GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

 

AMY CONEY BARRETT

With the election of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, the LGBTQI+ community needs to be diligent about how we are affected by this. I'm researching more about her.

EARLY VOTING A HIT

I have two polling places near my home and the lines of folks waiting to cast their votes are something I haven't seen in years. This is a critical election and people are making their votes count. 

There have been a few glitches in the process but overall it has been good. With COVID affecting everything this way of voting is virgin territory for many. I cast my vote the other day.

VOTE!

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

Like many teens, I struggled with my body and looks, but my despair was amplified by the expectations of cisnormativity and the gender binary as well as the impossibly high beauty standards that I, and my female peers, measured myself against.

~Janet Mock  

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

 Don't make a problem bigger than it really is.

~Genevieve

BLOODY YEAR

Thirty-three transgender people have been killed this year. These are those deaths reported. This is the bloodiest year for transgender people in the US. 

NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY

 

Be proud of who you are. How you choose to identify is your right and your choice. 

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

Faith is different from proof, the latter is human, the former is a gift from God.

~Blaise Pascal, French Philosopher (1623-1662)  

MONICA ROBERTS PASSES

 I was shocked to hear that TransGriot Creator Monica Roberts has passed. Don't have any further details.

DON'T UNDERESTIMATE YOUR INFLUENCE

Recently a friend of mine revealed that she is bisexual. I was surprised because I assumed (never assume) that she was straight. She shared that she never felt anything though she had inklings in the past. This is similar to my experience in that I never knew that I was trans. I never put on a woman's article as a child nor did I have that desire. Then she told me that I was an influence on her because I lived my reality openly. It allowed her to live an authentic life.

Some folks may believe that their lives aren't important or don't matter. You may be influencing someone and may not know it. Another person may be on the cusp of living authentically because you are actually doing it. I'm thankful for young people who are challenging gender norms and living as themselves. 

I am so happy for my friend. I want to meet with her and let her share her story. All of our journeys are different but unique. One never knows who may be watching. Perhaps you may have pulled someone over that last hurdle to authentic living.

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

~Albert Camus

SEEING MY CHURCH FAMILY

Yesterday, members of my church gathered at a nearby park. Social distancing and masks were in order. I hadn't seen them since the coronavirus hit in March.  What thrilled me is the children playing. Personal interaction is very, very important for all of us. 

Personal interaction is very important to people who really need the contact. People struggling with depression, substance abuse, the elderly, the LGBTQI+ community, and other vulnerable folks are being affected by the lack of personal contact.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020)

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

Always pray and never give up.

~Luke 18:1  😄

BE AN ASSET

COMMENTARY

I am of the mind that if one holds a position on a topic, they should be able to defend their position in a rational and constructive manner.  For example, to say that someone opposes something because of his/her religious convictions does nothing to explain to me their position. What are their convictions and why they believe what they believe? 

The way transgender and gender non conforming people are sometimes treated led me to write this commentary. We are called demonic, perverts, and not worthy of living. What happened to Layleen Polanco in 2019 at Rikers Island as a result of neglect and, in my mind, bias. When someone claims to love God but hates someone because they are different, then they go against the God they claim to love and worship. 

I'm willing to learn something new if I don't know anything about the subject. To take a position on something one knows little or nothing about does nothing for anyone. Comments such as 'it goes against my religious beliefs' or 'I don't believe in science' or 'you are a racist' does nothing to explain why one believes what they believe. 

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness.


~Desmond Tutu

THE FRANCHISE HAS PASSED

                                                                TOM SEAVER
                                        (1944-2020)

2020 BASEBALL

I'm a huge Mets fan as you can see. in this weird baseball season, there have been some surprises and disappointments.

SURPRISES
1. San Diego Padres-playing better than expected. Can mash the ball

2. Chicago White Sox- thought they could compete. Playing well after a slow start.

3. Toronto Blue Jays- were not on my radar. Have some mashers. Decent pitching.


DISAPPOINTMENTS
1. Cincinnati Reds- Thought they could be a factor. Not hitting. Outside of Sonny Gray, inconsistent pitching.

2. Washington Nationals- fell off the map. When Strasburg opted out, that was it.

3. New York Mets- maddeningly inconsistent. Very streaky bats. Lousy bullpen.

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS