Just a quick #ResistTrump post today. There’s a lot going on. Here are two important developments that we need to respond to.
First: Jeff Sessions has started off his new job as Attorney General with an attempt to undermine legal protections of trans students.
What he did is a bit complicated to explain; see here and here for details. But Sessions’ intention is clear, and the effects of his move will be felt immediately. Here’s the Human Rights Campaign statement on the issue:
Tonight, HRC responded to the Trump Administration’s decision to withdraw a request to halt an order against the Obama administration’s protections for transgender students. This action will effectively continue to halt the protections nationwide.
“After being on the job for less than 48 hours, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has signaled his intent to undermine the equal dignity of transgender students,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Transgender students are entitled to the full protection of the United States Constitution and our federal nondiscrimination laws. It is heartbreaking and wrong that the agency tasked with enforcing civil rights laws would instead work to subvert them for political interests. President Trump must immediately reverse course and direct the DOJ to uphold guidance protecting transgender students. “
If you want to help, consider supporting HRC or The Trevor Project, which offers crisis intervention/suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth and twentysomethings.
And if you know of other good organizations to support, please email me or post them in the comments below.
Second: The Trump regime has launched a wave of deportations — and has triggered protests across the country against these deportations.
See here and here for more details and a rundown of some of the protests that have happened so far.
And here are some protests taking place tomorrow, courtesy of the RESISTABLE newsletter:
Sunday, February 12
11AM ET — Jewish Community Action for Refugees, Manhattan, NY
10AM PT — Worker and Immigrant Solidarity March, Burlington, WA
3:30 CT — Chicago Moons Trump Tower, Chicago, IL
4PM MT — NO WALLS PROTEST: Holding hands in unity, International Border U.S. El Paso, Tx / Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua Mexico
If you know of other protests or good groups to check out, please email me or post them in the comments below.
Godammit, this is the kind of thing I was afraid of.
On a slightly different note, any readers live in South Dakota?
http://boingboing.net/2017/02/11/south-dakota-lawmaker-blocks-w.html
“South Dakota state Rep. Wayne H Steinhauer [R-9]… was part of a group of eight male, GOP reps who killed a bill that would have guaranteed workplace accommodations to pregnant South Dakotans. During the hearing, Rep Steinhauer told women “It’s not prison. You can quit.””
“The law — which parallels legislation in 18 states and DC — would have required employers to provide pregnant workers with water, a stool to sit on, and bathroom breaks.”
butheremails.jaypeegee
I guess I have some donations to make. Resist!
@Scarlett
Remember, most Republicans don’t actively want to hurt people. It’s wrong to group them with the fascists in the White House, cos… That is… But, like… Cos reasons, OK?
A cup of water, a cheap stool, and a minute to pee. Fuckers ?
These fuckers don’t waste any time, do they?
@Makroth – Agent of the Great Degeneracy
When it comes to making a theocratic state for the rich white man they go forth with haste. At this point the GOP thinks this is prime time to start zerg rushing their plans for making non WASPS into third class citizens.
Well, I was going to stop my monthly donation to HRC and send it plus $10 to the ACLU, but maybe I should leave it be and just give $10 to the ACLU every month.
First they came for….pretty much everyone, all at once. Fascism moves more quickly than people think.
@Scarlett – Wow. That is so pointlessly cruel. They really, really hate women, don’t they?
I’d like to see the bill get reintroduced, only this time reworded to require employers to provide water and rest for the unborn fetuses inside pregnant women. Then watch the Republican’s heads explode. They’re pro-life, but only to the extent that they can use it to control and punish women.
Ha! That would be interesting, at least.
I gave a bit of money to the Trevor Project. I didn’t fill out all those details they were asking for in the form, but I hope the funds do some good.
So it’s a woman’s fault if she can’t afford to quit her job if her employer is a scumbag who won’t let her pee or have a damn glass of water or rest her swollen feet? Where have I heard this sort of blame redirection before? *scratches head*
Please don’t support HRC. They are too capitalistic and support war in the middle east. There are better organizations to donate to. They have also thrown trans people under the bus in the past and continue to not provide enough support for trans people.
I’m really glad I’m almost done with college. But then, I’ll be vulnerable in the workplace if I come out. :/
@authorialAlchemy
Well, fuck. And I was very much considering donating (I have other orgs I’ve been waiting to support 1st). Tho… Might I ask for a link or summat cataloging this bus throwing? Don’t doubt what you’re saying in the slightest. I’d just like to know what exactly was done. Thanks in advance 🙂
@Axe
http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2013/04/01/hrc-and-coalition-apologize-silencing-undocumented-trans
http://bilerico.lgbtqnation.com/2009/02/hrc_throws_trans_health_equity_under_the.php
Having a homogenized leadership staff of mainly gay white males.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/2093165/hrcpipelinea.pdf
You can go over it if you want.
@Oogly
And there it is. Thanks, buddy. I’ll read thru the links. But yeah, fuck em. Trevor Project it is!
@Buttercup
Among others, yes.
@Axe
No problem mate. Here’s to hoping Trevor Project continues to do good. On another subject of how low can someone go.
“Well Jeff Sessions is a horrible POS but that doesn’t mean he hates his own kin right-”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jeff-sessions-asian-granddaughter_us_5876a1cee4b092a6cae514d5
Is there no fucking bottom to the sludge barrel that is this person? Chalk this up as another example of how “one of the good ones” mentality facilitates unbounded cognitive dissonance.
At this point I just take it as read that LGBT groups (especially the larger ones) are primarily interested in the G, somewhat interested in the L, barely interested in the B and utterly uninterested in (and all too often Anti-)T.
The stripping of Title IX protections has been expected, but still hits like a brick. This is going to give the green light to a lot of campuses to increase harassment of trans kids by the administration and otherwise deny equal accommodation. And it’s going to increase the already too high suicide rate among trans youth.
So, the Trans Lifeline and the Transgender Law Center should be the focus of support. Especially as both the Trevor Project and HRC have left the trans populations out in the cold before (though of the two, the Trevor Project has been a lot better and is still a very valuable thing to support).
Also queer youth homeless housing programs like Lark-Inn or Ali Forney.
@Cerberus
Well, fuck again. What did Trevor do?
Surprisingly often anti-B, too.
True, sadly bi-erasure is still a thing.
re: LGBT abandoning its own; too often when one disenfranchised group in a social movement gains a bit of acceptance from the oppressors, this happens. Stonewall (and Comptons Cafeteria and Coopers Donuts before that) was first and almost exclusively a trans women uprising, but the Stonewall Memorial has statues that (to my eyes) do not look like they were meant to represent trans women.
@Axe
I’m having a bit of trouble finding material compared to HRC. The most damning thing about them is this:
http://www.advocate.com/commentary/2016/1/29/meet-trevor-projects-first-trans-board-member
Note how the date is “2016.” One comment claims that they often necglect the “T” of LGBT but I can’t seem to find an article about a singlebad thing Trevor project did.
I read the comments on the linked article and that last one left me with a strong urge to punch my monitor.
Ooglyboogles –
“Recently changes in the Healthcare plan were done poorly. Although Trevor is an LGBTQ organization, the healthcare plan disregarded the Trans issues. Staff who are trans were no longer able to get the medical treatment and benefits they received from the previous plan (another bad HR move) because Trevor saw it more beneficial to save a couple dimes than look out for their staff.”
– https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-The-Trevor-Project-RVW4168590.htm
And some of their staff are poorly trained on how to respond to non-binary suicidal folks and I’ve had to do intervention after a bad call.
Again, not really deal-breakers and I’ll still refer a trans kid to Trevor Project first because they have much better 24/7 coverage and overall, they’re a lot more responsive to fuck-ups than the HRC which have a bad cycle of fucking over trans folks and then belatedly apologizing before fucking up again.
@Cerberus
Thank you for that information. That’s a relief to hear.
On a side note it’s “boggles”, not “boogles.”