Video - Parents of trans and non-binary kids weigh in on ugly year of legislative attacks on their children

 

Dear mainstream media, you are not doing enough to amplify the voices of transgender and non-binary children nor their parents as they are being attacked by conservative lawmakers and legislatures.  Please do better in rightfully presenting their stories, such as what's being done in this video.

Before the GLAAD Awards - An Online Chat with 'Outstanding Blog' Nominees

For those who have never seen me on video, I do apologize for the above video.

Just kidding. 

In anticipation of Friday's GLAAD Awards, GLAAD recently hosted an online chat with the five nominees of the 'Outstanding Blog' category. As folks know, I was blessed to have won the award in 2017 as well as receiving five nominations with this year included.

The online chat was hosted by social media personality Peppermint of RuPaul's Drag Race. I am appreciative to her and to GLAAD for spotlighting the work of us tireless LGBTQ bloggers. We work diligently and with little acclaim to bring news, hope, style, and (in my case) fire to our community and to educate the mainstream about who we are. 

(Memo to myself - next time use some of that Streisand lighting. I was definitely channeling that 'Gloria Grahame went straight from work at the studio to the Oscars' look.)

 (And to answer certain questions, yes those are action figures behind me . . . hush)

From striking down marriage equality to throwing gays off of roofs - far right conservatives spin ideas about what ending Roe would mean for LGBTQs

Ben Shapiro

While we still are up in the air on whether or not SCOTUS will end Roe v Wade, certain conservatives are preliminarily showing their collective asses. We've got the so-called respectable type (which is somewhere near a sewer) like Ben Shapiro saying that SCOTUS should next overturn Obergefell- the decision which made marriage equality legal.

 

 And then you got this nut below from deep below the sewer,. White nationalist Vincent James spews stream of conscious comments hope that the possible overturning of Roe will mean the return of sodomy laws, overturning of marriage equality, and - I kid you not - Justices Alito and Thomas throwing gays off of buildings. Although, I think he is reading comments from viewers of his podcast. Still, it's very disturbing, particularly hearing him laugh about violence against gays.

Radical white nationalist Vincent James celebrates the leaked SCOTUS decision, hoping that it will eventually lead to us seeing Justices Alito and Thomas throwing gay people off of tall buildings: "We shall have our theocracy very soon." pic.twitter.com/uNBy2va1lB

— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) May 4, 2022

This is the opposition, folks. Their words may not be similar but the desire certainly is. Anyone who doesn't think certain people aren't eyeing us next should Roe be overturned is either deluding themselves or lying.

Hat tip to Media Matters and Right Wing Watch.

'Lawmakers in 19 states want to provide legal refuge for transgender kids' & other Wed midday news briefs

Lawmakers in 19 states want legal refuge for transgender youth - I am all for this. This is a wonderful idea. 

Supreme Court Poised to Overturn Roe v. Wade; Other Rights at Risk​ - The fallout continues.

Brittney Griner is ‘wrongfully detained’ in Russia, U.S. officials say - Keep your fingers crossed in terms of how this turns out. 

University of Maryland students march for LGBTQ rights on ‘Maryland Day’ - I love this next generation.

What would Alexis Carrington Colby say?

 In light of what's going on with the Supreme Court and Roe V Wade and what it possibly means for the future of LGBTQ Americans, one would probably call this post frivolous. I disagree. There are too many people either prognosticating an ugly future or spinning so many theories it would give you a headache.  The post above is meant to be both relief from all of that and a reminder of what our mindset needs to be on terms of preserving our rights as we navigate through this uncertain time  - cold, calculating, and unapologetically ruthless. 

Like one of my favorite characters - Alexis from Dynasty (the original series. Not that dreadful remake)

''Agents of the devil' - Michigan GOP Secretary of State candidate has a long history of smearing LGBTQ people' & other Tue midday news briefs

   

 “Agents of the devil”: Michigan secretary of state candidate Kristina Karamo's anti-LGBTQ commentary​ - The Michigan Republican party has selected this insane woman as their Secretary of State candidate. It's funny until reality sets in. We have to vote. PLEASE!

John Oliver Blasts Gov. Ron DeSantis, Says He’s ‘Scared of Gay People’ - Actually he wants to use us to get to the White House but go on. 

Anti-LGBTQ laws inspire many LGBTQ people to seek public office - Oh hell yeah! 

Latino authors, activists lead caravan, march against book bans - Go get 'em!

Family Research Council brags about undermining transgender healthcare and rights to create a 'post-trans world'

 Someone needs to seriously ask the Family Research Council what the hell does it mean by this:

For those who are interested, FRC is riding its optimism about a possible SCOTUS overturn of Roe v Wade to the transgender community. The organization has been going on and on about a 'post Roe v Wade' society after the SCOTUS ruling.

We don't know yet if this will be a reality. But we should be alarmed not only about FRC's desire to declare an end to Roe v Wade, and also about the group's desire to talk about a 'post trans ideological world.'  Don't be fooled by what FRC is claiming. Being trans is not an ideology. It is a reality. And it's a reality in which FRC and groups like it are working to undermine as evidenced by this passage coming from the above article:

Right now, the medical and psychological professions do not have answers to the gender identity confusion. In many U.S. states, these professionals are not even allowed to talk about root causes of confusion over biological sex. These professionals (I’m affiliated, too) may only offer affirmation. But as some who have detransitioned have reported, a time can come when the novelty of the transgender procedures wears off and the tide of applause from trans-affirming activists rolls back. After a person’s foundation has been laid bare, what remains is pain, unresolved identity struggles, and the confusion that initiated the desire to be someone else. 

When this ideology and supposed treatment collapses, we must be prepared! Because, ready or not, they are coming, and the need will be great. Many in the trans-identifying community will realize that they were sold a lie about their identity by some of their closest family members, friends, and authority and political figures. The sense of betrayal and grief, as we have already seen with the first fruits of those who have detransitioned, will be profound. This means the church and those who remain clear and fair-minded need to be ready to receive them with open arms.

 First, we can’t lose hope! Just last week, one pro-transgender group noted that 200 bills had been introduced in 2021 to prevent access to gender-affirming “health care” and aimed at mitigating the problems that arise with social spaces and biological males competing in women’s sports. This all points to a willingness of parents and concerned citizens to lobby their politicians to stand for truth and protect children. 

 Second, we need to learn about the needs of this population and ways we can serve them. The trans ideology has been advertised as a pathway to becoming your “true self” and a grand solution for mental distress. The reality is that many of those who identify with trans-ideology have childhood traumas in their backgrounds. Some may have a diagnosis of autism or were deeply influenced by their peers and social media. This ideology is no substitute for some of these root issues. When they come for help, they don’t necessarily just need someone with a degree in psychology. They will need someone who can listen, empathize with their pain, and show mercy that is tethered to truth.

First of all, let's be clear. Parents are not lobbying for these awful bills. In actuality, parents have been scared and vocal about how these bills are affecting their families and particularly their children. And the 'concerned citizens' FRC spoke of are members of anti-LGBTQ groups - the same groups who crafted these bills and are handing them off to lawmakers.   

FRC claims that undermining transgender healthcare and rights in general will lead people to stop being trans. That's not true and FRC knows it. What the group is hoping is that its undermining of trans rights and healthcare will put more trans people in unhealthy situations in which they are more depressed, more suicidal and more susceptible to other negative behaviors. Then it and other right-wing groups will swoop in and declare being trans as an 'unhealthy ideology' which leads to unhappiness and death, when in actuality it's their actions which are leading to the misery.

If you recognize the modus operandi, it's because it has been the same playbook FRC and other conservatives have used against the queer community in general - undermine our rights and visibility to position us in mentally, physically, and emotionally negative states and then try to make us believe that our supposed lifestyles are the problems instead of their hatred.

It's the same game plan, right down to the over emphasis on detransitioning. In my day it was called 'ex-gay' therapy.