October 14, 1943 As the result of an uprising at the Sobibor extermination camp in Poland, about 300 of its Jewish prisoners escaped, though only about 50 survived until the end of the war.Following the escape, the remaining inmates were killed and the camp was promptly closed by the Germans. Though Sobibor’s six gas chambers could exterminate 1200 people at a time, it was the smallest of the death camps. Some of the people who took part in the uprising at Sobibor (picture taken in 1944). The story of Sobibor
October 14, 1979 The first national gay and lesbian march for civil rights in Washington, D.C., drew over 100,000 demanding an end to all social, economic, judicial, and legal oppression of lesbian and gay people. More info about the March
October 14, 1981 Dock workers in Darwin, Australia, began a seven-day strike, refusing to load uranium on board “Pacific Sky” for eventual use by the U.S. military. After a week, the ship was forced to leave without its cargo.
More than half a million people flooded Washington, D.C., demanding civil rights for gay and lesbian Americans, now celebrated each year as National Coming Out Day. Many of the marchers objected to the government’s response to the AIDS crisis, as well as the Supreme Court’s 1986 decision to uphold sodomy laws in Bowers v. Hardwick. The AIDS quilt, first displayed in 1987 in Washington, DC The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt was first displayed there, bringing national attention to the impact of AIDS on gay communities, a tapestry of nearly two thousand fabric panels each a tribute to the life of one who had been lost in the pandemic.
I admit I felt real emotion, I cried real tears as I watched this. I never had decent or even normal parents as anyone who reads this blog knows. But for a parent to apologize to a child shocks me and I love the idea. Parents can be wrong also and should be forgiven when they do admit it. My abusers never did. But to accept a child that is different is hard for some, they may not really understand. I have read so many stories of kids as young as 13 being kicked out of their homes to live on the street having to sell their body’s to survive. Far too many choose suicide. We need more of this to combat the shit red states are throwing out / doing calling it a culture war against woke. We need more of this to combat the religious assholes like Libs of TikTok who said it was OK for her to lie making trans / gay / drag queen people targets because lying was not against the law. Please spread this and help save more trans kids and help more parents find it in them to love their child more than their beliefs. Thanks. Hugs. Scottie
OK it has started, we are getting heavy rain and wind bands that will continue and get stronger until the hurricane Milton pass us inland. If it stays the course it is on, we will get the second tier wind / rain effects not the most drastic eye wall strength we got for over 8 hours during Ian. The storm is projected to hit at 1 or 2 overnight so we hopefully will be asleep. The storm is moving at 16 mph so it shouldn’t be over us long. Thanks for all those that reached out and sent support. Our home is very secure and we have the best roof that 17,000 dollars could provide. Ron reinforced the thinnest part of the roof with 4X4s because he was worried the inner pan roof was flexing. He built the carport with 6X6 posts and so many supports the house will go before the car port. Every window is boarded up. We have plenty of food and after the hurricane passes if we lose power the generator we have named the beast is ready to go. It has a surge power of 7,500 watts and ran stuff in our home and a neighbor’s after Ian. We only need it to run ours now. We have a hot plate and counter top microwave we can pull out and hook to the generator. We are in good shape, the best we could be. Hugs. Scottie
Not Losing You is a two minute PSA micro-movie supporting trans youth in the wake of unrelenting anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ legislation sweeping the U.S., and during the 2024 election season. Following an argument earlier that day over what clothing a trans daughter can wear and what name she can use, a farmer-father makes a decision that will change both of their lives
(Peace History’s links were misdirected for a few days, but the links are back now.)
October 6, 1683 Thirteen Mennonite families from the German town of Krefeld arrived in Philadelphia on the ship Concord. Having endured religious warfare in Europe, the Mennonites were pacifists, similar to the Society of Friends (often known as Quakers) who opposed all forms of violence. The first Germans in North America, they established Germantown which still exists as part of Philadelphia. Modern Mennonite peace activism:
October 6, 1955 Poet Allen Ginsberg read his poem “Howl” for the first time at Six Gallery in San Francisco. The poem was an immediate success that rocked the Beat literary world and set the tone for confessional poetry of the 1960s and later. “Howl and Other Poems” was printed in England, but its second edition was seized by customs officials as it entered the U.S. City Lights, a San Francisco bookstore, published the book itself to avoid customs problems, and storeowner (and poet) Lawrence Ferlinghetti was arrested and tried for obscenity, but defended by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Working on Howl in San Francisco, circa June, 1956 Following testimony from nine literary experts on the merits of the book, Ferlinghetti was found not guilty. Lawrence Ferlinghetti outside City Lights More about City Lights Read Howl Read more about Allen Ginsberg
October 6, 1976 An airliner, Cubana Airlines Flight 455, exploded in midair, killing 73 mostly young passengers including the entire Cuban youth fencing team. The plot was engineered by Orlando Bosch and Luis Posada Carriles, a Cuban former CIA agent, who was based in Venezuela at the time. The Posada Carriles file from the National Security Archive
October 6, 1978 346 protestors were arrested at the site of the proposed Black Fox Nuclear Power Plant in Inola, Oklahoma. In 1973 Public Service of Oklahoma announced plans to build the Black Fox plant about 15 miles from Tulsa. It was also near Carrie Barefoot Dickerson’s family farm. She became concerned as a nurse and a citizen about the potential health hazards. Carrie Barefoot Dickerson Through her group, Citizens’ Action for Safe Energy (CASE), and the consistent opposition of informed and persistent allies, the project was canceled in 1982. There are no nuclear plants in the state of Oklahoma, and no nuclear plant has been built in the U.S. since then. Carrie Dickerson Foundation
October 6, 1979 Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant protest – late 1970s Over 1400 were arrested at Seabrook, New Hampshire, the construction site of two new nuclear power plants. The occupation was organized by the Clamshell Alliance. Clamshell history
Today’s posts got interrupted by a friend needing my help with an emotional crisis which I was very happy to give, and then my wonderful husband who puts up and supports me through my own crises / helps me through them needing to work in my Pink Palace to get my Pride Flag backdrop done and start moving my shelving around to make things better for me. Hubby is wonderful and truly understands and wants my Pink Palace to be not only a good space for me but a safe space for all my needs. To anyone who has a complaint about my naming my office space my Pink Palace … nicely said get over yourself. This is 2024 and I get to call my spaces what I want … the not nicely way to put it came to mind but instead of voicing it I will say that I left being embarrassed or upset over my being who I am sexually and emotionally behind me over 40 years ago. Hugs. Scottie.
September 29, 1923 Great Britain began to govern the formerly Turkish province of Palestine under a League of Nations mandate to create a Jewish national home. The British Mandate For Palestine established at the San Remo Conference, 1920 (Note from A: I searched this link; the one Peace History had was no longer present on the site.)
September 29, 1943 Six conscientious objectors, imprisoned at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, for refusing to serve in World War II, began a hunger strike against censorship of mail and reading material by federal prison authorities.
September 29, 1983 The municipal council of Woensdrecht, a southern Dutch town, voted against cooperating in the possible siting of 48 U.S. nuclear-tipped cruise missiles at the nearby air base. The council voted Tuesday by 9 to 4 not to cooperate with the national government, and to stop any activities that might lead to the missiles being sited at the base.
September 29, 2002 A London crowd – estimated between 200,000 and 500,000 – protested British and U.S. plans for a “preemptive” (that is, without provocation) invasion of Iraq.
The SDA church through the farmer I talked about before rescued me from a childhood of abuse. I loved most of the people I met. I bought Christian music, I went all in to the faith but still kept my belief in science. I felt somehow as a 17 year old both could coexist if everyone cared for others. But then I noticed groups in the church community I was in, those who were looked down on, the behind the scenes gossip, the in people who were much better off and the other in group who had skills the church needed, and the last group. I realized that I did not buy into the stuff preached about Ellen G White. I found her legend to be built up by the church, but not backed by fact. The strict adherence that teen boys not masturbate and wait until their wedding night for their first release struck me an abuse victim as absurd, and after living in a church boarding school for over a summer and school year quickly realized every other boy there did also. Just some of them felt shame for doing it. I even started to despite all that I had endured and sometimes being made to do it in front of people. Indoctrination on a daily scale is powerful, but in this case it did not break through my prior abuse. But I loved the somewhat community I found. The first time in 17 years I felt accepted by both adults and kids. Oh but I quickly learned it was superficial and all teens deal with the same issues regardless of being abused, and I know of at least two others in the school I went to that were.
Why I left the church even though the farmer and his wife promised to pay for me to go through the seminary to be a pastor in their church, which was sincere on their part. I had already accepted by then I was gay. I even had other boys wanting to experiment in the boarding school … but sadly I stopped them because if found out I would have had to return to the hell I just had been patrol from. I needed to reach 18 so I could leave their control. I feel bad for the innocent gay feeling boys but I had to think of my own safety. The beating I took that made me hide at the farm was very severe and I knew from experience if I returned after someone intervened I could be beaten to death. Not a future I looked forward to. I was gay, their church to this day is anti-gay. I knew I couldn’t be part of it. I left on the best terms I could.
I joined the military the next week. I tried to keep contact with my boyhood friend I spent so much time with who was their son, but after I turned down their offer to send me to the ministry he turned against me and the last time he spoke to me, he told me he wanted nothing to do with me ever again. I had just come home from the military and this was a huge kick in the balls. He became a pastor in their church. I wonder if he regrets telling me that? This video means something to me, I hope you watch it. Hugs. Scottie
Carrie Barefoot Dickerson
Scottie's Playtime 