kirk

non-binary by nature, homosexual by habit

[Dr Tracy Westerman AM @TracyWesterman]

The Sanewashing of Hanson Is at Its Peak.
This is how Trump came to power: platform the lies, skip the follow-up, let the headlines call it “proving her critics wrong.”
We are all watching it happen in real time.
At the National Press Club, Pauline Hanson said the following. Not one claim was challenged by the so called journalists in attendance and she continues to be unchallenged on the facts in every interview she sits.
-1. Unlike the Prime Minister, I welcome scrutiny.” Hypocritical. In the same speech she announced she refuses ABC interviews, will scrap the SBS, & will make the ABC subscription-only. The event allowed 2 hours; standard format gives 25–30 mins for the address. She spoke for 50-halving the time left for questions. When Guardian journalist Sarah Martin used that remaining time to ask about her daughter's $150,000 taxpayer-funded advisor role, Hanson called her “a trashy journalist” and banned her from all future press conferences.
• “Babies are aborted the day before birth.” Fabricated. Late-term abortion is highly restricted, requires medical approval, and occurs only in genuine medical emergencies.
• “Interest rates are heading towards 10%.” False. RBA cash rate: 4.35%. Forecast to fall, not rise.
• “There’s no gender pay gap — just women taking time off.” False. WGEA confirms the gap exists at equal hours, equal roles, regardless of career breaks.
• “$30B a year on Indigenous programs.” False. Only 18% (~$5.6B) is Indigenous-specific. The rest is the Indigenous share of mainstream services every Australian uses.
• Transgender people were compared to “militant Islam.” False and dangerous. ABS data: transgender and gender-diverse Australians make up 1% of the pop’n. There’s no body of research showing transgender ppl commit crime at elevated rates-in fact it shows transgender people are dramatically more likely to be victims of violence— assault, sexual violence, and homicide rates against trans people are well above general population rates in most studies (US, UK, and Aust data all show this pattern)
• “23% of Australians can’t speak English.” False. That 23% speak another language at home — most are bilingual. Limited English proficiency: just 3.2%.
• “The CEFC has had $200 billion.” False by a factor of six. Actual legislated capacity: $33 billion.
• “I care about the homeless and hungry.” Hypocritical. In the same speech, she backed cuts to Indigenous-specific funding — despite Aboriginal homelessness running up to 10 times higher than the non-Indigenous rate.
• $90 billion in cuts, no plan. ~$35 billion of it remains unaccounted for. No modelling.
• “I support worker rights.” False. Voted against minimum wage increases, penalty rates, criminalising wage theft, casual conversion rights, same job same pay, and the right to disconnect. Took a $100,000 pay rise while voting against a tax break for low-paid workers
• Called Australian workers “lazy.” She has attended just 12% of Senate estimates since 2016 & 53% of parliamentary votes. Paid over $200k a year
• Labor have let immigration get out of control.” False. Net overseas migration has fallen every year since the post-COVID peak in 2022-23 — 538,000 → 446,000 → 306,000 in 2024-25. She also recycled a 26-year-old ABS pop’n projection as a fresh “next 50 years” forecast

Said: This beautiful country belongs to all Australians born here and those who have joined us”- in her opening line; then spent the next 50 minutes demanding a monocultural society, comparing transgender Australians to militant Islam, inflating migration and language figures, denying the gender pay gap, and repeating the debunked $30 billion Indigenous funding myth. Welcomed everyone in the first sentence. Spent the rest of the speech defining most of them out — and offered no plan to fix anything she raised, only $90 billion in cuts.
Not one follow-up question. No source data on a single figure in the entire speech. This is what unchallenged looks like.
/2 sources

[Joe @godhadtocreate]

love this genre of pictures

[NO CONTEXT anthony fantano @theneedledrop]

olivia rodrigo interview time!

https://t.co/6YDRmqlfUC

[𝗠𝘂𝗵𝗲𝗲 ♛ @muheediva01]

Before you argue with someone ask yourself, is this person mentally mature enough to grasp the concept of different perspectives?, If not there is no point to argue.

[Pop Crave @PopCrave]

James Burrows, co-creator of ‘Cheers’ and director of ‘Will & Grace,’ has died at 85.

[yimika| @yimikaaaa]

one of the main reasons i’m so gentle with myself is cause i believe i’ve already experienced enough hardship in my life. i’ve already been mishandled and undervalued by others and myself at times. so i deserve more patience, forgiveness, and consideration at this point.

[Lisa Bee @leebee4life]

Watching the opening ceremony of the Obama Center reminds me of what presidential events used to be. Dignified and classy, but still celebratory and even inspiring. This is what American leadership is supposed to look like.

[Mike Tee @ItsMikeTee]

Rooting for him hard. The industry did him so dirty. Chewed him up and spit him out when he was one of the few promising male pop star talents.

[dom 💐🇮🇹🇦🇺 @rossivision]

How do you explain to the world the intensity of being forced to compete in mandatory competitions for every sport multiple times a year in front of your whole school, to win points for your made-up team/colour.

[Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @NYCMayor]

Thank you to the thousands of City workers who kept New York running throughout the Knicks’ Finals run as well last night after yesterday’s celebrations.

To the members of the NYPD, FDNY, EMS, DSNY, DOT, and every City worker who showed up, did their job, and helped keep New Yorkers safe: I cannot thank you enough. Whether you were responding to emergencies, staffing events, directing traffic, cleaning our streets, or working behind the scenes in ways most people never see, your dedication made this historic moment possible for millions of New Yorkers.

By the time many of us woke up this morning, the city was ready for another day because of your work. I join millions of your fellow New Yorkers in saying thank you.

[Buzzing Pop @BuzzingPop]

NYC Mayor Mamdani pledges $15 MILLION in funding for trans communities over the next two years.

[Peter Twinklage @PeterTwinklage]

why did no one explain Sharia law would be this awesome?

[. @FKAY0NCE]

wake up

[Gina Ippolito @GinaIppy]

Why Making a Living as a TV Writer in Hollywood is Harder Than Ever and Why the Old Way was Better for Everyone: A Crash Course.
Don't worry, I'll include pictures so no one gets bored! 🧵

[bigkhing @bigkhing001]

Don't let straight people tell you not to "make being gay your personality." Straight people base their entire lives around dating, flings and marriage.
They consistently allow gender and sexuality to influence their friendships & personal relationships.

[Pop Base @PopBase]

8 years ago today, BLACKPINK released ‘DDU-DU DDU-DU.’

[Pop Crave @PopCrave]

A year ago today, Zara Larsson released “Midnight Sun.”

[gianmarco @GianmarcoSoresi]

My friend took his family to see the Michael Jackson movie and his son claimed it was the greatest movie he’d ever seen but I’m a real MJ fan so I don’t believe the accounts of little boys

[Rebecca Black @MsRebeccaBlack]

Also so much great music out today. Rose, Bebe, Adela, Tove, Olivia. Haven't stopped playing new Tinashe since it dropped last week. Pop is life. I'm honored to create it right here right now. I do not play about this craft

[𝙶𝚊𝚠𝚞𝚔𝚊 𝚔𝚊𝙼𝚐𝚎𝚐𝚎𝚍𝚕𝚊 @Somlimokazi]

All I want this year is a fit body and a calm nervous system.