Persistance!

As you may know, a minority of sleazebags succeeded in defeating the Senate's gun bill.  For those who support it, it's easy to become depressed.  I urge you to stay the course.  To those who voted against the bill, let them know that their days are definitely numbered.  To those who supported the bill, let them know that this is not a time to be faint of heart.  It is time to fight, and ultimately to win.

To paraphrase Winston Churchill, never, never, never, ever surrender.  We lose too many innocent lives DAILY to gunfire.  Please, please, don't give up!

poetry #1

Entries such as these have been rare for me since my stroke.  Last week, I picked up a volume entitled "Modern American Poetry". I've really dug the poems, but most especially those of Lyn Hejinian, whose stream-of-consciousness poetics struck a chord for me.  No, not every one will like this.  If stream-of-consciousness really suit your style,well, seek another poet.  But if you like Lyn, I hope you'll like this too.  Enjoy! (PS - feel free to lend your thoughts in the "comments" section.)

(#1)
The soil did not stand; it blew away.  Last night I turned, nuzzled your roughening cheek.  The things I knew, I do not know.  It is time.  I insert the token into the T.  Let the game be Monopoly.  The music is played upon a viola. There is no sound.  The woman from Spain swung her maracas about. Stubby fields bind but do not break.  He cast aside the thronE.  A poem writ large and confusing.  His pubic hair rests between my fingers, gently.  We are comfortable, lying near the dune.  The Appalachian mountains are high, forbidding.  We are alone.  The feet of the tiny dogs go clickclackclickclackclickclack.  My pocketbook was laying about.  A silver earring came off, laying next to me.  How many miles is it to Traherne?  My knees ache and scar from your mounting of me.  The sparrow's wings are so lovely.  Sorry, sir, your money has no value here.  Swords drawn, we fought the wild fauna.  The bartender gave a cup to the tired man.  The name others gave me is not the name I gave to myself.  The trees, the knotty ones, are set to be cut down.  We rub each other, gasping.  My head arches back, digging into the old Indian blanket.  A ghost comes near to me, smiling.  We peer far ahead, seeing a tiny empty church.  The rain starts as mist, ends as torrential downpour.  His arms touch my shoulderblades.  It is love.  Or not.  Either way, I am sated, sated.

*ezs*

you are sleepy... VERY sleepy...

The bad news is that my computer is on the fritz.  The good news is that I probably get it back very soon, possibly today.  I'll keep you up to date tomorrow.

The other regards my second favorite city, Boston.  It's been a very rough patch of days.  But I KNOW you'll make it through!

BOSTON, YOU'RE MY HOME!

Duke to offer health insurance coverage for transgender students - Matt Comer - http://goqnotes.com/

*more here*

Movie time!

About 15 years ago there was a Belgian movie entitled Ma Vie en Rose (My Life in Pink).  (Outstanding movie, by the way; catch it if you can)  There was one scene in particular in which Ludovic, a transgender girl takes a boy into a bathroom to prove to him that she's really a girl.  What really did a double take was the fact that the  bathroom was just that - a bathroom, not a boys room or a girls room. Separate bathrooms were just a silly nuisance and an exorbitant expense.  (Funny how Tea Partiers will slash and burn on one front, but insist on separate bathrooms - maybe if we squat over a trench...)

Against Me! Singer Laura Jane Grace Talks About Her First Year as a Woman - RJ CUBARRUBIA -http://www.rollingstone.com/

*more here*

'Batgirl' #19 Features First Openly Transgender Character In Mainstream Superhero Comics - Matt D. Wilson - http://www.comicsalliance.com/

*more here*

national day of silence coming up - april 19

Calif. Tax Bill Seeks to Punish Scouts for Gay Ban - LISA LEFF - http://abcnews.go.com/

*more here*

Suspension of Mitrione is positive step for UFC in ugly situation - Jeff Wagenheim - http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/

*more here*

Hello!

First day of April!  Here's what's happening... Williamsburg, Virginia... San Diego, California... London, England, UK... Saitama, Japan...  Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio... Hialeah, Florida... Morgan Hill, California... Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England, UK... Manchester Township, New

Jersey... Libertyville, Illinois... Mountain View, California... Mumbai, Maharashtra, India... Larne, Northern Ireland, UK... Dennison, Minnesota

Army assistant Amanda Simpson, nation’s 1st transgender presidential appointee, quietly fights for equality in the halls of the Pentagon - David Taffet - http://www.dallasvoice.com/

*more here*

ezs note:  If you're feeling depressed due to a lack of a job, read this.  You can do it!!!

Transgender Spring student wins bid to wear dress to prom - Jennifer Radcliffe - http://www.chron.com/

*more here*

Kayla Moore: Death Of Schizophrenic Transgender Woman In Berkeley Police Custody Draws Activists' Ire - Aaron Sankin - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

*more here*

New recommendations for addressing the epidemic of HIV/AIDS among Transgender communities - http://www.outinjersey.net/

*more here*

Transgender man refused divorce due to same-sex marriage ban - http://www.guardian.co.uk/

*more here*

Transgender Women 49 Times More Likely To Have HIV, Study Says - Meredith Bennett-Smith - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

*more here*

49 TIMES. THAT'S 49 TIMES.

If you have delayed getting tested for HIV, the time for being tested is NOW!!!!!  Please, I beg of you.  

Campaigns to get Richard Littlejohn sacked by Daily Mail signed by 240,000 - William Turvill - http://www.pressgazette.co.uk

*more here*

April Fool's!

Credit: wikimedia.org

To my Jewish friends, Happy Passover!

Credit: oyvey.co.il

To my Christian friends, Happy Easter!

Credit: freakingnews.com

Wyoming, Michigan

Credit:  staticflickr.com

Hello!

Finally, the computer works!  Here's what's happening... Wyoming, Michigan... Esslingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany... Tacoma, Washington... West Hartford, Connecticut... Mountain View,
\California... Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland... Athens, Attiki, Greece... Piscataway, New Jersey... Poughkeepsie, New York... Winchester, Massachusetts... Zenica, Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina... Burlington, Ontario, Canada... Le Chesnay, Ile-de-France, France... London, England, UK... Stony Brook, New York... Moscow, Moscow City, Russia... Alabaster, Alabama... Hyderabad,
Andhra Pradesh, India... Novato, California... Grand Forks, North Dakota... Brno, Jihomoravsky Kraj, Czech Republic... Carroll, Iowa... Wixom, Michigan... Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan,
Malaysia... Concord, North Carolina... Deerfield, New Hampshire... Waukee, Iowa... Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan... San Diego, California... Goose Creek, South Carolina... Pune, Maharashtra,
India... Bayside, New York... 's-hertogenbosch, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands... League City, Texas... Towson, Maryland... Florence, Toscana, Italy... Pacific Grove, California... Denver, Colorado...

www.redcross.org

www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Now's the time!!!

I remember the two cases very well.

In the first one, Gore vs. Bush, the nation was deeply divided. Two attorneys, David Boies and Theodore Olson, went into battle with swords drawn.  In the end, George W. Bush won.

Thirteen years later, another case, United States of America vs. Windsor, was about to be waged.  Once more, the attorneys waged battle.  After it was over, the attorneys came out to speak.

But this was different - very different. David Boies and Theodore Olson were on the same side.

First it was the last two presidents and vice presidents.  Then the two attorneys who were against each other so often, yet they come together for this seminal case.

Let your representatives know the tide - finally - is turning.  Let them know that you believe that marriage is equal, whether same sex or opposite sex.

You can do this!

Piscataway, New Jersey - Frank Pallone Jr. (D) - NJ6
Austin, Texas - Lamar Smith (R) - TX21

Conservative group calls Iowa workshop 'evil propaganda' - Mike Wiser - http://muscatinejournal.com

*more here*

ezs note: Uh huh.  We've been caught, all right.  These children will learn the 'virtues' of spanking, homophobia, and bullying.  You know,   good things like that.

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) - Request for Proposals Protecting Transgender Persons From Violence and Combating Impunity - http://www.state.gov

*more here*

Bindya Rani files nomination papers for PS-115 - http://pakobserver.net

*more here*

DC Comics' 'Batwoman' author J. H. Williams III talks transgender representation - J. SKYLER ROBINSON - http://www.examiner.com

*more here*

Activists urge labor unions to support trans health - http://www.washingtonblade.com

*more here*

Repression, homophobia and transgender policies in Iran - MARIA KARI - http://rabble.ca

*more here*

Transgender Teacher Kills Self After Being Bullied By Newspaper - Judy Molland - http://www.care2.com

*more here*

ezs note:  This hits close to home, though the ocean separates us. No one deserves what Lucy Meadows got in Richard Littlejohn's vituperative attack.  Please, if you find yourself depressed or suicidal, seek counseling immediately!  I promise things will get better.

As far as Mr. Littlejohn goes, yes, he should be fired.  Then shipped to an Antarctic island. 

Irish state refuses to issue new birth certificates to transgender people - PATRICK COUNIHAN - http://www.irishcentral.com

*more here*

THANKS TO JOHN DUNCAN - NINA USHERWOOD - http://www.canada.com

*more here*

Justices Hear Landmark Case on Allowing Gay Marriage - ADAM LIPTAK - http://www.nytimes.com

*more here*

Arizona Transgender Bathroom Bill: Let Us Pee Without Showing ID - Julie Strupp - http://www.policymic.com

*more here*

Hulk Hogan Would Fight Transgender MMA Fighter - http://www.wrestlingnewssource.com

*more here*

Maharashtra’s ‘progressive’ policy for transgenders seeks ‘preventive measures’ - AMRUTA BYATNAL - http://www.thehindu.com

*more here*

GLAAD adds transgender equality to its mission - Meredith Clark - http://tv.msnbc.com

*more here*

Upminster, Havering, England

Credit:  www.flickr.com

Hello!

I'm melting!  I'm melting! (The snow, that is!) Here's what's happening... Upminster, Havering, England... Manchester Township, New Jersey... Smyrna, Georgia... Mountain View, California... Troy,
Ohio... Bucha, Kyyivs'ka Oblast', Ukraine... Moorhead, Minnesota... Concord, North Carolina... Segovia, Castilla y Leon, Spain... Stony Brook, New York... Bixby, Oklahoma... Bloomington, Illinois...
Sunnyvale, California... San Francisco, California... Brooklyn, New York... Allentown, Pennsylvania... Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey... Chester, Maryland... Scottsdale, Arizona... Bagumbayan, Albay,
Philippines... Youngstown, Ohio... Los Angeles, California... Corvallis, Oregon... Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan... Nokia, Western Finland, Finland... Fredericksburg, Virginia... Fredericksburg, Virginia... San Antonio, Texas... Lagos, Nigeria... Lawrenceville, Georgia... Miami, Florida... Aldershot, Hampshire, England, UK... Birmingham, Alabama... Chester, Maryland... Perth, Western Australia, Australia...

Oh, what a beautiful morning... becomes even more beautiful when you give!

www.redcross.org

www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Makin' a difference!

I hear it often.  To be honest, far too often. I hear people say, "Well what can we do?  That's politics for ya."

But it's not true.

A few days ago, Rep. John Kavanagh, village idiot, was about to propose a bill to the Arizona legislature.  He said his withdrawal was due to a typographical error.  Yeah, right.  More likely it was due to the appalling (and amazing) stupidity of its author.

So,  what was this bill?  Let's say a transgender woman has to use the bathroom.  But our ever intrepid policeman is there to check her.  He asks for her to present her papers - her original birth certificate!!
Even if she had full surgery, that wouldn't satisfy Rep. Kavanagh.  But she has to go, so she pushes past the policeman and relieves herself.

She might not have realized it, but she's in big trouble now.  The policeman hauls her in, an unsympathetic judge hears the case, and throws her into jail for six months.

All because she had to pee.

Fortunately, this hasn't happened yet.  What happens is that when you e-write, bad legislation is more likely to be killed, and good legislation is likely to be passed.

Contact your legislator.  Tell him/her that freedom to marry is freedom for all.  Tell him that two systems of taxation - one for heterosexuals and another for homosexuals - is unfair, and possibly unconstitutional.

Concord, North Carolina - Richard Hudson (R) - NC8
Stony Brook, New York - Tim Bishop (D) - NY1
Bixby, Oklahoma - Jim Bridenstine (R) - OK1
West Hartford, Connecticut - John Larson (D) - CT1
Moorhead, Minnesota - Collin Peterson (D) - MN7
Bloomington, Illinois - Aaron Schock (R) - IL18

As always, the above are picked at random via the Internet.  For the US, go to www.house.gov and enter your ZIP code.  For Canada, go to www.parl.gc.ca and follow the instructions.

Nobody Should Make Transgender Kid a ‘Poster Child’ for Anything - ZEYNEP TUFEKCI - http://www.wired.com

*more here*

Senate, House hear pleas for LGBT protections - http://idahobusinessreview.com

*more here*

Asshole of the Year: Arizona bill ties restroom use to birth gender - Cristina Silva - http://www.newstimes.com

Credit:  www.cartoonstock.com

*more here*

ezs note:  Read especially the possible imprisoning of a woman whose only crime is wanting to take a leak.  This is, truly, an asshole of the year.

Save the elephants!

It is a sad, sad fact that elephants are nearing extinction.

How does this happen?  Simple.  We kill them.

It seems that there is little we can do.  But that's not true.  Here are some things you can do:

1. Contact John Kerry and urge him to contact and speak out against elephant killings.

2. Contact the People's Republic of China and ask them to forbid all killing of elephants, with severe jailing for any flouting of the law.

3. If you own any ivory, take it off.  Better yet, throw it out into the trash.

We can do our part to make this world safer for these gentle giants.  But we need to start now so they will have a future. Thanks.

GOP Lawmaker Mocks LGBT Protections In VAWA: ‘Change-Gender… How Is That A Woman?’ - Zack Ford - http://thinkprogress.org

*more here*

Transgender kids' rights in court - Deirdre Fulton - http://blog.thephoenix.com

*more here*

Senate committee nixes transgender-equality bill - Daniel Leaderman - http://www.gazette.net

*more here*

ADL Deeply Concerned About Alleged Transgender Hate Crime In Silver Spring, Md - http://news.gnom.es

*more here*

ezs note:  At the end of this article is the address of the ADL (www.adl.org) where, among others, you can find the amicus brief with which you can win against anybody, be they Congressperson, state Congressperson, state Senator, or just some person you're hanging out with at a bar or coffeeshop.  Thanks ADL - we appreciate it!

Trailblazing transgender golfer from Canada vies for place in LPGA tour — at 62 - RANDY BOSWELL - http://www.montrealgazette.com/

*more here*