[Content Note: Death; injury] Just awful: "At least 717 pilgrims were killed on Thursday in a crush outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca, the Saudi authorities said, the worst disaster to strike the annual haj pilgrimage in 25 years. At least 863 others were injured at Mina, a few kilometres east of Mecca, when two large groups of pilgrims arrived together at a crossroads on their way to performing the 'stoning of the devil' ritual at Jamarat, Saudi civil defence said. Thursday's disaster was the worst to occur at the pilgrimage since July 1990, when 1,426 pilgrims were crushed to death in a tunnel near Mecca. Both stampedes occurred on Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), Islam's most important feast and the day of the stoning ritual."
[CN: Transphobia; harassment; sexual assault] Sandy Brown has won her case against the Maryland prison system, thereby winning a major legal victory for transgender inmates in the state: "Brown said she was placed in solitary confinement, and kept there for 66 days despite a directive from the jail warden that staff should not segregate her from the rest of the population. During that time, she was routinely harassed by guards who made fun of her while she showered, including one who told her to commit suicide, Brown said in the complaint. ...In her ruling, [Judge Denise Oakes Shaffer] said the corrections officers 'created a hostile environment' [and that] Patuxent had no policies in place for how to treat transgender inmates, in violation of the federal law... Rebecca Earlbeck, an attorney at FreeState Legal Project, a civil legal aid organization, called the ruling 'a victory for the rights of incarcerated transgender people [which] forces the entire state corrections system to adopt a clear policy for the treatment of transgender inmates regarding searches, housing, and interaction with transgender inmates [and] mandatory staff training on these policies.'" Naturally, this won't magically end transphobia, but this is an important bit of accountability.
[CN: Homophobia] Sounds legit: "An all-boys Tennessee school won't allow a gay student to take another boy to his homecoming dance. ...The school cited a policy against boys from other schools attending social functions as its official reason for denying the teen's request. 'CBHS students may attend the dance by themselves, with other CBHS students, or with a girl from another school,' the school's policy states. 'For logistical reasons, boys from other schools may not attend.'" Logistical reasons is the best (worst) euphemism for "accommodation of indefensible bigotry" I've heard in quite some time.
[CN: Misogyny] Donald Trump is like a misogyny-spewing machine that hasn't had its software updated since the '80s: "Donald Trump said during a campaign speech Wednesday that Hillary Rodham Clinton is 'shrill,' raising his voice several octaves to get the point across. 'Hillary, who is very shrill—do you know the word 'shrill'?' Trump said to a crowd of a few hundred at a convention center here Wednesday afternoon. 'She can be kind of sha-riiiiill.'" This fucking guy.
Btw, this is an actual correction at the top of that article lol foreverrrrr oh my god what is this election:
[CN: White Supremacy] This seems like a terrible idea: "In an effort to reach out to millennial women voters, Hillary Clinton will appear in an interview opposite Girls star Lena Dunham, set to post online Tuesday, Politico has learned. The already-taped segment also includes comedy sketches filmed at Clinton's Brooklyn campaign headquarters, including a cameo by comedian Amy Schumer." Oof.
[CN: Disablism] There is some debate about the sharing of medical advancement stories and videos, because of the implication that people with disabilities should be "fixed," or are worth more if they are. I want to acknowledge that before I share this, with the note that no one with a disability should be obliged to pursue any treatments they don't want, that people with disabilities who opt out of such treatments aren't worth less, and also that not everyone who does want these treatments has access to them. This is an incredible advancement for the people who want it, and I hope it will be made available who everyone who does: "How a Paralyzed Man Walked Again."
Adele's new album will reportedly drop on November 20th. YES PLEASE! CAN'T WAIT!
And finally! DOG TRAIN.
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