Brittany Ballantyne (she/her)
LightNews LightNews
banner
ballantynebeat.bsky.social
Brittany Ballantyne (she/her)
@ballantynebeat.bsky.social
1.1K followers 560 following 96 posts
Comms manager @harmreduction.org, photographer | Formerly comms at Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence & schools, reporter/photographer for The Valley Breeze Newspapers | Views my own

Believe survivors. 🌻 | 🇿🇦 always
Posts Replies Media Videos
ballantynebeat.bsky.social
I hope you’ll consider supporting our life-saving, life-affirming work 🩷
harmreduction.org National Harm Reduction Coalition @harmreduction.org · 1d
🧵As we approach #GivingTuesday on December 2 & celebrate NHRC’s 30th anniversary — 3 decades of championing & uplifting the #HarmReduction movement — we reflect on the extraordinary wisdom & collective power of the people & communities we work with & for.

bit.ly/SupportNHRCGivingTuesday
Black and white lines pattern frames top of graphic. Over pink oval shape outlined in black, all caps black font reads, "COUNTDOWN!". Bold, hot pink font outlined in black at center, over white calendar-like shapes, reads, "11". Below this, white font reads, "days until GIVINGTUESDAY, spread the word!" The "GivingTuesday" logo is placed where graphic reads, "GIVINGTUESDAY". In bottom left corner, white font reads, "Can't wait? Give today!". Smaller hot pink font below this reads, "bit.ly/SupportNHRCGivingTuesday". NHRC 30th anniversary white/black/rainbow gradient logo in bottom right corner. Black-and-white pattern frames top and bottom of graphic. Below, white copy over black banner reads, "For 30 years, NHRC has equipped frontline champions with the tools to save lives and build community." Over white background at center, speckled with black dots, is black/rainbow gradient NHRC logo. Below this, white and pink font over black banner reads, "Save the date for GivingTuesday, December 2! Let’s keep it going for another 30 years."
November 21, 2025 at 5:15 PM
ballantynebeat.bsky.social
🩷🩵
harmreduction.org National Harm Reduction Coalition @harmreduction.org · 3d
🧵Today, we hold grief & sorrow along with love & tenacity as we honor trans loved ones whose lives were stolen by anti-trans violence & structural oppressions. It's on all of us to answer the call to change the culture & systems that allow this abuse, persecution, & erasure. Collectively, we must..
Faded teal, green and pink gradient border frames top and bottom. Over black background, bold, all caps white font at top center reads, "WE REMEMBER". Smaller white font below reads, "Their love. Their light. Their wisdom. Their wit. Their talent. Their humor. Their strength." Smaller white font below this reads, "Our trans loved ones no longer with us are never forgotten." An illustration of a lit white and black candle sparkling is at right. NHRC trans pride gradient logo at bottom right.
November 20, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by Brittany Ballantyne (she/her)
harmreduction.org
🧵When #HarmReduction programs close or decrease their operations, entire communities suffer & lives are further at risk from fatal #Overdoses. People who use drugs (& all people) have a right to health care. We deserve better. Read about the ongoing threats to the..
bit.ly/HarmReductionCantDisappear
Dangerous or life-saving? Why drug programs that stop disease are under fire.
A decade after a historic HIV outbreak in Indiana, syringe programs that helped contain the crisis are at risk of disappearing due to federal funding restrictions and local opposition.
bit.ly
November 19, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by Brittany Ballantyne (she/her)
momsrising.org
🗣️ Today is Native Women's Equal Pay Day and a moment to acknowledge one of the widest pay disparities they face and the long recovery road ahead post-shutdown. We're calling the Congress to act now and pass policies that protect NHP... https://action.momsrising.org/sign/NWEPD25/

@EqualPay2dayOrg
SIGN ON: Tell theRepublican Congress to take action to close the wage gap for Native women!
Congress must act immediately to lessen the financial burden of unequal wages that leave Native women and their families struggling to make ends meet.
action.momsrising.org
November 18, 2025 at 7:00 PM
ballantynebeat.bsky.social
harmreduction.org National Harm Reduction Coalition @harmreduction.org · 4d
🧵Far too often, Native/Indigenous communities' needs are left behind & overlooked. As this @filtermag.bsky.social piece points out, the gap in #overdose death rates between white & Native/Indigenous people is large around the country. To change this, we must examine

bit.ly/NativeOverdoseDisparities
Indigenous OD Mortality Plummets in Minnesota, But Disparity Remains
New data indicate that harm reduction efforts in rural parts of the state may be paying off, though progress is under threat.
bit.ly
November 18, 2025 at 9:07 PM
ballantynebeat.bsky.social
My womanhood is not under threat by other women claiming theirs. 🩷🩵
November 17, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Reposted by Brittany Ballantyne (she/her)
altnps.bsky.social
No one is above the law. Off to jail, ICE. A 45-year-old Riverside County man, identified as an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has been arrested for allegedly detaining a minor at gunpoint while off duty.
ktla.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:36 PM
ballantynebeat.bsky.social
Harm reduction saves lives, and no one is disposable.

#HealthCareIsAHumanRight #HealthCareForAll #EndOverdose
November 17, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Reposted by Brittany Ballantyne (she/her)
harmreduction.org
🧵#HarmReduction saves lives, prevents the spread of blood-borne viruses including #HepatitisC, & connects people w/ health care options to manage & treat hepatitis C — among other health needs. #HealthCareIsAHumanRight, & life-saving information & resources are crucial to...

bit.ly/HepCResources
Black-and-white lines pattern frames pink gradient background. At top center is white graphic of two people sitting on stools, facing one another, gesturing with their arms. Above person at left is conversation bubble, with two black question marks. Above person at right is conversion bubble, with outline of a liver. Bold, all caps black font below reads, "LET'S TALK ABOUT" above white, bold text outlined in black over rainbow gradient textbox reading, "HEPATITIS C." Smaller, all caps white font below this reads, "-PART ONE-". Black NHRC logo and arrow at bottom middle. Same pattern, background, logo, and arrow. At top center are white virus icons of various sizes beside a graphic of a liver. All caps, bold white font outlined in black over rainbow gradient text box reads, "HEPATITIS C", with smaller font below reading, "aka HCV is a virus that affects the liver. It’s the most common blood-borne virus in the U.S. and affects roughly 2.5 million people, according to the CDC." The words, "roughly 2.5 million people" are in white, the rest of the copy is in black. Same pattern, background, logo, and arrow. At top is graphic showing two white syringes facing one another, with a black virus icon in the middle. All caps, bold white font outlined in black over rainbow gradient text box reads, "SHARED SYRINGES..." with smaller font below reading, "are one of the most common ways to spread this illness, putting people who use drugs at increased risk of contracting it. Thanks to robust harm reduction services and advances in treatment, HCV is both preventable and curable." The words "HCV is both preventable and curable." are in white, rest of the copy is in black. Same pattern, background, logo, and arrow. At top are white icons of a megaphone, information bubble, and sharps container. All caps, bold white font outlined in black over rainbow gradient text box reads, "HARM REDUCTION IS" with smaller font below reading, "dedicated to demanding access to treatment for people regardless of insurance. These advocacy efforts are getting us closer to eliminating HCV." The words, "eliminating HCV" are in white, rest of the copy is in black.
November 14, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Reposted by Brittany Ballantyne (she/her)
harmreduction.org
🧵NHRC's Director of Capacity Building & Community Mobilization, Mike Selick, spoke w/ @scarymommy.com about the importance of parents/guardians having #naloxone (4mg or less) on hand in the event of an #overdose, much like other first aid kit materials.

“'I’d like to...

bit.ly/FirstAidKitNaloxone
Experts Say Parents Should Keep This Surprising Item In Their First Aid Kits
While it may surprise you to hear, experts on drug safety highly recommend parents keep naloxone in their homes, regardless of their children’s ages.
bit.ly
November 13, 2025 at 7:33 PM
ballantynebeat.bsky.social
Hey, Reform pals! ⬇️
harmreduction.org National Harm Reduction Coalition @harmreduction.org · 10d
Are you at @drugpolicy.org's International Drug Policy #Reform Conference? If so, we hope you'll join us for the PeerUp session happening tomorrow a.m.!

#HarmReduction #HarmReductionSavesLives #HarmReductionIsHealthcare #Reform2025 #PreventOverdose #SupportNotStigma #EndOverdose
harmreduction.org National Harm Reduction Coalition @harmreduction.org · 23d
🧵Join us at @drugpolicy.org’s International #DrugPolicy #Reform conference! NHRC’s Capacity Building & #HepatitisC Coordinator, Jose Martinez, who also manages NHRC’s PeerUp program, will facilitate an affinity group gathering, “The Resurrection of the Peer Workforce” on Friday, Nov. 14 from...
November 13, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Reposted by Brittany Ballantyne (she/her)
liberaljane.bsky.social
📢 Today marks #ThxBirthControl Day! At a time when fearmongering about birth control is at an all time high, let's remember there are endless reasons someone may need access to contraception.

🧡 Birth control is safe, effective and our right!
Digital illustration of the faces of six people who use birth control. There are various reasons including ‘managing illness, bleeding on your own terms, regulating menstrual cycles and preventing pregnancy. There’s big text that reads, 'we must fight to protect our right to birth control.’
November 12, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Reposted by Brittany Ballantyne (she/her)
harmreduction.org
🧵While this release was shared some time ago, the message remains evergreen, & long after #VeteransDay has ended:

"Harm reduction is a public health approach that aims to minimize the negative health, social, and legal impacts associated with drug use. It recognizes...
bit.ly/VetsAndHarmReduction
VA press release graphic reading in part, "IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:", "One Big Family, Driven by Hope", "Learn how to save a Veteran from opioid overdose". Photo at right shows two people looking at one another, with person at right putting their hand on the other person's shoulder. They smile at one another. Shrubs and trees are pictured in the background.
November 12, 2025 at 6:17 PM
ballantynebeat.bsky.social
All this Wicked promo is over the top 💚🩷

In all seriousness, the world is pretty rough right now. It’s also still so beautiful. ❤️
Green and pink sky, with clouds at left. Trees form a silhouette in foreground. Bright pink, purple, and some green light up the sky from northern lights. Some stars are seen at top right. Trees frame both sides of photos, with small clouds dotting photo. Green, pink, purple, and blue sky in background with some clouds and stars. Trees with yellow leaves and evergreens in foreground. Bright pink and green gradient fills sky, with some clouds and stars above. Treetops are bottom left appear like a silhouette.
November 12, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Reposted by Brittany Ballantyne (she/her)
harmreduction.org
No, newspapers sent to incarcerated people are not "soaked" in drugs. Yes, incarcerated people should be able to read and learn. As noted in this @kansasreflector.com piece, restricted access to "information...leaves all of us, not just prisoners, worse off."

bit.ly/LetIncarceratedPeopleRead
Newspaper madness: Kansas prisons spin fearmongering drug tales to restrict information • Kansas Reflector
State officials believe that your hometown gazette is at risk of being infused in a mind-altering substance and carried by the Postal Service.
bit.ly
November 10, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Reposted by Brittany Ballantyne (she/her)
altnps.bsky.social
Cave once, and history will make you pay twice.
November 10, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Reposted by Brittany Ballantyne (she/her)
everytown.bsky.social
There’s a lot of misinformation and disinformation out there about our country’s gun violence crisis. The reality is: The US has a gun homicide rate 26x that of peer nations. That’s no coincidence—it’s the result of lax gun laws.

This holiday season, be ready to push back with the facts. ⬇️
Debunking Gun Myths at the Dinner Table
We’ve created these graphics to help you “fork over the facts” and dispel some of the most prominent myths about gun violence.
www.everytown.org
November 10, 2025 at 4:15 PM
ballantynebeat.bsky.social
Everyone else also cries when Cynthia Erivo sings, right? 💚
November 7, 2025 at 1:25 AM
Reposted by Brittany Ballantyne (she/her)
axios.com
NEW: Judge orders White House to pay full SNAP benefits by tomorrow
Judge orders White House to pay full SNAP benefits by Friday
"Not making payments to them for even another day is utterly unacceptable," the judge said.
www.axios.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:52 PM
ballantynebeat.bsky.social
💖
harmreduction.org National Harm Reduction Coalition @harmreduction.org · 17d
🧵NHRC hosted a series of community engagement & train-the-trainer sessions across Wyoming, reviving vital #HarmReduction work in a frontier state in which people have long faced barriers to access & support. Through the sessions, which were facilitated by NHRC Consultant Courtney Titus in...
Group of 7 people smile and pose together for group selfie. Some folks wear glasses, all wear various jackets and sweaters, and several wear backpacks. Woman with hair in ponytail wearing knitted, patterned sweater and light denim jeans motions with her hands while standing and speaking to unpictured group. Behind her on projector screen, copy reads in part, "PARTICIPANT AUTONOMY" with NHRC branding. Person with brown hair in a ponytail wearing glasses and a light gray shirt looks down at paper on table while holding a pen. In the background slightly out of focus are two people standing behind a podium speaking to a room of people. Others are pictured sitting at tables, listening in. Two projector screens behind the two speakers read, "FOUNDATIONS OF HARM REDUCTION". Woman with hair in ponytail wearing vest, scarf motions with her hands while standing and speaking to a group of 5 people, who are seated in a semi-circle behind tables. Projector screen in the background reads, "EFFECTIVE FACILITATION TIPS."
November 5, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Reposted by Brittany Ballantyne (she/her)
harmreduction.org
Hey, friends headed to @drugpolicy.org's Reform Conference! Mark your calendar & join us for this PeerUP session.

#HarmReduction #HarmReductionSavesLives #HarmReductionIsHealthcare #Reform #Reform2025 #HealthCareIsAHumanRight #PeerWorkforce #WarOnDrugs #SupportNotStigma #EndOverdose
harmreduction.org National Harm Reduction Coalition @harmreduction.org · 23d
🧵Join us at @drugpolicy.org’s International #DrugPolicy #Reform conference! NHRC’s Capacity Building & #HepatitisC Coordinator, Jose Martinez, who also manages NHRC’s PeerUp program, will facilitate an affinity group gathering, “The Resurrection of the Peer Workforce” on Friday, Nov. 14 from...
Black and white pattern frames left side of yellow gradient graphic. Bold, black, all caps font at top reads, "RESURRECTION OF THE PEER WORKFORCE", with a thin black line beneath this. Smaller black, all caps font below reads, "FRIday, NOVEMBER 14" and "7 a.m. — 9 a.M. ET". Below this, smaller black font reads, "Join us at DPA’s International Drug Policy Reform Conference for a dedicated space for open dialogue among peers and peer supporters to inform and strengthen ongoing peer advocacy efforts within PeerUp. Attendees will collectively identify key challenges the peer workforce faces, share lived/living experiences, and propose meaningful strategies for change. By centering the voices of those directly involved in peer work, this session aims to ensure PeerUp’s advocacy priorities are rooted in the realities, needs, and aspirations of the community it serves." Black NHRC and PeerUP logos in bottom right corner.
November 5, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by Brittany Ballantyne (she/her)
luckytran.com
They’ll insist this is a
one-off victory — something that can only happen in New York & nowhere else.

They’re wrong.

New York is the world financial capital — home of Wall Street & billionaires from across the globe.

If everyday people can defeat oligarchs here, we can defeat oligarchy anywhere.
November 5, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Reposted by Brittany Ballantyne (she/her)
luckytran.com
Tom Hanks explains to Stephen Colbert why he masks on the subway:

"I'm doing a play right now so I cannot get sick... I've had COVID enough in my life, I don't need to do that again. So I'm wearing this for health reasons."

Thank you Tom! Masks are still a key part of public health.
November 4, 2025 at 8:57 PM
ballantynebeat.bsky.social
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 5, 2025 at 2:47 AM