Tributes, celebration, and next steps for LGBTQ civil rights to mark 2018 Equality Illinois Gala

Press
ChicagoPride.com

Credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Chicago_Theatre_blend.jpg

please press:  chicago.gopride.com

Oklahoma - Minister has message for some lawmakers: 'Stop obsessing over bathrooms and weddings'

Barbara Hoberock
Tulsa World

Oklahoma City, OK

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/41/Skydance_Bridge_OKC.jpg

please press:  www.tulsaworld.com

Ives ad targets transgender community, immigrants and women who get abortions

Tina Stondeles
Chicago Sun-Times

Credit:  http://yowzers.com/ccdata/images/smallMain_58_860.jpg

please press:  chicago.suntimes.com

Wellsville, New York

The Pink House

estimated transgender population: 41*
(rounded down)

Credit:  https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3589/3320272615_1c3a4605c2_b.jpg

ezs note: Wellsville, New York may be a tiny town, but architecture lovers who make it to The Pink House will definitely have their breath taken away by its beauty.  See it first, and then enjoy the friendliness this town has to offer!

*Credit:  http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/How-Many-Adults-Identify-as-Transgender-in-the-United-States.pdf

Donald Trump - An Article of Impeachment Against Donald J. Trump

David Leonhardt
The New York Times

Credit:  https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.278718608.6199/flat,800x800,075,f.jpg

please press:  www.nytimes.com

ezs note:  Are you pissed enough at Donald enough to have him impeached?  YOU can get the ball rolling.  Call or hand-write your Representative and let him/her know that you would like to see him be impeached. (Don't e-write - 95%   of these just get tossed)  Don't know who your Representative is?  Click www.house.gov to find out who your Representative is.

Jamaica - Jamaica bars anti-gay preacher Steven Anderson

Press
BBC

Credit:  https://img00.deviantart.net/240b/i/2011/054/7/d/damn_skippy_by_wobtar-d3a9f3h.png

please press:  www.bbc.com

ezs note:  Now if we could figure out how to get him out of the United States...

Transgender ‘bathroom bill’ introduced in Iowa House, though support lags

Brianne Pfannenstiel, Courtney Crowder
Des Moines Register

Conservatives make their voices heard...

Credit:  http://t.fod4.com/t/0354ad4c3e/c480x270_54.jpg

please press:  www.desmoinesregister.com

West Virginia - Editorial: Extending hate-crime protections to all is overdue

Editorial Board
Herald-Dispatch

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please press:  www.herald-dispatch.com

RNC sides with Trump on transgender military ban

Thomas Beaumont
The Mercury News

Credit:  http://moziru.com/images/elephant-clipart-poop-1.jpg

please press:  www.mercurynews.com

ezs note:  Liberal/moderate Republicans - Hello... can we talk?  I know, I know, you think you're talking to a bleeding heart liberal Democrat.  As for me, I plead (happily) guilty.  But as for my family history, things get a bit muddled.  My mother, her brother, my niece and nephew, as well as both my grandparents (now deceased) are staunch Republicans.  (Where did I go wrong?)  

Now, some of you may have voted for Trump.  I understand that.  But when you go into a store, shop, or office owned by an African-American - a good, decent, scrupulous man or woman - don't you feel a little twinge?  When you see a transgender boy or girl - a child of God if there ever was one - being harassed, doesn't it make you feel just a bit angry?  

Donald Trump doesn't think so.  The RNC doesn't think so. They can go to hell (quite literally) as far as they are concerned.

I'm not saying "come to us".   You have your own views, and I respect that.  But when Trump and the RNC go so off the board, isn't it time to leave???

Just sayin'... 

Donald Trump - The Case For Impeachment - ENTIRE - Allan J. Lichtman

Credit:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrJv_n9OmVk&t=2913s

Donald Trump - DC Divorce Lawyers Weigh In: What Would Happen if Melania and Donald Trump Split?

Marisa M. Kashino
Washingtonian

Credit:  https://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/17/174460/2642338-4266061320-offic.jpg

please press:  www.washingtonian.com

Australia - Calls For State Premiers To Scrap ‘Forced Transgender Divorce’ Laws

Jordan Hirst
QNews

Transgender civil rights bill draws crowd at State House

Dave Solomon
Union Leader

Concord, New Hampshire

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Downtown_Concord%2C_NH%2C_near_the_state_capitol_IMG_2719.JPG

please press: www.unionleader.com

Louisiana - Kyle Duncan's nomination to 5th Circuit advances out of U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee

Elizabeth Crisp
The Advocate

Credit: http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/shared/npr/201505/410047118.jpg

please press:  www.theadvocate.com

ezs note:  You can help stop some of the worst justice nominations - but only if you let your voice be heard!  You can find out who your two Senators are (remember, every state has two) by clicking www.senate.gov.

By the way, I did!  You can too.

'A Fantastic Woman': The Story Behind the Oscar-Nominated Transgender Drama

Tim Grierson
Rolling Stone

'A Fantastic Woman'

Credit:  https://thefilmstage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/A-Fantastic-Woman_1-620x380.jpg

please press:  www.rollingstone.com

Donald Trump - Trumpocracy - ENTIRE - David Frum

Credit:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMMoPKzaiVA 

Donald Trump - FBI has 'grave concerns' about Trump plan to release controversial memo

Tom McCarthy
The Guardian

Credit:  https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cf2KZjUWwAEVE68.jpg

please press:  www.theguardian.com

Pakistan - CONSERVATIVE PAKISTAN'S TRANSGENDER RISING

Sonya Rehman
Ozy

Credit:  https://www.newspakistan.tv/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/trans.jpg

please press:  www.ozy.com

JFK's grand-nephew Joe Kennedy says 'bullies' never win in Democrat response to Donald Trump's speech

Press
The Telegraph

Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA)

Credit:  http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/weigel/2013/04/29/how_rep_joe_kennedy_iii_helped_jason_collins_decide_to_come_out/151244101.jpg.CROP.rectangle3-large.jpg

 please press: www.telegraph.co.uk 

Alaska - Proposition One: gender-related bathroom use debate

Press
KTUU

Credit:  http://christthetruth.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Angry-Preacher.gif

please press:  www.ktuu.com

Texas' First Transgender Mayor Seeks Re-election

Christian McPhate
Dallas Observer

Jess Herbst

Credit:  https://cdn20.patchcdn.com/users/22910461/20170201/065114/styles/T800x600/public/article_images/jessherbst-1485992538-4416.jpg

please press:  www.dallasobserver.com

6 people who have accused Donald Trump of cheating at golf

Charles Curtis
For The Win

LGBT Cubans seek asylum in the Netherlands

Michael K. Lavers
Washington Blade

Credit:  https://massgblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/pic-seeing-asylum-is-a-human-right.png

please press:  www.washingtonblade.com

Lambda Legal, Joined By Several National Civil Rights Organizations, Delivers First Resistance “Pre-buttal” To Trump’s State of the Union Address

Shin Inouye
The Leadership Conference

Credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/NCTE-logo.png

please press:  civilrights.org

Utah - Imagine Dragons Front Man Advocates for LGBT Mormons in Film

Brady McCombs, Ryan Pearson
U.S. News and World Report

Park City, Utah

Credit:  https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/0d/55/3c/78/trolley-on-historic-main.jpg

please press:  www.usnews.com 

Transgender prisoner suffers horrific head wound in attack at all-male jail (UK)

Andy Gardner
The Sun 

Credit: https://pre00.deviantart.net/b84c/th/pre/i/2006/192/0/7/__natalie__s___head_wound_closeup_by_bathory_babe.jpg

please press:  www.thesun.co.uk

Collusion - ENTIRE - Luke Harding

Donald Trump - Trump’s gripes against McCabe included wife’s politics, Comey’s ride home

Carol E. Lee
NBC News

Credit:  https://image.cagle.com/183488/1155/183488.png

please press:  www.nbcnews.com

Poland - OUT: LGBTQ Poland by Maciek Nabrdalik review – Poles apart

Sean O'Hagan
The Guardian

Under Betsy DeVos, the Department of Education leaves transgender protections up to the schools

Grace Nash
Muckrock

Credit:  http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/GreenS/2017/GreenS20170209_low.jpg

please press:  www.muckrock.com

ezs note:  This is a very important document. Muckrock e-mailed all 50 Departments of Education and requested under Freedom of Information acts what states were doing - or not doing - for these transgender students regarding their rights. Please stay informed!!

Washington state - End gay conversion therapy in Washington

News Tribune editorial board
The News Tribune

Credit:  https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MQDyoi-bBbQ/maxresdefault.jpg

please press:  www.thenewstribune.com

Indonesia: Transgender women in Aceh detained by police

Press
BBC News

Credit:  http://clipart-library.com/data_images/409349.jpg

please press:  www.bbc.com

(video) David Cay Johnston - It's Even Worse Than You Think - Politics And Prose

Credit:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y70q0mjujWk

Donald Trump Is Mad at JAY-Z

Jazz Monroe
Pitchfork

Credit:  https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/574dd434130000d605383263.jpeg?cache=nhozdguzit&ops=scalefit_720_noupscale

please press:  pitchfork.com

Albania - ‘Nothing comes from exclusion,’ says Surrey man who fought for LGBT rights in Albania

Bala Yogesh
Surrey Now-Leader

Credit:  https://wikitravel.org/upload/shared//thumb/7/7c/Albania_Regions_map.png/600px-Albania_Regions_map.png

please press:  www.surreynowleader.com

Let’s delete sex-identity from birth certificates

Heath Fogg-Davis
Big Think

Conchita Wurst, in Berlin, Germany 

Credit: http://assets1.bigthink.com/system/idea_thumbnails/64377/size_1024/conchita.jpg?1516923319 

please press:  bigthink.com

California - Nurse With Transgender Expertise Helps People Live Authentic Lives

Lee Nelson
nurse.org

Credit:  https://fthmb.tqn.com/VL-V0M_67N0IrL84kcnn6ZHVmbg=/768x0/filters:no_upscale()/nurses-discussing-over-documents-in-hospital-493216353-595690893df78c4eb647536e.jpg

please press:  nurse.org

Memorial service held for slain transgender woman

Matt Caron
WWLP

Credit:  https://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/fashion/daily/2017/07/27/27-candle-lede.w710.h473.jpg

please press:  wwlp.com

Donald Trump - Trump sends letter to African leaders in wake of reportedly comparing nations to a 'dirty toilet'

Press
CNBC

Credit:  https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SPdc4D9muqM/maxresdefault.jpg

please press:  www.cnbc.com

Egypt - More Arrests in Egypt’s LGBT Crackdown, but No International Outcry

Neela Ghosal
Human Rights Watch

Credit:  http://www.ikhwanweb.com/uploads/flash/E7975WYBPNHEKKF.jpg

please press:  www.hrw.org

Across U.S., LGBTQ Christians try to change hearts and minds from the pews

Julie Compton
NBC News

Biola University

Credit:  http://media1.biola.edu/now/photos/2017/Jun/01/cache/S17_Commencement_CeremonyA__14_fb_display.jpg

please press:  www.nbcnews.com

Oregon - Oregon grants transgender inmate's request to move to women's prison

Noelle Crombie
The Oregonian

Coffee Creek Correctional Institution

Credit:  http://media.oregonlive.com/opinion_impact/photo/2017/02/15/coffee-creek-correctional-institution-201661104-9193463af7ed1a00.jpg

please press:  www.oregonlive.com   

Transgender woman in male prison ‘nightmare’ on hunger strike

Mark Townsend
The Guardian

Credit:  http://cf.mp-cdn.net/53/41/b7081256ac83659b1914ad6777c8-people-should-go-on-a-hunger-strike-for-or-against.jpg

please press:  www.theguardian.com

Kolno, Poland

Credit:  https://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/kolno/images/kol900c.jpg

estimated transgender population:  62*#

(rounded down)

ezs note:  The places that "Where's George" goes international!  Today, we visit Kolno, Poland.  Sadly, there is a terrible black mark on our little town.  Before World War II, the town was 70% Jewish.  Then the Nazis took over.  By the time they were through, there was only one left.

Not one percent.  

One person.

Our friends in the Jewish community have vowed to never forget.

We mustn't either.

*Credit:  http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/How-Many-Adults-Identify-as-Transgender-in-the-United-States.pdf 

# The estimated transgender population of .0058 of the United States is limited to that country.  Because of the size of that country, it is a good estimate.  However, other countries may vary.

One special evening...

Credit:  http://www.wirsindpaten.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/i-want-to-participate-960x540.jpg

ezs note:  Last night, I was doing my usual thing (blogging, of course) when I saw the familiar face of the manager of Anytime Fitness.  He asked if he could sit down, to which I readily agreed.  We started chatting,  and eventually the subject turned to local issues.  He mentioned a bike path which would be placed on Albany Avenue.  Intrigued, I asked what organization worked on this.  He said he was a member of the Bishops Corner Neighborhood Association.  When I asked where the meetings were held, they were directly across the street from me!  (Duh...)

Bishops Corner is, as a neighborhood, especially vibrant and active.  Of course, the people being so welcoming and friendly doesn't hurt either.  However, wherever there is a city or town, there is also a neighborhood... where YOU live.  Yeah, I had a stroke.  Yeah, I'm in a wheelchair.  But I'll be damned if I prevent that from getting involved.

How about you?

Donald Trump Wants to Fight the FBI? It’s a Suicide Mission.

Tim Weiner
Politico

Credit:  https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/trumptoon021.jpg?w=620

please press:  www.politico.com

Costa Rica - Court Orders Costa Rica to Implement Same-Sex Marriage and Respect Transgender Rights

Maria Fernandez Cruz, Andrea Rodriguez
La Voz/The Voice

scene in Costa Rica

Credit:  https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8a/19/77/8a19778332f8a58c9919161e6afa9340.jpg

please press:  www.vozdeguanacaste.com

Transgender inmate gets 2020 trial date for her federal civil suit alleging sexual abuse

Issac Smith
The Southern

Credit:  https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/nickfanon/images/e/e0/What-the-fuck-is-that.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20131023120133

please press:  thesouthern.com

ezs note:  What the hell is this?  Too many horseshoe games interfering?  A "speedy trial" should be started in weeks or months (six at the very most)  never in years. Get with the freakin' program!!!

Steve Flowers: Don’t write off Doug in 2020

Steve Flowers
The Sand Mountain Reporter

Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL)

Credit:  https://greenecodemocrat.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/1200px-doug_jones_flag.jpeg

please press:  www.sandmountainreporter.com

Lyric tackles transgender opera, but themes are universal to all people

Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian
The Kansas City Star

"As One" performance

Credit:  http://www.latimes.com/resizer/l1ZajuWHnD-86PmE2tSAS-8o1rc=/1400x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/UQTKGK6PNFCP5HGH62G4GSYSDA.jpg

please press:  www.kansascity.com