Okay, You Probably Heard This Already…

A trans model was in the opening ceremonies for the Olympics.

Transgender Supermodel Lea T Made Olympic History At Rio Opening Ceremony
The Huffington Post Canada
By Al Donato
Posted: 08/06/2016

When it comes to transgender representation, the Rio Olympics' opening ceremony pedaled towards progress.

As cyclists with named placards led athletes into the Parade of Nations, Brazilian-born supermodel Leandra Medeiros Cerezo introduced the world to Team Brazil.

Known as Lea T on the catwalks, she's the first transgender woman to hold a role in any Olympic ceremony.

Her part in the opening event was smaller than expected. Early rumours suggested that she would be strutting alongside model Gisele Bundchen, in a tribute to the iconic Brazillian ballad "The Girl From Ipanema." Bundchen ended up sashaying through the tribute alone.

And then there is Chris Mosier, the first trans athlete in the Olympics,

Nike airs first commercial featuring a transgender athlete during Olympics
New York Daily News
By Nicole Bitette
August 9, 2016

They just did it.

Nike debuted the sneaker company's first ever commercial featuring a transgender athlete.

The latest ad shows Chris Mosier, the first transgender athlete to make the U.S. men's Olympic team, comparing his transition to the brand's "Just Do It" mindset.

The 35-year-old duathlete began his transition 2010 and called making it on the Olympic team as a man "a dream come true."

But it all hasn’t been smooth sailing for him,

The Chicago product had a tough road just to get to the starting line alongside his fellow runners and cyclists. Mosier couldn't use the bathroom during a June qualifying race for Team USA in North Carolina because of that state's controversial HB2 law, Rolling Stone reported.

Someday I hope it will not be news when we take part in the Olympics, we will just be another contestant or performer.

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I went up to the cottage in New Hampshire Saturday and then Sunday afternoon I drove over to Rutland Vermont to take part in a discussion at a Quaker conference, I am not Quaker but I was invited by a friend to come and talk about…

A Conversation among the Ls, Gs, Bs, Ts and Qs (Queer, Questioning and Qurious)
Diana, a recent transgender activist, and Christine, a longtime lesbian feminist activist, will hold A Conversation among the Ls, Gs, Bs, Ts and Qs (Queer, Questioning and Qurious) that is open to all. A Quaker meeting is one of the few places where both speakers and audience can feel safe sharing honestly about very personal issues, where answers tend to be complex and gray rather than simple and clear. The presenters will start the conversation with personal experiences, then open it up to the audience. Our watchwords are ‘respect’ and ‘understanding’; ‘political correctness’ is not in our vocabulary.

The Monday “Opportunities” as they call them got a little sided tracked and we talked about the plight of LGBT people in Uganda, it was off topic but it was a very important discussion about the underground railroad that the Quakers are running to get LGBT people out of Uganda.

AMERICAN QUAKERS ARE RUNNING AN 'UNDERGROUND RAILROAD' TO HELP LGBT UGANDANS FLEE
Newsweek
By Zoe Schlanger
July 11, 2016

A group of American Quakers are operating what they call a “new underground railroad” to help a few LGBT Ugandans flee their country, where a recent law imposes harsh penalties for homosexuality.

The Friends New Underground Railroad (FNUR), based in Washington state, sees itself as continuing the work of Quakers who historically helped slaves escape the American South. As of this Monday, they say they have worked with unnamed Ugandan “conductors” to fund and coordinate passage out of the country for 107 lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender Ugandans, nine of whom have reached Sweden, while several dozen others are “being processed for asylum status in countries around the world,” according to the group’s FAQ page.

The American group coordinates funds for passage to the Ugandan border with Kenya, and the Ugandan conductors make all decisions with regards to who will be helped, according to Buzzfeed. Once over the border, the LGBT individuals are delivered to local safe houses and organizations before potentially moving on. FNUR tells Buzzfeed that none of their charges have ended up in Kenyan refugee camps, where life for LGBT people can be very dangerous.

Buzzfeed reported Friday on the controversy surrounding the Quakers’ project. While other groups working to oppose Uganda’s new anti-homosexuality law acknowledge the Quaker group’s good intentions, they worry that FNUR lacks the expertise or on-the-ground experience to sustain the project long-term.

And that was what the discussion was about. I mentioned that Scott Lively is being sued by an Uganda LGBT organization under the Alien Tort Statute ("ATS"; also known as the Alien Tort Claims Act), I wrote about it here, here and here.

On the way home Tuesday I took the long way home, instead of dashing across Vermont to I-91 I went down Route 7 to Bennington and then Route 9 across Vermont to I-91 in Brattleboro. Along Rt. 9 you cross over Hogback Mountain and I stopped to take a panorama photo.

You know how they say don't take pictures toward the sun, always have the sun over your shoulder.
Well this is a good example of why you don't want to shot into the sun, but sometimes you have to. The photo is from the top of Hogback Mountain looking south that I took this morning on the way back from Rutland. I had no choice since the view is only to the south. You can see how the sky on the left side of the photo is washed out.