DeSantis to Transgender Floridians: : F--k You
It's not all bad news! Voters in America's largest city elected their first woman mayor, a Democrat named Donna Deegan. Plus: Another trans model graces Sports Illustrated. And: The new gay Western
Actions by Florida’s Republican governor were described today as “a broader attack aimed at making it at best difficult — and at worst illegal — to be a trans person in Florida.” This has been a very hard day for transgender Americans like me, which is why this is being published so late. Sadly, it didn’t get better after sunset on this Wednesday, May 17, 2023. But first, a look back:
On this day in 2004, the first legal same-sex marriage in the United States was performed, uniting Marcia Kadish and Tanya McCloskey of Malden, Massachusetts. Their ceremony at Cambridge City Hall was followed by 77 other couples saying “I do” across the Commonwealth. Marriage Equality would become legal in all 50 states thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Obergefell v. Hodges, issued on June 26, 2015, a landmark story I was honored to write along with my colleagues at The Advocate.
The High Court ruled that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional on this day in 1954, the unanimous decision known as Brown v. Board of Education.
All I can hope is that the current Supreme Court, despite its conservative leanings, will make history once more by stepping in to stop the horrible laws that are being enacted to restrict the freedoms of Americans like me. Then again, remember what they did to Roe v. Wade…
Here Now the Bad News:
A CHILD IN TEARS, ANOTHER FLEEING TEXAS, BECAUSE OF REPUBLICANS:
BREAKING: TEXAS BANS TRANSGENDER HEALTHCARE FOR MINORS — The Republican-controlled legislature sent Gov. Greg Abbott (R) Senate Bill 14, which he is expected to sign. —The New York Times
Over the opposition of Democrats and the loud protests at the Capitol, lawmakers voted on Wednesday to approve a bill banning hormone and puberty blocking treatments, as well as surgeries for transgender children, which should be noted are not performed on children.
The Lone Star State is poised to become the largest state to ban gender transition medical care for minors.
The final version of the bill included a limited exemption for those transgender children who were already receiving medical treatment before the bill’s passage, though it also required those patients to “wean” themselves off the medications over an unspecified period of time.
The bill would prohibit a doctor from performing mastectomies or surgeries that would sterilize a child or remove otherwise healthy tissue or body parts, or from prescribing drugs that would induce transient or permanent infertility.
GOV. DeSANTIS SIGNS “SLATE OF HATE” BILLS INTO LAW: And I doubt it’s a coincidence that he did this today, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. Here’s a breakdown of what is now illegal in Florida, from CNN:
Transgender people are prohibited from using a bathroom or changing room that matches their gender identity while in government buildings, including in places like public schools, prisons and state universities.
The bill defines female as “a person belonging, at birth, to the biological sex which has the specific reproductive role of producing eggs” and male as “a person belonging, at birth, to the biological sex which has the specific reproductive role of producing sperm.”
Transgender children are prohibited from receiving gender-affirming treatments, including prescriptions that block puberty hormones or sex-reassignment surgeries, which again, are not performed on children.
Under the law, a court could intervene to temporarily remove a child from their home if they receive gender-affirming treatments or procedures, and it treats such health care options, which are supported by the American Medical Association, the same as it would a case of child abuse.
Teachers, faculty and students will be restricted from using the pronouns of their choice in public schools.
That law declares that it must be the policy of all schools that “a person’s sex is an immutable biological trait” and “it is false” to use a pronoun other than the sex on a person’s birth certificate.
That law also affirms that sexual orientation and gender identity cannot be taught in schools through eighth grade, codifying a state Board of Education decision to block such topics in all K-12 grades.
One more piece of legislation gives the DeSantis administration the power to take away licenses from establishments if they allow children into an “adult live performance,” widely interpreted as a crackdown on drag shows.
AXIOS SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT: Most major medical associations in the U.S. — including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics — support gender-affirming care for adults and adolescents.
Surgeries are not considered for children, and they are not commonly recommended or provided to adolescents. —Axios
A FRESH PERSPECTIVE: “Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed several bills into law that will criminalize multiple aspects of being transgender, part of a broader attack aimed at making it at best difficult — and at worst illegal — to be a trans person in Florida.” —Rolling Stone
RESPONSE FROM EQUALITY FLORIDA: “DeSantis has just signed into law the largest slate of anti-LGBTQ bills in one legislative session in the state’s history,” said Joe Saunders, senior political director of Equality Florida. “This is an all-out attack on freedom.” Saunders also said: “DeSantis doesn't see freedom as a value worth defending. He sees it as a campaign slogan in his bid for the White House."
RESPONSE FROM A DRAG PERFORMER: "My art form is not endangering to children, it's not endangering to anyone," Angelique Young, a Tampa-based drag performer, said at Equality Florida's press conference. "What this bill does is it takes away opportunities for trained people like myself to showcase their talent and their skills and their education in a mindful way."
RESPONSE FROM LAMBDA LEGAL: “By signing these four anti-LGBTQ+ bills into law, on International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia no less, Governor Ron DeSantis is demonstrating an intentional, callous disregard for LGBTQ+ Floridians and, in particular, trans youth by facilitating homophobia and transphobia and exposing this most vulnerable population to discrimination, harassment, and abuse,” said Kristine Kippins, Deputy Legal Director for Policy.
“This heinous and horrific move is but the latest step in a sweeping campaign of hate and discrimination by the DeSantis administration against LGBTQ+ people for crass political gain. Let’s be clear, these laws will deny transgender people access to health care, will criminalize and put LGBTQ+ lives in danger, will suppress or cancel LGBTQ+ events such as Pride parades and festivals, will censor LGBTQ+ content in schools, and will invite violence and abuse across the state. By signing these bills on this day, Gov. DeSantis is enshrining his hateful motives into law at the cost of the needs, lives, and futures of Florida’s children.”
RESPONSE FROM THE TRANS FORMATIONS PROJECT: “Today is a tragedy. Never before has so much anti-trans hate, rhetoric and political power coalesced in a single day against transgender Americans,” said Alex Petrovnia, Executive Director, Trans Formations Project.
“The bills signed today are meant to not only kill through medical negligence, but erase the very existence of an entire segment of human diversity as part of a coordinated effort to eliminate gender diverse self-expression, history, and ultimately, gender diverse people themselves. Human lives should be worth more than political points.”
STATEMENT BY NCLR: “Three Florida parents have asked a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order immediately blocking enforcement of SB 254, which Gov. DeSantis signed into law today. The families, who have a pending challenge to the state Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine rules banning established medical care for their children and other transgender adolescents are also challenging provisions in SB 254 that codify those rules into state law, add criminal and civil penalties, and create additional barriers for families with transgender adolescents.
“Advocates for the families will be in court on Friday to argue their motions to temporarily block the Boards of Medicine rules and the healthcare ban provisions in SB 254 so that they can get their children urgently needed medical care as the case continues.”
In Other Horrible News:
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ALSO UNDER RENEWED ATTACK: South Carolina lawmakers are debating a bill to ban most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, while North Carolina’s Republican-controlled state legislature voted to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of a bill banning abortions after 12 weeks, allowing it to become law. Global News
ABORTION PILL IN PERIL: The federal judges who heard arguments Wednesday in the fight over access to the most commonly used abortion pill in the U.S. questioned the Biden administration's position that the drug mifepristone should remain widely available. —NBC News
The hearing at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Louisiana included arguments from the Justice Department and drugmaker Danco Laboratories on one side and a group of doctors and medical professionals who oppose abortion on the other.
The three-judge panel heard the case after the Supreme Court said the status quo on mifepristone's availability should remain in place while the appeals process plays out.
Two of the judges — Cory Wilson and James Ho — were nominated by former President Donald Trump, while the third, Jennifer Walker Elrod, was nominated by former President George W. Bush.
MEANWHILE IN NEBRASKA: Lawmakers added a 12-week gestational abortion ban to a controversial bill that seeks to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The State Legislature advanced Legislative Bill 574 in a 33-14 vote Tuesday night. While the bill had been slated for its final round of debate, lawmakers also adopted an amendment Tuesday that will require the legislation to make it through one more round of debate before it goes to Gov. Jim Pillen’s desk to be signed into law. —Omaha World-Herald
Here Now the Good (and Other) News
(This was my top story until DeSantis and Texas Republicans ruined the day)
VOTERS MAKE HISTORY IN THE NATION’S LARGEST CITY: Democrat Donna Deegan, a cancer survivor, marathon runner and popular former TV news anchor (with whom I had the great pleasure of working!) was elected mayor of Jacksonville, Fla. Tuesday after months of hard campaigning and millions of dollars spent between both sides. Outspent four-to-one, Deegan won the highly contested election against Republican Daniel Davis with nearly 52% of the vote. She will be the city’s first woman mayor and the first Democrat in nearly a decade to win election. —Jacksonville.com and First Coast News
SINCE WHEN IS JACKSONVILLE THE NATION’S LARGEST? The city has more than 840 square miles, which makes it the largest city by landmass is the continental United States.
“LOVE WON TODAY:” Deegan’s election over the DeSantis candidate sends a strong message to Tallahassee.
MONTANA TO BECOME FIRST STATE TO BAN TIKTOK: Reuters
BIDEN EN ROUTE TO JAPAN FOR G-7 MEETING: CNN
SHORTENED TRIP HURTS U.S. RELATIONS IN ASIA: NYT
CHECK JAPAN’S RECORD ON LGBTQ+ RIGHTS: Washington Post
OMGnews
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED CHOOSES TRANS MODEL FOR SWIMSUIT ISSUE: And not for the first time! This time, it’s Kim Petras. —Sports Illustrated and The Independent
AND OF COURSE, THERE’S BACKLASH: The Wrap
NO, THIS IS NOT BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN 2: A NEW GAY WESTERN
PREMIERE AT CANNES: In “Strange Way of Life,” director Pedro Almodóvar’s short western, Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal play a lawman and a cowboy looking back on a passionate affair. The film premiered today at the Cannes Film Festival. In the film, Hawke and Pascal reunite 25 years after having a passionate affair. But will their old magic be rekindled, or are both men concealing ulterior motives for the meeting? —NYT
Star Trek Corner
FIRST GLIMPSE AT LIVE ACTION LOWER DECKS CHARACTERS! TrekCentral has the “blink and you’ll miss it” sneak peek from the Strange New Worlds crossover episode directed by Jonathan Frakes.
HOW TO VIEW EVERY SEASON OF EVERY STAR TREK SERIES: Click here to subscribe to Paramount+
That’s all for tonight! I’ll be back tomorrow with more news to help you rise up and start your day. Until then… Good night and good luck, especially to everyone in Florida and Texas!
© 2023 EnniBuddy Productions - All Rights Reserved