A Look Into The Past

Trans people have been around since the beginning of time, here is a look into our past in Paris.

By  Christer Strömholm

Transgender Women On The Streets Of Paris In The 1950s And 1960s
"These are images of people whose lives I shared and whom I think I understood" - Christer Strömholm
FlashBak
By Karen Strike
June 1, 2015


In the 1950s and early 1960s Swedish photographer Christer Strömholm took these gorgeous photographs of transgender women in Paris. The women were pictured on the streets around Place Blanche and Pigalle where Strömholm was living.

Strömholm compiled the pictures in his 1983 book Les Amies de Place Blanche. He wrote:

“This is a book about the quest for self-identity, about the right to live, about the right to own and control one’s body. …These are images of people whose lives I shared and whom I think I understood.”
[…]
These beautiful ladies dreamt of travelling to Casablanca to undergo surgery. The outcome of a transformation started a long time ago. These women were biologically born as men. They lived here, in the place Blanche neighbourhood. They worked in cabarets, sang, did stripteases. They were outspoken and they answered back immediately to the public, it was a typical Parisian tradition. A cocky and saucy sense of humour.

They earned 60 French francs a day, enough to pay for the food and the hotel room but not enough to afford the 40,000 francs surgery. The streets were their only solution. Some of them had loyal customers, others stood in the same place on the street. Here, prostitution was part of the neighbourhood life. A way to survive.
[…]
Gina, she had surgery at the Clinique du Parc in Casablanca. She came back to place Blanche with a new identity. She bought herself a small white sports car and an apartment. A few years later, she died of cancer

I remember reading an article in Newsweek or Time about Casablanca, that was the only place back them did Gender Confirming Surgery.

Six transsexuals lived on my floor. Each of us rented a room for the month. Some had gas, which allowed us to cook a little. We remained quiet, in our respective homes. We had turned the day into night. It was in these moments that Cobra and others broke taboos by wearing skirts.

Every once in awhile there would be an article in a magazine about trans people back in the 60s and 70s that I would go out and buy. I remember going out to buy a copy of Playboy that had an article about Caroline "Tula" Cossey (I still have that issue) and then going out to buy her book. Cosmopolitan has an article about the article in Playboy…

In the early 1980s, Caroline "Tula" Cossey was living the dream of every aspiring model. She was cast to play a Bond girl in the film For Your Eyes Only alongside Roger Moore. To accompany the film's release, she appeared in a spread for Playboy, featuring her and other Bond girls from the film.

Then, just as the Bond movie came out, a tabloid called News of the World outed Cossey against her will in a headline that read "James Bond Girl Was a Boy." The tabloid's headline sparked a media firestorm and Cossey was thrust into the spotlight as a trailblazer. She instantly became a role model for trans women. Since then, Cossey carried on with her acting and modeling, making it into the pages of Playboy once again in 1991 as well as penning two autobiographies.

Good Riddance

The outgoing Secretary of Education just passed an edict that flies in the face of the Supreme Court, totally ignoring the court’s ruling last spring.

Title IX Protections Apply Only to ‘Biological Sex,’ Education Department Memo Says
Ed Week
By Mark Walsh
January 10, 2021


The U.S. Department of Education has released an internal memorandum from its acting general counsel that stakes out the view that “sex” in Title IX refers only to biological sex, and that schools do not violate the law by refusing to allow transgender students to use restrooms and locker rooms or participate in athletics consistent with their gender identity.

Did you catch that?

The “...that “sex” in Title IX refers only to biological sex” this is from their top lawyer!

Now I am not a lawyer and most of you are probably lot lawyer either but read what the Supreme Court said about Title VII that uses the exact same language as Title IX…

The court found that the statute’s message for these cases “is equally simple and momentous: An individual’s homosexuality or transgender status is not relevant to employment decisions. That’s because it is impossible to discriminate against a person for being homosexual or transgender without discriminating against that individual based on sex.”

But still the Secretary of Education and her lawyer totally ignored the court. The Ed Week article went on to say,

“[B]ased on controlling authorities, we must give effect to the ordinary public meaning at the time of enactment and construe the term ‘sex’ in Title IX to mean biological sex, male or female,” says the Jan. 8 memorandum from Reed D. Rubinstein, the department’s principal deputy general counsel, to Kimberley M. Richey, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights. “Congress has the authority to rewrite Title IX and redefine its terms at any time. To date, however, Congress has chosen not to do so.”

The Education Department released the memo publicly less than two weeks before President Donald Trump’s term in office ends.

The article also cites the court ruling.

The memo is “is unconscionable and legally flawed,” said a statement from Alphonso David, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington-based LGBTQ rights organization.
[…]
Rubinstein, in the memo, stresses that the high court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Ga., concerned Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which covers sex discrimination and certain other forms of workplace bias, and that the ruling did not construe Title IX, a law that primarily concerns discrimination against students.

These conservatives just hate us and are trying to wiggle around the law...

On restrooms and locker rooms, Rubinstein said the Education Department’s controlling 1970s-era Title IX regulations permit “schools to provide separate bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers ‘on the basis of sex,’ as long as the school provides comparable facilities for ‘each sex.’”

The memo continues: “Therefore, we believe the plain ordinary public meaning of the controlling statutory and regulatory text requires a recipient providing ‘separate toilet, locker room, and shower facilities on the basis of sex’ to regulate access based on biological sex.”

The thing is that they do not consider us to be women or men which the Supreme Court does.

Thank fully there is only nine days left to Trump’s term and then sanity returns.

We Need Answers!

I think that why the Pentagon withheld National Guard troops from being sent to defend the Capitol building needs to be investigated?

Maryland Governor Says Pentagon ‘Repeatedly Denied’ Approval To Send National Guard To Capitol

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday that the Department of Defense “repeatedly denied” to authorize deployment of Maryland’s National Guard troops to help quell violence at the Capitol on Wednesday.

Forbes

By Andrew Solender

January 7, 2021

Hogan said during a press conference that he convened an emergency meeting of his “unified command team” when he was informed of a mob of Trump supporters descending on the Capitol as lawmakers attempted to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

Hogan says he mobilized 200 “specially trained” state troopers and instructed Maj. Gen. Timothy Gowen, the general of the Maryland National Guard, to mobilize his troops.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Hogan from an “undisclosed bunker” and were “pleading” with him for assistance from his state and national forces, the governor said.

However, Hogan, who requires the Department of Defense’s authority to mobilize his National Guard troops, said he was “repeatedly denied” approval to do so from the Pentagon despite being “ready, willing and able” to assist.

The Pentagon was so eager to use them against the Black Lives Movement and to clear the streets for Trump's photo op with the Bible but refused to use them to prevent the destruction of the Capitol building.

But their hands were tied because of new orders...

Pentagon placed limits on D.C. Guard ahead of pro-Trump protests due to narrow mission

The Washington Post

By Paul Sonne, Peter Hermann and Missy Ryan

January 7, 2021

The Pentagon placed tight limits on the D.C. National Guard ahead of pro-Trump protests this week, trying to ensure the use of military force remained constrained, as the Guard carried out a narrow, unarmed mission requested by the city’s mayor to help handle traffic ahead of planned protests.

In memos issued Monday and Tuesday in response to a request from the D.C. mayor, the Pentagon prohibited the District’s guardsmen from receiving ammunition or riot gear, interacting with protesters unless necessary for self-defense, sharing equipment with local law enforcement, or using Guard surveillance and air assets without the defense secretary’s explicit sign-off, according to officials familiar with the orders. The limits were established because the Guard hadn’t been asked to assist with crowd or riot control.

The D.C. Guard was also told it would be allowed to deploy a quick-reaction force only as a measure of last resort, the officials said.

[…]

On the call [The call was from the Capitol Police and city officials], Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sund was asked whether he wanted help from the National Guard. “There was a pause,” one of the D.C. officials said. And Sund said yes. “Then there was another pause, and an official from the [office of the] secretary of the Army said that wasn’t going to be possible.”

The Army official — who was speaking on behalf of the secretary of the Army, who was de facto commanding the D.C. Guard but was not on the call — said the “optics” of soldiers inside the Capitol building was not something they wanted, the two District officials said.

Was that why Trump fired the Pentagon's senior defense officials and installs loyalists back in November, to prevent the Guard from helping to still  the uprising? Was that also why he replaced Secretary of Defense Mark Esper with Christopher Miller.

‘Devastating’: Top Pentagon leadership gutted as fears rise over national securityTrio of resignations follow defense secretary's firing.

Politico

By Lara Seligman and Daniel Lippman

November 10, 2020

The firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper kicked off a rapid-fire series of high-level departures at the Pentagon on Tuesday, setting off alarms on Capitol Hill that the White House was installing loyalists to carry out President Donald Trump’s wishes during an already tense transition.

In quick succession, top officials overseeing policy, intelligence and the defense secretary’s staff all had resigned by the end of the day Tuesday, replaced by political operatives who are fiercely loyal to Trump and have trafficked in “deep state” conspiracy theories.

The firings raised alarm bells.

Trump administration removes senior defense officials and installs loyalists, triggering alarm at Pentagon

CNN

By Barbara Starr, Zachary Cohen and Ryan Browne

November 13, 2020

The Trump administration has carried out sweeping changes atop the Defense Department's civilian leadership structure, removing several of its most senior officials and replacing them with perceived loyalists to the President.

The flurry of changes, announced by the Department of Defense in a statement roughly 24 hours after President Donald Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper, has put officials inside the Pentagon on edge and fueled a growing sense of alarm among military and civilian officials, who are concerned about what could come next.

Four senior civilian officials have been fired or have resigned since Monday, including Esper, his chief of staff and the top officials overseeing policy and intelligence. They were replaced by perceived Trump loyalists, including a controversial figure who promoted fringe conspiracy theories and called former President Barack Obama a terrorist.

Was Trump planning the invasion of the Capitol as far back as November?

Was this supposed to be a coup d'é·tat on Wednesday?

Was Trump going to declare marshal law over the violence that he stirred-up at the Capitol and seize power?

We need answers.

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Then the Republican Attorneys General Association sent out robocalls for the rally the day before…

Republican AGs group sent robocalls urging march to the Capitol

“At 1 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal,” said the voice on the recording, which was obtained by NBC News.

NBC News

By Laura Strickler and Lisa Cavazuti

January 8, 2021

An arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, a national group representing the top law enforcement officers in their states, sent out robocalls encouraging people to march to the U.S. Capitol the day before the building was stormed by a pro-Trump mob.

“At 1 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal,” said the voice on the recording, which was obtained by NBC News.

The calls, which did not advocate violence or suggest the building should be breached, was sent out by the Rule of Law Defense Fund, a fundraising arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association. The groups share funding, staff and office space in Washington, D.C.

The person who runs the fund said this…

“I was unaware of unauthorized decisions made by RLDF staff with regard to this week’s rally,” said Marshall, who assumed his role Nov. 10. “Despite currently transitioning into my role as the newly elected chairman of RLDF, it is unacceptable that I was neither consulted about nor informed of those decisions. I have directed an internal review of this matter.”

Now consider this… these are the people who enforce the law, these are the people who prosecute criminals and they are endorsing fraudulent claims of voter fraud! They know it is a fraud and now they took part in furthering the lie and fraud which resulted in death of a police officer and the destruction of  the Capitol.

We Are The Boogeyman

According to Wikipedia a Boogeyman… “is a type of mythical creature used by adults to frighten children into good behavior.”

Well trans people have been made in to boogeyman by Trump Jr.

Trump Jr. Incited Capitol Mob With Anti-Transgender Rant

Donald Trump Jr. had lambasted trans women athletes at a rally of his father's supporters who later invaded the U.S. Capitol.

The Advocate

By Trudy Ring

January 8, 2021


At the same rally where his father encouraged supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol, Donald Trump Jr. lambasted transgender athletes.

Trump Jr. stirred the crowd on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Wednesday by citing a recent study that suggested trans female athletes retain an advantage over cisgender women and girls for a year after beginning hormone treatment.

“That shows you the mentality of where the Democratic Party is,” he said. “They spent money on a study that came to the incredible conclusion yesterday that trans women playing female sports have a competitive advantage. No shit! Who could have seen that coming?” The clip was captured by Fox News, which cut away from his speech just after that remark. It was shared on Twitter by Justin Baragona of the Daily Beast.

However like most things that come out of a Republican politician it is full of half truths.

Lead author Timothy Roberts, a pediatrician in Kansas City, Mo., told NBC News the Democratic Party did not fund the study, which was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. He also said its findings were more complex than Trump Jr.’s characterization.

The article makes an important point, sports is not a level playing field.

But the point is that Junior used us to stir up hate, he used us just like other Republican politicians use us for votes and campaign donations… they demonize us to stir up hate. 

They demonize other minorities and they don’t care what the results are to those who the disparage.

Saturday 9: All Shook Up

Sam’s Saturday 9: All Shook Up (1957)

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


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

Chosen because January 8 is the anniversary of Elvis Presley's birth.

1) In this song, Elvis shares quite a list of maladies: he's itching, his hands are shaky, his knees are weak, he has chills ... How are you feeling this morning?

I’m all shook up with this COVID thing, I can’t wait for when it is my turn to get vaccinated.

2) He also mentions being "tongue tied." The dictionary defines it as, "unable to speak freely, as from shyness." Do you often find yourself tongue tied?

Yes. Many of you know that I do a lot of public speaking and television news interviews but I do get tongue tied and talk in circles. The worst are live to tape interviews like the one that I did for a local Sunday morning state news show.

When I was getting ready to speak at the Women's March on Hartford CT

Added 12:10 PM

3) Even after he was wealthy, Elvis never lived away from his parents. At one point Graceland Mansion was home to four generations of the family: his grandmother, his father and stepmother, Elvis, his wife and daughter. Have you ever lived in a multi-generational household?

Yes, my grandmother lived with us for about fifteen years and then when my mother’s sister retired she moved in with us.

4) Thinking of family, Elvis Presley was a distant cousin of President Jimmy Carter. Both of their family trees can be traced back to the 18th century and Thomas Preslar (before the surname was changed to Presley in the early 1800s). Have you traced your ancestry? If not, is it something you'd like to do?

Nope, and nope. Rumor has it that we are related to Benedict Arnold.

5) As an adult, Elvis never wore denim (except for a movie role). That's because when he was in school, his classmates teased him for "dressing poor" in jeans and coveralls. Is denim a big part of your wardrobe today?

Most definitely.

Right now I have on a black turtleneck with a gold chain, denim skirt and jacket.

6) Before becoming famous, Elvis drove a truck in and around Memphis. Have you ever had a job that kept you behind the wheel most of the day?

In high school taking inventory of state owned equipment in high schools and we had to drive all over Connecticut in a state car.

7) In 1957, the year this song was a hit, the Allstate Mechanical Freight Set was popular, too. Kids would wind up the engine and watch it pull two cars and a caboose around the track. To enhance the realism, sparks would shoot from the engine's smoke stack as it rumbled by. Did you ever play with a toy train? If not, tell us about a childhood plaything you remember fondly.

We had a Lionel train table in the basement.

8) The best-selling book of 1957 was Peyton Place, a scandalous tale of life in a small New England town. Do you suppose there are enough steamy stories behind closed doors in your town to fill a novel?

We are a bedroom community people live here and work elsewhere so I imagine that there are a lot of steamy stories.

9) Random question: Can you do 10 push ups?

Ha, ha, that’s a good joke.

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!

What Is A Hate Crime?

There are a lot of people who don’t understand or don’t think that there should a different law for the same crime.

The naysayers say if you get beat up that is the crime of assault and battery. Period. But crimes have always been broken down to different degrees… first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or involuntary manslaughter. They all involve killing a person but they go to the person’s intent. A hate crime is based on motive.

If someone beats you up that is assault and battery but if they beat you up because you are trans or black, or another protected class that is a hate crime because of the intent.

Connecticut law puts a hate crime like this…

(a) A person is guilty of intimidation based on bigotry or bias in the first degree when such person maliciously, and with specific intent to intimidate or harass another person because of the actual or perceived race, religion, ethnicity, [or,b>] disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression of such other person, causes serious physical injury to such other person or to a third person.

(b) Intimidation based on bigotry or bias in the first degree is a class C felony.

A hate crime’s motive is targeted at the community as a whole, not an individual. It is meant to intimidate the trans gender community or the Black community, or any other protected class.

---

There are some people who don’t see the different in the Black lives Matter protests in Portland Oregon and the invasion of the Capitol. They say they were both resulted in the destruction of property, I say that there is big difference and that goes to motive.

Both involved the majority of the demonstrators not doing any harm or destruction, but a fringe group did the violence, however…

The BLM protests were to correct the unjust treatment that is based on bias.

The assault on the Capitol was based on bias for a political party.

There is a difference.

The assault on the Capitol was a hate crime against the people of the country. They wanted the votes of the people overturned, the violence was directed at the people of the United States.

A Black Mark On Our Country

Sadly we made history yesterday as the first attempted takeover of our Capitol. It wasn’t the first insurrection, the Shays Rebellion and John Brown did that but it was the first that insurrectionists took control of the Capitol building and they did that with the support of Trump who is totally clueless of what he set in motion.

It is not that we didn’t know what Trump was capable of doing, this past September PBS Frontline showed us, The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden. A two hour program that compared Trump to Biden.

Trump was elected because of hate. Hate of government, hate of immigrants, hate of LGBTQ+ people, hate of scientists, hate of non-Christians religions, hate of blacks, and hate of people who are different. He was elected by a voter based who worshiped him as their savior, they wanted an authoritarian to lead them who would wipe out the people they hated.

I believe that all this hate started with the Reagan administration when that found the evangelical Christians and crawled into bed with them. Trump was already in bed with white supremacists and white militias he used them and the Republicans followed along like puppy dog looking for table scraps.

In today’s political climate of elections being divided by an almost 50/50 split every vote counts so the Republican party cozied up to the far right radical base. The Republican got into bed with the haters.

Also I noticed that today a lot of conservative media call them protesters while the liberal media call them rioters or insurrectionists.

Meanwhile conservative media are blaming the Democrats for the violence. Huff Post reported that,

Pandering to his right-wing viewers, the Fox News host ominously declared that Biden and Democrats will exploit the mob violence to squash the rights of Americans.

Carlson condemned the mayhem, but tried to explain the frustration of those who believe the election was a sham ― a falsehood promoted by Trump and his enablers.

“Rather than trying to change their minds, to convince them and reassure them that the system is real, that the democracy works ― as you would do if you cared about the country or the people who live here ― our new leaders will try to silence them,” Carlson said. “What happened today will be used by the people taking power to justify stripping you of the rights you were born with as an American. Your right to speak without being censored, your right to assemble, to not be spied upon, to make a living, to defend your family, most critically.”

The conservative media and politics are blind to their duplicity in attempted insurrection and continue to inflame their base by continuing to spread Trump lies.

---

When Congress came together to vote on the Electoral College before the insurrection many Republicans were going to vote against two states certification of the Electoral College votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania but after the invasion of the Capitol many of changed their minds but still 6 senators and 121 representatives still voted to disenfranchise the voters in those states. They put the party above the Constitution.

---

The other thing that stood out yesterday was that there are white supremacists on the Capitol police. Compare the Black Lives Matter protests with yesterday. When the BLM protested the Capitol police were dressed out in riot gear blocking the Capitol building, while yesterday there are photos of Capitol police not doing anything as rioters climbed over barricades right in front of the officers and some officers actually took selfies in the Capitol building with the protesters.

When Trump wanted a photo of him holding the Bible the National Guard cleared the way for Trump for the photo op. But yesterday the Guard commanders from news reports said that he was worried that if he ordered in the Guard it would create more violence.

The mayor ordered a curfew for both the BLM protest and yesterday, at the BLM protests there were photos of the police enforcing the curfew but last night at 8 PM two hours after the curfew began there still were insurrectionist still milling around and the police were just standing there.

As one Congressperson said, the last time the Capitol was invaded was in that war of 1812 by the British, the Confederate flag never flew in the Capitol before, and for the first time a flag other than the Stars and Stripes flew on the Capitol building and this one was of the despot Trump.

---

I normally disagree with Sen. Rand Paul but I agree with him here...

What I see needs to be done is for the FBI to find find everyone who entered the Capitol, arrested, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Thanks to all the selfies the insurrectionists took that might be an easy job.

Second Trump needs to be impeached for insurrection and then prosecuted for sedition. He will do anything to stay in power, start a war with Iran?  Declare marshal law? Who knows what that madman will do? 

One thing that I know, that like so many moments in history I will always remember the day an attempted coup happen.

Being A Parent Of A Trans Child

It must hard being a parent of a trans child, no matter what their age is, young or old.

Cher opens up about son Chaz Bono's transition: 'It wasn't easy'
The legendary singer spoke about her initial struggles when her transgender son, Chaz, began his transition in the late 2000s.
NBC TODAY
By Scott Stump
December 8, 2020


Cher has been a longtime supporter of the LGBTQ community, but she said her transgender son's transition more than 10 years ago was difficult for her at first.

The legendary singer, 74, spoke with Christiane Amanpour on CNN about the transition period in the late 2000s for her son, Chaz Bono, 51, which included legally changing his name and gender. Amanpour indicated that Cher didn't struggle at all with her son's transition, which she corrected.

"No, that's not exactly true," she said. "I did. It was very unlike me to — in the beginning — have a problem with Chaz being gay, and it disappeared like that. And then we talked about transgender for many years, and she would say, 'No I don't want to do it,' and then he went and said, 'OK I want to do this.'

"It wasn't easy. Like I remember calling, and the old message — the old Chaz message was on the phone — and that was very difficult. But then you have one child, but you don't really lose them — they just are in a different shape."

Many of us want instant change but it is very hard on our families even if they are very support they known you by one name all of their lives and change is hard.

I say be patient, it took my brother a long time to stop using my old name occasionally, I used to joke that it happened after a Gin and Tonic but now he rarely makes a mistake.

We have to be forgiving, we knew all our lives but for them it hit them like a ton of bricks as long as they are making an honest effort to change, give them a chance.

Potpourri.

There are a number of trans articles that I want to cover this morning.

First off… Trans athletes a British study found,

Trans women retain athletic edge after a year of hormone therapy, study finds
The findings raise questions about current Olympic guidelines, but the lead author cautions against using them to back bans in recreational and school sports.
NBC News
By Dan Avery
January 5, 2021


A new study suggests transgender women maintain an athletic advantage over their cisgender peers even after a year on hormone therapy.

The results, published last month in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, could mean the current one-year waiting period for Olympic athletes who are transitioning is inadequate.

“For the Olympic level, the elite level, I'd say probably two years is more realistic than one year,” said the study's lead author, Dr. Timothy Roberts, a pediatrician and the director of the adolescent medicine training program at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. “At one year, the trans women on average still have an advantage over the cis women," he said, referring to cisgender, or nontransgender, women.
[…]
Active duty service members are required to take a physical readiness test every six to 12 months. Roberts, Smalley and another co-author, Dr. Dale Ahrendt, realized they had access to robust data on service members before, during and after they started hormone replacement treatment.

The three physicians conducted a retrospective review of medical records and fitness tests for 29 transgender men and 46 transgender women from 2013 to 2018. The Air Force’s fitness assessment includes the number of pushups and situps performed in a minute, and the time required to run 1.5 miles.

Looking at the actual study…

Study limitations and future directions
The strengths of this study include a larger sample size than previous studies, a longer follow-up period and a focus on performance on a standardised fitness test rather than isolated muscle strength. This study has limitations as well. The lack of a longitudinal control group not on testosterone or oestrogen makes changes in performance due to the passage of time a potential confounding factor…
[...]
Conclusion
In this study, we confirmed that use of gender affirming hormones are associated with changes in athletic performance and demonstrated that the pretreatment differences between transgender and cis gender women persist beyond the 12 month time requirement currently being proposed for athletic competition by the World Athletics and the IOC.10 This study suggests that more than 12 months of testosterone suppression may be needed to ensure that transgender women do not have an unfair competitive advantage when participating in elite level athletic competition. 

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Looking at an article from October. In Australia that have a harder time getting Gender-Confirming Surgery (I like using Gender-confirming surgery rather than Gender-Affirming Surgery because I don’t like having GAS)

Gender-affirming surgery and trans wellbeing
Archer
By: Dylan Strahan
October 20, 2020


Gender-affirming surgery occupies a strange place within the Australian medical system. It is ‘elective’, which simply means that it happens for non-life-saving reasons.

Gender-affirming surgeries are often mired in the language of ‘choice’, involving judgement around what kinds of pain, disability, and dysfunction are urgent, which are necessary, and which are deserving of public funds.

I had my top surgery between lockdowns. Initially, it was delayed by two months due to the elective surgery ban imposed by the Australian Government on 25 March 2020. Once the ban lifted, my surgery went ahead on 17 June.
[…]
Conversely, gender-affirming surgery has innumerable benefits which are difficult to place in medical terms.
[…]
The Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) makes no reference to trans patients, leading providers and patients to navigate language not designed for their purposes.

For example, I have an “established testicular disorder” despite not having testicles. Such a diagnosis allows me to claim my testosterone prescription under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), despite no explicit provisions for the treatment of trans people.

When it comes to top surgery, the amount claimable under Medicare is $1,029 of the surgeon’s fees, and $229 of the anaesthetist’s fees. Surgeons and anaesthetists’ fees vary wildly, but my own were $6,000 and $2,100 respectively, bringing me to a total of $8,100. After claiming back from Medicare, I was still $6,841 out of pocket.

Here in the states Medicare covers…

Medicare pays for gender reassignment surgeries and hormone replacement therapy, as long as the surgery is deemed medically necessary. There are several surgeries a person needs to finish the process.

Medicare Advantage plans may apply different rules when considering approval for surgeries.

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Lastly some sad news out of Texas,

Transgender Texas Politician Addison Perry-Franks Dies at 39
The passionate Democrat fought for the rights of all.
Out Smart
By Marene Gustin
January 4, 2021


Transgender politician Addison Perry-Franks, 39, passed away on the first day of the new year after her wife rushed her to Cogdell Memorial Hospital in Snyder, Texas. The cause of death was unknown at press time and there was to be no visitation, but condolences can be left on the Bell-Cypert-Seale funeral home website at bcsfh.com. Perry-Franks’ wife, Lacey Franks, has a fundraiser on her Facebook page to pay for funeral expenses.

“The love of my life has passed away today,” Franks wrote on January 1. “I don’t have all of the details till the autopsy comes back. The world is a darker place without her light shining in it.”

Perry-Franks was a passionate West Texas Democrat who stood for the rights of all. Last year, she ran for Texas House District 83 and for mayor of Synder, her hometown. Although she lost both races, she had an empowering impact on the party, the community, and her family.

She Got That Right.

From a surprising source, Kourtney Kardashian, who debunked the fake research.

Kourtney Kardashian on "Autogynephilia" in Non-transgender Women
Kourtney Kardashian implicitly debunks the transphobic "autogynephilia" theory in a new article on her Poosh site. She explains why women may get aroused by their own bodies and sensuality, a kind of sexuality that is used to invalidate the identity of transgender women.
Cross Dreamers
January 1, 2021


As you might remember the "autogynephilia" theory of Ray Blanchard argues that gynephilic (woman loving) transgender women suffer from an "erotic target location error" whereby they are sexually attracted to the image of themselves as women.

"Auto-gyne-phile" means "Self-Woman-Love".

Their crime is that they may get aroused by the idea of being a sexy, attractive woman.

These trans women are therefore suffering from a "paraphilia", Blanchard argues – basically a sexual perversion driven by a straight, masculine, sexuality.

But what about autosexuality in cis women?

As many have pointed out, this theory presupposes that cis women do not get aroused by their own bodies or by "feeling sexy". Because if they did, that would make this a female sexual trait, and even a human one.

Indeed, if it is found among cis women, you might argue that finding such arousal in trans women is a clear indication of their female gender identity.
[…]
Research documents a lot of autoerotic fantasies in cis women

Studies of women's sexual fantasies documents that cis women may perfectly well get aroused by the idea of being a sexy, attractive, woman. I doubt very much that the multibillion dollar fashion industry is driven by the need to attract men alone. In fact, many cis men show no appreciation of female fashion at all. I suspect may women dress up because looking good feels good.

I have always believe that everyone alive has "autogynephilia."

I believe that without autogynephilia the human race wouldn’t exist. There definitely wouldn’t be a Victoria Secret.

Ray Blanchard did garbage research.

When you are doing scientific research there are there are certain standards you must follow, two of them are;

• You must have a control group.
• You must try to maximize the diversity of your sample.

Where Blanchard went wrong was he had no control groups. He should have also tested cisgender women as a control group.

He also got his research subjects from one place… gay bars. He only interviewed trans women he found there. There was no diversity in his subjects, they were all former gay men who were attracted to men. There were no trans women who are attracted to women.

The sample was a convenience sample, as the name implies it was very easy to get his subjects from a gay bar.

However, sometimes it is very hard to get a random sample, sometimes the only way to get your sample base is what is called a snowball sample. One person who has taken the survey contacts another person who takes the survey, who then contacts someone else, etc., etc.

I was on a team who received a grant from the CDC* to survey the trans population for AIDS, we used a snowball sample but we made sure that we had a diverse sample base. We wanted diversity in age, race, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation.

The people that we picked as seeds, the first person in the snowball sample.

The other thing that Blanchard had wrong was there was no control group. He should have asked the same questions to cisgender women and that is one of the points that Kourtney Kardashian pointed out.

Blanchard did garbage research.

One other thing… Blanchard’s research was never approved by an IRB (Institute Review Board) to work on human subjects.

---

I am currently working on another survey for the state of Connecticut later in this month I will have more it. Right now the contractor hired by the state is finishing up the survey.

I Am Not A Fan

I didn’t listen, I was warned but I didn’t listen.
What I am talking about is the HRC, it will take a very, very long time to forget what they did to the trans community.
Ethan warned me but I didn’t listen and then the HRC stabbed us in the back.

Another of our leaders just wrote an article about the Human Rights Campaign latest dis of us.
HRC is dishonoring our dead by not honoring Drag and Cross Dressers authentically
Planet Transgender
January 1, 2021


Kudos to HRC for honoring Jaheim Bella Pugh, a murdered cisgender gay man on their TDoR page.

The trouble is that HRC identifies Jaheim Bella Pugh as a Gender Non-Conforming‘ person. While technically correct this term is easily conflated and misunderstood as it describes gender, not sex.

Jaheim Bella Pugh, according to his mother, was a 19-year-old cisgender gay man just beginning to learn who he was. Bella was the name of his new puppy which he adopted as his drag name.

After thorough research, I could not find anywhere that he self-identified as a gender non-conforming or transgender person. There was one person who posted a tribute identifying Bella as transgender but that has since been refuted by multiple sources.

The whole idea behind the TDoR project which honors our dead is to investigate with integrity each individual and how they died. This is critical so that we may know who they were. Prior to the first TDoR, a trans-peer-led initiative, those who murdered us were arrested but never served jail time for their crimes.

However, there is no honor in superimposing a narrative that fits your needs while intentionally disregarding facts about a person’s life and death.

The thing to remember that the HRC is first and foremost a GAY INC. Organization, their funding mainly comes from rich white gay males.

The article goes on to say…

Monica Roberts, god bless her soul, 2007 Transgriot article Why Trans people Hate HRC explains a lot. Monica was a forgiving soul and in her later years helped national gay rights groups understand our plight. But with Monica’s passing, there are few trans sources left on the web. Especially few that would let bygones be bygones as Monica and I did. Monica wrote:

“In 1995 Elizabeth Birch took over as Executive Director of HRC at a time when there was an epidemic of gays and lesbians cutting trans people out of civil rights legislation.”

“In many cases, gay people who sat on various HRC boards either nationally or regionally led the efforts. In 1999 Dianne Hardy-Garcia, who was the executive director of the Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby (now Equality Texas) at the time and an HRC board member, led the successful effort to cut trans people out of the James Byrd Hate Crime Bill (to Monica’s and TGAIN”s vehement opposition). That bill was eventually killed in the GOP-controlled Texas Senate but passed in 2001 as a GLB only bill and was signed into law by Gov. Rick Perry.”

Et tu, Brutus
My experience with the HRC goes back to 2007 the year that they stabbed us in the back. When I do my trans history workshop at the True Colors conference I have a section on the HRC and ENDA.

2007: The year of betrayal

• In April, Rep. Barney Franks introduces a gender-inclusive ENDA.
• In May, at NTCE Lobby Days training, HRC follows suit.
• In early September, before 800 transgender people at the Southern Comfort Conference, HRC President Joe Solmonese once again promises to only support a gender inclusive ENDA
• In late September, Rep. Barney Frank pulls the inclusive ENDA bill and substitutes a non-inclusive ENDA bill
• Joe Solmones says the HRC will would not oppose or endorse the non-inclusive bill
• In late October HRC says they will support non-inclusive bill, but will not penalize any congressperson who votes against the non-inclusive bill.
• In November HRC, says they will penalize any congressperson who votes against the non-inclusive bill
• Six U.S. Representatives vote against the non-inclusive bill and lose their 100% rating on LGBT issues from the HRC

It will take a miracle for me to trust the HRC.

---

Another topic Planet Transgender mentioned was about the Trans Umbrella, those who follow my blog know that I believe that the umbrella covers drag queens/kings and crossdresser.

Drag queens and cross-dressers regardless of whether they are cis or trans-self-identifying belong under our trans umbrella. The problem is the world does not accept them as they are. Some trans people in my community think including them under our umbrella is oxymoronic.

When I first saw that visualization years ago I couldn’t have agreed with them more.

It is a very difficult concept to understand which is why we must have this conversation about it.

Transgender people on a whole need to live in our authentic gender 24 hours a day.

Drag artists and cross-dressers express their gender as they need, temporarily, but that doesn’t make their lives any less precious or their gender any less viable.

We must be inclusive and shelter all those who cross the gender norms.

Saturday 9: Feels like the First Time

Sam’s Saturday 9: Feels like the First Time (1977)

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

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

Welcome to the first Saturday 9 of 2021! 

1) Look up from your screen. What's the first thing you see?

My living room.

2) Looking back on 2020, what surprised you?

That I made it!

3) Have you made any resolutions for 2021?

Yes, and I kept my 2020 New Year’s resolution. I made the same New Year’s resolution for this year...to make it to 2021.

4) In Italy, it's said that if you wear red underwear on New Year's Eve, you'll have good luck all year around. Do you have a lucky charm?

Nope, I don’t believe in charms

5) In Spain, some New Year's Eve revelers believe that, at the stroke of midnight, you should eat exactly 12 grapes, one at a time and one right after the other, to bring you luck for the next twelve months. Did you have anything special on your New Year's Eve menu?

Nope. My dinner was so uneventful that I don’t even remember what I had.

6) In this week's featured song, Foreigner lead singer Lou Gramm lets us know that he'd sail across a stormy sea to reach his true love. How is the weather where you are today? Are you kicking off 2021 under calm skies, or is it stormy?

We have rain this morning but it supposed to stop by noon and the sun come out, and the high is to be in the mid-fifties.

7) In the 1990s, Gramm joined forces with Billy Joel in a series of concerts to preserve the Montauk Point Lighthouse. Do you have a favorite Billy Joel song?

Yes, and I have posted them here in my blog. One of my favorite is the River of Dreams.

8) In 1977, when this song was popular, Star Wars was breaking all box office records. The Spy Who Loved Me, a James Bond movie, was also a hit. If you were going to binge on one of these film series, would you choose Star Wars or Bond?

Oh, I am not a fan of binge watching but if I had to pick I would pick Star Wars because I haven’t seen any sine the first one.

9) Random question: Would you rather have nothing but green lights for all of 2021, or never have to stand in line for anything all year?

Green light… I had enough of caution lights last year.

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!

The Top Five Of 2020

The top five blog post of 2020 were*:

1. “Hedwig” with 188 views
2. “Rule #1: Never Out Someone” with 173 views
3. “Lou Reed” with 171 views
4. “I Never Knew... Female Husbands” with 166 views
5. ‘Trans Day of Visibility” with 155 views

But what is surprising is that these five blog posts were not the top five blog posts that were read in 2020 but rather it was a meme posted from 2007… “Getting to Know You” with 1,100 views this year. And the second most viewed blog posts for 2020 was from 2018… “A Sad Month” with 735 views.

Since I started my blog on Blogger in 2006:

• Total views: 1,331,866
• Total post: 7,635
• Total comments: 7,493

---

*As of December 29.

Well Tomorrow We Start A New Year.

What a year! There are a lot of people who wish that we can have a “do over” for the year. Just start 2020 over again like it never happened. So instead of starting 2021 tomorrow lefts just have 2020 to have a second try at it, maybe we can get it right this time.

If you are like me, I hibernated for the most of the year, did dozens of Zoom meetings, for presentations for college classes, for legislature committee meetings, and even with family.

We had one family gathering and that was during a lull in the plague in early summer for my grandniece and grandnephew graduation.But for Thanksgiving and Christmas we celebrated it on Zoom.

I also was able to have guests up at the cottage during the summer when we had a break from COVID-19

For the first time in many year I didn't go to my family for Thanksgiving and Christmas and I didn't have a Christmas drop-in holiday open house; I don't think that there will be many New Years parties tonight. I think there will be many cries of "Good Riddance" for 2020.

This should be our theme song for 2020.

Let’s Stand Together

And be inclusive instead of being exclusive.

Some times we feel like the little Dutch boy with his finger in a leaking dike (no pun intended), but remember the vast majority of LG stand behind us.

Transgender People, “Gay Conversion,” and “Lesbian Extinction”: What the Data Show
By Julia Serano
December 29, 2020

A few days ago (on Christmas, in fact), The Telegraph ran a piece with the provocative title: “Lesbians facing ‘extinction’ as transgenderism becomes pervasive, campaigners warn.” The premise — which has been increasingly touted by anti-trans groups over the last few years — is that nowadays, young kids who are “really lesbian” are instead coming out as transgender and transitioning to male, thereby decimating the lesbian population.

This assertion bears resemblance to another claim favored by these same groups, namely, that when children and teens are allowed to socially transition, it’s actually a form of “gay conversion therapy.” According to this argument, sans transition these kids would have grown up to be gay men and lesbian women, but now they will instead turn out to be “straight” (i.e., heterosexual trans people).

Before addressing the veracity of these claims, it is useful to ask why anti-trans groups (many of whom are also anti-gay/lesbian) are making them. It turns out that conservative Christian activists have explicitly promoted a separate the T from the LGB tactic as part of a “divide and conquer” approach to undermining LGBTQ+ rights more generally. With the exception of rare splinter groups, this strategy has had little impact within LGBTQ+ communities, who largely see through it. However, these appeals can cause confusion or consternation among the queer-unaware straight majority, who may be misled into thinking that being “pro-trans” is tantamount to being “anti-gay” — such sentiments are precisely what these anti-trans groups are striving to elicit.

Their voices are amplified by the conservative press, conservative religious organizations, and conservative press.

You might remember some of these names; Zucker, Michael Bailey, and Bailey they all promoted their pet theory that trans people are just frustrated gay men. That we are really gay men who can’t accept being gay totally ignoring the fact that many trans women are sexually attracted to women and ignoring trans men completely.

In that same 2017 article, Gates stated that, “Reduced social stigma and accompanying advancements in legal equality are contributing to marked changes in the demographic composition of the visible LGBT community. Most notably, it is growing, and the growth is most pronounced among young people, women, and racial and ethnic minorities” (emphasis mine). So wow, the number of queer women has been steadily increasing (not decreasing) over the last decade — that sounds like the exact opposite of a “lesbian extinction,” doesn’t it?

The reduction in social stigma and the passage of non-discrimination laws was one of the reasons I came out in 1999 (little did I know that Trump twenty years later would set us back decades) and I think that many other LGBTQ+ people came out because they thought it safe to do so.

So a few Trans Radical Exclusionary Feminist like J.K. Rowling have come out of the woodwork with the support of groups like Federalist Society, the British newspaper Telegraph, and Fox News have pushed their agenda on us.

In Britain the conservatives won a victory in court banning puberty blockers for trans children but pro-trans groups are rallying to appeal the court decision.

When we were passing trans laws we had many, many lesbians and gays stand up for us. Yes, many “LG” organizations threw us under the bus but those organizations were run by the male equivalent of TERFs. When we were trying to pass the GI/GE non-discrimination nation a LG organization gave us funding to organize to pass the legislation.

I like to say that when we face violence and discrimination the perpetrators are not discriminating between gays, lesbians, trans people, or queer folk they see us all as “GAY.” They are just attacking a person who is different from them. Be it sexual orientation, gender identity, national origins, or race, they just see a person who doesn’t look like or act like them.

How do we bring about change?

Speak up!

Not just trans people but also lesbians and gays, need to speak up, let us take a lesson of our union friends… “United we Stand, Divided we Fall”

Potpourri

Today’s blog is made up short trans news articles in today’s Google News…

The first article is about a fired corrections officers harassing a trans inmate;

Corrections worker fired for derogatory Facebook post about transgender inmate
VT Digger
By Alan J. Keays
December 22, 2020


A Vermont Department of Corrections worker has been fired for a slur-filled, obscenity-laced Facebook posting complaining that he had to work on a holiday and guard a transgender inmate who was on suicide watch.

“HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY from the communist haven of VT,” James Frank wrote on his Facebook page, according to public records obtained regarding his termination.

“Have to go in 4 hours early to sit and watch a he she who wants to hurt/kill self,” Frank added in the posting. “SO sick of the LIBERAL BULLSHIT. I think it’s just a p-ssy that won’t do it anyway and needs attention.”

No matter what you are doing time for you had a right not to be harassed and belittled in prison. The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey found that trans people reported,

More than half (53%) reported that they had been physically assaulted once, 12% reported that it happened twice, 16% said that it happened between three and seven times, and nearly one in five (19%) reported that it happened eight or more times.

---

In Germany activists are trying to change the law...

Germany's Transgender Law seen as 'archaic, degrading'
Trans* people in Germany are subjected to a long, expensive assessment process to change their legal gender. A new self-determination law would reform this — and activists say it's long overdue.
DW
By Elliot Douglas
December 28, 2020


"Degrading, expensive and illogical" — that is how one trans* person described her experience of legally changing her gender in Germany.

Felicia Rolletschke is one of many activists who is fighting for a reform to the so-called Transsexual Law, which determines the legal process for trans* people to change their gender and name in Germany. By the beginning of 2021, the law will have been in place for 40 years — a time frame in which many countries around the world have seen great upheaval in their legislation around trans* rights.

There are currently two bills before the German parliament that aim to ease this process with a new "self-determination law" (Selbstbestimmungsgesetz). Activists hope such a law would reform the current costly, lengthy process — but the reform has faced some stiff opposition.
[…]
"In late 2015, before I even came out properly, I found a really good therapist," Rolletschke said. "Then we agreed I should begin the paperwork for the court in order to change my name, even before I began hormone therapy and surgery. But in order to get that process started, I needed to pay €1,600 ($1,955)."

This payment is often a barrier for trans* people, especially those who are younger and lack independent resources. Rolletschke was also hampered by being under 25, meaning any state financial support she could receive was assessed based on her parents' income — even though her mother had cut off contact with her.

Meanwhile here in the states, a federal judge ordered the state of Ohio to allow changes to birth certificate…

Ohio Department of Health to allow sex marker changes on birth certificates
JD Supra
By Bricker & Eckler LLP
December 22, 2020


On December 16, 2020, in Ray et al. v. Breda et al., the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio found that the Ohio Department of Health’s (ODH) policy to deny requests for sex marker changes on birth certificates by transgender individuals is unconstitutional, aligning Ohio with the 48 other states that have already permitted such changes.

---

Does being LGBTQ+ affect our health and why?

Gay and transgender children more likely to be obese, study finds
The New York Post
By Hannah Frishberg
December 28, 2020


There’s a new link between kids’ sexual or gender identity and obesity.

A new study has found that gay, bisexual and transgender children are the most vulnerable to obesity and binge eating disorders.

About 12,000 American children, with an average age of 10, answered a virtual questionnaire in a new study published this month in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. The scientists at Maryland’s Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences quizzed the kids on their age, sexuality, race, socioeconomic status, weight and eating habits. From the results, they determined that kids who self-identify as sexual or gender minorities were more likely to be obese.

The 1.6 percent (190 kids) who answered “yes” or “maybe” on questions asking them if they were gay, bisexual or transgender were 3.5 times more at risk of having a binge-eating disorder, the Daily Mail reported.

Of course the article just points a finger at us and doesn’t go into details of the why.

Maybe being persecuted by society, government, and religious organizations might have something to do with it?

---

Over in Russia the orthodox church added their two cents to Biden’s comments about trans people…

Russian Bishop Calls Biden’s Transgender Statement Blasphemous
Chronicles
By Srdja Trifkovic
December 28, 2020


Propagating gender reassignment among children should be a criminal offence, Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev, the chairman of External Church Relations Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, recently declared on “Russia 24” TV network. His comment was made in response to Joe Biden’s recent statement of support for the supposed right of children to choose their gender.

“The idea that an eight-year-old child or a 10-year-old child decides you know, I decided I want to be transgender. That’s what I think I’d like to be,” Biden said with his customary eloquence at a televised Town Hall event on October 16.
[…]
Such clarity is no longer present in some Western theological circles. It is legitimate to see genders and sexualities as creative expressions of the self, argues David Cloutier, a moral theology professor at The Catholic University in Washington, D.C., in America: The Jesuit Review. Commenting on the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education’s document on “gender theory” last year, Cloutier declared that it is legitimate to see genders and sexualities as creative expressions of the self. The further we get from a relatively discrete trait like sexual attraction, Cloutier wrote, the more difficult it becomes to sustain “born that way” arguments. If male and female are social constructs, then it makes no sense to claim that a person is “really” one or the other. The more gender identities proliferate, the less plausible it is to claim a firm biological basis for them:

But what do you expect from a church that call’s itself orthodox?

A Tale Of Two Families

We know from research and our own empirical observations that having a supporting family makes all the difference in the world. Here are two families, one supportive and the other not.

My dad uninvited us from Christmas dinner because my kid is transgender
We shared the news so he and and my mom would use my daughter's new name and preferred pronouns. In response, he shut us out completely.
Today’s Parent
By Rev. Michelle Scrimgeour-Brown
December 21, 2020


The last time I had a face-to-face conversation with my father was December 22, 2018. On that day, I told him that we had recently learned his first grandchild, who was 14 years old, was transgender and that her name was now Layla. Our last text exchange was just two days later, when I reminded him of her chosen name and correct pronouns.

It’s been a tradition in our family—at least since I met my Newfoundlander husband—to have a fish fry for Christmas Eve dinner. Every year, my family would come for dinner on Christmas Eve and Mitchell would cook us up a “scoff,” as the Newfoundlanders say. In advance of this dinner, I messaged both of my parents on a group text to remind them of what we had talked about. I was nervous, because when I’d told my father about Layla two days before, he’d said nothing in response. And he had not said anything in the two days since. I didn’t know where he stood.
[…]
My father’s response? “She’s a he and if you don’t knock it off, I won’t come.”
[...]
“Let me be clear,” I responded. “If you cannot try, then you are not welcome.”

And that was the last we spoke. He did not come for our Christmas Eve fish fry dinner. In fact, he had my mom text my sister at 8:15 p.m. that night so that she could tell me that my family was no longer welcome for Christmas dinner at his house the following day. In response, I did what any parent like me would do: I went to my deep freezer, found what meat was there and took it out to thaw for Christmas dinner. In the end, we didn’t need it, because the next day, my mom was at our door with the whole of the Christmas dinner for us to cook and share at home, together as a family.

We know that it is hard for our family to accept us but as she wrote…

“This is an adjustment, I know,” I said. “You’re going to slip up, just like the rest of us. What matters is that we try.”

We know it is hard, we had all our lives to think about it, for family it came out of the blue, my family slipped but they were trying and that is what counts.

That first Christmas in 2018 was full of sadness for me. Layla asked me about her grandfather and when I told her that he was not coming because he wasn’t accepting, do you know what my sweet, loving child said to me? “He just needs more time, Mom.” All the tears that I worked so hard to rein in just burst forth in that moment. “He just needs more information,” Layla continued, looking at me with eyes full of love. “It’s gonna be OK.”

Then in another family…

A Love Letter To My Granddaughter (Who I Knew As My Grandson Until 5 Weeks Ago)
“As my thoughts and heart transition to embrace this new you, please know one thing isn’t changing ― I love you.”
Huff Post
By Maryann Durmer
December 25, 2020


[…]
My granddaughter came out five weeks ago. When I heard the news, I texted her: “I talked to your dad last night. I’m so happy you came out, and I support you 100%. I just wanted to stop by and tell you I love you. If there’s anything I can do to help you, I’m here.”

I spent the past six months thinking she might be transitioning, and it brought me great relief to see her reveal herself as the vibrant young woman she envisioned and was destined to be.
[…]
Maybe, in some cases, understanding a transgender person is easier for a non-family member. There are no emotional bonds and no history with that person to look back on and reminisce about. But when it’s your grandchild who is transgender, it’s complicated. I worry that I may do or say something wrong by accident. Saying a new name after knowing a person for 20-plus years isn’t easy. It’s not just about my granddaughter changing. It’s also that I have no “how-to” manual for processing my memories of my former grandson. All I know is that I love my granddaughter.
[…]
I cannot walk in my granddaughter’s shoes, but I can do my best to continue reaching out with kindness and acceptance, praying that she is protected from the hate and intolerance often expressed openly by people in the state where she lives. I hope that she can move forward in the way that is most meaningful to her.

In this season of family and love let us remember all those who do not have a family to go to this holiday season and through out the year.

Boomers

Some people use that word all the time when talking about seniors usually it is used as “OK Boomers” without thinking about it because it is so common.

Most of them would be horrified if anyone used the “N” word or other racist words but boomer is just laughed off.

I was at a town hall meeting to discuss the coming legislative session about what LGBTQ+ discrimination legislation we should sponsor, most of the attendees were probably in their late teens and twenties. The legislation discussed was about discrimination in school and I mentioned about the other end of the spectrum… seniors.

I talked about discrimination in nursing homes and long term care facilities, after I finished someone said “OK Boomer” which was followed laughter.

A CEO of a large Hartford based insurance company in a news conference said that they’re moving their headquarters to New York City to find younger talent.

When they shutdown the factory where I worked for 28 years I took the option of early retirement because I knew that at 60 it would be impossible for me to find a job, especially at my salary but even with a cut in pay I don’t think that I would get any job offers. They would want someone with “fresh skills,” and with “new ideas” translated someone fresh out of college.

Even the Supreme Court thought the phrase “OK Boomer” was age discrimination.

How ‘OK, Boomer’ Went From Meme to Supreme (Court)
Bloomberg
By Caleb Melby
January 17, 2020


Can saying “OK, boomer” at work constitute age discrimination? Inquiring minds, among them U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, want to know. While the jury’s out, workers might want to exercise caution when using this phrase around the office. But they shouldn’t be surprised if younger generations roll their eyes at the heightened concern.

1. What’s ‘OK, boomer’?
“OK, boomer” took off early last year as a snappy, youthful retort, especially online, to the concerns and concern-trolling of Americans born between 1946 and 1964, i.e. the postwar Baby Boom generation. Like many things on the internet, subtlety and nuance are not exactly the point. Hand-wringing about so-called cancel culture? OK, boomer. Attributing the delayed life-markers of younger generations -- home-purchasing, marriage, children and retirement savings -- to personal failure rather than an inhospitable economic climate? OK, boomer. Feeling disrespected by kids saying “OK, boomer”? OK, boomer.
[…]
4. How’d it get to the Supreme Court?
The chief justice posed a hypothetical question during oral arguments Jan. 15 in a case in which a woman alleges the Department of Veterans Affairs denied her opportunities for promotion because of her gender and age. He asked: if someone says, “OK, boomer,” to a job applicant, would that be significant enough to show age discrimination?

NBC News had this to say,

The meme is a favorite of younger generations and Roberts used it in questions in a case about age discrimination in the workplace.

"The hiring person, who's younger, says, ‘OK, Boomer,' once to the applicant,” Roberts said as he conjured a hypothetical exchange to try to figure out when an older federal employee might be able to win a lawsuit under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

It was the first time, according to databases of high court arguments, the somewhat pejorative phrase used by younger people to criticize the less flexible, tolerant and tech-savvy ways of their elders has been uttered in the Supreme Court, where the nine justices range in age from 52 (Neil Gorsuch) to 86 (Ruth Bader Ginsburg).
[…]
The issue before the court is whether an employee can prevail only if age discrimination is the key factor she didn't get what she sought, or whether it's enough that age discrimination was part of the process, even if the people who were selected were better qualified.

Many of the people who use “OK Boomer” would never discriminate against anyone nor use words that are derogatory but they don’t even think about age discrimination.


“OK Boomer” is not just an American problem…

Oh and that meeting I attended, when the people running the meeting never spoke out, I never went back.

Purple Snowflakes

Saturday 9: Purple Snowflakes (2018)

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

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

1) The lyrics ask where the snowflakes go. Sam can answer that: she shovels them! Do you shovel or use a snow blower? Or do you live in a warmer climate with no snow?
I have someone plow the driveway.
Who wants to go someplace that is hot and humid during the summer, at least in winter you can add more layers but a muggy summer there is only so much you can take off.

2) This week's artist, John Legend, recalls his Christmases growing up, singing carols with his family around the piano. Do you have a piano, or any other musical instruments, in your home?
Nope, I am not musically inclined.

3) This song is from John Legend's first Christmas album, A Legendary Christmas. It was a massive hit. Did you add any new music to your holiday collection this year?
Nope, I am a traditionalist.

4) John and his wife Chrissy Teigen go caroling with friends. What's the last song that you sang?
Um… I can’t carry a tune. In sixth grade our class sang Christmas carols and I was told to just mouth the words.

5) Chrissy's hobby is cooking. While she likes experimenting with new recipes, her young children prefer their familiar favorites, like mashed potatoes. She tosses a bay leaf into the water as the potatoes boil to add enhance the flavor. Do you have a dish that's considered your specialty?
Corn Soufflé

6) John prefers to unwind with a good book and loves comparing reading recommendations with friends. Did you discover any books in 2020 that you'd like to recommend to our Sat 9ers?
I think I set a record for the most book I listened to. Every month I maxed out my library audiable books.
As most of you know I like Si-Fi and fantasy books. I just finished Elizabeth Moon “Oath of Fealty” one of the Paksenarrion’s series.

7) This song was written by Motown powerhouse Marvin Gaye. Who is your favorite Motown artist?
Oh don’t get me started on Marvin Gaye. My roommate in college played Marvin Gaye nonstop, I liked (past tense) some of his songs but I was so turned off by his playing his songs continuously, he used to leave up the overarm causing that side of the record to play over, and over, and over...

8) In 1972, Marvin wrote another Christmas song, "I Want to Come Home for Christmas." He dedicated it to the troops then serving in Vietnam. Do you know anyone who is protecting us this holiday season? Tell us about him or her. Whether they are in the armed forces, the police or fire department, or the ER, we want to say thank you!
No, but my technician was in the Air National Guard and used to takeoff to places unknown in the middle-east. One weekend drill he flew to Germany and back dropping off a post card at Ramstein Air Base for the department.

9) Random question: You go into the kitchen to make your perfect sandwich. What fixings do you need?
Salami, ham, hot Capocollo, prosciutto, provolone, roasted peppers, and balsamic vinegar on a hard roll. And possible sliced tomato, lettuce, and onions.

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!

Merry Christmas!

Peace On Earth and Goodwill To All

Earthrise (NASW Photo) Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).

Normally what I do each Christmas is post my annual Christmas blog but this year is a very different Christmas from every other Christmas in the past. But this year the message is different instead of writing…

It this time of year that we reflect on all that has happened this past year and to give thanks. However, for many it is not a time to rejoice, it is a time of loneliness, their families may have moved and left them behind, their family or spouse might have pasted away leaving them without any close relatives or their children might be at their in-laws for this holiday, for whatever the reason, it is a lonely time.

Many of us instead will be separated from our because of bias we are being separated because of COVID. 

Some maybe quarantined, some out of worry for catching or spreading the virus, so for the travel bans in their states and some because they don’t have any homes to go to for the holidays. For whatever the reason this is going to be a very different Christmas from all the others.

But still for many in the LGBT community it is an especially lonely time,

they might not have seen their family since they came out to them. Their families and children have disowned them. Sometimes when we do attend the gathering, we feel like outcasts, like the square peg in the round hole, we just don’t fit in, we are tolerated when we bring our partners or ourselves to the table.

This year I will be staying at home isolated; not because of family rejection, not for fear, nor lack of invitations to join family for the holiday, but rather out of an abundance of caution. 

So let us open our hearts and doors to them and think of them this holiday season, give them a call, have a Zoom get-together or drop them a Christmas card, let them know that they are remembered.

I leave you with this Christmas song by Nat King Cole - Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.



An American traditional songs...

And a cute little video...