Today, The Washington Post laid off 20 of our colleagues. While 20 is much smaller than 200 — “a single digit percentage of the workforce,” as Publisher Fred Ryan indicated, that’s little consolation to those who lost their jobs today. That number should be zero.

The site and our coverage will not be disappearing immediately, so please keep reading and watching. And if you have fond memories or nice things to say about the work Launcher produced, please share. We could all use those vibes right now.

Layoffs of any amount are painful. But what adds insult to injury is that none of the explanations we've been given make sense. How can leadership cite "economic headwinds" while vowing to make the company bigger in the next year? The math isn't mathing, as they say.

Oh I love a gleeful dabble

We're hiring a fashion writer!!! And let me tell you something. Think big. Think bold. And even if you're hesitant or intimidated to apply, I'll tell you what a wise friend said to me when I was bashful about raising my hand: "It will be a good exercise." washpost.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/washingt…

LGBTQ hate is on the rise and queer youth are suffering. So I turned to LGBT Elders for advice, collecting stories of love, triumph and resistance. My latest, for @WashingtonPost. Pls share this with a young queer person in your life—there’s no paywall. washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/…

One of the greatest love letters of all time is Toni Morrison’s eulogy to James Baldwin.

This decision, issued yesterday, holding that a lesbian spouse is not a parent of her child, is a poignant reminder of how vulnerable LGBTQ families are, *especially* in this post-Dobbs world. 19thnews.org/2023/02/oklaho…

180 (and counting) past and present New York Times contributors have signed an open letter to the paper’s standards editor condemning the ongoing unethical anti-trans bias in its coverage of trans, non-binary and gender nonconforming people. Read it here nytletter.com

A whole bunch of people who write or have written for the New York Times published a letter this morning calling out the paper's anti-trans pivot. Hell Gate *subscribe today!* interviewed one of the organizers, jo livingstone, about what's going on at the Times: hellgatenyc.com/new-york-times…

My article on race-making and empire in Filipino Louisiana is now available online Journal of Southern History!!

so on my way to figure out how to change my twitter 2fa settings, i discovered where all my follow requests had been going for the last few months and i'm just ... so sorry to everyone who was wondering if i were avoiding them, i truly am just an eedjiot.

oh it's aries season alright

being a journalist is weird bc you call a source back just to be like "wanted to confirm – was your porch made out of wood?"

We have one more story on the way, but today is the last day of Launcher. I was the team's newest member, and it sure was a whirlwind. washingtonpost.com/video-games/20…

The real scandal in the awful Marjorie Taylor Greene interview is that Lesley Stahl didn't seem to grasp that "pedophile" is a longtime anti-LGBTQ hate trope. She called it "name-calling." This sanitizes an ugly bigoted smear that goes back many years: washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/…

For years, some U.S. doctors have disregarded the expertise of midwives - particularly Black midwives. That tension is highlighted in the story of infant Mila Jackson, who was taken from her parents by CPS in Texas last month. My latest for 19thnews 19thnews.org/2023/04/black-…

In all seriousness, for my next WaPo piece I want to talk to people who have STRONG feelings about ice. Especially if you're part of pebble ice hive. If that's you or someone you know, hit me up! [email protected] or DM

Our 24-hour strike has begun. For the first time in 50 years, The Washington Post workers are walking off the job because our company is refusing to bargain in good faith and breaking the law.

We demand a fair contract for all and a better buyout deal to avert layoffs. Show your solidarity by: ✊ Respecting our picket line by avoiding Post journalism during our walkout ✊ Sending a letter to our Publisher through the link in our bio