29 December 2019

Ireland - Ireland to simplify process for transgender 16- and 17-year-olds to change legal gender

civil rights - Connecticut sports decade in review: Transgender high school athletes’ success sparks debate on fairness and inclusion, and a Title IX complaint

Iowa - He burned a church’s LGBTQ flag and got 16 years. They responded by advocating for him.

Kim Bellware
The Washington Post


Ames, Iowa


please press:  www.washingtonpost.com

lead story - A very LGBTQ decade: Gay marriage, trans rights and a 'rainbow wave'

Tim Fitzsimons
NBC News


ezs note:  White House, in (much) better days


please press:  www.nbcnews.com

Donald Trump - Donald Trump says he hates New York 'even more than I should' because of investigations

Khaleda Rahman
Newsweek


ezs note:  Donnie's little loft


please press:  www.newsweek.com


28 December 2019

Gabon - Gabon passes law criminalizing gays

Heather Cassell
Bay Area Reporter


Libreville, Gabon


please press:  www.ebar.com

civil rights - Civil Rights Groups: The “Fairness for All” Act is an Affront to Existing Civil Rights Protections

Lucas Acosta
HRC


US Capitol (interior)


please press:  www.hrc.org 

South Carolina - South Carolina Republican wants to ban transition-related care for transgender youth

John Riley
MetroWeekly


Laurens, SC


please press:  www.metroweekly.com

ezs note:  If you live in South Carolina, click in scdp.org.  If you live in South Carolina's 14th district (Laurens and surrounding area) and are really pissed off at having this idiot represent you, contact your local Democratic Party.

lead story - Transgender in Pakistan: Maya, the woman who almost broke free

M. Ilyas Khan
BBC News


Nowshera, Pakistan


please press:  www.bbc.com 

Donald Trump - A Gangster in the White House

27 December 2019

Australia - Transgender clinic’s bid to operate on girls under 17

Bernard Lane
The Weekend Australian


Melbourne, Australia


please press:  www.theaustralian.com.au

civil rights - Stories that shaped the decade: From debate over transgender athletes to LGBTQ discrimination, conversations around gender and sexual identity emerge

Amanda Blanco
Hartford Courant


Hartford, CT


please press:  www.courant.com

Maine - As transgender-rights organization expands into rural Maine, its members are getting priced out of Portland

Nick Schroeder
Bangor Daily News


Portland, ME


please press: bangordailynews.com 

ezs note:  If you have the bucks - even if it's only a single - you can make a difference. Contact www.mainetransnet.org/donate.

lead story - The internet made trans people visible. It also left them more vulnerable.

Donald Trump - Navy SEALs who turned in Gallagher: He is 'freaking evil'

Tess Bonn
The Hill


ezs note:  Well, he should fit in just fine with Donald!


please press:  thehill.com

26 December 2019

American Samoa - A gay criminal case could help bring marriage equality to American Samoa

Daniel Villarreal
LGBTQ Nation


Pago Pago, American Samoa
(pronounced PANGH-o PANGH-o)


please press:  www.lgbtqnation.com

ezs note: Well, such shenanigans may occur in American Samoa, but we wouldn't dream of such things happening in the United States proper, right?

Right?

civil rights - Thirty years ago, gay civil rights campaign set the stage for all that followed

Stephanie Ebbert
Boston Globe


Boston, MA


please press:  www.bostonglobe.com


Illinois - Lambda to Illinois: Issue birth certificates affirming gender identities of trans parents

lead story - Transgender children sense true gender at young age, study finds

Press
Reuters


Groton, CT


please press:  www.cbc.ca

Donald Trump - Trump claims Nancy Pelosi and impeachment offends all Americans of faith. He's wrong.

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
NBC News


ezs note:  Do we ever see it unopened?


please press:  www.nbcnews.com

24 December 2019

To all my Jewish friends, Happy Hanukkah!

Venezuela/Brazil - Evaluation of UNHCR prevention of, and response to, SGBV in Brazil focusing on the Population of Concern from Venezuela (2017-2018) - Evaluation Report, December 2019

UNHCR
ReliefWeb


Manaus, Brazil


please press:  reliefweb.int



civil rights - Transgender plaintiff asks 5th Circuit to review Trump appointee’s refusal to recuse

New Hampshire - NH schools shift focus of anti-discrimination policies to transgender students

Kimberly Houghton
New Hampshire Union-Leader


Nashua, NH


please press:  www.unionleader.com

lead story - Missing transgender teen was misidentified by KC police. Here’s why it matters.

Kaitlyn Schwers
The Kansas City Star


Kansas City, MO


please press:  www.kansascity.com

Donald Trump - Letters to the Editor: Mitch McConnell can’t defend Trump, so he’s covering up for him

Diane Welch
Los Angeles Times



please press:  www.latimes.com

23 December 2019

Goodbye Ray...

😔



ezs note:  For those of you who read this blog regularly, I am sad to report that Ray Thomas died recently.  He was one of the most decent men I know of.  I will miss him terribly.

To honor Ray, or to honor someone who is struggling with Alzheimer's,  go to Alzheimer's Association.  


Thanks.

civil rights - Abortion. Transgender rights. Voting access. Polarizing issues could dominate statehouse agendas in 2020.

Tim Craig, Emily Wax-Thibodeaux
The Washington Post

  
Ohio statehouse


please press:  www.washingtonpost.com

Kentucky - LGBTQ platform launches workplace trans inclusivity training

Haley Cawthon
Louisville Business First


Louisville, KY
Heine Brothers' Coffee


lead story - Transgender Woman Sues Miss United States Of America Pageant

Lulu Garcia-Navarro
NPR


Portland, OR


please press:  www.npr.org


Donald Trump - House counsel suggests Trump could be impeached again

Josh Gerstein, Kyle Cheney
Politico


ezs note:  Aw, shit, not again...


please press:  www.politico.com


22 December 2019

Mississippi - Observing Transgender Day of Remembrance in Mississippi

Staff
HRC


Jackson, MS


please press:  www.hrc.org

lead story - In the state that passed HB2, two transgender candidates running for legislative seats

Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan
The News & Observer


Wendell, NC


please press:  www.newsobserver.com

Donald Trump - White House official directed hold on Ukraine aid shortly after Trump’s July 25 call with Zelensky

Toluse Olorunnipa
The Washington Post


Kiev (Kyiv), Ukraine
(roughly center, 1804)


please press:  www.washingtonpost.com

21 December 2019

Now let me see...



As you might know, Emily's Virtual Rocket has been around a while.  You'd think that  I  would get some fabulous clothes.  Uh, not really.  I get clothing, but it's male clothing.

I am not asking for a handout.  What I would like is if you see an article that really moves or inspires you, sending an article of clothing would be a way of saying "thank you".  Just send one item.  It doesn't have to be from Saks or Cartier.  In fact, sending a good lightly used item would be just as appreciated.  I am very large (280 pounds/127 kilograms), but I am following one item Weight Watchers diligently. Here's what I'm looking for:
  • tops (not too loud or flashy)
  • wig (medium to dark brown)
  • slacks
  •  skirt (knee length) 
  • panties (new only, cotton preferable)
  • bra (new only)
  • nylons (new only)
  • socks (extra-large please)
  • insert into bra (C cup, no larger)
  • sweater
  • coat
  • inexpensive necklace (long)
  • inexpensive perfume
For three of the items which I specify as new, I am not calling for expense or extravagance.  Family Dollar, Target, or Wal-Mart, for example, will do nicely.  Here's the address:

Emily Shorette
60 Starkel Road 
Apartment 60, #110
06117

Trinidad and Tobago - Sexual harassment case in Trinidad & Tobago highlights need for better policies

Press
Global Voices


Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

please press:  globalvoices.org


civil rights - Federal judge orders sweeping reforms of treatment of transgender inmates in all Illinois prisons

Angie Leventis Lourgos
Chicago Tribune


East St. Louis, IL


please press:  www.chicagotribune.com

Vermont - Pride Center of Vermont to celebrate 20th anniversary of civil unions victory

Press
VTDigger


Burlington, VT


please press:  vtdigger.org

ezs note:  The December 13 event is over, but there is a plethora of events going on.  You can see what's happening at pridecentervt.org.  

lead story - Maya Forstater: Woman loses tribunal over transgender tweets

Donald Trump - Trump's letter to Pelosi: Not 'unhinged' — but worse, from a speechwriter's perspective

Bob Lehrman
The Hill



please press:  thehill.com

20 December 2019

civil rights - 10 LGBTQ Moments that Defined 2019

Washington (state) - Police make arrest in death of transgender teen in Washington state

Press
NBC26


Vancouver, WA


please press:  www.nbc26.com

lead story - Transgender worker suing Nike for $1.1 million cites pronoun abuses

Sarah Min
CBS News


Nike World HQ
Beaverton, OR


please press:  www.cbsnews.com

Donald Trump - Christianity Today, an influential evangelical magazine, says Trump ‘should be removed from office’

Sarah Pulliam Bailey
The Washington Post



please press:  www.washingtonpost.com

19 December 2019

Nebraska - 'We're here and we're Nebraskans' — Lincoln responds to Westboro Baptist Church picket

Chris Dunker
Lincoln Journal-Star


Lincoln, NE


please press:  

lead story - Harry Potter Author J.K. Rowling Faces Criticism for Transgender Comment

Donald Trump - Trump Should Be Removed from Office

Mark Galli
Christianity Today


Christ Crucified, Giotto


please press:  www.christianitytoday.com

ezs note:  While the differences between my own views and theirs are quite opposite, the fact that Christianity Today came out so boldly is quite refreshing.