Thread by @VABVOX

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So I left Twitter early Friday night because it's been a hellish week for me as a reporter & a lesbian & there were a bunch of folks in my mentions literally telling me #DontSayGay. It was just too much. Twitter's a big place. Exercise that option to just keep scrolling.
1/

Don't tell people in historically marginalized groups not to talk about being members of marginalized communities. We are the ones dealing with discrimination,not you. Instead you could figure out ways to be supportive and an ally. Otherwise you can always just say nothing.
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While navigating the healthcare system for my wife's care in the midst of her health crisis the past 10days I had to come out to more than a dozen strangers who would then be responsible for her care. Try & imagine what that would be like in the current political atmosphere.
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Folks lecturing me that I shouldn't be talking about the import of openly gay media figures apparently don't get why this matters when the GOP is literally passing anti-#LGBTQ legislation all over the country and even banning books,as I wrote here;
epgn.com/2022/02/02/gop…
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Brittney Griner, THE best woman basketball player in the world is detained in Russia on trumped up charges sans consular access, as I reported. If she weren't a Black lesbian this'd be a global headline, as I said when interviewed about her this week.
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epgn.com/2022/03/16/bri…

When you claim "we don't need to mention sexual orientation" you are ignoring the FACT of discrimination against LGBT+ people in every arena, codified by the current SCOTUS, as well as the disproportionate number of anti-gay hate crimes. It's a constant battle for equity.
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So just don't. Don't be a bad faith actor on social media spewing homophobic and/or transphobic rhetoric because real people are being harmed by your language and tone and intent. It's a gut-punch and you have no right to hurt people in that way. Do better. Be better.
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My personal history is that homophobia can kill you. It's not hyperbolic to say it almost killed me. Consider this when you choose to handwave the oppression, discrimination and outright hate and bias queer people face. This is what happened to me 👇🏻
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https://twitter.com/VABVOX/status/1501741335598018566