hola, chicas, chicos y beings de genderlessness,

if you are in the united states today (and i apologize for this u.s.-centric post to all y'all non-americans -- i know it's annoying when americans think we are the center of the universe : ), please VOTE if you haven't already! this is the first american presidential election in history where any candidate has truly valued young voices and has cared enough to mobilize us -- and one of the first elections where young voices could cast the deciding vote.

i, personally, think this is going to be the election of my lifetime. whoever you're going to vote for, get out there and do it.

if you're not sure where your voting location is, check out google's interactive voting map.

love love love,

andrea liam "voting booth" bechen

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AND:

THE POLL.

This poll has two questions: One if you ARE a registered voter in the U.S. and plan to vote, and one if you are NOT a registered voter in the U.S., don't plan to vote, are under 18, etc., etc. (I stole this very scientific polling mechanism from gsa_lj.) Please only vote in the question that applies to you : )

Poll #1291177 Andrea Liam`s Super-Scientific & Unofficial U.S. Presidential Poll
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: None, participants: 131

If you are a registered voter in the United States, who are you voting for?

If you are NOT a registered voted in the U.S. or you're under 18, etc., who would you vote for in the presidential election?

Hi ladies, gentlemen, and genderless beings.

After stargrrlgeiger's note regarding why she's leaving and another longterm member leaving recently because he wasn't sure how he felt about being trans-identified in a place identified as a "woman's space," I'm here to ask: What do you guys think about the inclusiveness of dyke_riot?

* Do we work hard enough to be inclusive?

* It is possible to be named "dyke riot" and still celebrate the identities of those among us?

* Do we marginalize people with non-"queer-mainstream" or "gender normative" identities?

* Do you feel like dyke_riot has marginalized your identity? (If you'd prefer to discuss feeling marginalized by dyke_riot or any of these other topics without identifying yourself, that is sososososo okay, and I've set anonymous comments to be screened. If you post anonymously, only I will see the comment unless you specifically ask for it to be unscreened. : ))

( My feelings on the matter, separate from the questions above )

Please keep this civil and focused on the topic at hand. This is not about pointing fingers at specific people. This is also not about telling people their opinions are wrong. I feel like this topic has the potential to get inflammatory, and personal attacks are just not appropriate and are in fact entirely contradictory to this post being a safe space for discussion.

We are a work in progress.

We are women. We are ever changing. We are beautiful in our own ways, powerful and outspoken. We're not afraid to be silly. We're not afraid to speak our mind, judge when and however appropriate. We are true to ourselves, expressive and craving change.

I don't think it's fair to expect much of anything out of a riot. What does a riot entail, if not unrestrained massive movement? It holds no particular weight or direction. It's just a catalyst in and of itself.

What I'm trying to say is, everyone will get something different out of this community. Some people are here to have fun. Some people are here to express themselves. Some people are here for support. Some for sisterhood. Some for causing a ruckus.(;p) Some in the name of art.

If you don't find what you're looking for, we're sorry... but I think you're not looking hard enough- or maybe we're just not for you. I can respect that. Maybe you're just not ready for change. Maybe you're not ready to get on your soapbox and make a personal declaration.

I love and respect everyone who contributes and breathes life into this otherwise empty shell of a community. We are nothing without you.

Whatever you choose to share, comment on or partake in- you are a riot in and of yourselves, and I have so much respect for that.


Rock on, ladies. ♥

Fucking deal with it. ;D