It Has Been A Long Day!

Today started off with a 9:30 meeting at the UConn West Hartford campus with another student who wanted some information on the Pride organization at school. Then I drove up to the main campus at Storrs to give my lecture on Transgender Activism and after that I drove down to West Haven for a meeting with the LGBT Leadership Council. Total mileage, 175 miles.

I thought that my presentation went horrible, but everyone else said that it was great. I guess I have to wait until the class evaluation are analyzed. The professor thought that the presentation was very good and she invited me back for next year. In addition, the school newspaper reporter was there and he was taking pictures of my presentation, the professor joked that I will be on the front page tomorrow. I hope not.

Tomorrow is going to be another long day with an 8:30AM class and a panel discussion at UConn Health Center at noon until 3:00. I then have to start packing for a trip up to Lake George NY for my nephew’s wedding this weekend.

My Story Part 2

This is a story of coming out to my brother.

All my life I rarely traveled, I always stayed at home or on the rare occasion when I did travel, it was with my old high school friends and we went camping. Then all of sudden I started to go transgender conventions and I needed a cover story because I was not “Out” to anyone. I could not say to them that is was going to Provincetown to a transgender convention, never mind that it was in P’town. Provincetown is know as a place where gays go, so there was no way I could tell anyone. So I made up a story that I was going to a computer convention in Boston, however, my parents and brother asked me for the hotel phone number in case they had to get in touch with me. I couldn’t give them the hotel phone number because the area code was for Cape Cod. So a friend told me to give them her cell phone number and she would call me if they needed to contact me. I made up a story of the hotel phone charges would be too high for them to call me so instead they could call her number. The week after I got home, I bought a cell phone… problem solved.

This solution worked for several years. Then after one weekend at a conference outside of Boston, my brother called and said he was Woburn and he was going to stop by the conference to see me but the meeting lasted longer then he thought. YIKES! That was a narrow escape, I could just see him going to the hotel and asking about where the computer conference was and being told that there was no computer conference there, only a crossdresser convention!!!

By this time I was beginning to realize that I should maybe tell him about my crossdressing (at that time I was still in self-denial that I was a transsexual). At the conferences, one of the workshops that they have is about coming out to your family and I had also been attending a support group for a number of years and I listened to many “coming out stories”. So I had a pretty good idea on how to go about “coming out” and I started to make my plans for telling my brother. I decided to tell him when he came down to visit our parents, I had reading material reading, I put websites links on a floppy disk and I rehearsed every possible scenario that I could think might happen.

So the big day comes and every thing is all set, I invite him over to my house after his visit to our parents. He comes over, we talk, and I can’t tell him. I don’t get up enough courage to tell him. As he is walking out the door, I say at the very last minute…”I’m a crossdresers!!!” HUH??? He comes back in and we talk about it and he asks all sorts of questions. One of the questions he asks is how long have I been crossdressing, I tell him all my life. I say do you remember the time in 1962 when you came home for lunch unexpectedly and I was in bed. Well the reason I was in bed was that I was crossdressed when you surprised me. Of course, he didn’t remember, but for me it was burned in stone. As he was leaving, he hugged and said he would always love me no matter what.

When he got home after a 3-hour drive, he called me and told me that I gave him a lot to think about; he reiterated that he loved me. Late when we talked again, he told me that one of the things that help him accept me was the fact that he is the treasurer of their church and the assistant minister in his church is a lesbian. She was the first person that he met that was LGBT and that by working with her he got to know her and that she was just like everyone else.

So that is my story about coming out to my brother.

Manic Monday #183

Lisa’s Manic Monday #183

What is the longest time you've gone with your Internet not working in your home?
Two or three days, and I started climbing the walls by that time.

How many email addresses do you regularly use?
Let me count the ways… five.

Are you able to access the Internet on your phone? If so, how frequently do you use it?
I do not think that you mean dial-up access and I don’t have access on my phone. It is just too expensive.

It's Time For Some Fun

I have been serious for so long, now its time to have some fun. Do you remember the game Snake?

Snake made by Neave Games

** Control keys **

Use the arrow keys to move

Pause game – space key or P

Mute sound – M

Saturday Six – Episode 285

Patrick’s Place Saturday Six – Episode 285

1. Were you alive when The Brady Bunch premiered?
Yes, I was in my twenties.

2. When do you remember watching the show for the first time?
How bubble gum it was. It was for tweens

3. If you had been the seventh kid in the house, which sibling do you think you would have most likely gotten along with the best?
I don’t know because I never watch the show

4. Same scenario: which sibling would you have least gotten along with?
Ditto

5. Take the quiz: Which Brady Bunch character are you?

You are Jan. Without you, Marcia and Cindy would kill each other.

6. Robert Reed, who played patriarch Mike Brady, sent a now-infamous memo to the show’s creator and writing team, (read it here if you haven’t seen it before) in which he lectured them about the differences between comedy and slapstick because he felt a script about Greg’s hair turning orange from a bottle of hair tonic Bobby sold him was so outrageous, he felt he couldn’t play his part in that show. What’s your opinion on that: was it an actor taking his role in a goofy sitcom a little too seriously, or an actor who felt strongly about something taking a reasonable stand?
He was taking the show too seriously and he was getting paid to act, not write.

Saturday 9: I Call Your Name

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: I Call Your Name



1. If you could have named yourself, which name would you have chosen, and why?
I did. Oh, and you also want to know why I chose my name. The story goes way back to my high school days, I had to write a paper on Greek mythology. I came across a god who got all the other gods mad at him and they changed him into a woman.

2. If you could relive a year in your life, what age would it be, and why?
It would be my senior year in high school, boy would I blow their minds if I transitioned back in high school.

3. If you could go back and change one friendship in your past, who would it have been, and why?
I don’t think I would change any of my friends, I think the ones that stayed by me when I transitioned are special.

4. If you could have dated one person in your past that you did not date, who would it be, and why?
No comment, she might be reading my blog.

Opps... we skipped question 5

6. If you had the opportunity to live in another country, which one would it be, and why? If you choose NOT to live in another country, why do you want to stay in your current country?
Maybe Canada, because they have national health insurance. I would definitely not choose the Caribbean or Latin American, because I would like to live. They kill transsexuals in those countries.

7. If you could choose your dream job, what would it be, and why?
I wouldn’t choose any job, because I am retired. Why would I want to go back to work? Now I can do anything that I want, that is why I am going back to school, so I can learn how to help others.

8. If you could wish a wish and it be guaranteed to come true (other than riches) what would it be, and why?
That I could “pass” because I am tried of being stared all the time.

9. If you could meet two blogger friends (you may choose more, if you wish) who would they be?
Allison, Janet and Lisa

Friday Fill-ins #143

Janet’s Friday Fill-ins #143



1. One week ago _it felt like summer, now it feels like fall_.

2. _I feel so old when I say,_ when I was young.

3. Mama told me _to always wear clean underwear_.

4. _The Dean wants to see_ you and me.

5. Take your time _we are already late, so what differences does an extra hour make_.

6. _Say the secret word and you_ will pass!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _going to the coffee shop_, tomorrow my plans include _doing homework_ and Sunday, I want have to _do more homework_!

Wish Me Luck

I just submitted my request for an Independent Studies class to develop a lesson plan to teach a course entitled "Working with Gender Variant Clients." My faculty advisor said she will talk to the Assistant Dean about my idea. So keep you fingers crossed that my project will be approved.

Vote No on Question 1 In Maine

Frank Reifsnyder with his wife Diane, sharing the story of his family: Son Frank with his husband Jim -Reifsnyder-Smith and their beautiful children Milo and Kaylee. Frank & Jim celebrated their 1 year wedding anniversary on June 17, 2009.

“My Story” Part 1

The other night I went to see a theater by Scott Turner Schofield called “127 Way to Become a Man” at Real Art Ways. In the theater, he displays a wheel with each spoke numbered and with a gender trait like “feminine” or “transgender” or “butch.” The audience calls out a number like 34 which could be a “feminine butch” and then he does a skit based on the attributes. So when some one called out “man, man” and he told a short about how he went around asking men how to be a man and Scott said this is what he found out on how to be a man… He picks up a can a beer and starts to chug the beer and when he finishes the beer lets out a loud belch.

So this got me to thinking… I have a hundred stories about my transition that I can tell, so I am going to start a new series called “My Story.” Without further ado, this is my story…

When I was told that, the factory was closing down and I will be laid off at the end of the month, I started to make plans to transition. First, I needed to pick my middle name, I wanted to use Rae because I liked the name and it had the same initial as my old middle name, but that was my sister-in-law’s middle name. Therefore, one day up at the cottage, I called a family council to help me pick out my middle. After we talked for awhile I decided to add a suffix to my middle name to feminize it. I choose a family council because I want to get my family to have an active part in my transition by picking my middle name. The week before my lay-off, I went down to the local Probate Court office to fill out the paperwork and set a day for my hearing. Since I was being laid-off on Friday June 30, I chose the following Monday July 2.

On Monday, I went to court. My hearing was the first one that morning as I was called in by the clerk I didn’t know what to expect. I thought I might be the first trans-person that the judge ever met. We made some small talk first and then he said that my name changed looked in order and he signed my court order. However, what threw me for a loop is what he said next… He asked me if I had chosen a surgeon yet and most of the girls in the past have gone to Montréal??? “Most of the girls???” I wasn’t the first nor the second from my small town, but one of many? Where were they all?

Now you have to realize that in Connecticut the Probate Courts are small local courts. My court covers my town of about 15,000 and the small neighboring city of about 30,000 to 40,000. I know of one other trans-person in my town and three or four in the city, but they have not changed their names yet. Therefore, it took me by surprise when the judge made the comment.

That was two years ago. It is one of my memories of my transition, some of them good and some of them bad that will always be etched in my memories when ever I think back.

Update 9/25/09
I just came across this video of Scott Turner Schofield show...

Manic Monday #182

Lisa’s Manic Monday #182



Would you be willing to have horrible nightmares every night for a year if you would be rewarded with extraordinary wealth?
No, I don’t think so. I have enough time trying to sleep, I don’t need a year’s worth of nightmares.

What was the most recent movie that made you cry?
I forgot what the movie was, but I was watching it a couple of weeks ago. I remember, laughing because I crying about a movie.

Would you rather be stranded on an island alone or with someone you hate?
I would rather be alone. Being with someone you hate might escalate in violence.

Homework

I went up to our cottage in New Hampshire this weekend to do homework. I wanted to get away from all the distractions, so I exiled myself up north. I’m just about all caught in my homework assignments and have been working on a presentation that I have to give on the 30th entitled “Transgender Activist History From World War II to the Presents.”

It is pretty quite up here with only a few people paddling around in kayaks and one party boat putting around. It is very conducive to studying with only dial-up internet and no television.

Saturday Six – Episode 284

Patrick’s Place Saturday Six – Episode 284

1. What location is the farthest north you’ve ever gone? Did you enjoy the trip?
It’s a toss up between Point of Woods Canada or Nova Scotia. I was about 10 years old, one year we drove up to Nova Scotia and another year we drove to Point of Woods on Lake Huron, and I don’t remember much about either trip.

2. Which location is the farthest south you’ve ever gone? Did you enjoy this trip?
Kew West Florida. I was also about 10 years old, when we drove down to Key West on Rt. 1, because in those days there were no interstate highways. I don’t remember much about that trip also

3. Which location is the farthest west you’ve ever been? Did you enjoy this trip?
The west coast, and I loved it. It was for my cousin’s son’s wedding out in Everett Washington and after the wedding we drove down to San Francisco, along the coast.

4. Which location is the farthest east you’ve ever been? Did you enjoy this trip?
The farthest east that I have been we Bar Harbor Maine and the Bay of Fundy, and yes I did enjoy the trip. You can see some of the photos that I took on my last visit to Arcadia National Park area here http://picasaweb.google.com/diana060/BarHarbor

5. Take the quiz: Are You North, South, East, or West??

You Are South

Like an islander, you are friendly, easy-going and welcoming. You are always looking for good times and new friends. People admire that you are so caring and hospitable. The world would be a much better place if more folks were like you. Sometimes you come across as a little too complacent. You tend to avoid conflict at any cost, even if it makes you uncomfortable in the process. You make an ideal diplomat. You know how to put people at ease and how to promote peace.

Are You North, South, East, or West?

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

6. If you had to move permanently to the location you’ve previously visited that matches the answer to the quiz, do you think you could be happy there?
Yes, I could be happy in Key West (except in hurricane season), they have a large LGBT colony there.

Saturday 9: The Last Time

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: The Last Time



1. When was the last time you bought something for someone else, and what was it?
It was at Christmas, and I don’t remember what it was.

2. When was the last time you complimented someone, and what was their reaction?
It was earlier in the week and they thanked me.

3. When was the last time you had to return a purchase to the store? What was it and why?
It was really a purchase, it was a cable box for the TV, and it didn’t work. They replaced and that didn’t work either, they replaced it again and it still didn’t work. They wanted me to replace it again and I said, “It’s not the box!” They had me press a button on the box and they said that my cable signal strength was too low and to bring back the box. When I went back to the cable store, I talked to a technician and he said that I needed an amplifier, that they would come out to my hose in for weeks to install it for $45. I found an amplifier on ebay for $40 and everything is working fine now.

4. When was the last time you had an ice cream cone?
A long, long time ago and I would die for one right now, but they are just too fating.

5. When was the last time you had to go to the doctor's office?
In June to my dermatologist for my yearly check-up.

6. When was the last time you were embarrassed by something you did? What was it and what happened?
No comment. I'm too embarrassed to say.

7. When was the last time a stranger was kind to you?
I think that they are every day. They threat me with respect and dignity.

8. When was the last time you locked yourself out of your home? What did you do?
About 10 years ago. I found an unlocked window, cut the screen and climbed through, setting off the alarm (at less I know that works).

9. When was the last time you thought about cheating (on anything, a test or a person)?
I do not cheat. It does not pay, it will always be on your mind.

Friday Fill-ins #142

Janet’s Friday Fill-ins #142



1. My car _is like a second home because I’m driving so much_.

2. _My brother and sister-in-law’s wedding anniversary _ is coming up next.

3. Lately, things seem _to be on a roller coaster_.

4. _My cottage_ is one of my favorite 'hiding' places.

5. What happened _to civilly_.

6. _Equal Rights_ is not impossible!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _going to a play at Real Art Ways_, tomorrow my plans include _going up to my cottage and studying_ and Sunday, I want to _start working on a presentation that I have to give on the 30th_!

In Maine, Vote No on Question 1

Constitution Day

In a survey released by the National Constitution Center, evidence of a lack of constitutional knowledge is quite apparent. More students have greater knowledge of pop culture versus the United States Constitution. Six-hundred students responded to the survey.

Key findings from the survey include:

• 25.5% of respondents know that Philadelphia is the city where the Constitution was written compared to 75.2% who know what city the zip code 90210 is attributed to.

• 21.2% of respondents know how many senators served in the U.S. Senate compared to 81.2% who know how many members there are in the music group “Hanson.”

• 35.5% of respondents know the first three words of the Constitution compared to 71.2% who know that www is the first three letters of most Web site addresses.

• 1.8% of respondents know that James Madison is considered the father of the U.S. Constitution compared to 58.3% who know that Bill Gates is the father of Microsoft.

• 25% of respondents know that the Fifth Amendment protects against double jeopardy/self incrimination/right to a grand jury/due process/compensation for private property taken for public use compared to 63.7% who know that “The Club” protects against car theft.

• 41.2% of respondents know the names of the three branches of government compared to 59.2% who know the names of the three stooges.

The Constitution of the United States

The Way That Caster Semenya Is Being Treated Is Disgraceful

She is being violated by the International Association of Athletics Federations and the press. The IAAF is in violation of their own privacy rules, the fact that gender testing was being done should have NEVER have been made public. The results of the testing should have been a secret and not blab all over the headlines. It shows the bias and bigotry that these sports organization have for gays, lesbian and gender variant people. It is in direct violation of the UN declaration of Human Rights.

The Belfast Telegraph writes…

Why gold winner Semenya is right to feel violated

Tuesday, 15 September 2009
One of the hazards for women in the public eye is an unrelenting inspection of their bodies.
…
The sensational headlines demonstrate how poorly international sport is regulated; the quest for excellence has got mixed up with commercial imperatives, leaving governing bodies desperate for athletes who will break records and attract sponsorship.

Black women have suffered for centuries because they've been judged by white European standards of beauty, and it's hard not to see unconscious stereotypes at work in the reaction to Semenya's appearance. The phrase 'real woman' has been bandied about a lot, and I suspect that the IAAF's general secretary, Pierre Weiss, was trying to help when he waded clumsily into the debate. "It is clear that she is a woman but maybe not 100%," he said last week.

That is a prejudicial statement to be made by the head of the IAAF, it is a disgrace the way that they are treating her.

The Mississippi State University paper writes…

Plight of intersex runner reflects society's prejudice
Oddly Appropriate
Julio Cespedes
Issue date: 9/15/09 Section: Opinion

Intersexuality both disturbs and frightens people because it threatens the fundamental and sometimes even essential idea of how our world is created. When a baby is born the first question we rightly ask is whether it is a girl or a boy. What'll it be? Pink or blue? But the truth is nature and creation aren't quite that simple or perfect.
…
We cannot assume all men and women are "equal." Not all men are as fast as Usain Bolt. Similarly, not all women are "equal," and I'm sure varying testosterone levels are indeed part of that variation. I admit that there is some imaginary line at which a division should be drawn, but please realize that the presence of testosterone is not the lone marker of maleness. It is so much more complex.
So yes, Mokgadi Caster Semenya could very well be an XY woman. An amazing, hardworking and inspiring one. Yes, she has flowing muscles, but have you seen the other female athletes she races against? I feel nothing but shame and disgust at the way her situation has been handled, and I sincerely hope her career does not end as a result of this.

According to some news accounts she has been placed on suicide watch, MedIndia reports that,

Lawmaker Butana Komphela, chair of South Africa's sports committee, was quoted as saying: "She is like a raped person. She is afraid of herself and does not want anyone near her. If she commits suicide, it will be on all our heads. The best we can do is protect her and look out for her during this trying time."

South African athletics officials confirmed Semenya is now receiving trauma counselling at the University of Pretoria.

Its time to end the hate of people who are different, its time to end bigotry.

Dahr Jamail to Speak in Hartford about Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Award Winning Journalist Dahr Jamail to Speak in Hartford about Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
Where: Bushnell Park (near duck pond) – Hartford CT
Date: Sunday September 20th, 2009 Time: 2:30pm
Contacts: Laura
Justice4all200960@yahoo.com

US Journalist Dahr Jamail, the author of, Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq, will be speaking at Hope Out Loud 8, September 20, 2:30pm, in Bushnell Park, Hartford. Hope Out Loud 8 will take place from 12pm-5pm, rain or shine. This is the second stop of Jamail’s week-long 2009 book tour in Connecticut. As discontent over the escalation of the eight year-old failing war in Afghanistan grows this tour promises to be a landmark event in Connecticut.

Anti-war and peace groups throughout Connecticut are sponsoring this book tour to raise awareness of the atrocities of United States sponsored wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hope Out Loud is a festival which combines music, poetry, dance, family activities, and speakers. Many organizations dedicated to peace and the arts will be represented. The festival is open to the public, and is a family friendly event.

Dahr Jamai’s new book: The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, portrays the hidden story of American soldiers turning against military occupation. "Dahr Jamail's human portrait of the men and women who turned away from the project of empire should serve as a beacon…The truth they tell demands that we find the courage to make our nation accountable for the crimes committed in our name." - From the Foreword by Chris Hedges

Jamail’s 2007 book: Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq goes past the polished desks of the corporate media and Washington politicians to tell first hand of the reality of life under U.S. occupation. Jamail was the winner, with Mohammed Omar, of the 2008 Martha Gelhorn Prize for Journalism. He has also been awarded the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism, the Joe A.Callaway Award for Civic Courage, as well as the Lannan Foundation Writing Residency Fellowship. He was honored by Project Censored several times and his celebrated 2007 book tour offered many Americans a first detailed look at the impact of the 2003 Iraq War and occupation on civilians.

Jamail is available for advanced interviews and The Will to Resist is available for review.

For more information on Dahr Jamail, please see: www.dahrjamailiraq.com; and, please visit the Hope Out Loud web site at: www.hopeoutloud.org.

Manic Monday #181

Lisa’s Manic Monday #181



What's one new thing you tried this summer than you've never done before?
I don’t think that I tried anything new this summer. it was just a lot of the “same old, same old.”

What is the one thing you miss the most about summer when it is over?
Warm, dry weather. The hot weather was only a few days long this summer; we had only about a week of hot weather. All the other days were damp and rainy.

If you could eliminate one source of anger in your life right now, what would it be?
Hmmm… that would be hard because the source of my anger is mostly external. The stupid people who think it is alright to discriminate.

The Canadian Healthcare System…

Who Says There Is No Racism In America?

A California on-line poll found the 26% respondent would try pro-white political party. The Orange County Register reports that…

Poll: 26% who responded would try pro-white political party

By JAIMEE LYNN FLETCHER
The Orange County Register

GARDEN GROVE– While most online readers said a pro-white political party would be too extreme for their taste, about 26 percent of readers who participated in a Register poll said they'd likely join the group.

A story on the GS Party [I removed their full party name because I do not want search engines to pick up my blog], a self-proclaimed pro-white group pushing for political representation in California, pulled about 285 comments and nearly 600 participants the online poll.
…
Readers on the comment boards were split on the issue – some applauded the GS Party's harsh stance on illegal immigration while others said they believe the group is hiding behind legitimate political controversies.

221614 wrote: "I just went to GS party's website.....I have to say I agree with everything on their site, immigration turning our state into a third world country, losing our liberty one link out of the chain at a time etc."

Ocsleeper wrote: "Man you guys act like these groups are only forming because of illegal immigration. These racist are just using the issue of illegal immigration as an excuse. Illegal immigration or not, these groups will always be around spewing their ignorance."

More than a dozen readers said they believed the GS party is victim to a race-based double standard and they should be allowed to show their pride for their heritage without being labeled white supremacists.

Of course, this was not a scientific poll and could be subject “stuffing the ballot box,” but still I think that it is an eye opener. Racism is alive and growing ever since President Obama took office. According to the British Telegraph, “Since Mr Obama took office, the rate of threats against the president has increased 400 per cent from the 3,000 a year or so under President George W. Bush, according to Ronald Kessler, author of In the President's Secret Service.”

The Philadelphia Tribune reported in an article…

Racist attacks on Obama intensify
Written by Charlene Muhammad
Saturday, 29 August 2009
…
Since he announced his candidacy, Obama and his family have been maligned, slandered and targeted by right wing and so-called independent media hosts. Among those who have focused on largely discredited issues are right wing radio host Rush Limbaugh and self-described “independent” CNN host Lou Dobbs.

Verbal assaults against Obama have ranged from outright racist insults to doubts about the president’s citizenship, his religion, his patriotism and his racial loyalties. Whites known collectively as “the Birthers” have refused to accept proof Obama, the son of a white American mother and a Kenyan father, was born in Hawaii. They haven’t been satisfied by the birth certificate circulating online, or produced by both the Obama campaign and the state of Hawaii. They aren’t alone.

As of mid-July, nine Republican members of Congress were supporting a bill by Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., that would require all presidential candidates to provide their birth certificate.
…
“These policies and their promoters, many of them are the deep, deep, deep wizards behind the curtains on these attacks on the president and the attacks are part of politics — some are fair, many are not. It’s always fair to have a debate about public policy. But personal attacks like the inane and insane point of view that the president is not a citizen of the United States that’s, you know, just such a distraction and designed to divide people,” he [Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League] said.
…
…In addition, he said Fox News Channel has usually been a platform for more sophisticated and subtle race-baiting and racism. Beck is allowed to make baseless accusations and characterizations of the president and every American, Black and white, should be insulted, Rucker [ColorOfChange.org] said.
…
Since announcement of his candidacy, right-wingers have been slinging mud and innuendo at the man raised largely by his white grandparents. They have called him a secret Muslim, a supporter of a Black racist church and pastor, a socialist and a pampered insider. Limbaugh admitted shortly after the inauguration that he hoped President Obama failed.

“Barack Obama has one thing in common with God ... Know what it is? God does not have a birth certificate either,” Limbaugh recently told his listeners.”

In a New York Daily News article entitled “Fox News' Glenn Beck's right-wing rants go way too far, critics charge” they write that…

* Beck, 45, has called Obama a "racist" who "has a deep-seated hatred for white people" - comments that have sparked an advertising boycott of his Fox News Channel show.
* He declares the nation is headed toward a "fascist state" and that the White House is infested with "radical, revolutionary and in some cases Marxist" advisers.
* He claims Obama's entire agenda - including health care - is designed to "settle old racial scores" and that Americans must rise up to take back their nation. "The time for silent dissent has long passed," Beck warned last week in a typical call to arms.

Media Matters in a report back in 2008 entitled “Fox News Radio's Tom Sullivan aired "side-by-side comparison" of speeches by Hitler and Obama” said,

“On the February 11 broadcast of Fox News Radio's Tom Sullivan Show, host Tom Sullivan took a call from a listener who stated: "Listening to [Sen. Barack] Obama ... it harkens back to when I was younger and I used to watch those deals with Adolf H [I remove the last name to again avoid the search engines], how he would excite the crowd and they'd come to their feet and scream and yell." Sullivan replied: "Oh, yeah, yeah ... I presume you're not saying he's H, but I understand your point." Following the commercial break, Sullivan stated the caller "wasn't calling Barack Obama H. He was just talking about how H got the crowd all excited, and Barack Obama got the crowd all excited." Sullivan then stated that he would do a "side-by-side comparison" of a H speech and an Obama speech. Sullivan then introduced the "comparison" by stating: "So, ladies and gentlemen, from the past, a little archive, a little walk down Der Fuehrer's memory lane. Here he is, the one, the only, Adolf H!" Sullivan proceeded to play a clip of a Hitler speech, followed by Obama's February 9 speech at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Richmond, Virginia. Sullivan mimicked the crowd during both speeches, yelling, "Yay! Yay!"

President Obama speaks in the style of great orators like the Rev. Martin Luther King and other African-American ministers where they do not just talk to the audience, but they include the audience as part of their speech. To compare him to Hitler is an affront to a whole culture.

It is time that we all speak out against bigotry in all forms; racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and all the other ‘isms. Its time we speak up against these hate mongers.

Saturday Six – Episode 283

Patrick’s Place Saturday Six – Episode 283

1. A friend of yours goes grocery shopping with you and goes to the meat department and buys a small pack of fresh ground chuck. You ask what she’s going to cook for dinner and she explains that the chuck is for her dog. How would you react?
My first thoughts were to start barking and panting, but I don’t think that I would do or say anything. Its her money and if she wants to buy steak for her dog, that is OK with me.

2. Another friend dares you to eat a dog biscuit: would you give it a try?
Nope, I do not have any interest in eating dog food. This unless it’s the chuck steak from the above question.

3. Vets usually recommend more expensive brands of food for pets. How much of a difference do you think there would really be between a brand you could pick up in a store or a specialty brand?
Not much, I think the generic food is just as OK.

4. Take the quiz: Who’s Happier: You or Your Pet?

You And Your Pet Are Equally Happy

You're about as happy as your pet is, and that's an amazingly good outcome. It's likely that both you and your pet are relaxed, playful, and content with life. Like your pet, you've figured out how to life in the moment. You let yourself enjoy life to the fullest. Keep hanging out with your pet. Studies show that people with pets are happier, and this is clearly the case for you.

Who's Happier: You or Your Pet?

5. Who has more toys: your pets or you?
Since I do not have a pet, this question is NA

6. Whose bed do you think is more comfortable to sleep on, yours or your pet’s?
My bed and I sure do not want to have a pet get up on my waterbed with sharp nails.

Saturday 9: You Like Me Too Much

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: You Like Me Too Much



1. If everyone liked each other, what would we complain about?
Boredom, no not really. It would be politics; everyone would be polite but would still disgree over policy.

2. If you were most powerful person in the world, how would you use that power?
It all depends on what type of power are you talking about. Power like Bill Gates? If that is the type that you mean, then I would use it to fight disease and illiteracy.

3. If had exactly one year to live, what are the three things you'd want to do before you died?
Have my surgery, see the USA in my Chevrolet, and set up a scholarship fund.

4. If you could change one thing about the world, what would that one thing be?
Stop the hate,

5. If you could take one thing back, what would that one thing be?
Not transitioning 30 years ago.

6. If you were stuck on an island forever but had all the water, food and shelter you needed. What would be the three other things you'd bring with you?
A satellite dish for the internet, a computer and solar panels.

7. If the internet didn't exist, would the quality of life go up or down?
It would go down, I am so dependent on the internet for networking. We are planning give a presentation next week and all the planning is going on via emails and sending files.

8. If a million dollars fell off a back of a truck, would you keep it?
Yes.

9. What is something you said, something you stole, something you did wrong?
I’ll pass on this question, certain things are better off left unsaid.

Friday Fill-ins #141

Janet’s Friday Fill-ins #141



1. That's a _tough spot_ to be.

2. _In the dark, I called out towards the other voices_; I'm over here!

3. The possibilities include: _teaching after I graduate_.

4. _Homemade chicken soup and spaetzles_ is one of my favorite cool day recipes.

5. How will you know _right from wrong if you were not taught_.

6. _Today forecast is rain_ and a stormy sky. (That’s a hard one to answers with out adding words, I want to change it “with a stormy sky”)

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _seeing a play_, tomorrow my plans include _going to a party_ and Sunday, I want need to _do homework_!

I’m Lavender

I am neither pink nor blue, but a mix to the two.

When I was born, I should have gotten a lavender blanket because as I was growing up I was never really a boy. I always felt that I should have been playing with the girls and as a result, I was always a loner. I wanted so bad to go and play with the girls but I had to pretend to love sports and be a rough and tumble boy. Don’t get me wrong, I did love to play with the boys, I loved playing with the Tonka toys, but my heart was always wanting to join the girls. As I grew up, I liked backpacking, fishing, and skeet shooting.

Now that I have transitioned, I love being treated as a woman, I love being seen as a woman, I love being with the woman, but I’ll never be a woman just like I was never really a man. However, when women talk about scouting, it has an entire different experience for me. When women talk about going to the prom, I have a different set of memories.

I am a blend of male and female, I am lavender.

This YouTube Video Puts The Healthcare Question In Perspective.

The “Choice” video was made by an uninsured father…

I Have Been Away…

I’ve been up at the family cottage in New Hampshire all weekend with my brother’s family. We didn’t do any work, we just enjoyed ourselves for the last weekend of the summer fling. The weather was a little chilly, but that did not stop the kids from going swimming and my brother from sailing in our sailboat. I laid out in a chaise lounge and curled up under a warm blanket to read (and occasionally napping). We took in the powerboat and the sailboat, and my brother packed up the kayaks and brought them to his house. We did not close up the cottage because we will still be going up there until Thanksgiving.
Tomorrow classes begin for the fall semester, this semester I am only taking two classes. Analysis of Social Welfare Polices and Human Oppression, the Analysis class is on Tuesday at 4:15PM and the Oppression class is on Thursday at 8:30AM. However, tomorrow I have to be at school at 12:30 because I am the co-chair of the Pride organization and we are having our first meeting of the semester. Just to keep things interesting, I have a 9:00AM meeting at the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective for a project that I am working on with them in partnership with CTAC (CT TransAdvocacy Coalition). So that means I have meetings or classes from 9 to 6:15, its going to be a looong day.

Friday Fill-in #140

Janet’s Friday Fill-in #140



1. I feel _GREAT_!

2. _Playing Hearts_ is always fun.

3. Right now, I can hear these things: _CSI on the TV, the clock ticking on the wall and a car stereo blaring as it drives by_.

4. _The weekend weather is suppose to be sunny and warm_ and I'm glad _its not cold damp and rainy_.

5. The last time I _went to the movies, the movie that I saw_ was _Harry Potter and the Halve Blood Prince_.

6. _I’m heading up to the cottage in New Hampshire_ this Labor Day weekend.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _driving up to NH to join my brother and his family up at the cottage_, tomorrow my plans include _mmm, I don’t know, but I’ll think of something_ and Sunday, I want to _maybe lay out in the sun to soak up some rays_!

Maine Secretary of State Certifies The Petitions For The People's Veto Recall Of Marriage Equality.

Gay Marriage Question Officially On Ballot
Ken Christian, Information Center Content Manager

AUGUSTA (AP) -- Maine election officials say gay marriage foes have reached the threshold of petitions necessary to put the state law on the November ballot.

The gay marriage law was supposed to go into effect this month, but it was put on hold as the secretary of state's office verified the number of petitions. With the signatures validated, Gov. John Baldacci on Wednesday signed a formal proclamation putting the matter to a statewide vote on Nov. 3.

Jesse Connolly of Project Maine Equality said in a statement,

“This was a quarter-of-a-million dollar signature effort by a Michigan firm, and it highlights the stark differences in our campaigns. Theirs is a cynical, pay-for-every signature approach that doesn't reflect the homegrown values of our state.

“By contrast, we have put our trust in the common sense and fair mindedness of our friends, neighbors and co-workers. And that's why we believe voters will reject Question 1 because here in Maine, we believe everyone should be allowed to live their lives and be treated equally under the law.”

Meanwhile the opposition organization, “Stand for Marriage Maine” members are being investigated for alleged illegal fundraising. According to the Edge in an article said…

Fred Karger, founder of Californians Against Hate, sent a letter to the Maine Commission on Government Ethics and Election Practices on Aug. 25. It contained allegations religious organizations are hiding contributions to the Stand for Marriage Maine campaign. The letter reports how the National Organization for Marriage, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, the national office of the Knights of Columbus and Focus on the Family had contributors give the money to their organizations, and in turn gave the money to the Stand for Marriage Maine to hide the donors’ identity.

In addition the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is being investigated in Iowa for violating Iowa campaign finance law. An article in the Iowa Independent said…

The state’s largest gay rights organization and a progressive religious group have filed a formal complaint against the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board.

One Iowa and the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa filed the complaint Monday alleging that NOM, a New Jersey-based group that opposes same-sex marriage, violated Iowa campaign finance law in their Iowa House District 90 campaign.

“NOM has complete disregard of Iowa law as they engage in express advocacy in our state, while refusing to release the identity of their donors, as is legally required in Iowa law,” the complaint said. “NOM has a history of funneling secret money throughout the country to engage in similar activity.”

Also, the Lavender Newswire reported that NOM has violated federal reporting laws for non-profits…

Finally, the National Organization for Marriage has violated federal reporting laws. It has steadfastly refused to release its IRS Form 990s despite repeated requests from several organizations, including ours and the news media. National Organization for Marriage, Inc. was formed in 2007 as a nonprofit corporation, exempt from taxation under section 501(c)4 of the Internal Revenue Code . In 2008, National Organization for Marriage Educational Fund, was formed as a nonprofit corporation exempt from taxation under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

We have visited NOM’s offices and sent certified letters requesting copies of what are supposed to be publicly available organizational reports. Yet, NOM refuses to release any of its federal financial documents, in violation of federal law.

You can help by volunteering or supporting…
Project Maine Equality
or
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)

Some Times You Don’t See Until You Open Your Eyes…

On Pam’s House Blend a person posted a diary that opened my eyes, about something that I never thought about.

The diary is about close captioning on the internet. How many times have you watched a YouTube video and never gave any thought what it would be like if you were deaf. With more and more videos being posted every day on the internet, very, very few of them have closed captioning. This results in making the internet inaccessible to many hard of hearing and deaf people. But this doesn’t have to be, closed captioning is available for many of the video that are posted all they have to do is requested a captioned version of the video.

There is also a bill in the House to require closed captioning on the internet, it is H.R.3101 - Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009.

Please contact your Representative and ask them to support this bill, and also read his Pam’s House Blend diary enter here.



Here is an example of a video with closed captioning, can turn on the captions by clicking the up arrow that brings up the menu and then clicking "CC".

When Your Child Transitions

There was an article in the Toronto Globe and Mail the other day about a mother whose daughter transitioned.

Mourning a daughter, celebrating a son

Adriana Barton
Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009 07:40PM EDT

If there's one thing a mother never dreams her daughter will say, it's “Mommy, I want to be a boy.”

When Julia O'Dwyer heard these words, she couldn't dismiss them as a tomboy phase because her 12-year-old daughter had rejected girls' clothing and toys for years, she says. So instead, the Vancouver mother of three consoled her eldest child and waited for what came next.

Months later, her daughter came home from school and announced she was transgender.
…
Few parents are as open-minded, however. For many, it takes years of family therapy and support from other parents before they can accept a change in a child's gender, according to mental health professionals.

“What you're really losing is your dream of what your child was going to be,” says Melady Preece, a Vancouver psychologist who works with transgender youth and their families.
…
Some parents disown their child, Dr. Preece says. She has seen marriages break down when parents disagree about treatment options, and relatives withdraw from parents who help a child make the transition to the new gender.
“The very worst problem is when parents feel that somehow this brings shame on the family,” she says.
In other cases, parents try so hard to support their transgender child that they bury their own feelings. Anne Hines, a Toronto author, says she couldn't talk about her own experiences for several years after her 17-year-old son came out as a young woman named Jade.

“I needed to be there for her with her issues,” she recalls.

As her child prepared for gender-reassignment surgery last fall, however, her emotions came to the surface. “I absolutely had to mourn the loss of a son,” says Ms. Hines, who describes the event in her forthcoming book,
…
She and her husband spread the word to friends and family in a Christmas newsletter, “knowing that this would be a newsletter that would not soon be forgotten” Although some people distanced themselves, she says, the couple discovered they had chosen their friends “very well.”
…
“For me, one of the biggest joys has been the day I realized that I said ‘my son' without having to think about it and without mentally adding the word ‘trans' in front.”

I think that this article brings home the angst that a transgender child brings to the family when they are torn apart trying to do the right thing for their child. It was a hard decision for me to make and it must be an even harder decision for a parent to make.

My one problem with the article is that they cite some statistics that I believe are unsupported, such as “1 in 12 transgender people in America is murdered.” I do not know of any scientific studies that have been done in those areas.


Resources:
TransYouth Family Allies
TYFA empowers children and families by partnering with educators, service providers and communities, to develop supportive environments in which gender may be expressed and respected. We envision a society free of suicide and violence in which ALL children are respected and celebrated.
http://www.imatyfa.org/

True Colors
True Colors works to create a world where youth, adults and families of all sexual orientations and gender identities are valued and affirmed. We challenge all forms of oppression through education, training, advocacy, youth leadership development, mentoring and direct services to youth and those responsible for their well-being.
http://www.ourtruecolors.org/

Mermaids - Great Britain
We aim to support children and teenagers up to age 19, who are trying to cope with gendeer identity issues. In support of this one aim, we also intend to: offer support to parents, families, carers, and others, raise awareness about gender issues amongst professionals (e.g. teachers, doctors, social services, etc.,) and the general public and campaign for the recognition of this issue and the increase in professional services.
http://www.mermaidsuk.org.uk/