Whew the serotonin boost this gave me! 😄

October 14, 1977, Anita Bryant is pied for her antigay bigotry at a press conference in Des Moines, IA.

It was 40 years ago today…

Never gets old.

40 years on and it still is gratifying

Anita’s still alive and kicking and being anti-gay. Thom Higgins, who threw the pie when he was 27 – and was poetically from Beaver Dam – passed away 17 years later at 44. Info on his life is here. The pie throwing was a big deal. In an age before the internet let gays feel connected, and long before ACT UP, the pie showed small pockets of gays that we could fight back.

it showed that gays were human beings, who might be in the room with you, that you had been accepting as being equals and treating as people. you didnt suspect them as bieng gay, why should you treat them different after? do they become less human after finding out? i mean, its almost like you just found out they have an oppinion on your bullshit

She was “pied” on TV.  All across the country, people got to see proof that the LGBT community weren’t going to just sit there and take it.  People who thought they had no choice but to stay silent saw a horrible woman get humiliated on live TV.  

One of the best moments in television history.

happy pride, y’all. 

also btw i just learned this woman’s granddaughter has a wife now

Love how tumblr has its own folk stories. Yeah the God of Arepo we’ve all heard the story and we all still cry about it. Yeah that one about the woman locked up for centuries finally getting free. That one about the witch who would marry anyone who could get her house key from her cat and it’s revealed she IS the cat after the narrator befriends the cat.

Going to try to do as complete a list from the notes that I can find. Lot's of credit to @wavrn for doing this before. (Some with summaries if I think the title is vague)

I will also like to say that @sarcasm-n-insomnia is making a blog of these on @hellsite-folklore

This explains a lot about my lack of asking for help when I clearly need it

Don't forget the fact that asking for help carries the risk of someone expressing mild disappointment in your inabilities, which will cause you to shut down for 5 to 7 working days.

When I was a kid, my dad hated when I hung up anything on my walls. My art, band posters, movie posters, anything. Not with taxks, not with tape (it “ripped the paint off”) not with anything. At one point in 5th or 6th grade he came in my room and found me hanging up a Diary of a Wimpy Kid poster with tacos and he was like “EVERY HOLE YOU PUT IN THE WALL TAKES $10 OFF THE VALUE OF THE HOUSE.” so when I was mad at him, I’d insert tacks into the wall in places he couldn’t easily see just out of spite. Whoever owns the house now is probably wondering about it.

bro didn’t even know you could just fill holes with toothpaste 💀

I know this is about an owned house (that you should be touching up and repainting the walls of before reselling anyway???) but for ppl who are paranoid about putting holes in rental walls: don’t be. Put up posters. Shelving if you need it. Have hanging plants. Invest in a studfinder. Spackle kits are cheap and everywhere now, or you can use white toothpaste, glue, or even soft air-dry clay to fill holes. Scuffs and rub marks are considered normal wear and tear and landlords can’t charge you for them. Most places will have you fill holes but will have to repaint between tenants anyway, so even if the spackle doesn’t match the walls, it’s not a big deal. Check your state laws about what is considered normal wear and tear. Most states have laws covering everything from paint to flooring. For instance, in my state, carpet that is 3+ years old is considered past its normal life cycle and therefore any damage to it cannot be charged for because the landlord/management is expected to put in new carpeting. Before any move-out, check local laws considering paint, flooring, light fixtures, appliances, etc. Landlords and management companies make BANK on people not knowing that they’re paying for paint rubs that they’re painting over anyway and carpet that has been paid for 6 times over.

Reminder: they’re never ever ever ever going to give you your security deposit back no matter what you do. have fun with life.

Actually, if your landlord isn't giving your security deposit back without good reason (in new york, they gave to give you a itemized receipt listing why they deducted from it) bring them to small claims court. Don't let the bloodsuckers get away with your money.

Our last landlord tried keeping all the deposit and charging is for more. When we moved in, I took a whole lotta pictures. I took pics when we moved out and did my research regarding local laws and looked at how frequently tenants win in small claims court here. Over 80% of cases are in favor of tenants.

So I wrote a very professional letter to the landlord and property management company. I provided this information and sent a CD with copies of before and after pics of the place with notes, like the place hadn't been cleaned before we moved in, there was a hole from the second bathroom to the outside, large enough to fit a fat raccoon, husky fur everywhere, nails, hooks, and tacks in the walls, footprints on the ceiling, human hair on the walls and ceilings of the main bathroom.

I informed them they had 60 days to return our deposit or we will take them to small claims court. Local laws state that if a tenant wins, we receive 3x the deposit, and the landlord pays all court costs and fees. 58 days after sending the letter, we received our deposit with an apology for "confusion."

These people are dependent on ignorance. Be aware, be knowledgeable, and make them afraid.

Jane Austen really said ‘I respect the “I can fix him” movement but that’s just not me. He’ll fix himself if knows what’s good for him’ and that’s why her works are still calling the shots today.

Meanwhile Emily Brönte just said “We can make each other worse.” 

Mary Shelley said, "I can make him

We’re so used to the sexual reading of the entire book of Dracula, which takes the sensuality of the early chapters and jams everything that follows it into the same metaphor no matter how poorly it fits, but I feel the segment we’re approaching works much better with a lens of chronic illness and disease.

Vampire legends are inextricably intertwined with disease. Many of them are said to have been birthed by burying victims of disease too soon, who later seem to rise from the dead. But what’s more is that Stoker and his family have deep-seated trauma over disease: his mother had to flee her hometown at the age of 14 because of a horrific cholera epidemic, and Stoker himself was bedridden as a child from an illness that no one could identify.

Found this quote from Irish Historian Mary McGarry:

I bring this up because a lot of academic analysis insists that Lucy sleepwalking is proof of her being the Slutty Woman archetype that needs to be punished. This suggested symbolism is hilarious when put next to the text saying she inherited it from her father, but I’d like to suggest a different angle from the lens of disease suggested earlier:

Lucy’s sleepwalking is a condition that predates Dracula but makes her an easy target for him to prey on. Through the lens of disease symbolism, she now is someone with chronic illness or disability who is especially vulnerable to infectious disease. This becomes a cross-section of Stoker’s trauma regarding disease: his own mystery illness and his mother fleeing a plague.

To wind down my rambles with a bit of a soapbox, I feel this adds a very poignant layer to the struggle to keep Lucy alive. The COVID pandemic showed a horrifying level of casual ableism vs disabled and immunodeficient individuals, shrugging off their vulnerability and even their deaths with “well COVID only kills them.” There’s something deeply gratifying at seeing the way everyone around Lucy fights to the bitter end to protect her and refuses to just give her up to Dracula, whether it’s Mina physically chasing him away or the suitor squad pouring their blood into her veins or Van Helsing desperately searching for cures. The vulnerable deserve no less than this. They’re not acceptable casualties.

This post has already circulated a lot but reblogging again since we’re at this stage of the book now.

if you think about it, every time we tranquilize animals to transport them safely to another place, we are the sleep paralysis demon

Maybe I could do this abiding idea as a series of shorts. :muses:

Kirpan Facts!!!

Kay so tonight an old lady on public transit was about to call security on me for “illegally possessing a weapon,” referring to my kirpan. Luckily she was told to sit down and mind her own business, but the hate that spewed out of her mouth has really been bothering me.

Sooo I thought I would counter ignorance with education and help you guys get to know the kirpan, a distinct Sikh article of faith, better. :)

1. It symbolizes justice: Sikhs are commanded to be Sant Sipaahi (Saint Soldiers), meaning we must vow to be devoted to God and stand up for justice. The kirpan serves as a physical reminder to us that whenever we see oppression, no matter who it is being oppressed, we are obligated to stand up and act. As an amritdhari Sikh, I am commanded to keep a kirpan on me at all times (yes even in bed, and yes even in the shower).

2. It symbolizes sovereignty: During the formative years of Sikhi, the Mughal dynasty had taken a turn for the worst. The Emporer Jahangir had executed Guru Arjan Dev Ji due to religious and political intolerance, and Shah Jahan continued to wage petty political wars on the Sikhs. The emperors maintained a strict imperial status quo, which was contrary to Sikhi’s message of egalitarianism. Therefore as an act of resistance, Sikhs wore articles that only royalty could wear. The royals wore turbans, and a commoner wearing a turban could be punished by death- so we wore turbans. Another such symbol of royalty was the sword, so each Sikh from the time of Guru Hargobind Sahib began carrying kirpans as a statement that not only are we all equal, but that the imperial Mughals do not own us and our only owner is the King of Kings Themselves- declaring our personal sovereignty.

3. Represents Adi Shakti: In mystic interpretations of Sikhi, the kirpan is a representation of the Adi Shakti, which is a feminine energy similar to the concept of the Shekhina in Kabbalistic Judaism.

4. It is 110% LEGAL: In Canada it is protected under the Freedom of Religion in the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. Several other countries legally recognize the kirpan, and it is completely legal for us to wear it. In fact, if you were to force us to remove it, you would be breaching our rights.

5. We are probably not going to kill you, so chill. Seriously.

I know so many amritdhari brothers and sisters who are afraid to let their kirpan show, but please remember that the Khalsa was made to stand out, not blend in. I know it’s hard, but embrace the daat Guru Gobind Singh Ji has given you and do not be afraid to express who you are.

We are not criminals.

i can get to my desk IF someone moves a chair out of the way is not accessibility

i can get in the building IF i’m having a really good day and can open the door myself is not accessibility

i can get in the building IF i go through loopholes to be allowed to use the accessible entrance is not accessibility

i can get to one desk BUT i don’t have a choice in where i sit and everyone else does is not accessibility

there is an accessible entrance BUT it is farther away and more inconveniently placed than any inaccessible entrance is not accessibility

accessibility should not have conditions. all of these are still good, compared to absolutely no access. but disabled people should not have to settle for “just barely good enough”

“afab chests aren’t inherently sexu—” please say breasts please just say breasts please please please stop throwing the term “afab” around say tatas say titties say big bahoona bazingoroos if you must

not to be that guy but if you’re talking about breasts, say breasts. if you’re talking about pregnancy, say pregnancy. you don’t have to bend over backwards coming up with wacky shit like “uterus-having pregnancy-carrier” or “afab presenting nipples” to be more inclusive. half the time, it’s not inclusive anyway. so just be specific. a person with breasts can simply be “a person with breasts.” it’s easy, it’s fun, it’s free

The issue of abled people mourning us using extremely helpful mobility aids is actually part of a much larger problem.

Often, the people closest to a disabled person criticize them for acknowledging, accepting, and/or accommodating a disability.

There’s a very common phenomenon of family members accusing disabled people of “giving up” on not being disabled. They may act as though pretending nothing is wrong is the best way to address a permanent or ongoing disability.

Part of this problem is that many friends and family members don’t bother to learn much about the specific disability their loved one has. They assume they learn everything they need to know just by osmosis, and they don’t bother to do any research on what their loved one is dealing with.

The ones who do any research may neglect to learn from the perspectives of people with that actual disability, and may wallow in “family support groups” of people who overtly or covertly make a loved one’s disability a personal affront to themselves.

Friends and family members who do no research, or who stop at the level of people complaining about disabled people, may develop inaccurate ideas about, for instance, the most helpful treatments for an illness, or the permanence or impermanence of a given disability, or why or how various aids or accommodations are useful to people of this disability, or even how this disability is likely to impact the life of the disabled person.

People often see their experience as the default, and don’t bother to learn or consider what things are like for someone with different experiences.

This often results in abled loved ones assuming a disabled person is lying, exaggerating, or letting their disability impact them “too much”.

This happens even to disabled people who have had a reputation for honesty or for being thoughtful and kind people. Abled people can have a hard time adjusting their understanding of what we experience, and it can take actual effort to believe and support a disabled person - effort that not everyone is willing to make.

Every single disability comes with the risk of friends and family members assuming that the reason it’s “this bad” is that the disabled person just isn’t “trying hard enough.”

Whether the problem being discussed is pain, fatigue, cognitive impairment, lack of accessible accommodation for physiological differences (like limb difference or sensory impairment), or anything else, friends and family members are likely to assume that a disabled person could improve their circumstances or even our bodies themselves if we “just try harder!”

They may also assume resources are available that just aren’t - like treatments or cures that don’t exist for an under-researched illness, or attainable prosthetics that can do magical things, or even suitable accommodations for school or work.

They may blame their disabled loved one for not accessing these resources without learning if they a) exist or b) are attainable for this person specifically or c) are worth the trade off for the disabled person - because there often is a trade off, and only the individual involved can decide what’s actually worth pursuing.

Knowing someone for a long time doesn’t automatically make you an expert on their experiences. But loved ones of disabled people often assume it does, and when you dig in to that belief and become entrenched there, you are at risk of doing very serious harm to your disabled loved ones.

The root of all these problems, of course, is the idea that disabled people are somehow lesser, and/or are doomed to be miserable.

Some people have the implicit belief that by “giving up” on being an abled person, a disabled person is dooming themselves to an awful life.

This isn’t only wrong because willpower is not an effective treatment for impairments or being disabled.

It’s also wrong because disabled people can live fuller, happier, and often healthier lives by acknowledging, accepting, and accommodating our disabilities.

Disability can come with grief, but it doesn’t mean never experiencing joy. There are so many joys that can remain even for someone who doesn’t follow the life path you or they expected them to follow. Even impairments that come with a lot of limitations don’t necessarily preclude joy.

However, a lot of joy is lost when a disabled person feels pressured to constantly minimize the role their disability plays in their life. Unnecessary suffering occurs when we are implicitly or explicitly expected not to use accommodations like mobility aids, or expected to attempt to hide the fact of our disabilities.

Many joys are only possible with accommodation and support!

I feel joy when I can do things with a mobility aid that I couldn’t do without one, or when a new medication works out, or when I get a new diagnosis that finally explains something about my health that I’ve struggled with. I feel joy when I can participate in something I find interesting, instead of being exluded because accommodating my disabilities is “too complicated”. I feel joy when I can actually get the rest I need to feel as good as it’s possible for me to feel - and that’s a lot more rest than most people need!

I feel joy when I can be truly myself with someone and actually be honest about what my life is like, safe in the knowledge that they believe and understand me. Also, there are times when using a wheelchair just feels good and fun!

Some disabled joys have a lot in common with yours, but may look different. We all like to achieve things, but some disabled people won’t ever do that in an employment setting. Many of us won’t be athletes or write books or climb mountains, but we can still celebrate our own accomplishments - many disabled people do have hobbies.

Many of us feel a sense of achievement when we do something particularly difficult for us - and that may be something you take for granted or that you don’t find especially interesting. These achievements are still worthy of celebration, and they still bring a sense of satisfaction and joy.

You need to remember that our lives have a different context than yours, and try to understand our experiences in OUR individual contexts, not just in your own. You need to internalize the fact that different isn’t automatically bad. Kill the ableist stigma in your head, it can only harm your relationship with any disabled person.

And most importantly, if you want to support a loved one with a disability, you need to recognize that your job isn’t to “push their boundaries” - it’s to support their autonomy and their right to decide what a happy and full life looks like for them, as they actually are.

can’t

“Excuse me,” I say. “I have a class in quantum mechanics in half an hour. How do I get to the physics building?”

“Oh,” the registrar says, “that’s easy. You just need to take a right here, and then to get into the building you jump fifty feet into the air.”

“…I can’t do that.”

“Are you sure? Have you tried?”

“I’ve tried jumping before, yes–”

“And you jumped higher when you tried harder, right?”

“Well, yes–”

“So are you really sure you don’t just need to try even harder?”

“Look, I don’t know exactly how high is the most I can jump, but I promise you, no matter how hard I try, I am not going to jump fifty feet in the air. I literally can’t.”

“Excuse me,” I say. “How do I get to the physics building?”

“Oh, that’s easy. You just need to levitate to reach the door.”

“…I can’t do that.”

“Have you tried?”

“That is not a capability I have. There is no action I can take which would even constitute trying. I literally cannot levitate.”

“Excuse me. How do I get to the physics building?”

“It’s right down this path. But the mad science building does give off some fumes, so you will need to hold your breath for ten minutes on the way there.”

“…I can’t do that.”

“Have you tried?”

“Sure. I can only hold my breath for, like, two minutes maximum before I have to start breathing again.”

“You know, you say you have to, but it seems more like you just get uncomfortable and choose to start breathing again. I think you just need to learn to put up with a little discomfort.”

“…that’s not really–”

“Are you saying that you can’t grit your teeth and put up with the discomfort and keep holding your breath when you want to stop?”

“–I mean, yes, I can do that, but–”

“So what’s the problem? Sometimes people have to do things they don’t like. That’s not the same as not being able to do them.”

“I literally cannot hold my breath for ten minutes!”

“Excuse me. How do I get to the physics building?”

“It’s right across that tightrope.”

“…I can’t walk a tightrope.”

“You’re being ridiculous. Look at that girl walking it right now. Which of the things that she’s doing are you unable to do?”

“…walk … a …. tightrope?”

“Are you saying that you can’t put one foot in front of another?”

“Walking a tightrope involves balancing!”

“Oh, so you’re saying you can’t shift your weight from one side to the other?”

“I’m saying I literally cannot walk a tightrope!”

“Excuse me. How do I get to the physics building?”

“It’s just through that pit of ravenous crocodiles.”

“…I can’t get through a pit of ravenous crocodiles.”

“I saw you do it just the other day!”

“Right, yes, when I tripped and fell into the pit of ravenous crocodiles, I did manage to sprint across to the ladder and climb out without getting eaten–”

“So you admit you can do it.”

“I did it once.”

“Is there some reason that you won’t be able to do it next time?”

“I might be able to do it next time! I don’t know for sure! But my physics class meets three times a week, I’m going to get eaten by the end of adds-drops! I cannot cross a pit of ravenous crocodiles!”

“Excuse me. How do I get to the physics building?”

“Through the field of eternal fire.”

“…I can’t cross the field of eternal fire.”

“Really? Are you sure you don’t just need to try harder?”

“I am pretty sure I can’t cross the field of eternal fire, yes.”

“I bet if you really wanted to you could. What if the world depended on you crossing it?”

“…if the world depended on me crossing it, I would try, but I would end up covered in third-degree burns and with my feet burned off and on fire and dying.”

“So you admit you can cross it.”

“No! I cannot cross the field of eternal fire!”

“Excuse me. How do I get to the physics building?”

“It’s right across the street.”

“The gate’s locked.”

“Yeah, you just need to unlock it.”

“…I can’t.”

“All you need to do is push buttons. You’re perfectly capable of pushing buttons.”

“I don’t know the combination! I cannot unlock the gate!”

I thought at first that this was about classism (just tell the poor to make more money! problem solved!). Then I thought it was about fatphobia (just tell fat people to lose weight! problem solved!). Then I realized it was about accessibility (just tell the disabled to do the thing they literally can’t do! problem solved!).

The fact that this represents so many different problems in our society Means Something.

I gotta ask, how do people, like, do stuff???

here’s what i’ve figured out so far:

-gotta have eat first

-gotta sleep enough first

(seriously so many days i’m like “i have all afternoon I’ma Do a Thing” and then i just kinda buzz around and do Nothing and think “WHY” and then i’m like “oh yeah i’m really fuckening tired”)

-gotta be Excited About It (ADHD brain only does things if they’re Literally the Most Interesting Thing Happening Right Now) (so like, hype yourself up to work on a project, or think about how happy you’ll be with a cleaner room/all those chores done)

-gotta have small, doable first step (like, “get cloth from fabric drawer” or “open google docs”

-FUCK distractions (computer is in drawer, phone is Off)

-Engage the Senses (if task needs Brain, play vague background Music, if task needs No Brain, listen to audiobook/podcast)

-maybe set time limit so i don’t get lost??? e.g. i have a little egg timer that i use because the ticking isn’t distracting but is enough to remind me that Time is a Thing that is Passing Right Now

-gotta have Self Awareness and Thinky about the Moment (get into the habit of Consciously Noticing what you’re doing at the moment, so you’re more likely to go “wait, this isn’t what i wanted to be doing” and be able to redirect)

-be willing to redirect and try to do something else if whatever you want to do Just Isn’t Happening

-DON’T beat yourself up for only doing part of something, or failing entirely- all that does is make your brain associate “trying to do stuff” with “well that SUCKED”. Which means you don’t want to try again. Tell urself u did good for trying, and if it didn’t work, try again later, or figure out why it didn’t work and try a different way. Reward yourself for trying

this is what i’ve figured out about cajoling the Thinky No Worky Brain into Doing Stuff. it’s not 100% reliable, especially if I forget to do some of these things (like SLEEP), but it’s what i got, ya know??

I wasn’t actually expecting any answers when I made that post but damn this is really helpful, thank you <3

oh my god

everyone needs to see this video at least once in their life

Animals Growing Up

Cuz who wouldn’t want this on their dash

MY HEart JFC

THE TURTLE

THE BOXERS omg

transmeds never can understand the invisibility of black trans people. ever in their life.

when you are black and trans, no one believes you, no matter your identity or type of transition, the white trans community seems to think that black people being trans isnt real.

a transmeds view on what is means to be a man or a woman is 100% white. down to the personality, clothes, and culture. for them what is "cis passing" is all based on a white cis man or woman. it is one of many reasons why their mentality is harmful, it serves white supremacy.

Holy shit this entire post is something that I wish countless white folks (especially white trans folks) understood.

Also the part about "cis passing" being based on cis white men and women is so true because Black features are constantly masculinized and associated with masculinity, often times to degrade Black people (especially Black women).

now im imagining what pride events in ankh morpork are like

there will EXCLUSIVELY be kink at the ankh morpork pride parade

(via @takiki16)

The first couple are rough, I won't lie about that.

But if you can stick it out, they improve fast, and I've been lucky enough to get the kind of scope that lets me really dig into my premise, experiment and expand, and roll around in my folklore background like a dog in elk.

You want queer characters? We've got your queer characters. You want a love triangle resolved through polyamory? Yup, that too. You want really irritated lesbians raising impossible adopted children? Yeah. Dudes who turn into cats? Dogs who turn into dudes? So many merfolk? Enough Tam Lin and Shakespeare references to make an English teacher weep?

Come. Enter.

We have such sights to show you.

Can confirm. A friend gave me the first three books for my birthday. First one was “Ummmmmm” and the second one was “Uhhhhhhh,” but once the author seemed to figure out that the strength of the series was worldbuilding at atmosphere book three suddenly kicks ass. But don’t skip straight to three. You need the buildup.

This is a very valid assessment. The first few books were written when I didn't have any publication credits or narrative leverage, and so didn't feel like I could push back on things that were even bumping up against the hard-line "rules" of the genre. Book three is really my yes, YES, the tiger is out moment. The cage was busted, and fucked if I was going back in there. Who wants a thirteen-book slow-burn tragedy?!

Also, Toby, as my main character, very much starts the series deep in an episode of clinical depression, and she needed some time to recover. Which she does in-series, because I am a mean mean author.

One thing I will say that is neither a weakness or a strength, but simply is: you need to go in order. As @darkfrog24 says, you can't skip straight to three--if you don't have the pieces of the puzzle when it kicks in, you won't understand why this hurts. And that just gets more and more true as we go on.

This series is my Lament Configuration. Unlocking it requires knowing all the steps, in the right sequence.

i honestly think you're being too hard on yourself and apologizing for things most fans of the genre don't actually see as weak or flawed. the first few books hew closely to both gumshoe and urban fantasy conventions--but they combine both in ways that are slick, clever, and fresh. the pace is brisk and the plot twists are engaging--and even enjoyable on a second and third read--and they don't condescend to a reader and they don't apologize for anything. the hero is flawed, the world has ominous cracks all through it, and the characters are enjoyably complex, ambiguous, and hard to characterize as simply good or bad, nice or mean, predatory or victimized.

the early books are brisk, punchy, and full of fun inversions and reversals, and when they played things straight they did so with passionate enthusiasm. what's there to be sorry for? it's in the nature of any creative professional to look at their early offerings with self-conscious regret, but i think *apologizing* for your past is to do the writer you once were a huge insult. she wrote good books because she was a good writer. she did nothing to shame you but fail to be fifteen years older.

Shout out to this guy (link)

(...)

“The store, which was parked next to a police van, had bright yellow sandwich boards featuring a price list for all the drugs, which ranged from $10 for a point (one-tenth of a gram) of meth to $250 for 2.5 grams of crack. Martin, who wore a stab-proof vest as he sold drugs from behind a plexiglas window inside the shop, said he wanted to stay close to street prices.

Martin told VICE News Wednesday that his plan was to get arrested eventually. He said he wants to launch a constitutional challenge arguing that prohibition has created a toxic drug supply that’s killing Canadians.

“He would allege that laws that prevent a safe supply and result in death by poisoning contravene section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and must be struck down,” his lawyer, Paul Lewin, wrote in a letter to Martin’s potential business partners.

Martin already has a cannabis trafficking conviction.

Martin said he was partially inspired to open the store by his stepbrother Gord Rennie, who died of a drug overdose last year. Rennie was interviewed in the VICE News Tonight documentary, Beyond Fentanyl, about his addiction to benzo dope.”