Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
@michitrota.bsky.social
FilAm Feminist Foodie Firespinner. British Fantasy & 5x Hugo Award winner. Open to editing/writing & narrative consulting. Writing a book on representation, AAPI identity & power. Green America Executive Editor. She/Her. buttondown.email/MichiTrota
Pinned
This is something that still angers me so, so much. People started to demand incredibly personal information from people, and also used the same to try and discredit anything they didn't like if the author wasn't 'authentic' enough.
It got scary very fast.
It got scary very fast.
Once upon a time there was a push for own voices that was done in good faith in an effort to help marginalized creatives be seen. And then it got weaponized. Since then, I simply ask people to seek out narratives by artists telling their own truths whenever they can.
I could write forever about the weaponization of authenticity, how it feeds off legit trauma of the marginalized & our desire to know/be seen as our true selves, and the only beneficiaries are the very same oppressors who caused that trauma & alienation in the first place.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
Minnesota shifting narrative from "rabble rousing protesters" vs "law enforcement" to "people of conscience" vs "evil regime." This is essential to defeating authoritarianism - exposing who, what & why they are by demonstrating who, what & why we are.
And MAGA knows it.
www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/p...
And MAGA knows it.
www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/p...
Trump privately frustrated that he risks losing control of immigration message amid Minnesota chaos | CNN Politics
The ongoing protests and images coming out of Minnesota have prompted concerns from some Trump administration officials over the optics of the immigration crackdown as Americans grow alarmed by the ch...
www.cnn.com
January 24, 2026 at 2:56 AM
Minnesota shifting narrative from "rabble rousing protesters" vs "law enforcement" to "people of conscience" vs "evil regime." This is essential to defeating authoritarianism - exposing who, what & why they are by demonstrating who, what & why we are.
And MAGA knows it.
www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/p...
And MAGA knows it.
www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/p...
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
On January 23, 2026, a massive anti-ICE student walkout erupted at Meadowcreek High School in Norcross, Georgia.
January 24, 2026 at 2:11 AM
On January 23, 2026, a massive anti-ICE student walkout erupted at Meadowcreek High School in Norcross, Georgia.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
Kinda sick of people acting like MN has some unique juice that makes it possible for people to organize in ways no one else can.
It's the bs "talent" myth all over again. MN is organizing because Minnesotans decided they needed to no matter what. Y'all could do that to if you wanted to.
It's the bs "talent" myth all over again. MN is organizing because Minnesotans decided they needed to no matter what. Y'all could do that to if you wanted to.
January 23, 2026 at 3:23 AM
Kinda sick of people acting like MN has some unique juice that makes it possible for people to organize in ways no one else can.
It's the bs "talent" myth all over again. MN is organizing because Minnesotans decided they needed to no matter what. Y'all could do that to if you wanted to.
It's the bs "talent" myth all over again. MN is organizing because Minnesotans decided they needed to no matter what. Y'all could do that to if you wanted to.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
Representatives Henry Cuellar, Vicente Gonzalez, Jared Golden, Laura Gillen, Tom Suozzi, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez & Don Davis have the blood of innocents on their hands.
4 of them have primary challengers. We have a moral duty to oust every rep who voted for the Kidnap Our Children Act.
4 of them have primary challengers. We have a moral duty to oust every rep who voted for the Kidnap Our Children Act.
If @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social wasn’t a feckless coward, he would have whipped these votes, and the DHS bill would have failed, 213-214.
These 7 Dems are traitors who support ICE terrorism, & House Dem leadership has made themselves complicit by refusing to even ATTEMPT to talk them into voting no
These 7 Dems are traitors who support ICE terrorism, & House Dem leadership has made themselves complicit by refusing to even ATTEMPT to talk them into voting no
NEW: DHS appropriations bill funding ICE passes 220-207
7 Democrats voted YES on the bill:
- Jared Golden
- Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
- Henry Cuellar
- Tom Suozzi
- Laura Gillen
- Don Davis
- Vicente Gonzalez
One Republican voted NO: Thomas Massie
7 Democrats voted YES on the bill:
- Jared Golden
- Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
- Henry Cuellar
- Tom Suozzi
- Laura Gillen
- Don Davis
- Vicente Gonzalez
One Republican voted NO: Thomas Massie
January 23, 2026 at 1:00 AM
Representatives Henry Cuellar, Vicente Gonzalez, Jared Golden, Laura Gillen, Tom Suozzi, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez & Don Davis have the blood of innocents on their hands.
4 of them have primary challengers. We have a moral duty to oust every rep who voted for the Kidnap Our Children Act.
4 of them have primary challengers. We have a moral duty to oust every rep who voted for the Kidnap Our Children Act.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
The feds are not going to act on heat risks for workers. States REALLY need to get on it, because currently almost none have heat protection regulations and things are only getting hotter.
A California study has lessons for efforts to protect workers from excessive heat
The federal government is currently considering a new rule to protect workers in hot conditions. Several recent studies offer suggestions for what works.
www.npr.org
January 23, 2026 at 3:44 AM
The feds are not going to act on heat risks for workers. States REALLY need to get on it, because currently almost none have heat protection regulations and things are only getting hotter.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
You know, the thing about Tom Emmer is that he was always extremely conservative but he apparently made a conscious decision to embrace racism and xenophobia to get ahead in his party in Trump's first term.
This is from a This American Life episode that aired in October 2016:
This is from a This American Life episode that aired in October 2016:
January 22, 2026 at 5:24 PM
You know, the thing about Tom Emmer is that he was always extremely conservative but he apparently made a conscious decision to embrace racism and xenophobia to get ahead in his party in Trump's first term.
This is from a This American Life episode that aired in October 2016:
This is from a This American Life episode that aired in October 2016:
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
(It should be understood that the historical conversation re: Irish/Italian "whiteness" is a different one than the historical conversation involving bigotry against other groups; I'm not claiming equivalence in severity, just that it was there.)
January 22, 2026 at 4:29 PM
(It should be understood that the historical conversation re: Irish/Italian "whiteness" is a different one than the historical conversation involving bigotry against other groups; I'm not claiming equivalence in severity, just that it was there.)
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
The history of my own whiteness includes ancestors who supported white supremacy and those who fought against it, often in the same family, and also ancestors (the Irish and Italian ones) whose "whiteness" was debatable for decades. It's all there. Also, white supremacy fucking sucks.
Respectfully, I am going to whisper to some of our white comrades a truth that should be more widely known: You definitely have some ancestors to be proud of, ancestors who refused white supremacy, and poured out their lives in many of these struggles over time.
Time to claim your true history.
Time to claim your true history.
January 22, 2026 at 4:29 PM
The history of my own whiteness includes ancestors who supported white supremacy and those who fought against it, often in the same family, and also ancestors (the Irish and Italian ones) whose "whiteness" was debatable for decades. It's all there. Also, white supremacy fucking sucks.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
Important to know that Armstrong is a reverend and that she and the protesters felt compelled by faith as well their commitment to civil rights.
This is the state choosing which Christians they will support and which part of the 1A they will defend.
Christian nationalism in action.
This is the state choosing which Christians they will support and which part of the 1A they will defend.
Christian nationalism in action.
The feds have arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, who led the protest in a Minnesota church over the weekend.
apnews.com/article/just...
apnews.com/article/just...
A woman who led a protest that disrupted a Minnesota church service has been arrested
Attorney General Pam Bondi says a woman who led an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church has been arrested.
apnews.com
January 22, 2026 at 4:23 PM
Important to know that Armstrong is a reverend and that she and the protesters felt compelled by faith as well their commitment to civil rights.
This is the state choosing which Christians they will support and which part of the 1A they will defend.
Christian nationalism in action.
This is the state choosing which Christians they will support and which part of the 1A they will defend.
Christian nationalism in action.
The older I get, the more measured I am about embracing speculative fiction stories about "resistance" that fail to highlight (nvmd include) the essential non-glamorous often in the background work & ppl whose efforts make the Big Moments possible & sustainable. The stories we choose to tell MATTER.
The level of humility it takes to do the unglamorous, non-confrontational work is a story that people need to think about more. The shops that don’t get raided and might not be under threat! The people who follow ICE cars so they can’t do surprise stops. The people who you will never see.
I know people keep saying this but it’s hard to communicate the depth of active resistance here. Like, I’m on random cafes and people are checking in for observation shifts. Signs everywhere. Folks in visibility vests on the corners. It’s wild. Absolutely wild.
January 22, 2026 at 5:15 PM
The older I get, the more measured I am about embracing speculative fiction stories about "resistance" that fail to highlight (nvmd include) the essential non-glamorous often in the background work & ppl whose efforts make the Big Moments possible & sustainable. The stories we choose to tell MATTER.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
Can't emphasize this enough. Moving beyond shame toward true solidarity with all people is how we get free. It's how we move toward a new and better world for those who come after us.
Repair is needed, and that repair and restoration is part and parcel of the world we're building.
Repair is needed, and that repair and restoration is part and parcel of the world we're building.
I'm not saying to dunk on this person AT ALL but because I want this point elevated.
I don't want you to be ashamed to be a white American. The history of white Americans who sided against whiteness and acted in solidarity with others has been suppressed as ruthlessly as the history of violence.
I don't want you to be ashamed to be a white American. The history of white Americans who sided against whiteness and acted in solidarity with others has been suppressed as ruthlessly as the history of violence.
At this point in the history of our country, I am very ashamed to be a white American! I don’t want to be mistaken for a thug who is so brain dead they convince themselves that they are better than anyone else because they are white!
I have never & would never BELIEVE THEIR CONVICTED FELON!
I have never & would never BELIEVE THEIR CONVICTED FELON!
January 22, 2026 at 4:52 PM
Can't emphasize this enough. Moving beyond shame toward true solidarity with all people is how we get free. It's how we move toward a new and better world for those who come after us.
Repair is needed, and that repair and restoration is part and parcel of the world we're building.
Repair is needed, and that repair and restoration is part and parcel of the world we're building.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
Today, I spoke w/ @boltsmag.org's @burness.bsky.social. Alex covered how Alaska is punishing American Samoans for voting in local elections. He details how America's colonial legacy gave Am Samoans passports, social security numbers but no right to vote
open.spotify.com/episode/2YVa...
open.spotify.com/episode/2YVa...
January 22, 2026 at 3:07 AM
Today, I spoke w/ @boltsmag.org's @burness.bsky.social. Alex covered how Alaska is punishing American Samoans for voting in local elections. He details how America's colonial legacy gave Am Samoans passports, social security numbers but no right to vote
open.spotify.com/episode/2YVa...
open.spotify.com/episode/2YVa...
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
And we are not "centering whiteness" by honoring folks like John Brown or Viola Liuzzo. They counted the cost and laid down their lives for the struggle just like one of my great-grandfathers did.
This is why we need A People's History of Humanity (Zinn) instead of the propaganda and lies.
This is why we need A People's History of Humanity (Zinn) instead of the propaganda and lies.
January 17, 2026 at 7:37 PM
And we are not "centering whiteness" by honoring folks like John Brown or Viola Liuzzo. They counted the cost and laid down their lives for the struggle just like one of my great-grandfathers did.
This is why we need A People's History of Humanity (Zinn) instead of the propaganda and lies.
This is why we need A People's History of Humanity (Zinn) instead of the propaganda and lies.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
I have always told my white students that they can acknowledge the harm that white supremacy has done, and choose to repair that harm, but I've advised them not to stay there.
You do have some fierce AF ancestors, too. It's just that we don't learn about them or what we learn is lies *on purpose.*
You do have some fierce AF ancestors, too. It's just that we don't learn about them or what we learn is lies *on purpose.*
January 17, 2026 at 7:35 PM
I have always told my white students that they can acknowledge the harm that white supremacy has done, and choose to repair that harm, but I've advised them not to stay there.
You do have some fierce AF ancestors, too. It's just that we don't learn about them or what we learn is lies *on purpose.*
You do have some fierce AF ancestors, too. It's just that we don't learn about them or what we learn is lies *on purpose.*
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
Even in the depths of colonialism, genocide, enslavement, ethnic cleansing & holocaust, there have been white folks all over who have refused and resisted white supremacy.
We get to choose which ancestors we honor. One of my ancestors was an enslaver who sold my foremother. *I don't claim his ass.*
We get to choose which ancestors we honor. One of my ancestors was an enslaver who sold my foremother. *I don't claim his ass.*
January 17, 2026 at 7:32 PM
Even in the depths of colonialism, genocide, enslavement, ethnic cleansing & holocaust, there have been white folks all over who have refused and resisted white supremacy.
We get to choose which ancestors we honor. One of my ancestors was an enslaver who sold my foremother. *I don't claim his ass.*
We get to choose which ancestors we honor. One of my ancestors was an enslaver who sold my foremother. *I don't claim his ass.*
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
Respectfully, I am going to whisper to some of our white comrades a truth that should be more widely known: You definitely have some ancestors to be proud of, ancestors who refused white supremacy, and poured out their lives in many of these struggles over time.
Time to claim your true history.
Time to claim your true history.
January 17, 2026 at 7:29 PM
Respectfully, I am going to whisper to some of our white comrades a truth that should be more widely known: You definitely have some ancestors to be proud of, ancestors who refused white supremacy, and poured out their lives in many of these struggles over time.
Time to claim your true history.
Time to claim your true history.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
They want you to think that there is nothing in the past but shame so that people flinch away from examining history.
If you examine history, you will find good people. At every time in history, you will find them.
Maybe not enough, but they were there. You can be this generation's good people.
If you examine history, you will find good people. At every time in history, you will find them.
Maybe not enough, but they were there. You can be this generation's good people.
January 22, 2026 at 4:03 PM
They want you to think that there is nothing in the past but shame so that people flinch away from examining history.
If you examine history, you will find good people. At every time in history, you will find them.
Maybe not enough, but they were there. You can be this generation's good people.
If you examine history, you will find good people. At every time in history, you will find them.
Maybe not enough, but they were there. You can be this generation's good people.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
@ebonyteach.blacksky.app had an important thread about this the other day.
You can choose which of your ancestors you honor, and learn from the mistakes of the others.
You can choose which of your ancestors you honor, and learn from the mistakes of the others.
Respectfully, I am going to whisper to some of our white comrades a truth that should be more widely known: You definitely have some ancestors to be proud of, ancestors who refused white supremacy, and poured out their lives in many of these struggles over time.
Time to claim your true history.
Time to claim your true history.
January 22, 2026 at 4:00 PM
@ebonyteach.blacksky.app had an important thread about this the other day.
You can choose which of your ancestors you honor, and learn from the mistakes of the others.
You can choose which of your ancestors you honor, and learn from the mistakes of the others.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
I'm not saying to dunk on this person AT ALL but because I want this point elevated.
I don't want you to be ashamed to be a white American. The history of white Americans who sided against whiteness and acted in solidarity with others has been suppressed as ruthlessly as the history of violence.
I don't want you to be ashamed to be a white American. The history of white Americans who sided against whiteness and acted in solidarity with others has been suppressed as ruthlessly as the history of violence.
At this point in the history of our country, I am very ashamed to be a white American! I don’t want to be mistaken for a thug who is so brain dead they convince themselves that they are better than anyone else because they are white!
I have never & would never BELIEVE THEIR CONVICTED FELON!
I have never & would never BELIEVE THEIR CONVICTED FELON!
January 22, 2026 at 3:58 PM
I'm not saying to dunk on this person AT ALL but because I want this point elevated.
I don't want you to be ashamed to be a white American. The history of white Americans who sided against whiteness and acted in solidarity with others has been suppressed as ruthlessly as the history of violence.
I don't want you to be ashamed to be a white American. The history of white Americans who sided against whiteness and acted in solidarity with others has been suppressed as ruthlessly as the history of violence.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
Under Virginia’s Republican governor Glenn Youngkin, people with felony convictions had to appeal to him directly to have their voting rights restored.
“This should never have been in the hands of one individual,” says a voting rights advocate.
“This should never have been in the hands of one individual,” says a voting rights advocate.
“It’s Time”: Virginia Lawmakers Ask Voters to Repeal Jim Crow-Era Lifetime Ban on Voting
Voters will decide this year whether to end Virginia’s uniquely harsh felony disenfranchisement rules. They
boltsmag.org
January 22, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Under Virginia’s Republican governor Glenn Youngkin, people with felony convictions had to appeal to him directly to have their voting rights restored.
“This should never have been in the hands of one individual,” says a voting rights advocate.
“This should never have been in the hands of one individual,” says a voting rights advocate.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
Look, the fact that we even have to entertain such questions is powerful evidence for how far down the path to autocracy the country already is.
But right now, a key part of the struggle against encroaching authoritarianism is to forcefully reject the Trumpist assertions of absolute power.
But right now, a key part of the struggle against encroaching authoritarianism is to forcefully reject the Trumpist assertions of absolute power.
January 22, 2026 at 5:04 PM
Look, the fact that we even have to entertain such questions is powerful evidence for how far down the path to autocracy the country already is.
But right now, a key part of the struggle against encroaching authoritarianism is to forcefully reject the Trumpist assertions of absolute power.
But right now, a key part of the struggle against encroaching authoritarianism is to forcefully reject the Trumpist assertions of absolute power.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
But the Insurrection Act does not suspend the constitution and civil liberties, it does not establish martial law or a military dictatorship. Federal troops patrolling the streets would still be constrained by the law, restricted to regular law enforcement powers.
January 22, 2026 at 5:00 PM
But the Insurrection Act does not suspend the constitution and civil liberties, it does not establish martial law or a military dictatorship. Federal troops patrolling the streets would still be constrained by the law, restricted to regular law enforcement powers.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
It is obvious why the Insurrection Act appeals to Trump: He undoubtedly imagines it as a kind of cheat code that would make him omnipotent and allow him to establish MAGA dictatorship in an instance.
But it is just not true. And it is imperative we push back against such notions of inevitability.
But it is just not true. And it is imperative we push back against such notions of inevitability.
January 22, 2026 at 4:58 PM
It is obvious why the Insurrection Act appeals to Trump: He undoubtedly imagines it as a kind of cheat code that would make him omnipotent and allow him to establish MAGA dictatorship in an instance.
But it is just not true. And it is imperative we push back against such notions of inevitability.
But it is just not true. And it is imperative we push back against such notions of inevitability.
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
One of the most important protests in the AIDS era: when protesters went inside the St Patricks cathedrals in NYC to protest homophobia & the silence over the mountain of deaths.
www.nytimes.com/1989/12/11/n...
www.nytimes.com/1989/12/11/n...
January 22, 2026 at 5:04 PM
One of the most important protests in the AIDS era: when protesters went inside the St Patricks cathedrals in NYC to protest homophobia & the silence over the mountain of deaths.
www.nytimes.com/1989/12/11/n...
www.nytimes.com/1989/12/11/n...
Reposted by Michi the Adorable Tiny Demon
Harrowing NY Times expose of the FBI, with some operational details of Minneapolis investigations & comments from ex-agents on the current federal occupation. The FBI is more fucked than you expect, which makes them less effective AND more dangerous. www.nytimes.com/interactive/... (gift link)
Kash Patel’s FBI Is Making America Less Safe, Current and Former Employees Say (Gift Article)
Forty-five current and former employees on the changes they say are undermining the agency and making America less safe.
www.nytimes.com
January 22, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Harrowing NY Times expose of the FBI, with some operational details of Minneapolis investigations & comments from ex-agents on the current federal occupation. The FBI is more fucked than you expect, which makes them less effective AND more dangerous. www.nytimes.com/interactive/... (gift link)