Stonewall: Writing Us Out of History

We all know the story of Stonewall, of Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson. But what about the following year, when the first Pride parade was held in 1970 and we were told… "Don’t attend!"

NYC Pride March

NYC LGBTQ Historic Sites Project

Overview

New York City’s first ever Pride March was held on Sunday, June 28, 1970 (the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall uprising), and, much to the organizers’ surprise, attracted thousands of participants.

Known at the time as the Christopher Street Liberation Day March, the route began on Washington Place between Sheridan Square and Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village, moved north up Sixth Avenue, and ended with a “Gay-In” in Central Park’s Sheep Meadow.

But there were some who were not invited to march… trans people, butch lesbians, and flaming gays.

They only wanted those who could assimilate into society. They only wanted those who were "respectable" to mainstream America.

"Y'all better quiet down!... You all tell me, go and hide my tail between my legs, from the gay liberation, because you're tired of seeing drag queens and street people... I have been beaten. I have had my nose broken. I have been thrown in jail. I have lost my job. I have lost my apartment for gay liberation, and you all treat me this way? What the fuck's wrong with you all?"

— Sylvia Rivera, June 1973

They tried to shout her down… but she would have none of it. They tried to take the microphone back… but she held on tight. As the National Women’s History Museum notes:

The Stonewall Inn uprising was also a turning point in the visibility of the gay rights movement. The first pride parades started in 1970, but Rivera and other transgender people were discriminated against and discouraged from participating. In 1973, Rivera participated in the Gay Pride Parade but was not allowed to speak, despite the amount of work and advocacy she had done. She grabbed the microphone anyway, telling the spectators and other marchers, “If it wasn’t for the drag queen, there would be no gay liberation movement. We’re the front-liners.” She was booed off the stage.

And now, Trump has had us taken off the National Historical Landmark plaque at Stonewall.

Park Service erases 'transgender' on Stonewall website, uses the term 'LGB' movement

NPR News

Juliana Kim

February 14, 2025

The National Park Service website exploring the history and significance of the Stonewall Uprising has been stripped of any mention of transgender people.

The page was also updated to remove the "T" from the previously used acronym "LGBTQ+" — now, referring to the community as either "LGB" or "LGBQ." References to the word "queer" have also been removed.

When describing the Stonewall Uprising, the website now reads: "Before the 1960s, almost everything about living openly as a lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) person was illegal, but the events at the Stonewall Inn sparked fresh momentum for the LGB civil rights movement!"

Two steps forward, three steps backward.

Rules & Regulation

Trump does what Trump wants, policies and regulations be damned!

FOIA Documents Reveal Park Service Concerns on Community Access and Environmental Protections Ignored in Rush to Expand Rock Creek Park Tennis Center

Rock Creek Tennis Center leasing process flawed from the start; Trump administration prioritizes private interest over public access and protection of public land, waters and wildlife.

NPCA

Today, the National Parks Conservation Association highlights records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that reveal Trump administration officials ignored Park Service objections to a flawed leasing process for the Rock Creek Tennis Center. Expert Park Service staff, that have spent their career protecting parks in and around the capital city region, warned Trump leadership that the potential lease conflicted with legal requirements, would harm threatened and endangered species, and restrict community access. All were seemingly ignored.

“These documents once again show how the Trump administration continues to bulldoze through Washington D.C.’s national parks. They are handing public lands to private interests and ignoring the laws designed to protect national parks that belong to all Americans.

Rules don't apply to Trump!

The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club writes;

Of particular concern to some PATC members is the paving over of the picnic area for parking on the south side of the tract and the building out of the playground space on the west side. This will create more impermeable surfaces that have the potential to increase water runoff down to Rock Creek and negatively affect adjacent forest habitat and the Valley Trail down the hill from the tennis center. 

With Trump you have to ask, what's in it for him?

Pride Month Begins

Trump hates Pride month. Trump hates trans people. Trump hates gays. But I don't know if he hates lesbians... he probably wants to jump any woman and thinks that he can "cure" them.

But his hatred is having a profound effect on Pride. Companies are afraid of getting on the wrong side of Trump.

Pride celebrations struggle as corporate sponsorships dry up

May 30, 2026

Weekend Edition Saturday

By Hannah Frances Johansson

Pride celebrations across the country continue to lose out on large sponsorships as corporations, a key source of funding, shrink their affiliation with diversity causes and LGBTQ+ events.

Corporate sponsorships of celebrations in several cities, including New York City, Salt Lake City, Louisville, St. Louis, Orlando, and Pittsburgh are down from previous years, organizers said.

Jordan Braxton, co-president of the United States Association of Prides, which supports Pride celebrations nationwide, said that while some smaller Prides have seen a growth in sponsorships, a majority have seen a reduction.

She said the Trump administration's dismantling of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, has scared corporations away from sponsoring Pride celebrations. "I think that's why some of the corporations have pulled back, because they don't want that government scrutiny," she said.

The squeeze is on; companies are nervous to bring down the wrath of "The Don." When big money walks away, working-class solidarity and community roots can step in to fill the gap.

It was beginning to be felt last June, as Non-Profit Quarterly wrote back then,

Citi, Lowe’s, Mastercard, PepsiCo, Target, and Walmart.

These are but a handful of the major corporate sponsors who have backed out of supporting Pride celebrations across the country this year.

In a climate increasingly hostile to LGBTQ+ people, many corporations renounced their commitments to Pride festivals and events parallel to dissolving their DEI initiatives. According to The Advocate, even before President Trump renounced DEI through executive order, “dozens of major companies had already abandoned their practices. Many made their decisions after conservatives online specifically targeted them for their policies and threatened boycotts.”

And now companies are quaking in their boots and bowing to the Golden Idol.

NPR goes on to write:

"It takes a lot of money to do this," said Dena Stanley, director of Pittsburgh Pride. "Permittings costs, security costs, headliners costs, staging costs, cleaning crew costs, insurance costs, all of these are expenses."

Over on the other side of pond, British organizers have coupled with unions,

Bigger and better than ever’: how Durham Pride beat Reform’s funding axe with help from the miners

Solidarity between LGBTQ+ people and unions has saved an event denied ‘a single penny’ of council money

Guardian

Hannah Al-Othman

Sat 30 May 2026

As the annual Pride parade weaved its way through Durham, the rainbow flags, trans rights placards and sequined cowboy hats filled the medieval city’s cobbled streets with a huge splash of colour.

But this year, the rainbow flags were almost matched in number by trade union banners, as miners, postal workers, and train drivers swelled the parade’s ranks in solidarity, making it the biggest in Durham Pride’s history.

When Reform UK won control of Durham county council last year, one of the party’s first moves in power was to take down the rainbow flag that flew over its headquarters. Soon after, it announced it was axing funding for the city’s Pride event.

“Durham Pride won’t be getting a single penny from this council next year,” the deputy leader, Darren Grimes, said last summer. “Taxpayers shouldn’t be bankrolling it.”

Conservatives are the same world wide... picking on minorities as scapegoats.

Maybe we should get back to our roots since Trump is trying to take us back there?

The Rainbow Was Just a Rental: Why “Corporate Allyship” is Failing Us in 2026

Gay Tucson

By Tony Ray Baker

January 29, 2026

For years, we’ve seen it every June, all over the news: a downtown skyline glowing in neon pink and purple, the bank logos suddenly sporting six-stripe flourishes, and the aisles of retailers overflowing with “Love is Love” t-shirts. We’ve come to know this phenomenon as “Rainbow Washing” (or Rainbow Capitalism)—the practice where companies adopt LGBTQ+ branding for profit during Pride Month while fundamentally lacking a deep, long-term commitment to the community.

But as we navigate the landscape of 2026, the masks have finally slipped. It turns out that for many of these “allies,” our community wasn’t a cause to support—we were just a demographic to rent.

[...]

Returning to Our Roots

The era of “Rainbow Washing” is ending because the corporate world has realized that standing with us requires actual courage—a commodity many of them lack. This betrayal is leading many Pride organizations to pivot back to their “protest roots,” seeking community-led funding rather than relying on unreliable corporate partners.

Here in Tucson and beyond, it’s time to ask: If your support is only available when it’s profitable, why should we give you our business at all?

Ask yourself these questions:

• Why did the Stonewall Uprising happen?
• What has Pride turned into?
• Have hate crimes against our community increased?
• Are hate crimes on the rise?
•  Have we gone back to the 1950s?

Reported hate crimes have more than doubled in a decade, with anti-Black, anti-Jewish, and anti-LGBTQ+ crimes being the most prevalent.

USAFacts

Nationwide, the number of reported hate crimes have increased by about 100% since 2015, rising from 5,843 to 11,679.

[...]

Sexual orientation and gender identity

Together, sexual orientation and gender identity biased crimes accounted for 23% of total hate crimes in 2024. The primary biases were anti-gay male (49%), anti-transgender (17%), and anti-LBGTQ+ as a whole (34%).  

Anti-LBGTQ+ biases, as a whole, account for all but 1% of sexual orientation- and gender-identity-motivated hate crimes, and they’ve risen by 110% since 2015.  

The FBI first collected data on gender-identity motivated hate crimes in 2012. Anti-transgender crimes accounted for 378 of 521 reported gender identity hate crimes in 2024, up 55% since 2020. (Due to the newness of the category to FBI tracking, we're highlighting the 5-year change rather than a decade.)

 Are We Returning to the Era of the Lavender Scare?

When we ask if we have gone back to the 1950s—to the mid-century McCarthy era—we should remember that the United States government weaponized the state against our community in what became known as the "Lavender Scare." Today, we are watching history repeat itself with a modern twist.

The Trump administration's aggressive dismantling of protections for the LGBTQ+ community and attacks on laws and policies enacted since Stonewall are stripping away the very rights and safeguards we have spent decades fighting to secure. Just as we saw back then, with companies caving to government pressure and firing LGBTQ+ employees, we are now seeing corporations ditch their support for Pride the second things get tough.

 

With June we usually see a increase in acts of vandalism. Many time people do not want to report them to the police because they are afraid of their name coming out in the news. So Connecticut has set up tip line... 

Report a bias or hate incident

Have you experienced or witnessed a bias or hate incident in Connecticut? Tell us what happened.

If you have experienced or witnessed a bias or hate incident in Connecticut, you can report that information here. The State of Connecticut will use this information to determine when and where hate incidents occur, improve resource allocation, and develop community anti-bias programs.

Information may be shared with law enforcement. To ensure this incident is investigated by the police, please contact law enforcement directly.

This information will be kept private and confidential by the state agencies that receive it. However, it is not exempt from Freedom of Information requests. While state agencies will seek to protect your information from an FOI request, this cannot be guaranteed.

Important: If you fear for your safety or the safety of others, please call 911 immediately.

Another Drop-Out From Freedom 250

There has been another cancelation for the Freedom 250... Trump.

Trump says ‘cancel’ concert for America’s 250th birthday

The Hill

by Ryan Mancini

May 31, 2026

President Trump on Saturday called for the cancellation of the concert celebrating America’s 250th birthday after multiple artists withdrew from performing at the upcoming Great American State Fair on the National Mall. 

Trump wrote on Truth Social that there should be “a giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY, for 250, instead of having overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring, and yet who do nothing but complain.”

“Cancel it, just like I canceled my involvement with the failing and unsafe to be in Kennedy Center, because a Highly Conflicted, Crooked Federal Judge, said that I should not be allowed to spend my time and money in order to MAKE THE CENTER GREAT AGAIN, actually, far greater than it ever was before!” the president added.

Warning! Warning! You just got on Donald "Vengeance Is Mine" Trump sh*t list! The Donald never forgets!

Trump lambasted the artists who pulled out of performing as “Third Rate ‘Artists,'” and said he will deliver a “major speech” instead. He added that he directed his representatives “to look at the feasibility of doing an AMERICA IS BACK Rally on Wednesday, Washington, D.C., same time, same location.”

So once again, if things do not go Trump's way, he takes back his marbles.

NPR News says Trump Will hold a rally instead!

President Trump has suggested that an event celebrating America's 250 birthday should instead be a Make America Great Again rally after many of the artists who were announced to perform dropped out.

The Great American State Fair, which is set to begin on June 25 on the National Mall, had featured artists such as Martina McBride, Morris Day and the Time, The Commodores and Poison's Bret Michaels — who have all since withdrawn from the lineup.

"I know who really loves me... my MAGA loyal base. Yeah, they will come to my party!"

"In my mind I thought this was a great way to celebrate the states and also bring people together in the way that only music can. I saw it as just a bigger version of so many state fairs I have performed at over the years, celebrating community and what makes each state special," McBride wrote in the post on Thursday night. "Yesterday things started changing and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening."

[...]

"We should have a giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY, for 250, instead of having overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring, and yet who do nothing but complain," Trump wrote.

"Say goodnight, Gracie." the party's over.

The Republican New Cheating Scheme

Hey do you pay bills by mail? In Trump's attack on mail-in-voting will be causing massive problems for those who pay bills by mail.

Postal Service moving forward with Trump’s attack on mail voting

Democracy Docket

By Jacob Knutson, Jim Saksa

May 29, 2026

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) said in a yet-to-be-published proposed rule Friday that it’s drawing up plans to radically crack down on mail voting by sending ballots only to voters who are registered with the federal government.

The proposed rule, which will be formally published next week, is an alarming step toward implementing President Donald Trump’s sweeping attack on mail voting ahead of the 2026 midterm election. And it would represent a massive expansion of federal control over voting, without congressional authorization.

Trump signed a sweeping executive order in March that, in part, ordered the Postal Service to only send mail ballots to voters on lists created and controlled by the federal government. 

The order is currently the subject of multiple lawsuits. USPS’s proposed rule came a day after a federal judge overseeing one of the lawsuits declined to block the order. The judge concluded the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the order since federal agencies had not yet taken steps to implement it.

[...]

USPS is moving forward with the order even though legal experts and voting rights organizations have warned that it is a blatantly unconstitutional attempt to restrict the right to vote and usurp states’ authority over elections.

This is on top of this...

How USPS Postmark Change Could Affect Mail Deadlines

Dates on mail now reflect when it’s processed by the Postal Service, not when it’s dropped off

AARP

By Aaron Kassraie  

Published December 31, 2025

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) implemented new procedures for dating mail on Dec. 24, postmarking letters and packages with the date they are processed at a postal facility rather than when they are dropped off in a mailbox — a shift that could affect whether time-sensitive mail is considered on time. 

The USPS says the change is aimed at meeting strategic goals to cut costs and streamline mail processing by concentrating it in a smaller number of facilities. But it could create real challenges for consumers dealing with deadline-driven mail matters this tax season and beyond, from IRS filings and Medicare documents to mail-in ballots and government benefit notices.

Date differences between when a piece of mail is dropped off by the sender and when it is processed and postmarked are likely to “become more common” as the changes roll out, according to USPS.

That means a tax return dropped in a big blue mailbox on April 15 or a vote-by-mail ballot sent on Election Day could still be marked late — risking IRS penalties or a rejected vote — because USPS now postmarks when mail is processed rather than when it is sent.

Why are they doing this?

The answer lies in this "crack down on mail voting by sending ballots only to voters who are registered with the federal government." It is the same old lie about voter fraud. Now here is a 1984's Big Brother twist... the Republicans are the voter fraud is hidden (Hence: the reason why nobody found any rampant fraud.)

The Constitution gives the states the right to determine their voting policies, this is a classic case of Trump's  "Delay is a victory."

Chowdah

I am old enough to know how clam chowder has changed just in the time that I’ve been alive. In the last decade alone, it seems like there has been a race to see who can make the thickest chowdah!

Set your Way-Back Machine to the year of the Revolution… 1776! What was in their bowls back then looked more like Manhattan Clam Chowder. Brace yourself: the recipe consisted of clams, salt pork, onions, potatoes, and tomatoes in a clear broth.

Jumping forward to the 1830s and the recipe has morphed to…

CHOWDER RECIPE (1830)

The Frugal Housewife (1830)

Lydia Maria Child

TO MAKE A CHOWDER

Four pounds of fish are enough to make a chowder, for four or five people,—half dozen slices of salt pork in the bottom of the pot,—hang it high, so that the pork may not burn,—take it out when done very brown,—put in a layer of fish, cut in lengthwise slices,—then a layer formed of crackers, small or sliced onions, and potatoes sliced as thin as a four-pence, mixed with pieces of pork you have fried; then a layer of fish again, and so on. Six crackers are enough. Strew a little salt and pepper over each layer; over the whole pour a bowl full of flour and water, enough to come up even with the surface of what you have in the pot. A sliced lemon adds to the flavor. A cup of Tomato catsup is very excellent. Some people put in a cup of beer. A few clams are a pleasant addition. It should be covered so as not to let a particle of steam escape, if possible. Do not open it, except when nearly done, to taste if it be well seasoned.

OMG! There’s the tomatoes again!

In the 1920s, a lightning bolt split the chowder world apart. Those who worshipped New England called it Boston Clam Chowder, while those who still swore their allegiance to the tomato called it Rhode Island Red Chowder

Things got so heated that by 1939, a Maine politician actually tried to make putting tomatoes in chowder illegal! According to the New England Historical Society, the proposed law would have sentenced anti-creamy offenders to the impossible task of digging a barrel of clams at high tide.

It wasn't until the middle of the century that we saw chowder change from something resembling a clam stew into a true chowder.

Now, in the new century, we see chowdah get heavily thickened. It seems like a spoon needs to stand straight up in the bowl for it to even be called clam chowder anymore!

I prefer mine with milk or cream and no thickeners. One of the reasons I don’t like it thick is because the added starch spikes my blood sugar! When I'm on the Cape, I love going to Mac’s On The Pier—their chowdah is the perfect, traditional thin style.

Chalk Up Another One For Trump

60 Minutes first went on the air on September 24, 1968 and you can thank Trump for killing the show... 

Opinion | Major shakeup at “60 Minutes” raises questions about its future

Two program hosts were fired and its new executive producer has no background in traditional network news

Poynter

By: Tom Jones

May 29, 2026

Put this moment in your memory bank.

Years from now, we may look back and see what happened Thursday as among the most pivotal days — maybe for the better, although many are predicting for the worse — in the history of the best American TV journalism show that’s ever been.

On Thursday, CBS News and controversial editor-in-chief Bari Weiss shook up TV news gold standard, “60 Minutes.” This isn’t a minor tweak or slight change in philosophy. This is a major overhaul.

Weiss fired executive producer Tanya Simon, who had been with the program for nearly three decades and is part of CBS News royalty, (Her late father, Bob Simon, was a legendary CBS newsman).

Ever since CBS bowed down and kiss Trumps feet their ratings have dropped.

Wa! Wa!

Trump is taking all his marbles and going home!

Judge says Kennedy Center board broke law putting Trump’s name on building, blocks closure

AP News

By  MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and STEVEN SLOAN

May 29, 2026

A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center and blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations — the latest legal setback for Trump’s efforts to leave his personal mark on the landscape of the nation’s capital.

Trump said in response that he’s backing away from his proposed renovation and returning control of the arts institution to Congress.

“Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into ‘NEVER NEVER LAND,’” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

He is having a five-year-old's temper tantrum. The $257 million renovation project was less about structural preservation and more about personal branding. Trump is like a little child living Never, Never Land in his own little fantasy world.

He is obsessed with branding everything with his name. If you have ever taken a dog for a walk, you know they have to brand everything with their scent: "This is my territory, keep your hands off!"

Cooper also concluded that the board “overstepped its statutory bounds” by unilaterally adding Trump’s name to the center. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it, he said.

Wa!

Trump can't get his way, so he throws a petulant tantrum, takes his marbles, and walks away.

Only The Best, Only The Fittest

That caught my attention. The Secretary of Defense said that, and my first thought was, "Huh? What does he mean?"

Troops Must Be Fit and Tall to Attend Trump’s UFC Fight

“No fat troops” at the president’s birthday.

Mother Jones

Inae Oh

May 30, 2026

In preparation for President Donald Trump’s UFC fight on the White House South Lawn next month, Pentagon officials are hoping to lure hundreds of troops to attend the event. The catch? Troops need to meet strict physical requirements, including weight and height standards, in order to be eligible.

That’s according to internal memos seen by the Washington Post, including one demanding that troops “MUST MEET CURRENT WAIST-HEIGHT RATIO” and wear short-sleeved uniforms. Another memo revealed that the Pentagon is soliciting only junior-level officers. In other words: No heavyweights. You better be jacked. And no old people.

The report comes as construction for the cage fight begins to take shape, with the beginnings of a beastly octagon-shaped arena popping up on the South Lawn this week. The effort to attract a very specific kind of soldier is something of a theme for the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has effectively gone to war with “fat troops” and what he has deemed as “unacceptable” physical appearances in the military.

“Frankly, it’s tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops,” Hegseth said in October. “Likewise, it’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon.”

I would like to remind you all that this comes from history. We have seen this obsession with the hyper-masculine "perfect warrior" before.

A central part of Nazi ideology during World War II was the promotion of a highly idealized form of masculinity: physically strong, disciplined, militaristic, emotionally stoic, and devoted to the state.

Sound familiar?

Miltarty.com reported that,

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host and National Guardsman, has attempted to reframe the role of the Pentagon's top civilian leader during his first months on the job, casting himself as a relatable everyman -- "one of the guys."

Instead of the standard suit and tie, he regularly appears in khaki hiking pants, rolled-up sleeves that reveal tattooed forearms and occasionally a trucker hat emblazoned with an American flag. He often posts videos and photos of himself working out with troops.

But that carefully curated image -- so different from past defense secretaries -- may not be totally landing with the rank and file. Interviews with service members and a review of hundreds of social media posts on message boards suggest the image the Pentagon chief is trying to project is seen by some as overly manufactured and desperate for affirmation.

I think Hegseth has visions of himself as Crusader on a white horse leading the charge carrying the banner of the Crusades.

His visions match those of Germany 90 years ago.

 

Theme	Pete Hegseth's "Warrior Ethos"	Nazi "Hyper-Male" Ideal
Social Status	A separate "breed" of human untethered to the norms of polite society.	An elite racial/military aristocracy (SS) operating above regular law.
The Body's Role	Must be physically imposing, fit, uniform, and stripped of personal expression (no "shabby" troops).	Must project "Aryan" physical perfection, symmetry, and absolute uniformity.
View on Diversity	Rejects DEI and gender inclusivity as "woke weakness" that dilutes combat lethality.	Rejects diversity as "degeneration" and a contaminant to the collective state.
Rules of War	Rejects international constraints and rules of engagement in favor of maximum violence.	Utterly rejected international law, viewing violence as a positive good for state survival.

Oh, and by the way... just like the Secretary of Defense, Nazi Germany also hated gay people.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Mystical Magical (2025)
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 week's song is about a new love affair, and Benson Boone bounces between frustration and optimism when he thinks about it. Does anything inspire your mixed emotions these days?
Surviving.

2) The lyrics mention "moonbeam ice cream," which is something Benson just made up. Last summer, when this week's song became popular, ice cream shops were inspired to create flavors with that name. What's your favorite ice cream flavor, and will you take that in a cup or cone?
How can you limit yourself to one flavor when there are so many great flavors; rum raisin, butter pecan, cookies and cream, but you asked for my favorite… Husky Tracks! Every time I had to go on UConn's campus I always stopped by and got some. UConn is an agricultural college and they have their own dairy herd; you can't get ice cream fresher than that!
Husky Tracks
Vanilla ice cream with fudge swirl and peanut butter cups

3) He sings that "once you know" about a love like this, "you know." Tell us about something you had to experience to fully understand.
Boy, that's a hard question because it is something I haven't really thought about it. you know when you are retired one day just blurs into another.

4) He composed this song at the piano. Do you play piano?
Nope… I can’t keep a beat. I have Auditory Dyslexia where I miss a beat or double beat.
Gemini: “There is actually a fascinating and deeply researched connection between dyslexia and the inability to keep a steady beat.

For a long time, people thought dyslexia was purely a visual issue—seeing letters floating around or backwards. However, modern neuroscience has revealed that dyslexia is fundamentally a timing and rhythm processing issue in the brain.”

5) He first sang in public at a high school talent show, which he only entered on a dare. Can you recall any dares from your junior high or high school days?
Um… I don’t think that the statue of limitation has expired yet. So I take the Fifth! But most of us survived.

6) Benson was a good high school athlete and competed in diving at the state level. Can you execute a dive off the diving board?
Well first you have to be willing to jump into the water… I like to get my toes wet first.

7) When he was 18, Boone auditioned for American Idol. What were you up to when you were 18?
Well, I had just graduating and the drinking age was 18… so it is pretty easy to figure out. Party-time!

8) Benson has a dog named Max. He's not alone in this. "Max" is one of the most popular pet names in the US today. Have you ever known anyone (furry or otherwise) named Max?
Nope.

9) Random question: If we knocked on your door on one of your lazy, stay-at-home days, what would we likely find you wearing?
You mean like every day? When you are retired everyday is a lazy, stay-at-home day… PJs

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!

I Have A Question.

If voter fraud is so rampant as Trump says... How did he get elected?

Judge refuses to block Trump order to limit mail voting. There’s no immediate effect on the midterms

AP News

By  NICHOLAS RICCARDI

May 28, 2026

A federal judge has declined to halt President Donald Trump’s executive order creating a federal voter list and limiting mail voting, clearing the way for potential sweeping changes in how American elections are run shortly before this year’s midterm elections.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee in Washington, late Wednesday rejected the request by Democrats and civil rights groups that had argued Trump’s order would likely be found unconstitutional because the states and Congress, not the president, have the power to set election rules. Nichols agreed with the Republican Trump administration’s contention that it was too early to block the order because it has yet to be implemented.

Nichols’ ruling leaves the door open for further challenges when the Trump administration moves to implement the president’s directive. A separate lawsuit seeking to block the executive order is underway in Boston. No matter how rapidly the administration acts, no voting changes are expected during primary elections, which continue into next month.

I want to point out that even the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation documents only roughly 1,500 to 1,600 proven instances of election fraud collected over several decades! That is out of roughly 204 million voters!

So, what is it that Trump wants to do?

Trump administration promotes program to check voter eligibility. Critics fear a midterm purge

AP News

By  JOHN HANNA

May 17, 2026

Even as Democratic officials fight the effort in court, the Trump administration has run millions of voter registrations through government databases to determine their eligibility in a process that critics worry could end up purging valid voters from the rolls before the November elections.

At least 67 million registrations, primarily from Republican-controlled states, have gone through a beefed-up verification program at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and tens of thousands of those have been flagged as potential noncitizens or people who have died. Some states allow only a month for people to prove their eligibility and others suspend it immediately.

The scanning of state voter rolls at the national level is part of a broader effort by Republican President Donald Trump to federalize certain election functions and promote his messaging that elections are marred by noncitizen voting, even though instances of that are rare. Voting and civil rights advocates say the DHS system is error-prone and can mistakenly flag people who are eligible to vote.

Somehow I don't want Trump and his cronies to have my Social Security... I don't want the databases tied together! It give way too much power to Trump and his fascists tendencies! Autocracies love centralized

There have a number of improprieties that has been suggested that DOGE did with the SS database! Such as hand over sensitive personal data to an outside conservative advocacy group looking to "overturn election results" in certain states!

Trump has been trying to overhaul U.S. elections, including calling for a federal list of verified voters, and his Department of Justice has pushed states to hand over unredacted voter information for mass checks through the DHS program known as SAVE.

The Justice Department has sued states that refuse, saying the government is trying to ensure that they are complying with federal law and have accurate voter lists. States already take a number of steps to maintain the accuracy of their voter rolls.

SAVE, short for Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, was created under an immigration law mandating that DHS help federal, state and local agencies prevent government benefits from going to noncitizens. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, an arm of DHS, said more than 1,300 agencies use it.

Remember, they have only found under 2,000 undocumented immigrants on the rolls! Yet, they want all this personal data on over 200 million voters. A centralized database like that will be a prime target for hackers!

It will also create massive problems with database matching. For example, some records might still use a woman's maiden name, leading to a database mismatch that could cause her to be tossed off the voter rolls! The same is true for trans voters, we might have a name and gender mismatch and also be prevented from voting!

Human rights organizations say this effort is designed to give the administration these lists so they can force states to purge voters—disproportionately targeting naturalized citizens, minorities, and women—just before major elections, as these groups tend to vote progressive. Critics argue the administration's motive is to feed data to partisan operations, and that this is an attempt to federalize the voting system and centralize election power in Washington. Just like Russia, China, and North Korea!

Weaponization

That word get tossed around a lot these days, but unfortunately  is is true!

Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3282, the federal government must formally charge or indict an individual within five years of the date the false statement was actually made.

Naw! No way! That Trump is weaponizing the Department of Justice.

DOJ launches criminal probe into E. Jean Carroll: Sources

Acting AG Todd Blanche recused himself from the investigation, sources said.

ABC News

By Katherine Faulders, Aaron Katersky, and Alexander Mallin

May 27, 2026

The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former Elle magazine columnist who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. 

The investigation is allegedly centered around whether Carroll committed perjury during her civil lawsuits against President Trump, after which she was awarded a $5 million judgment, the sources said. 

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recused himself from the investigation, given his past representation of Trump in the matter, the sources said.  

[...]

The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former Elle magazine columnist who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. 

The investigation is allegedly centered around whether Carroll committed perjury during her civil lawsuits against President Trump, after which she was awarded a $5 million judgment, the sources said. 

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recused himself from the investigation, given his past representation of Trump in the matter, the sources said.  

Instead of crossing of the naughty nice list Trump has them prosecuted!

Trump earlier this month asked a federal appeals court in New York to pause its ruling rejecting his challenge to her defamation lawsuit so he could pursue an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The request came after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to rehear Trump's claim of immunity and his attempt to substitute the United States as a defendant in the case.

Vengeance is mine saith Trump!

War! What Is It Good For?

(War, huh) Yeah

(What is it good for?) Absolutely nothin'(War, huh) Yeah

(What is it good for?) Absolutely nothin'

Uh-huh, uh-huh

(War, huh) Yeah

(What is it good for?) Absolutely nothin'

Say it again, y'all

(War, huh) Huh, lookout

(What is it good for?) Absolutely nothin'

Listen to me, aww!

“War” by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong

Will Guantanamo Bay be Trump’s “USS Maine” or Johnson’s “Gulf of Tonkin”?

Is war number three being staged right now? Cuba is on Trump’s hit list!

Pentagon puts building blocks in place for Cuba invasion

The Navy’s presence in the Caribbean has not reduced despite the Iran war.

Politico

By Paul McLeary

05/27/2026

The Pentagon has spent months positioning the troops and weapons needed for the U.S. to launch a military attack on Cuba — all it needs is a final go-ahead from Donald Trump.

The president has floated an invasion of the island after economic and political pressure failed to topple the Communist government. But the Navy’s built-up presence in the region — the largest in the world outside the Middle East — would allow the U.S. to act immediately.

These strategically placed assets set the table for military action, from a capture of Havana’s leadership much like the seizure of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, to a series of precision strikes. And they open the possibility that the U.S. throws itself into the third international conflict of the Trump administration.

Do you remember Trump's campaign promises?

• “No new wars”
• “End the endless wars”
• “I’m not going to start wars, I’m going to stop wars”

Lying “Don”

Violence Around The World!

All around the world violence against the LGBTQ+ community is increasing, sometimes it us tearing down Pride flags, and other times it results in death and destruction. In England that violence caused to canceling of Pride.

Pride event cancelled after banners torn down

BBC News

Amy Holmes

May 27, 2026

A Pride music event in Hertfordshire has been cancelled due to safety concerns after banners have been torn down twice.

The first Loud & Proud event was due to take place at Shirley's Roadhouse in London Colney on 20 June, featuring live music from Christina Aguilera, Elton John and Britney Spears tribute acts, but organisers said banners advertising it had been removed from outside the venue.

Local Liberal Democrat councillor Liz Needham said: "I thought we were living in 2026 and had moved on from this kind of discrimination and was really hoping we could have a nice family-run event that would celebrate the LGBTQ+ community."

They are just like gnats... one little bite here, one bite there and they hope that it will drive us back into the closet.

Here in Connecticut, thee Connecticut State Police Hate Crimes Investigative Unit has a tip line, where you can report it...

Report Anonymously or Share Information

We encourage the public to report hate crimes and bias-related incidents. Your input helps improve understanding, tracking, and response efforts statewide. All reported information is collected and analyzed by the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy at UConn.

If you need immediate law enforcement assistance, call 911

Crank It Out!

Crank it out!

Something happened.

When I went to my first meeting for passing the non-discrimination bill here in Connecticut back in 2007, one takeaway that was brought home at the meeting was: if a legislator tells you how they are going to vote... believe them!

Fast forward to 2026... they now tell you what you want to hear and vote the way they are told to vote.

Also, when I first started giving testimony, it had to be in person. Now they allow online testimony. When I give testimony, I say my name and the district I am in. But now, many testify anonymously and you don't even know if they are actually from Connecticut!

Amount of public testimony on bills is growing, but who’s writing it?

CT Mirror

by Sasha Allen and Angela Eichhorst

May 22, 2026

The amount of public testimony — signed and anonymous — submitted on proposed Connecticut bills has risen sharply in recent years, but the reasons why are murky.

More than 43,800 pieces of written testimony were submitted during the 2026 legislative session, nearly a 250% increase compared to 2016. But this year, almost 8,000 of these submissions were anonymous, and much of the testimony was directed at bills addressing hot-button issues.

Bills dealing with homeschooling, vaccines and gun regulations received more than 2,000 pieces of written testimony each, according to the Connecticut General Assembly. While this year saw abnormally high counts of written testimony overall, these numbers have been climbing for decades.

How many were from Connecticut? How many were generated by PACs?

I remember when I went to a training given by a local lobbyist. One thing the legislators did when they received emails on a topic was sort them by subject line. All of those with the same subject line got filed in the circular file, because those are the ones you "just click" on to send. Those that they give the most weight to are the personal emails. (Hint: if you are going to click on one of those form emails, change the subject line and personalize the email.)

But since more and more testimony is submitted anonymously, it is difficult to determine specific factors behind the increase. Last year, nearly 18% of all testimony submitted was anonymous, according to a CT Mirror analysis.

Hopefully, they give them about as much credence as they did back at the turn of the century. But now comes a new challenge with AI!

It is difficult to determine which pieces of testimony are written by chat bots or researched using AI. But Warner believes the tool could be a contributing factor to overall submission increases.

“That’s not to say that the AI has written the testimony but somebody felt like they had a position but wasn’t quite sure how to articulate themselves,” Warner said. “It could be a waypoint between having the idea and being able to put pen to paper, digitally speaking.”

I am concerned about this. Legislators do listen to constituents, but how much weight they ascribe to them is debatable.

But should anonymous testimony be allowed? Should out-of-state testimony also be allowed? My thoughts are yes, but there should be some type of flag to indicate that they are out of state and that they are human.

SNAFU

Hey you remember all those people Musk laid-off in the CDC?

The Washington Post wrote back in October that,

More than 1,000 staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received layoff notices, including in units that respond to infectious-disease outbreaks, analyze science and health data to develop policy, and monitor the safety of employees, according to multiple individuals issued dismissal notices and others with direct knowledge of the cuts.

Now they need Ebola specialists they are nowhere to be found!

Is The U.S. Stepping Up In The Fight Against Ebola?

KFF

Authors: Josh Michaud and Jennifer Kates

Published: May 23, 2026

The recently announced Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which is quickly escalating in the region, emerges at a time when the larger fiscal and programmatic environment for global health efforts faces particular hurdles, and international cooperation has been significantly challenged. This is in large part due to policy decisions made by the Trump administration and presents the first real global outbreak test following those changes.

On May 15, news broke of a large, ongoing Ebola outbreak concentrated in northeastern DRC. Two days later, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak to be a “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC) given its size and because Ebola cases were already reported across the border in Uganda, making the outbreak a regional threat. Despite only recently being detected and reported, this already appears to be one of the largest Ebola outbreaks to date, with almost 746 suspected cases and over 176 suspected deaths as of May 21st

[...]

Ongoing effects of foreign assistance funding freeze and cuts. Alongside the dissolution of USAID, in early 2025 the Trump administration implemented a freeze on all foreign assistance funding for a period last year. As a consequence, partner organizations report that they had to fire staff and cease many disease prevention and detection activities, including Ebola-focused activities in Uganda and DRC. . Eventually, the State Department issued “waivers” to allow funding for existing “life-saving” assistance programs to continue, which included infectious disease outbreak detection and response programs. While certain activities resumed, the underlying system itself was affected.

Then we have Trump withdrawing from the UN's WHO and placing roadblock for the CDC to work with the WHO!

Exclusive: Trump admin shutting key US researchers out of global virus response talks, documents and sources reveal

CNN

By Sarah Owermohle

May 25, 2026

Key officials responsible for leading US research on infectious disease threats have been barred from speaking directly with the World Health Organization — effectively shutting some of them out of the global discussions on virus outbreaks, according to documents and multiple sources who spoke to CNN.

The internal Trump administration policy stops individuals at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from communicating with the WHO unless authorized by senior staff.

The federal health subagency was led for decades by Dr. Anthony Fauci and oversaw developing treatments for public health emergencies including HIV/AIDs and Covid-19.

The prohibition has been in place during an outbreak of hantavirus that some Americans have been exposed to. The communication limits were relaxed slightly in the past week as another virus outbreak — an unfolding Ebola epidemic centered in the Democratic Republic of Congo — intensified.

Can you believe this bull! Putting politics before the health of the country! And don't forget we now have RFK Jr. in charge of the CDC!

Medical Experiments On Inmates

Trump & his cronies wasted no time at all launching another attack on the LGBTQ+ community...

The Federal Bureau of Prisons is running a conversion therapy program. We must not let it stand

Opinion: The Trump administration is imposing unnecessary cruelty on incarcerated transgender people who have nowhere to go, writes NCLR legal director Shannon Minter.

The Advocate

Shannon Minter

Mar 19, 2026

On February 19, 2026, the Federal Bureau of Prisons issued a new policy on the “Management of Inmates with Gender Dysphoria.” The title sounds clinical. The reality is brutal: the federal government has now officially placed itself in the business of punishing transgender people for being who they are, by withdrawing their medical care, confiscating their personal belongings, and subjecting them to forced psychological treatment. It is, in every meaningful sense, a blueprint for a government-run conversion therapy program, one targeting thousands of incarcerated people who have nowhere to turn.

This is becoming increasingly similar to what the Nazis did to the Jews. Conversion therapy is already banned in many states because of the profound harm it inflicts on patients!

NCLR condemns this policy in the strongest possible terms. For now, a federal court order is blocking its enforcement, and we are committed to ensuring it stays that way. But the policy itself is a declaration of intent, and we are calling on everyone, not just those who are transgender, not just those who have loved ones in prison, to recognize what it represents and to oppose it.

Part of the AMA  statement reads:

LGBTQ so-called “conversion therapy”

So-called “conversion therapy” refers to any form of interventions which attempt to change an individual’s sexual orientation, sexual behaviors or gender identity. Underlying these ‘therapies’ is the assumption that homosexuality and gender nonconformity are mental disorders and that sexual orientation and gender identity can be changed. This assumption is not based on medical or scientific evidence. Professional consensus rejects pathologizing homosexuality and gender nonconformity and evidence does not support the efficacy of changing sexual orientation.

“Conversion therapy” often includes unethical techniques including electric shock, deprivation of food and liquid, chemically induced nausea and masturbation reconditioning. These practices may increase suicidal behaviors and cause significant psychological distress, anxiety, lowered self-esteem, internalized homophobia, self-blame, intrusive imagery and sexual dysfunction.

The APA statement on the Supreme Court case reads in part...

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is deeply concerned that the Supreme Court’s decision in Chiles v. Salazar will potentially harm many LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly minors, who will no longer be protected by state laws against conversion therapy.

Being LGBTQ+ is not a mental illness or disorder. Conversion therapy — efforts to change sexual orientation and gender identity — is not a legitimate therapeutic treatment. Leading health care entities, the APA among them, have concluded that these are potentially harmful, discredited practices and are not supported by scientific evidence.

Question: Do you know who else performed medical experiments on prisoners?

Consider Holmesburg Prison, where incarcerated people, many of them Black were used in pharmaceutical and chemical experiments from the 1950s through the 1970s. Those tests included exposure to dioxin, experimental drugs, radiation, and chemical agents.

And during World War II, a number of German physicians conducted painful and often deadly experiments on thousands of concentration camp prisoners without their consent.

Trump has officially stooped to that level in his pogrom to wipe us out!

It Is All TAS2R38 Gene’s Fault!

Are you a finicky eater… did your mother always tell you to finish your broccoli, only for you to turn up your nose at it? What about Brussels sprouts? Did you turn up your nose at them too? Can you brush your teeth before drinking orange juice? Do you also turn up your nose at artificial sweeteners? Well, there is a scientific reason for that!

It is all the TAS2R38 gene’s fault!

What about the OR6A2 gene? Doesn't have some part in all of this? Yes. Some people who have certain versions of the OR6A2 receptor are much more sensitive to aldehydes, which are compounds found in cilantro… and also in soaps and detergents!

Via Pub Med, the NIH website:

Supertasting, earaches and head injury: genetics and pathology alter our taste worlds

Neurosci Biobehav Rev

L M Bartoshuk , V B Duffy, D Reed, A Williams

Abstract

Family studies using thresholds showed that PROP (6-n-propylthiouracil) tasting is produced by a dominant allele, T. Nontasters have two recessive alleles and tasters have one or two dominant alleles. The bitterness of suprathreshold PROP and anatomical criteria subdivide tasters into medium and supertasters. Supertasters may be TT tasters, but this has yet to be demonstrated. Supertasters preceive the greatest bitterness and sweetness from many stimuli as well as the greatest oral burn from alcohol and capsaicin. Women are more likely than men to be supertasters. Otitis media and head trauma can alter taste and thus PROP classifications, complicating studies on PROP genetics. Some subjects with a history of otitis media show taste reductions, but others show enhanced tastes and appear to have more taste buds per fungiform papilla. Subjects with head trauma show reduced tastes on some oral loci, but there is evidence that severe reductions on the front of the tongue ameliorate reductions at the circumvallate papillae on the back of the tongue by a release of inhibition mechanism.

Do you know what “supertasters” were used for? During the Middle Ages, we were the king’s food tasters. What a job! You get to eat all the king’s best food… if you can stay alive!

This just goes to show that we are all different. As a lobster lover, I cannot get enough of the bug! But others turn their noses up at it, while I hate avocado. We all have different tastes!

---

I have to ask: why is it so hard to think that our sexuality and gender identity do not vary from person to person? Why is so hard for people to understand that we are all genetically we are all different?

A Double! A Double Cuckoo Award!

For the very first time a double Cuckoo Award is being given out! The first award goes to Trump for his post on Truth Social...

'Trump Called India A Hellhole,' Reporter Tells Marco Rubio. His Response
The exchange referred to an incident in April when US President Trump shared on social media a derogatory post by a podcaster that described India as a "hellhole".
NDTV 

May 25, 2026

 

 

 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio faced a curveball from an American journalist about his recent remarks on India during a press briefing in New Delhi on Sunday, as he stood alongside External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

A reporter raised the issue of Indians facing racism online and referred to a specific social media post involving US President Donald Trump. Rubio responded by saying he did not know who the reporter was referring to and had assumed the question concerned general online content.

"I don't know who he was talking about. I figured, I assumed that he was talking about people posting stuff online," Rubio said. "I don't even know, some of those could be a troll, it could be a bot, I don't know. So that's why I asked him specifically, can you tell me what you're talking about and who you're talking about. He didn't have a specific example."

And boy when he found out that his boss said he did a quick two-step!

 

So the first Cuckoo Award goes to Trump for calling India a "hellhole" and to Rubio for putting his foot in his mouth. 

Is This A Casus Belli

The Trump administration is looking for novel ways to rake the trans community over the coals. Now, they are trying to use our own protections against us!

WA’s transgender prisoner policy is target of new federal investigation

The U.S. Department of Justice inquiry follows a lawsuit from a prisoner in the state’s women’s prison who alleged a transgender woman attacked her there.

The Washington State Standard
By: Jake Goldstein-Street

May 19, 2026

The Trump administration on Tuesday launched an investigation into Washington state’s practice of housing transgender women in its women’s prison. 

In a letter to Gov. Bob Ferguson, the U.S. Department of Justice cited allegations that the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor has “failed to protect female prisoners from sexual and physical violence, harassment, voyeurism, and intimidation from male prisoners who identify as female.”

The Justice Department argued this could violate the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution’s protections against cruel and unusual punishment. Washington’s state constitution also prohibits cruel conditions specifically for prisoners.

A state Department of Corrections spokesperson said the agency was notified of the investigation Tuesday morning and plans to cooperate with the Department of Justice.

“DOC remains committed to upholding the rights and providing a safe environment for all incarcerated individuals in our custody,” spokesperson Chris Wright said.

The women’s prison currently holds 20 transgender prisoners, while there are 347 transgender or non-binary individuals held across all state prisons, Wright said.

As I wrote this morning... the federal government doesn't get to determine gender; the states do!

The inquiry follows a lawsuit filed last month against the state by a woman held at the Gig Harbor women’s prison, alleging a transgender woman physically attacked her. The woman alleged several other transgender women were held at the prison. 

KUOW reported that,

According to a letter from the DOJ's Civil Rights Division to Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson Tuesday, the investigation is based on information that the state “failed to protect female prisoners from sexual and physical violence, harassment, voyeurism, and intimidation” from transgender women within prison facilities.

In late April, a woman in the prison near Gig Harbor and a nonprofit sued the state Department of Corrections after she said she was attacked by a trans inmate. The DOJ's letter does not directly mention the ongoing lawsuit.

“Washington State must protect women inmates from the inherent dangers of incarcerating them with biological men,” Interim U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd for the Western District of Washington said in a press release. “Our Constitution protects the civil rights of every American, including woman who are in prison and forced by the State of Washington to live with male inmates.”

So  my push back... you mean that there were no other assaults in that prison? I don't know the number but I bet it was more than one, so what this attack so special? Go after the real problem, assaults in prison!

What the Republicans are doing is trying to justify overruling a judge.

Federal judge again blocks Trump from moving trans women into men’s prisons

Judge Royce C. Lamberth extended emergency protections after transgender women in federal custody detailed alleged sexual violence and abuse in men’s facilities.

The Advocate

Christopher Wiggins

May 20, 2026

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has again blocked the Trump administration from transferring transgender women in federal custody into men’s prisons, extending emergency protections in a lawsuit that has become one of the country’s most significant legal fights over the treatment of transgender prisoners under President Donald Trump’s second administration.

See! They are trying to use the Washington incident to wave in front of the judge... meanwhile we are getting raped in the men's prisons!

The ruling marks the latest turn in a case that began in January 2025 after three transgender women incarcerated in federal prisons sued the administration over Trump’s executive order mandating that the federal government recognize only sex assigned at birth. The order directed the attorney general to ensure that “males are not detained in women’s prisons” and sought to prohibit federal funding for gender-affirming care in custody.

See! They are trying to wave the Washington incident in front of the judge... meanwhile, we are being raped in men's prisons!

The fact that we are being raped doesn't matter to Trump's cronies; they are only interested in keeping their base riled up. All it will take is one Trump-appointed judge to flip the others!