Shout it out!

President Obama's speech was indeed inspiring.  For the first time ever, gays and lesbians were defended explicitly, not once but twice. (Though it must be stated that he remained silent on transgenders - thank you, Sadie!)

On a larger theme, Obama's spoke to a larger voice, that of "my fellow Americans".  We must always remember that this voice does not belong to 435 Representatives.  They only represent the larger voice, that of 315,214,000 people.  And that your voice is only heard when you e-mail, snailmail, telephone or in person.

I know that I defend the rights of all people to marry, to be taxed at an equal amount (heterosexual vs. homosexual), to visit at a hospital nursing home, and to say goodbye at a funeral home and a cemetery.

How about you?

Sunnyvale, California - Mike Honda (D) - CA17
Albuquerque, New Mexico - Michelle Lujan Grisham(R) - NM1
North Hollywood, California - Brad Sherman(D) - CA30
Torrance, California - Maxine Waters (D) - CA43
Delano, Minnesota - Michele Bachmann(R) - MN6
Portland, Oregon - Earl Blumenauer(D) - OR3
Harbor City, California - Henry Waxman (D) - CA33
Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania - Patrick Meehan(R) - PA7
Burlington, Ontario(CAN) - Mike Wallace (Cons) - Burlington
Milton, Florida - Jeff Miller (R) - FL1

TRANSGENDER RAPPER KILLED BY GANG IN MILWAUKEE - Natelege Whaley - http://thedrop.fm

*more here*

Transgender inmate granted trial for allegations of sexual abuse - Diane Walker - http://www.nbc12.com

*more here*

Country's largest gathering of LGBT advocates kicks off in Atlanta - David Schick - http://clatl.com

*more here*

United Colors of Benetton Features Transgender Model Lea T; Alek Wek - Tracy McNicoll - http://www.thedailybeast.com

*more here*

Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act is transgender inclusive - J. SKYLER ROBINSON - http://www.examiner.com

• *more here*

Inauguration 2013: A Transgender Call to Action - Gwendolyn Ann Smith - http://www.huffingtonpost.com

*more here*

Transgender Rights Push Us All Toward Equality - Joan Annsfire - http://www.indybay.org

*more here*

N.W.T. minister to face human rights tribunal - http://www.cbc.ca

*more here*

3 arrested in Milwaukee in case of missing transgender rapper - WlG - http://www.wisconsingazette.com

*more here*

ezs note:  Please, if you have information about the whereabouts and condition of Evon "Yung T" Young, give the information to Milwaukee police immediately!  Their phone number is 414-935-7360.

Sadie, 11-Year-Old Transgender Girl, Writes Essay In Response To Obama's Inauguration Speech - http://www.huffingtonpost.com

*more here*

ezs note:  WOW!!!  Way to go, Sadie!

Adam Lambert May Record with Cyndi Lauper - http://www.opposingviews.com

*more here*

Thai trans group complain to IKEA about ad - ANNA LEACH - http://www.gaystarnews.com

*more here*

Inauguration Day 2013

Credit:  bet.com

Today is, officially, Inauguration Day.  Barack Obama has taken the oath of office for the second time.  

Over the past four years, we have come to see how 435 House members and 100 Senators would react to Mr. Obama's presidency, particularly the Republicans.  There are those who, to their credit, put politics aside (at least for the moment) and worked with the President to stem Hurricane Sandy's fury.  Chris Christie tore into John Boehner when he thought it nifty to put the wreckage on the back burner.  Rep. King(R-NY) thought it ludicrous to float such an idea, never mind post it as official policy.  

Here's where our problem lies, though:  the nutburgers make up a sizable minority and they do tend to yelp the loudest.  Rep. Boehner was probably spooked, and gave the Tea Party what they wanted.  Uh, you might mark that as a really bad strategy, Mr. Speaker.  Yet it's somewhat understandable when the far-right members pull out the long knives when you and Mr. Obama do something horrendous like, say, talk to one another.

Further evidence:  in case you haven't noticed, there was a perfect gem of an asshole named Steve Stockman (R-TX).  Quick quiz:  What other leader has been compared to Barack Obama?  If you haven't run across on the Internet already,  no peeking now.  Cmom, take a guess.

Answer:  Saddam Hussein.

Yeah, you guessed it.  According to Stockman's warped little brain, Saddam and Barack were just the best of pals, plotting the takeover of the world over virgin Mai-Tais. This is the example given to us by intrepid ol' Steve.  

So you are asking what Congress can do to right itself, and have all three bodies behave in a civil manner. What to do, you say.

The answer: you can, with an e-letter.  They hear  various yahoos saying "This is my country!"  We often forget one very vital fact, though.

This is our country, too.

I'll repeat that:  this is our country too, dammit!

We have the right to full, equitable rights for LGBT people. 

We have the right to drop our kids off at school without them being shot to pieces. 

And we have the right to civil, respectful debate, not the kind done by Steve Stockman and his band of idiots.

Please, please write an e-mail to your representatives.  This is so important.  You can look up who your representative is below.

www.house.gov 

Mountain View, California

Credit:  groundspeak.com

Hello!

It's almost Inauguration Day!  Yay!  Here's what's happening... Mountain View, California... Boston, Massachusetts... Munich, Bayern, Germany... Los Angeles, California... Norwalk, Connecticut... Brooklyn, New York... Dumas, Mississippi... Arlington, Massachusetts... North Kingstown, Rhode Island... Verl, Nordrhein-Westfalen... Pataskala, Ohio... Chatou, Ile-de-France, France... Faro, Portugal... Gurgaon, Haryana, India... Newport Beach, California... Newport Beach, California... Eugene, Oregon... San Francisco, California... Delano, Minnesota...  Houston, Texas...  Lexington, South Carolina...  Palmerton, Pennsylvania... Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada... Zaventem, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium... Pflugerville, Texas... Perkasie, Pennsylvania... Santa Fe, Argentina... Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany... Wesley Chapel, Florida... Roseburg, Oregon...

Do your part on Martin Luther King working day! Volunteer for the American Red Cross, or the worldwide Red Cross/Red Crescent!

www.redcross.org

your help is needed...

In case it didn't register with you, I'll say it again:  In Newtown, at Sandy Hook elementary school, twenty seven lives were lost.  Gone. Never, never to return.

Think about that.  Then think about the thousands of lives that are taken around the country.

When morons such as Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and others put their opinions out, one of two things happen:

1)   You e-write your representative and say, "I don't give a flying fart what that idiot thinks, I'm for sensible gun control, and so are my neighbors," ;or...

2)   You say nothing; and your representative assumes that Limbaugh , Beck and the other clowns are forcing their hand, so he reluctantly opposes gun control.

What do you do?

Pataskala, Ohio - Pat Tiberi (R) - OH12
Mountain View, California - Anna Eshoo (D) - CA18
Newport Beach, California - Dana Rohrabacher (R) - CA48
Eugene, Oregon - Peter DeFazio (D)  - OR4
San Francisco, California - Nancy Pelosi (D) - CA12
Delano, Minnesota - Michele Bachmann (R) - MN6
Houston, Texas - Gene Green (D) - TX29
Lexington, South Carolina - Joe Wilson (R) - SC2
Palmerton, Pennsylvania - Matt Cartwright (D) - PA17
Pflugerville, Texas - Bill Flores (R) - TX17

The above towns and cities were randomly selected by the Internet.  To find out who your representative is in the House of Representatives, go to www.house.gov and enter your ZIP code.

Transgender man charged with murder in 2012 slaying of Wilmington woman - Larry Altman -http://www.sgvtribune.com

*more here*

Parkland policy would ban transgender discrimination - Bill Hethcock - http://www.bizjournals.com

*MORE HERE*

Transgender Issues: On Free Speech and Bigotry - Jillian Page - http://blogs.montrealgazette.com

*more here*

'Lost Girl' Trans Panic Violence Goes Unanswered - Diana O'Brien - http://chicago.gopride.com

*more here*

Oregon to remove gender identity exclusion for transgender employees from state health plan - (staff) - http://sdgln.com

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‘Mermaid Drowning’: An upcoming novel about gender identity and marriage rights - TARRINGO VAUGHAN - http://www.examiner.com

*more here*

Fox Nation Uses Image From "Mrs. Doubtfire" To Mock Transgender People - Carlos Maza - http://mediamatters.org/

*more here*

Drag show angers Cairns community - David Alexander - http://www.starobserver.com.au

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AWOL Transgender Woman Discharged From Marines After 31 Years - MICHELLE GARCIA -

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‘Transgender people are invisible and vulnerable’ - Sandeep Ashar - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

*press here for more8

Julie Burchill Transgender Column Causes Firestorm For The Observer - Jack Mirkinson - http://www.huffingtonpost.com

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Sweden's Transgender Sterilization Law Overturned, Declared Unconstitutional - http://www.huffingtonpost.com

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Action Day at the State House for Transgender Equal Access - Winnie McCroy - http://www.edgeboston.com

*more here*

Borås, Vastra Gotaland, Sweden

Credit: twitter.com

Hello!

Wow... if it gets any warmer, I'll have to wear a swimsuit!  Here's what's happening... Borås, Vastra Gotaland, Sweden... Saint James, New York... York, England, UK... London, England, UK... Los Angeles, California... Alliance, Ohio... Dublin, Ohio... Mountain View, California... Chemnitz, Sachsen, Germany... Mankato, Minnesota... Antiguo Cuscatlán, La Libertad, El Salvador... Zaventem, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium... Berlin, Germany...  Van Nuys, California... Columbus, Ohio... Redondo Beach, California... Louisville, Kentucky... Zephyrhills, Florida... Lincoln, Nebraska... Clifton Park, New York... Picos, Piaui, Brazil...Corpus Christi, Texas... Orlando, Florida...

Give a hand to a neighbor, near or far!

www.redcross.org

Why should I?

If you've been reading this for awhile, you are probably asking this question a lot.  After all, if you live in Florida, or Texas, or Louisiana, or South Carolina... well, they're like a rock down there, aren't they?

Well... not really.  Massachusetts was the first, and the little pebble started rolling down the hill.  And then came Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut (yay!), New York, Iowa, Washington DC and Washington state.  Slowly but surely, these states realized that the laws were simply stupid.  If a priest, minister, rabbi, whatever, objected, there is NO law stating that they must perform a religious ceremony for LGBT people.  There is a remedy, however, that they may have a civil ceremony performed, or it may performed by a more liberal minister. No problem, eh?

The states which are trying to ban same-sex marriage do so by filling their minds with pure, unadulterated bullcrap.  You can stop their craziness by stating that you are on to them, and you will tolerate their nonsense no longer.

But this only happens when you contact your congressperson or  MP.  Please do this today.

Alliance, Ohio - Tim Ryan (D) - OH13

Oregon democrat is first transgender woman elected to the Democratic National Committee - Queenie Wong - http://www.statesmanjournal.com

*more here*

Generation LGBTQIA -- MICHAEL SCHULMAN - http://www.nytimes.com

*more here*

Tacoma ranked America's gayest city - Marisa Petrich - http://tacoma.komonews.com

*more here*

Viewpoint: Intersections - Gwendolyn Ann Smith - http://www.pridesource.com/

*more here8

Transgender Teacher Sues Catholic School Over Firing - RUSSELL GOLDMAN - http://abcnews.go.com

*more here*

Mental health issues afflict individuals in LGBTQ community - Kevin Dubouis -

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ezs note:  Are you suffering from anorexia?  Bulimia? Depression?  No matter what the symptom, it's always better to seek help sooner rather than later.  Just be certain that you seek help from a licensed therapist, as there are quacks out there.  C'mon, you can do it!

An epiphany of transgender lives reveals diversity in body of Christ - An epiphany of transgender lives reveals diversity in body of Christ - James and Evelyn Whitehead - http://ncronline.org

*more here*

Sunnyvale, California

Credit:  common.wikimedia.org  

Hello!

Hey, happy New Year!  Here's what's happening... Sunnyvale, California... London, England, UK.... Zephyrhills, Florida... Slacks Creek, Queensland, Australia... Garden Grove, California... San Francisco, California...  Fullerton, California... Lexington, Kentucky... Mckinney, Texas... Bogotá, Distrito Especial, Colombia... Woodland Hills, California... London, Ontario, Canada...Newburyport, Massachusetts... Washington, District of Columbia...  Helena, Montana... Beloit, Wisconsin... Portland, Oregon... Phoenixville, Pennsylvania... Bronx, New York... Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India... Griesheim, Hessen, Germany... Springfield, Virginia... Toronto, Ontario, Canada... Greensburg, Pennsylvania... Arlington, Massachusetts... Carpenedolo, Lombardia, Italy... Spring, Texas... Metz, Lorraine, France... Boise, Idaho... Brooklyn, New York... Lincoln, Arkansas... Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, UK... Dallas, Texas... San Leandro, California... Sandhurst, Hampshire, England... Göteborg, Vastra Gotaland, Sweden... Madrid, Spain... Dunedin, New Zealand... Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia...

Livin' ain't easy... but you can make it easier!

www.redcross.org

Oh, by the way...

The United States is really an amazing country.  From Nome, Alaska to Key West,  Florida, from Waimea, Hawa'ii to Fort Kent, Maine, we can all particpate in our republic.

Oh, except for a wee backwater that divides Maryland and Virginia. It lies on the Potomac River.

It has more people than the entire state of Wyoming.  But never mind that.  Its congresswoman has been reduced to a toothless thing.  The two Senators are nonexistant. There is a city council, but Congress can nullify their vote on a whim.

Its name is Washington DC.

Cut the crap.  Let them vote.

Woodland Hills, California

Credit: waterandpower.org

The new Congress is here! Time to bug the hell out of them!

New Congress, old Congress... what's the dif, you say.  Well, watch the news.  John Boehner had the crap scared out of him when Republican lawmakers tore him a new one. Very thankfully, some   tea party crazies were sent home packing.

The fact is this:  Whether you wish to be married, whether you wish to keep the money you earned that your heterosexual neighor  earned, whether you wish to walk home unaccosted... if you don't say anything, IT'S YOUR FAULT. Period.

C'mon, people, you can do it.  Take five to e-write.  I did, and I feel great.

 Woodland Hills, California - Brad Sherman (D) - CA30
Mountain View, California - Anna Eshoo (D) - CA18
Newburyport, Massachusetts - John Tierney (D) - MA6
Delano, Minnesota - Michele Bachmann (R) - MN6
Washington, DC - Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)  - DC(AL)
Helena, Montana - Steve Daines (R) - MT(AL)
Beloit, Wisconsin - Mark Pocan (D) - WI2
 Portland, Oregon - Earl Blumenauer (D) - OR3
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania - Jim Gerlach (R) - PA6
Bronx, New York - Eliot Engel (D) - NY17

The Internet is used to randomly pick out where various Congresspersons are from.  For the US, go to www.house.gov and put in the ZIP code of where you live.  For Canadians, go to http://www.parl.gc.ca, enter House of Commons, and enter your postal code

No reason... I just love this graffiti!

credit:  publicdomainpictures.net

Chicago Cardinal Condemns Illinois Lawmakers For Considering Marriage Equality This Week - Zack Ford - http://thinkprogress.org

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Arizona ban hampers transgender's divorce - Jacques Billeaud - http://www.staradvertiser.com

*more here*

Happy New Year! (If it's midnight, please don't wake me up...)

Credit:  www.shutterstock.com

‘Be-All’ Chicago transgender conference called off after 30 years - Tony Merevick - http://chicagophoenix.com

*more here*