Thicker Than Water is happening THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 in Atlanta. A free cookout for Black affirming & chosen families. Cleopas R. Johnson Park + RICE, 11am–5pm. Performances by @angelicaross.com, 2AM Ricky, and more. RSVP at genderlib.org/cookout. Come find your people. 💛

We are not obligated to mourn our oppressors. In fact, we must remember who they truly were and resist sanitizing their record.

Black affirming families are raising queer, trans, and nonbinary kids all across the South. And they deserve joy! Thicker Than Water. July 18, 11–5, Cleopas Johnson Park, ATL. Bring your coolers, blankets & chairs. Food while supplies last. Come find joy & connection. rsvp: genderlib.org/cookout

Another day, another man thirsty for power who practiced on women first. This Graham Platner news isn't surprising. When you explain away white supremacist signals, you're telling the rest of us what else you're willing to tolerate. White supremacy and the patriarchy are bedfellows, y'all.

If you wondered why many didn't celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, look no further than what happened to Nolan Wells. We can celebrate this country when Black children don't have to grow up in survival mode. Until then, America, you're still on notice.

New York fam, Saturday I'll be at the iconic Schomburg Center in conversation with C Riley Snorton, a scholar who I admire so much. Join us at 12:30pm for a Prideteenth conversation & Q&A. Can't wait to see you all and celebrate the paperback release of Bloom! RSVP at raquelwillis.com/bloom

TOMORROW!

Raquel Willis@raquelwillis.com · 2mo ago

A wildflower returns 🌺 Come June 9! I’ll be in convo with Alicia Garza celebrating the paperback launch of The Risk It Takes to Bloom + a book signing by Charis Books. Presented by Rustin Institute, SNAPCO + @genderlib.com TIME: 6–9PM PLACE: RICE, ATL. Free with RSVP: raquelwillis.com/bloom

A wildflower returns 🌺 Come June 9! I’ll be in convo with Alicia Garza celebrating the paperback launch of The Risk It Takes to Bloom + a book signing by Charis Books. Presented by Rustin Institute, SNAPCO + @genderlib.com TIME: 6–9PM PLACE: RICE, ATL. Free with RSVP: raquelwillis.com/bloom

It’s interesting how proximity to cis folks with platforms and parasocial relationships operate as a shield from accountability. Too often visibility gets mistaken for credibility. Many would be wise to remember that cis folks will never speak to trans community dynamics more truthfully than us.

I’m both excited and heavy-hearted to share the paperback cover of my memoir, The Risk It Takes to Bloom. It’s available for pre-order. June 9th is the date. raquelwillis.com/bloom

Despite extraction, exploitation, and violence, indigenous, enslaved, AND migrant folks endured and helped build this country. That’s the truer statement. But we also need to be clear that patriotism and pride in empire will not save us, will not make us more worthy, will not lead us to liberation.

"Our liberation is bound together, and that understanding carries risk. It’s no coincidence that King was killed at the height of his intersectional critique of racism, militarism, and economic exploitation."

Raquel Willis@raquelwillis.com · 7mo ago

MLK’s dream was never this small. A reflection from outside the Supreme Court on trans youth, civil rights, and the work that never ended. Subscribe, if you vibe.

“They definitely expanded their efforts,” said @raquelwillis.com of @genderlib.com, suggesting that anti-trans efforts to sway Dems toward skepticism on trans youth in sports added to the anti-trans crowd’s numbers Tues. there were transphobic signs from both Dems and gay cis people at the crowd

‘They’re here to antagonize us’: trans advocates say hostility at rallies is up as supreme court hears key case

As high court considers trans kids’ participation in school sports, tensions run high between opposing protest groups

theguardian.com

MLK’s dream was never this small. A reflection from outside the Supreme Court on trans youth, civil rights, and the work that never ended. Subscribe, if you vibe.

MLK’s Dream Was Never This Small

Why the Supreme Court’s trans athlete cases belong in the civil rights story

open.substack.com

New York Was Never My Center. A life update on ambition, belonging, and coming home. open.substack.com/pub/raquelwi...

New York Was Never My Center

A life update on ambition, belonging, and returning home to the South

open.substack.com

MY MAYOR MY MAYOR MY MAYOR MY MAYOR MAMDANIIIIIII

With Zohran Mamdani on the verge of winning the NYC mayoral race, after Cuomo and so many others leaned on post-9/11 era Islamophobia to discredit him, it feels cosmic that Dick Cheney died today. The arc of empire bends toward reckoning.

In the audience tonight is Charlotte Bennett, one of the 13 women that Andrew Cuomo is credibly alleged to have sexually harassed while they worked in his government. She can't speak for herself because Cuomo's lawyers have hounded her. So I confronted him.

People say Cuomo beats Mamdani because he has more experience. But if that experience includes a record of sexual harassment, retaliation against colleagues, and weaponizing antisemitism & Islamophobia. But what kind of experience is that, really?

CUOMO: I’M THE REAL DEMOCRAT IN THE RACE NEW YORKERS + ZOHRAN:

If able, please consider donating to help care for baby Asiah: fundly.com/missmajor Please at least share this post if unable to contribute! 🫂

Raquel Willis@raquelwillis.com · 10mo ago

Rest in power, Mama Major! 💜🙏🏽 It was a blessing to live in the same earthly timeline as you. A true freedom fighter, you never stopped reminding trans people—especially Black trans people—of our worth and our power. Because of Major, our foundation is unshakeable and our liberation inevitable.

I’ve been saying forever that true love feels like a D’Angelo song. So wild that he passed. 🙏🏽

Rest in power, Mama Major! 💜🙏🏽 It was a blessing to live in the same earthly timeline as you. A true freedom fighter, you never stopped reminding trans people—especially Black trans people—of our worth and our power. Because of Major, our foundation is unshakeable and our liberation inevitable.

We’re so close to winning a Signal Award for Afterlives: Marsha P. Johnson. Voting closes tomorrow. Every vote honors Marsha’s legacy and keeps trans and queer stories at the forefront. Vote here. Takes approx. 10 seconds. Let’s finish strong. 💜 vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

😒

Lou Nigra@deloucious.bsky.social · 11mo ago

I don't think anyone is doing this or have even done it in the past. Can you provide some examples?

Any Dems still acting like the rules of decency, decorum, and precedence still apply need to be ousted with the outright fascists.

Has the demon been spotted yet? 👀

HBD, Queen Marsha P. Johnson! Thank you for your love, light, and legacy of liberation! Celebrate her; it would have been her 80th! time.com/7295713/how-...

Marsha P. Johnson Taught Us How to Defy This Anti-Trans Wave

"Despite Trump’s attempts to erase trans people, I know he cannot because I know my community’s history."

time.com

Back to being cisgendered tomorrow 😪 I feel like Cinderella at midnight.

If a politician insists on the antisemitic notion that Jewish people have some inherent loyalty to a foreign state. If a politician presents genocide as a Jewish value. If a politician only cares about judeism when weaponized against Muslims. I can't take their stances on antisemitism seriously.