A Look Back at 2023
2023 was an interesting, exciting, and fun year that I am very grateful for. A lot changed, and a lot of important decisions for the future were made. Looking back, I think where things really kicked off was when I started this Substack.
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Back in early March, a very kind individual made a pledge to my Substack, which at the time was sitting dormant because I didn’t really realize I even had one or that it was possible to make pledges. This prompted me to connect my Stripe account so that I’d have it ready in the future whenever I wanted to actually start writing. To my horror, it automatically took his money. So, I thought, I better start posting. Thankfully, I had something written already that I hadn’t been sure where else to post—and thus my Substack was born.
To date, this is still my most successful and most viewed post by a considerable margin, and I am very proud of it. But most of all I am thankful for the response that it generated and the immediate support that so many people were willing to show. I’m still blown away.
I started the process of cutting down on my freelancing work to write more here. There was no way I could keep the demanding writing schedule I was used to keeping and deliver what I thought was a worthwhile amount/quality of content for my subscribers. It was a somewhat risky endeavor, and it still has its ups and downs, but I am so glad I did it. The work I was doing was emotionally and physically draining. Now, I had the chance not only to write for myself but about topics that were actually important!
So, I got writing. Here and over at The Distance, where I was already doing regular work, I followed the current developments of gender ideology (particularly in Canada) as well as its historical developments. To say I learned a lot this year would be an understatement. And I think it’s crucial to know what’s going on if you want a real hope of fighting back because it’s important to have the full view of just how entrenched gender madness is in society and how we got here.
In terms of more boots-on-the-ground activism, this year I took part in three banner-drop protests where a small group of us picked a bridge from which we unfurled a banner that read “NO MALES IN WOMEN’S JAILS” (made by the lovely Christine Lilge).
At the same time, as fun and fulfilling as it has been to write and do activism and be involved, I did start to feel somewhat overwhelmed about halfway through the year. Things got to be a little too much and my attention, time, and energy felt very spread thin by it all. On top of that, my partner and I began to seriously start pursuing starting a family (which has been its own special kind of rollercoaster).
But I realized I would never be able to leave this. Not only because I believe it is of vital importance to push back against gender ideology, but because of the truly wonderful people involved. The activism would go on without me just fine, and things would eventually change. It wouldn’t miss me, but I would miss everyone else involved. To pass up an opportunity to continue knowing and being involved with these amazing people would be the worst choice of my entire life.
When Lois Came to Town
So, I pulled back as much as I was able from work and from the parts of activism that were exhausting me, but I doubled down in my commitment to see this through. I attended the #1 Million March for Children in Calgary and, shortly after that, I went to see James Lindsay when he spoke here as well. I said yes to every podcast request and had so many wonderful conversations. And I have to admit that one of the coolest moments was getting to live stream with Meghan Murphy, who, four years ago, I was just a distant fan of.
I Live Streamed with Meghan Murphy!
As if that wasn’t enough, in November I had the opportunity to meet with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, and I think I am still reeling from that whole experience. It gave me good reason to hope that things will start changing in this province and that all of the hard work of everyone involved in this movement will have been worth it.
I continue to be in awe of everyone involved in the pushback against this insane ideology that somehow captured all of our institutions. We are only just getting started and we’ve barely scratched the surface of everything that needs to be highlighted and reversed, but at least it is a start.
I will keep pushing while in a state of constant bewilderment at my good fortune and opportunities. And I will continue making the most of it with better friends than I could have ever asked for. Because after everything that has happened this year—and writing this post has really put it all in stark relief—the best part is the friendships that got even stronger through it all.
2024 is going to be wild.