Social & Political

Gender Queer: A Review

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After all the Republican outrage over banning books, I thought it was time to read one of the more “controversial” ones for myself. I already knew from previous experience that once these book banners got it into their heads that a book was “inappropriate”, there is usually no going back for them. One thing that I’m proud about myself is that I’m willing to make mistakes and apologize for them, and even, heavens to Betsy, change my mind as I grow and evolve. That doesn’t seem to be the case for the immediate future.

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Election Connection 2025: Day 634

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Not to put too fine a point on it, but the Inauguration of the former and next President is in thirteen days, and the mid-term elections are in six hundred thirty-four days, and many of us will be counting the months, weeks, days, and hours until that election day.

We must resist in all our legal capacity, and we must be loud.

My two strongest focuses, in addition to holding onto our democracy by any legal means necessary, are combating antisemitism and trans-hate. Some of it is transphobia, but the majority of what I’m witnessing is ignorance and hate, and we all need to be allies.

The graphic below is useful in vetting news sources. In the coming weeks, this is going to be more difficult with opinion pieces masquerading as facts, with declarative statements masquerading as already existing in law. Two examples of this are:

The media continually calling Pete Hegseth and Kash Patel the next Secretary of Defense and Director of the FBI, respectively. They are not, and they will NOT be until they are confirmed by the United States Senate. They are merely nominees; not even designees yet.

The second is the acquiescing to calling Musk and Ramaswamy as any kind of official and calling DOGE anything other than wishful thinking. A new government department just doesn’t magically appear without Congressional approval, and these two numb nuts have no position within the government. They may still, but not yet.

We must not obey in advance.

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Remember and Remembering January 6th

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January 6 will forever be Trump’s legacy—a violent, unforgivable assault on our nation’s capitol. No amount of revisionism or whitewashing by the MAGA GOP will erase it. The entire world watched in horror & nothing will ever change the fact that Trump is a fraud.

Olivia of Troye on Bluesky. Olivia is a former Trump Administration official (1st term)

Please visit below the cut and ensure that January 6th is remembered, today and every day.

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Rest Now, Good and Faithful Servant

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President Jimmy Carter passes away at 100

Yesterday we learned of the death of President Jimmy Carter after nearly two years in hospice care and after the death of his beloved wife, Rosalynn a little more than a year ago in November of 2023.

I remember bits of his presidency and his family, especially his brother, Billy and youngest child, Amy, who was a year younger than me. I remember his deep southern accent and his wide smile, but mostly I remember that after he left the Presidency did his public service really begin. I can’t begin to relate his accomplishments – there are others better suited to telling those stories, but I do want to acknowledge his passion for the American people and their experiment as well as his compassion and faith that I admired and hope to emulate, although I know I’ll never come close.

To read about his legacy, visit his Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, online here and the Carter Center, next door to the Library and Museum.

For funeral arrangements and the schedule for his lying in state in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, Georgia, visit:

USA Today has a fairly comprehensive discussion of what is planned both in Washington and Georgia at this link.

This short clip on C-SPAN has President Carter talking about some of the funeral arrangements for when “his participation at the Carter Center is reduced.”

The Carter Center and The White House will have more information as it becomes available.

The state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter will be Thursday, January 9.
All federal offices and some state offices will be closed in commemoration and as part of the
National Day of Mourning.
All flags will be flown at half-staff for 30 days, beginning on December 29, 2024 at all public buildings and grounds as well as military posts, and half-mast on all naval vessels.

A Look Back Through Photos:

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Native American Heritage Month Can Be All Year Long If You Know Where to Go

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I think when it comes to marginalized groups in this country, it is important to remember that even though we attempt to celebrate them and honor them, we can still do that on the other 364 days of the year, and not just on “their” day.

Native American Heritage Month officially ended on November 30th, and Native American Heritage Day was commemorated on November 29th.

In addition to the post last week with links to the American Indian Museum in Washington, DC, I’d like to share the following links and travel recommendations for you to consider over the next 361 days.

The Akwesasne Cultural Center is located on State Route 37 in Akwesasne, New York, near the Canadian Border. They are a museum, library, and cultural center focusing on the history and culture of the Mohawk people as well as protecting Mohawk culture and artifacts. The museum and gift shop are open T – F, 10-6, and Sat, 10-2. The library is open additionally on Monday, 9-5.

The Kanien’keha’:ka Onkwawen:na Raotitiohkwa Language and Cultural Center was established in 1978. Its mission is to preserve and enrich the language and culture of the Kanien’keha:ka (Mohawk) of Kahnawa:ke. They are located in the Mohawk Territory of Kahanwa:ke, south of Montreal, Canada.

You can also find the Welcome Center, the Kateri Interpretive Center, and the St. Francis-Xavier Mission Church (on this site since 1716) in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawa:ke. I have toured all three of these sites and it is well worth the visit.

From The National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian: The “First Thanksgiving”: How Can We Tell a Better Story?

Bluesky Handle, Puff the Magic Hater has a thread of ways to support Native people, for everything from abortion care, defending voting rights, keeping Native families together, and more. Visit the thread here.

I’d like to close this post with the words of someone smarter than me. On Nov 29, 2024, historian Heather Cox Richardson wrote on Facebook:

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Native American Heritage Month

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There is still a long way to go in acknowledging what the governments of the United States and Canada have done to the Native American and First Nations peoples of North America. I’m being naive in thinking that Native American Heritage Month in November when Thanksgiving occurs is completely unrelated. However, it is what it is.

I thought I would share some of the things and signage that I noticed on our recent visits to Canada. The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto has a large First Nations exhibit. I think it took nearly an hour to get through it and I could have probably stayed longer.

In addition to the following photos, when we visited the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, I noticed a sign at the entrance that said: Ingenium [Canada Aviation & Space Museum] offers free admission to all active Canadian military personnel, Canadian military veterans, Indigenous peoples, including First Nations, Inuit and Métis, and a support leader accompanying a person with disabilities. When available, presentation of an Identification Card is requested.

I noticed this in several museums including the ROM.

There was also a discount for the gift shop as well as Indigenous pins and souvenirs.

In the United States, it is on my bucket list to visit the American Indian Museum at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.. There is also a location in New York City. Check out the website for hours of operation. Admission to both locations are free.

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Nancy Mace is a Bully. And a Bigot.

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Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day when we take account and remember those transgender people who have died, and been murdered, disproportionately trans women of color.

Today is also the day that Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina sponsored a procedure/rule banning trans women from using the women’s restrooms at the Capitol. I’m not sure if this includes tourists visiting the nation’s capital and its Capitol Building or just the ONE trans member of Congress who was just elected from Delaware. Either way, Nancy Mace has been using vulgar, transphobic, and bigoted language, and creating a hostile work environment, and creating potential hate attacks on others including youth in and out of schools.

Today is the day that Nancy Mace decided that THIS is the one issue that needs to be addressed in the last few weeks of the Congressional session.

On the other hand, Representative-Elect Sarah McBride of Delaware issued her own statement that she will abide by the rules set forth by the Speaker of the House (Republican Mike Johnson of Louisiana), and she is in Congress to work for the people she represents in her district.

The difference between that reaction from Congressperson-Elect McBride and Rep. Mace tells you all you need to know about the morals of both of them and Mace’s lack of any.

Nancy Mace is a bigot; we know that. She is also a bully. This rule change won’t affect Ms. McBride as much as it will affect the hundreds of trans and non-binary kids who are getting bullied in classrooms from students their own age AND from teachers and staff.

I am disgusted with Republicans like Nancy Mace who should have better things to do than attack a fellow (soon-to-be) colleague.

I would say “shame on her,” but she clearly has no shame.

All of my well wishes go to Sarah Mc Bride.

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As I teased yesterday on Instagram, I am still wearing my Harris/Walz bracelets. No, I am not delusional. I know that the election is over, and I know that Harris/Walz did not win. They are not going to the White House. That is something that I am processing.

However, I am still wearing them for the next few weeks at least. I honestly don’t know how long I’ll keep them on. I imagine one day I will wake up, and not reach for them, pulling them loose and sliding them onto my wrist. It won’t be today or tomorrow, or the next day.

Time will tell as it moves forward and heals.

So, why do I keep wearing them?

I want a reminder of not only what could have been, but what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, and their families brought to us; what they gave us:

Hope and Joy.

Tim talked about hope in every one of his speeches. His daughter is named Hope. Everything he’s done for his family, his students, and his state has been in a hopeful, happy way.

Kamala has been full of joy since I’ve seen her debut on the political stage. She is a joyful warrior. When I hear her laugh, I can’t help but smile. When she is with citizens, when she is cooking, when she is talking about this country and our potential, she is full of joy.

Those bracelets remind me of what good can come, what could have been, but also what can be as we remember these two beautiful souls and what they gave us for a few short weeks. I also know they will continue to bring Hope and Joy to whatever they do, and I am happy to be part of their team.