This And That In The News

Because the media is still all wrapped up in Trump’s tweets, there is little trans news that isn’t about the tweet, so this afternoon I have three news articles that caught my attention.

Ivanka Trump reportedly learned of the transgender ban when Trump tweeted about it
Business Insider
By Sonam Sheth
July 31, 2017

Ivanka Trump apparently had no idea that her father, President Donald Trump, was planning on announcing a ban on transgender people serving in the military, Politico reported.

Several White House aides told Politico that Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner — who both serve as top advisers to the president — were "blindsided" by the announcement, and that Ivanka only found out about it when Trump tweeted it out last Wednesday.

Ivanka Trump was reportedly surprised by Trump's decision, given that he has supported LGBT rights in the past. He notably reached out to the LGBT community during his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention last July.

Hmm… She must have believed that her father never lies.

Trump must have been too afraid to tell her in person.

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Minnesota is publishing school guidelines for t rans students just like the one Connecticut has had since 2012.

New Minnesota guidelines aim to reduce bullying of transgender students
Twin Cities Pioneer Press
July 31, 2017

[…]
That’s why Yocom [a trans student] supports a new “tool kit” approved July 19 by Minnesota’s School Safety Technical Assistance Council. The 11-page document is designed to help schools provide safety and support for transgender and gender-nonconforming students.

The new guidelines call for educators to allow transgender and gender-nonconforming students to use bathrooms and other facilities that match their gender identity. It says teachers and classmates should refer to students by their preferred name and pronouns and should update school records to fit a student’s gender identity.

The tool kit suggests students who are uncomfortable using bathrooms and other facilities with a transgender student be given the opportunity to use a private, single-person restroom.

And of course there are those who oppose the guidelines,

COURT CHALLENGES LIKELY
But Zinos and other opponents of the new recommendations say the state is asking local school leaders to violate students’ privacy and parents’ rights. They oppose allowing students of a different anatomical sex to use facilities that don’t match their gender at birth.

We were lucky that the opposition here didn’t find out about it until long after it went into effect.

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Down in Virginia a trans candidate is making headway against her opponent,

A transgender candidate takes on Virginia’s ‘minister of private parts’
Washington Post
By Petula Dvorak
July 31, 2017

Traffic. Schools. Jobs. Getting to their jobs, so back to traffic.

That’s what Northern Virginia voters want to talk about when a transgender woman with a rainbow headscarf and slashing black eyeliner knocks on their door.

Which is weird. Because given all the legislation proposed in the Virginia General Assembly on these constituents’ behalf, you would think the conversations would be nothing but bathrooms, abortions and sex when someone such as Danica Roem shows up.
[…]
Marshall’s ironically named Physical Privacy Act was based on his fear that men and boys would pretend to be transgender to infiltrate bathrooms and locker rooms used by women and girls. “Some guys will use anything to make a move on some teenage girls or women,” he said.

And what do the people want to discuss with her?

“Is anyone talking about the transgender ban?” Roem asked one of her organizers, Brad Chester.

“Not really,” Chester said. “Maybe one person. Power lines, people really wanted to talk about power lines.”

“All politics is local” let’s hope that is true, that the voters are more interested in highways, jobs, and schools than the gender you were assigned at birth.