There are times, to be sure, when it is good, even noble, to be silent. When we are in our rooms, late at night, contemplating. When we are in the woods or fields. When we are in a rocker.
However, there are times when it is clearly not good to be silent. When some yahoo spouts his garbage, who is there to speak up?
You are.
I have made this point clearly and abundantly. I believe in inclusive equality. This includes gays. This includes lesbians. This includes bisexuals. This includes queers. This includes questioners. And this includes (near and dear to my heart) transgenders.
I do what I can. But you must do things too! When a bill comes before Congress, e-write her or him. When your Congressperson comes to town, go there and speak up. When your town or city hall has a meeting, go there and speak up. When you can't make it because of work, e-write the council members. If necessary, protest. And if all the people have hearts of stone, dammit, run yourself!
You've shown enough silence. Go out there and do something.
The listings above are randomly selected by the Internet. If you live in (not near) one of the towns or cities listed above, just press the name of the Congressperson, and you will be transported to her/his site. If you are at all unsure of your Congressperson, go to www.house.gov and enter your ZIP code. If several people are the result, please enter the ZIP+4 code. (example: 12345-6789) Thanks.
Today is International Transgender Day of Remembrance in North America.(November 20). Below is a video which lists the 239 known murders of transgender people. Unfortunately the actual number is far higher. Below that is a listing of places where you can find out where services are being held If you cannot reach the sites where services are being held, please play the video at home. In my opinion, it is quite moving.
SERVICES
Teaneck, New Jersey
(November 23)
Wichita, Kansas
(November 23)
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Kingston, Ontario
Fairfax, Virginia
Fargo, North Dakota/Moorhead, Minnesota
Joliet, Illinois
Albany, New York
Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Portland, Maine
London, Ontario, Canada
Kansas City, Missouri
Brighton, England
(November 24)
Denton, Texas
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Boise, Idaho
Croydon, United Kingdom
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
Richmond, Virginia
Baltimore, Maryland
Las Vegas, Nevada
(November 22nd)
Toledo,Ohio
Beaufort, South Carolina
Cincinnati, Ohio
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
(November 22),
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
(November 22)
Tucson, Arizona
Nijmegen, the Netherlands
(November 23rd)
Denver, Colorado
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
London, United Kingdom
(November 22th)
Evansville, Indiana
(November 23th))
Oneonta, New York
St. Louis, Missouri
Providence, Rhode Island
(November 21st)
Lexington, Kentucky
(November 22nd)
Nashville, Tennessee
Chestertown, Maryland
Amarillo, Texas
(November 21st)
Tri-Cities, Tennessee (Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol)
(November 21st)
Portland, Oregon
Raleigh, North Carolina
Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
Durham, New Hampshire
San Antonio, Texas
(November 21st)
Detroit, Michigan
(November 22nd)
Cleveland, Ohio
(November 22nd)
Seattle, Washington
Santa Barbara, California
Fresno, California
San Diego, California
Eugene, Oregon
Westport, Connecticut
Grand Rapids, Michigan
(November 22)
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Seaside, California
Berkeley, California
Tallahassee, Florida
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Prescott, Arizona
London, United Kingdom
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Olympia, Washington
Portland, Oregon
(November 24)
London, United Kingdom
South Bend, Indiana
Hilo, Hawai’i
Binghamton, New York
Chicago, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Memphis, Tennessee
Rochester, New York
New York, New York
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Chico, California
Hartford, Connecticut
Manchester, United Kingdom
(November 24th)
Columbus, Indiana
(November 23th)
Austin, Texas
Lawrence, Kansas
Rocklin, California
Knoxville, Tennessee
Omaha, Nebraska
Jacksonville, Florida
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
(November 21st)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Houston, Texas
Cincinnati, Ohio
St John’s, NL, Canada
Columbus, Ohio
Houston, Texas
(November 23rd)
Fort Worth, Texas
Strasbourg, France
(November 23rd)
Saskatchewan, Canada (Regina)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Plymouth, New Hampshire)
Winona, Minnesota
San Francisco, California
Gloucester, United Kingdom
( November 26th)
St. Peter, Minnesota
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Gainesville, Florida
(November 21st)
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
(November 21st)
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago, Illinois(2)
Asheville, North Carolina
Washington D.C., USA
Chicago, Illinois(3)
New South Wales, Australia(Sydney)
(November 22th, 2013)
DeLand, Florida
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
Portland, Oregon
Fort Collins, Colorado
Syracuse, New York
Quezon City, Philippines
November 24th
(check to see if still on due to typhoon)
Palm Desert, California
Highland Park, New Jersey
(November 24th)
Huntington, West Virginia
Internet*
Clearwater, Florida
White Plains, New York
(November 23rd)
Seattle, Washington
Sonara, California
Orlando, Florida
New York City, New York
Bend, Oregon
Rocklin, California
(November 23rd)
Hamilton, New Zealand
November 24rd
Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Long Beach, California
Dahlonega, Georgia
Unless indicated otherwise, all dates are November 20. If you see a site you may be interested in, go to www.transgenderdor.org. Thanks.
ezs note: Thank you, Equality House! I find it especially fitting that " "Reverend" " Phelps gets stuck in his eye rather than the other way around. Yay!
ezs note: Please, I urge you, if you have any evidence that leads either to Mr. Wilson or to another suspect, feel better about yourself and turn this in. Thanks.
Yes, I really am interested in what you have to say. Whether yours is a commentary, an important addition which the author left out, or a compliment (I really like those!) , you are more than welcome to let your voice be heard. While complaints - civil complaints - are heard, please bear in mind that a wide variety are open to be heard, and aren't necessarily *my* opinion.
When you have something to say, move your arrow until it lines up with "(number of)comments" section. Click it once, and wait for a box to appear. This is your dialog box. Type to your heart's content, prove to the computer that you're not a robot, and you're done! Yay!
We all know that, for better or worse, that the United States is a patchwork of 50 states. For those of us who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, we think that we know that the Southern states are the worst of the worst. We know the South will fire an employee at will, but not us - we enlightened folks up North won't do such a thing.
Oh, really? So this means Michigan is part of the South?
Yep, really. If you are LGB or T, and your boss hates gays etc., you better keep things secret, 'cause if you don't, you're out of luck. Hope you enjoy the unemployment line.
Do yourself a favor. E-write your Congressperson, and tell her/him that things must change. One's status as a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender should not be a fireable "offense".
The Congresspeople are selected at random. If you live in one of cities or towns, just press the appropriate name, and you will be transported to your appropriate Congressperson. If not, go to www.house.gov and enter your ZIP code in the upper right corner. If you live in a very large city, or live in an area where two districts intersect, it might be best to have the ZIP+4 code. (example: 12345-6789) You can find this on most mail you receive. Thanks.