Partner violence is often centered in conversations about emotional abuse, when truthfully, leaving an abusive friendship can be just as hard
Category: Voices
A collection of personal stories and anecdotes showing the ways oppression affects us on a day to day basis, as well as our reactions to it.
Look for opportunities to submit your story to this segment in the near future.
A Guide to Social Etiquette When Interacting with My DID System
A frequent request we’ve encountered is to create a guide to interacting with DID systems. We’re offering a list of our own preferences around social interactions and a list of questions to help you get to know the specific preferences of the system(s) you know.
Resistance to Conformity: Balancing Authenticity with Community
I’d like you to please welcome a new writer on the Yopp platform, Eleni Stephanides! She’s here to talk about the complexities of conformity: the damage it can do, and the benefits it can yield when used well.
Choosing Violence: On Allyship and the Legacy of John Brown
Something that hasn’t been explored a lot on this blog is historical figures in the social justice world. There is a lot to be learned in the accomplishments of activists of the past, as well as in the present day reactions to these activists’ legacy. Denny Upkins is back with a look at the historical figure John Brown and the importance of facing oppression head-on, without compromise. CN: Detailed discussion of racial violence and discrimination, …Read More
Poetry & Trauma: It Is Hard to Write with a Broken Heart
This week my debut poetry book, “Pet: the Journey from Abuse to Recovery” comes out. The poetry sequence takes you through my experiences in an abusive relationship, my attempts to heal, my retrospective reflections on the relationship, and the larger-scale insights that came with long-term healing. To introduce it, I wanted to share with you this piece about what it took to write that book in the first place.
I Was My Boyfriend’s Servant: The Nightmare of Financial Abuse
A deeply personal story of how I survived emotional and financial abuse in a nightmarish form.
Squat and Poop: The Art of Adaptation
Please enjoy this this short and wholesome piece by Mugabi Byenkya about adapting to your environment and the value of having your disability accommodated.
How Mast Cell Activation Disorder Changed My Life
In 2018 I began showing a collection of symptoms that I couldn’t explain. With a combination of research and luck, I eventually found out that they were caused by Mast Cell Activation Disorder.
Why I Stopped Taking Gabapentin
Please enjoy this article, originally published under the title “Color” in March of 2017, about the early days of my chronic pain journey and my experience with the medication Gabapentin.
Stonewalled: That Time I Fought the Law and the Law Lost
One of our favorite re-occurring guest-writers, Denny Upkins, is back with this amusing and empowering tale to remind everyone fighting the impacts of marginalization to share and celebrate our wins.