I Post Links

• Shakesville took on Miley Cyrus and feminism.

I have actively avoided discussing Miley Cyrus on any of my social media outlets, including my blog and Twitter account, because most of the crap I've seen is exploitative clickbait, and I care a lot more about integrity than I care about pageviews. Obviously, the racist aspects of her recent antics are something of concern, and y'know what, her feminism is so very far from perfect. But y'know what else? So was mine when I first started claiming the term ten years ago. My understanding is still so far from perfect. So yeah. I totally second Melissa:

Not everyone agrees with me that it is not feminists' job to publicly audit declarations of feminism. In which case, I hope the auditors will not admonish Miley Cyrus and Courtney Stodden to stop calling themselves feminists, but instead to urge them to robustly embrace more and ever more feminism.

• Yesterday was Transgender Day of Remembrance. I observed on my Twitter, but failed to say anything here. As a rather girly, cis female, I know I'm never going to really be able to completely identify with and understand the horrific crap that's commonplace in the lives of my trans friends. But I can do my best to support them, and to learn how to be a better supporter every day. This includes taking down falsehoods such as binary gender. 

• The Everyday Goth has shared a good reminder that one of our favorite critters within the goth community, the humble, adorable bat, needs our help: 

So, why do bats need help? Bat populations, particularly in the United States, have been in trouble for a while. White Nose syndrome, a fungal infection you can read more about here, and loss of habitat have driven bat population to dire levels (also, surprisingly, wind turbines that generate wind power have been damaging to bats). Bats, which contribute to flower pollination and insect population control, are a big player in our ecosystems, and without them, we'll definitely notice. So, they're not just cute faces! Bat conservation is extremely important.

You also really wanna check the comments. Some very cute bat stories ensued in the commentary. Also, commenter Bane shared a fantastic site, Batgoods, at which you can buy all things bat-motif, and proceeds from every sale go to Bat Conservation International. This is the most amazing thing I've seen since The Purple Store!