Sunday, February 28, 2021

They Like Lying.

The opposition like to create fear and they will do it by any means possible include lying, and they have gotten very good at lying with fake facts.

Even though this is several years old it is worth bring up again as we face a new assault on our existence.
Stop Using Phony Science to Justify Transphobia
Actual research shows that sex is anything but binary
American Scientific
By Simón(e) D Sun
June 13, 2019


Antiscientific sentiment bombards our politics, or so says the Intellectual Dark Web (IDW). Chief among these antiscientific sentiments, the IDW cites the rising visibility of transgender civil rights demands. To the IDW, trans people and their advocates are destroying the pillars of our society with such free-speech–suppressing, postmodern concepts as: “trans women are women,” “gender-neutral pronouns,” or “there are more than two genders.” Asserting “basic biology” will not be ignored, the IDW proclaims. “Facts don’t care about your feelings.”

The irony in all this is that these “protectors of enlightenment” are guilty of the very behavior this phrase derides. Though often dismissed as just a fringe internet movement, they espouse unscientific claims that have infected our politics and culture. Especially alarming is that these “intellectual” assertions are used by nonscientists to claim a scientific basis for the dehumanization of trans people. The real world consequences are stacking up: the trans military ban, bathroom bills, and removal of workplace and medical discrimination protections, a 41-51 percent suicide attempt rate and targeted fatal violence . It’s not just internet trolling anymore.
How many times have you heard Republicans and right-wing conservatives say… “God made Adam and Eve” or “if you have XX chromosomes, you’re a female; if you’ve got XY, you’re a male” of course almost no one ever has a chromosomes test done of them so I doubt very many people know what their chromosomes are.
Contrary to popular belief, scientific research helps us better understand the unique and real transgender experience. Specifically, through three subjects: (1) genetics, (2) neurobiology and (3) endocrinology. So, hold onto your parts, whatever they may be. It’s time for “the talk.”
I always like to say, “Mother Nature loves to experiment and that experimentation is what makes every person on earth unique.
Why? Because biological sex is far more complicated than XX or XY (or XXY, or just X). XX individuals could present with male gonads. XY individuals can have ovaries. How? Through a set of complex genetic signals that, in the course of a human’s development, begins with a small group of cells called the bipotential primordium and a gene called SRY.
And there there is the brain… the largest sex organ in your body and they are really complicated.
When the biology gets too complicated, some point to differences between brains of males and females as proof of the sexual binary. But a half century of empirical research has repeatedly challenged the idea that brain biology is simply XY = male brain or XX = female brain. In other words, there is no such thing as “the male brain” or “the female brain.” This is not to say that there are no observable differences. Certain brain characteristics can be sexually dimorphic: observable average differences across males and females. But like biological sex, pointing to “brain sex” as the explanation for these differences is wrong and hinders scientific research.
We are all unique.

Would it be a very boring world if we all thought and looked the same?
While this is a small overview, the science is clear and conclusive: sex is not binary, transgender people are real. It is time that we acknowledge this. Defining a person’s sex identity using decontextualized “facts” is unscientific and dehumanizing. The trans experience provides essential insights into the science of sex and scientifically demonstrates that uncommon and atypical phenomena are vital for a successful living system. Even the scientific endeavor itself is quantifiably better when it is more inclusive and diverse. So, no matter what a pundit, politician or internet troll may say, trans people are an indispensable part of our living reality.

Transgender humans represent the complexity and diversity that are fundamental features of life, evolution and nature itself. That is a fact.
We are all struggling to get though this current plague and (yes it is a plague, go and look up the definition of a plague) you all have heard about COVID-19 variants emerging around the world, the South African variant, the Great Britain variant, and there is a new variant found here in the U.S. And these are excellent examples of how nature is always experimenting to survive. Genetic diversity is for the survival of the species.

Did you know that we will not have any bananas in about a decade?

Why?

Because bananas do not have any genetic diversity. They are all clones!

Natural selection means that one version of COVID-19 might survive while others might die out (Hence it is why we have COVID-19 because the other strains of COVID virus have died out and it mutated to another variant. And the cycle will just keep trying different variants,).

So when we look around nature we see gay animals, we see trans animals, we see intersex animals… we are a fact of life. We see nature adjusting to the environment in order to survie.

But conservatives don’t like diversity, they don’t like change, and they don’t like differences it makes them feel nervous, up tight, uncomfortable. And that should not be grounds to discriminate.

Saturday, February 27, 2021

Good News

I normally only have one post today but there is court action that happened yesterday that could turn out to be good news for us.

Yesterday the court heard the trans athlete case here in Connecticut,
WNPR
By Pat Eaton-Robb // Associated Press
February 26, 2021


Lawyers for several school districts and the organization that oversees high school sports in Connecticut went before a federal judge Friday seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit that would prevent transgender girls in the state from competing in girls’ sports.

The lawsuit was filed a year ago by several cisgender runners who argue they have been deprived of wins, state titles and athletic opportunities by a state policy that allowed two transgender sprinters to compete against them.
[…]
Defense attorney Joshua Block argued the CIAC policy doesn’t deny any girl a meaningful opportunity to participate in sports, but that overturning it would violate the Title IX rights of transgender girls.

“No court, no agency has ever defined a participation opportunity as winning an equal number of trophies,” he argued. “The plaintiffs in this case are accomplished athletes who have gained a great deal from the athletic opportunities offered them and they’ve won national acclaim from that, but there’s room enough on the podium for everyone. And accommodating the interests of these particular athletes doesn’t require schools to shove aside girls who are transgender and deny them participation opportunities too.”
So one of the questions that the lawyers asked is what damage has been done to the plaintiffs? They both took part in the girls sport programs and they both got athletic scholarships. As far as I can see the plaintiffs only problem is they don’t like trans people.

But the best part is,
WNPR
By Associated Press
February 24, 2021


The Biden administration has withdrawn government support for a federal lawsuit in Connecticut that seeks to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls' high school sports. Connecticut allows high school athletes to compete in sports according to their gender identity. The lawsuit was filed a year ago by several cisgender runners who argue they have been deprived of wins, state titles and athletic opportunities by being forced to compete against two transgender sprinters. The Justice Department and the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights withdrew their support for the case ahead of a hearing scheduled for Friday on a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
However… You know that this case is going all the way to the Supreme Court no matter who wins. The defendants will appeal naturally if they lose and the plaintiffs will appeal so not to set precedent nationally. I believe that the plaintiffs’ attorney who is from the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom, they are not in it for the plaintiffs but rather they are handling the case to set precedent, they want to block all trans athletes from participating in sports and I believe that there might be another motive behind the case, supporting the Republican’s anti-trans legislation across the country. Here in Connecticut there have been three bills introduced blocking trans athletes form high school sports.

Saturday 9: BILLS, BILLS, BILLS

Sam’s Saturday 9: BILLS, BILLS, BILLS (1999)

On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun…


Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is about a cheating boyfriend. Unlike most songs, where the lover deceives by seeing another, this one squanders his girl's financial resources. She sings that he's ruined her credit. Do you know your credit score?
Yes, my credit card company sends me my numbers ever so often.

2) How often do you pay your bills? Do you handle them as they come in, or do you pay weekly, bi-weekly or monthly? Or are you lucky enough to have someone else handle your bills?
Bi-weekly.
Around the middle of the month and at the end of the month… so that means doing them today.

3) Destiny's Child had a hit with "Bills, Bills, Bills." This girl group got their start in Houston, TX. During the recent, bruising storm, lead singer Beyonce sent food, money and water to her home state. Have you spent much time in the Lone Star State?
I have never set foot in Texas and have no desire to do so.

4) Beyonce is the breakout star of the group and went on to have a highly successful solo career. Can you think of another star who began his/her career as the member of a group?
Phil Collins… Genesis and then he went his own way.

5) "Bills, Bills, Bills" was performed a cappella by the kids on Glee. That Fox show ran for six seasons. Were you a fan?
I never watched it.

6) In 1999, when this song was on the charts, SpongeBob SquarePants premiered. The show remains popular among the younger set. Have you ever seen it?
Nope never...

7) SpongeBob has become an industry, spawning movies, a Broadway musical, video games and both coloring and comic books. Once considered children's amusements, today coloring and comic books enjoy a following among adults. Have you recently enjoyed coloring or reading a comic book?
Before the plague I did coloring books at the senior center.

8) Also in 1999, Walmart expanded to the United Kingdom. Do you shop at Walmart?
Nope… only when I have to.
I stopped going when a number of Walmart stores got cited for chaining the emergency doors closed after hours to kept the cleaning crew from sneaking out at night.

9) Random question -- We've all met people who aren't exactly as they present themselves. Are you good at spotting a phony?
No, I’m a sucker for a hard luck story.

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!

~~~~~~~~

P.S. Last weekend I had my laptop cleaned, it is running much cooler, I can actually use it as a laptop and not burn my stomach, and the keys don't stick.

Friday, February 26, 2021

Equality Act

Well it is finally came up for a vote in House and it passed, next it moves on to the Senate
Some Republicans worry that this week's controversial antics from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) have stomped on their attempts to sensitively communicate why they are opposed.
Politico
By Olivia Beavers and Melanie Zanona
February 25, 2021


The House passed sweeping legislation on Thursday to ban discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity, delivering a major victory to the LGBTQ community — while exposing an ugly rift in the GOP.

The Equality Act, which would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to provide protections for LGBTQ individuals, garnered unanimous support from House Democrats on its way to approval on a 224-206 vote. Three Republicans crossed party lines to join Democrats to endorse the bill, less than half of the number of GOP votes the measure got the last time it came to the floor.
[…]
“When you tell people that in a majority of states in this country, you can either be kicked out of your apartment, fired from your job, or denied service in a restaurant because you're gay or in the LGBTQ community, people think that can't be true,” Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), the lead House co-sponsor of the bill, told POLITICO in an interview.
The bill is an expansion on the 2007 Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)
As Congress prepares to vote on Equality Act, the share of Americans identifying as LGBT rises
22% of LGBT adults experienced poverty vs. 16% for non-LGBT adults, according the Williams Institute
Market Watch
By Meera Jagannathan
February 24, 2021


An increasing share of Americans self-identify as LGBT, according to a new report released as the House was set to vote on legislation that would bar discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.
[…]
The bill’s expanded definition of “public accommodations” includes “places or establishments that provide (1) exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays (2) goods, services, or programs and (3) transportation services.”
In 2007 I went down to lobby for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that was before Congress but was stripped of protections for trans people when it was voted on in the House and there is still a chance of that happening now.

Here are some of the hurdles we have to get by…
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene hangs sign mocking congressional neighbor's transgender pride flag in Twitter spat
Greene hung a sign facing Rep. Marie Newman's office that says, "There are TWO genders: MALE &amp FEMALE. 'Trust The Science.'”
NBC News
By Rebecca Shabad
February 25, 2021


WASHINGTON — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., placed a sign outside her office Wednesday mocking Democratic Rep. Marie Newman, whose office sits across the hall, after Newman hung a transgender pride flag next to her door in protest over Greene's opposition to a LGBTQ rights bill.

Newman, who has a transgender daughter, tweeted a video of herself putting up the flag Wednesday after she said Greene tried to block the Equality Act on the House floor "because she believes prohibiting discrimination against trans Americans is ‘disgusting, immoral, and evil.’”

“Thought we’d put up our Transgender flag so she can look at it every time she opens her door,” Newman, of Illinois, wrote in the tweet.

In response, Greene tweeted her own video showing her putting up a large sign that says, “There are TWO genders: MALE &amp FEMALE. “Trust The Science.””

Earlier in the day, Greene attempted to block the legislation, which is set for consideration Thursday, with a motion to adjourn. She tweeted that the move was “to give every Member of Congress time to rethink destroying #WomensRights and #WomensSports and #ReligiousFreedom before voting for the #EqualityAct!”
But that is not all the opposition that we have for the Equality Act… the religious right is back to their usual cry of “Religious Freedom” to discriminate.
Bishops: If passed, Equality Act will 'discriminate against people of faith'
Catholic News Service
February 24, 2021


If the House of Representatives passes the Equality Act, its mandates will "discriminate against people of faith" by adversely affecting charities and their beneficiaries, conscience rights, women’s sports, "and sex-specific facilities," said the chairmen of five U.S. bishops' committees.

The bill, known as H.R. 5 and recently reintroduced in the House, also will provide for taxpayer funding of abortion and limit freedom of speech, the chairmen said in a Feb. 23 letter to all members of Congress.

H.R. 5 would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, the credit system and jury duty. The House was expected to vote on the measure before Feb. 26.

"Human dignity is central to what Catholics believe because every person is made in the image of God and should be treated accordingly, with respect and compassion," they said, "This commitment is reflected in the church’s charitable service to all people, without regard to race, religion or any other characteristic."
But… You know there is a but coming.
H.R. 5 "purports to protect people experiencing same-sex attraction or gender discordance from discrimination. But instead, the bill represents the imposition by Congress of novel and divisive viewpoints regarding 'gender' on individuals and organizations," they said.

"This includes dismissing sexual difference and falsely presenting 'gender' as only a social construct," they said. "As Pope Francis has reflected, however, 'biological sex and the sociocultural role of sex — gender — can be distinguished but not separated.'"
So that is a fancy way of saying that the want to be able to ignore the law and be allowed to discriminate against us.

There is a legal term that say if a law is neutral toward religion then it doesn’t violate the First Amendment.
...As long as the law was generally applicable to all religious and non-religious individuals alike, and neutral toward religion, meaning not intended to interfere with religious practice, the law met the requirements of the Free Exercise Clause...
But that is being tested in a Supreme Court case that the court heard last November and their verdict should be heard sometime before the end of June that could make all non-discrimination laws moot.

And if the court rules that you can discriminate against LGBTQ+ people does that apply to all protected classes? Could someone discriminate against a black person and claim “religious freedom?” or discriminate against a Muslim or a Jewish persons, wouldn’t that be a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment of equal treatment under the law?

With a 50/50 split in the Senate this bill will have a hard time getting passed unamended and who what will get added or stripped. The last time a bill was on the floor of Congress we got thrown under the bus.

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Well What Did You Expect?

From a church that backed slavery…
Southern Baptists oust 2 churches over LGBTQ inclusion
AP
By David Crary
February 23, 2021


The Southern Baptist Convention’s executive committee voted Tuesday to oust four of its churches, two over policies deemed to be too inclusive of LGBTQ people and two more for employing pastors convicted of sex offenses.

The actions were announced at a meeting marked by warnings from two top leaders that the SBC, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, was damaging itself with divisions over several critical issues including race.

“We should mourn when closet racists and neo-Confederates feel more at home in our churches than do many of our people of color,” said the SBC’s president, J.D. Greear, in his opening speech.

The two churches expelled for LGBTQ inclusion were St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, and Towne View Baptist Church, in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Now this is from a church that supported slavery and segregation. The pastor of the Georgia church thumbed his nose at them, jumping ship to another Baptist association.
Towne View’s pastor, the Rev. Jim Conrad, told The Associated Press last week that he would not appeal the ouster and plans to affiliate his church, at least temporarily, with The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which lets churches set their own LGBTQ policies.

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

LGBTQ+ Needs Assessment for Connecticut


The Connecticut Department of Health is conducting a needs survey of the LGBTQ+ population here in Connecticut starting tomorrow. The survey is being done at the request of the state legislature.

Why is it important to take the survey?

When legislators are writing legislation they need to know what part of the Connecticut LGBTQ+ community needs help the most and the only way to do that is by surveying the community, so please take 10 minutes or so to complete the survey. We need every Connecticut trans person to take the survey.

The kickoff ceremony is tomorrow at 1PM.

The zoom link is…

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85783949001?pwd=aUlka3ljcFBOWEZVSURsb01PbWM2QT09

While Trans People Sizzled, Texan’s Shivered!

I don’t anyone doesn’t know what happened Texas last week, but do you know what issues the legislature felt was more important than getting the power and water back on.

Now get ready for this…

Hint it wasn’t about the power grid or boiling water but…

It was that the Star Spangle Banner must play at public events!
Texas Republicans Prioritized Nonsense Over Winterizing The Energy Grid
HuffPost
By Roque Planas
February 23, 2021


AUSTIN, Texas ― Days before a winter storm plunged Texas into a prolonged freeze, bursting water pipes and cutting off electricity, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) announced a new legislative priority: All publicly funded events in the state would have to play the national anthem.

Barring special sessions, the Texas legislature meets only once every two years for five months, so Patrick’s priorities can crowd out other goals. That the archconservative, who presides over the state Senate, thought this issue merited the legislature’s limited bandwidth in the midst of a pandemic and widespread unemployment tells you everything you need to know about him.

Over the last week, as state leaders like Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott (R) called for investigations into the lapses behind the catastrophic failures that left millions without power, the Star-Spangled Banner Protection Act probably seemed a little less urgent, even to Patrick. But his inane choice of priorities wasn’t unusual. And it helps to understand how things went so wrong in Texas in the first place.
[…]
Instead, Republicans, who have controlled every statewide office and both houses of the legislature since 2003, have prioritized social battles like Patrick’s national anthem crusade. In their zeal, they’ve often neglected ho-hum tasks like winterizing the energy grid, against the advice they themselves commissioned. That lack of interest is the backdrop against which some 4 million Texans lost power at the height of the crisis, while many more were left without drinkable water and dozens died.
Okay so what does this has to do with trans people and issues. Well the last a disaster happened in Texas in 2017 they tried to pass an anti-trans bill.
In perhaps the most emblematic episode of Texas Republicans’ tendency to elevate phantom problems over real ones, legislators finished the 2017 session without taking action on a must-pass sunset bill to keep several state agencies from shutting down. (In Texas, the legislature must periodically vote to perpetuate most state agencies or they get abolished.) This happened not because legislators thought state agencies shouldn’t stay open, but because Patrick had a more urgent project: He wanted to pass a law forcing Texans to use the public restroom of the gender on their birth certificate.

Critics saw that measure as an attack on transgender people, many of whom don’t change their documents after transitioning because of the bureaucratic hurdles involved. Patrick contended that he was, in fact, targeting bathroom-switching sexual predators who, in his mind, could not be prosecuted hard enough under existing law.
Lets face it the Republicans hate us so much that they are will to let people die rather while they put the screws to us.

Back in the seventies and eighties the Republicans found that by attaching trans people, gays, lesbians, minorities, and to keep Christ in Christmas could get them vote and reining in polluters or regulating industry cost them campaign donations.

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

I Got Shot!

 I just got my second dose.

I got my shots in Middletown at CHC, I got there about 15 minutes early for my second vaccination and I was just sitting down and my butt didn’t even touch the chair when they called my name. I got my shot from a student nurse from UConn and then waited the15 minutes.

As I was sitting there waiting I looked around and everyone was staring at their smartphones as I was getting mine out to play solitaire. I was thinking that back in the old days we would be staring at the wall and twiddling our thumbs.

Right now I just have a sore arm and the sniffles.

My first shot back in January it was like "Old Home Week." There was a classmate UConn Social of Social Work, I medical student from Quinnipiac whose class where I did a guest lecture there a couple of years, and CHC employee who also attended a training I did at CHC for homeless people.

Today's shot there wasn't anyone there that I knew,


Monday, February 22, 2021

In Bed With The Oppressor

Sometimes you have to wonder how people can cozy up to people that hate and discriminate against us. We see this in other minority communities where people ignore all the negatives like Caitlyn Jenner but it least she has begun to see the light.
Jessica Watkins, An Oath Keeper Charged In The DC Attack, Fears Harsh Treatment Because She Is Transgender
Her attorney argues in a new court motion that she is no threat and should be allowed to go home with a monitoring device.
Buzzfeed
By Jessica Garrison, Ken Bensinger, and Zoe Tillman
February 21, 2021


Jessica Watkins, an Oath Keeper charged with conspiring to storm the US Capitol, has asked to be released from jail pending trial, alleging that she has been “treated harshly” and is at “particular risk in custody” because she is transgender. She also argues she is no threat to the public and went to the Capitol only because “she believed that the president of the United States was calling upon her.”

Watkins, 38, a former Army ranger who served in Afghanistan, was “forced out of the military after her sexual orientation was discovered,” her attorney wrote in a motion for home detention filed late Saturday. In the petition, Watkins alleged that while in a county jail in Ohio, she was stripped naked and left “in a cell with lights on 24 hours a day for 4 days in full view of everyone.” According to the attorney, that was a response to a hunger strike Watkins went on in a failed attempt to get medical attention for an injury to her arm.
[…]
A grand jury has indicted her and eight others associated with the extremist group the Oath Keepers on charges of descending upon the Capitol in “an organized and practiced fashion” to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election as president.

Watkins wore full tactical gear as she joined a line of Oath Keepers who pushed through the mob outside the Capitol, up the stairs, and finally inside the building. Prosecutors have obtained messages and videos in which she appeared to exult in what happened that day.
The question is why would she want to join a group that hates trans people?
Prosecutors have alleged that Watkins was part of an organized group of Oath Keepers and charge that they conspired to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.

Court filings indicate that as early as Nov. 9 — less than a week after the election — Watkins was sending text messages inviting people to her group’s basic training in Ohio, telling one person, "l need you fighting fit by innaugeration [sic]."
She is also the one who is claiming that she met with the Secret Service before the insurrection.
Oath Keeper claims she was VIP security at Trump rally before riot and says she met with Secret Service agents
CNN
By Katelyn Polantz, CNN
February 21, 2021


A leader in an alleged Oath Keepers conspiracy in the US Capitol insurrection claims she was given a VIP pass to the pro-Trump rally on January 6, had met with Secret Service agents and was providing security for legislators and others, including in their march to the Capitol, according to a new court filing.

Attorneys for Ohio Oath Keeper Jessica Watkins detail how the efforts among paramilitants who are now accused of conspiracy on January 6 were closer to the apparatus around then-President Donald Trump and his rally than was previously known.
The Secret Service said…
The US Secret Service, in response to Watkins' claims in the Saturday filing, denied that private citizens were working with the Secret Service to provide security on January 6.


"To carry out its protective functions on January 6th, the U.S. Secret Service relied on the assistance of various government partners. Any assertion that the Secret Service employed private citizens to perform those functions is false," a US Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement to CNN on Sunday.
Another scary part is that she was an Army Ranger who tried to overthrow the government because the people didn’t vote the way they wanted!

The Southern Poverty Law Center lists the Oath Keepers as an Extremists Group. 

Why do people join a white supremacist organization that hate them?



Update2/23/2021 @ 7:30 PM

Guess What? 

She lied…
CNN
By Katelyn Polantz, CNN
February 22, 2021


Jessica Watkins, a leader in an alleged Oath Keepers conspiracy in the US Capitol insurrection, changed her story Monday about meeting with Secret Service agents in describing her actions on January 6.

In a court filing over the weekend, Watkins said she was given a VIP pass to the Trump rally, had met with Secret Service agents and was providing security for legislators and others, including in their march to the Capitol.

But on Monday, Watkins took back some of those assertions, saying she had merely spoken with Secret Service members as she passed through security at the rally.

Watkins also continued to point a finger at rally organizers whom she felt had empowered her as a security presence for the private event, according to her court filing on Monday.
And it even gets weirder the Daily Beast reports that…
Prosecutors say Jessica Watkins should remain in detention because she’s been “charged with a federal crime of terrorism.”
By Pilar Melendez
February 23, 2021


In the days after Jessica Watkins stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 with her fellow Oath Keepers, prosecutors say, the Army veteran’s allegiance to the far-right paramilitary group only “calcified.”

The 38-year-old, who is accused of preparing and training for at least two months to “fight hand to hand” to take over the Capitol, was worried about the optics of the Oath Keepers after the insurrection—and talked about suing anyone “class-action style” who spoke out against the group.
[…]
Prosecutors deem Watkins a flight risk because she’s suggested she’s willing to go “underground if this coup [Biden election] works.”

Sunday, February 21, 2021

The Day Of Judgment

The haters met their day of judgment and lost, a California judge ruled against woman who was using hate speech on Twitter.
TERFs Don’t Have a Right to Be Transphobic on Twitter, Court Rules
Writer Meghan Murphy filed a lawsuit against Twitter after being banned for misgendering and deadnaming trans women. It was just thrown out.
Them
By Nico Lang
February 16, 2021


A California court ruled that Twitter was within its right to ban a TERF activist from its platform for violating policies on transphobic hate speech.

In a 42-page opinion published by the First District Appellate Court on January 22, a three-judge panel found that Twitter did not violate free speech laws when it deactivated the account of Meghan Murphy for referring to trans woman Jessica Yaniv as a “man” in a series of tweets and sharing her deadname. Murphy, the former founder of the website Feminist Current, further accused Yaniv of “trying to extort money” after filing a complaint against a Canadian salon that refused to perform a Brazilian wax on her.

Twitter claimed the remarks violated policies rolled out in November 2018 that prohibited users from misgendering or deadnaming trans people and barred Murphy from the platform for life.

After Murphy brought a lawsuit against Twitter in 2019, the social media giant claimed it was protected under Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which states that internet service providers cannot be held liable for the content of information shared through their services. While that law was written before the age of social media, it has since been interpreted as extending to companies like Twitter.

Writing for the court, Associate Justice Sandra L. Margulies agreed that Section 230 prevents Murphy from seeking damages from Twitter for deactivating her account. “The clear terms of Twitter’s user agreement preclude a claim for breach of contract based on the allegations of Murphy’s complaint,” she wrote.

Furthermore, the court found that Murphy’s complaint did not detail a “breach of a specific promise” but instead pertained to “attacks on Twitter’s interpretation and enforcement of its own general policies.”
There always seems that the conservatives always cry “First Amendment” when they are spewing their hate but they seem to have a mental block and can’t get it though their heads that the First Amendment only applies to the government. Also there are limits to “free speech” such as yelling “fire” in a movie theater but there are also “fighting words” and “hate speech” that the First Amendment does not protect, Cornell University Law School puts “fighting words” this way…
Fighting words are, as first defined by the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) in Chaplinsky v New Hampshire, 315 U.S. 568 (1942), words which "by their very utterance, inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace. It has been well observed that such utterances are no essential part of any exposition of ideas, and are of such slight social value as a step to truth that any benefit that may be derived from them is clearly outweighed by the social interest in order and morality."

Fighting words are a category of speech that is unprotected by the First Amendment. Further, as seen below, the scope of the fighting words doctrine has between its creation in Chaplinsky and the Supreme Court's interpretation of it today.
But unfortunately “hate speech” is not covered, Lawyers.com puts it this way,
The First Amendment guarantees the right to freedom of expression. Many Americans—from college students to journalists to legal scholars—believe that guarantee shouldn’t apply to hate speech. As they argue, hate speech tramples on the constitutional rights of its targets by insulting, threatening, or silencing them based on characteristics that are protected under antidiscrimination laws (such as ethnicity, religion, gender, or disability). After all, the U.S. Supreme Court has carved out First Amendment exceptions for certain kinds of particularly dangerous or harmful speech. But the Court hasn’t recognized an exception for hate speech, unless it falls under one of the other kinds of unprotected expression.
The ruling by the California court is a major victory for us in that it allows companies to block what they consider “hate speech.” So watch out when you click on “I agree” for those terms and conditions on contracts and websites, you might be giving up some of your rights.

~~~~~~~~~~

My laptop is going into the computer hospital today to get a good cleaning so I don’t know exactly when I will get it back so I might miss a couple of days posting.

Saturday, February 20, 2021

Saturday 9: Cry

Sam’s Saturday 9: Cry (1952)

On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun…


Unfamiliar with this song? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Johnnie Ray assures us we'll feel better if we cry. Do you agree?
There is nothing like a good cry.

2) He also mentions waking from a dream, believing it was real. Has that ever happened to you?
Nope, I’m with the group that cannot remember our dreams.

3) Because this record was such a massive hit, Johnnie Ray was nicknamed "The Prince of Wails." Without looking it up, do you know who is currently the Prince of Wales?
Hmm… I would say it is Prince Philp.

4) To cash in on the success of this single, 20th Century Fox cast Johnnie Ray in a big-budget musical, There's No Business Like Show Business. Today it's best remembered as a Marilyn Monroe movie. Have you seen many of Marilyn's films?
Some Like It Hot – I watched many, many times
Bus Stop – I only remember the title, I don’t remember if I did see it just that it is so well known.
The Seven Year Itch – Ditto

5) After graduating from high school, Johnnie worked at low-paying jobs, including bus boy and soda jerk. He found he made better tips when he began playing piano in restaurants. Have you ever worked for tips?
Nope.

6) In 1969, Johnnie was in the news a lot again because he performed with Judy Garland during her European tour and was best man at her wedding to Mickey Deans. Tell us what you wore to the most recent wedding you attended.
Yikes! That was something like sixteen years ago down in Asheville. I think it was a peasant top and Paisley Broomstick Skirt

7) In 1952, when this song was a hit, Mr. Potato Head made his debut. It was the first toy advertised on television. What TV commercial have you seen recently?
Probably some car ad or drug ad.
There is one drug ad that three women are driving all the coast and they suppose stop at a food to truck for Maine lobsters. But in the ad the sun is setting so it has to be on the west coast and I don't think that there Maine lobster trucks in California. Now if they were eating Dungeness crabs I think it would be more believable.

8) Also in 1952, chlorophyll was all the rage for banishing bad breath. Colgate led the way by adding it to their toothpaste. Do you use gum, mints, mouthwash, or breath strips?
Nope, nope, yup, and nope.

9) Random question -- Congratulations! You won a free three night/two day weekend for two in Las Vegas! The weather is predicted to be sunny and 65º each day you're there. It's 12:00 noon on your first day. Are we most likely to find you: a) gambling in the casino or b) having breakfast in bed or c) outside, enjoying the sun and the sights?
d) Out in the desert with my camera to photograph the sunrise in the desert.

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!

My laptop is going into the computer hospital today to get a good cleaning so I don’t know how many comments I will get to.

Friday, February 19, 2021

Crime And Punishment

[RANT]
We all heard the chants… “Lock her up!”

But is imprisonment the best alternative?

What do we want from our prison system?

Do we want revenge?

Do we want to reformed the individual from criminal or violent behavior?

What I want is to stop the crime and hate and I want to do it in the most humane way and I also realize one size doesn’t fit all. That we need a tailored approach to the justice system and we must recognize that our justice system isn’t perfect, that it makes mistakes.

One thing we also recognize is that the criminal justice system here in the United States is big business.

This past January a wrong was corrected, a woman who has been imprisoned for almost eighteen years was set free.
The judge added that it was “clear” that Ms. Jimenez would not have been convicted for the murder of 21-month-old Bryan Gutierrez, who she regularly babysat, at her original trial if false and misleading testimony had not been presented. The prosecution at her 2005 trial argued that Ms. Jimenez had forced the toddler to ingest paper towels, causing him to choke and sustain brain damage that led to his death. However, pediatric airway experts at the recent hearing before Judge Sage said that the medical evidence did not support the prosecution’s theory, and pointed to accidental choking.
The Innocence Project have freed hundreds and hundreds of falsely convicted people many of them on death row.

A Tale of Two States.

Connecticut is closing down it prisons…
Three Prison Closures Proposed
CT News Junkie
By Hugh McQuaid
February 10, 2021


State officials outlined plans to close three prisons during the coming two-year budget period Wednesday.

Prior to the release of Gov. Ned Lamont’s budget Wednesday, acting Correction Department Commissioner Angel Quiros told lawmakers his agency would likely close two correctional facilities. On Monday, Lamont announced that one of them would be the state’s only “supermax” prison, Northern Correctional in Somers.

During a budget briefing, Office of Policy and Management Secretary Melissa McCaw said the two-year budget counted on the closure of three prisons.

The state expects the closures to help focus staff and services on fewer facilities. McCaw said the savings from the agency amounted to $20 million in the first year and nearly $47 million in the second.

The budget director pointed to a historic drop in the number of people incarcerated in Connecticut. As of last month, there were 9,094 inmates in DOC custody. That’s down from more than 17,700 a decade ago.
Did you notice the last paragraph?

Connecticut also did away with the death sentence 2012 and the crime rate has been steady dropping so evidently the death penalty doesn’t deter crime.

Now lets look at Texas which has one of the highest numbers executions in the nation where is it ranked nationally in crimes.

USA Today ranked the state in violent crimes and murders…
46. Connecticut
  • Violent crime rate: 207.4 per 100,000 people
  • Total 2018 murders: 83 (18th lowest)
  • Imprisonment rate: 338 adults per 100,000 (13th lowest)
  • Poverty rate: 10.4% (10th lowest)
  • Most dangerous city: Hartford
Like several other nearby states in the New England region, Connecticut ranks among the safest places in the country. There were 207.4 violent crimes reported for every 100,000 state residents in 2018, the fifth least among states. As is often the case in areas with low violent crime, other types of crime are also relatively uncommon in Connecticut. There were 1,684 property crimes, such as motor vehicle theft and burglary, in the state for every 100,000 people in 2018 – well below the national rate of 2,199.5 per 100,000.

17. Texas
  • Violent crime rate: 410.9 per 100,000 people
  • Total 2018 murders: 1,322 (2nd highest)
  • Imprisonment rate: 746 adults per 100,000 (5th highest)
  • Poverty rate: 14.9% (11th highest)
  • Most dangerous city: Bellmead
Along with California, Texas is one of only two states in which there were more than 100,000 violent crimes committed in 2018. Adjusted for population, Texas's violent crime rate stands at 410.9 per 100,000 people, slightly higher than the national rate of 380.6 per 100,000.

Texas has one of the highest imprisonment rates in the country. There are 746 adults incarcerated in state and federal prisons in Texas for every 100,000 people, more than in all but four other states.
Evidently the chant “Lock them up!” doesn’t work.

Then lets look at the racial bias in the death penalty, the ACLU reported…
The color of a defendant and victim's skin plays a crucial and unacceptable role in deciding who receives the death penalty in America. People of color have accounted for a disproportionate 43 % of total executions since 1976 and 55 % of those currently awaiting execution…
[…]
The jurisdictions with the highest percentages of minorities on its death row:
  • U.S. Military (86%)
  • Colorado (80%)
  • U.S. Government (77%)
  • Louisiana (72%)
  • Pennsylvania (70%)
Not only is the death penalty racially unbalanced but it cost more that to incarcerate prisoners, the website Balance
The Bottom Line
The debate over whether or not to abolish the death penalty often centers around morality or its effectiveness in preventing crime. But the cost is another relevant factor. Because of its severity, death row and execution costs are an economic burden on government budgets. It's more cost-effective to commute death penalties to life imprisonment sentences without parole.
Then there is Trump’s executions and why did he go on a killing spree?
In Trump’s final days, a rush of federal executions
BBC News, Washington
By Holly Honderich
January 16, 2021


As President Donald Trump's days in the White House wane, his administration has been racing through a string of federal executions.

Five people have been executed in the run-up to President-elect Joe Biden's 20 January inauguration - breaking with an 130-year-old precedent of pausing executions amid a presidential transition.

They make Mr Trump the country's most prolific execution president in more than a century, overseeing the executions of 13 death row inmates since July of this year.

The five executions began with convicted killer 40-year-old Brandon Bernard who was put to death at a penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. They ended with the death of Dustin Higgs, 48, at the same site on 16 January.
Why?

Why did he go on a killing spree?
And the particular selection of inmates fuelled charges that the decision was politically motivated.

The first set of executions this summer - during a wave of anti-racism protests and demonstrations - were all of white men. Four of these five prisoners put to death were African American.

Ms Ndulue said she didn't think it was "coincidental" that no black prisoners were scheduled for execution during a period of "enhanced awareness of the racial disparities around the federal death penalty".

Research suggests the death penalty has been enforced differently according to race.
It is time to end this injustice where innocent people are executed, where race determines whether you live or die, and it is time to politically motivated executions.
[/RANT]

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Our Favorite Punching Bag

Caitlyn is back in the news again.
Caitlyn Jenner wants you to know she will not run to be the governor of California
Thank you very much

LGBTQ Nation
By Bil Browning
February 16, 2021


Caitlyn Jenner will not be running to be the next governor of California.

Jenner’s manager has squashed a rumor that Jenner, likely the most famous transgender woman in America, is considering a run for office if Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is recalled.

“Caitlyn is not running for governor, has never considered running for governor and is very happy doing the work that she is doing to promote LGBT rights and spending time with her 18 grandchildren and 10 children,” her manager, Sophia Hutchins said.
[…]
Jenner originally supported Trump’s run for office, but quickly cooled on him after he continued to attack transgender people throughout his administration.
That’s good to know but that is only a small part of the story.

Is she still a Republican? Will she support the Republican candidate or the Democratic governor?

I know a few trans people who voted for Republicans and some of them regretted it afterward but I always asked didn’t Trump mocking a handicap person turn them off? Didn’t his racism raise warning signs? Didn’t his attack on women, immigrants, and non-Christians scare you?

One thing that I think all the people who voted had in common was that they voted with their pocketbook. They saw the Republican party bigotry but they place pocketbook above the discrimination and the hate.

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Our Heroes!

Some times our heroes are lost in the new generations of trans people, most know about Sylvia Rivera but do not know about her friend Marsha.
Profiles in perseverance
You may not know their names. But these courageous Black Americans changed history.
CNN
By Harmeet Kaur
February 1, 2021


The late Marsha P. Johnson is celebrated today as a veteran of the Stonewall Inn protests, a pioneering transgender activist and a pivotal figure in the gay liberation movement. Monuments to her life are planned in New York City and her hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey.

During her lifetime, though, she wasn’t always treated with the same dignity.

When police raided the New York gay bar known as the Stonewall Inn in 1969, Johnson was said to be among the first to resist them. The next year, she marched in the city’s first Gay Pride demonstration.

But Johnson still struggled for full acceptance in the wider gay community, which often excluded transgender people.
She fought against the whitewashing and gaywashing of the Stonewall Uprising, she along with Sylvia Rivera were one of the leaders of the rebellion. They formed Gay Liberation Front (GLF), Worker’s World had this to say…
Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries
By Leslie Feinberg
Published Sep 24, 2006


Stonewall combatants Sylvia Rivera and Marsha “Pay It No Mind” Johnson—a Latin@ and an African American activist, respectively—took part in the early development of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) in the weeks after the 1969 Stonewall street battles. Both were self-identified drag queens.

While consciousness and attitudes toward transgender and transsexual activists was not uniform in GLF, the lesbian and gay front did not turn away trans people.

The Philadelphia GLF news letter COME OUT took the following written position in its August 1970 newsletter: “Gay Liberation Front welcomes any gay person, regardless of their sex, race, age or social behavior. Though some other gay organizations may be embarrassed by drags or transvestites, GLF believes that we should accept all of our brothers and sisters unconditionally.”

Rivera and Johnson were inspired by their experiences in the early militant gay liberation organizing and protests.

“STAR came about after a sit-in at Weinstein Hall at New York University in 1970,” Rivera explained to me, in an interview in 1998, four years before her death. The protest at NYU erupted after the administration cancelled planned dances there, reportedly because a gay organization was sponsoring the events. GLF, Radicalesbians and other activists held a sit-in at Weinstein Hall. They won the right to use the venue.

Rivera and Johnson saw the need to organize homeless trans street youth. Both Rivera and Johnson were themselves homeless and had to hustle on the streets for sustenance and shelter. “Marsha and I just decided it was time to help each other and help our other kids,” Rivera stated.

In 1970, the two formed Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR).
The CNN article ends with…
In 1992, Johnson’s body was found floating in the Hudson River. Police initially ruled her death a suicide but later agreed to reopen the case. It remains open to this day.

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

We Need More Allies Like Her

A couple of days ago I wrote about the anti-trans bills introduced around the country, well a lesbian has made a video on Tik Tok slamming Utah and it has gone viral.
Tik Tok video about Utah's bill barring transgender athletes in schools goes viral
KUTV
By Kelly Vaughen
February 14th 2021


SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A Tik Tok video about a bill moving through the Utah legislature is going viral. The creator of the video, Jen Hollins, said she has a degree in public policy and is involved in political Tik Tok.

Hollins has created videos about the election, social justice, but her recent video about Utah’s bill regarding transgender athletes has gotten a lot of attention.

She said she woke up to find hundreds of thousands of people who have seen and shared her video.

“Holy crap, what did I just do. And holy crap, maybe someone will listen,” she said.
[…]
In the video, Hollins discussed the bill and said it brings negative attention to Utah that could cause the state to lose revenue. She said that celebrity attention or a #BoycottUtah trending hashtag could have power.

“Because corporations really don’t want to be associated with transphobia,” she said in the video.
We need more allies!

We need allies because when allies speak people listen, we have an agenda while they speak from the heart.

If you look around the country you will find that our wins were helped by allies, they stood shoulder to shoulder with us and they made a difference for us.

When I get asked “What can we do to help?” I say speak up. The former director of True Colors had a saying… When you hear mean, intervene.

Monday, February 15, 2021

A Broad Targeted Attack

What we are seeing is an attack never before seen, it is unprecedented.

Something like forty states have introduced multiple anti-trans bills, many of them are against our most vulnerable community members: our youth! The bills mainly focus on healthcare and athletics, some of the other targets are teaching diversity and books on library shelves. Here in Connecticut there three bills targeted trans athletes.

In the past years our bathrooms have been targeted but when that failed they looked for other chinks in our armor and they think that they found it in a court decision in Britain where a court blocked trans children from transitioning until they reached the age of consent (That was what the anti-trans protest was about yesterday.).

Take a look at what they are saying about President Biden’s trans policy…
‘Pushing children into transgenderism.’ Biden’s pro-LGBT orders decried by MS governor
News & Observer via Yahoo
By Tanasia Kenney
February 5, 2021


Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves didn’t mince words in his rebuke of President Joe Biden’s executive action aimed at combating discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

The order, signed on Biden’s first day in office, provides sweeping protections for LGBTQ+ individuals and mandates that transgender athletes be allowed to participate in team sports based on their gender identification — a move Reeves decried as a “radical social experiment.”
[...]
Bills that would bar transgender youth from participating in school sports have been introduced in Mississippi, Texas, Kentucky and Tennessee, among other states, the newspaper reported, citing a report by the American Civil Liberties Union. Lawmakers in South Carolina, Iowa, Indiana and Alabama are also pushing to limit access to gender-affirming health care to transgender individuals younger than 21.
You can add Connecticut to list of states with bills banning trans athletes, New Hampshire the Republicans have introduced both, a bill banning trans athletes and a bill to prevent doctors from treating us.

In Tennessee they are disregarding the president orders.
Lee denounces Biden executive order, says transgender athletes ‘will destroy women’s sports’
Tyler Morning Telegraph
By Vivian Jones
February 10, 2021


(The Center Square) – Responding to a bill in the Tennessee Legislature that would ban transgender individuals from participating in girls' middle school and high school athletics, Gov. Bill Lee said Wednesday that trans participation would “destroy women’s sports.”

Speaking to reporters at the state Capitol on Wednesday, Lee stopped short of voicing support for a Tennessee bill that would prohibit trans students from participating in middle and high school girls’ athletics, but he spoke to the issue.
[…]
Lee said the Tennessee bill came about as a result of a recent executive order by President Joe Biden specifically allowing transgender athletes to participate in school sports. Lee called the Biden executive order “tremendous overreach of the federal government.”

House Bill 3, sponsored by Culleoka Republican Scott Cepicky, is framed on an almost identical bill by Cepicky that passed the House, 73-13, last June. HB 3 advanced through the K-12 House Education Subcommittee on Tuesday.
I think that we are going to see a legal battle between the federal government and the states over trans rights.

Then in Utah they are pulling trans books from the library’s shelves.
School pulls book about transgender boy after complaints
Salt Lake Tribune – Associated Press
By Courtney Tanner,
February 14, 2021


MURRAY, Utah (AP) — A Murray teacher read a book about a transgender child to a class of third graders last month — which set off a backlash from parents. In response, the school district has now suspended a program aimed at introducing kids to more diverse and inclusive literature.

The uproar started when a student at Horizon Elementary brought a copy of “Call Me Max” from home and asked the teacher to read it aloud during story time. The book is an illustrated account of a young transgender boy who educates his own teacher and classmates about his identity.

It starts with the teacher taking attendance. “Can you call me Max?” the boy asks, noting that his name on the roll doesn’t match how he sees himself.
They are also doing away with the diversity council,
Murray School District will also be suspending its Diversity Equity Council, which worked on the equity book bundles, to examine the mission and work of the group. It was formed in 2019 to address issues of employee equity and complaints of mistreatment.
And this is what one Republican legislator thinks of us.
Arizona legislator compares transgender people to farm animals
Republican state Rep. John Fillmore made the comment when he introduced a bill that would ban nonbinary gender markers on state IDs.
NBC News
By Jo Yurcaba
February 13, 2021


An Arizona state representative is facing an ethics complaint after he compared transgender people to farm animals at a Wednesday committee hearing.

The hearing was for House Bill 2725, which would require state identification documents to contain only a male or female gender marker. The bill pre-emptively bans nonbinary people, who are neither exclusively male nor female, from using gender-neutral X markers on their IDs, even though Arizona law doesn’t currently permit that.
[…]
"What’s going to happen when someday someone wakes up and they want to go to a far extreme and identify as a chicken or something, for crying out loud,” he added. “Where do we draw the line?”

Megan Mogan, who is the mom of a 15-year-old nonbinary child and testified against the bill Wednesday, said Fillmore’s comment was dehumanizing.
Where will the Republicans strike next? Your state? Your town? Your school systems?

Sunday, February 14, 2021

Press Release...

This afternoon there was a protest against trans children healthcare by a little known group and here is the press release from the Connecticut TransAdvoacy Coalition against the protest...

February 14, 2020

For Immediate Release:

We at the Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition (CTAC) are strongly committed to supporting our transgender, non-binary, gender diverse, and gender-nonconforming youth, and so denounce a protest happening today at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. This protest, happening from 1:00 to 2:00 pm at the Washington Street entrance of the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, supports harmful and scientifically inaccurate rhetoric that denounces the use of gender-affirming medicine, and in particular, puberty blockers, for youth. Such rhetoric is a threat to the health, happiness and essential human rights of transgender, non-binary, gender diverse, and gender-nonconforming youth.

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), a leading health organization for transgender healthcare, routinely produces international clinical protocols outlining the recommended assessment and treatment for transgender, non-binary, gender diverse and gender-nonconforming individuals. Puberty suppressing hormones have long been tested and used to benefit youth, as they are a safe and effective way to provide youth with more time to explore their gender, and to prevent the traumatic experience of undergoing a puberty that does not fit with their own experience, and which may make unnecessary bodily changes which may require extensive treatment to address. Puberty suppressing hormone treatment is also endorsed by impartial medical organizations, such as the Endocrine Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Contrary to what proponents argue, these treatments are not only safe, but life-saving for transgender, non-binary, gender diverse and gender non-conforming youth. A 2020 study in the Journal of Pediatrics found that gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth is associated with better mental health in adulthood. This study adds to a growing amount of peer-reviewed, evidence-based research that tells us what we at CTAC, and our communities, already know: gender-affirming medicine is not only crucial for our communities, it is an essential human right for all transgender, non-binary, gender diverse and gender non-conforming individuals. 

In the coming weeks, CTAC will be connecting with other organizations in Connecticut to reaffirm our commitment to our youth population. With the recent blow to the rights of transgender athletes in Connecticut and the specific targeting of the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center for this national protest, it is clear that those who oppose the rights of transgender, non-binary, gender diverse and gender non-conforming individuals now see Connecticut as a battleground state for lawsuits and policies that they hope to take nationwide. We must come together to protect and support some of our most vulnerable community members: our youth! Please follow CTAC’s website and social media for future releases.


When Laws Punish The Innocent And The Most Vulnerable

When I wrote this yesterday and this morning I didn’t realize that it was going to hit so close to home so fast!

This afternoon the conservatives are attacking healthcare for our children here in Connecticut! They are protesting the doctor here in Connecticut who treats trans children.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are seeing a rash of laws being introduced of causing physical and mental harm to children, that do not care for a child’s safety but rather for political gain. It is being used as a wedge issue to rally their anti-LGBTQ+ base and in one case we are being stabled in the back by a gay legislator.
Cop with trans daughter pleas for lawmakers not to criminalize her “hero” doctor
The law would give 10 years in prison to doctors who help transgender youth. "You’re asking me to someday put handcuffs on these people that are heroes in my life? Please don’t ask me to do that."
LGBTQ Nation
By Juwan J. Holmes
February 12, 2021


A police officer in Alabama stood up before a committee of lawmakers considering a proposal to criminalize doctors who provide gender affirming health care for transgender young people, asking them not to pass the bill into law.

Sgt. David Fuller of the Gadsden Police Department testified before the state’s House Judiciary Committee during a hearing on H.B. 1, or the “Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act,” which would make it a felony punishable with 10 years in prison for a health care professional to provide gender-affirming care for a minor.

During a public hearing held on February 10, Fuller explained to the committee that intervening in the relationship between a patient, their parents, and their doctors would hurt more than it would help.
The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey found…
Participants who had a professional try to stop them from being transgender were:
  • Far more likely to currently be experiencing serious psychological distress (47%) than those who did not have the experience (34%).
  • More likely to have attempted suicide (58%) than those who did not have the experience (39%).
Having proper healthcare for trans children reduces the risk of harmful behavior,
Puberty blockers linked to lower suicide risk for transgender people
The finding suggests that a major — and politically controversial — aspect of trans health care for minors could help reduce the community’s disproportionate suicide risk.
NBC News
By Tim Fitzsimons
January 20, 2020


Transgender individuals who received puberty blockers during adolescence have a lower risk of suicidal thoughts as adults than those who wanted the medication but could not access them, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Pediatrics.

“These results align with past literature, suggesting that pubertal suppression for transgender adolescents who want this treatment is associated with favorable mental health outcomes,” the study states.

The finding suggests that a major — and politically controversial — aspect of transgender health care for minors could help reduce the trans community’s disproportionate risk of suicide.

“Puberty blockers” are a type of reversible medication injection or implant that pause puberty. These drugs are prescribed to children who experience early onset puberty and for transgender youth experiencing gender dysphoria. Natural puberty resumes when the injection wears off or the implant is removed.
But Republican legislators don’t care about increasing the risks to trans youth. They ignore scientific research but instead focus on the fake news and emotions. An article in Healio said,
Two professional endocrine societies are formally opposing legislative efforts to block transgender people from accessing gender-affirming medical and surgical care, after dozens of state bills threatened to criminalize such therapies.
[…]
In December, the Endocrine Society and the Pediatric Endocrine Society released a joint policy perspective, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, affirming the need for evidence-based policies that include physician input.
But still the Republican onslaught continues.

Puberty blocker or Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) have been around for a very long time and the Republicans are trying to say they this is a new untried drug. GnRH was discovered in 1971 and has been used to delay puberty in children with precocious puberty… once again it is just another Republican lie.

And in Utah a Republican gay man introduced...
GOP LGBT Activist says Utah transgender bill held for fear of 'blacklash'
KUTV
By Brian Mullahy
February 13, 2021


SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Another transgender measure at the state Capitol could be even more controversial than a proposed ban on transgender athletes in girls’ sports, and a GOP gay activist said on Friday that fear of “backlash” has prompted lawmakers to hold up the bill.

“They are afraid of getting this bill out of the Rules Committee,” said Ryan Woods, president of Utah Log Cabin Republicans, an LGBT group in the party, “because they know they’ll receive backlash.”

House Bill 92 would make it “unprofessional conduct” for doctors to perform sex reassignment surgery on minors or provide “puberty inhibitors” to them.

“We support this bill because it is not so much about transgender rights and LGBT issues, as it is about protecting children,” said Woods. “We would never allow a parent to give a child a tattoo. We have age limits on smoking, drinking, voting.”
There is no limit to the LGBTQ+ hate that the Republicans have shown and their focus on the most vulnerable members of the LGBTQ+ community, those who cannot defend themselves all for political gain. It has been shown that without proper medical care the risk of self-harm increases.

~~~~~~~~

While I was researching this post I found a Consumer Reports article support us!

Saturday, February 13, 2021

Shoes – I Remember.

This morning I was reading Yahoo news when I came across this news article…
High Heels Sales Dropped 71% in 2020 — Will We Ever Go Back?
Sales of dress shoes, including heels, went down 71% in the second quarter of 2020, according to fashion site Glossy. As the world approaches the one-year anniversary of working from home, will women really go back to teetering around an office in stilettos? And, perhaps more importantly, will they be required to in order to be taken seriously and get ahead in their careers?
And I remembered the time that John from Glamour Boutique up in Auburn MA came down to talk at the support group. He was always more than eager to make the hour drive at night to talk to us.

That night he told us about the time he went down to a shoe convention in Los Vegas, he was visiting various shoe manufactures booths. When he stopped at one booth and he said that he was interested in sizes 10 through 14, the salesman asked him why so large of sizes? John replied that they were for crossdressers, the salesman step back and told just we don’t take orders from “those people.”

Well John was used to those replies and he said that he wanted to buy 500 pairs.

The salesman paused, thought for a moment and replied ‘What colors and styles are you interests in?”

Our money talks… nobody walks.

I find this is true in many things that I come across, many of a salesperson overcomes their initial hesitancy and realize a sale is a sale.

As for high heels…
Maybe dressing for a special event will always be a thing. But younger women still aren't willing to feel foot pain for professional or romantic gain. Think back to Sarah Jessica Parker and her Sex and the City gang strolling in their LBD's and sky-high Manolos; it's hard to imagine today's SJP-esque friend group willing to risk New York City potholes for some idealized feminine look.
[…]
"High heels are dead. I threw out half my shoes, good riddance," says Kenner. She's currently finishing a master's degree to work as a registered dietician with a more relaxed dress code of boots, jeans, and sweaters. "Fashion is just a reflection of societal ideals," she adds. "[Our generation] wants to do our own thing."
I think in the younger generation is turning off to high heels, work can no longer require high heels, the Supreme Court liberated us, and as the younger generation enters the work force you will start seeing low heel pumps and comfortable shoes.

One of the things that I noticed when I transitioned was that women shoes have thin soles, when you walk over those rubber bumps at crosswalks you can feel everyone of them, while men’s shoes have thicker soles and you don’t feel the bumbs as much.

P.S. I found the article on Facebook “Yes She Can” with over 284 comments and a lively debate for and against heals.

Saturday 9: My Valentine

Sam’s Saturday 9: My Valentine (2011)

On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun…


Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Paul McCartney sings that he won't let a day go by without remembering why he loves his valentine. What blessings are you thankful for today?
Making it through 2020

2) Paul directed the video of Natalie Portman translating his song into American Sign Language (ASL), which is the third most commonly-used language in both the United States and Canada. British Sign Language (BSL), commonly used in EU countries, is very different. Do you find it easy to learn new languages?
No, I have a hard enough time learning English.

Back in college I decided to learn ASL but I am so bad at spelling that when I tried to spell a word I usually got a quizzical look… Hun?

3) The song is on Paul's Kisses on the Bottom CD, for which he won one of his 18 Grammy Awards. What compliment or accolade have you recently received?
I have no idea. Probably from my brother.

4) Paul is an honorary NYPD detective. He was given this designation for performing a charity concert after 9/11. Do you know anyone in law enforcement?
My uncle, he was very high in the city police department and reported directly to the mayor.

But he did get me out of a jury one time for a murder trial. The judge asked the prospective jurors during the voir dire, “Do you know any police officers?” and I replied, “Yes your honor, my uncle is a police officer.” You are dismissed.

5) Bob Dylan has said of Paul, "I'm in awe of McCartney. He's about the only one I'm in awe of. He can do it all. He never lets up. He's just so effortless." Tell us about someone whose talent you admire.
Someone who can play an instrument or sing. I am tone deaf and cannot carry a beat.

This is the last Saturday 9 before Valentine's Day and so this morning we shall focus on the upcoming holiday.

6) The holiday is also known as The Feast of St. Valentine. Do you have a special meal planned for February 14?
Naw. It is just another commercial day that businesses created to sell cards, flowers, and chocolate.

7) The phrase "wear your heart on your sleeve" began in medieval times. On Valentine's Day, men would celebrate the holiday by displaying their lady love's name on their sleeves. If you were going to adopt this custom, whose name would you wear?
My mother… Aww, she passed away in 2002.

8) Women buy and send more Valentines than men do. Who received the last greeting card you sent?
It was a Christmas card to my cousin’s wife.

9) Men buy and send more roses at Valentine's Day than women do. What's your favorite flower?
Lilacs, I have a bush right outside my bedroom window and in the spring it smells so good.

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!

Friday, February 12, 2021

Another Fine Mess

[RANT]

“Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into.” That was what Oliver Hardy said to Stan Laurel and the same can be said for the politicians.
Outdated computer system exploited in Florida water treatment plant hack
Investigators are still trying to determine who's behind the hack.
ABC News
ByJosh Margolin and Ivan Pereira
February 11, 2021


An outdated version of Windows and a weak cybersecurity network allowed hackers to access a Florida wastewater treatment plant's computer system and momentarily tamper with the water supply, federal investigators revealed in a memo obtained by ABC News.

The FBI's Cyber Division on Tuesday notified law enforcement agencies and businesses to warn them about the computer vulnerabilities, which led to the Bruce T. Haddock Water Treatment Plant in Oldsmar being hacked on Feb. 5.

The plant's computer systems were using Windows 7, which hasn't received support or updates from Microsoft in over a year, according to the FBI.
Okay why were they using ancient computers?

If this went undetected it would a thousand time worst than Flint Michigan!

Let’s take a look at the Root Cause of the hack.

First question: Why were they using a legacy computer?
Answer: This is a regulated utility, their budget needs to be approved by a political appointed commission. So the utility had make one of two choices, they are caught between a rock and a hard place. They can either take the funds from another project or increase the budget.

How do you think a board of political appointees of raising taxes? So the water treatment plant us twenty year old computers and software. Magnify this all across the country, every water treatment plant in the nation is affected!

But it is not only water treatment plants but all unities and transportation network.
  • Did you know that one of the oldest railroad bridges are here Connecticut was built in 1907! It is the Connecticut river bridge, and it is the oldest bridge between New York and Boston.
  • Did you know that the FAA is using 40 year old computers?
  • Did you know that the Interstate system was built in the 50’s, 60s, and 70s.
  • Did you know that the electrical grid was also built around that time frame 50s-60s.
But what politician wants to raise taxes, which ever party raised the taxes that other party will attack them.

But the infrastructure needs up dating! There is no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

I am a big fan of Keynesian Economics which went out of favor with Reagan's Trickle Down Theory.
Keynesian economics is a macroeconomic economic theory of total spending in the economy and its effects on output, employment, and inflation. Keynesian economics was developed by the British economist John Maynard Keynes during the 1930s in an attempt to understand the Great Depression. Keynesian economics is considered a "demand-side" theory that focuses on changes in the economy over the short run. Keynes’s theory was the first to sharply separate the study of economic behavior and markets based on individual incentives from the study of broad national economic aggregate variables and constructs.

Based on his theory, Keynes advocated for increased government expenditures and lower taxes to stimulate demand and pull the global economy out of the depression. Subsequently, Keynesian economics was used to refer to the concept that optimal economic performance could be achieved—and economic slumps prevented—by influencing aggregate demand through activist stabilization and economic intervention policies by the government.
In other words… Priming the pump.

So if we spend money on rebuilding our infrastructure the economy will grow.

But where do we get the tax dollars to rebuild it?

So here is Diana’s Economic Recovery Plan.

First where do we get the tax dollars? Well we did it once and we can do it again, we racked up a huge debt from World War II. That war was fought on a credit card. Tax brackets went actually as high as 90%! So lets bring them back, start stepping the tax brackets say around a million dollars of income. I am a firm believer in “Use Tax” to a certain extent like tolls and a gas tax. Also bring back the estate tax! The Republicans call it “The Death Tax” but I like to call it “The No Dynasty Tax” When Trump dies do you want his kids to inherit billions of dollars and pass along Trump’s dynasty? Because that is what will happen, I say tax estates above say a million dollars, that is about 15% of the population so the other 85% will not be taxed at all.

Take those dollars and,
  • Give a portion to those making under $60,000… give them a tax cut.
  • Use a portion to pay off our huge debt.
  • Use the remainder to rebuild the infrastructure, putting people to work… or priming the pump.
[/RANT]

The Drought Is Over

It has been a long four years, along the way we lost some in those four years but we now have exited the house of horrors.
HUD To Probe Housing Bias Cases Involving Sexual Orientation Or Gender Identity
WNPR
By Laurel Wamsley
February 11, 2021


The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Thursday it will begin enforcing the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The move follows an executive order signed by President Biden on his first day in office instructing agencies to enforce prohibitions on such discrimination.
[…]
HUD received 197 claims of discrimination involving sexual orientation or gender identity over the past year, a spokesperson told NPR.

Studies have shown that transgender individuals and same-sex couples are more likely to be discriminated against when seeking rental housing. But fair housing laws have not been interpreted to cover such cases in the past.

HUD says the legal basis for the memorandum is the Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, in which the court held that discrimination against LGBTQ people is sex discrimination. Biden's order interprets that 2020 ruling to mean LGBTQ people are also protected in the areas of health care, housing and education.
Back in late 2016 and early 2017 I was doing diversity training for homeless shelters, we had a team that went around the state doing the training and one person on the team was from HUD. One day in 2017 the woman from HUD emailed us and said she was ordered off the team.

Now sanity has returned.



Some more anti-trans bills...
By Yue Stella Yu
February 10, 2021