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Fascism is often described as "creeping", like incremental encroachment. This kind doesn't march in with tanks. It slides in by chilling opposition with a quiet plan to start the First They Came For poem. Attention furry travelers and convention nonprofits: 🧵1/12 www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...

Let's look at the second part, where US nonprofits can worry that the definition of "terrorism" is broad and vague enough to threaten all kinds of misuse by Republican government.

This can affect nonprofits and associates on the left: HR 9495 is a Republican bill to give power to the US Treasury under Trump to remove nonprofit status from orgs they want to. It passed in Congress last year, but never came up for Senate vote. Now it's revived. www.dcnewsnow.com/news/politic...

This threat to nonprofits goes with a broad push to encroach on LGBTQ+ people's wellness and rights, and chill awareness and criticism. www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...

Many furry cons are run by boards organized as nonprofits, and populated with LGBTQ+ qualities, like with their charities, membership, programming, etc. Furries themselves are targeted as symbols for proxy attacks at trans people, with a pretext of protecting children.

That's well covered stuff, with furries named as targets by hostile politicians in Florida and Oklahoma, the governor of Texas, and even a press release from the White House.

Consider 3 examples of how a chilling effect could apply to nonprofits that furries rely on.

1. A broad, vague definition of "terrorism" can threaten association with protest or critical speech. How about action to limit far-right nuisances that already beset furry events? Lazy, anti-intellectual claims that "Antifa are the real terrorists" could get more teeth as gov policy.

2. Furry is international subculture. Say someone involved in your groups comes from a country on a Republican government list, or you travel to a con in some place with "gang activity", like when I visited @confuror.bsky.social in Mexico... Expect punishing scrutiny on your business.

3. Ever see far-right troll attacks at trans people for alleged motivation for mass shootings? It's a meme among Nazis. White cishet males are the mass shooter demographic but liars love propaganda. Short cut that to government policy against LGBTQ "extremism".

That's already government policy in Russia. LGBTQ identity is labeled a movement, and the movement is labeled extremist ideology. Russian furries meeting in parks for innocent walks have been hassled by police on such pretext. Republicans have their model.

The top post in thread has a claim of being hassled leaving the country, and the rest is about encroachment within. It's a multi-front threat and we've already seen how fast and far they already go. Eyes open organizing is more important than ever. 🧵12/12

Reference - governor of Texas named furries hoax to defund education bsky.app/profile/dogp...

Russia limits human rights and labels LGBTQ identity extremist, furries get harassed there. dogpatch.press/2023/12/22/l...