QUEER LIBERATION MARCH

    Today I thought about the Queer Liberation March yesterday. It is the alternative March seeking to bring back the radical and political of the early marches compared to the bigger corporatized march.

The march was peaceful until two marchers were arrested near Washington Square Park for writing graffiti. Some people tried to prevent the arrests when the police became aggressive. They also had their badge number covered with tape. The Queer Liberation Front does not the police there at all. A friend of mine was hurt.

The police are militarized even against peaceful protestors. Our sorry mayor is trying to save his career and sides with the cops. I always found him to be ambiguous in his decisions.

I don't know what the future holds but transgender and non-conforming people are the targets. There have been a number of trans deaths around the country.  Last year a transwoman died in Rikers Island from a seizure. People are seeking answers about this and I want to be involved in this.

Right now my emotions are amped. I'm keeping things in perspective. I'm not going to shrink now when my trans sisters and brothers are being attacked from all sides.

HAPPY PRIDE!

HAPPY PRIDE!

LOVE WHO YOU ARE

BE WHO YOU ARE

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.


~Joseph Campbell

TEACHING MOMENT

The knocking down of statues is stupid and wrongheaded. What does it prove? Does it solve any problems? These statues and other monuments can be a teaching moment. Most of the statues I see I don't know who most of them are. If I'm interested I will research the person. 

It's come to a point of these zealots are telling you what to believe, how to think, and what to say. I do NOT subscribe to this! My parents taught me and my siblings to think for ourselves.  People are entitled to their own thoughts and opinions. It's called free speech. I'm appalled that conservatives' voices are being censored. I like to hear different viewpoints and maybe come to a resolution of an issue. This is what learning is. 

Every person that has a statue has flaws as well as strengths. Theodore Roosevelt was independent, created the conservation laws we have today protecting our lands. He was also an imperialist and militarist. Winston Churchill is looked upon as a hero and statesman. He was also an unapologetic racist. Gandhi was a great leader but was abusive with his own family. Yes, Georg Washington was a slaveholder but he was also one of the founding fathers of America. Yes, they all had faults. One can learn from them and not go in the same direction.

PHASE TWO

Phase two of the coronavirus recovery went into effect yesterday. Establishments such as salons and barbershops are open for business. Restaurants have outdoor dining and take out. I was in the East Village yesterday and there were few pedestrians and little traffic. I'll see how things go in the next week or two.  

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

I believe it is better, to tell the truth than a lie. I believe it is better to be free than a slave. And I believe it is better to know than to be ignorant.

~H.L. Mencken, Writer (1880-1956)

PROTEST

SUPREME COURT RULING!

The Supreme Court ruled that the civil rights law protects gay and transgender workers from workplace discrimination. It was a surprise given the makeup of the court. Wonderful news.


https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/15/us/gay-transgender-workers-supreme-court  

COMMENTARY

Two black transgender women were murdered in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Now President Trump has overturned protections for transgender people against sex discrimination.in health care. It's bad enough that transgender people in many cases do not seek medical care because of the fear of mistreatment or worse, no treatment. What the government is doing is defending the strict binary system already in place. 

Transgender people are being denied participation in school athletics, service in the military, access to public accommodations in some cases, and denial of employment and housing. Roger Severino, head of the Hospital and Health Services states that transgender people are protected by other statutes that bar discrimination in health care. What I would ask Mr. Severino is why does he assert that transgender people are protected under existing statutes when transgender people, legitimately so, fear mistreatment. I know people who have been mistreated. 

I would also ask how my being transgender affects your religious convictions. Am I one of God's creations? Does God love me any less? I have been a born again Christian much longer than I've been out as transgender. Treating someone different because they aren't like them is showing partiality which is clearly spoken against in scripture. 

I am disappointed with this but not defeated. There will be lawsuits. I'm concerned about my trans brothers and sisters. Yet, I will be in the fight to see this action defeated. 

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.


~James Baldwin

COMMENTARY

Much has happened both worldly and personally. I won't dwell on the personal stuff because it would take another post. With the protests over the death of George Floyd, let's not forget the shooting of Tony McDade, a transman, in Jacksonville, Florida, and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. I'm for peaceful protests but I abhor the looting and rioting done by those up to no good. 

There are some really troubling problems in the country. It's high time people not only begin a dialogue but figure out how these issues can be resolved. What gets me is that neither the right or the left will talk with each other. I find the left so married to their ideology that they believe that they cannot learn some things from the other side. The same goes for the right. This is a shame.

I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinions and I respect that. It's time now that both the left and the right put aside their egos and listen to each other. Much has happened in the country. the pandemic, the protests, the anger and disgust people feel. If that anger and disgust don't lead to action, actively and personally, then all this means nothing.

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

Progress is impossible without change and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.


~George Bernard Shaw

CANCELLED

The Trans Wellness Conference in Philadelphia scheduled for July has been canceled for 2020. It has been rescheduled for July 2021.  I was looking forward to going along with visiting Philly, a city I have come to like. My wife and I plan to visit Philly sometime in the summer.

CONFLICTING TIMES

The past few weeks have been trying. A few people I knew from my church family passed away  Another black man (George Floyd) has been lost to police brutality. The streets are burning in many places. Protests are numerous. I felt uncomfortable in an eatery while buying a pizza. My friend's passing was the tip of the iceberg. I am doing better today. I am watching what's going on. I'm not overwhelmed by it, just so much is happening all at once.