I don’t have the makeup skills to be in a drag show

In a post hiding in my browser tabs for three weeks Jessica Sutherland of Daily Kos reported that even though Gov. DeathSantis (or is it DeKlantis?) is making the lives of students, especially trans students, harder, they’re not afraid of him. They’re planning statewide walkouts. Alas, the article doesn’t have a planned date and I’ve seen nothing since. Will Stancil tweeted a thread:

I appreciate the folks contesting the various false claims about gender care, but on some level it almost doesn't matter to me: you have a historically vulnerable group, under massive political attack, and we're... having a public debate about their health care? It's perverse Even if we were to stipulate that, like every other medical field, trans care has room for adjustments with new evidence... SO WHAT? How is this anything but a tiny niche issue for experts, when trans people are being nationally demonized by insane far-right politicians? ... I keep thinking about how Jon Chait said "If you want to protect trans people, hold these practitioners accountable." But how about this, Jon? If you want to have persnickety logical debate about trans care, MAKE SURE TRANS PEOPLE ARE PROTECTED FIRST. ... And if you can't be sure that trans people feel safe, respected, and secure, then... I don't know, maybe if you're a writer with a national platform, you should do your very best to leave them alone???

Two and a half weeks ago Pakalolo of the Kos community reported the Primanti Brothers restaurant in Wheeling, West Virginia was intimidated into canceling a drag show. In response, Johnny Haught, who is owner and head instructor of a martial arts academy, offered to provide security for S&S Productions which hosts drag shows. Haught, who is straight, said he and his students are trained to de-escalate situations without violence. Pakalolo quoted Outsports, which gave the story national exposure:

S&S Productions, which hosts drag shows throughout Pittsburgh, Penn. and surrounding areas, hasn’t said whether it will reschedule the event. In the meantime, Haught continues to push back against anti-LGBTQ sentiment, with humor and appeals for decency. On Thursday, he addressed an anonymous caller who left him a voice message and warned him not to perform in the event (obviously, the caller wrongly thought Haught was one of the queens). “The man on my voice-mail paid me the greatest compliment,” wrote Haught on Facebook. “Unfortunately, while I have tremendous legs and ass, I don’t have the makeup skills to be in a drag show.” In addition, Haught posted the address to his training facility, along with its weekly schedule. If any of those drag show-threatening crowds are looking for a fight, they know where to find him. We won’t be holding our breath ...

Hunter of Kos reported that back in 2020 this hard right Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County that workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity was illegal. After that several states updated their guidelines to include housing, banking, and government services. They began accepting complaints about such discrimination. Alas, in Alaska Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who was painted as insufficiently conservative, appointed Attorney General Treg Taylor, who told the Commission on Human Rights to quietly removed the part about housing, banks, and government agencies. Yeah, he no longer accepts discrimination complaints. Taylor’s logic is that if the federal Supremes, the state Supremes, or the legislature wants to ban certain forms of discrimination they had better spell out each on specifically. Taylor is Dunleavy’s third AG. The first one resigned because of an apparent sexual harassment of a young employee. The second resigned before being indicted for sexual abuse of a minor. Even with that little bit given to us by a hard right federal Supremes, harder right office holders aren’t rolling over. They’ll drag it out in hopes of a harder right future Supreme Court. Rebekah Sager of Kos reported the Tennessee House has passed a bill that says a person does not have to officiate at a wedding if they don’t agree with it. If enacted into law it could affect same-sex, transgender, and mixed-race couples. It seems this bill is taking advantage of a part of the federal Respect for Marriage Act that Biden signed into law in November. The Act allowed exceptions for religiously affiliated organizations and the House is declaring itself to be a religiously affiliated organization. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Monty Fritts, who, strangely, declared a big reason for the bill was to block elder abuse, where a younger person marries an older person for their money. Sure. Rep. Jason Power replied the bill was a “solution looking for a problem” and “government overreach.” I had recently written I hadn’t had much reason to mention marriage equality for a while. But I didn’t want to start mentioning it because we were sliding backwards. Sager also discussed:

According to exclusive reporting by Mother Jones, in 2019, South Dakota Republican state Rep. Fred Deutsch sent an email to 18 anti-trans activists, doctors, and lawyers with the content of a bill he wanted to put forth. That email set off a cataclysm of nefarious movements by those in the anti-transgender movement that are just now becoming a reality.

That bill didn’t pass. But it laid the groundwork for creating an anti-trans network that has successfully passed bills in six other states with 21 more considering such bills this year.

Activist and writer Erin Reed, who tracks anti-trans legislation, told Mother Jones, “They’ve very much increased sophistication since then, but the roots are there,” adding that the issue is especially complex as these conservative groups come from outside. “This isn’t coming from an in-state grassroots support system,” Reed says. These are also some of the same groups that oppose abortion and same-sex marriage, Mother Jones reports. The emails show a concerted effort to assemble anti-trans doctors as witnesses and recruit transgender people willing to refute their own gender identity experiences. And in the years since 2019, there’s been progress made to punish and outlaw doctors who provide gender-affirming care.

There is some good news. The second anti-trans law to pass, the one in Alabama, is being sued by the Justice Department for violating the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The Daily Felltoon tweeted a cartoon of three kids eating lunch:

Some grownups are all uptight that exposing kids to drag queens will turn us into transsexuals. But they’re not worried that participating in monthly active shooter drills will turn us into mass murderers? I thought a drag queen was a girl driving a hot rod.

Mike Luckovich tweeted a cartoon: In front of an image of a derailment an elephant says, “We want to regulate trans...” In a post from two and a half weeks ago Dartagnan of the Kos community discussed the supposedly unintended effects of various abortion bans.

We are told that Republicans’ deeply held concerns for cases of “rape and incest” or “to protect the life of the mother” may fall within those narrow exceptions to what are otherwise profoundly intrusive and malevolent acts of attempted control. We are calmly assured that instances of routine pregnancy “miscarriages” cannot possibly fall within the bans’ intended purview. We are soothed by the implication that with such exceptions, only “bad” and probably “sinful” pregnant individuals will be targeted by the bans. These tiny loopholes, inserted into laws otherwise fully intended to dominate and suppress half the population’s autonomy—and demonize that same group’s anatomy, which they obviously view with a sick revulsion—are held out by Republicans as evidence of their humanity and good will. But no one is being fooled, least of all the physicians who are now threatened with criminal sanctions for terminating their patients’ pregnancies, no matter what the reason. And as a result, in states like Florida as these laws begin to take full effect, horror stories continue to mount.

Dartagnan then told the story of Deborah and Lee Dorbert who found their fetus’ kidneys were not developing and their doctor said the baby would survive only 20 minutes after birth. Yet, the doctor said because of the new legislation he could not terminate the pregnancy. She would have to carry the baby to term.

At this point you might spare a moment to imagine what this couple is experiencing. People, friends, see her “baby bump” and express their cheery and heartfelt well wishes. Consider the sheer horror of having to acknowledge such sentiments with the truth.

In a post from earlier this week Laura Clawson of Kos reported:

A new lawsuit in Texas is bringing a different kind of challenge against the state’s abortion ban. Five women are suing not to get the law struck down, but to demand clarification of what exceptions the law allows and when abortion is legal. And each of these five women was personally harmed by the refusal of an abortion despite threats to their own health or fetal conditions incompatible with life. Officially, Texas allows abortions certain extremely limited conditions, such as the risk of “substantial” harm to the health of the mother. But in practice, doctors and hospitals are often too intimidated by the law to provide abortions even when it is clearly the case that a pregnant person’s health is at risk or even is actively being harmed. This lawsuit calls on the courts to make it crystal clear what the law allows.

Amanda Zurawski was told her cervical membranes had prolapsed and the fetus could not survive. The doctors wouldn’t do an abortion until she became ill with a temperature of 103F. Lauren Miller was expecting twins but the condition of one threatened the life of the other. She took the doctor’s hint to visit Colorado. She is still pregnant with the surviving twin. Good that she had the time and money for that trip. Lauren Hall’s baby wasn’t developing a skull. She visited Seattle.

The issue here is not that the doctors are being too cautious,” said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights. “The reality is, without clarification of this Texas law, without a change in the circumstances that are happening today, it is going to come that women are going to die.”

Jeff Singer of Kos Elections reported that abortion rights groups in Ohio are working to put a constitutional amendment on November’s ballot. The proposal would need a majority to pass. Current Ohio law says abortion is legal up to 22 weeks. A six week ban was passed in 2019 but blocked by a state judge. Republicans are trying to take that case to the GOP-led state Supremes. As the abortion rights groups go through the necessary steps – get the amendment language verified, then collect signatures by July 5 – Republicans are planning a referendum for the same fall ballot that says future amendments must pass by 60%. They’re afraid the constitution would be hijacked and ruin all their work. That higher threshold may not affect the abortion rights amendment but could affect an anti-gerrymandering amendment expected next year. Mike Stanfill of Raging Pencils tweeted a cartoon of a man arguing with an elephant. The second half of the cartoon says:

Women are dying of pregnancy complications. Men don’t get pregnant. Is there anything you like about women? Their votes.

Grizelda tweeted a cartoon that reminds me of my recent discussion that trans people are the only ones who get to say what is thransphobic. This one shows a dozen men and one woman at a table. The leader says to her:

Well, you’re the only one who thinks we’re a sexist organization.