Karl T.

Ok, here's the thing. If you're a white man, don't assume I'm going to agree with you because of what you can see of me when I appear on the Zoom call. If you're not a white man, I already expect that you will rightfully ignore any "statements of allyship" and pay attention to what I do and who it benefits; I don't have to tell you how all this works.

"My people" are not all people who look like me. And not all people that I recognise as "my people" recognise me as theirs. That's ok.

I shouldn't have to disclose to you which communities are "most" important to me. I shouldn't have to disclose to you what my mother did for a living when I was a teenager to "justify" my feelings about cops. I shouldn't have to refer to any religious basis when I tell you that my people are the widow, the orphan, and the stranger.

If your space is visibly dominated by white men with beards, it won't be welcoming to me even though I am, in fact, a white man with a beard. Yes, even if most of them are queer.

If your space isn't welcoming to GNC folks (non-binary people or anyone else who doesn't perform gender "appropriately"), it won't be welcoming to me, even though my gender presentation is about as Silicon Valley-typical as you can get.

If your space isn't welcoming to Black trans women, it won't be welcoming to me. And if your organization is claiming to want to do good in the world and you don't even have one Black woman in leadership, I am going to side-eye you and your organization forever. This is table stakes, people.

These all apply whether your space is online or off.

I have always felt most comfortable, most welcomed, most valued as a colleague, when in the company of furries, queers, trans folk, and self-described freaks with their own self-described 'freak flags.'

And finally, though I can't believe I actually have to say this: I am not interested in "winning hearts and minds" of people who want my people and me out of their sight or dead. This includes the vast majority of US Republicans and right-wing Europeans. The rich and selfish are not my people; they mean harm to me and mine.

I have seen my perfect job.

I want this. I want this with a passion I didn't think I had anymore.

I am asking you, my friends and loved ones, pray, light a candle, think good thoughts, cross your fingers and toes, wear your lucky hat, do whatever it is you need to get your groove-tastic connection going.

And vibe these folks to Kalamazoo and back. Because I'd be good at this. And I would work harder at it than I've worked at anything in my life, except my marriage.

It's scary for me to write about something I want this much; I'm always afraid I'll jinx it. But I can't live my life being at the mercy of the corporate job-masters anymore ... and I want to contribute something, fight back in a positive way. Love is the answer, it always has been. And wasn't I just talking about what I wanted to do?

Think good thoughts for me. I've applied and had my application acknowledged; it's in the hands of the two principals of the outfit now.

A piece of advice for small businesses outsourcing their IT to consultants: If you have a consultant who is doing the job better, MUCH cheaper, and faster than the previous one ...

... don't nickel-and-dime him on the bills. It's the fastest way in the world to get yourself tagged with the 'troublesome client' label. And if your business is dependent on those machines being up and staying up, you really don't want that label.

One would think this would be common sense. One would be wrong.