Why is it called procrastination when it's one of the most anti-social things people can do?
After much delay, trips back and forth between cities at my own expense, and schools not hiring for the new year until the middle of August, I finally have both a new job and apartment in Taipei. (I began my job and apartment search in March.) I begin moving this week.
Now I just have to deal with my own procrastination, not getting started on packing and cleaning until today. Joy, joy, joy.
I've been looking forward to this for a year. I couldn't find a new employer a year ago, which prevented me from moving to Taipei and accessing the transgender clinic. They only work Monday to Friday, and commutting simply wasn't possible, not even with the High Speed Rail (THSR). Living in Taipei means the clock now starts on the road to medical transition.
Showing posts with label LGBTQIA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LGBTQIA. Show all posts
Monday, September 26, 2016
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Predilection predicted: Predator christian arrested for raping children
From the files of the sadly predictable: A far right christian "leader" and loudmouth named Ken Adkins has been charged in Georgia for the rape of two children.
His arrest comes two months after he gleefully cheered the mass murder of people at the Pulse nightclub in Florida.
His arrest comes two months after he gleefully cheered the mass murder of people at the Pulse nightclub in Florida.
Pastor who said Pulse victims deserved to die busted for child abuse
Conservative Pastor Ken Adkins of St. Simons Island, Georgia, who has led a public campaign against the rights of LGBTQ Americans, is now an inmate at the jail of Glynn County, charged with two counts of child molestation.
Justice Done: There will be no hate crimes trial in Georgia
In early 2016, Georgia man Martin Blackwell committed a violent assault upon two young men - the son of his girlfriend, and the young man's boyfriend. Blackwell poured boiling on them, causing burns, disfigurement and long term nerve damage that the victims may never recover from.
The FBI has declared is will not proceed with a hate crime trial against Blackwell. Their reason? Blackwell was convicted of the assault by a Georgia court and received a forty year prison sentence.
Normally, I would be livid at the idea that a criminal is not going to face trial for a hate crime. But in this case, it is arguably the right thing to do. Why?
First, he was given a forty year sentence for his crime. At his age, that is effectively a death sentence. He will never walk free for the rest of his life.
Second, Blackwell was arrested, tried and convicted without a hate crime law. The courts in Georgia did their jobs.
Hate crime laws came into being because those in the so-called "legal system" would allow criminals to go free or undercharge the criminals (and not send them to prison) because the cops, prosecutors and judges hated the victims as much as the perpetrators did. The "authorities" were condoning the crime and victimizing people a second time with their arrogance.
The actions of the Georgia court speak volumes. They properly charged Blackwell and convicted him, and the judge sentenced him adequately. Justice has been done, thus there is no need for a hate crime trial.
But it does beg a question: Would Georgia's legal system have convicted Blackwell without the FBI breathing down their necks? Would such a conviction have happened if hate crime laws didn't exist elsewhere? In all likelihood, they wouldn't.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Seven Days Left: Who's who, and what's what
This is the last of seven items in seven days on left handedness.
Who's Who
There are many lists of left handed people so I will only link to some that exist, not repeat the names here. There is some debate about whether certain people were or weren't left handed, and I don't have the resources to confirm it either way. And when it comes to criminals and handedness, there's far too much "He's on YOUR team!" nonsense.
RightLeftRightWrong.com: Famous Left Handers
Lefthandersday.com: Famous Left Handers
Biography.com: Famous Lefies
The Guardian: One Hundred Famous Left-Handed People
Buzzfeed.com: 60 Famous People Who Are Left Handed
One recently famous left handed person worth noting is Malala Yousafzai, the heroic Pakistani teen who won the Nobel Peace Prize and has become an advocate for women's rights around the world. Which hand is she writing with?
What's What
There are two more important issues that I do want to focus on.
As stated in part 2 and part 3 of this series, children are and should be the focus of this discussion. When girls and women face sexism and harassment, they have family, school and feminist groups to speak for them or call on for support. When people face racism, they have family, school and human rights and civil rights groups to ask for help. When atheists and LGBTQIA people face discrimination there are voices they can call on, including and even when their family and school are part of the problem.
But who do left handed children call on for help? In nearly all of the cases, their harassers are their own parents and family, their teachers and schools. The very people who should be their greatest source of support are the cause of their greatest problems, not society in general. There is no external human rights group who speaks for them.
As I've said elsewhere, left handed people may be the least likely oppressed group to face murder and other extreme violence, and adults have the experience and resources to cope with everyday problems, even in societies that are openly against left handedness. But when it comes to children, they are subjected to mental, emotional and even physical abuse, with no one to speak out on their behalf. And when they call on others for help, they are often told, "Just do what others are telling you to do."
Here's a woman who got the point, who learnt from the experience living outside of a theocracy, that left handedness is perfectly normal and not to abuse her daughter because of outdated ideas.
German scientists have said unequivocally that left handedness is genetic. However, they suggest that it is related to multiple genes, not a specific one. They may act alone on in conjucntion with others, but regardless, they exist. The two known genes linked to handedness and other conditions are PCSK6 and LRRTM1.
An Austrian study showed left handed children are also more likely to be gestated in the summer and born in the winter. Another study links non-heterosexual orientation to left handness in both women and men.
Schizophrenia is wired into the brain at birth. Some have claimed a link between schizophrenia and left handedness. If this is true, then it is all the more reason not to force children to switch hands. Chronic stress is thought to be a trigger of schizophrenia, so forcing children to switch hands may only makes schizophrenia more likely to occur. People are exacerbating the problem, not stopping it.
Some have made the ugly and unverified claim that pedophiles are more likely to be left handed. Even if that claim had any merit, what people suggesting? Checking foetuses for genes and aborting them? (I disagree and would suggest being a pedophile has a lot to do with being moralizing, socially conservative zealot, especially considering the history of sex abuse among catholics, fundamentalist christians and the republican party in the US.)
Regardless of whether any of this is verified or not, studies on gay children with straight parents and children with gay parents show the way forward: leave their hands alone, support them with unconditional love and fulfil their needs. The children who grow up the most socially well-adjusted are those who grew up in loving homes with stress-free lives.
--------------------------------------------------
If you have been reading this, I thank you and hope you got something out of it. If you have corrections or links, let me know. If you don't consider this to be a social justice issue and/or have a bias against left handed people, tell someone who actually wants to hear it, because I don't.
Left Handedness - Who's Who, and What's What
Who's Who
There are many lists of left handed people so I will only link to some that exist, not repeat the names here. There is some debate about whether certain people were or weren't left handed, and I don't have the resources to confirm it either way. And when it comes to criminals and handedness, there's far too much "He's on YOUR team!" nonsense.
RightLeftRightWrong.com: Famous Left Handers
Lefthandersday.com: Famous Left Handers
Biography.com: Famous Lefies
The Guardian: One Hundred Famous Left-Handed People
Buzzfeed.com: 60 Famous People Who Are Left Handed
One recently famous left handed person worth noting is Malala Yousafzai, the heroic Pakistani teen who won the Nobel Peace Prize and has become an advocate for women's rights around the world. Which hand is she writing with?
What's What
There are two more important issues that I do want to focus on.
- Children face the most risk with the least support
As stated in part 2 and part 3 of this series, children are and should be the focus of this discussion. When girls and women face sexism and harassment, they have family, school and feminist groups to speak for them or call on for support. When people face racism, they have family, school and human rights and civil rights groups to ask for help. When atheists and LGBTQIA people face discrimination there are voices they can call on, including and even when their family and school are part of the problem.
But who do left handed children call on for help? In nearly all of the cases, their harassers are their own parents and family, their teachers and schools. The very people who should be their greatest source of support are the cause of their greatest problems, not society in general. There is no external human rights group who speaks for them.
As I've said elsewhere, left handed people may be the least likely oppressed group to face murder and other extreme violence, and adults have the experience and resources to cope with everyday problems, even in societies that are openly against left handedness. But when it comes to children, they are subjected to mental, emotional and even physical abuse, with no one to speak out on their behalf. And when they call on others for help, they are often told, "Just do what others are telling you to do."
Here's a woman who got the point, who learnt from the experience living outside of a theocracy, that left handedness is perfectly normal and not to abuse her daughter because of outdated ideas.
- Left handedness is normal and natural
German scientists have said unequivocally that left handedness is genetic. However, they suggest that it is related to multiple genes, not a specific one. They may act alone on in conjucntion with others, but regardless, they exist. The two known genes linked to handedness and other conditions are PCSK6 and LRRTM1.
An Austrian study showed left handed children are also more likely to be gestated in the summer and born in the winter. Another study links non-heterosexual orientation to left handness in both women and men.
- Forcing people to switch hands causes harm
Schizophrenia is wired into the brain at birth. Some have claimed a link between schizophrenia and left handedness. If this is true, then it is all the more reason not to force children to switch hands. Chronic stress is thought to be a trigger of schizophrenia, so forcing children to switch hands may only makes schizophrenia more likely to occur. People are exacerbating the problem, not stopping it.
Some have made the ugly and unverified claim that pedophiles are more likely to be left handed. Even if that claim had any merit, what people suggesting? Checking foetuses for genes and aborting them? (I disagree and would suggest being a pedophile has a lot to do with being moralizing, socially conservative zealot, especially considering the history of sex abuse among catholics, fundamentalist christians and the republican party in the US.)
Regardless of whether any of this is verified or not, studies on gay children with straight parents and children with gay parents show the way forward: leave their hands alone, support them with unconditional love and fulfil their needs. The children who grow up the most socially well-adjusted are those who grew up in loving homes with stress-free lives.
--------------------------------------------------
If you have been reading this, I thank you and hope you got something out of it. If you have corrections or links, let me know. If you don't consider this to be a social justice issue and/or have a bias against left handed people, tell someone who actually wants to hear it, because I don't.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Pain Sucks: If only Ranma 1/2 were real life....
Oh, how I hate going to the doctor. Some treatments and procedures are necessary on the road to transitioning, but that doesn't make them any less pleasant.
This weekend I received another round of laser hair removal. Every zap on the face hurts, and it smells like my flesh is burning as the doctor does it.
Pain is one thing, but I hate the pills he gave me even more. I have never done illegal drugs of any sort, and I avoid anything like painkillers for the same reason: they affect my ability to think. It feels like I'm looking through cotton, and in talking I feel like I'm drunk (which I also rarely do). I'm not a control freak, but I really hate not being able to think clearly.
This weekend I received another round of laser hair removal. Every zap on the face hurts, and it smells like my flesh is burning as the doctor does it.
Pain is one thing, but I hate the pills he gave me even more. I have never done illegal drugs of any sort, and I avoid anything like painkillers for the same reason: they affect my ability to think. It feels like I'm looking through cotton, and in talking I feel like I'm drunk (which I also rarely do). I'm not a control freak, but I really hate not being able to think clearly.
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Predators Target: Rightwing christian fanatics are enabling and encouraging cisgender rapists
In the US, all known cases of sexual assault against women and children in public bathrooms have been perpetrated by cisgender heterosexual men. Police departments across the US report not a single instance of transgender women assaulting anyone in bathrooms anywhere.
Breitbart's ignorant attempts to smear transgender women backfired when they showed that twnety five cases of sexual assault were by cisgender men. In their typical incompetence, not-so-Breitbart did the exact opposite of what they intended, and showed that transgender women pose no danger to anyone.
Since straight men are the danger, why are christians and various rightwing groups repeating the lie of "man in a dress raping women"? Why are christians encouraging sexual predators to enter women's washrooms at Target stores (and elsewhere) and endangering women?
Breitbart's ignorant attempts to smear transgender women backfired when they showed that twnety five cases of sexual assault were by cisgender men. In their typical incompetence, not-so-Breitbart did the exact opposite of what they intended, and showed that transgender women pose no danger to anyone.
Since straight men are the danger, why are christians and various rightwing groups repeating the lie of "man in a dress raping women"? Why are christians encouraging sexual predators to enter women's washrooms at Target stores (and elsewhere) and endangering women?
Right-Wing Anti-LGBT Activists Are Sending Men Into Target Bathrooms to 'Test' the Store
Do you know how many reports of transgender people assaulting others in bathrooms there have been? The grand tally stands at none, a number also expressed as zero, zip, nil, nada. Yet several jurisdictions and states—North Carolina most notoriously—have passed “bathroom bills,” and a number of others have pending legislation targeting trans people and restroom access. In response to the ginned-up scaremongering at the heart of these laws, Target issued a message stating it “welcome[s] transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.” Now, anti-LGBT activists have appointed themselves restroom guardians, and have been going into bathrooms in the company’s stores to "test" the store's vigilance.
Among the greatest ironies of this story is that these bigots claim they’re trying to protect women from trans people, but they’re overwhelmingly men. In other words, a bunch of dudes, in the misguided name of “safety,” are invading women’s rooms. As if having a random guy in the bathroom while you go isn’t a bajillion times worse, more invasive, and something far closer to harassment than having a trans woman in the stall next to you. It’s utterly ridiculous.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Money Talks: Tennessee kills its bigoted anti-trans law...for now
US state of Tennessee republican Susan Lynn has withdrawn her hateful anti-trans bathroom law, but not out of any sense of decency. (She obviously doesn't have any, since she was the one who presented it.) She withdrew it because her personal bigotry will cost Tennessee US$1.2 billion in school funding, something she would not be able to explain to taxpayers.
Or did Haslam realize what happened in Uganda would happen to his state? For those who don't remember or don't know, Uganda attempted to put forward a "kill the gays" law which legalized murder. It was only withdrawn when foreign donors threatened to withhold millions of dollars in foreign aid to the country.
Maybe Susan Lynn should be appointed ambassador to Uganda and sent their permanently. I'm sure she would be very happy to live in such a christian-dominated nation.
Tennessee Lawmaker Kills Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill, Leaving North Carolina All AloneThe last part of this story is interesting.
On Monday, Tennessee Republican Rep. Susan Lynn announced that she will pull her anti-trans bathroom bill, at least until next year.
[...]
In a defensive [read: indefensible] press conference, Lynn insisted that she was not responding to the widespread outrage her bill had provoked among major corporations and businesses, as well as from trans students and LGBTQ advocates. Instead, she seemed concerned by the attorney general’s (correct) assertion that the measure would cost the state $1.2 billion in federal education funding, since federal law prohibits public schools from engaging in gender identity discrimination.
Gov. Bill Haslam, a Republican, had also implied that he might veto the bill, noting that he wasn’t “hearing about problems” relating to trans bathroom use.Is Haslam admitting to reality? Police across the US have recorded ZERO instances of "transgender predators in bathrooms", though they have recorded countless instances of transgender people being harassed by cisgenders. If there were even a single instance of transgender people harassing others, the rightwing media would have pounced on it and repeated it incessantly.
Or did Haslam realize what happened in Uganda would happen to his state? For those who don't remember or don't know, Uganda attempted to put forward a "kill the gays" law which legalized murder. It was only withdrawn when foreign donors threatened to withhold millions of dollars in foreign aid to the country.
Maybe Susan Lynn should be appointed ambassador to Uganda and sent their permanently. I'm sure she would be very happy to live in such a christian-dominated nation.
Friday, April 15, 2016
Toilet Stall: What is the rightwing obsession with trans people and bathrooms?
I would really like the republiclowns who write these anti-transgender hate laws to answer some simple questions about trying to criminalize transgender people in bathrooms.
1) Many transgender women (myself included) are heterosexual and attracted to men. How are we a "threat to women and girls" in a women's washroom?
2) Many transgender men are heterosexual and attracted to women. How are they a "threat to men and boys" in a men's washroom?
3) How are lesbian transgender women a "threat" in women's washrooms while cisgender lesbian women are not?
4) How are gay transgender men a "threat" in men's washrooms while cisgender gay men are not?
5) re: 3 and 4, Is it the rightwing's intent to first criminalize and ostracize transgender people to later justify re-targeting cisgender gay and lesbian people for discrimination and hate in society?
Considering that there is not a single instance in the US of transgender women preying on women and girls in toilets (and none of trans men doing it either), one really has to question the motivation of those who want these laws.
And considering the history or "family values" republicans who have affairs and rape children (e.g. Robert Bentley, Jack Ryan, Mark Foley, Mark Sanford, Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, Dennis Hastert, Scott Desjarlais, David Vitter, Chris Lee, Michael Duvall, Carly Fiorina, John Ensign, Vito Fossella, David Petraeus, Bill Young, etc., ad nauseum), the motivation is most likely misdirection. The easiest way to avoid mention of their own actions is to pander to hateful bigots who are predisposed to believing lies.
1) Many transgender women (myself included) are heterosexual and attracted to men. How are we a "threat to women and girls" in a women's washroom?
2) Many transgender men are heterosexual and attracted to women. How are they a "threat to men and boys" in a men's washroom?
3) How are lesbian transgender women a "threat" in women's washrooms while cisgender lesbian women are not?
4) How are gay transgender men a "threat" in men's washrooms while cisgender gay men are not?
5) re: 3 and 4, Is it the rightwing's intent to first criminalize and ostracize transgender people to later justify re-targeting cisgender gay and lesbian people for discrimination and hate in society?
Considering that there is not a single instance in the US of transgender women preying on women and girls in toilets (and none of trans men doing it either), one really has to question the motivation of those who want these laws.
And considering the history or "family values" republicans who have affairs and rape children (e.g. Robert Bentley, Jack Ryan, Mark Foley, Mark Sanford, Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, Dennis Hastert, Scott Desjarlais, David Vitter, Chris Lee, Michael Duvall, Carly Fiorina, John Ensign, Vito Fossella, David Petraeus, Bill Young, etc., ad nauseum), the motivation is most likely misdirection. The easiest way to avoid mention of their own actions is to pander to hateful bigots who are predisposed to believing lies.
Monday, April 4, 2016
Religion Kills: Man murders his own son for being gay, likely also his wife
Once again religious bigotry rears its ugly head.
Christian father 'shot his son dead for being gay' and 'stabbed to death his wife' at their LA home
An LA father shot and killed his son in an act of premeditated murder because of the youth's sexual orientation, prosecutors alleged Friday.
Shehada Khalil Issa, 69, was arrested Tuesday after police arrived at his North Hills home to find the bodies of his son Amir, 29, and his wife, who has not been named, dead.
The Los Angeles County district attorney's office claimed that Issa had threatened to kill his son in the past because of his sexual orientation.
It makes a change for a media outlet to openly mention the murderer's religion as a motivation for the crime (or crimes, since he likely also murdered his wife). Too often they pretend religions they like are unrelated to the crime (e.g. Dylann Roof) unless they are engaging in fear mongering.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
We Exist: International Transgender Day of Visibility
Thursday March 31st is International Transgender Day of Visibility, a day for transgender people to celebrate our existence and say the fight for equal treatment isn't over yet. Not when thousands of people have been murdered and governments and courts consent to the murders by silence and insufficient prosecution.
The right to marry isn't enough. In many so-called "advanced countries", people can be denied recognition of their gender because they have not had genital surgery (Canada), because they have not been sterilized and denied the right to have children (France, Italy, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland), because they are denied the ability to change gender on birth records which are required for obtaining legal documents (USA). And in less enlightened countries, it's much bleaker - murder, imprisonment, assault and other crimes are everyday occurrences.
Legal Aspects Of Transgenderism
Transgender Rights Map, 2014 (from Transgender Europe)
Governments predicate "policy" on requiring genital surgery before recognition. This contradicts the medical profession (i.e. educated people who know the medical issues) who require transgender people live as their desired gender for years before hormones or surgery are approved. Denial of basic rights and protections enables discrimination in employment and housing, which forces most transgender people into poverty, unable to get all but the most poorly paid jobs. Such policy is either incompetently or intentionally written to drive people into poverty and make it impossible for them to transition.
Human rights are for humans, but governments have declared transgender people as "not human" and undeserving of the same protections as others simply because we do not fit the narrow and narrowminded gender binary. Denying rights and legal protections to anyone is legalized discrimination, be it race, religion, ability or disability, sexual orientation, cisgender or transgender.
GLAAD: International Transgender Day Visibility
Transstudent (on facebook)
Transgender Europe
International Transgender Day Visibility (from Equality Michigan)
Pride Calgary's day of events, 2016
wearefamilymagazine.co.uk: International Transgender Day Of Visibility
Transgender Michigan
Pride Source
The right to marry isn't enough. In many so-called "advanced countries", people can be denied recognition of their gender because they have not had genital surgery (Canada), because they have not been sterilized and denied the right to have children (France, Italy, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland), because they are denied the ability to change gender on birth records which are required for obtaining legal documents (USA). And in less enlightened countries, it's much bleaker - murder, imprisonment, assault and other crimes are everyday occurrences.
Legal Aspects Of Transgenderism
Transgender Rights Map, 2014 (from Transgender Europe)
Governments predicate "policy" on requiring genital surgery before recognition. This contradicts the medical profession (i.e. educated people who know the medical issues) who require transgender people live as their desired gender for years before hormones or surgery are approved. Denial of basic rights and protections enables discrimination in employment and housing, which forces most transgender people into poverty, unable to get all but the most poorly paid jobs. Such policy is either incompetently or intentionally written to drive people into poverty and make it impossible for them to transition.
Human rights are for humans, but governments have declared transgender people as "not human" and undeserving of the same protections as others simply because we do not fit the narrow and narrowminded gender binary. Denying rights and legal protections to anyone is legalized discrimination, be it race, religion, ability or disability, sexual orientation, cisgender or transgender.
GLAAD: International Transgender Day Visibility
Transstudent (on facebook)
Transgender Europe
International Transgender Day Visibility (from Equality Michigan)
Pride Calgary's day of events, 2016
wearefamilymagazine.co.uk: International Transgender Day Of Visibility
Transgender Michigan
Pride Source
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)