Sad News

Yesterday was a sad day for trans people in these troubling times, the state of Idaho passes two horrible laws against us.

Idaho governor signs two anti-transgender bills into law
CNN
By Andy Rose and Hollie Silverman, CNN
March 31, 2020

Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed two anti-transgender bills into law Monday.

One measure bans transgender girls from playing on girls' and women's sports teams, while the other prohibits transgender people from changing their gender on Idaho birth certificates.
Little's office did not comment on the laws.

House Bill 500, also known as the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, says "athletic teams or sports designated for females, women, or girls shall not be open to students of the male sex." The measure says that a "dispute" about an athlete's gender can only be resolved by examining "the student's reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously 19 produced testosterone levels."

Little also signed into law Monday House Bill 509, which prohibits transgender people from obtaining a new birth certificate with their gender identity on it.

This is atrocious.

The Republicans have tried hundreds of time to pass and they finally found a state to pass it, hopefully this does open up a flood of new bills in other Republican states.

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Southern Poverty Law Center just came out with their new list of hate groups and there is an increase in their numbers, they attribute it to the Trump administration… no big surprise.

Anti-LGBTQ hate groups on the rise in U.S., report warns
In its annual report, the Southern Poverty Law Center largely attributes this 43 percent increase to the policies and rhetoric of the Trump administration.
NBC News
By Julie Moreau
March 30, 2020

The number of anti-LGBTQ hate groups soared 43 percent last year, rising from 49 groups in 2018 to 70 in 2019, according to a recent report from the Southern Poverty Law Center.

“Groups that vilify the LGBTQ community, in fact, represented the fastest-growing sector among hate groups in 2019,” the report states. The SPLC found the surge in anti-LGBTQ groups occurred amid an overall decrease in hate groups last year, which dropped to 940 from an all-time high of 1,020 in 2018.

The report said the surge was “possibly fueled by continued anti-LGBTQ sentiment and policy emanating from government officials,” largely attributing it to the Trump administration.

“Anti-LGBTQ groups have become intertwined with the Trump administration, and — after years of civil rights progress and growing acceptance among the broader American public — anti-LGBTQ sentiment within the Republican Party is rising,” the report states. “Though Trump promised during his campaign to be a ‘real friend’ to the LGBTQ community, he has fully embraced anti-LGBTQ hate groups and their agenda of dismantling federal protections and resources for LGBTQ people.”

The Republican party should be labeled as a “hate group.”

The SPLC defines a “hate group” as…

The Southern Poverty Law Center defines a hate group as “an organization that — based on its official statements or principles, the statements of its leaders, or its activities — has beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics.”

Most of the growth in new anti-LGBTQ hate groups, SPLC’s report found, comes from grassroots churches.
[…]
One of the best known is the Family Research Council, which was founded in 1983 and hosts the annual Value Voters Summit for conservative politicians and thousands of participants each year. At last year's summit, President Donald Trump repeated his opposition to the Equality Act, a bill passed by the House that would extend federal nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQ people.

FRC and the Heritage Foundation have been picking the federal judges for Trump, their common trait is that the nominees all were anti-LGBTQ, anti-abortion, and pro-Bible. And these judges are appointed   for life!

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And of course we are being blamed for COVID-19

Amid COVID-19 Spread, Influential D.C. Pastor Says ‘God’s Wrath’ Caused By LGBTQ People
Ralph Drollinger, who leads a Bible study for Trump’s cabinet members, claims homosexuality, environmentalism and atheism are signs of God’s wrath.
Huffington Post
By Carol Kuruvilla
March 27, 2020

An evangelical pastor who holds regular Bible studies on Capitol Hill for members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet is suggesting that the crisis America is now experiencing is proof of God’s disapproval of LGBTQ Americans.

In a Bible study he published last weekend, Ralph Drollinger pointed to several signs he believes are evidence of God’s displeasure ― including “a proclivity toward lesbianism and homosexuality” and the “religion of environmentalism.” Ultimately, he says, these groups are “largely responsible” for God’s wrath on America today.

“Whenever an individual or corporate group of individuals violate the inviolate precepts of God’s Word, he, she, they or the institution will suffer the respective consequences,” Drollinger wrote last Saturday. “Most assuredly America is facing this form of God’s judgment.”

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In New York City Central Park they have erected field hospitals to help with Mt. Sinai Hospital… sounds good right?

But not so fast see who donated the field hospitals.

Be a good Samaritan: N.Y. lawmaker calls out minister for anti-LGBTQ remarks
New York Daily News
By Denis Slattery
March 30, 2020

Sen. Brad Hoylman wants to make sure Franklin Graham practices what he preaches: tolerance and acceptance.

Hoylman (D-Manhattan) put the evangelical Christian preacher on notice Monday, warning the notoriously anti-LGBTQ pastor that his Samaritan’s Purse charity’s coronavirus field hospital operation in Central Park better be open to all New Yorkers.

“COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate, and neither should Franklin Graham," said Hoylman, who is gay. “It’s unacceptable that a New Yorker infected with COVID-19 could be subjected to discriminatory treatment from an organization whose leader calls us ‘immoral’ and ‘detestable.’ ”
[…]
The site will be run in conjunction with the Mount Sinai Health System and take overflow patients dealing with the deadly COVID-19 disease.

This bears watching to see if they adhere to nondiscrimination policy or if we will have to put up with preaching by the staff.

It also bears watching because Mt. Sinai is the home of “Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery.”

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It is a jungle out there for us so beware,

Fenway Health report: LGBTQ community and COVID-19
By Sean Cahill
March 27, 2020

Everyone is at risk of infection in the COVID-19 pandemic.

But history shows that people who are marginalized, including LGBTQ people and people living with HIV, will suffer more than the general population.

Due to the impact of stigma and minority stress on overall health, LGBTQ people are more likely to have some of the underlying health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes that could increase their vulnerability if they are exposed to the novel coronavirus. They’re also more likely to engage in some of the behaviors, such as smoking and vaping, that increase the risk of infection by increasing the possibility of transmitting the virus from hand to mouth.

It is a scary time we live in and being trans exposes us to even more dangers.

We now have a greater chance of needing our healthcare system and the question is how will we be treated.