12 September 2019
08 September 2019
review of Oneechan ga Mamotte Ageru!
Artist - Yoshino Sora
Credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Delegates_of_3rd_Asian_Cartoon_Exhibition.JPG
(note: I tried - really tried to find the picture 'Oneechan ga Mamotte Ageru!' All to no avail. Sorry.)
To those who follow Japan and Japanese transgender culture, yeah, there are flaws, but Japan does seem to be making an effort. One of the really bright spots is an article entitled 'Transgender granted long-term residency in Japan'. It is in this mix that Yoshino Sora is drawing her manga. Unfortunately, Ms. Yoshino isn't doing her best work.
Mind you, her work is a far cry from the 'work' done by the Jack Chick tracts. But this is a hornet's nest from the outset. Anri goes to the studio to do a tryout. And who does her mother pick to get some 'papers'? Kairi, her younger brother. Of course, her daft mother doesn't dream of going to the studio herself. And let us consider the appellation 'Kairi'. When I thumbed Japanese names, one listed 'Kairi' as female/unisex, the other as strictly female. Where does it fit in the universe?
Towards the end, a more proper 'Kairi' is found, a transgender female. But geez, their mother is in a virtual loony bin. The proper way to go is not to rush into things, nor to refuse forever into decades. In other words, it's somewhat of a balancing act. Am I telling you that you must never make a mistake? Of course not. But find the right road, and stay the course as best you can.
Aesthetically, Ms. Yoshino does a decent job. I just wish she would do better with words.
Mind you, her work is a far cry from the 'work' done by the Jack Chick tracts. But this is a hornet's nest from the outset. Anri goes to the studio to do a tryout. And who does her mother pick to get some 'papers'? Kairi, her younger brother. Of course, her daft mother doesn't dream of going to the studio herself. And let us consider the appellation 'Kairi'. When I thumbed Japanese names, one listed 'Kairi' as female/unisex, the other as strictly female. Where does it fit in the universe?
Towards the end, a more proper 'Kairi' is found, a transgender female. But geez, their mother is in a virtual loony bin. The proper way to go is not to rush into things, nor to refuse forever into decades. In other words, it's somewhat of a balancing act. Am I telling you that you must never make a mistake? Of course not. But find the right road, and stay the course as best you can.
Aesthetically, Ms. Yoshino does a decent job. I just wish she would do better with words.
07 September 2019
lead story - Second black transgender women believed to be violently killed in 2 days
Muri Assunção
New York Daily News
New York Daily News
Clewiston, FL
(Hendry County)
please press: www.nydailynews.com
ezs note: In such a sparsely county, two such murders are truly frightening. If you know of either Keisha Whittaker or Bee Love's killings, please turn it over to the police. Their number is 863-674-5600. Above all, don't be a hero - I don't want to be writing a third statistic. Thanks.
06 September 2019
lead story - Transgender woman in Hendry County may have died in targeted attack
Michael Mora
WINK
WINK
LaBelle, FL
(Hendry County)
please press: www.winknews.com
ezs note: Sheesh - if anyone deserves what happened to Keisha Whittaker, it's this cretin. Please, if anyone knows what happened, call Hendry County police (southern Florida) at 863-674-5600. Thanks.
05 September 2019
lead story - Cool Runnings Actor Malik Yoba Says He Is Attracted to Transgender Women: 'It's Time to Speak'
04 September 2019
lead story - Transgender woman granted long-term residency in Japan
North Dakota - NORTH DAKOTA IS FAILING OUR QUEER YOUTH
Faye Seidel
High Plains Reader
High Plains Reader
Bismarck, ND
North Dakota State Capitol
03 September 2019
lead story - Lebanon: End Systemic Violence Against Transgender Women
Press
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Beirut, Lebanon
Canaanean javelin (7000-5000 BCE)
please press: www.hrw.org
VOTE!!!
ezs note: Here in Connecticut, we have the luxury of waiting to register to vote until the very last day. So I can relax.
But there are 49 other states. And some of them have very, very early dates to register.
Unfair? Yup, sure is. But until they change their date, not a damn thing we can do about it.
That is, unless you register today.
Voting Day is November 5.
02 September 2019
Connecticut - Middlesex Health, seven other Connecticut health care providers named LGBTQ health care equality leaders
Kathleen McWilliams
Hartford Courant
Hartford Courant
Middletown, CT
Middlesex Hospital
please press: www.courant.com
lead story - For Trans Women, Silicone 'Pumping' Can Be A Blessing And A Curse
Danny Nett
NPR
NPR
Washington DC
Credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Washington%2C_D.C._-_2007_aerial_view.jpg
please press: www.npr.org
01 September 2019
Serbia - Lesbian PM Or Not, Serbia Blocks Gays' Path To Parenthood
civil rights - TERFs Have Taught the Trump Administration Well
Esther Wang
Jezebel
Jezebel
SCOTUS, 1937
Credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Erich_Salomon_-_The_Supreme_Court%2C_1937.jpg
please press: theslot.jezebel.com
Louisiana - A sign to remember Vontashia Bell and a sign to find her killer
Emily Enfinger
Shreveport Times
.jpg)
Shreveport Times
Shreveport/Bossier City, LA
Allen Bridge
please press: www.shreveporttimes.com
ezs note: It's been a little over a year old, and Vontashia's case is getting cold. But it's never too cold. Make her friends happy and put this cretin in jail. Call Crimestoppers at 318-673-7373. Thanks.
lead story - Mum arrested in front of her kids for calling transgender woman a man is hauled to court for trolling
Ellie Cambridge, Mark Hodge
The Sun
The Sun
Hitchin, UK
Credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Hitchin_History_-_geograph.org.uk_-_143243.jpg
please press: www.thesun.co.uk
31 August 2019
lead story - Juniper Eastwood to Become First Transgender Runner to Compete in DI Cross Country
30 August 2019
Russia - Russian Authorities Drop Charges Against First Suspect, Detain Second In Killing Of Rights Activist Grigoryeva
civil rights - Civil Rights Turned Topsy-Turvy
Linda Greenhouse
The New York Times
The New York Times
former Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy
Credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Anthony_Kennedy_official_SCOTUS_portrait.jpg
please press: www.nytimes.com
Iowa - Title X rules hurt transgender people
lead story - Transgender woman beaten in Newport, man charged
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29 August 2019
lead story - N.J. kept a transgender woman in men’s prisons for over a year. She says she was harassed and beaten.
28 August 2019
Ohio - Ohio GOP Lawmaker Blames Mass Shootings On Trans People, Gay Marriage And More
lead story - Boyfriend charged in death of 22-year-old transgender woman found in Houston parking lot
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27 August 2019
Donald Trump - Trump privately clashed with G7 leaders over reinviting Putin
Poland - Polish Court Rebukes “LGBT-Free Zone” Stickers
civil rights - Fired for Being Trans or for Violating Dress Code? Supreme Court Will Decide.
Mississippi - MISSISSIPPI CHURCH VOTES UNANIMOUSLY TO KICK OUT LESBIAN COUPLE. PASTOR TELLS THEM 'I HAD HOPED YOU WOULD REPENT'
Daniel Avery
Newsweek
Newsweek
Southaven, MS
please press: www.newsweek.com
ezs note: Y'know, churches do have the right to make whatever screwball letter they'd like. But a couple has the right to leave. And good riddance to you. 😆
lead story - When Transgender Travelers Walk Into Scanners, Invasive Searches Sometimes Wait on the Other Side
26 August 2019
review of Shishunki Bitter Change
author: Masayoshi
Shishunki Bitter Change
Credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dc/Shishunki_Bitter_Change_volume_1_cover.jpg
Before I get started on the main manga, there is a story to be told. It originally started in Japan, from Empress Koken. (孝謙天皇, 713-770 CE) It describes the tale of the cow-herder and the seamstress, or Higoboshi and Orihime. To keep things very short, they were very star-crossed lovers. Due to her father's anger, they would only be allowed once a year. In modern times, slips of paper would be handed out, with wishes for the future written on them. They were then hung on a holiday tree. (perhaps analogous to a Christmas tree)
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Japanese woodblock of Tanabata, 1852
Credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Tanabata_Festival_in_Edo_%28Hiroshige%2C_1852%29.jpg
Now to the manga. Yui (大塚 結依) and Yuuta(木村 佑太) are, in the beginning, elementary school students at later grades. (5th-6th grade?) Supposedly, they were at an earlier grade, but this is where the drama takes place. The change takes place immediately, with Yuuta falling from the tree onto Yui. Perhaps you don't see it (well, at this point you don't see at all, unless you're psychic) but the hint is starting to crop up; the cap is seen. To Masayoshi's credit, he puts in the tiniest detail, things that you won't see for detail, but things that are there - to which an uninformed public will pooh-pooh him for his (relatively) spare drawing.
However, to his demerits, are the supporting cast. One of the earliest is Haruki (木村 春樹) one of the kindest, most thoughtful little boys around. Yeah, he's a bit of a squirt, but that's the exception rather than the rule. However, in his last scene (and absolutely the most important one) neither Yui nor Yuuta mentions his name at all. Not once. If taken alone, he might as well be a stick figure. Granted, Yui and Yuuta are involved in one of the most intense conversations of their lives... but still, Haruki deserves better.
One other problematic person is that of Tachibana (橘 隼人). He doesn't show up until chapter 20, and when he does appear, you might think that he's little more than a street punk. However, he does appear far more greatly. When he does (finally, at last) decide to attend high school, he has grown to such an extent that he qualifies as a minor/major character. Shortly after the kiss he plants on Yuuta, however, he becomes strangely silent. It's not nearly as irksome as what happened to Haruki, but it left me wanting nevertheless.
The singular problem facing Yui and Yuuta is not, strictly speaking, "transgender". For example, in the earlier sections, both Yui and Yuuta desperately want to change back to their "normal" skin. But what is "normal", after all? Neither Yui nor Yuuta can dodge the complexities of life. They can't escape that this is normal.
In the final chapter, Kazuma (高岡 和馬) one of the other minor characters, nevertheless gets to utter one of the more intriguing passages. He says, "I... think it's (Yui and Yuuta) been decided ages ago."
We - all of us who follow a different path - are descendants of the cow-herders and seamstresses.
Before I get started on the main manga, there is a story to be told. It originally started in Japan, from Empress Koken. (孝謙天皇, 713-770 CE) It describes the tale of the cow-herder and the seamstress, or Higoboshi and Orihime. To keep things very short, they were very star-crossed lovers. Due to her father's anger, they would only be allowed once a year. In modern times, slips of paper would be handed out, with wishes for the future written on them. They were then hung on a holiday tree. (perhaps analogous to a Christmas tree)
Japanese woodblock of Tanabata, 1852
Credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Tanabata_Festival_in_Edo_%28Hiroshige%2C_1852%29.jpg
Now to the manga. Yui (大塚 結依) and Yuuta(木村 佑太) are, in the beginning, elementary school students at later grades. (5th-6th grade?) Supposedly, they were at an earlier grade, but this is where the drama takes place. The change takes place immediately, with Yuuta falling from the tree onto Yui. Perhaps you don't see it (well, at this point you don't see at all, unless you're psychic) but the hint is starting to crop up; the cap is seen. To Masayoshi's credit, he puts in the tiniest detail, things that you won't see for detail, but things that are there - to which an uninformed public will pooh-pooh him for his (relatively) spare drawing.
However, to his demerits, are the supporting cast. One of the earliest is Haruki (木村 春樹) one of the kindest, most thoughtful little boys around. Yeah, he's a bit of a squirt, but that's the exception rather than the rule. However, in his last scene (and absolutely the most important one) neither Yui nor Yuuta mentions his name at all. Not once. If taken alone, he might as well be a stick figure. Granted, Yui and Yuuta are involved in one of the most intense conversations of their lives... but still, Haruki deserves better.
One other problematic person is that of Tachibana (橘 隼人). He doesn't show up until chapter 20, and when he does appear, you might think that he's little more than a street punk. However, he does appear far more greatly. When he does (finally, at last) decide to attend high school, he has grown to such an extent that he qualifies as a minor/major character. Shortly after the kiss he plants on Yuuta, however, he becomes strangely silent. It's not nearly as irksome as what happened to Haruki, but it left me wanting nevertheless.
The singular problem facing Yui and Yuuta is not, strictly speaking, "transgender". For example, in the earlier sections, both Yui and Yuuta desperately want to change back to their "normal" skin. But what is "normal", after all? Neither Yui nor Yuuta can dodge the complexities of life. They can't escape that this is normal.
In the final chapter, Kazuma (高岡 和馬) one of the other minor characters, nevertheless gets to utter one of the more intriguing passages. He says, "I... think it's (Yui and Yuuta) been decided ages ago."
We - all of us who follow a different path - are descendants of the cow-herders and seamstresses.
24 August 2019
Minnesota - Court allows Minnesota to join lawsuit against Anoka-Hennepin Schools alleging transgender discrimination
lead story - Court Says Idaho Must Provide Gender Confirmation Surgery To Transgender Inmate
23 August 2019
Nebraska - Nebraska’s First Openly LGBTQ Lawmaker Wants to Get More Queer People Elected
lead story - 'Have to be heard': Advocates speak out about violence against black transgender women at Black Pride Festival
22 August 2019
lead story - Transgender issues: Where the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates stand
Emily Tillett
CBS
CBS
Vermin Supreme (and no, this is not a joke...)
(Hey, he's better than Trump...)
please press: www.cbsnews.com
21 August 2019
Donald Trump - Yes, Donald Trump really believes he is 'the chosen one'
Palestine - Palestine Authority police ban Palestinian LGBT group from holding activities in West Bank
Adam Rasgon
The Times Of Israel
The Times Of Israel
Nablus, Palestine
(old Palestinian passport)
Credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/British_Mandate_Palestinian_passport.jpg
please press: www.timesofisrael.com
civil rights - N.H. AG Pursues Civil Rights Case On Behalf of Transgender Woman in Nashua
Arizona - If he runs, Curt Schilling says he would take on Rep. Tom O'Halleran
Ronald J. Hansen
azcentral.
azcentral.
Sedona, AZ
please press: www.azcentral.com
ezs note: 1st district (federal) in Arizona - Hey, if Curt Schilling wants to make his name as a ballplayer, hey, have at it. But he would be a lousy legislator. Talk to some neighbors, lick some stamps, do what it takes to keep his skills as a ballplayer - and that's all.
lead story - Trans woman googles every news story containing the word 'transgender' in a year
Rachel Thompson
Mashable
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Mashable
London, UK
London City Hall
Credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/City_hall_London_at_dawn_%28cropped%29.jpg
please press: mashable.com
19 August 2019
lead story - Overcoming stigma – Vietnamese transgender person transitions with mom’s love and support
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18 August 2019
lead story - For transgender youth, an affirming family is important: Readers sound off
17 August 2019
Kentucky - Dayton May Be Kentucky's 12th City to Adopt Pro-LGBT Ordinance
lead story - The Trump Administration Asked The Supreme Court To Legalize Firing Workers Just For Being Transgender
16 August 2019
New Zealand - Weightlifter Hubbard becomes lightning rod for criticism of transgender policy
civil liberties - North Carolina transgender inmate moved to women's prison
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lead story - Coming Out As Transgender When There Was No Language To Describe It
Emma Bowman
NPR
NPR
Philadelphia, PA
Credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Elfreth%27s_Alley%2C_Philadelphia%2C_2008.jpg
please press: www.npr.org
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