Busy Day Today And Yesterday

Yesterday will Trump’s tweet all hell broke loose and I had a number of interview requests which took up my morning. In the afternoon I did my three hours of volunteer work at the Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective.

The reporter who did the interview for NBC kind of looked like he didn’t like the topic of he was covering. He looked like he would cover a cute puppy story rather than a trans story.

The Fox station had this to say,

“For us, we’ve been working for equality for a long time and this is part of it, we should be able to serve in the military, you know we have all the rights here in CT, but around the country now we’re losing more and more under this administration,”

The key for when you do an interview is think in “sound bites” if it is not a feature story then they are only going to have at most 90 seconds on air so they use a sentence or even a part of a sentence.

Today I am going to be up at the Capitol for a symposium by the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.

Transgender and Genderqueer Public School Students:
School Safety in an Era of Uncertainty
July 27 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM
The Old Judiciary Room (Third Floor), Capitol, Hartford
There is no charge to attend. Sandwiches and light refreshments will be provided.
This event is being co-sponsored by True Colors, Inc., CT Trans Advocacy, the Connecticut Bar Association (including the CBA LGBT, Human Rights and Responsibilities, and Education Law Sections), LGBT Aging Advocacy, the Connecticut Association of School Psychologists, the CT Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Connecticut State Education Resource Center, and the Triangle Community Center.
This symposium will provide educators and attorneys the opportunity to identify and discuss protections for LGBTQA+ students against unlawful discrimination and discriminatory bullying in the schools. The panelists include:
Robin McHaelen, Executive Director - True Colors, Inc., Robin McHaelen has been an advocate for LGBTQ youth in Connecticut for many years, and regularly provides workshops and trainings on sexuality and gender diversity for students and professionals alike. Her talk will draw from her work with True Colors, and touch specifically on how schools might address the needs of gender queer or non-conforming students.
Michael Roberts, CHRO Human Rights Attorney and member of the CT Equality Coalition, will give a short presentation on anti-discrimination protections on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Dustin Rader, an English teacher at Canton High School. He was named to NBC Out's #Pride30 list for 2017 recognizing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer change makers nationwide. Mr. Rader will speak about his experience as a transgender student and teacher.
Karla Vazquez, President - CT Association of School Psychologists (CASP), will speak about the psychological resources available to transgender and genderqueer students in public schools.
Alix Simonetti CHRO Human Rights Attorney and member of the CT Equality Coalition, will provide opening remarks on the historical context for the symposium’s discussion.
Panelists will review and discuss best practices regarding education, advocacy, and protection for transgender and genderqueer students in public schools. In accordance with the mission of the CHRO, the event is intended to inform attendees about the protections afforded these students by human rights statutes in the State of Connecticut and to provide a forum for discussion regarding what steps can be taken to expand upon the principles of equal opportunity and justice that they establish.
Again, we thank CT Trans Advocacy for their support and co-sponsorship of this important and exciting forum, and look forward to seeing any and all members of CT Trans Advocacy of who may be interested at the event. If you require any further information or accommodations, please contact Thomas.Reid AT ct.gov.

It should be a good informative symposium, even though I am co-sponsor it will probably cover new material since Trump took office.

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A follow-up on members of Congress who are speaking out against Trump’s tweet.

STATEMENT BY SASC CHAIRMAN JOHN McCAIN ON TRANSGENDER AMERICANS IN THE MILITARY

Washington, D.C. ­– U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today on President Trump’s tweet regarding transgender Americans in the military:

“The President’s tweet this morning regarding transgender Americans in the military is yet another example of why major policy announcements should not be made via Twitter.

“The statement was unclear. The Department of Defense has already decided to allow currently-serving transgender individuals to stay in the military, and many are serving honorably today. Any American who meets current medical and readiness standards should be allowed to continue serving. There is no reason to force service members who are able to fight, train, and deploy to leave the military—regardless of their gender identity. We should all be guided by the principle that any American who wants to serve our country and is able to meet the standards should have the opportunity to do so—and should be treated as the patriots they are.

“The Department of Defense is currently conducting a study on the medical obligations it would incur, the impact on military readiness, and related questions associated with the accession of transgender individuals who are not currently serving in uniform and wish to join the military. I do not believe that any new policy decision is appropriate until that study is complete and thoroughly reviewed by the Secretary of Defense, our military leadership, and the Congress.

“The Senate Armed Services Committee will continue to follow closely and conduct oversight on the issue of transgender individuals serving in the military.”

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I think you are going to see more Congresspersons from both sides of the aisle speaking out against the ban.