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Category: Deceleration

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.”

Deceleration: Strong LGBTQ+ Communities Are Key to Survival

Posted in Deceleration, Journalism, and LGBTQIA

In the face of a terrifying crisis, LGBTQ+ Texans must draw on all their decades of experience at mutual aid and building community in order to survive.

Almost every day the federal government seems to launch new attacks on the rights of transgender, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming and intersex people, leaving many of them frightened for their future: their ability to work, attend school, receive medical care and to exist openly in public spaces. At the same time, trans Texans are watching the Texas Legislature with trepidation, as it hashes out its 89th session. The Transgender Education Network of Texas has identified 114 bills filed in the lege which target the rights of LGBTQ+ people in the state, mostly trans folks. Right now, it’s unclear which of these have a chance of hitting the Governor’s desk, noted Landon Ritchie, policy coordinator at TENT.

“We are seeing pretty much attacks on or attempted attacks on queer and trans Texans in every aspect of public life and we’re expecting to see a lot more, but we’re also grounding ourselves and reminding community that not all these bills have equal chances of becoming law,” he told Deceleration.

Deceleration: Disability Rights Organizers in Texas Get Ready to Fight

Posted in Austin, Deceleration, and Journalism

For the past 40 years, ADAPT of Texas has advocated for the world to be more accessible, so that more disabled people can live in their communities, rather than in institutions. The progress this community has made in that timespan, which includes the 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, is remarkable. At 78 years old, community organizer Bob Kafka has been there to witness those changes. Like many in the rabble-rousing organization, he’s not afraid to throw his body, and his wheelchair, in the way of the machinery of injustice; he was present at key moments of nonviolent direct action like the Capitol Crawl and the subsequent occupation of the Capitol rotunda which forced Congress to pass the ADA.

Today, the disability rights community is looking at the incoming administration with trepidation, preparing to fight attempts to dismantle their hardfought gains. In a state where the governor is himself disabled yet often seems actively hostile to their cause, ADAPT organizers are prepared to ramp up pressure on Texas lawmakers to improve the state’s treatment of disabled people and their caregivers.