NullTuples
NullTuples's Journal'Lack of acceptance took a toll.' KY senator says son, who pushed for trans rights, died
Source: Lexington Herald Leader
Kentucky Sen. Karen Berg, D-Louisville, announced in a statement Tuesday that her son, who was transgender, died by suicide last week. Henry Berg-Brousseau was 24.
Berg said her son spent his life “working to extend grace, compassion and understanding to everyone, but especially to the vulnerable and marginalized.”
“As the mother of a transgender son, I gave my whole heart trying to protect my child from a world where some people and especially some politicians intentionally continued to believe that marginalizing my child was OK simply because of who he was,” Berg wrote. “This lack of acceptance took a toll on Henry. He long struggled with mental illness, not because he was trans but born from his difficulty finding acceptance.”
On the Senate floor, Berg frequently cited her son’s experience as a reason she spoke against legislation that she viewed as anti-trans.
Read more: https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article270249942.html
We in the LGBTQ+ community have been saying that this is going to result in trans young people's deaths. That tragic prediction is coming true.
Random Kentucky headlines from the past year:
"Kentucky governor halts bill that would ban transgender students from women's sports"
"Kentucky Legislature overrides governor's veto of transgender sports ban"
"Kentucky banned its only transgender student-athlete from playing on the field hocky team she helped start"
And this week:
"Anti-trans bills filed by Kentucky lawmaker seeking reelection"
Rep. Bill Wesley from Ravenna pre-filed the bills ahead of the 2023 legislative session. One seeks to ban transgender people from using school bathrooms of their gender identity, and another bill would prevent doctors from identifying the sex of a child as any identity other than male or female."
This constant, relentless attack on young people who just want to live their lives is both immoral and unethical. It is evil. And Republicans show no sign of stopping.
What ever happened with Trump deciding Air Force planes had to refuel in Scotland
and the crews had to stay at his property nearby in order to make it profitable again?
Or is that just another crime we're going to let slide?
'Intentional, willful and malicious': 40K without power after substation attacks in Moore County
Source: Fayetteville Observer
(Moore County, North Carolina)
Moore County residents are under a curfew Sunday night and for the foreseeable future as Duke Energy responds to a targeted attack on two substations that knocked out power to thousands of customers and could take days to repair, officials said at a press conference Sunday afternoon. The county has also declared a state of emergency.
Sheriff Ronnie Fields said gunshots were fired at the substations taking out the power first in Carthage about 7 p.m. then shortly thereafter when a second substation was attacked, spreading to the greater majority of the county. More than 40,000 customers were without power.
A Duke Energy representative said the repair includes the replacement of substantial equipment.
"Unlike perhaps a storm where you can go in and reroute power somewhere else, that was not an option in this case, so repair has to be complete; in many cases, some of that equipment will have to be replaced," said spokesman Jeff Brooks. "Recognizing that we are looking at a pretty sophisticated repair with some pretty large equipment and so we do want citizens of the town to be prepared that this will be a multi-day restoration for most customers extending potentially as long as Thursday."
Read more: https://www.fayobserver.com/story/news/crime/2022/12/04/moore-county-power-outage-investigated-as-vandalism/69699328007/
"Fields said Sunday that state and federal investigators are looking into protesters of a Saturday drag queen show at Sunrise Theater in downtown Southern Pines, but that so far they have not been able to make that connection. Earlier in the day Saturday, protesters had gathered outside the theater, upset about a drag show planned for the small venue later that night. On her Facebook page, Emily Grace Rainey, an outspoken opponent of the drag show, posted an invitation to the protest at the theater. After the lights went out out, Rainey, who became known in Moore County during the pandemic for her opposition to mask mandates, posted on Facebook that, “The power is out in Moore County and I know why.” Later, she posted that the Moore County Sheriff’s Office had come to her house to ask about the outage.
From: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article269579392.html#storylink=cpy"
Because at this point the motive is not known (and it could be unconnected to the drag show), this does not fit the definition of Domestic Terrorism per the FBI: https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/fbi-dhs-domestic-terrorism-definitions-terminology-methodology.pdf/view
Feds arrest Texas man charged with threats to Boston doctor who cares for transgender children
Source: Texas Tribune
A Texas man was arrested Friday on a federal charge that he left a threatening voicemail message for one Boston doctor who provides care to transgender community, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Massachusetts.
The man, Matthew Jordan Lindner, 38, of Comfort, Texas, was charged with one count of transmitting interstate threats. Comfort is in Kendall County, about 50 miles northwest of San Antonio.
Lindner, whose company Lindner Ammo was a federal firearms license in 2019, is accused of leaving a voicemail message on Aug. 31 threatening to kill the doctor who works at the Boston-based National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center.
In the recorded message to the Boston doctor Lindner said, "you're all gonna burn," according to prosecutors. He added, "a group of people on their way to handle" the doctor and "You signed your own warrant." Lindner named the doctor in the voicemail and ended the message by saying, "You've woken up enough people. And upset enough of us. And you signed your own ticket."
Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2022/12/03/texas-transgender-care-threat-arrest/
The unnamed victim is a physician and faculty member at National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, part of Fenway Institute based in Boston, MA.
Lidner lives in Comfort, Texas, where he is listed as owning a company called, "Lidner Ammo"; federal law officials stated in their affidavit [1] that the calls came from his company phone. Google indicates Lidner Ammo is a residential address. A quick Google Streets check shows that it is indeed a private home in a residential neighborhood with a chain link fence between the sidewalk and his lawn, festooned with 'NO PARKING" signs attached at regular intervals. The house is located directly across the street from an elementary school and a block away from a middle school.
It is not know if this is the potential terrorist event the DHS was warning about four days ago [2] or if they only knew of the build up of rhetoric on right wing social media. There may be others. But this follows closely behind other threats to trans teen health care facilities [3], and doctors worry about the chilling effect these terrorist threats will have or are already having on trans teen health care providers [4]
[1] https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3ca14c8a17e258ce49d620ed43cbe7d4/2-1.pdf
[2] "DHS warns of continued threats to LGBT community in new terror alert"
https://www.dhs.gov/ntas/advisory/national-terrorism-advisory-system-bulletin-november-30-2022)
[3] "Boston Children's faced months of death threats and hate mail. Here's how the staff are coping."
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12/03/metro/boston-childrens-faced-months-death-threats-hate-mail-heres-how-staff-are-coping/
[4] "A Dangerous Chilling Effect in Gender-Affirming Care" https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/102026
Gov Abbott decided there's an "invasion" akin to Putin invading Ukraine
Notice the use of the term, "invasion". He thinks it's his Golden Ticket to act on behalf of the entire nation according to the 14th Amendment, despite Congress not giving him permission to do so.
"In my Executive Order GA-41, I invoked the Invasion Clauses of Article I, § 10 of the U.S.
Constitution and Article IV, § 7 of the Texas Constitution to fully authorize Texas to take
unprecedented measures to fight back against the invasion at our border. As Governor of Texas
and commander-in-chief of its military forces, I am using that constitutional authority, as well as
other authorization and Executive Orders to:
• Deploy the National Guard to safeguard our border and to repel and turn back immigrants
trying to cross the border illegally;
• Deploy the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to arrest and return to the border
immigrants who crossed illegally and deploy DPS to arrest illegal immigrants for
criminal activity;
• Build a border wall in multiple counties on the border;
• Deploy gun boats to secure the border;
• Designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations;
• Enter into a compact with other states to secure the border;
• Enter into agreements with foreign powers to enhance border security; and
• Provide resources for border counties to increase their efforts to respond to the border
invasion."
https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/County_Judge_Invasion_Letter.pdf
If the GOP gains control they've promised to:
Cut Social Security & Medicare
Abolish abortion, birth control, LGBTQ rights, gun restriction & environmental laws
Form a Christian Nation
Likely roll back the ADA & CRA
Revoke election laws assuring they stay in power forever
Pull support for nations like Ukraine
- Have I missed anything?
VOTE!
Convince everyone you know to vote!
Do what you can to help people vote (within local laws and your own abilities).
Republicans are creating a transgender registry in Florida
This is where the "Don't Say Gay" and all of the anti-transgender athlete, anti-trans health care and anti-trans student laws in Republican controlled states are leading. Florida simply got there first.
As part of outing transgender students to every family in their school, their town and really, the internet too, the Lee County School District in Florida has decided to create a registry of trans students so they can "better keep all families informed".
This is terrifying. This is how they start, by introducing such things as "protecting all our families" as if trans kids are a threat to anyone. If there is not pushback, it will expand to other schools where they've intentionally taken over the district or school boards. And once they get away with that they'll expand it further. This has the scent of the early 1930's, without any hyperbole.
And to make it worse, what Republicans are really doing is talking about a minor's genitals to the entire school district. It's disgusting, cruel and abusive. It's also very creepy.
https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/07/19/lee-county-school-district-draft-documents-are-requesting-personal-info-on-transgender-students/
Judge Blocks Biden Admin's Guidance on Anti-LGBTQ+ Discrimination
A federal judge in Tennessee has temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s guidance on two federal laws aimed at preventing discrimination against LGBTQ+ people.
Judge Charles Atchley was nominated by Trump and confirmed after McConnell used the so-called "nuclear option" to drop the filibuster to get him confirmed. He says the Biden guidance will interfere with states' ability to enforce their new anti-transgender laws.
That's it. That's his legal reasoning. Executive Orders are only valid for Republican Presidents, apparently.
“As it currently stands, plaintiffs must choose between the threat of legal consequences — enforcement action, civil penalties, and the withholding of federal funding — or altering their state laws to ensure compliance with the guidance and avoid such adverse action,” continued Atchley, who was appointed to the judgeship by Donald Trump. The guidance also ignores “the limited reach of Bostock,” he wrote.
https://www.advocate.com/law/2022/7/16/judge-blocks-biden-admins-guidance-anti-lgbtq-discrimination
My apologies for this morning
I was not feeling physically great, I was frustrated with politics and people and had just come from a discussion with a very oddly conservative Christian TERF over whether my daughter and I should be allowed to be part of public life. In short, I was upset and I should've practiced better self control than to post what I did. In that post I was questioning how a certain Democratic leader is handling the Supreme Court's ruling. That was wrong of me; said leader is not to blame for the vile work over so many years by the unholy unity of the Federalist Society, the Republican Party, the NRA, Vladimir Putin and American Christians.
Thank you to those who flagged it to be hidden and again I am sorry.
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