Some younger people tell me that using the word "retarded" as an insult to abled folk, is more than okay. They tell me it's a form of endearment. And that by objecting, I'm giving the word power it doesn't merit.

"We never use it for people with disabilities," they say, as if that makes it harmless for all.

Watch the video, and tell me: what good can come from normalising the use of disability-related words as insults?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN3zCeU4DAo

#disability #inclusive #kindness #justEvolve

Cycling in the sun with a fresh breeze, enjoying a scenic view... It's all very nice.

But have you ever tried joining Zwift's most wholesome group ride?

I'll be leading LGBTQZ' Ride with Pride on Sunday at 8:30 PDT / 11:30 EDT / 15:30 GMT / 16:30 CET on Neon Shore Loop.
The ride will be rubberbanded. So nobody will be left behind. And who knows... maybe I'll even bring a nice little quiz. (I'll definitely bring a quiz. I always do.) 🤓

See y'all there! ✨
Pride on 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

https://www.zwift.com/events/view/5494911

#zwift #lgbtqz #indoorcycling #lgbtq #lgbtqia #groupride #cycling #ridewithpride #zwifting #quiz #inclusive #pride #prideon #queer

Parce que la façon dont nous organisons la ville, dont nous l'habitons, nous permettra ou non de faire société, nous faisons le choix d'une ville #solidaire, #inclusive et #intergenerationnelle. Bâtir une ville riche d'une mixité sociale, d'âge, et soutenir un fort tissu #associatif.
#Municipales2026 #Pornichet

Lien social et Vivre ensemble – Une Autre Voie Pour Pornichet 2026
https://www.uavpp2026.fr/lien-social-vivre-ensemble/

I am writing an open letter to the #fediverse #administration and #moderation community, because you need to keep a few things in mind.

Lately I have started noticing some #fediverse #relays disable this instance in the server logs.

It seems like #censorship is alive and well. Whether it be #language or #geography based.

I will say this once.

I have no issue at all with #international content. In fact I encourage it. And I am working on a #translation enabled client for #Mastodon to release as #open #source #software, so that anyone can interact with any #ActivityPub #server out there, to not exclude entire swaths of #audience reach, that would and currently still is, isolated by regional and not human #diversity as such.

To be clear. I do not want to #expose #racism to the world. I want to move beyond that, to create ways by which #inclusive dialog can transcend #world #borders few want you to never forget.

To do that, we will at some point or other have to talk about some concepts that would otherwise never find common resolution in the mind of the everyday person. And I am open to hosting that.

I simply want to put our humanity first, the way the open #internet prior to any concept of #weaponization, was designed to build conceptually. Before bots, automation and spam ruined the experience of the pre-web 2.0 internet. To the point where marking anything as either or, gets you silenced before you remember you once weren't.

Speaking on a personal level, I make mistakes in my ability to just post before I #think about things. I cannot premoderate everything I say to the point where it comes across as neutral or distant, as if I never bothered to go through the experience. And I admit I am and can be at #fault for that. But what I cannot #apologize for, is why I #feel the way I do. In order to clear my #mind my #head, and my #heart for better #times and #memories I can more clearly #focus on. And this is what #inspires me to keep things moving along such a trajectory.

I can't be #positive or #negative all the time. I will just be #real, and let the #moment pass. In #trust that you're with me for whatever part of that #journey comes our way.

I do'nt want us separated by preventable alternatives that bring us closer together. That is my ultimate #purpose as to why I am making this post.

With this in mind, I myself have a tendency to be the only one posting on this server...but if you want to join us, and speak in your own language or talk about issues that matter to you...then by all means, go for it.

I am doing the same here, not to get attention, but to find #community so we can bond over things held in common, not broken by common disinterest. And I have largely been very #successful at this both on other platforms, and by sticking to topics at hand in more traditional forums.

The truth of the matter, is that we have a critical shortage of relays in the fediverse active at any one time. Until recently we have been fortunate here at #MediaNexus to have over 70 enabled instances, this has dropped since to the late 60's since reports started coming in criticizing just one post about the #war I have made, calling out a commentator for their views.

We can't always #agree on things. But we can ensure that we stand for the principle of an agreement not to break down over the disagreements of a few people, who just can't get along no matter how you approach them.

Guys, we need #decentralized #media now more so than ever before. It is not about monitoring for dangerous opinions. I don't want to live in an echo chamber. IF that's what you want, then I suggest you visit #BlueSky for that.

And so this is not about what I want. I have no #agenda to share. Just a simple message. Layered in #truth and #growth of either #awareness or #news that isn't 100% reliant on one person's understanding to be amplified by 1000000 more as their own, holey so.

In part, while we live in an age of alternate #information being so readily available. Even about the same exact #post generating different #analysis by whoever is looking at it from multiple perspectives. We cannot mix #facts with #fiction where #events count objectively.

Losing access to one #relay especially using platforms like #pleroma and #mastodon, potentially means dozens of your available #updates as your #content gets published, cannot be seen. And, I am asking on behalf of all #sane server owners out there, to stand in solidarity with one another for the sake of our continuity. So that one link in our chain, does not and cannot cripple its #functionality anymore. To the point where nodes are centralized around #ideals not #ideas in turn.

Please, mention me in any #disagreement you may have. We are #humans not #bots at the end of the day. And a lot of us pay really good #money to #hosting companies to be able to critically customize our experience on the deecentralized web. Myself included.

We don't do that because it's cool. We do that, because we trust in all of you to uphold this #principle of our continuity as a whole. At the federation, relay, server instance, and user level.

Media Nexus is very young. And I have only managed to get 5 people to sign up because of the common culture I would otherwise not have been able to share as we explore the world we each live in collectively.

As an #important #introduction to the wider reach of independent blogs and forums, I started this server, not to compete with others, but to ensure that we treat this entire medium of #communication like a single #torrent in great health.

I have no interest by and large, in running a #social #media company for the sake of establishing a #network of random people who otherwise have nothing in common accept liking the interface by which we share are thoughts with one another. Although I will admit that's half the fun in making this possible.

In order for us to #work together, I have to imagine we already are doing so even if we never met in person.

Due to the abundant use of platforms widely available for #engagement of various purposes, all I can offer you, is access to someone who puts humanity first. Not by trend, but by principle. That's not just me, that's all of you that believe we are stronger together. Posting just as you do, for being all that you are, where ever your sense of community feels most comfortable belonging there.

No matter who reads this letter, I #support you in all that you do, even if there are times where we have to talk about why we matter to one another. The fact that it can happen at all, is a #miracle I will always #cherish and #embrace while I am alive on this Earth. Because everyone, even you, play a part in our experience in this way. And I wouldn't trade or exchange that for anything.

I #love you for the #person you are, as you become involved in your journey of #life here. And likewise, appreciate you for caring about your place in our world. And as I said above, I only wish for us to find common ground on things we in turn find interesting enough to boost, favorite, and reply to. Whether that's a poll, a photo, or a news article.

I know this post is getting quite long. But there are #reasons why I have to personally speak up about this. As someone who only started their journey on any kind of federated platform let alone hosting one at the beginning of March of this year, following the #tech news of very unsettling feedback. I cannot in good #faith abandon the #philosophy of things that go #viral, because they're #genuine and #free enough to be #authentic and original. And to me, it absolutely #matters that we remember how to #teach this to our #friends and #family as a whole. Less we forget how to #remember our meaning in a world we can still #save from the #absence of all that brings our #presence into #power in turn.

It starts with the #recognition that to deny anyone based on the #group of a sub culture someone belongs to, is a slippery slope of a #sincere and #honest diversion I cannot support.

Thank you for your #attention to this matter.

If this #resonates with you, or even if it does not, let me know.

Yours with warm #appreciation and #gratitude abounding,

Elshara Silverheart

🌌 JIVE astronomer Miriam Nyamai shares a message on the occasion of the Claiming our space: #WomenAndGirlsInAstronomy initiative by the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach.
More about the initiative: https://iauoutreach.org/global-projects/women-and-girls-in-astronomy

#Inclusive #Astronomy #JIVEVN