'I am the parent of a transgender child. What about my parental rights?'

So many conservatives who shout "let kids be kids" and "parents should raise their kids, not the government" are basic hypocrites. All of their prattle is a smokescreen to cover up their prejudices and attempts to undermine the lives and rights of transgender Americans. Their actions against this community belies both their mantras. 

If they actually believed in letting kids be kids and letting parents raise their own kids, they would heed the words of Jennifer Koslow. She is a Florida parent and the mother of a trans child. Legislation proposed in Florida against gender-affirming healthcare would do her family great harm.

She makes her case in The Tallahassee Democrat 

I am the parent of a transgender child. I should have the fundamental right to determine what is in the best interests of my child's health and education. HB 1421 & SB 254 that ban gender-affirming medical care for minors (and put conditions on medical care for adults), HB 1403/SB 1580, "Protections of Medical Conscience," and HB 1223/HB 1069/SB 1320, which expands legislation related to Educational Institutions and Instruction Requirements will all have the same impact. They undermine my parental authority. 

 My family, and no family I know, has ever made a medical decision regarding their transgender child without consulting a team of physicians. Having gender dysphoria is not being "confused." It is a condition where a person's feelings about their body are out of alignment with the physical traits of their body. For some (but not all), gender dysphoria creates extreme distress. 

Thirty years of data on puberty blockers tell us that this is a safe medication to temporarily pause puberty. As transgender children become adolescents, gradually taking gender-affirming hormones is only done as an informed decision for them and their parents. HB 1421 & SB 254 undermines a parent's fundamental right to make medical decisions for their child in consultation with their physicians.

Her entire post deserves a read and a share.

'Leaked emails reveal anti-trans 'holy war'' & other Wed midday news briefs

‘Under His Wings’: Leaked Emails Reveal an Anti-Trans ‘Holy War’​ - Spooky and not surprising. We need to amplify this more because those folks fear being exposed. 

Uganda lawmakers approve new anti-homosexuality bill - And LGBTQ Ugandans have to deal with this again. 

Tennessee GOP leader survives no-confidence vote amid racy social media controversy - Randy McNally got lucky. That's okay for now. 

What It's Like to Be an LGBTQ+ High Schooler in DeSantis's Florida - I'm actually too scared to imagine. 

West Texas A&M University president cancels student drag show - Sounds like someone is angling for a future in politics. Maybe?

Former FL legislator who wrote 'Don't Say Gay' bill pleads guilty to fraud, faces up to 35 years in prison

Former FL legislator Joe Harding

I posted about the hypocrisy of former FL GOP state legislator Joe Harding last year when this first went down. The follow-up is an appropriate reminder.

From Raw Story

Joe Harding, the now-former Florida Republican lawmaker who authored the extremist “Don’t Say Gay” bill could face up to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday afternoon to federal felony fraud charges in a scheme to obtain $150,000 in COVID-19 relief funds, according to Florida Politics‘ publisher Peter Scorsch. 

 Harding, 35, was a construction project manager who started his own lawn care company. He quickly became a right-wing darling after his anti-LGBTQ legislation, officially the Parental Rights in Education Act, was embraced by Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis, who signed it into law. Harding was charged in a December federal indictment with six counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements in his plot to obtain $150,000 in COVID funds. He resigned from the legislature the following day. He originally pled not guilty. 

 After Harding was charged and resigned, Nadine Smith, the executive director of Equality Florida, responded via social media, saying: “So much harm to students, parents and teachers because of his raw political ambitions. He slandered entire communities and trafficked in lie after lie that has emboldened violent bigotry. He will have his day in court but his legacy is already a despicable one.”

Well that's one less fool we have to worry about in politics.

'Proud Boys left bloodied in clash outside NYC Drag Story Hour' & other Tue midday news briefs

Proud Boys left bloodied in clash outside NYC Drag Story Hour​ - Folks do NOT play games in New York.

Georgia County Pays $1.2 Million to Fight Gender-Affirming Care Suit - It would have been cheaper to allow the employee to have her gender-affirming care. But some folks just have to be stubborn no matter how much it costs them. 

Spread of anti-LGBTQ bills could have ‘enormous impact’ on HBCUs - I kept telling folks that we are all connected. 

Queer students in Florida are terrified - It's sad how these "let kids be kids" types aren't doing anything but harming kids.

Undercover investigators say no lewd acts were performed at drag show targeted by DeSantis

FL Gov Ron DeSantis is trying to take away the liquor license of the theater who hosted this drag show even though undercover investigators said no lewd acts were performed.

No doubt, LGBTQ folks are going to be all blase about this news. But can you really blame us? It follows a steady pattern of events which always repeats itself like a time loop in a Twilight Zone episode.

From VICE:

A nonprofit-run theater in Orlando is reportedly at risk of losing its liquor license, the latest attack in Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s war on drag shows, which he’s called “sexualized” entertainment. And the complaint from a state agency was filed even after Florida’s own undercover police said in a report that they did “not witness any lewd acts” during a December drag show. 

 The Plaza Live theater in Orlando hosted a performance of a show called “A Drag Queen Christmas” on Dec. 28. Agents from the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation were in attendance and took photos and videos of the performance and photos of three minors who were accompanied by their parents, the Miami Herald reported Monday. 

 But those cops did not actually find that the theater was in violation of the law. “Besides some of the outfits being provocative [bikinis and short shorts], agents did not witness any lewd acts such as exposure of genital organs,” according to a report by the agents obtained by the Miami Herald. “The performers did not have any physical contact while performing to the rhythm of the music with any patrons.” 

 There was a sign posted outside the venue saying that while entry was not restricted to minors, “please be advised that some may think the context is not appropriate for under 18,” according to the Herald.

The Tampa Bay Times said that even though the complaint by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation claims that several decency laws were broken, no criminal charges have been filed. The Times said the case is being looked at as a license-compliance matter. And that's led to some people labeling actions against the Plaza as a "set-up" for DeSantis who is supposedly considering a 2024 presidential run. 

According to the Times:

 In the adult-entertainment industry, obscene acts generally include touching, sexual manipulation, or exposing an erection — none of which happened at the Plaza Live or any of the other venues targeted by the state over similar allegations since last summer. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a former Democratic state legislator from Orlando, said the report from state agents proves that the “moral panic” about drag shows is a “hoax.” 

Equality Florida, an LGBTQ organization in Florida, told Business Insider that DeSantis is attacking the LGBTQ community to make a name for himself in anticipation of his possible presidential run: 

"He is weaponizing state agencies, sending investigators to harass small business and performers, then discarding the reports of agents when it doesn't fit his agenda," the group said, adding, "Free states don't wield the power of government to punish small businesses for respecting the right of parents to determine what entertainment is best for their families."

The pattern I mentioned at the beginning of the post - mimicked by this incident -  is as follows:

• The right amplifies a scurrilous incident involving LGBTQ people (which is sometimes accompanied by doctored or misrepresented footage)

• Everyone flips out while members of the community and supposed allies concern troll us about the LGBTQ community being "too radical."

• Footage of said incident is constantly replayed on Twitter while further amplified by the right-wing propaganda industry (i.e. the Family Research Council, Breitbart, the Heritage Foundation, the Daily Wire, Fox News, etc and every insignificant wannabe right-wing influencer) and repeated by far-right members of Congress until it becomes a narrative used to harm LGBTQ people in social media and sometimes in state legislatures.

• The truth is revealed showing that said incident was distorted or deliberately taken out of context. But by then it doesn't matter because the lie has done its work to damage LGBTQ people.

• Rinse and repeat.

•  I stand on the side banging my head against the wall while dying a little inside because folks fall for this flim-flam more times than Charlie Brown falls for Lucy pulling the football away in a Peanuts cartoon.

'Rightwing pundit who called for eradicating 'transgenderism' played a gay twink in a movie' & other Mon midday news briefs

Mr. 'transgenderism must be eradicated' Michael Knowles (right) once played a gay twink in a movie. He wasn't that good. 

Rightwing pundit who called for eradicating “transgenderism” played a gay twink in a movie - And he was terrible. No wonder he didn't stick to acting.

21 Artists Performing at Nashville's LGBTQ+ Rights Concert 'Love Rising' - So awesome! 

PrEP's promise to change the course of HIV has succeeded — but only for white gay men - We simply have to do better.

In wake of Florida law, additional states seek to restrict certain LGBTQ discussions in schools - Bring it on. We will win this one, too.

Trans activist debunks false claim that 80% of trans youth detransition

 

There are quite a few trans activists working against this outbreak of anti-trans legislation. They aren't as well known as they should be, but their work is outstanding.

One such person is Erin Reed, an independent reporter who has been following anti-trans legislation around the country via her substack and Twitter address. She also breaks down the deliberate inaccuracies pushed against the trans community by the anti-LGBTQ industry.

Such as the false claim that 80% of trans youth detransition:

One of the most common myths heard in anti-trans hearings is that most trans kids will desist if they are allowed to go through puberty. Sometimes specific numbers are given, such as 80% of trans kids desist. This statistic has been cited as low as 60% and as high as 99% in various legislatures. In Montana, a representative used this statistic to justify passing a medical ban. The Heritage Foundation has also pushed this myth. Nearly every hearing on this topic includes this myth. The desistance myth is one of the most persistent falsehoods and has been used against the trans community for decades. It is misleading and inaccurate as it comes from outdated DSM-4 criteria and decades-old data. Newer studies show that 97.5% of transgender youth are persistent in their gender identities. Let's examine how this falsehood originated, how it is misused, and what current research reveals about the rarity of desistence and detransition. 

 Erin not only examines the lie but also points out how those on the right amplify the claim by using old studies which use outdated standards. Her entire post is worth a read and a share:

Among trans youth, desistance and detransition rates are incredibly low. The most recent study in the prestigious journal Pediatrics, one of the only studies that use modern criteria, showed that 97.5% of trans youth continue to identify as trans on a 5 year follow-up. The sample size was also larger than all previous sample sizes of this population: 317 youth. Anti-trans gender affirming care bans often start off with a list of “legislative findings” that seek to “state the science” around gender affirming care. In this list of findings, you might be surprised to see that the later studies are nowhere to be found, but the claims from the former studies pop up and are presented as factual when they are over a decade old, are dramatically outdated, and use standards that are not even in use anymore.