WHO(MST) IS KIERYN DARKWATER AND WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?

Photo by Eve Ettinger

You might have read I Was Trained for the Culture Wars in Home School Awaiting Mike Pence as Messiah on Autostraddle once (or even the follow up pieces), or maybe you know Kieryn from their work with the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, East Bay for Everyone, Mayoring YIMBYtown2017, cohosting the Kitchen Table Cult Podcast, running the Laney Queers, tenant unionizing, serving as an Assembly District Delegate to the CA Democratic Party, or practicing mutual aid in their neighborhood.

Maybe it’s none of those things and you wound up here on the way to the Delta Quadrant but found yourself asking who is Kieryn? and where did they come from?

Kieryn was homeschooled in the 90’s-00’s and grew up in a cult and cult-like environments. The reality of being the eldest daughter in a large conservative quiverfull family meant there wasn’t much (if any) time for having in-person friends. So they started blogging in 2005, and met other homeschoolers with similar backgrounds. When they escaped in 2009 they continued writing and documenting their evolution first of adapting to married life, then coming out as bi, leaving christianity, and abandoning the gender binary. 

Between 2017 and 2019 Kieryn became a student organizer and senator at Laney College where they grappled with the impact of educational neglect, learning disabilities, and navigating school (with a structure) while trans. They studied Industrial Maintenance Machining and Labor & Community Organizing.

Now, Kieryn can be found co-hosting the Kitchen Table Cult Podcast with Eve Ettinger, advocating for protections for homeschooled kids, making YouTube videos about living in Berlin or Minecraft, and occasionally updating this blog.

Listen to the latest Kitchen Table Cult episode

S6E6: We Are All The Public Library with Eddie the Librarian – Kitchen Table Cult Pod

What do censorship, homeschooling, intellectual freedom, and libraries have in common? We get into it today with Eddie Kristan about the fight libraries are seeing with parental-rights extremist groups trying to censor books and the impact that has on children's rights to access information. Show Notes: Institutions on the job: Freedom to Read Foundation (IF arm of the ALA): https://www.ftrf.org/ Emily Knox – Freedom to Read Foundation – knox@illinois.edu PEN American has been on the job: https://pen.org/report/book-bans-pressure-to-censor/ DPLA – the banned book club: https://www.dplabannedbookclub.com/ Queer Liberation Library https://www.queerliberationlibrary.org/ Brooklyn Public Library's Books Unbanned: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/books-unbanned Chicago Public Library Book Sanctuaries: https://www.chipublib.org/news/book-sanctuaries-committed-to-protecting-banned-and-challenge-books/ CPL Book Sanctuary Project: https://www.booksanctuary.org/ Past ALA cases: United States, et al. v. American Library Association, Inc. et al., 539 U.S. 194, 123 S.Ct. 2297, 156 L.Ed.2d 221 (2003) Tattered Cover, Inc. v. City of Thornton, 44 P.3d 1044 (Colo. Sup. Ct., 2002) Sund v. City of Wichita Falls, Texas, 121 F. Supp. 2d 530 (N.D. Texas, 2000) the “300 signatories” case. Case v. Unified School District No. 233, 908 F. Supp. 864 (D. Kan. 1995) The “Annie on my mind” case. Active cases to follow: Pen America v. Escanaba School District 23-cv-10385 Filed May 17, 2023 Fayetteville Public Library v Crawford County et al. -23-CV-05086 Book People Inc et al. v. Wong 23-cv-00858 – Filed July 25, 2023 Leila Green Little, et al. v. Llano County, Llano County Texas Library Most concerning bills: Idaho HB 666 Indiana SB 17 Iowa HB 2176 Oklahoma SB 1142 South Dakota House Bill 1337: Tennessee House Bill 1944 Tennessee House Bill 800 Follow: emilyknox.net @fobettarh EddieKristan Eddie the Giant Librarian

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