Opinions
Trump destroys families and facts
U.S. faces self-inflicted humanitarian crisis
Donald Trump believes ripping children away from their mothers is the right thing to do. He is a disgusting lying SOB excuse for a man. What other way can you describe the person responsible for what is happening on our border and how his administration and Justice Department are enabling it?
We in the United States now have a self-inflicted humanitarian crisis on our hands. We are taking young children away from their mothers and warehousing some in an old Walmart. The administration is talking about setting up a tent city to house these children apparently learning how to do this from the refugee camps in Gaza and Syria. The difference here in the United States is we are setting up these tent camps for children who will be in them due to our taking them from their mothers. The Trump administration has determined mothers running away from violence and fleeing their homes for safety and a better life in the United States are criminals and punishing their innocent children is appropriate.
To justify this, the attorney general quotes the Bible. Aside from a blatant disregard for the separation of church and state he asks people to believe God supports this atrocity. Adding fuel to the fire, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the presidentās spokesperson, lies about the basis for what is happening and insults a reporter who dares ask her āas a mother what do you think about what the administration is doing?ā
Sandersā lies include blaming Democrats for not passing legislation to stop this cruelty the Trump administration is inflicting on these children. She knows the White House can stop it immediately and that both houses of Congress are controlled by Republicans. She and Trump are trying to turn this into a political issue rather than a humanitarian atrocity of his making.
My question to Americans is have we fallen so far in our country people will not cry out demanding it stop? Have Evangelical Christians who support Trump become a cult and refuse to speak up when he rips apart families?
Is Trump their Jim Jones? Would they be willing to replay the scene from Jonestown, Guyana āwhere at Jim Jonesā direction, 909 members of the Peopleās Temple died, all but two from apparent cyanide poisoning, in a revolutionary suicide that included over 200 murdered children?ā They must know this heinous act of ripping children from their mothers is Trumpās policy not law. Just as it is Trump administration policy to deport Dreamers even as he tries to deflect and blame others for it.
Have we fallen so far we will accept Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) castigating the few remaining Republicans with enough decency and spine to question the despot in the White House? Yes I am calling him a despot. This man who makes friends with our enemies and enemies of our friends. The man who calls Kim Jong-un, the most brutal dictator in the world, a fine man and lauds him for what he is doing for his people. This brutal dictator who has put 100,000 of his people in gulags; rules with an iron fist by intimidation; and murdered members of his own family. This is the man our president befriends and admires.
For sure the world is turned upside down and there will be no righting it until we rid ourselves of this madman in the White House. Whether he is taken down by the justice system or the voters, we must make sure he is stopped.Ā The hate in our country is not new but Trump has enabled it to come out in the open. He encourages it. Trump watches a candidate like Corey Stewart in Virginia spew hate and stand with a white supremacist to receive his endorsement before adding his own full-throated endorsement.
One must pray the god I have always considered fair and decent will enter the conscience of those who continue to support this disgusting, vile man in the White House. That his daughter Ivanka, who believes it is OK to share a picture of herself hugging her daughter while her father rips other daughters from their mothers will open her eyes to this outrage her father is inflicting on innocent children. That Sarah Huckabee Sanders who claims to be religious, will realize defending a policy, not a law, that rips a baby from their mother is a vile and horrendous thing to do. That Mike Pence and his wife who claim to be so religious will actually follow the tenets of the Bible and love they neighbor as thyself and protect the children.
My fervent hope is Americans will wake up from this nightmare in time to make amends and reclaim our position in the world among our friends.
Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBT rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.
Opinions
DC To Host 1st National TDOV Gala on Easter Sunday
Trans USA National Pageantry and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) will host the 1st AnnualĀ BlossomĀ Gala at Hook Hall.
The first International Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV) celebration was held 15 years ago, with the goal of addressing the major concern that the only well-known trans-centered day was the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which mourned the murders of transgender people but did not acknowledge and celebrate living members of the transgender community. On March 31, Trans USA National Pageantry and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) will host the 1st AnnualĀ BlossomĀ Gala at Hook Hall, which will serve as the culminating event of their TDOV programming in Washington, DC.Ā
Dylan Drobish (also known as Dylan B. Dickherson White), National Director at Trans USA, offered the following:Ā āIt is our hope that Blossom will serve as a reminder not just of the battle we face every day but also of the beauty, excellence, intellect, and resilience of transgender Americans. We believe that this event is especially important given the increased backlash and violence against our community in the last few years alone, with nearly 500 anti-trans bills under consideration across 41 states as of March. However, Blossomāand TDOV itselfāis a celebration held in defiance of the idea that trans lives are only worthy of headlines once they have ended.ā
Preceded by an impactful, inspiring rally at the national mall (11:00 AM to 3:00 PM) featuring Angelica Ross of Pose and AHS, Blossom is a fundraising initiative that blends keynote speakers, a Q&A panel discussion with national leaders in the movement for transgender equality, and the artistry of drag with CHERRY BOMB–an all-trans drag showcase headlined by trans icon, activist, and Drag Race pioneer Monica Beverly Hillz. This pivotal event will also serve as the official public launch of the TRANSform the Vote initiative, which aims to inspire transgender people and allies to make their voices heard at the ballot box.
But make no mistake. Blossom is a celebration, and the event organizers have pulled out all the stops to ensure that ticket prices remain accessible without sacrificing the magic of a true gala experience. For truly gram-worthy āpink carpetā photos, all attendees are invited to “dress to impress” with their interpretation of a timely theme that celebrates the beauty of coming into one’s own as a visible member of the trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming community.
The event comes at a pivotal time for both the community and the organizations seeking to protect it: This summer, NCTE will officially merge with Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) to create Advocates for Trans Equality, doubling their ability to lead the next chapter of the transgender rights movement. This November, Trans USA will welcome over 80 representatives from across the country to their national competition, which will for the first time also feature a national conference and exposition solely focused on the trans and non-binary community. While monumental, these 2024 events come with unprecedented challenges, as many major corporations and grant programs refuse to provide funding related to ācontroversial social or political issuesā, especially in an election year.
Despite these challenges, celebratory events like Blossom are, unsurprisingly, now more important than ever, with trans lives having been politicized to such a polarizing extent. Drobish, a former Mr. Trans USA himself offered the following:
āāNarrative identityā refers to the idea that our identities are formed from the internal stories we tell about ourselves (and our interpretation of them). Organizations like Trans USA and NCTE are here to help rewrite the narrative that gets passed down to the next generation of trans and non-binary folks. My message to anyone involved with Trans USA or the movement in general has always been that you are the author of your storyāthe story that gives your life meaning and purposeāand you get to choose how itās told. Are you the hero or the victim? Are you the agent or the object? Are you the one telling your story, or is someone else doing all the talking? Itās 2024, and itās time to take the pen back. Because true visibility isnāt about being seen; itās about making others feel seen. Seen enough to BLOSSOM.ā
Tickets for the Blossom gala start at just $15, but VIP guests ($100) will receive access to a premium open bar fromĀ 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, light hors d’oeuvres, and prime seating, in addition to the 20-entertainer showcase with a Drag Race headliner! While doors open at 4:30 PM for the event, advance purchase online is strongly recommended by the organizers, as only a limited number of these VIP tickets are available.
-Dylan Drobish (National Director, Trans USA National Pageantry; Mr. Trans USA 2022, Mr. Freddieās 2019
Opinions
Attacking Jews is latest Trump outrage
Anyone who supports equality and peace must vote for Biden
Calling out the Jewish community in the United States as Trump did, is both dumb, and anti-Semitic. The Jewish community has been a Democratic constituency for many years, and attacking them wonāt get them to vote for him.
It is a difficult time for many Jews in the world today. I being one of them. I am a strong supporter of Israel, but support Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who believes there will never be peace in the Middle East as long as Netanyahu and his government are in control. Israel cannot keep annexing West Bank land, which should be part of a Palestinian state if we can get to a two-state solution. In fact, they must draw back the settlements now there. At the same time, like Schumer, I believe both Netanyahu and Hamas have to go. Being anti-Netanyahu is not being anti-Israel, just as being anti-Trump is not being anti-United States, or wanting Hamas to go, is not being anti-Palestinian.
Attacking Jews is just one more outrageous thing coming out of Trumpās mouth. He is a notorious sexist, racist, homophobic, pig. He is an old man who canāt control his mouth and continues to spout nonsense. His apparently limited brain power is tied up in disgusting views of the world and individuals. He mocks those with disabilities like he did to a New York Times reporter, and mocks President Biden for his stutter. There was a recent column in the Washington Post reminding people Trumpās father had Alzheimerās. I think we may be seeing the disease manifest itself in Trump.
I have written this election is between two older men. I myself am older, and understand one often forgets a name, a date, or an event. Having just written a memoir, which I hope will be published in May, in its preface I say āthese are dates and events as I remember them.ā But as neuroscientist Charan Ranganath recently wrote in the Washington Post, that in no way limits how a person can understand complex issues, or in my case work as a consultant and research and write weekly columns. For a president, especially one who is older, it is important for us to know who is surrounding him or her. I am definitely more secure knowing those who will be around and advising President Biden, versus those around Trump. No one person alone, whatever their age, can handle all the issues facing a president.
Whether you are a Jew supporting Israel, a Muslim supporting the Palestinian people, or someone like me supporting both, you are better off with President Biden. If you support the Palestinian people having their freedom, then Trump must strike fear in your heart, after all, he is the one who moved the American embassy to Jerusalem.
The idea of electing a man convicted of fraud in his business dealings, found liable for sexually mistreating a woman, and who faces another 88 criminal counts, is ludicrous. It actually says as much about the people who would vote for him, as it does about Trump. A man who brags about taking away the right of women to control their own body, and healthcare, doesnāt deserve the vote of any woman. A man who opposes equal rights, affirmative action, and saw good people on both sides in Charlottesville, doesnāt deserve the vote of any Black American. A man who opposes any forgiveness of student loans, denies climate change, opposes making community college free, doesnāt deserve the vote of any young person.
It amazes me when people compare how things were four years ago to today, and say they were better then. A time you couldnāt find toilet paper on grocery shelves, 1,000 people a day were dying of COVID, the Dow Jones was at 19,000 and today itās at 39,000. The country was hemorrhaging jobs and in the last three years 13 million have been created. Wages are higher and unemployment lower.
Of course, as President Biden says, we need to do more. He is doing it, Trump didnāt. Trump gave a $2 trillion tax cut to the wealthy, increasing the national debt. He pledges to do it again. Biden passed a massive infrastructure bill, now creating thousands of jobs building and repairing bridges and roads, in every state. He passed the Chips and Science Act, recently announcing new chip factories in four states, creating thousands of new construction and manufacturing jobs. Those factories will change the U.S. from an importing country, to a producing one. That is some of the real change Biden has brought about.
Trump talks big, but never produced; Biden is producing for the American people, and will continue to do so.
Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.
Letter-to-the-Editor
Banning the Rainbow Flag: the latest act of GOP madness
Prohibition included in government spending bill the president signed
The Republican agenda is an obvious one:Ā Distract from real issues by assaulting the most vulnerable. That’s why they have focused their hatred on the LGBTQ+ community. After years of legislating book bans, curriculum censorship, bathroom restrictions and withholding medically needed gender therapy, their latest act is signature Republican cruelty: For a crucial trillion-dollar budget that would prevent a government shutdown, the GOP slipped in a measure to ban the display of Rainbow Flags at U.S. embassies all over the world.
This is not an act of mere symbolism. In too many countries, being queer is punishable by imprisonment or death. Measures like this give a green light to violence and homophobia both at home and abroad. It places more LGBTQ+ people at tangible risk. It is an outrageous abuse of the political process.
This cynical political maneuver is typical of the GOP, the Party of Destruction. But equally egregious is that President Biden and Democrats approved the budget, knowing the poison pill line item that had already been added.
Now, President Biden vows to repeal the embassy flag ban measure. We will hold him to his vow. Will he expend the political capital necessary to make the repeal happens? We must remember that he and the Congress capitulated to a small group of GOP manipulators and, in this instance, saw the global LGBTQ+ community as expendable.
The Democratic Party positions itself as an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. They must hold their ground. They must represent and defend all of us. Otherwise, an emboldened GOP, led by Trump, will only escalate their merciless attacks on our vulnerable communities.”
Charles Beal is president of the Gilbert Baker Foundation and the Save the Rainbow Flag Campaign.
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