту Украины).
Оказавшись в Эстонии, обратитесь на телефон помощи по любым вопросам: 1247 - номер бесплатный и +3726001247, вам предоставят временное жилье и помощь.
В Эстонии многие говорят на русском языке и очень сочувствуют украинцам, не стесняйтесь обращаться с вопросами к вызывающим доверие прохожим.
Также из городов России можно купить билет на автобус до Риги (Латвия), телпомощи: +37127380380 или Вильнюса (Литва), тел помощи: +37052717112: https://ecolines.net
ДЛЯ ТЕХ, КТО В ДНР 1. Переход границы днр-рф
На данный момент на территории ДНР, через которую вывозят в РФ действуют “фильтрационные лагеря”- специальные места, в которых происходят нелегальные проверки украинских граждан и гражданок. Мы рекомендуем перед проверкой по возможности удалить всю информацию с телефона, которая может показаться подозрительной (очистить переписку где обсуждались политические темы, осуждалась политика Путина или России, боевые действия, также выйти из специфических новостных чатов, удалить фото военной техники или разрушений). Сами мессенджеры можно не удалять, если вы пользуетесь несколькими, оставить один наименее активный.Также мы советуем поставить двухфакторную аутентификацию на все соцсети. В случае допроса советуем вести себя максимально нейтрально, не обсуждать политические взгляды, не вступать в разговоры, не вестись на провокации.
2. Куда писать, чтобы помогли уехать?
Напишите в телеграм @helpingtoleave_bot Организация “Помогаем уехать” оказывает помощь украинцам и украинкам, вывезенным принудительно в рф.
ПАМ'ЯТКА УКРАЇНЦЯМ/-КАМ, ЯКИХ ПРИМУСОВО ВИВЕЗЛИ ДО РФДЛЯ ТИХ, ХТО ВЖЕ У РФ
1. Що робити, якщо ви опинилися на території рф?
Зв'яжіться з вашими друзями, знайомими або зверніться до організації “Допомагаємо поїхати”: @helpingtoleave_bot
Пам'ятайте, що ви не зобов'язані оформляти заяву на біженство / тимчасовий притулок або дозвіл на тимчасове проживання. Уникайте будь-яких маніпуляцій з вашим паспортом: печаток, позначок тощо. Ми радимо не підписувати жодних паперів і за першої ж нагоди відмовлятися від поїздки до табору для переміщених осіб.
2. Як виїхати з рф?
ніякихОБМЕЖЕНЬ НА ВИЇЗД З РОСІЙСЬКОЇ ФЕДЕРАЦІЇ для громадян україни з точки зору закону НЕМАЄ.ЕСТОНІЯ, ЛАТВІЯ, ЛИТВА ПРИЙМАЮТЬ ВСІХ громадян/-окЗ ПАСПОРТАМИ УКРАЇНИ (зокрема старого зразка і без біометрії, потрібен лише документ, що посвідчує особу). Потрапивши на територію Євросоюзу, ви можете поїхати в будь-яку країну, де захочете оформити статус на тимчасовий захист, який дозволяє отримати тимчасове безкоштовне житло, пільги та фінансову допомогу. Усередині Євросоюзу ваші банківські картки та сім-карти працюють (на відміну від росії). Медична та юридична допомога для громадян/-ок України надається безкоштовно.Ви можете не оформляти статус після прибуття, а просто влаштуватися на роботу та винаймати житло самостійно. Необов'язково просити про тимчасовий притулок у країні в'їзду.
3. Маршрут Наразі з росії найзручніше виїжджати через кордон з Естонією (Івангород - Нарва). Найбільш зручний маршрут: дістатися до Санкт-Петербурга потягом або попуткою, а звідти доїхати маршруткою до Івангорода (~2 години, ~700р). В Івангороді можна перейти кордон з Нарвою пішки (~200м). З Нарви електричкою або автобусом можна доїхати до Таллінна (2 години, безкоштовно, якщо у вас паспорт України). Опинившись в Естонії, звернутися по допомогу з будь-яких питань можна за безкоштовним номером 1247, а також +3726001247З міст росії можна купити квиток на автобус до Риги (Латвія) або Вільнюса (Литва) (https://ecolines.net/)
ДЛЯ ТИХ, ХТО В ДНР 1. Перехід кордону днр-рф
На цей момент на території днр, через яку вивозять в росію, діють “фільтраційні табори” — спеціальні місця, в яких відбуваються нелегальні перевірки українських громадян/-ок. Ми рекомендуємо перед перевіркою видалити всю інформацію з телефону, яка може здатися підозрілою (обговорення політичних питаннь та бойових дій, засудження політики путіна або росії, вийти зі специфічних чатів новин, видалити фото військової техніки або руйнувань). Самі месенджери можна не видаляти, але якщо ви користуєтесь декількома, залишити один найменш активний.Також ми радимо поставити двофакторну автентифікацію на всі соцмережі.
У разі допиту радимо поводитися максимально нейтрально, не обговорювати політичні погляди, не вступати в розмови, не вестися на провокації.
2. Куди писати, щоб допомогли виїхати?Напишіть у телеграм @helpingtoleave_bot Організація “Допомагаємо виїхати” допомагає українцям/-кам, яких примусово вивозять в росію.
Hi! Wanted to share an important experience I had recently that I think you should know about, especially if you’re a fellow petite trans guy or similar!
I just got an awesome gynecologist who works with all sorts of people, including trans guys and such. She made me feel very safe, comfortable, and heard! One of the things she asked me during my visit was if I had anyone in my family who has/had Osteoporosis- a condition that makes your bones weak and brittle.
I had no idea why that would even matter, but both of my mom’s parents did, and I found out later that my mom has Osteopenia (sort of a halfway point between healthy bones and Osteoporosis). My doctor nodded and then explained that since 1) Osteoporosis runs in my family, 2) I am a trans guy taking weekly testosterone, and 3) I am petite at 5′0″ and 100-110 lbs, I should get a bone density scan done. Huh??? Why???
Did you know that estrogen actually protects your bones by suppressing reabsorption of the bone itself?? It works with the osteoblasts needed to create new bone! She explained that those of us with smaller bodies naturally have less hormones, and thus less estrogen to begin with, and when you start taking testosterone for a long time, it stops the estrogen, which stops protecting your bones. Damn!!!!
Now, because studies on trans bodies, especially over long periods of time, are in a growing field, we become part of the data. There’s not a lot to read on the subject yet, just like the similarities between being on testosterone and going through menopause.
My doctor looked at me in all my confusion and said,
“I bring all this up because I have a couple of trans male patients who have developed Osteoporosis by the time they’re 30.”
Let that sink in. (I’m almost 26.)
The scan took all of 5 minutes, completely harmless, got to keep all my clothes on. A few days later and I get a result that my pelvic bones are fine, but that my spine has “MINOR Osteopenia” and that I should do the following things to prevent worsening:
Take Vitamin D3
Take Calcium (preferably with food, but supplements are okay too)
Do weight-bearing exercises (“In regard to weightbearing exercises, we think the best is walking and/or running, hiking, and yoga. Swimming or biking is not recommended as a weightbearing exercise.”)
While this looks like a simple “eat better, get more sunshine, exercise more!” bit, (which I guess it sort of is??) it’s also… a little scary? Research on trans bodies has never before led me to this possible conclusion, and I wanted to make sure other people knew about this possibility as well, so they can ask their doctors questions to stay healthy!!
If for no other reason than spite, trans bodies have to keep living!!! STRONG BONES, LACTOSE INTOLERANCE BE DAMNED!!
you will also need vitamin k for calcium absorption which you can handily get by eating like a cup / 150g of cucumber. if you’re lactose intolerant you can get calcium fortified soya products & it’s also present in kale, okra and cucumber again but not in large amounts
Please, please, do this. My mom is not trans, but she ended up with osteoporosis and actually had it for years before it was treated. She now has metal in three limbs from really nasty breaks. Complications from it basically killed her mother, very unpleasantly. This is a condition you want to avoid.
There are meds for it, but it’s much better to prevent or reduce it ahead of time. Also, pregnancy increases your risk factor somewhat because the fetus has to get the calcium for its bones from you.
(Side note - cis men can also get osteoporosis, it’s just less common. Everyone over 50 should get a bone scan if they can, even if they don’t have a family history of it.)
>TV comes in on antenna >Has commercials >Cable offers TV without commercials >Cable starts airing commercials >Cable charges extra for bonus channels like HBO >Cable starts breaking up channels into a dozen extra packages with about half a dozen garbage channels for every one channel you DO want to try and convince you to buy multiple packages >People say fuck it and start pirating shit >Streaming comes out >Offers free TV with ads or no ads with a paid subscription >Subscriptions become required >Ads are shown anyway despite it being a paid service >Dozens of streaming services all have exclusive content requiring multiple subscriptions >People say fuck it and start pirating shit again
hey ao3 can you like give the extra $38k you made from this month’s funds drive to charity
You know it legally is a charity, right?
If x charity aims for £10, but gets £15, would you expect then to give back the extra five or give it then to another charity? No. Any extra costs go into the “rainy day” fund; sometimes servers crash or break, sometimes false reports are made that require the legal team, sometimes you need to hire coders or what not to implement new features or fix bugs or deal with broken code …
The money they aimed for is the bare minimum, which goes towards things like basic server costs and domain names and legal advice and so forth, but they don’t just “pocket” the rest (as people claim). It’s not a business. It has no advertisements. It needs some “rainy day” cash to function.
You can’t ask a charity to give money to another charity.
They don’t “pocket” excess money. They have a publicly accessible budget - waaaay more info than most charities, in fact. In it, you can clearly see where each dollar goes. (Also, you are vastly underestimating either how much traffic AO3 gets or how much servers/hosting costs.)
In my experience, people who don’t work in web design and hosting just have no concept of how heavy a load something like AO3 would have. Not only is the traffic absolutely buck wild, but the quantity of data that archive needs to store is fuckoff crazy. I’m talking “more than the library of congress” crazy. The only reason it doesn’t require Netflix levels of data serving is that it’s text based rather than video.
AO3 is in the top 300 websites in the world, and the top 100 in the US. It is the number 2 literature website.
Number 2 in the entire world. JSTOR is 20.
It sees about 6 million people a day. About 250k an hour. Each of those people is loading multiple pages, many are running searches that execute on literally hundreds of potential variables per search. The demands involved are astronomical.
JSTOR, btw, makes 85 million dollars a year.
It’s 18 ranks below AO3′s traffic, and takes in 650 times the amount of money.
But let’s say you think that’s an unfair comparison. Would you say that the Project Gutenberg Literature Archival Group- another text based archive that handles literature operating outside traditional copyright requirements- is more similar?
Because it sees all of 4% of the traffic that AO3 handles.
Care to guess its budget?
Double that of AO3.
AO3 is doing shit on the kind of shoestring budget that I fully, 100% cannot comprehend. And that’s just the archival service.
The 130k also pays for the OTW’s legal team, which they use to defend the right of fandom to fucking exist.
It’s absolutely batshit fucked up that people are fighting to have the OTW defunded and AO3 shut down. They are the only organized group that actually stands directly between fandom- all the art and the fics and the vids and the music and the chats and the memes and everything we love about interactive, transformative work- and an incalculable amount of lawsuits.
The fundraising drive just held isn’t just for Ao3 either. It’s for OTW, which, as @fangasmagorical said, pays a legal team.
That means that you, or I, or anyone who posts on Ao3, all of us, we don’t have to worry about getting sued by someone like, say, Anne Rice, and not being able to hire our own lawyer. Instead, we can turn to OTW and talk about it with them, and they’ll be there.
Let’s repeat that. OTW is partially a charity legal fund.
Butthat’s not all!
OTW also runs an academic journal, Transformative Works and Cultures. It’s a peer reviewed open-access journal, and has a, frankly, star-studded editorial board. Most academic journals have full time editors who are paid commensurately to their professorial colleagues because they’re highly trained professionals with PhDs. That means a salary of $60-$100K a year. TWC’s editors are also highly trained professionals. Journals also need to pay for hosting space, marketing, and licensing.
TCW’s 2018 budget is $2,993.99 dollars.
Let’s repeat what this means. TCW doesn’t pay its editors. It operates on the smallest budget imaginable, and still functions as a Gold Open Access journal.
We’re not talking about just one of the most trafficked websites in the world. We’re also talking about a team of lawyers and academics who work for free, helping to make the world a better place. Do we really want to make their jobs (unpaid jobs) harder?
