Anna Merlan's saved articles

So Jon Stewart is arguing that it's not black people's fault that white fraternity members were chanting about lynching black people? I dunno, holding white people accountable for their own actions is a little bit out there. Read more

So they think it's only racist because of the n-word? Let's do a test: Read more

There we go. Much better. Read more

MSNBC may have a liberal (or centrist, since the truth had a liberal bias) view, but let's not forget the Joe Scarborough was a conservative Republican congressman from Florida. Read more

Even more depressing? There are new whispers and rumbles in the Fundysphere that amount to, "OH! So they were possessed? Well, at least that's a good reason then!". Horrific. Read more

This is really a kind comment. Thank you Read more

Thank you for listening to sex workers when it comes to us giving feedback about the practicality and safety of laws, such as the "Swedish model" of sex work, which has been proven to be harmful by the governments own research. Too many people dismiss our voices and agency as trying to "help" us.

It's appreciated. I… Read more

Thank you to Jez for this reasoned and caring interview, and especially to Sascha for giving it. As a sex worker with long term disability, with many, MANY friends in the same boat it's comforting to see discussion on this in her own words, and many of the positive comments left here compared to the nasty comments… Read more

OK, the transcript I have is correct. Alissa adds: "It makes it harder to screen clients, which compromises safety. Clients are now criminals. So they are less likely and willing to give out information." Read more

Thank you for bringing light to a issue that is not really recognized in society. Traumatic brain injury and the after effects truly are silent disabilities and those of us who live with them find that after the first few years everyone seems to think you should be operating as a normal brain functioning person. I… Read more

I was all ready to be up in arms about this article demonizing kink/sex work (because that's what a lot of the other articles covering her story have done), but this was actually written really beautifully. It's very tasteful, it makes it clear that although her becoming a sex worker wasn't what she would have chosen… Read more

This is absolutely fantastic. I don't know what else to say— she seems awesome; everything she's dealt with is incredibly hard and she seems to have a lot of self-awareness and clarity about herself and the situation. Read more

One of the things that happens when people make your life about issue "X" is that you find yourself talking about it more than you really want to because it's this rut you keep finding yourself in. This is a particular problem when you have problems concentrating. I don't know how her injuries affect her communication… Read more

What a fascinating interview. Good for her for getting paid, though I can completely relate to her "I would give back all of the money in a heartbeat for my health" as a chronically ill person. She is still so intelligent and thoughtful. Read more

Wow. I was completely mesmerized by this article. I cannot begin to even imagine what she has and is going through. She sounds like an intelligent woman who is working everyday to better understand her situation and improve her mental health. What an incredibly strong woman. Read more

I'm not a sex worker or a financial advisor, but as a young woman whose parents never really talked to me about financial planning, and who had just started having to teach myself these things, I hope this fellow young woman is reaching out to financial advisors to discuss things like vanguard funds, investing, and… Read more

That's fair. Read more

I don't see how her being 'troubled' would have lessened his responsibility in letting his fucking tires go bald and continuing to drive his car around with people in it. Read more

THIS IS WHY WE NEED INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM. Sorry for the caps, but this kind of case DESERVES to be looked at and reported on as if under a microscope. Little snippets of information in tv soundbites and the subsequent social media outrage doesn't lead to lasting change like a well-researched article can. Read more

Everything about this story makes me livid, starting with their wanting to separate a family because "Marsha and I always planned to have five children". These abominations would split up traumatized siblings because it didn't conveniently fit in to their plans. That should have absolutely been a red flag right from… Read more