The Ones Most Likely to Care About Who Uses Women's Restrooms Aren't Women

“Most men think they (transgender people) should use the bathroom assigned to the gender they were born as,” a CBS News poll suggested in May, “while women tend to favor letting transgender people use the bathroom of the gender they identify as.”
 
Although there is no proof that letting trans people use the lavatory of their choice increases crime, bathroom traditionalists, so to speak, often repeat some version of this fear.

As usual, men who place themselves on top of the hierarchy believe that they know more about lower groups than the lower groups know about themselves, and don't listen to women. And these men don't have a problem forcing a hierarchy on someone else, this time the sexual orientation hierarchy. Hierarchical men don't care what anyone else thinks. What is important to them is building and maintaining hierarchies.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/12/21/the-people-mostly-likely-to-care-about-who-uses-womens-restrooms-arent-women/?utm_term=.013b9100b930

Tegan and Sara Foundation for LGBTQ Girls and Women

The indie-pop sister duo of Tegan and Sara have announced that they have launched the Tegan and Sara Foundation in an effort to fight for economic justice, health and representation for LGBTQ girls and women. 

"LGBTQ women are experiencing disproportionately high levels of poverty, health issues and inequality. LGBTQ women of color, especially transgender women often experience these issues even more severely due to racism and transphobia. Today, given the state of politics in the United States, we must continue to unite and fight for our rights and against all forms of oppression."

At a time when the people would want to build hierarchies seem crazy and out of control, we can be encouraged by positive actions too, along with attacking the efforts of the hierarchy conservators.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/tegan-and-sara-launch-foundation-for-lgbtq-girls-and-women-w456672

FADA – Hierarchy Conservators Want Everyone to Be Like Them – Again

Apparently, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah plan to reintroduce an embattled bill that barely gained a House hearing in 2015. Their First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) has a much better chance with a hierarchy-supporting Republican party controlled House,  and hierarchy-champion Donald Trump as President.

According to NBC News, "FADA would prohibit the federal government from taking "discriminatory action" against any business or person that discriminates against LGBTQ people. The act distinctly aims to protect the right of all entities to refuse service to LGBTQ people based on two sets of beliefs: "(1) marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or (2) sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage."

Is this 2017,  almost, or is this the 1950's when hierarchies were so strong that most people would think this makes sense? As usual, those who put themselves on top of a hierarchy believe their ideas are so superior that everyone else must want or need to be like them.

http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/first-amendment-defense-act-would-be-devastating-lgbtq-americans-n698416

Want to Live Longer – Get a Female Doctor

In an article on NPR entitled, "Patients Cared for by Female Doctors Fare Better Than Those Treated by Men," Harvard researchers found that that female doctors get better results than male doctors who care for elderly hospitalized patients. As compared to men, patients cared for by women were less likely to die or return to the hospital after discharge.

The study's authors estimate "that approximately 32,000 fewer patients would die if male physicians could achieve the same outcomes as female physicians every year." An editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association about the study urges the medical profession to remedy the gender disparities in care and the pay gap that favors male physicians over women.

Women grow up in the lower group of at least the gender hierarchy, and know what it is like not to be listened to and acknowledged. Perhaps, as in so many other ways, the advantages of honoring the unique knowledge and wisdom of people in lower groups would improve our society immensely.

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/12/19/506144346/patients-cared-for-by-female-doctors-fare-better-than-those-treated-by-men?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=2047

D.C. High School Bands - No to Trump Inaguration

We who do not wish our country to go backwards to rebecoming a hierarchy-rich society are all planning what we can to do lessen the bleeding from Donald Trump's presidency.

High school bands in Washington D.C. are doing what they can.

“At least one D.C. public school marching band has participated in the past five inaugural parades, but none applied for consideration this year,” according to NBC4.  “A D.C. Public Schools spokeswoman said she was not aware of any band in the district that had applied to participate in President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural parade Jan. 20.”

Good for them.

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/14/not-one-d-c-high-school-marching-band-wants-to-play-donald-trumps-inauguration/

Who's Who of Homophobia - Trump's Cabinet

According to The Boston Globe, Donald Trump's cabinet includes the who's who of homophobia. This despite Trump's campaign statement that he would be "better for the gay community" than Hillary Clinton.

Trump’s transition team is led by Vice President-elect Mike Pence — the Indiana governor with a history of antigay positions and actions. Family Research Council's Tony helped write the GOP platform considered among the most anti-LGBT GOP platforms in history (and which promotes so-called “reparative therapy”). Ken Blackwell, former Ohio secretary of state and FRC senior fellow, was named domestic policy chair of the Trump transition team. Blackwell has compared homosexuality to arson and kleptomania. Trump named as his education secretary nominee Michigan billionaire Betsy DeVos, whose family’s foundation has given millions of dollars to groups working against LGBT equality. Trump’s choice for health and human services secretary is Georgia GOP congressman, 

Tom Price, who voted to ban marriage equality in the US Constitution. Trump’s choice for attorney general is staunchly anti-LGBT Alabama US senator Jeff Sessions, who has consistently had a score of zero from the Human Rights Campaign.South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, chosen as ambassador to the UN, has spoken out strongly against marriage equality. Kansas congressman Mike Pompeo, named by Trump as his CIA director nominee, supported a bill allowing the federal definition of marriage to be superseded by a state definition. And Trump’s choice of chief of staff, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, oversaw the anti-LGBT platform hammered out at the 2016 party convention.

Are all those people who voted for Trump really that hateful? Or were they so clueless that they ignored Trump/Pence stands on so many hierarchies, including sexual orientation. What will they think when the policies of Trump and Pence start to affect them?

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2016/12/15/trump-cabinet-who-who-homophobia/9UDr8MnXIQAxjO369qzT0J/story.html?event=event25

Chicago Bulls Game – Gay Man Proposes and He Says Yes

At center court during the Chicago Bulls’ game against the San Antonio Spurs last before last, Jake Conrad popped the question to his boyfriend Michael Holtzman. This is thought to be the first gay couple to become engaged at an NBA game.

“At the Chicago Bulls game vs. the San Antonio Spurs on December 8, the Bulls worked with Jake Conrad to set up an in-game proposal for his partner, Michael Holtzman. Michael has been a lifelong Bulls fan and watches every game. After he once told Jake that his dream was to go to a Bulls game, Jake knew he wanted to propose to Michael at a game to show him how committed he is to making Michael’s dreams come true."

As we will be challenged during the Trump administration to keep the gains we have made, we have to remember that there are plenty of Americans all over our country from all walks of life who are committed to what we believe in.

 http://www.outsports.com/2016/12/9/13900394/gay-chicago-bulls-proposal