Category: Animals / Insects / Water Life / Plants / Nature

New York judge rules in favor of polyamorous relationships

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/10/new-york-judge-rules-favor-polyamorous-relationships/

I agree.   The keyword in any relationship is consent.   If the people involved can’t give consent for any reason then they are being forced against their will and that is wrong.  I am thinking of women and young girls forced into marriage against their will.   That includes sexual relations, if there is full consent from those involved then it is no one else’s business.   I do not think on person in a marriage owns the other.   Originally all the men owned the woman.    Or many women in some places.    If the people involved all agree that this is the way they want their lives / relationship to be, they should get to choose.    Before anyone raises the false argument of “Well that leads to kids / animals / vacuum cleaners etc. getting married, think about it.  Can any of those consent to marriage?    No!   Marriage is a legal contract between people controlled by the state and federal government.   Yes religions like to claim they own marriage and god says it is this or that.   But the fact is different religions have different views of what a marriage is, and for years religion did not even deal with marriage.  “For much of the early Christian Era, the Church stayed out of weddings and let the state handle the union of man and woman. Finally, sometime after 800 AD, the Church began to perform weddings, and a few centuries later the Catholic Church made marriage one of the sacraments. Apr 26, 2017″ https://www.sagu.edu/thoughthub/the-history-of-marriage/#:~:text=For%20much%20of%20the%20early,marriage%20one%20of%20the%20sacraments.    Marriages in the US are not done under the authority of the church but under the state.   Churches / religions try to dictate what marriages should be, and are against all social remedies for bad marriages, but the US is not a theocracy so why should a person who is not part of a church / religion be forced to live under the ideas / dictates of a religion they don’t belong to?  Also notice the other places that are expanding the idea of marriage.    Hugs

The judge concluded that polyamorous relationships are entitled to the same sort of legal protection given to two-person relationships.
 
By 
polyamory, polyamorous, Pride, Somerville, Massachusetts
Photo: Shutterstock
 

New York City’s eviction court – the venue of a landmark same-sex relationship decision long before Obergefell v Hodges – is now the source of a legal opinion that comes down clearly on the side of polyamorous unions.

The decision came in the case of West 49th St., LLC v. O’Neill, decided by New York Civil Court Judge Karen May Bacdayan, concluded that polyamorous relationships are entitled to the same sort of legal protection given to two-person relationships.

The case revolves around three individuals. Scott Anderson and Markyus O’Neill lived together in a New York City apartment. Anderson held the lease, but was married to another man, Robert Romano, who lived at another address. After Anderson died, the building’s owner contended O’Neill had no right to renew the lease since he was just a “roommate” of Anderson’s and not “a non-traditional family member.”

The court concluded that there needed to be a hearing about whether Anderson, Romano and O’Neill were in a polyamorous relationship.

Before gay marriage was legalized in any state, Braschi v. Stahl Assocs. Co. was decided in 1989 and made the New York State Court of Appeals the first American appellate court to recognize that a two-person, same-sex relationship is entitled to legal recognition.

“Braschi is widely regarded as a catalyst for the legal challenges and changes that ensued,” Bacdayan wrote in her opinion. “By the end of 2014, gay marriage was legal in 35 states through either legislation or state court action. Obergefell v Hodges (2015), the seminal Supreme Court decision that established same-sex marriage as a constitutional right was also heralded as groundbreaking.”

“However,” wrote Bacdayan, “Braschi and its progeny and Obergefell limit their holdings to two-person relationships.” This case, Bacdayan wrote, “presents the distinct and complex issue of significant multi-person relationships.”

The judge cited legislation enacted since the advent of federally recognized same sex unions. “In February 2020, the Utah legislature passed a so-called Bigamy Bill, decriminalizing the offense by downgrading it from a felony to a misdemeanor. In June [2020], Somerville, Massachusetts, passed an ordinance allowing groups of three or more people who ‘consider themselves to be a family’ to be recognized as domestic partners. The neighboring town of Cambridge followed suit, passing a broader ordinance recognizing multi-partner relationships. The law has proceeded even more rapidly in recognizing that it is possible for a child to have more than two legal parents.”

“Why then,” posited the judge, “except for the very real possibility of implicit majoritarian animus, is the limitation of two persons inserted into the definition of a family-like relationship for the purposes of receiving the same protections from eviction accorded to legally formalized or blood relationships? Is ‘two’ a ‘code word’ for monogamy? Why does a person have to be committed to one other person in only certain prescribed ways in order to enjoy stability in housing after the departure of a loved one?”

The attorney for the property owner characterized defendant O’Neill’s affidavit, claiming himself as a non-traditional family member, as a “fairytale.”

The case returns to court after further investigation of the three individuals’ relationship.

 
 

Pennsylvania district rejects Satanists’ $578 donation for school supplies

https://onlysky.media/hemant-mehta/the-satanic-temple-satanists-578-donation-school-supplies/

This is another example of superstition being more important than facts.    These people protesting are hung up on the name and won’t even bother to learn or find out that the Satanic Temple doesn’t believe in Satan, nor do they worship Satan.   The prefer their ignorance.   Even if you tell them the truth they still wouldn’t want the group in schools because that name scares / terrifies them.   The Satanic Temple is about science, learning, and being a really decent nice person.   The Superintendent seems to think the money has cooties or is cursed somehow.   The Superintendent wanted the money run through a Christian organization to clean it somehow.   That is superstition over facts, hurting kids for no reason.   Something an educator should know better than do.   Hugs

THERE ARE SEVEN FUNDAMENTAL TENETS

I
One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.
II
The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
III
One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
IV
The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one’s own.
V
Beliefs should conform to one’s best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one’s beliefs.
VI
People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one’s best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.
VII
Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.
 
 
 
Superintendent Steve Kirkpatrick suggested the Satanists donate the money to a Christian non-profit instead
 
Avatar photoby HEMANT MEHTA
Pennsylvania district rejects Satanists' $578 donation for school supplies | The Satanic Temple's donation was rejected by the Northern York County School District in Pennsylvania
The Satanic Temple’s donation was rejected by the Northern York County School District in Pennsylvania (screenshot via FOX43)
Reading Time: 5 MINUTES
 
 

Adonation by Satanists to the Northern York County School District in Pennsylvania to help purchase school supplies for kids was rejected by the superintendent, who told them to donate the money to a Christian organization instead.

It’s utter stupidity from a district official who seems to think donations from The Satanic Temple are somehow tainted.

All of this began last month. It’s no secret that Christian churches frequently rent out space at public schools in order to hold services on weekends. That’s perfectly legal as long as they’re paying the rental fee and obeying district rules. Under those same guidelines, The Satanic Temple held a fundraising event last month at Northern York High School in Pennsylvania.

While the school board’s decision to approve the rental was followed by a lengthier explanation that they were just following the law, the event itself wasn’t controversial. In fact, it was family friendly:

“The Back-to-School Community Celebration & Fundraiser hosted by The Satanic Temple of Philadelphia & Eastern PA will be various stations of arts & crafts, science experiments, live demos, refreshments, and fun for the entire family,” said June Everett, the campaign director, After School Satan Club (ASSC) and an ordained minister of The Satanic Temple.

As expected, though, the three-hour event was met with protests from right-wing Catholics who have no understanding of how public space works.

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“They’re giving them access to our children,” said John Ritchie. “They should be nowhere near any schools.”

John Ritchie is part of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property. He says he’s outraged the event was allowed to go on, and says his organization is working to get Satan out of schools.

“We are here to say that America is one nation under God; we don’t want Satanism in our schools and we need to do something about it,” said Ritchie.

Ritchie seems to think only the people who belong to the child sex abuse ring known as the Catholic Church should have access to kids. That’s not how anything works. So his protests were meaningless.

While the Catholics were complaining about the evilness of the Satanists, the Satanists were inside the school raising money for children, ultimately collecting $578. (Everett’s emails say they raised $578 in one spot and $587 in another. I’m not sure which one is the typo. News reports are citing the former amount. I’ll use that. It’s not a huge difference either way.)

On a side note, the Satanists paid $1,185 to rent the space. Is that weird? Couldn’t they have just offered to donate that amount instead? Maybe. But sometimes, the publicity is part of the goal since it allows them to raise bigger issues about religious neutrality and church/state separation.

Whatever the case, The Satanic Temple wanted to donate their proceeds to the district and asked administrators for a list of supplies that they could purchase for students.

That’s when things took a weird turn.

Superintendent Steve Kirkpatrick responded to June Everett, telling her the district didn’t want her money. He even suggested she give it to a religious group instead:

Screenshot of the email from Kirkpatrick to Everett

Ms. Everett,

I respectfully decline your offer of a direct donation to the school district and suggest that you instead send your donation to New Hope Ministries or another local social service organization. These organizations are best equipped to effectively distribute supplies and goods to families in our school community that are most in need. 

Mr. Kirkpatrick

If there’s some kind of rule prohibiting direct donations, he didn’t point to it. Instead, Kirkpatrick told them to give their money to a Christian non-profit because they are “best equipped” to distribute supplies. But how hard it is, really, to purchase a bulk order of supplies that all teachers can use? It’s a few hundred bucks, not some distribution that requires massive coordination. It’s either religious bigotry or a stunning level of tone deafness.

In an email to a local news station Everett explained her disappointment:

“I can’t help but wonder if teachers in the community who continually have to dip into their own personal finances for supplies would be frustrated to know that their superintendent can’t get past his own personal bias and bigotry to benefit the children in the district he was appointed to serve.”

In case that wasn’t enough, Everett added a mic drop moment in which she laid out what $587 could purchase:

22,800 sheets of construction paper

543 spiral notebooks

3,410 ballpoint pens

13,152 No. 2 pencils

10,894 crayons

963 erasers

2,018 markers

1,239 highlighters

987 rulers

126 compass/protractors

6,518 sticks of chalk

825,227 staples

36,442 paper clips

31 copies of A Boy Called Bat, Northern York’s “One Book One District” selection

The point is that there are plenty of things here that teachers use all the time. The district could easily make use of the donation.

And yet when the local news spoke with some parents in the community, there were some adults celebrating the decision to reject the Satanists’ donation:

“I am very proud of the school board and district officials for declining that money,” said Amanda, a parent of a child in the Northern York County School District. “I think the taxpayers, who are the community members, have raised their voices saying that we don’t want anything like that in our school district.”

They don’t want… staples and paper clips? Amanda’s bigotry makes no sense whatsoever.

Again, if there’s a policy forbidding donations from outsiders, it should be easy to point to it and suggest a different secular way for the Satanists to help kids. There’s no excuse for rejecting the cash and pointing to a Christian non-profit instead. In a subsequent email Everett offered to donate the money to “the local teachers’ union as well as to individual principals and teachers in your district. The first one to accept will receive it.” 

Here’s the bigger concern: Last year, the same district denied the Satanists from starting an After School Satan Club even though they met all the criteria for an extracurricular group. There’s a clear pattern of discrimination that could lead to a possible lawsuit, and it’s hard to see how the Satanists would lose that case.

If that happens, the district would have gone from possibly accepting a donation of nearly $600… to having to pay thousands of dollars in legal fees. All because they didn’t want to accept money from The Satanic Temple. How is any of this better for students?

In a statement to me last night, The Satanic Temple spokesperson Lucien Greaves couldn’t believe the district’s position:

Does Kirkpatrick himself understand if his way of handling this is legal? I highly doubt it.

Does he care if litigation against his irresponsibility will cost the school district exorbitant sums? Clearly not.

Does he have the answers to basic operations questions that naturally arise from his thoughtless answers to basic questions? It does not appear so, but if he does, he is clearly unwilling to provide them.

This should not be a controversial issue, and for the most part, it isn’t. What we’re seeing here is best understood as the byproduct of a grossly incompetent and unqualified superintendent, and the school district deserves better.

There was no indication yet if the group plans to file a lawsuit.

Right now, they’re just trying to give away this cash.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Trans student was voted Homecoming Princess in a cruel prank. She refuses to step down.

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/10/trans-student-voted-homecoming-princess-cruel-prank-refuses-step/

I wonder if the parents who called the school were anti-trans parents claiming it was a prank to get the school to undo her election as Homecoming Princess.    Think how many kids voted in a large school and how could the prankers be a large enough group to swing the election to one person?   Seems to me the callers were upset either their daughters lost the vote or that a trans girl won.   So starting a rumor is the morally superior position?  The saddest part of the story is that some of the kids were swayed by transphobia to not walk with her as the escort as tradition required.   This is what the hate rhetoric of the right does, it teaches intolerance while further spreading the hate that spawns it.      Hugs

“The negativity empowered me because it made me realize that they are going out of their way to notice me. They’re noticing how bold I am.”
 
By  
Cass Steiner
Cass Steiner Photo: Screenshot
 

A trans high school student in Cincinnati refused to let a cruel prank bring her down.

Cass Steiner is a sophomore at Mariemont High School and was recently voted Homecoming Princess by her classmates. She was thrilled to be the school’s first trans Homecoming Princess. Her entire family was celebrating.

“Originally, I was really, really, really excited,” Steiner told Fox 19. “Just the thought that I had a chance to make history here.”

Her mother, Kat Steiner, added that she “was absolutely thrilled” for her daughter – until the school counselor spoke to Cass. The counselor told her that some parents had contacted her to let her know Cass’s victory was potentially part of a prank by students.

“It kind of brought down my spirits a little bit,” Cass said.

“Your heart just breaks,” Kat added.

But Cass wouldn’t give in to bullies. The school apologized and gave her the chance to step back from her role as princess, but she said no.

“I don’t think that it was truly a joke,” she said. “I think that part of it really was genuine and that a lot of people have my back and do support me. That’s what gives me hope.”

Cass believes that several of her classmates have noticed how much happier she is since she has embraced her true self.

“I think it’s really empowering because finding myself as a whole was really hard, but now that I’m here and a better version of myself, I’m so much happier, and people in my class and my peers have noticed that.”

She told WLWT that holding onto her title shows her classmates she is proud of who she is.

“If anything, hearing the negativity empowered me because it made me realize that they are going out of their way to notice me. They’re noticing how bold I am.”

“If you did vote for me with negative intentions thank you because I still won the vote and I’m willing to advocate for my community as a whole,” she said.

And her community is advocating along with her. Students and parents showed up at the homecoming parade holding signs to support her. One read, “You are more than a princess. You are a QUEEN!” Another said, “We love our warrior.”

Parent Erin Satterwhite organized the group of supporters.

“Cassie’s story, it just spoke to me as a mom,” Satterwhite said. “And this is an inclusive, kind, supportive community and I wanted that message to be shared and not the original message that was shared.”

And because other members of the homecoming court refused to be Cass’s escort, the principal walked with her.

“Having those people escort me and be there for me is really empowering and showing that the school is there for me,” Cass said. “And they are 100 percent supportive.”

 

Ohio activists quash an anti-trans resolution in major victory for trans rights

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/10/ohio-activists-quash-anti-trans-resolution-major-victory-trans-rights/

I would again like to point out this is not about protecting kids, it is entirely political.   Look how often they attack Biden and the administration on a local school board issue.  This is being used by the republicans to rile up their base with misinformation and to hurt a group of kids they don’t like.     Hugs

“The anti-trans group was stunned.”
 
By  
: A supporter holds a sign that says "Support Trans Youth"
: A supporter holds a sign that says “Support Trans Youth” in Washington Square Park on the 8th Annual Trans Day of Action on June 22, 2012 in New York City. Photo: Shutterstock
 

In a victory for trans Ohioans, the Ohio State Board of Education decided to delay voting on an anti-trans resolution that would ban trans girls from women’s sports teams, force teachers to out trans students to their parents, and ban classroom discussions on LGBTQ issues in kindergarten through third grade.

The resolution was introduced by board member Brandon Shea and rejects a proposed rule from the Biden administration to apply Title IX anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ students nationwide.

It aligns with a lawsuit against President Joe Biden’s proposal put forth by Ohio’s Republican Attorney General Dave Yost (along with other state attorneys general) and states that sex is an “unchangeable fact” and that “there are observable, quantifiable, and immutable differences between males and females.”

“Denying the reality of biological sex destroys foundational truths upon which education rests and irreparably damages children,” it declares.

 

The resolution blasted the Biden administration for “federal overreach” and criticized its assertion that schools who fail to adhere to gender anti-discrimination policies could lose federal funding for free and reduced lunch programs.

Activists, teachers, parents, students, and the like showed up in droves to testify against the resolution – after many in favor of it also spoke.

“The mental, emotional and psychological toll will be huge if it is passed because it takes away protections from the students who need those protections the most,” said Rev. Andrew Burns of the King Avenue United Methodist Church. “And I would be one of the people who would have to clean up the mess left behind.”

After four hours of public comments, trans rights won the day, and the board decided to delay a vote on the measure.

 

 

In a 12-7 vote, the board decided to send the resolution to an executive committee. Some board members believe it will probably die there, according to Cleveland.com. A softer version of the proposal will also reportedly be considered by the committee.

But the decision is still a huge victory.

Activist Erin Reed tweeted, “I can’t overstate how big a victory we just won in Ohio for trans people was. We got a boardroom full of Republican school officials to vote AGAINST moms for Liberty anti trans policies. The activists speeches objectively swayed things. The anti-trans group was stunned.”

 

Reed continued to explain that the vote shows that being anti-trans is becoming an extreme position, also praising Jon Stewart for his recent skewering of Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge (R) for the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for youth.

“The same arguments were repeated multiple times in the testimony,” Reed continued. “Ultimately though the credit goes to the activists who showed up. It was a pleasure to watch this and help mobilize from the VERY beginning. The fight isn’t over in Ohio. It isn’t over anywhere. but we won one for the kids today.”

Now that you have read the article I want to point out several things.   First l want you to look at the trans man in the video above.   This is a man.     However republicans want to force this man to use women’s restrooms.    For those women that say they would be uncomfortable knowing a trans person was using the same bathroom as they were, tell me you as a woman wouldn’t be uncomfortable seeing this man entering the female bathroom with you.  This is the problem first with judging gender on looks, and second this is the end result of the republicans anti-trans agenda.   Second the anti-trans people tried to make sure that they spoke first and took as many spots as they could, knowing that many board meetings have a time limit and they hoped to run out the clock so the trans positive people could speak.   Also notice that the anti-trans activists used lies, myths, debunked talking points, to the point of claiming that trans people simply did not exist.    They throw so much false misleading and wrong information out that as one of the people said it would take longer than the meeting like refute them all.   It is called a Gish gallop.  But what was nice was a real geneticist who destroyed the anti-trans arguments with scientific medical facts, not that the anti-trans people would ever listen to facts.   Below is the unrolled tweets from the story.   Hugs

 

Happening now… The waiting room is overflowing in Ohio as people pack the building in order to speak out against a policy that will force teachers to misgender Ohio trans students and ban them from bathrooms statewide.

A full waiting room

I know the people fighting on the ground. People like @CamomileOgden who have devoted so much to ensuring this doesn't go through.

Give 'em hell.

Watch live here:

https://ohiochannel.org/live/state-board-of-education

Unfortunately Moms 4 Liberty has shown up to this meeting, unlike last time where all speakers were against this policy.

We've already had two speakers propose that people shouldn't be able to transition up to 25 years old because of "brain development."

And now there's a teacher saying that trans youth are a sign that "society is in decay"

I'm being told that the Moms4Liberty folks snagged the first 20 spots, and then later spots will be heavily opposed to the measure.

Its still a nonstop stream of people speaking in favor of the resolution. Soon the flavor of speakers will change. There seems to have been some shenanigans in how approved speakers were handled.

We are finally getting to the speakers in opposition to the policy.

Man sitting at a table with a microphone holding a paper.

"We already know how this policy works… the state practiced this policy for years and it killed LGBTQ+ people."

Oh cool cool cool, now they are saying that "[transgenderism] is moral decay in our public institutions that is growing like a cancer spread by globalists."

Reverend Andrew Burns of the United Methodist Church is speaking passionately against the measure.

This girl is AMAZING and is making an economic argument for rejecting this bill. She’s so good! I missed her name.

Getting word that there has been a disturbance outside of the hearing and mood is tense. Many speakers are now effectively speaking against this policy. I hope to clip some later.

This trans man speaking is amazing. "I am a trans man. I WAS one of the students who would be affected by this policy."

"I'm here today for all the trans kids in Ohio who are not able to be here to speak up for themselves"

I'll get his name later when I clip.

man speaking at a table, trans flag colors

Amanda Erickson from Kaleidoscope Youth Center is AMAZING.

She's speaking on behalf of students who gave her quotes.

She says, "You are actively failing the students you have been elected and appointed to serve"

woman wearing trans flag colors speaking at a table

This geneticist is absolutely ripping the measure and teaching them about genetics and how there are hundreds of intersex conditions, and that "Sex is NOT binary"

Now a speaker is comparing trans acceptance to "Hitler youth"

🙄

Older lady speaking at a table

"gender confusion" is the most garbage transphobe dogwhistle.

We're not confused about our gender – YOU are.

Although early speakers were ALL in favor of the resolution, it has been a nonstop wall of those opposed.

This is great. People are speaking powerfully and persuasively.

Oh look who else it is! This woman also spoke in favor of the Ohio bill to detransition all trasn youth.

Her SON has transitioned and is now an adult, and is living away from her.

She's mad at that so she's trying to stop youth transition.

You can see the previous speaker when she spoke earlier this year.

Her son has repeatedly stated that he is trans and is an adult and does not support this.

The ever amazing Cam Ogden just spoke, I didn't get a screenshot of her, but she pointed out how so many lies have been spoken and debunking them would take all the time in the world, and how the board should take more time to address and research the truth. @CamomileOgden 💜

I will clip the 2 or 3 best moments a little bit later this evening and probably post them in separate posts as well as to my TikTok.

Young republican speaking out in favor by saying that Biden "changed title IX by executive order" (All he did was interpret gender, as title IX law does not provide such an interpretation)

But its particularly rich to see Republicans complaining of executive actions.

young man wearing a red tie

The mother of a trans former student:

"How can you say that trans students should be included when you say they don't even exist?"

woman wearing trans color and black shirt

Public testimony is over – they will proceed to vote this evening.

Please tell the Ohio Board of Education to protect trans kids, not force teachers to misgender them, and not to ban them from bathrooms of their gender.

@MirandaForEd
@Doc_CCollins

I feel good about Member Collins at least…

We are getting closer and closer to a vote that will determine the fate of so many trans students in Ohio…

School board members around a table.

Here we go…

They have moved to refer this motion back to committee (which would, for the time being, delay the motion for quite a while)

The vote on this motion has NOT happened yet. Lets hope this motion passes, if not then it will be outright voted on.

Sorry I want to be clear- they have MOVED to send it back to committee, but that motion must now be voted on. Its not a victory or defeat yet – lets see what happens with this vote.

"these kids exist… and there has been absolutely nothing said about what we can do for these kids."

– Member arguing to send this back to committee.

They are currently debating back and forth through parliamentary procedure and everything is kind of running into each other.

The Ohio Board of Education is completely trapped in a Roberts Rules loop.

We may get a vote from them in the next century.

THE OHIO BOARD OF EDUCATION HAS VOTED TO SEND THE PROPOSAL BACK TO COMMITTEE!

They have decided not, at this time, to force teachers to misgender their trans students and ban them from bathrooms.

Thank ALL the activists who did this.

Woman in yellow jacket sitting at a desk.

The vote to send back to committee was done 12-7.

I have clips coming of many moments today. Thank you all for following along.

Next stop – Virginia, where we must defeat a very similar proposal.

Originally tweeted by Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) on October 12, 2022.

Animal rescue gets death threats after drag queen reads to dogs

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/10/animal-rescue-gets-death-threats-drag-queen-reads-dogs/

I hope this shows everyone how these anti-drag queen haters are not doing this to protect kids, they are doing this to enforce a mistaken idea of what gender roles they feel must be enforced regardless of how others do not agree.   We have progressed as a society enough to know that the stereotype of gender roles is not only stupid but based only on the idea that men should control women.   Seriously there are religious preachers getting furious that women might wear pants or other things considered men’s clothing.   Why?   Also these same preachers / people go crazy over men / boys wearing what they think are women’s clothing.   Yet that ignores that until the 20th century boys and girls both wore dresses until about 10 or 11 years old.   Until the boys started to go through puberty.   It was done for a lot of reasons, and it was seen as a boy growing up and becoming a man to graduate to knee length shorts.    I wonder how many boys would rather have kept the freedom and ease of wearing dresses.   I also think that these people stuck on what each gender should be allowed to wear forget history where men wore wigs and before that togas and other non-pants dress.    Frankly clothing has no sex / gender.   Clothing is just fabric and it is simply stupid to get upset by the idea that one piece of fabric can be worn only by one sex / gender.    The real discussion to have is in a civilized society how much modesty should be required by each sex / gender.   For example why are men allowed to go shirtless in society and women are not just because their breasts are bigger, well sometimes bigger.  I live in a Florida trailer park and there are retired large old men whose breasts are larger than a lot of women’s.  Really that is simply sexist and makes no sense.    If a woman wants to walk around topless why shouldn’t see be allowed to do so.   it is not her responsibility to control others, they have a duty to control themselves.   And don’t say that kids shouldn’t see her breasts.  Why?   They see men’s breasts all the time.    It is a social convention that needs to go bye bye.   Breasts exist, kids know people have them, they are not dirty or harmful, but we tell kids they shouldn’t ever see them.  Why.   See how some sexist old fashion out of date stereotypes of male and female dressing makes no sense?   This is nothing more than the Christian Taliban mentality.    Are women in the US going to be required to wear burkas?   Think of the dress code for Amish women and ask, does it make them a better person or does it simply make their daily lives harder. The fact is these thugs are attempting to use lies along with threats of violence to shut down a legal completely non-sexual event because they want to rule what is allowed in society and what is banned.    If you don’t do what these people want they will hurt you.    That is the message they are delivering.   Well is that a democracy?   Is that a civilized civil society for the 21st century?    This is what the right wing media and republican governors like DeathSantis are promoting and inspiring.  “You guys are total f**king scumbags … You sick f**ks secretly WANT to sexualize little kids because deep down you’re twisted and demented pedos who really really want to f**k kids,” one message said. “I seriously hope that the next workplace shooting occurs at our organization and snuffs out everyone who approved of this. Maybe then our children will be safe from predators like you.”  For reading stories to dogs by a man dressed in a costume.   Have they seen the outfits that clergy dress in?     Hugs

“I seriously hope that the next workplace shooting occurs at our organization and snuffs out everyone who approved of this,” one threat read.
 
By  
dog with rainbow flag
Photo: Shutterstock
 

A dog shelter is receiving death threats because it had a drag queen read books to dogs.

On September 24, the Hard Knocks Rescue & Training facility of Huntsville, Alabama had a drag queen named Miss Majesty Divine read to the dogs in its care.

Chaya Raichik, who goes by LibsofTikTok on social media, posted an article that sought to generate outrage about the event. Video of the live-streamed event — which had only one child in its in-person crowd — showed the drag queen reading Walter the Farting Dog: Banned from the Beach and making innuendo comments about men liking “meat” and “big bones.”

After Raichik published her article, the dog shelter began receiving violent threats. Her posts, which regularly accuse LGBTQ people of “grooming” children for sexual abuse, have inspired death threats against drag performers, educators, and healthcare providers.

James Miller, the drag performer who read to the dogs, has since been put on paid leave from his job as a teacher in the Huntsville School District after Raichik’s post. He has said the jokes he made weren’t any worse than the innuendo that has appeared in children’s cartoons.

“You guys are total f**king scumbags … You sick f**ks secretly WANT to sexualize little kids because deep down you’re twisted and demented pedos who really really want to f**k kids,” one message said. “I seriously hope that the next workplace shooting occurs at our organization and snuffs out everyone who approved of this. Maybe then our children will be safe from predators like you.”

The shelter also began getting bad reviews on its Google and Facebook pages.

In a video responding to the threats, the shelter owners said, “We’re not backing down on what we do…. We know this is a risk, but it is the right side of things to be on.”

They also said they had reported the threats to the police and FBI but would continue to operate as they usually do.

“We are being very careful about security,” they continued. “We understand that this is a scary situation. It’s a scary situation. For us. It’s a scary situation for our volunteers, and it’s probably going to make a lot of our clients uncomfortable as well.”

They also noted that Miss Majesty Divine had helped them fundraise and host story hour events at their shelter in the past. The books read during the event focus on “inclusion, acceptance, being authentic, being comfortable in your own skin,” they added.

“Our mission is to focus on the outcast dogs, the underdogs, the dogs that nobody wants to work with,” they said. “The people that we kind of gravitate to and pull into our circle are the people who have always felt pushed out.”

One of the owners also said that they knew what it was like to feel marginalized because they grew up with a gay father during the 1980s.

“To have had a place to go and activities that we could have gone to together as a family that also encompassed other things that we liked, would have been life-changing for me,” one owner said.

The shelter also said it wants to begin a program to help at-risk LGBTQ youth work with dogs so they can both “heal together.”

“We would rather be excluded for those we include that included for those we exclude,”  the nonprofit’s CEO Lisa Maasen said.

At Least 20 Cultists Now Spreading “Litter Boxes” Lies

At Least 20 Cultists Now Spreading “Litter Boxes” Lies

Again this is a made up myth, a lie repeated to attack trans kids and to mock allowing trans gender kids to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with.   This is done so these republicans don’t get called bigots.   An attack by proxy.   The truth is their base, the people in their party understand what it is about and glory in the hate.   That is what these kind of people do.  Trans people and trans kids do not harm them.   The majority of major medical associations support affirmative gender care for trans

kids which includes full medical work ups, mental health exams, social transitioning, puberty blockers when needed, hormone therapy when needed, and finally when old enough and sure of the gender intensity sexual reassignment.   That cannot be argued by the anti-haters that want to use the fringe skeptic doctors and fake studies to pretend the hate they spread is correct.   Just like vaccine deniers and Covid hoax fringe claimants.    The truth is the major medical organizations have looked at the issue and have formed best practices, and until they change their minds the haters can stay silent with their lies.    Hugs

NBC News reports:

At a luncheon for Republican women in Mesa County, Colorado, last week, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., warned that educators “are putting litter boxes in schools for people who identify as cats.” The week before, on Sept. 29, Minnesota GOP gubernatorial nominee Scott Jensen asked during a campaign stop, “Why do we have litter boxes in some of the school districts so kids can pee in them, because they identify as a furry?”

At least 20 conservative candidates and elected officials have claimed this year that K-12 schools are placing litter boxes on campus or making other accommodations for students who identify as cats, according to an NBC News review of public statements. In Colorado, GOP gubernatorial nominee Heidi Ganahl insisted in several recent interviews that students were dressing and identifying as cats, disrupting class, and the state’s schools were tolerating it.

Read the full article.

Lestat  4 hours ago

How pathetic. The litter is there for terrified students who are locked in during a school murder spree. And now it’s spun into a filthy lie to use against another vulnerable group.

MartyP  4 hours ago

Cat litter can be used to soak up vomit. Not uncommon to have it around for many things at a school. We never had cats growing up, but always had some kitty litter to soak up oil or other car fluids in the garage (Dad was a mechanic).

Ty • 2 hours ago

How would GED Boebert know – its not like she is familiar with anything school related

Philly Mike 🐸 Ty • 2 hours ago

She has an honorary Phd in being a loud broad with a Glock and isn’t that really what matters.

Mike P • 2 hours ago

Why can’t the media call out these Republicans as the FUCKING LIARS they are.

KarenAtFOH Mike P • 2 hours ago

Can’t have a proper horserace if one side is wrong.

Todd20036 • 4 hours ago

Trans people will be the first ones marched into the camps. Followed by gay men

worstcultever • 4 hours ago

After all this time – why on earth isn’t there some prominent, loud, rapid response entity to debunk the fuck out of this shit before it literally drowns us to death in mass mental illness?

What happened to that Jersey girl (e.g.) who was briefly tweeting for the WH and slew all kinds of crapola in single deft snarky strokes?

Why, why, WHY do we allow this poison to go unanswered?????!!!!!

The_Wretched worstcultever • 3 hours ago • edited

Clearchannel and sinclair own everything. Professor Senator Warren has monopoly break up plans. All of them are needed to restore democracy.

Lestat worstcultever • 4 hours ago

That ship sailed with the death of mass media. There was a time when Walter Cronkite could go on television and, for better or worse, be believed by the vast majority of people. Now we are utterly beholden to the rumor mill and the “social media” profiteers who depend on it.

Random Observer Lestat • 2 hours ago

This. Decentralization of “truth” means that you get a bunch of cheap hacks, rather than a few experts.. In one way, it was an unintended consequence of cutting the cord..

Kevin Perez • 4 hours ago

There is no way to publicly humiliate these losers because their echo chambers have become so large that they never see the rest of us pointing and laughing at them.

April Smith • 4 hours ago

Since EVERYONE carries a phone (with a camera) you would think we’d have “proof” of all these furry litterboxes at schools by now.

SkokieDaddy – wiener dog dad • 4 hours ago • edited

The right has for years (Tea Party anyone?) interrupted town halls and other candidate and representative events. We need to put them into defensive put up or shut up mode.

“Miss Politician, can you, within 24 hours provide concrete proof of these litter boxes for students who identify as cats. The school address, classroom, etc. If you cannot, do you agree to resign from office, as we cannot trust you to make intelligent decisions for your constituents if you promote such a laughable claim with zero evidence.”

Paula • 4 hours ago

At school, I will occasionally see see student, usually a girl, wearing those slip on cat ears. They are just being silly teenagers, there’s nothing to it. I guess they will be banning those now.

SkokieDaddy – wiener dog dad kaydenpat • 4 hours ago

And as we laugh at the lies and the media reports, no one is talking about negotiating drug prices, yesterday’s stock market surge, DeSantis being sued, Trump’s deposition in the defamation case, etc. etc.

Its a very intentional strategy.

Bruce_in_Mpls • 4 hours ago

Isn’t it time we started banning musicals?

Thumbnail

Bob from CT • 4 hours ago

In this day and age when everyone can take photos and record videos on
their phones why isn’t there visual evidence of at least one school
litter box? You’d think some disgruntled custodian who has to dispose of
the waste and refill the box with clean litter would have already been a
special guest on Tucker.

DmR • 4 hours ago

Where are the photos of kids going doo-doo in the litter box? I’m sure one of those kids woulda taken one and posted it on F-book!

Ed B • 4 hours ago

Cat litter is also good for keeping in your trunk in case of snow. For traction.

But I digress…

Anti-LGBTQ activists protest after being enraged at Disney-themed drag event

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/10/anti-lgbtq-activists-protest-enraged-disney-themed-drag-event/

The right has tried hard to equate drag shows with sexual orgies.   They have convinced a lot of people that drag shows are the same as strip shows.   Drag shows are not trans gender events either.   Drag shows, doing drag is simply dress up role playing.   It is no different than Halloween.    The right loves to demonize anything they dislike or cannot understand.   One last point.    Dragging your kids to a hate protest where you are screaming and saying nasty things about a group of people is indoctrination and grooming them to hate.   If these parents don’t want their children to go to drag show events then don’t take them there, but don’t try to deny parents who do want their kids to see them and enjoy them their parental rights to grant their permission.   You raise your kids, don’t try to force others to live by your hatreds.   These people want to force everyone to have their views of things, their idea of right and wrong, they don’t care that others disagree with them.   They don’t care about the many parents and others that know these events are just good fun, but they want to rule over others and force everyone to live by their views.    Hugs

Some protestors carried signs that read “No drag shows inviting our kids” about the family-friendly event.
 
By  
Anti-LGBTQ parents, community activists, and school board candidates protest the Boo Bash.
Anti-LGBTQ parents, community activists, and school board candidates protest the Boo Bash. Photo: Screenshot
 

A group of around 60 people gathered in Encinitas, California earlier this week to protest a family-friendly queer Halloween event.

TransFamily Support Services’ Boo Bash first made waves late last month when a flyer for the event appeared on the Encinitas Union School District’s community events platform, Peachjar. The flyer describes Boo Bash as “the queerest free Halloween party for youth and families,” and promises games, trick-or-treating, a costume contest, and a family-friendly drag show.

Parents reportedly took issue with the event, specifically the drag show and some of Boo Bash’s sponsors, which include Fabulous Hillcrest, Rich’s San Diego, SD Loyals, North County LGBTQ Center, and San Diego Pride. An earlier version of the flyer also listed Align Surgical Associates, which provides gender-affirming care, as a sponsor.

“A lot of people are just generally not comfortable with the idea of pushing drag queen shows on little kids but separate and apart from that I think the biggest concern with this event are the sponsors,” said Paul Jonna, an attorney who says he was contacted by concerned parents. “We submitted a public records request to find out more about their involvement, their communication with these sponsors and sort of this event.”

Parents, community activists, and school board candidates gathered Tuesday evening outside the Encinitas Union School District’s headquarters to protest the event.

“It is very clear what the agenda is,” said Joleene Burts, who home schools her children. “It is not a family-friendly event and the district is lying to our children and these are our children.”

According to a September statement from the school district, Boo Bash is a “non-district event” and all digital flyers distributed through Peachjar feature a disclaimer noting that “distribution of this flyer does not imply endorsement by the Encinitas Union School District.”

But TransFamily Support Services director Kathie Moehlig told San Diego’s NBC7 that the flyer would not have been delivered to Encinitas parents via Peachjar if the district had not approved it. The frequently asked questions section of the platform’s website clearly states that flyers submitted to Peachjar by community organizations are “routed to the appropriate school district(s) for approval.”

On Tuesday, the district released a statement claiming the flyer had been removed from the platform three weeks ago because it did not meet approval criteria.

Moehling said that the flyer remains on the Peachjar sites of four other schools. She also dismisses the idea that Boo Bash’s Disney-themed drag show is inappropriate for kids.

“These drag queens are going to be performing a Disney villain show and they are going to be dressed appropriately to Disney villain themes, just as you would see any other entertainer wear who is doing entertainment for young children,” she said.

Despite the protest, Moehling said that Boo Bash will take place as scheduled on October 29.

“We’re not going to back down from doing what we know is right and appropriate to support these youth and their families, just because some people think they can use it as their mega piece to get talking points and get attention,” she told KGTV in September.

 
 

GOP Senate candidate Adam Laxalt said Democrats want to “indoctrinate kids” into being transgender

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/10/gop-senate-candidate-said-democrats-want-indoctrinate-kids-transgender/

This guy has a long history of hating the LGBTQ+ community.   He hates gays and trans people for some reason and doesn’t even bother to understand what being trans is.  Worse he doesn’t understand that what these don’t say gay bills do is not stop gender indoctrination from happening in schools, but it makes sure that only cis gender is accepted, and that only straight orientation is seen.   The object of these bills is to deny gays, lesbians, and trans people / kids exist.   By not letting it be talked about or married same sex teacher show their spouse they are telling the kids that it is bad to be gay, lesbian, or trans and it is bad to be in a same sex marriage.   By removing the books about gay, lesbian, and trans kids from libraries the kids are denied seeing people in stories that feel and are like themselves.   It is an attempt to wipe the LGBTQ+ from society.   But it won’t make kids stop being gay or having gender identities different from the born gender assignment.   Kids were born gay long before positive stories about gay people were written or positive gay characters in movies.   Same with gender identities.   These things are inborn, you are born with sexual orientation and gender understanding, they are not something you can get from others, it is not a disease, it is not caused by sexual abuse or reading about it in a book.    Hugs

“Why in the world are they fighting so hard for the ability to indoctrinate kids?” Adam Laxalt said of LGBTQ opponents of the Don’t Say Gay law.
 
By  
Adam Laxalt
Adam LaxaltPhoto: Gage Skidmore
 

Republican Senate candidate Adam Laxalt of Nevada is getting attention online for comments he made earlier this year about how LGBTQ people want to “indoctrinate” young children with “transgenderism in kindergarten” during a discussion of child sex abuse.

Laxalt appeared on the Breitbart News podcast on March 31 and the host brought up the conservative accusation that Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is “soft on child predators.” Laxalt responded by bringing up Florida’s Don’t Say Gay bill, which banned discussions of gender identity and sexual orientation in younger grades and restricted such discussions in older grades.

“I mean, why in the world are they fighting so hard for the ability to indoctrinate kids from age, kindergarten to third grade?” Laxalt asked. “Why are they fighting – I should say – against this bill if it were not because they want to be able to indoctrinate kids at these ages?”

He said that there “can’t be virtually any parents that would actually support the indoctrination, by strangers, of their children in schools,” referring to learning about diverse groups of people.

“And so, you know, kudos to DeSantis for signing this bill,” Laxalt concluded. “And then for going on offense.”

The Las Vegas Review-Journal asked Laxalt’s campaign about his comments and a campaign spokesperson said he was referring to “transgenderism in kindergarten.”

The spokesperson said that Laxalt’s opponent, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), “should be explaining to Nevada parents why she has cozied up to fringe elements of her own party who push transgenderism in kindergarten.”

“Cortez Masto sides with the most vile elements of the radical left as they continue poisoning our education system,” the spokesperson said.

“We will not hide like the millions of those who came before us, who would be arrested for being gay, beaten and killed or given electroshock therapy,” Gender Justice executive director Sy Bernabei said in response to Laxalt’s positions. “No matter how much you try to break us, invalidate us and terrorize us, we will prevail.”

Laxalt has a long history of opposing LGBTQ equality. In 2018, HRC Nevada pointed out that Laxalt had an “obsession with attacking the LGBTQ community.”

This obsession included a 2014 statement against marriage equality and opposition to LGBTQ people serving openly in the military. In a 2010 op-ed, he wrote, “Senior officers and non-commissioned officers will have to, under the color of Military Law, proactively endorse and eventually foster homosexuality.”

RealClearPolitics shows Laxalt and Cortez Masto neck-and-neck in the election, with Laxalt averaging a 1.7-point lead in recent polling.

 

GOP Senate candidate demands schools notify parents if their kids identify as chipmunks

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/10/gop-senate-candidate-demands-schools-notify-parents-kids-identify-chipmunks/

The republicans know it is false, but they believe if they keep saying it the people will believe it.   

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”   Joseph Goebbels

The republican candidates know their base won’t bother to fact check, they won’t hear it is a lie because right wing media won’t tell them the truth, and they want to believe it because it is in reality an attack on trans people with using the word trans.  They make up stuff show that they are anti-trans.   Think of the lies they are telling.  Kids pooping and peeing in classrooms?  Rogan said that a teacher was using a litter box in the front of the classroom?    Let’s think this through, a teacher whips out his junk in front of kids and still has a job?  Can’t say gay or discuss gender but showing your genitals is okay?   If these people would just think about what they are saying, they would see how stupid it is.    Hugs

JD Vance said it’s “crazy” that 7-year-olds are identifying as chipmunks in school and going by “Fido” and he’s “entitled to know” about it as a parent.
 
By  
J. D. Vance speaking with attendees at the 2021 Southwest Regional Conference hosted by Turning Point USA at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Arizona.
J. D. Vance speaking at a Turning Point USA in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo: Gage Skidmore
 

Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance appears to agree that it’s “crazy” that schools are putting out litter boxes for students to defecate in and that kids are being allowed to act like chipmunks in schools.

Vance is just the latest Republican to publicly say that he believes in one of the most bizarre urban legends to gain popularity this year: that students who call themselves furries are demanding that schools provide them litterboxes and let them act like animals in schools.

Vance was on The Bill Cunningham Show – a Christian talk radio show – this past Wednesday when the host brought up student-furries.

“There are some students identifying as cats and they bring kitty litter with them to school,” Cunningham said. “Some identify as dogs and they have to be called Fido and ‘little pussycats’ instead of human beings.”

“One of the worst things is, if they do not use the proper preferred nouns and pronouns of other students, K through the 12th grade, schools will be required to socially transition using child-selected names and pronouns in school,” he continued.

“Minor kids like yours J.D. Vance will not be notified if your child wants to socially transition to a different gender or to an animal species,” he said. “Should you be entitled to know if your seven-year-old identifies as a chipmunk?”

Instead of telling Cunningham that his question was ridiculous, Vance took it seriously: “Uh, I think I’m very much entitled to know that. What a crazy point we’ve reached in this country, Willie, where schools are doing this stuff without the approval of parents.”

Vance then said that he supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) Don’t Say Gay law, saying that it bans books that “are sexually explicit material that propagandizes and encourages children to take different identities and to engage in sexually explicit acts.”

The Don’t Say Gay law did not ban pornography in schools, it banned discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in younger grades and severely restricted such discussions in older grades. And despite outlandish statements about schools handing out pornography to children, conservatives haven’t been able to point to any examples of schools actually stocking porn for students to use.

Vance is facing Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) this November in the general election. The seat is open after Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) announced that he would not be seeking reelection this year. RealClearPolitics’s average of recent polls shows that the two candidates are neck-and-neck in the race with Vance averages a 0.8% lead.

Vance is just the latest Republican to say that they believe in the bizarre myth of student-furries running amuck in schools. The myth has disrupted schools across the country and forced them to respond to angry parents who believe that this is happening, all while no one is able to provide any proof that this supposedly widespread phenomenon is actually happening.

Just this week, popular conservative radio host Joe Rogan told former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii that he knows someone who knows someone who said that a school had a student who is a furry and that they had to put a litter box in the restroom for her.

“So this girl goes into the litter room or to the girl’s room and urinates or whatever — I don’t know if she poops in it, that’s pretty gross,” he said.

“That’s the worst thing in the world about owning cats, you gotta clean that box of piss every day,” Rogan continued.  “Imagine how f**king crazy that is. You’re a human and you prefer a litter box? You want to piss into a pile of sand rather than use a bathroom, flush a toilet, wipe yourself, like a normal person. Like, you’re so crazy with what you think an animal is that not only have you said this, but you’ve conned the school into putting this f**king litter box in a girl’s room. That’s just bananas.”

An early example of the stories about students identifying as house pets and demanding litter boxes was Michigan activist Lisa Hansen. Because Hansen opposed federal regulations allowing trans students to use school restrooms matching their gender identities, she claimed that students who identify as cats were allowed to use litter boxes in one school’s unisex restroom.

A Michigan school superintendent was forced to write an email to parents debunking such a lie. An Oregon public school district superintendent was also forced to send a similar email after one social media user claimed that furries were wearing leashes and being petted by other students at local schools.

Nevertheless, the lie has been repeated by right-wingers, including by Nebraska Sen. Bruce Bostelman (R).

During a televised debate, Bostelman claimed that student “furries” were allowed to interact with teachers by meowing and barking. He also said that one student who was denied a litter box later defecated on a classroom floor. Bostelman later admitted that the story wasn’t true.

It has been spread online by anti-LGBTQ activists like Chaya Raichik of LibsofTikTok, when she pushed a lie that a second-grade Texas schoolteacher encouraged students to become furries. The Austin school district disavowed the claim as misinformation.

Similarly, Christian hate pastor Aaron Thompson and anti-LGBTQ televangelist Andrew Wommack both said that schools allow students to identify as animals and demand litter boxes in classrooms. Michigan Republican Party Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock also repeated the lie, as did Heidi Ganahl, the Republican candidate for governor of Colorado. She claimed that student “furries” are identifying as cats in over 30 different schools in the state.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) has claimed that a father in Michigan told her that his son got into trouble when he stepped on the tail of a student who identified as a furry.

Reuters published a fact check in July that said there is “no evidence of them disrupting classrooms or schools developing a policy of including them as a formal identity.”

A Young Victim Of Incest Was Denied An Abortion In Florida And Forced To Travel For Care, Planned Parenthood Said

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annabetts/abortion-florida-ban-incest

I am back.   My internet is up and running and my computers have all been hooked up.   Tomorrow I will post a picture of the new set up and maybe even get to doing all the things I love to do online.   Now to the post, tell me what you would do as a desperate teenager, maybe 13, 14, 15 years old and seeing all your hopes and dreams disappearing because of something growing inside you that you did not want.   I know the stupid fucked up fundies say well if the girl did not want to be pregnant she shouldn’t have had sex.    Screw that.  Her boyfriend may have forced her into it, she may like sex as it feels great for all involved if done correctly and damn it that includes women.  Yes women / girls get to enjoy sex and orgasming also, it is not just a boys right / fun thing to do.  The girl might have been raped and sadly that is too often the cause of young teen pregnancies.   Whatever the reason a zygote / fetus with no viability shouldn’t have the right to overrule a already living breathing alive human person.    The religious assholes like to say well it is a potential life, Ya well the girl / woman / pregnant person with the unwanted thing growing inside them is a life also!   A fully developed life!   I am sorry for being rude and strident, but I will no longer play nice when the other side is ruining lives and killing people because they have a weirdly wrong view of their holy books.  Those people did not understand how germs works and to wash their hands.   Today we have the Webb telescope showing us nearly the beginning of the universe.  I am done being nice and trying to reason with these people.   They are domestic terrorist harming the female population.   I am not going to accept their right to do that.  Jesus I am sitting here thinking of my fears that age and have such compassion for a young girl that age.   How terrifying it must all be.  People don’t seem to understand.    Your body is changing, you want to hide what happened regardless if you wanted it, liked it, or had if forced on you the last thing you want is everyone knowing about it.   Then your body changes, the adults in your life freak, and you get told because you tried to hide it or make it go away it is too late to medically do anything to help you.  You as a child who cannot sign contracts, need your parents to agree and sign for medical treatment, need adults to legally run your life are now suddenly expected to also bring a baby into the world.   Good fucken luck.    Hugs

Florida’s abortion ban prohibits the procedure after 15 weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest.

Anna Betts
Anna Betts

BuzzFeed News Reporter

 
Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images
 

A woman waits for her appointment to receive an abortion at a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in West Palm Beach, Florida, on July 14.

 
 
 
 

A child who was the victim of incest was denied an abortion in Florida since the state instituted its 15-week ban in July, the local Planned Parenthood chapter told BuzzFeed News.

The GOP-controlled state legislature allowed exceptions to the 15-week ban in order to save the pregnant person’s life, prevent a serious injury, or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. There are no exceptions for rape or incest, and violators of the law could face up to five years in prison.

Laura Goodhue, vice president of public policy for Planned Parenthood of South, East, and North Florida, did not disclose the patient’s exact age or the state they traveled to receive an abortion, but she told BuzzFeed News they were in middle school. Goodhue had initially said another middle schooler who experienced incest was denied an abortion in Florida, then on Thursday clarified to BuzzFeed News that the cause of the second patient’s pregnancy was not confirmed.

In order to obtain the procedure, both of the young patients had to travel “at least two, three states away,” she said. Planned Parenthood helped arrange their travel, and they were accompanied by family members.

“The cruelty of forcing a very young person, who has already survived a horrible case of violence, to give birth, it just takes away their rights to bodily autonomy, and it is really turning a blind eye to what is happening in our society,” she said.

 
 
 
 
Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images
 

A woman sits in an examination room as she waits to receive an abortion at the Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinic in West Palm Beach, Florida, on July 14.

 
 
 
 

Democrats in Florida had tried to add exceptions for rape, incest, and human trafficking into the bill before the ban was in effect, but that effort was rejected by the Republican lawmakers in February.

The 15-week ban came as neighboring states like Georgia and Alabama have almost or completely banned abortion. Since June, Florida clinics near the state’s border have seen more than double the typical number of patients, Alexandra Mandado, president of Planned Parenthood of South, East, and North Florida, said in a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

At their clinics, Mandado said, they are also seeing an increase in young people seeking abortions, as well as an increase in survivors of domestic abuse, rape, and incest, “none of whom have any say of their own bodies if they are over 15 weeks pregnant,” she said. “We are seeing patients who did not know that they were past 15 weeks of pregnancy.”

Mandado told the story of a patient who had been experiencing symptoms of chronic fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. Multiple doctors attributed her symptoms to long COVID. But after weeks of doubt, she finally took a pregnancy test and found that she was unexpectedly pregnant, Mandado said.

“When she arrived at Planned Parenthood, she learned that she was past the limit of our state’s abortion ban,” she said.

Dr. Shelly Tien, an OB-GYN who provides care in northern Florida and also spoke at the press conference, said many of the patients who have been turned away because they are past the 15-week mark are young or experiencing intimate partner violence.

“We are seeing this restriction have profound and terrible effects for some families in the most desperate of situations,” Tein said.

Tein added it was heartbreaking not to be able to provide care locally for the young incest survivor.

“To not be able to provide that service because of the restriction for a patient in such a terrible and violent situation is horrible,” Tien said. “This patient was sent to another health center in another state … but that is another delay and barrier that that young girl should not need to face.”