Hello. It is Wednesday. And for those of you who are new here, I’m Laura and I’ve officially reached the point in my life where I get to do whatever I want. The video / audio is available to you, but below the bullet points is also the readable version for the babes who like to read words on the screen. In this episode, we’re talking about: The Texas Senate primary and what went down between Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico The backlash creator Morgan faced after calling out comments about Colin Allred Voter suppression in Texas, and why that conversation matters nationally Why misogynoir keeps showing up when Black women run for higher office How Senate seats in “red states” still impact your “safe blue state” The Anglican Communion split, GAFCON, and conservative churches pushing back against women and LGBTQ inclusion We learn about the Episcopal Church’s progressive policies on gender identity protections Why you absolutely should not read the comments if you go viral (seriously don't) Plus yes, we’re talking (I mean, I'm ranting) about patriarchy in the church and how you should just leave Black women alone. Because apparently that fight is still very much alive. And before you spiral in a comment section somewhere: protect your energy. You are not required to argue with strangers on the internet. If the algorithm benefits from them yelling? Cool. Let them type. I got laid off. I applied to hundreds, maybe thousands, of jobs I was overqualified for. Nothing stuck. I'm not a super woo-woo girlie but I am a little woo-woo. At some point I thought... Maybe that’s s sign. Maybe I don’t belong in corporate spaces anymore. F**k 'em. The financial stress of not having a big girl corporate job with big girl corporate money is real. But outside of that it’s so f*****g freeing not answering to a corporate overlord. If you have a traditional job, you can’t just hop on LinkedIn and say whatever you want. I can. (I call Rick Scott a little bitch every day.) That’s why this exists. I’m going to say the things not everyone else can. We need people who can start conversations and push ideas forward. And we need community to support that work. That’s how this is supposed to function. And I am so grateful for those of you who are here reading my words. Thank you. The Texas Senate Primary HappenedLet’s talk about the Texas Senate primary between Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico. There is a creator, Morgan, who has been doing serious on-the-ground and online civic education work in Texas. I love her. Morgan (you can find her social links below) has been motivating people to register, vote, and understand how the system works. She breaks down complicated civic processes in ways that make sense to folks who haven't been as active as they probably should or could have been. I highly suggest following her on your social platform of choice. But if you harass her in any way I will hire an Etsy witch to poop in the top part of your toilet. You've been warned. Anyway, during the campaign, she posted about Talarico referring to Colin Allred as a “mediocre Black man.” In trying to relate to Black voters, and a Black woman specifically, he disparaged a Black man. It was weird and gross. Here’s the video. The harassment she received after posting was intense and she had to turn off comments. And yes, much of it came from white folks. Most of it. Here’s what frustrates me most... Black voters will still show up for Talarico in the general election because he is better than any Republican option. Black people have historically voted for their survival which, spoiler alert, benefits us ALL. If the roles were reversed? If Jasmine Crockett had committed a similar misstep? White voters would not offer that same grace. I hate that for all of us and we need to keep having conversations with fellow white folks about their misogynoir when it relates to our votes. Talarico won the primary. From what I’ve read, he’s considered progressive and I truly I hope that holds up. Texas deserves meaningful, progressive change. Republicans have ruined that state. One of the most encouraging parts of the primary was Morgan in Dallas County and Black Girls Who Brunch in Harris County creating a friendly competition to drive voter turnout. That energy was inspiring and has me eying my own nearby counties to see who wants to do the same for Florida's upcoming Senate and Governor's races. Texas now has more than 18.6 million registered voters for the March 2026 primary which is a record high. Harris County alone added nearly 195,000 voters over four years. Let's. F*****g. Go. Morgan also made it clear that voter suppression, not identity, is the real barrier. A Black woman could absolutely win in Texas and the reason people assume she can’t is because they don’t show up. We need to all show up. When Black women push for more power the tone shifts. People loved Jasmine Crockett when she was sparring with Marjorie Taylor Greene in a delightfully petty way. But he moment she ran for higher office the perception of her shifted. It's not an accident. Here’s Morgan speaking directly on voter suppression in Texas. If you’re in a blue state thinking this doesn’t affect you, it does. Senate seats shape national policy. The decisions ripple across state lines and it matters who is elected for national seats even in your safe blue progressive state. And if you want states like Texas to shift, you must amplify the voices already doing the work. You register, you show up, you vote based on who makes your community safer and stronger and make sure that your family and friends and church members and whoever are all doing the same. We ow it to our neighbors to set aside the apathy and vote in a way that helps them. The Anglican Girlies are Fighting! Progress vs. PatriarchyA coalition of conservative Anglican churches is meeting to elect a leader to rival the Archbishop of Canterbury (a woman!), deepening the theological split within the Anglican Communion. I found this fascinating and I wanted to know more. It wasn't what I assumed. The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), formed in 2008, represents many conservative churches, primarily in Africa and Asia. They do not like the liberal shifts in parts of the Communion, including the ordination of women and greater LGBTQ inclusion. They protested the Church of England’s appointment of its first woman Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally. Which is... weird? Why isn't a woman qualified to hold that position? I also learned that the Church of England is called the Mother Church which is definitely not weird at all. Meanwhile, the Episcopal Church has taken progressive steps toward inclusion and affirming LGBTQ members. They've even incorporated gender identity protections into church law including mandating that preferred names and pronouns are included on church forms. I was surprised to read about this but pleasantly so! So the conflict is about non-traditional patriarchal leadership. It’s about LGBTQ inclusion. It’s about whether institutions evolve or double down on their outdated conservative b******t. Patriarchy doesn’t help anyone (even men) but it’s deeply embedded into our world and when progress happens, there’s always backlash. Good on the Episcopalians and I hope to see more progressive change happen within all religious spaces. Don’t Read the CommentsLast point. If you go viral, do not read the comments. No seriously, don’t. It's not worth your energy I promise. The insults are recycled, tired, and frankly not even insults. The labels don’t make sense (liberal and communist are not synonyms, Timothy). Sure some accounts are bots and some are influenced by coordinated astroturfing campaigns designed to flood comment sections with repetition until it feels like consensus. The repetition is powerful and it can trick the brain into thinking something is widely accepted, even when it’s manufactured. No one is immune to it but man to the conservatives really fall for it. And hard. You are not required to argue with strangers on the internet. In fact I encourage you not to. If you are a content creator and the engagement pays your bills, fine, do what you gotta do. But if you’re a regular person with limited energy I urge you to use it not on internet strangers. They don't care about your logical and rational explanations. You will not change the mind of someone who does not respect you and how can they when they're slinging lame school yard insults your way? Protect your energy and instead se it to register people to vote. Talk to the relatives who actually know you. Invest your time where influence for progressive change in people (even if it is incremental) is possible. And if the comments boost the algorithm? Let them type. My analytics look great, actually. And if that's what it takes to pay my bills y'all can call me a Lesbian Poet (whatever that means) all day. So here’s the real question: Where are you putting your energy right now? LinksPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/OkayishAF Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@okayishaf Instagram:: https://www.instagram.com/okayishaf/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OkayishAF Hire me: https://okayishaf.com/vibes Morgan Threads: https://www.threads.com/@morganbetalkin IG: https://www.instagram.com/morganbetalkin/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morga_tt Articles referenced: Conservative Anglicans to pick rival leader, widening Church rifts Anglican Communion Mission Anglican Communion on Gender Justice HRC Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: Episcopal Church Texan James Talarico becomes a fresh face of Democrats’ midterm hopes after Senate primary win Live results: Allred seeks to oust Johnson in Texas House primary Your Local Election HQ: How many people are registered to vote in your county?
