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Category: Journalism

Deceleration: Governor Abbott Threatens To Defund Police in San Marcos Over GazaCyclists on a highway overpass in Austin, Texas hold Palestinian flags which blow in the breeze under a blue sky.
Austin, Texas (Kit O'Connell)
May 3, 2025
Kit
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Deceleration: Governor Abbott Threatens To Defund Police in San Marcos Over Gaza

Posted in Activism, Deceleration, and Journalism

Greg Abbott could defund the police in San Marcos—at least partially—if the Texas governor carries through with his threats over a proposed city council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

On Tuesday, May 6, the city council in this city of about 67,000 people will vote on a resolution which condemns “the humanitarian catastrophe and genocide in Palestine.” However, Abbott and others in the state Republican party establishment have threatened to pull millions in funding from the city if the resolution passes, including about $500,000 in state funds which go towards the police and public safety measures like opioid abuse mitigation. 

That’s according to a spreadsheet shared among city council members in the lead up to the vote on the resolution, which was provided to Deceleration by the group Palestine Solidarity SMTX. Over $18 million in federal funding which the state passes on to San Marcos could also be at risk, including over $2 million in grants from the Women, Infants and Children program, which ensures vulnerable residents have access to nutritious food.

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How Democrasexy Finds Joy In Political ActionPhoto of on stage at Cheer Up Charlie's during Democrasexy's "Carnival of Care", with a huge multi-colored neon smiley face sign behind her. Becky is wearing an outrageous clown outfit, including white boots, a frilly blue miniskirt, orange top and a bright red clown wig shaped into two large buns. The stage is bathed in purple light.
(Kit O'Connell)
April 18, 2025
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How Democrasexy Finds Joy In Political Action

Posted in Activism, Austin, and Journalism

These are dark and scary times, and it can be hard to hold onto joy. But it’s also difficult to motivate people using pure doom and gloom. Activism and action without considering our own happiness leads to burnout.

Since 2021, Becky Bullard has been encouraging playfulness, a spirit of mysticism and even sexiness in political action through Democrasexy, the organization she founded. Her first event was a “Texorcism,” a gathering to symbolically “cast out the demons” at the Texas Capitol who had brought on the state’s six-week abortion ban. 

“We all dressed like witches. I had drag performers. We had a panel on abortion rights and a tarot reading for Texas,” Becky told me.

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Gonzo Notes: The Left’s Texas ProblemHands Off Protest, April 5 2025. A crowd gathered on the Texas Capitol grounds under a grey sky, many of them are holding signs like "Fuck Elon" and "Hey Congress: The Emperor Has No Clothes It's Time to Tell Him."
"Hands Off" Protest Austin, Texas April 5 2025 (Kit O'Connell)
April 14, 2025
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Gonzo Notes: The Left’s Texas Problem

Posted in Activism, Austin, Gonzo Notes, and Journalism

The American left has a Texas problem. 

Really, it’s a problem of Red vs. Blue. I’m not talking about the problem with treating decisions about how we govern society as if it was a horse race, or between teams at a sporting event. What I’m thinking about today — in the spirit of  deescalating every conflict that isn’t with our true enemies (thank you, Margaret Killjoy) — is the way misconceptions about who lives in Texas, and how we vote, encourage an attitude of disposability and dehumanization.

As a Texas journalist, one cornerstone of my work has been making people understand that what happens in this state is relevant to them, even if they live outside of it. Southern states like Texas have been a laboratory for so much of the Republican policy that’s now being implemented nationwide by the Trump regime. More so, the lives of people here matter a great deal to me, and they should matter to you too.

So why do I see liberals from other states who are willing, even eager, to abandon the people who live here?

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Deceleration: ‘We Keep Us Safe’ is not just a motto for Texas mask blocsAn photo of a group of masked people holding a banner on an overpass reading Long COVID is a Public Health Emergency! One in the center of the group is holding their hand up in a dramatic gesture.
(Kit O'Connell)
April 9, 2025
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Deceleration: ‘We Keep Us Safe’ is not just a motto for Texas mask blocs

Posted in Austin, Deceleration, and Journalism

The COVID-19 pandemic continues, claiming lives and leaving others disabled, even as the federal government begins dismantling the already underfunded infrastructure meant to protect us from such illnesses. At a time when American culture has largely moved on, who protects the sick or immunocompromised?

In cities across the United States, volunteer-led “mask blocs” and clean air clubs are stepping  up to fill in the gaps that vulnerable people might otherwise slip through. At a time when compassion for others is often seen as a radical act–if not derided as leading to the downfall of “Western Civilization”—they’re cultivating an atmosphere of collective care. KD Drackert, an advocate for people with Long COVID and one of the founders of Clear the Air ATX, said they want others to understand the role all of us play in creating a safer, more accessible world. 

“People … don’t understand that this is a collective issue they are a part of,” Drackert told Deceleration. “That has created this weird dynamic where people are like, ‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry you’re going through this. That’s so hard.’ … And I’m like, wait, no, this isn’t just about me. This is about you too.”

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Understanding Bad Bills in the Texas LegislatureThe dome of the Texas Capitol building, seen from below, with a Lone Star at the peak.
(Ameer Basheer on Unsplash)
March 22, 2025
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Understanding Bad Bills in the Texas Legislature

Posted in Austin, Journalism, and LGBTQIA

The 89th session of the Texas legislature is underway, and thousands of bills were filed before the deadline earlier this month. But only a few will actually reach the governor’s desk.

Currently, over 100 of these bills directly target LGBTQ+ rights. These include almost every aspect of life as a queer, or especially a transgender person, in our state — from health care to just generally being ‘out’ in public.

But the Texas legislature only meets for a handful of months every other year. During that limited window, lawmakers contend with a wish list of bills from the governor, lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house. This agenda gets first priority, and can eat up a lot of time. Out of the 10,000s of bills that are introduced each year, only a tiny fraction pass. While the governor can, and does abuse his authority to call an “emergency” session from time to time, doing so costs the state hundreds of thousands of dollars.

It’s valid to feel afraid — the Republican Party is open about its desire to erase LGBTQIA+ people from public life in the U.S. However, only a small portion of the bad bills will even reach committee this year, much less have a chance of becoming a law. I think it’s important to know which bills are most likely to move, because it shows us where we should focus our efforts to fight back. If we stop bad bills this session, it might be harder to pass worse ones next.

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