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?

Read more in my #newsletter, #GonzoNotes: https://kitoconnell.com/2025/04/14/gonzo-notes-the-lefts-texas-problem/

#politics #USpol #Trump #activism #Texas #journalism

Why are there some folks (supposedly) on the left who seem to want to throw the South away? There's millions of folks here who deserve your support and solidarity.

My #newsletter, #GonzoNotes, is out this morning:
https://kitoconnell.com/2025/04/14/gonzo-notes-the-lefts-texas-problem/

#Texas #politics #USpol #Trump #MutualAid #zines #history #activism

Hey everyone, I'm sending my free newsletter, #GonzoNotes this weekend.

You can join here: https://kitoconnell.com/mailinglist

#GonzoNotes: Many days recently, the main thing that’s keeping me sane is the ability to go outside and touch grass. I bought an ebike about a year ago, and going to sit in the park with a book or riding one of our greenbelt trails keeps me breathing.

Dan and Jordan, the guys who run the Knowledge Fight podcast, have spent hundreds of episodes now documenting the depths of Alex Jones’ depravity. But more recently, they’ve started discussing their “bright spots” at the start of every episode. Some days it’s as small as a new video game or a new snackfood. But I appreciate their example of making sure we make time for joy.

Asking you to hold onto joy is hardly revolutionary, but it’s still what I’m going to tell you to do.

Read more: https://kitoconnell.com/gonzo-notes-surviving-2025/

#newsletter #journalism #activism #politics #MentalHealth #writing #news

#GonzoNotes: I bought an ebike about a year ago, and going to sit in the park with a book or riding one of our greenbelt trails keeps me breathing. I wrote a short update about holding onto joy and finding a sense of purpose during dark times...
https://kitoconnell.com/2025/03/23/gonzo-notes-surviving-2025/

#politics #news #activism #MentalHealth #journalism #BikeTooter

#GonzoNotes: As we slide into Spring, I find myself at a bit of a turning point. I’ve been out of work and freelancing for just over a year now, without luck at finding a permanent position to replace the Texas Observer. Unemployment just ran out. So it’s time for me to take stock of myself, and the industry.

Over the past year, I’ve found success as a freelance reporter, and grown my readership on sites like Bluesky. At the same time, my job search has been fruitless; the closest I got to being hired over the past year was at an environmental nonprofit, not at a press publication. Despite all my accomplishments, I’ve averaged less than one job interview a month. Unemployment helped me make ends meet between assignments, but it also forced me to spend time applying for jobs I didn’t actually want.

I still hope that someday I’ll find a home at another publication that values queer, opinionated voices like mine. However, I’m starting to feel like that role might not exist right now. In the meantime, there are still stories I need to tell.

Read more in my #newsletter: https://kitoconnell.com/gonzo-notes-whats-up-kit-march-2025/

#journalism #media #trans #transphobia #LGBTQIA+ #politics #USpol #cats

“Over the weekend of Halloween in 2011, 38 people were arrested at Occupy Austin, the local outgrowth of Occupy Wall Street, a national, mostly #anticapitalist movement targeting systemic inequality and corporate influence. I wasn’t involved in the movement yet, but this incident, and a certain social network, set off a chain of events that launched my #journalism career.

I joined #Twitter in 2009 after attending a #technology and sex conference in San Francisco. I noticed everyone using their phones and laptops in a new way to communicate with each other about the conference, even if they hadn’t met before. So I was virtually watching two years later, when dozens of people got arrested in my town in a single night over sharing food. ...”

Read more at Birdsite Blues: My Twitter Origin Story https://kitoconnell.com/twitter-origin-story-birdsite-social-media/

(CW: Article contains a masked selfie where I make eye contact)

On #GonzoNotes, my mailing list, I wrote about my long history on #birdsite, and how it's been intertwined with my #activism and community organizing, and even helped launch my journalism career.

Subscribe here if you'd like to get this kind of thing in your inbox once or twice a month: https://kitoconnell.com/mailinglist