Crossing Duck

Last night, the City Council in Charlotte, North Carolina passed an ordinance that protects LGBT people from discrimination in matters of public accommodations, like businesses and restaurants. 

The measure doesn’t protect LGBT people from employment discrimination (what?), but it does allow trans people to use the bathrooms that match their gender identity. That last part has some city officials flipping out and promising to take action to strike it down. From ThinkProgress:

Last year, Charlotte’s City Council defeated an LGBT nondiscrimination law by a tight 6-5 vote, and this year, council members are once again considering a similar provision. This weekend, Gov. McCrory told two of the council members that if they approve the protections, the legislature will interveneand he will eagerly sign a bill banning bathroom access for transgender people.

Repeating the popular conservative myth that helped defeat Houston’s LGBT protections last fall, McCrory warned in an email that “changing basic restroom and locker room norms” will somehow put women and children at risk. “This shift in policy could also create major public safety issues by putting citizens in possible danger from deviant actions by individuals taking improper advantage of a bad policy. Also, this action of allowing a person with male anatomy, for example, to use a female restroom or locker room will most likely cause immediate State legislative intervention which I would support as governor.”

About a third of people across emerging and developing nations reported owning a smartphone in 2015. Given this sharp upward trend, it is expected that smartphone ownership will continue to grow in these countries and approach the levels seen in advanced economies (a median of 68% in our current survey).

As you may have heard, the ATLAH World Missionary Church of Harlem, New York, notorious for its anti-LGBT marquees and outspokenly homophobic pastor, is for sale after racking up huge amounts of debt. 

The Ali Forney Center, a major LGBT homeless youth center in New York City, has launched a fundraiser to buy the space and turn it into another homeless shelter. They already met their goal for the auction, but the more money they raise, the more resources they can put into the space. 

Are you sleeping restlessly, feeling irritable or moody, forgetting little things, and feeling overwhelmed and isolated? Don’t worry. We’ve all been there. You’re probably just stressed out. Stress isn’t always a bad thing. It can be handy for a burst of extra energy and focus, like when you’re playing a competitive sport, or have to speak in public. But when its continuous, the kind most of us face day in and day out, it actually begins to change your brain. Chronic stress, like being overworked or having arguments at home, can affect brain size, its structure, and how it functions, right down to the level of your genes.

Stress begins with something called the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis, series of interactions between endocrine glands in the brain and on the kidney, which controls your body’s reaction to stress. When your brain detects a stressful situation, your HPA axis is instantly activated and releases a hormone called cortisol, which primes your body for instant action. But high levels of cortisol over long periods of time wreak havoc on your brain. For example, chronic stress increases the activity level and number of neural connections in the amygdala, your brain’s fear center. And as levels of cortisol rise, electric signals in your hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with learning, memories, and stress control, deteriorate.

The hippocampus also inhibits the activity of the HPA axis, so when it weakens, so does your ability to control your stress. That’s not all, though. Cortisol can literally cause your brain to shrink in size.

Too much of it results in the loss of synaptic connections between neurons and the shrinking of your prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain the regulates behaviors like concentration, decision-making, judgement, and social interaction. It also leads to fewer new brain cells being made in the hippocampus. This means chronic stress might make it harder for you to learn and remember things, and also set the stage for more serious mental problems, like depression and eventually Alzheimer’s disease.

It’s not all bad news, though. There are many ways to reverse what cortisol does to your stressed brain. The most powerful weapons are exercise and meditation, which involves breathing deeply and being aware and focused on your surroundings. Both of these activities decrease your stress and increase the size of the hippocampus, thereby improving your memory.

So don’t feel defeated by the pressures of daily life. Get in control of your stress before it takes control of you.

From the TED-Ed Lesson How stress affects your brain - Madhumita Murgia

I usually send out a letter to all of my teachers as the beginning of each semester making them aware of my trans/nonbinary status and language preferences. I thought my letter this year was pretty good, and though the information in the letter is pretty specific to my circumstances, I thought it might work well as a stock letter, for others to use as a reference to write coming out letters to their teachers.

____________________________________________________________

Whether it’s your gender or your sexuality, or things besides, it’s perfectly natural to change how you identify as you develop and grow up.

We all grow, and we all realise more about ourselves every day. 

nonbinary people arent just dfab/transmasculine with colorful undercuts and flat chests 

protect dmab nonbinary people who have to deal with this strange notion that masculine features are gender-neutral

protect dmab nonbinary people with deep voices who get misgendered constantly because of it

protect dmab nonbinary people who do everything they can to change their appearance/wardrobe so they dont feel dysphoric

protect dmab nonbinary people who cant

#Blackout Trans Pioneer: Marsha P. Johnson

An influential transgender gay rights activist (1944 – 1992). One of my eternal sheroes. She played a major role in the “Gay” Rights Movement early on and was highly involved with the Stonewall Riots. For decades her work has been talked over and erased, but she lives on in many a young queer heart! <3

Read more about her here.

From the article:

Disclaimer: I am no longer checking notifications for this blog

[TW: suicide]

I want to make a HUGE FUCKING DEAL about Adam Kizer, the bi teen who killed himself. When bi teens die, it rarely even gets reported. We don’t hear about it. We don’t care. We move on with our day and dull the pain. But BIPHOBIA KILLS, and this is where we see it. No one hears about those dead teens, no one remembers. Their songs don’t get sung, they are not mourned by LGBT communities nor are they recognized. How much longer do they have to DIE before we notice? How many more?

I say no longer. I want to see this trending on facebook and twitter, I want to see blogs and articles about bi suicide. I want Adam, and everyone who came before him, to receive the recognition and outrage he deserves so that no one ever has to come after him.

‪#‎BiphobiaKills‬. Let’s do this. Right now. They are literally DYING and we can stop it.

Oculus is putting your hands in the virtual world

Oculus made some major announcements in its pre-E3 event today as it gears up for its much anticipated consumer release in Q1 of 2016. The virtual reality company unveiled the final design for its consumer device, a partnership with Microsoft and a new set of controllers that put your hands in the virtual world.

Holograms are coming to your home with Holus

A new Kickstarter campaign from Vancouver company H+ is raising funds to create an interactive tabletop holographic display for consumers. The futuristic display turns 2D media from a computer, smartphone or tablet into a 3D experience.