#pal 1

3 March 2017|Wisconsin congressman leads on bipartisan letter to Trump on transgender students

Topic: Working together to hinder transphobia

17 February 2017|North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory Calls LGBT Criticism ‘Political Theater’

Topic: Transphobia in Politics

It has been a little over a year since I have been completely, utterly flabbergasted by the audacity that elected officials have with their blatant transphobia. In Janet Shamlian and Jon Schuppe’s article, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory describes advocacy for trans and LGBT rights as a personal attack on him. He describes wanting people to be treated as the people they are, and respecting their gender identification, as “political theater” and a “calculated smear campaign.” Clearly this man is an expert in morals and political correctness. He knows what is right and what is wrong. Allow me to show you just how much of an expert he is:

QUOTATIONS FROM FORMER GOV. MCCRORY:

“Would you want a man to walk into your daughter’s shower and legally be able to do that because mentally they think they are of the other gender?… I happen to disagree with that, but I’ll allow business to make that decision themselves.”

Using rooms based on assigned gender at birth rather than actual gender is “common sense.”

“You know, we all have to make adjustments in life. And we’ve had the proper etiquette situation for decades in our country, and all of a sudden through political correctness we’re throwing away basic etiquette.”

“I empathize with these people who have some very unique needs. But at the same time it doesn’t mean everyone else should have to compromise a well established etiquette of men in men’s restrooms and showers and locker rooms.”

Yes, he is indeed, without a doubt, clear as day, completely aware and all-knowing of what gender is, without a hint of ignorance.

10 February 2017|No Rest at Rest Home: Fighting Bias Against Gays and Lesbians

Topic: Discrimination against LGBT+ and how the government can help

Discrimination against those in the LGBT+ spectrum as well as abuse of the elderly in senior living facilities are both things that frequently happen but does not get enough awareness. The two intersect in Mark Miller’s article on Marsha Wetzel, a 69-year-old who was abused in Glen St. Andrew due to being a lesbian. She filed a lawsuit in their Federal District Court in Chicago, seeking justice for her attacks and harassment. Wetzel said that she was verbally abused by other residents, as well as “pushed, shoved and spit on, and that she was injured, including bruises on her arm, a bump on her head and a black eye.” She describes her experience as dehumanizing and wrong. The majority of LGBT+ adults (in a survey of those living in a long-term care facilities) thought they would be discriminated against if they were open about their sexual orientation. Additionally, discrimination in the housing market was further supported by “A larger ‘pair test’ study by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 50 metropolitan markets found that rental housing applications by heterosexual couples were frequently favored over those from gay male and lesbian couples.”

20 January 2017|For First Time, Openly LGBT Governor Elected: Oregon’s Kate Brown

Topic: LGBT+ spectrum becoming normalized with more representation throughout government

Oregon is the home state of an American milestone: the first election of an openly LGBT governor. Having stepped in as governor in 2015, Kate Brown, a bisexual woman, won her election. Although there have been governors who were outed or came out during or after their election, she is the first person within the LGBT+ community to be openly out before being voted into gubernatorial office. This election plays an important role in terms of representation. With about 4% of the population identifying as LGBT+ in recent statistics, it is difficult for the youth within the spectrum to find predecessors with whom they can relate.

"If I can be a role model for one young person  that decides that their life is worth living because there’s someone like them in the world, it’s worth it.“

13 January 2017|The LGBT Politics of Christian Colleges

“Depending on the theological and political climate of the school, colleges have different ways of dealing with this new reality.” 

Topic: How traditional institutions react to new support for LGBT+

There is clear statistical evidence that Americans are becoming accepting of people within the LGBT+ spectrum. With recent movements, there has been a lot of action taken as a direct result of activism within the group, such as the legalization of same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges. These contemporary progressions come in conflict with institutions founded in tradition. One of the clearest manifestations coming to play is within Christian colleges, as shown through Wheeler’s piece. The new waves of support and tolerance are causing ripples throughout the policies of the schools, with many being blatantly homophobic. Cases of blatant discrimination, such as being expelled for one’s partner, or being denied donations for homeless LGBT+ youth, something that runs rampant in America, can be seen. Many schools attempt to find a compromise between the school’s convictions and the students’ climate. These schools alienate non-heterosexual, non-cis members through, despite granting entrance, denying the right of free expression of anything that could be sinfully gay or non-cis.

6 January 2017| FDA to re-evaluate controversial ban on gay men donating blood

Topic: Regulation on MSM blood donations in the United States

Since the 1980’s AIDS epidemic, rife with misconceptions and bigotry, up until 2015, the United States employed a lifetime ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. The current policy by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in order to reduce the risk of the the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) entails a 12-month donor deferral for men since the last sexual contact with a man. The policy is heavily controversial, considering in order for men like Jay Franzone, pictured above, need to commit to 12 months of abstinence in order to avoid a ban rooted in discriminatory stigma.