Trump vs The LGBTQ Community

Trump has been at odds with huge swathes of the population but has been quiet about gays lately-- until yesterday. Remember, NBC's 2016 exit polls showed that 14% of LGBTQ voters admitted they had cast ballots for Trump. Yesterday Hill reporter Nathaniel Weixel wrote that the Regime plans to "scrap ObamaCare's nondiscrimination protections for sex and gender identity under a final rule released Friday. In a statement, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the government's interpretation of sex discrimination will be based on 'the plain meaning of the word 'sex' as male or female and as determined by biology.' ... The move was announced amid Pride Month but has been long-anticipated by religious providers, who argue the administration needs to reinforce their right not to provide treatment that is against their beliefs. The administration has been working on the rule for well over a year."

That will come as delightful news to the bigoted evangelicals who are still the base of Trump's dwindling support base. Hatred is, after all, the essence of their creed.

Advocates and health groups said the policy will make it easier for doctors, hospitals and insurance companies to deny care or coverage to transgender and nonbinary patients, as well as women who have had abortions.

"HHS respects the dignity of every human being, and as we have shown in our response to the pandemic, we vigorously protect and enforce the civil rights of all to the fullest extent permitted by our laws as passed by Congress," said Roger Severino, director of the HHS Office for Civil Rights.

The administration has argued that removing the protections, based on Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, is largely moot because a federal judge in Texas vacated much of the rule last year.

The Obama-era rule made it illegal for doctors, hospitals and other health care workers to deny care to someone whose sexual orientation or gender identity they disapproved of.

The Obama administration did this by expanding the health law's definition of sex discrimination to include gender identity for the first time, but those expansions were blocked by a federal judge in 2016. The Trump administration has worked to weaken the rules before they could take effect.

The Trump administration’s rule is wide-ranging and goes beyond the Obama-era protections by rolling back nondiscrimination protections contained in other health provisions as well. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the rule removes protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity in 10 existing regulations.

Advocates and Democratic lawmakers said the decision to move ahead with the rule while the country is still in the middle of a pandemic is especially cruel. The concern is that LGBTQ patients might not be able to access the care they need.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already impacted access to medical treatment, as almost all "nonessential" procedures were halted, people stopped going to the emergency room and even stopped giving their children needed vaccines.

Yet even as states begin to reopen and loosen restrictions on nonessential medical procedures, advocates worry that LGBTQ patients will be discouraged from seeking treatment, coronavirus-related or otherwise.

  "At a time when protecting communities from the COVID-19 pandemic is paramount, your Department and the Trump Administration are knowingly putting the health and wellbeing of vulnerable individuals and children at risk, while blatantly promoting discrimination against LGBTQIA+ communities and religious minorities by pursuing the finalization of this proposed rule," Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Patty Murray (D-WA) wrote in a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar.

Katie Keith, a health care consultant and professor at Georgetown Law, said the rule will target vulnerable communities, likely making existing health care disparities worse.

"The circumstances [of the pandemic] make it harmful, but it would be harmful either way. It seems extra callous to push the regulation out at this point in time," Keith said.

The Human Rights Campaign immediately announced that it will file a lawsuit to overturn the rule and slammed the administration for releasing it on the anniversary of the Pulse shooting, where a gunman killed 49 people in an LGBTQ nightclub.

The administration's move was praised by religious conservatives and anti-abortion groups.

Imagine if the gayest Republican in the Senate got angry enough to denounce Trump for doing that. This is what it would sound like. You go #LadyG!





I asked several Blue America candidates to comment on the new rule. Marie Newman (IL), Julie Oliver (TX), Jon Hoadley (MI) and Eva Putzova (AZ) pretty much spoke for all of them. Marie, who already won her Chicagoland primary against an entrenched Blue Dog incumbent, sounded exasperated: "HHS and Trump do not respect anybody’s dignity. Whenever I think he will stop being cruel he drops the bar lower. Please vote and tell everyone you know to vote." Julie, also no fan of Trump and his lockstep enablers: "They’re targeting some of the most vulnerable of our fellow Americans’ access to health care during a global pandemic. This serves no purpose, and is as dangerous as it is hateful and backwards."

Jon is a Michigan legislator running for a congressional seat held by Trump collaborator Fred Upton. Hoadley is open about being gay. "There is no logical or policy motive for this move by the Trump Administration," he told us this morning. "Let's be clear: this is blatant discrimination against trans folks and will result in more death. Removing protections for any individual based on an aspect of their identity is obvious discrimination. Remember, anyone who voted against broad protections for LGBTQ+ folks in the Equality Act, like Fred Upton, share responsibility for this harm.

Eva explained that "Before this ruling, 31 percent of transgender Americans already lacked regular access to health care. Now, Trump is authorizing discrimination and futher jeopardizing the health of so many LGBTQ+ people in this country. It's sick, inhumane, and the fact he decided to roll back LGBTQ+ rights on the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting and Pride Month makes it even more abhorrent. When I'm in Congress, I will fight this with bold action. We need to ensure LGBTQ+ equality in law by passing the Equality Act AND enact Medicare for All so all LGBTQ+ people have access to the affordable, quality care they need to be their full selves."

Caitlyn Jenner On Trump: "Oops!" Will Kanye Care?

Like Caitlyn, I have moths in my closet

Bruce Jenner was a lifelong Republican and when he became Caitlyn Jenner in 2015 that didn't end. Yesterday she wrote an OpEd for the Washington Post, I Thought Trump Would Help Trans People. I Was Wrong. She was wrong-- to to have ever thought something so profoundly stupid and to have, as a self-proclaimed transgender activist, acted on it. Did she somehow not understand that Trump is a compulsive, self-serving liar and has been so his entire life?

"Trump was the first Republican presidential candidate to claim to support this valuable, vulnerable community," she wrote, "and I was encouraged by the applause he received when he said at the Republican National Convention in July 2016 that he would stand up for the LGBTQ community." The applauders motivation was the same as Trump's-- getting suckers like Jenner to vote for him based on an absurd lie.

"Sadly, I was wrong. The reality is that the trans community is being relentlessly attacked by this president... He has ignored our humanity. He has insulted our dignity. He has made trans people into political pawns as he whips up animus against us in an attempt to energize the most right-wing segment of his party... This is politics at its worst. It is unacceptable, it is upsetting, and it has deeply, personally hurt me."

Unlike her deranged and very Trump-like crackpot step-son-in-law, Kanye West, Jenner seems genuinely revolted by Trump and his vile escapades, whether or not she sees what he's doing beyond her own community. "Believing that I could work with Trump and his administration to support our community was a mistake," she now admits ruefully. "It’s clear these policies have come directly from Trump and were sanctioned by his base. My hope in him-- and them--  was misplaced, and I cannot support anyone who is working against our community... I do not support Trump. I must learn from my mistakes and move forward." What about if he was OK with the trans community, but still putting babies in cages? Would be A-OK then?

Yesterday, according to the NY Post Costume Agent, a Michigan retailer, has removed the "I Am Cait" outfit (costume?) from the market right before Halloween. The $44.95 Jenner-inspired outfit, which included running shorts, a tank top reading "USA," two fake gold medals and a red wig, are no longer available through Amazon or eBay, although I assume it will be back on eBay as a collectible soon enough. "The company’s move follows calls from transgender support groups including Stonewall, which said the costume 'reduces a marginalized group to the butt of a joke" and one group called the costume "transphobic" and "completely tasteless." On Tuesday, Costume Agent had said it would not remove the outfit from sale, saying "It's a costume. It's funny." Ha ha.

Midnight Meme Of The Day

-by Noah

In the world of journalism and politics, there is a thing we all know as "The Friday Night News Dump." In the remote chance that you are unfamiliar with the term, Friday evening is the time that our vermin in Washington think that the highest number of Americans are pre-occupied with things other than news reports and are therefore more likely to not be paying close attention to the headlines. This past Friday, our grossly mentally ill president took quite a news dump on America indeed. He not only pardoned the convicted sadistic, psychopathic Ex-Sheriff Arpaio, but his KKK headquarters at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., announced that one of his top white supremacy nazis, Sebastian Gorka had left the building. Oh, and he also announced the details of his ban on our transgender citizens serving in the armed forces. Señor Trumpanzee not only did all of this under cover of it being Friday night, he figured he'd be extra sneaky and slithery and do it right as a catastrophic category 4 hurricane bore down on Texas and took over the airwaves. Friday night was a great moment for Washington's ingrained cynicism and the contempt the president holds for the country, its constitution and its citizens. Who says the man has accomplished nothing?

So there you have it. Patriotic transgender people who wish to serve are to be forbidden to serve. It's a Republican dream come true, but to them, it's also a consolation prize. You know they'd rather not only have transgender folks banned but also have all gay people banned from the military; every, single, one. They've made that clear in the past. In previous eras, the same kind of sick conservative minds also sought to stop women and people of African heritage from being allowed to serve. It all begs the question, how far will the fascists go with their concepts of banishment?

There's also another question: Who will replace the 10,000 or so transgender soldiers and sailors? May I suggest we start with Señor Trumpanzee's children? We know they like to shoot things. How about some Republican congresspersons? Can we set up a recruitment table at the capitol building? How about all those Trumpies who like to play dress up in faux military garb and carry around their penis substitutes wherever they go, be it the local Walmart or the local pro-nazi protest? Hey, you love Robert E. Lee? Be half the soldier he was. Here's your big chance.

One thing's for sure, any transgender American would be more qualified to serve in our military, and as President of the United States than the Assclown-in-Chief we have right now for that matter, assuming that they were natural-born citizens and 36 years old or older, of course.

  

Trump Declares War-- On Transgender Men And Women Serving In The U.S. Armed Forces

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the above early morning Trumpanzee Adderall-fueled tweet storm was the first time officials in the Pentagon heard of the Regime's bigoted-- and probably unconstitutional--  transgender service ban. Philip Bump, immediately writing for the Washington Post, reminded his readers that Trump’s argument against transgender soldiers echoes one used against gays, women and blacks

The question of costs-- presumably referring to procedures like gender reassignment surgery-- was addressed in a Rand report that estimated a 0.04- to 0.13-percent increase in military health-care expenditures should transgender people be allowed to serve. Trump has proposed a 10 percent bump in overall military spending, which could certainly absorb that increase.

That latter point, though, the “disruption” that integration of transgender troops would spur? That is an argument we’ve heard before. When gay Americans sought the right to serve in the military, that was a central argument against the change. When women sought combat roles, a central argument. When blacks were integrated into the military? Warnings about disruption.

In 1948, President Harry Truman moved toward fully integrating black Americans into the military. At the time, members of his own party spoke out against the plan. The Washington Post reported on the objections in June of that year.

Former Tennessee U.S. senator Tom Stewart proposed “allowing men in the services to choose whether or not they would serve in mixed units” to avoid offending the sensibilities of those determined to maintain segregation. U.S. Sen. Lister Hill of Alabama argued that integration would “seriously impair the morale of the Army at a time when our armed forces should be at their strongest and most efficient.” He called Truman’s move “unfortunate.”

Andrew Duck is primarying right-wing Maryland Democrat John Delaney. He served over 2 decades in the U.S. Army, 4 tours of duty in Bosnia and Iraq. He told us last night that "Trump’s tweet banning transgender personnel from service is wrong, both morally and militarily. Our Army needs to recruit and retain Soldiers who can shoot, move and communicate. It damages our military to reject high quality personnel solely because of their gender identity. Many of these Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines have been serving their country honorably, risking their lives for our Nation. Denying them the right to serve is just wrong." Wherever there is fear and ignorance, bigotry never seems to die... but today it's very much thriving inside the White House and throughout our government's executive branch. As far as I know, no members of the Trump Regime have resigned over this yet. Anger, though, exploded on social media where Trump announced his "policy."

Ted Lieu was an active duty Air Force officer and still serves as an Air Force Reserve Colonel today. He immediately communicated with his Los Angeles constituents about what's wrong with Trump's decision: "The President's exclusion of Americans who happen to be transgender from serving in the military is not based on facts, it is based on naked bigotry. I know because I served on active duty. The military doesn't care what your sexual orientation or identity is, or who you love. It cares about whether you can shoot straight and complete the mission. The President's discriminatory decision harms our military readiness for our volunteer-based military. Thousands of Transgender Americans are already in the military. Why? Because they are qualified, patriotic and willing to die for their country. There is zero evidence a Transgender sniper would be any less qualified than a gay sniper or a straight sniper. Today is a sad day for America."

New Hampshire progressive Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter ousted a Republican incumbent last year despite her district going for Trump over Hillary. She's not afraid of him and, a member of the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Military Personnel, she was a leader in the successful 2009 effort to overturn the bigoted Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy and still prioritizes fighting for fairness for all American military personnel. Her response to Trump's tweet storm didn't pull any punches: "This morning’s tweets from the President are a disgraceful slap in the face to the thousands of transgender troops who are actively serving our country, and to all transgender Americans who aspire to serve. These troops are patriots who deserve to be appreciated for their service, not used as political props by their Commander in Chief. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I will fight to prevent President Trump’s ugly rhetoric against our troops from becoming reality, and to make sure these troops know that Americans appreciate their service and sacrifice." BOOM!

Vote Vets, the most active political action committee run by military veterans was out with a letter to their members immediately:

Sixty-nine years ago today, President Harry Truman issued an executive order desegregating the military, declaring "equal treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services." With the same stroke of a pen, he established the President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and opportunity in the Armed Services.

This morning, on the anniversary of that historic step toward equality, our current president, Donald Trump, did the unthinkable: placed a ban on transgender Americans from serving "in any capacity in the U.S. Military."

Here is the truth: right now, there are up to 7,000 openly transgender service members on active duty, with thousands more in the reserves-- all of whom wake up having served with more distinction than Donald Trump could ever dream of. When Trump had the chance to serve, he received multiple deferments because of a "foot thing." He said that avoiding STDs was his own personal Vietnam.

Veterans, military family members, and civilian supporters have an important voice in this fight. Let's make it heard right now.

...This decision by the president puts our national security at risk. There are active units who depend on these decorated service members. But as much as that matters, imagine how it would feel this morning to be a trans service member who volunteered to defender their nation, only to be told that their service wasn't good enough... and to be told that by a man who never had the courage himself to serve.

Kristin Beck, a transgendered woman and former 20 year Navy Seal-- who I'd give odds could knock Trump cold with one hand tied behind her back-- once ran for Congress against corrupt Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer. Yesterday she was challenging someone else. "Let's meet face to face and you tell me I'm not worthy," she suggested to Señor Trumpanzee, the serial draft-dodger and gross pervert. "Being transgender doesn't affect anyone else. We are liberty's light. If you can't defend that for everyone that's an American citizen, that's not right. Transgender doesn't matter. Do your service." Beck, a decorated former member of the elite Team 6, signed up for over a dozen tours of duty and served in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Iraq, while Trump claimed his version of military serve was an epic decade-long battle against syphilis, gonorrhea, genital herpes and all the other STDs he was spreading around New York in the 1970s.

Did you know that Blue America has an ActBlue page dedicated to progressive military veterans running for Congress? You can access it by tapping on the thermometer on the right. We reached out to the vets running for House seats this year in California, Kansas and Wisconsin, an all-star cast we are very proud to be supporting in their races against Darrell Issa, Ron Estes and Paul Ryan. Doug Applegate, a former Marine colonel: "As unusual, President Trump went on a twitter tirade this morning. If you don't use twitter you will be sure to see the tweets on the news. The difference about these bunch of tweets compared to those of recent times is that he attacked U.S. military personnel instead of mainstream media or the left. Today, our draft-dodging President banned the transgender community from serving in the US military. This is discriminatory, stupid, and an absolute disgrace. This makes our country weaker and dismantles some of the progress we have made within the LGBTQ community over the last 8 years. We will continue to fight for our trans brothers and sisters, and I thank you for your bravery and service to our country, one thing our President could never find the courage to do."

Randy Bryce is the progressive iron worker campaigning for the southeast Wisconsin congressional seat held by Paul Ryan. Unlike Ryan and unlike Trump, Bryce is a U.S. Army veteran who seems offended that Trump chose to use transgender service members as a political diversion. "As a veteran, I am offended by the President's insulting actions. He knows nothing about the military or what it means to serve. It's time Donald Trump start focussing on things he does know about-- if that includes anything other than golf and twitter rants-- rather than trying desperately to tear us apart. What makes us different is what makes us special. I was honored to serve in our Military along side some of the most diverse, interesting, hard working people I had ever come across. Donald Trump makes us less safe by today's actions, and he should be ashamed of himself."

Jim Thompson is the Blue America-backed progressive running for the Wichita-based 4th district congressional seat in Kansas-- and a U.S. Army veteran. He was tweeting up his own storm today... and then sent us this:

Wow. In yet another erratic early morning tweet, our draft-dodging President attacked the United States military and the brave men and women that stood up to defend their country. This morning, the President unilaterally decided he would no longer allow transgender servicemen and servicewomen to join or serve in our military. The reason for this sudden announcement remains officially unspoken; however, I think it’s blatantly obvious that, once again, President Trump is trying to distract from his terrible healthcare policies. After attacking Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska for voting against the Trumpcare bill, the President then proceeded to make his indefensible Twitter proclamation. He stated the following:

“After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.

“Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you.”

No, thank you Mr. President. Thank you for once again showing us your true colors as a bully with no guiding moral compass. You’ve shown you will attack anyone who falls in your sights in order to distract from your complete lack of legislative accomplishments. We know for a fact President Trump did not consult with the Pentagon, because they stated they never spoke with anyone at the White House about this sudden policy change.

I served in the United States Army Infantry with the understanding the Commander in Chief protected and defended the Constitution of the United States, just like I did. I always felt safe in the knowledge that Presidents Bush and Clinton kept the military’s best interests in mind. I no longer possess this same confidence in our current President given these statements-- and many others-- he issued both on the campaign trail and since his inauguration.

President Trump lacks any idea of what it means to serve anyone other than himself. He used his family's power, money and position to obtain five-- yes, five-- draft deferments during the Vietnam War. This allowed him to avoid serving in the military while others fought and died answering their country's call.

Ultimately, the test for military service is whether or not a person can do the job required of him or her. I side with Sen. John McCain on this issue. Lest we forget, President Trump attacked the Senator on the campaign trail for being a prisoner of war. Sen. McCain’s office released a statement today in response to the President’s tweets that reads as follows:

“The President’s tweet this morning regarding transgender Americans in the military is yet another example of why major policy announcements should not be made via Twitter.

“The statement was unclear. The Department of Defense already decided to allow currently-serving transgender individuals to stay in the military, and many are serving honorably today. Any American who meets current medical and readiness standards should be allowed to continue serving. There is no reason to force service members who are able to fight, train, and deploy to leave the military-- regardless of their gender identity. We should all be guided by the principle that any American who wants to serve our country and is able to meet the standards should have the opportunity to do so-- and should be treated as the patriots they are…” 

Sen. McCain’s words ring true. I cannot understand how the President can justify a policy that saps needed talent from our military based solely on a person’s gender identity. These men and women wrote blank checks to the United States military just like every other person serving. If someone is willing to step up and fight to protect American values and they possess the courage, bravery, and skills necessary to complete the mission, then nothing should stand in the way of them serving their country. Period.

Trump proves time and again that he wants the Presidency to serve his interests those of the rich elite first. This attack on transgender service-members is disgusting, indefensible, and just one more drop in the flood of bullying and bigotry emanating from the White House. He continues to create problems rather than solve them. I’ve grown sick and tired of it and I’m sure you have too. Please, join us in this fight and help us protect the rights of every American-- especially members of our military.

Ms. Foundation president Teresa Younger eloquently voiced the Martin Niemöller sentiments that all decent Americans are thinking today: "We cannot forget that many of the freedoms we hold dear as Americans can be stolen away in a moment by any president. Trump's cowardly decision to reinforce state-sponsored discrimination against transgender Americans is an affront to our country’s values and a tremendous blow to LGBTQ equality. We will not stand idly by as Trump rolls back our rights-- first for our Muslim sisters and brothers, now for our LGBTQ family. One can only wonder-- who will be next? The only American thing to do now is to lock arms against this takeover and systematic dismantling of our democracy and let the administration know that we won’t go back."

Is Northern Virginia Ready To Walk Away From “Bigot Bob” Marshall And Elect A Transgender Woman?

We didn’t get too involved in this week’s Virginia primary races basically because the top race— for governor— pitted an establishment conservative Democrat against a fake progressive who I know personally to be unfit, in terms of character, for high office. Most of people I think of allies looked the other other way at Perriello’s weaknesses and backed him. I was more excited about the Lt. Governor’s race, where a geneuine progressive champion, Justin Fairfax ran— and prevailed— in a 3-way race. Justin beat Susan Platt and Gene Rossi, 49.1% to, respectively 39.2% and 11.7%. Big win. But there was another big win for progressives to be cheered about— the Democratic primary race to take on Republican House of Delegates homophobic extremist Bob Marshall in Northern Virginia. Marshall nearly lost the general election last time— 8,946 to 8,448— and he is viewed as vulnerable in November. The Democratic primary drew 4 candidates and the winner Tuesday was Danica Roem, a transexual woman journalist from Manassas who took 44.3% of the vote. Her closest opponent, Steven Jansen, took 29.8%.

The Washington Post hailed her historic win on Wednesday with an eye-popping headline: She is transgender. He proposed a ‘bathroom bill.’ They’re running against each other in Northern Virginia.

The irony of Democrat Danica Roem’s long-shot campaign to oust a veteran conservative from Virginia’s House of Delegates is unmistakable.

Roem, 32, is a transgender ex-journalist with a passion for public policy details that rivals that of Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William), the scholarly conservative incumbent who has spent 25 years as a foil to the LGBT community.

Marshall, 73, sponsored Virginia’s constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage— which stood until the U.S. Supreme Court declared such prohibitions unconstitutional— and this year proposed a “bathroom bill” that would have kept transgender individuals from using public restrooms designated for the sex with which they identify.

In a year in which Virginia Democrats hope to use an anti-Trump wave to cut into the GOP’s overwhelming majority in the state legislature, political analysts say Roem could succeed against Marshall where many other Democrats have failed. A victory over the ­13-term incumbent would make her the first openly transgender elected official in Virginia, advocates say.

In a statement after Roem’s victory Tuesday, Marshall pointedly referred to his Democratic opponent as “he,” underscoring his skepticism— and that of other social conservatives— regarding people who identify as transgender.

Marshall has been whining that Roem’s supporters refer to him as “Bigot Bob” But he has described himself as the Virginia legislature’s “chief homophobe.”

“Danica Roem is a leader in a national movement of trans candidates who are determined to become a voice for their community in the halls of power,” said Aisha C. Moodie-Mills, President & CEO of Victory Fund. “This historic primary win sets up a general election battle where voters will choose between ‘Bigot Bob’ Marshall— the most anti-LGBTQ member of the Virginia state legislature— or Danica, a proud trans woman who is committed to representing all people in her district. I am confident voters will choose leadership over divisiveness and make Danica the first out trans candidate to win and serve in a state legislature.”

Transgender People-- A Tribute With Love To My Dear Friend Jack, Then Jane, In Graduate School.

-by Melody Siegler

One of my best friends in graduate school was Jack. He was a serious scientist-- an accomplished scientist-- way more accomplished in his field than most graduate students of our cadre in Biology. Also, he was amazingly expert in old music, old 45s. And, who knows what else. He related well to everyone in the Department. And, he was always wonderful company.

Jack had a health problem-- he had been born with various defective heart valves. But, by some miracle, these defects compensated for each other. Not completely though-- whenever we went somewhere that involved going outside, he had to wear a hat and warm clothing, even in California. I could see him turning blue,  because his heart didn’t pump enough so that the hemoglobin-oxygen combination (to make blood red) took to circulate through his system, especially if he exerted himself in any way whatsoever.

Jack was maybe 29, the last time I saw him at UCSC. I went off to England for a post-doc. And this was in the days before the “internet” and “email.” So I lost touch with him.

I came back to visit friends in Santa Cruz, maybe two years later. Both were in the Biology Department-- one a professor, and the other a graduate student. Jack had died because of his heart problems.

But, there was a lot more to the story. In my absence, Jack had “realized” or at least declared that he was transgender. I put “realized” in quotes, because I now know that transgender people most often experience “gender dysphoria” from the get-go. Right out of the womb. But, this was not a time where this was known or recognized.

Jack, while I was away, became Jane. He started dressing as a female. Wearing make-up.  There were some unisex bathrooms in the Biology Department, so I doubt that he ever committed the terrible sin of using a “F” bathroom. But, she, Jane, was shunned and reviled by members of the Biology Department, including faculty members. This was UCSC. This was Santa Cruz in the ‘70s. Where one faculty member regularly smoked dope while doing his biochemical assays. He went on to become the only Bio faculty member to be appointed to the National Academy of Science, a high honor indeed.  pparently he was horrified by Jack’s change to Jane. Yes, rumor, but believable.

I won’t go into all the scientific research I’ve done since about transgender people, and why they are transgender. The present evidence overwhelmingly strong that this is biological (not genetic) conditions at some point in the womb, in utero, that changes their development as to gender identity. And, given that my friend Jack-- then Jane-- was born with multiple heart defects, well… draw your own conclusions.

I now draw your attention to a recent HuffPost piece:

Here’s A Fact-Check On Milo Yiannopoulos’ Incendiary Claims About Trans People

  1. Transgender people are not ‘confused’ about their ‘sexual identity’

  2. Transgender people do not suffer from a psychiatric disorder

  3. Transgender people are not “disproportionately involved” in sex crimes

  4. Transgender people are the ones harassed and discriminated against in restrooms

  5. Transgender people face shockingly high levels of sexual abuse and assault

  6. Trans people using restrooms corresponding with their gender identity doesn’t allow predators to gain access to those venues

  7. Transgender people just want to use a bathroom and leave-- just like everyone else.

In closing, the level of ignorance about transgender people makes me weep.

I saw this online as a moderator at FDL during the ENDA debate. (Where the Human Rights Campaign saw fit to NOT support trans people.  And, even more recently in messages on a college list-serve I am on.

I makes me weep for my dear friend Jane, and every transgender person.

Yesterday, the Trump Regime signaled what we all feared was coming, that the Trumpists are about to reverse the federal government's progressive policy on transgender rights, an area where Obama had made tremendous strides in recognizing equal rights.

Ever since Ted Cruz burned him badly-- see video up top-- Trump has been obsessed with federal guidance to public schools going back almost a year ago that transgender students be allowed to use bathrooms matching their gender identity. Yesterday the Regime's flack, Sean Spicer, said this is a matter for the states, not for the federal government: "All you have to do is look at what the president's view has been for a long time, that this is not something that the federal government should be involved in, that this is a states' rights issue." He warned that Jeff Sessions and Betsy DeVos, the two vicious bigots running the Justice Department and Department of Education would be sending out new guidance. It seems likely that one day the enablers of Trumpist policy will face Justice; just add this to the list.

Trans Tokenism-- Chuck Schumer's Ugly Bigotry Trumps Love

No, not all the evil bigots are Republicans

Go the the "races" page of the official DSCC website. Tester and Schumer, who run the operation, list every state with a race this cycle from Arizona to Wisconsin-- except one. They even list 3 deep red states, Alaska, Kansas and Louisiana, that haven;t chosen candidates yet. The state the DSCC refuses to recognize is Utah, a averred state... but one where Democrats feel Trumpophobia is so pronounced that Bill Clinton is going to camp[aign for Hillary there. On June 28, Utah Democrats chose their candidate-- and it wasn't even close. The establishment was all in for conservative Blue Dog Jonathan Swinton, someone who was campaigning on a Republican-lite platform. Utah Dems rejected him for Misty K. Snow, 27,138 (59.4%) to 18,530 (40.6%).

Schumer and Tester immediately washed their hands of the Beehive State. According to the DSCC, Utah doesn't exist and much-disliked right-wing kook Mike Lee has no election opponent. How could that happen? Misty is a working class gal who works as a cashier in a grocery store, not as a fracking lobbyist like Katie McGinty (a Schumer recruit who disgraced herself at the convention last week) or as a lawyer, like almost all the other Schumer recruits. Schumer has always been uncomfortable with working class people; he's frightened of them and he has contempt for them. I noticed it in high school, where he was some kind of a strange elitist creep in a Brooklyn neighborhood that also spawned egalitarians Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Bernie Sanders. But Schumer might have swallowed his distaste for working folks and accepted Misty, except for one other thing. Although she's campaigning on working class issues, she's a transgender woman. And that's a step too far for the bigoted Wall Street-backed snob who masquerades as a Democrat. Maybe if Misty was a rich professional transgender woman...

Meanwhile, Dawn Ennis at LGBTQNation.com wrote glowingly that "history was made in Philadelphia once again when a young transgender woman stepped up to the stage at the Democratic National Convention Thursday and delivered a speech, the first-ever by an openly transgender person at any major political convention." Great optics, but no mention of Schumer's and Tester's war against the transgender candidate her state's Democrats had made the nominee over the conservative Schumer wanted as the nominee. Sarah was the student body president of American University and an easier fit than Misty Snow for the Democratic Party recent flirtation with fully embracing a kind of elitism that has turned off working class people.

Sarah McBride, 25, is the national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, and came out four years ago as a student at American University in Washington, D.C., where she was student body president. She was the first transgender intern in the White House, and two years ago married her husband, LGBTQ activist and trans man Andrew Cray, who died just days later at age 28.

In her historic address to delegates, McBride spoke of her late husband’s strength and determination, and called upon the community to work together to elect Hillary Clinton.

“Knowing Andy left me profoundly changed. More than anything, his passing taught me that every day matters when it comes to building a world where every person can live their life to the fullest.

Hillary Clinton understands the urgency of our fight. She will work with us to pass the Equality Act, to combat violence against transgender women of color, and to end the HIV and AIDS epidemic once and for all.”

Schumer is an asshole. His unopposed rise to the leadership of the Senate Democrats speaks volumes about the pathetic state of our champions there. If you'd like to support Misty's lonely, quixotic battle against Mike Lee in Utah, Blue America, as far as I know, is the only PAC in the country helping her raise campaign funds. She can use some help:

Mike Honda Has A Transgender Granddaughter; She's Lucky She Wasn't Born Into A Republican Family

Frank Townsend Bow was born the same day as me-- February 20-- but half a century earlier. He served as a conservative Republican congressman from northeast Ohio's 16th District from 1951 until he died in 1972. When he died, Richard Nixon wrote that he was--

deeply saddened to learn of the death of Representative Frank Bow of Ohio. In over 20 years of outstanding service in the Congress, Frank Bow earned respect as a man of energy, principle, and dedication. As ranking minority member of the House Appropriations Committee, he was a strong voice for fiscal responsibility, repeatedly taking his stand against excessive Government spending.

I never met Bow. But I knew his grandson, Michael Bow, very well. Just before the Congressman died, I returned to Amsterdam after a couple years in India, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran, Sri Lanka... I found a job in the meditation center de Kosmos. And I met Michael. De Kosmos' world and Michael Bow's world couldn't have been more different. Back to that is a second.

Today I heard Rep. Mike Honda on Chris Matthews' MSNBC show talking about respecting transgender children-- like his own granddaughter. Honda is 73 and has virtually nothing in common with Frank Bow. Where Bow was obsessed with lower taxes on the wealthy, Honda is a steadfast progressive who has been working to make the lives of ordinary working families better. Honda was on TV celebrating his transgender granddaughter. Frank Bow and his family paid Michael Bow an annual stipend to stay out of Ohio and out of the U.S. so that the congressman wouldn't be embarrassed. 

Michael was gay-- really gay. He presided over a trashy gay salon, a kind of polar opposite of my meditation center. Michael and a bunch of Americans and Brits, some of whom took women's names (Michael was Michelle Le Bow, for example), behaved outrageously. They wore clothes that were at least as much women's clothing as men's clothing. It was a fascinating subculture and a shock for someone wrapped up in the relatively strait-laced world of meditation as a lifestyle. Michael's dad was a senior executive at Chrysler. He didn't want Michael around Ohio either. The checks that came from home supported not just Michael but 4 or 5 friends. There were candles everywhere and red and black fabrics hanging from everything. Shabby chic is probably how best to describe the setting.

Once or twice a week I took a break from my life in the meditation center and hung out with Bow and his crew. Sometimes I went with them on free trips around the Mediterranean, where a London-based sugar daddy owned tourist villa developments (and a plane). I don't know what the Republican grandfather and father thought of Michael-- although I can imagine-- but they were willing to pay him a very substantial amount of money to stay away. He was anything but closeted-- the only state of being Republicans find acceptable for gays-- but as long as he was thousands of miles away from Canton, Ohio, no one had to worry about it. Very different from Mike Honda's family situation.

Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) made headlines in February for the seemingly simple act of tweeting a message of love for his grandchild, an 8-year-old girl who happens to be transgender. Now Honda's daughter and son-in-law, Travis Phillips and Michelle Honda-Phillips, are telling others about the experience of raising a transgender child.

"Her name wasn't always Malisa," Honda-Phillips told NBC Nightly News. "She chose her name when she was very young. It just felt right to her."

Honda-Phillips said she and her husband noticed something unique about their child at just 18 months old. "She always wanted to role-play as the girl," Honda-Phillips recalled to NBC. "All her toys and all her presents were always from the girls' section, you know, everything was pink. Her self-portraits have always been with long hair and as a princess. She's always wearing a dress in her self-portraits."

The parents always accepted their child for who she is, even though doing so wasn't always easy. "It's a hard thing to go through, because... you want to be supportive of your child, let them do what they want, explore, express themselves," Phillips admitted. "But at the same time, you think, 'Okay, what are other people going to think, right? How are they going to react?'"

"It was a challenge to get there, to not care about what people thought," Honda-Phillips affirmed. Rather than act defensively or combat their daughter's wishes, the parents chose to educate themselves instead. Eventually, Honda-Phillips said, "it all clicked."

  The couple likely learned that being transgender was not a "phase" for their daughter, but rather-- as studies confirm-- a consistent gender identity. And allowing their daughter to express her gender identity made a world of difference for the whole family.

"They didn't understand at first, then they started to understand and let me be who I was," 8-year-old Malisa told NBC.

"It was almost like night and day," Phillips recalled of his daughter's transition. "She became who she is on the outside and everybody is now recognizing that. She felt so much better because now that weight is lifted, that stress, that frustration."

Their only regret, Honda-Phillips admitted, was the thought that their daughter "lived so long as someone she didn't feel she was inside. We never wanted our children to be anything other than who they believe they are."

Today, they are living proof that when every member can be the most authentic version of themselves, the entire family benefits. As Phillips put it to NBC, "She's a happy kid and that's the biggest thing I know I want, is for her to be happy."

Malisa's situation is unfortunately not the norm: As many as 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBT, for example, largely due to the rejection of their family. Malisa and her family are showing what it looks like to accept transgender children for who they are, and setting an incredible example for what will hopefully one day be the norm.

After I left Amsterdam and moved back to the U.S., I never did see Michael Bow again, although I've been back to Amsterdam several times and have run into several of his old crew and other acquaintances. And I can't find anything online about him. I hope he's as well-adjusted as Malisa appears to be, but that probably isn't too likely. Conservatives, and who people immersed in conservative values, never are. Take conservative Republican transgender person Bruce Jenner.

The more shocking revelation for many, however, was Jenner's admission that in addition to identifying as a woman, he also identified as a conservative Republican.

"Are you a Republican?" a stunned Sawyer asked the former patriarch of the Jenner-Kardashian household. "Yeah," Jenner reticently responded. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Neither political party has a monopoly on understanding," Jenner told Sawyer, who advised him to ask Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner for help championing the cause of transgender people.

"I would do that, in a heartbeat," Jenner retorted. "Yeah, why not?"

Dana Rohrabacher Was Not Elected Homecoming Queen Friday

Dana Rohrabacher's congressional district, CA-48, stretches along the Pacific Ocean from Seal Beach, where L.A. County and Long Beach end and Orange County begins, down through Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel right to the edge of San Juan Capistrano. It's easternmost points are just beyond Fountain Valley and Aliso Viejo. It's one of southern California's redder districts with a PVI of R+7. Obama scored 46% against McCain and 43% against Romney. The district is wealthy (medium household income is $76,077, compared to $57,287 for the whole state) and white (69%). In his younger days, Rohrabacher was not just a pot head, a rocker-- still pals with Red Rocker Sammy Hager-- and a surfer, but also a bit of a gay blade... or, "bisexual." I guess if you're in Congress and you get outed as a closet case and quickly marry a campaign staffer, as in the case of Rohrabacher, you're bisexual at least in Republicanville. (Yesterday, one partially-closeted Republican Member of Congress-- who for some reason insisted on anonymity-- told me that he always found Rohrabacher "strange" and tittered that "that woman he married looks like a diesel dyke.")

I don't care if Rohrabacher is gay or bi or closeted or whatever. I do care that he's a raging homophobe who votes against every equality bill that gets before Congress. Rohrabacher's district is changing faster than he is. The spiritual heart of the district, Huntington Beach just saw a high school elected a transgendered girl homecoming queen.

A transgender student at Marina High School in Huntington Beach made history Friday evening by becoming the school’s Homecoming Queen.

Cassidy Lynn Campbell, who was among five finalists, was selected for the coveted title. The announcement was made during halftime of Friday night’s game.

Earlier in the day, students reportedly erupted in cheers when it was announced that Campbell was among the finalists.

“I think it’s really awesome ’cause a lot of people wouldn’t be able to do what she does. I mean … I would be so scared and she’s accepting everything that everyone is saying. She’s taking it all in … in a good way,” Janet Tran, a student, told CBS2?s Joy Benedict.

After capturing the crown, Campbell told KCAL9's Cristy Fajardo that she finally feels accepted after years of feeling that she didn’t fit in.

“Knowing that it was only my school and only my student body makes it even more special because they voted for me,” said Campbell. “They all wanted me, and the majority wanted me to win.”

She added, “Whether I won tonight or not, I was a winner from the beginning and I knew it. I put my message out there. If this can help one child or more or hundreds or thousands or millions, then it was more than worth it,” said Campbell.

Outside of the Old Confederacy, it's not all that hard for politicians to back equality for gay men and women. All they have to do is follow their constituents. Most Americans are finished with the divisiveness and bigotry that targeted gay people. Most Americans even support same sex marriage now-- even if extreme right-wingers and the GOP politicians who fear them do not. In the latest Gallup survey on the topic only 43% of Americans say they would vote against gay marriage in a referendum. 52% say they would vote in favor. The South is the only region of the country where support flags.

Gallup used two separate approaches to measure public support for gay marriage this month, and they produced similar results: 52% would vote for a federal law legalizing same-sex marriages in all 50 states, and 54% think gay marriages should be recognized as valid, with the same rights as marriages between men and women. This adds to the body of evidence in Gallup trends that public opinion on gay marriage has reached a tipping point, whereby the majority now clearly supports it. Nevertheless, the issue remains highly divisive, as large majorities of left-leaning, nonreligious, and younger Americans endorse it, while right-leaning, religious, and older Americans still oppose it.

• East- 62% favor
• West- 57% favor
• Midwest- 51% favor
• South- 51% oppose

Much tougher for politicians is anything revolving around transgender people. That's a far off frontier for most Americans-- many fear the whole idea of it-- and it takes the bravest of the brave politicians-- the polar opposite of the closeted hypocrites like Rohrabacher-- to get anywhere near it. Transgender rights isn't an issue we ask candidates about at Blue America. Strength of character is though and I was floored when Carl Sciortino told me how he had fought an uphill-- but ultimately winning-- battle for transgender equality in the Massachusetts state legislature. It helped persuade us what kind of a political leader he would be. And I noticed that a group calling itself Trans United For Progress-- for Carl Sciortino started an ActBlue page to back his campaign.