Brianna Ghey & Hashtag Activism
Added 2023-02-18 14:01:02 +0000 UTCHey everyone, hope you're all doing well. TBH, I'm not currently doing super great, but better then I was yesterday. If anyone of you saw Twitter (which, if you didn't it's definitely for the best you never go on Twitter for anything anyways haha) but there's been a whole discourse. Sadly while I'm ok with people disagree with me and definitely always welcome and want criticism, the discourse has become how about I tweeted for the likes, for the attention, to stoke division. It hurts, seeing people assume the worst of me and my intentions, because the reason I did make the tweet was because a friend of mine came to me hurting and I wanted to help, and sadly thought just saying something I thought would be constructive and kind became a thing seen as policing and vitriolic. And I'm fine if people didn't agree... but Its just been... honestly really difficult these last day or so being told I'm a terrible person and an awful human being. There is good critism in there and I want to hear it so send it my way if you see it, but I've left Twitter cause it's just... not healthy, probably for good - outside of just promoting projects and such. And that's prob for the best, cause it just burns you out and stokes division instead of actually building community or assuming the best possible intentions of people.
Anyways, I want to 1) thank you for being amazing and a wonderful community. I really do appreciate it through all this. It's been, awful. And I hope I can still help and inspire you all, as you all do the same for me. Seeing the kind comments and caring thoughts sent my way has meant a ton TBH. I want y'all to know I value them so much.
Second, this video here is one that I was going to release that went into all the nuances surrounding the topic that my tweet was about. As I make clear in the video, I want to be open to criticism, I don't assume I'm right. But I also hope that the video makes clear my points and why I'm coming from where I did. And that it should be about the conversation, not Twitter cancellation and discourse. Videos are much better places for this anyways, as they allow full context and an extending of hope for conversation; not quote tweets with limited character amounts. Hopefully this video works to build a bridge, present a thought in good faith or at least articulate something that some folks haven't heard yet. Or at the very least, makes folks feel seen who were talked over. Sadly, cause of all this and the stuff I was feeling, I added a section about what I was going through, because I think it sadly needs to be part of this now, when it never should of had include me at all. This convo should have only been about the issue at had, and not involved me at all, but I think its part of it now. So I hope the video is helpful.
I'm debating it but I think I'm not gonna release it on YouTube because I just don't trust that the discourse on it will ever be productive given how toxic this conversation has gotten... I worry that if I release it out in the wild, it'll just become about me and another discourse, instead of what the video is supposed to be about... having a conversation to figure out the best way to fight for and honor those we have lost. But I at least wanted my points to exist somewhere. I also don't want folks to think that I'm trying to this for clicks or attention; so I'm not gonna promote this video anywhere, I don't want it to be about gaining me any attention, but I just needed it to go somewhere to a community I trusted. Sorry that this video isn't as polished. I honestly barely had the energy to listen to it by the end of this. It was already a rough topic as it is given that it is about the murder of those who were beautiful people in this world taken from us. And I earnestly look forward to your thoughts. Just know I try to share this video and my thoughts from a place of kindness.
Yesterday... I felt terrible, alternating between anger, sadness, and numbness due to all this. Today, I'm just very tried. Which sucks cause next week I have some stuff that I've been so excited for and looking forward to for so long kicking off. I got the Kickstarter launching next week which I can't tell y'all how excited I am about it. I'm scared and excited at the same time cause I really... just really want to make a hopeful, constructive, creative thing that isn't bogged down in all this hatred and anger and strife. I need that and I think we all need hopeful things right now. So I'm hoping I can just take this weekend to recenter and refocus. And I hope you'll be as excited as I am. But for right now, this weekend, I'm just... gonna be just... not ok for a bit. And remember there are beautiful things... constructive things. Hopeful things. That Star Trek future I want to fight for. To remember that kindness and resistance don't have to be mutually exclusive. I just need to find that energy again I think. Until then, I send you all love and hope you're all taking care of yourselves too.
Comments
As an autistic person myself, this rings very close to home. Having my actual thoughts and words ignored in place of some imagined emotional alignment happens to me far too often, and it has led to the end of friendships. As I try to reason through, others just get more and more worked up because I'm not giving the magically right emotional beats they want to see. I know a lot of this also has to do with the dynamics of twitter, but that aspect of things has really hit close to home. Take care of yourself. We need nuanced and rational voices like yours. You make the world a better place.
Patrick Greene
2023-02-23 20:34:43 +0000 UTC(Also, not to add to an already-long post, which I immediately will proceed to do under cover of parenthesis, I certainly hear you about the 'No one's listening' part of Internet (or other) arguments. A lot of people in the world would rather *argue* than listen, even if they must divert. And a lot of people on our own side are so used to the disingenuous BS that that's all we seem to see unless we're very careful about being able to say 'no' when things clearly *have* been just going to disingenous places. We are not dealing with fair or sincere people in bigots, and it does not always have the best effect on people even on our own side when just hammered with such or even finding each other frustrating for losing sight of the issue at hand. Many may have the correct impression I'm from decades ago, when this fight was more physical and we had pagers to coordinate, maybe Usenet or BBSes to discuss and connect, both as queer people and in my case Pagans, when there was no question really of arguing to get battered trans people in shelters, we *were* the shelters, and the rescue team as well cause forget about even the less-brutal cops of the time being able to do anything official even if they wanted to. So, let me be 'old' for a minute, (Really a GenXer in her Fifties, but there's been extra wear and tear.) Even in the 'good old days' the medium was the message. Even when there wasn't *money* involved, text amplifies divisions. The more agreement, usually, the less text. Yes, money and twit-media amplify this, but it was always true, just happened slower. Especially confusing to people that don't already know what everyone's talking about and conversations get inbred and FAQs are more boring to make than an argument. You can't let it make you crazy. And that includes 'policing' saying that, when it used to be a lot of certified 'crazy' people would know the difference in person, cause in-person existed. Now they say it's 'stigmatizing mental illness' sometimes, Then say 'Liberals and 'woke' and all associated are thought police.' I grew up among a lotta people trying to not let mental illness, or what we had to deal with, make us crazy. We knew the difference cause there was real-world context. Shades of meaning and nuance texts, especially short texts, deny. There's a lot of people out there, either too young or too willfully-ignorant to get why we rejected a lot of slurs but, yeah, Freak and Queer, we'll take. And 'own.' (The Christian Right got their 'owning the libs' from their idea of video games. 'Owning' from powning, meant 'winning a game someone else isn't willing to cheat at.' ) Gamergate. Meanwhile making gals of all kinds think the fight is somewhere that isn't real. One where we need to do work and have skills and sometimes call these arseholes on their entitlement to bellieve they can kick anyone's butts even with real guns. So, back to being old. One thing to learn is really what you've been talking about a lot lately, ...budget your stress. There's no points for putting excessive heart into someone else's game, where they'll say you lose if you *do* cry about it. They count on it being exhausting, even for the most-committed. Especially for the most-committed. Imagine what it does to masses of people inclined to be bystanders. We don't beat em by having more, we beat em by *doing* more with less. That includes yer heart and sometimes where yer attention goes. K?
OliveD
2023-02-22 01:36:53 +0000 UTCAh, all right, ...I'm not on Twitter or anything like that, so I wondered what if anything the blowup of crap directed at you might be about. (I assumed more video game, really, apparently the word is the game itself ain't so great as a game and apparently too 'woke' for the haters on the bandwagon's standards in the process, go figure, so I assumed there'd be more scapegoating.) Anyway, I can pretty much see right off the bat that it seems some propagandists here were looking for a racial wedge to drive, precisely because this time the victim of the brutal murder *was* a pretty-but-ordinary young White high school girl who as usual the press *actually* erased her name as is so common, in part precisely because they *couldn't* shift the frame furiously back and forth between "It's just a black thing or a sexworker thing, so it's right and proper to question 'Is transness causing Black people to murder each other and so sex work' etc" ...and "Those entitled trans kids' fears are unfounded cause they're mentally-ill and look where it led them," When right here it's damn clear cut this is about a bullied and even fully-supported in her own family but still fairly happy trans girl just brutally murdered and then erased by the press that's been inciting the murders all along. Not even the usual excuse of 'We don't want to hurt the family's reputation by not-covering up their kid's actual life and identity.' Anyway, it seems reasonable to demand that this is another way we should demand the press and authorities say names. Hopefully then to realize it's not just white kids, but here with this 'racial issue' the twit-o-sphere has managed to escape accountability for *all* these issues, or ever focusing on the *trans* part that *does* actually kill even more trans kids of color. Even beyond the usual racism and sexism . That are of course also atrocities. These arguments mean 'never focus on anything just the hashtags and who owns what.' (Also, as I watch on, I'm thinking you seriously overestimate how much even Brianna's death made the news, never mind in full context of leftist-engaged hashtag awareness or even ...news. It didn't make the BBC here in the South even, not at all, never mind about her name or hashtags. I mean, people around here don't even know BLM *is* a hashtag, they think it's an organization with offices and stuff. I mean, maybe people spend so much time on Twitter, they think it's the world, ....I mean, it's a thing, but it's not reflective of the actual awareness of people out here. Might help to use the time away from that Twitter battle (and medium) to recalibrate there. I mean, I try to be betterinformed than most people can easily be or want to down here, but I personally find it important to keep an eye on what mainstream sources might actually let people know about. What's on the radio, what's on the TV, especially limited cheap cable options, what's in the local paper, that sort of thing. I find a lot of people from back North just don't know what's going down here, really, but a lot of the locals may know even less. ) Anyway, Internet politics sometimes get so self-involved, people think it's the world, but it *isn't.* It's a communications medium that got out of hand. You're feeling that, and I've been there, so I know. Cause you got a big heart, also a mission about including less-heard about minority voices. Just, I live somewhere with some pretty high-baseline racism. I'd have suggested 'Yeah, go ahead and let this be about the normative white trans girl with a bright future cut off, use that to take down the systems that do this to *everyone.* " What you got hit with was no greater 'sin' than inviting an opening to make it about something else. But Twitter's a smaller world than it pretends sometimes, too.
OliveD
2023-02-22 00:11:51 +0000 UTCI left twitter during the re-nazification last year - I've had a Mastodon account for several years and have found a nice community there - and I hope you can find somewhere more thoughtful and kind than twitter. The day you made your tweet, however, a friend pinged me about it - as she knows I'm a supporter and fan. I saw the post about an hour in, and I honestly struggled as to whether or not to reach out to you, as knew what was about to happen. Twitter's entire algorithm and feature set is purposefully designed to create contention and discord. This kind of meta-discourse about tone-policing, hashtag activism, and "centering" was inevitable - particularly given your follower count and high profile. I'm sorry you had to deal with this, and I'm glad you're getting through it as best you can. I always appreciate your genuine hopefulness and keen insights. I hope this incident has not tarnished those too much.
Steve
2023-02-21 03:40:36 +0000 UTCOkay, I had to pause the video because I felt compelled to write this. You are not an awful person! From everything I’ve seen from you you are an amazing, empathetic human being, sometimes a little too empathetic for your own good. But that is what makes you special. The world needs people like you. And it is this kindness and empathy that shines through everything you do, and that made me subcribe to your channel and subsequently your Patreon in the first place. That said, I really feel like you should take a break from Twitter. Don’t let the people who are trolls or who lash out in anger get to you. Please take care and remember that while your work is important you deserve a break and some rest from time to time. 💜
DP_Dwarf
2023-02-20 21:08:10 +0000 UTCThis was an awesome video Ma’am. Killer job, keep your chin up. Your strength gives us strength
Hjualmandra_Kanathara
2023-02-19 22:44:37 +0000 UTCI am so sorry this has happened to you. Even if I might quibble with you on a point or two, the way you were treated by Keffals and her fanbase was appalling and cruel and completely uncalled for. I truly believe you're just someone who is trying to do the right thing and to be fair and equitable in your dealings and interactions.
Terra Jones
2023-02-19 03:31:46 +0000 UTCJust another situation where I'm like, "how can people misinterpret what you're saying so vitriolically?" I appreciated you holding space, awareness and respect around the original meaning of that hashtag. PEOPLE. COME ON.
Kailyn K.
2023-02-18 22:58:44 +0000 UTCThough I only discovered your content a few months ago, you've become a huge inspiration and an educator for me by now. I am active in my small anarchist union and more vocal and vehement in my support and defense of others because of voices like yours. Thanks
enter_krzysz
2023-02-18 22:58:11 +0000 UTCTwitter is where the goodness in humanity goes to die..,.
Emily Myers Corrigan
2023-02-18 21:44:20 +0000 UTCJessie you’re totally in the right here. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Seeing the “say her name” hashtag in this context, and my first thought was, “No, this isn’t for us to use.” And by “us,” I mean white people. I’m shocked at the tweet to you that this wasn’t created by Black people?? They didn’t look it up! This all reminds me of three things. 1) in June 2020 when the black squares all went up so fast, mostly by white people trying to show “solidarity” without having to say anything (but then it drowned out the useful information), 2) Black people asking us NOT to use “nb” for nonbinary because it means “non-Black,” and 3) how my spouse talks about being ignorance versus an asshole. If people (especially marginalized people) ask us not to do something, then it just means we didn’t know and we adjust. If we’re asked and don’t do it, then we become an asshole. Not knowing is okay, we change (like you said in the video, we show we are willing to listen and change and support). If we double down, we’re now the asshole.
remmedy - they them
2023-02-18 19:35:40 +0000 UTCHonestly, I was so happy that you spoke up about the hashtag on Twitter. I feel the same way, but I have less than 100 followers so no one listens to me unless someone retweets me. It feels awesome when someone with a large following that people respect says what you want to say to the people who typically ignore you. It takes a lot of courage to do what you did, and I know it's hard when people start lying about you, but it means a lot to people like me that no one pays attention to. I'm sure it means more to Black people who are ignored or vilified when they speak up. I heard some people saying you were their hero, but since no one listens to them, maybe you don't hear that, at least not an overwhelming chorus. That's the problem with being marginalized. You're on the margins, not in the main group, so what you think and know and feel stays on the margins. But since I'm trying to hang out there, I hear them, and they are cheering you on. I heard one Black trans person say that Jessie Gender is the only white trans woman they trust, which, given the way that community has been treated, it's amazing that they trust anyone. So please don't think that your message isn't reaching people or that everyone thinks you're a bad person. The discourse is "toxic" because you are asking the powerful to give up power, and they don't like it. They will do whatever they can to stop you, and that's scary because they have the power to hurt you severely, but what you did was brave and strong and kind, and the people who want justice see that. I haven't watched the video yet. I'm just referring to what I've seen on Twitter and in some smaller streamers communities. I'm going to watch it now.
Juls K
2023-02-18 17:51:37 +0000 UTC
