Amy Walker - Trans-Scribe

Transgender blogger, writer, comic book letterer, journalist and editor for Planet Transgender and self confessed geek girl from the UK.  

[feliicityrampant]

the athiesm of women/people of color/lgbt people is absolutely different than the athiesm of cishet white men and i feel like people forget that a lot

[paintmeahero]

how?

[windwardstar]

Don’t have spoons for long explanation - also this is only speaking for christianity - but religion has been a force of oppression for women, people of color, and lgbt+ people and the rejection of the religion is often coupled with the rejection of how religion treats them.

I’ll also say that abuse survivors are included in this because it is a reaction to and an attempt to reconcile how (christian) god would allow abuse to happen.

For straight white men atheism is usually rooted in intellectual and rational superiority complexes. It’s a “i am more rational and intelligent than you, how can you believe in something so obviously fake” thing as opposed to a reaction to a societal institution that upholds their oppression and abuse.

[bairnsidhe]

Women, PoC, Queer people, immigrants, trauma survivors, etc:  How can I believe in something that teaches you to be cruel?  How can I trust the books that tell me of peace and love, when you use your faith to hurt me?  How can a loving god allow [insert injustice of the day]?

White Men: I, as an Intellectual, eschew silly superstitions that say I might, someday, after my death, face one (1) single consequence.

[goodness-gracious-great-balls-of]

If your argument against gun control goes like this “what if a bad guy has a gun I need one to defend myself” then you’re already stating that a gun is a threat to the safety of those nearby. You’re tickling your ego by thinking you with your gun will be faster and smarter than the bad guy and frankly my life is not worth testing out your bullshit attitude. You already know guns are bad, you just think you with a gun is better. If they shoot you or you shoot them that’s the same number of people killed. You still believe guns are dangerous you just wanna feel cool idk what to tell you champ just stop sniffing the glue.

[chill0naperochingona]

You put this into words way better than I could have

[snartmo-deactivated20180309]

The amount of people willing to base their ideals on pretending they’re the lead character of an action movie is ridiculous.

[amazing-amy-w]

T-Shirt Company Promotes LGBT+ Swastika Clothing

Clothing company Teespring has faced a massive backlash after releasing a range of clothing that tried to use the swastika to promote the LGBT+ community. The designer of the shirts, KA Design, stated that they wanted to remove the negative connotations that became associated with the swastika when it was used as a symbol by the Nazi party. 'They took the swastika, rotated it by 45 degrees, and turned it into hatred, and turned it into fear, and turned it into war, and turned it into racism, and turned it into power. They stigmatised the swastika forever. 'The swastika is coming back, together with peace, together with love, together with respect, together with freedom. Introducing the new swastika.' A spokesperson for Teespring stated that they wanted to 'share the beauty' of the swastika. 'We really like the symbol in its shape and aesthetics, and we would love to share the beauty of this symbol detached from the hatred associated with it.' After the initial backlash Teesping has removed the shirts from sale. 'This morning it came to our attention that a user created a number of designs on Teespring that included a swastika, a hate symbol that we do not allow on Teespring.' They said in a statement following the removal. 'As soon as the design was discovered, it was removed from the site.' The chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission, Dr Dvir Abramovich, has spoken out about the matter to the media, condemning both the clothing line and the company for selling it. 'I'm outraged and shocked that any company would seek to profit from selling such reprehensible items. The swastika does not represent the LGBTI community, whose members were the victims of Hitler's evil regime. And no, it cannot be rebranded as a symbol of peace. 'KA's naive, and in many ways, selfish attitude shows a staggering lack of concern for the feelings of those who survived the Holocaust and those who lost relatives to the monstrous deeds of the Third Reich.' Whilst the vast majority of those killed during the Holocaust were Jewish, the LGBT+ community were amongst several minority groups targeted by the Nazi's, with thousands imprisoned and killed in concentration camps. Many of those who were liberated from Nazi facilities were later re-arrested and imprisoned by the Allied Nations based upon evidence of their homosexuality kept by the Nazi's. Go to Amy's Blog Follow Amy on Twitter

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Sources: NewsWeek, Promo Marketing, Jerusalem Post, Pink News

[amazing-amy-w]

Earthworm Jim Creator Attacks Trans Journalist And Misgenders Her

Doug TenNapel, creator of the popular Sega Genesis game Earthworm Jim, has attacked transgender games journalist Heather Alexandra and has begun to post numerous transphobic tweets to his Twitter account. Alexandra posted an article to the video games website Kotaku where she criticised some of the level designs in the original game. TenNapel quickly took to social media to complain about the article, intentionally misgendering Heather in a transphobic attack by saying; 'Heather, you're a good man and entitled to your own opinion. If you ever want to get into why we created it the way we did in the 90's let's chat.'

Since then TenNapel has tweeted further transphobic comments by stating that people cannot change their gender, and complaining that people are trying to force trans acceptance on him; all whilst continuing to misgender Heather Alexandra.

This is not the first time that TenNapel has expressed anti-LGBT+ sentiment, having previously criticised marriage equality, and decrying gay rights. Heather Alexandra's original article can be found at Kotaku.com. Go to Amy's Blog Follow Amy on Twitter

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[amazing-amy-w]

Is A Female Green Ranger Coming In Power Rangers Sequel?

Dacre Montgomery, Power Rangers' Red Ranger, has recently spoken to the media following his latest comic con appearance to talk about the possibility of a female Green Ranger in the Power Rangers sequel. 'Yeah, I think we were just talking about that when we were doing a press conference in L.A. I mean, for me, it was just the whole idea of there's three boys. There's two girls. What if the sixth ranger was a girl? I don't know. I think it's open for interpretation. 'That was just mine and a couple of other cast members' interpretation. Yeah. But there's also some ground there for the OG fans about, like, Tommy is a guy so I'm not wanting to mess with that at the same time as advocating for a girl. So we shall see.' He also went on to comment that he believed the post-credit scene was left ambiguous enough to allow for the possibility of a female Green Ranger. 'It's left blank. It's a cliffhanger. Whoever you're going to drop into that position - whether it's a girl, it's inevitably going to create drama. It'll be interesting to drop drama into it and see how we all relate and work with it.' Montgomery did go on to clarify that this was only something that was discussed amongst the cast of the first film, and that nothing was confirmed. 'I'm not saying that there's a sequel. I'm not saying it's a girl or a boy, but I hope that if it does go in that direction that everyone can be satisfied with it and that it can be conducive to being a good movie, a good sequel.' Whilst I am a fan of the original Green Ranger, and Tommy Oliver in general, the possibility of a female version of the character is an intriguing one. The Power Rangers film wasn't shy about changing established aspects about the classic characters that appeared in the original series, and a lot of the changes worked very well at delivering some interesting versions of these old favourites. Go to Amy's Blog Follow Amy on Twitter

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[amazing-amy-w]

Tory MP Wants Anti-Trans Bathroom Laws In The UK

David Davies, Tory MP for Monmouth, has argued in a recent article for the newspaper South Wales Argus that transgender women should be made to use men's facilities, referring to them as 'he/she's'. The article came following the announced plans by Tory Equality Minister Justine Greening to reform the Gender Recognition act to make it easier for trans people to be able to go through the complex process. Davies wrote; 'It is an absolute given that we should show understanding and compassion towards anyone confused about their gender. We should not discriminate against them in any way, nor should we tolerate verbal or physical abuse towards them or anyone else. However, we cannot consider the rights of transgender people without considering the rights of others. 'If a man decides to register him/herself as a woman, should he/she have the right to use women's toilets, changing rooms, hospital wards, etc.? This would clearly have an impact on the rights of women using those facilities. 'Some might say that I am "on the wrong side of history" or "bigoted". But I would maintain that anyone in possession of male genitalia should be expected to use male facilities regardless of what facilities they are.' Many people have already called out the article and Mr Davies as inaccurate and disrespectful, both on social media and in the article's comments section. As a transgender woman who has legally changed her name and gender, and has female gender marker on her legal documents, I use female facilities. I have not, however, had surgery to alter my genitals. But by Mr Davies' rules I should have to enter men's spaces and put my life in danger. The very concept of having to use the facilities that match your sexual organs is, frankly, ridiculous. Look at the signs on the doors of public toilets, you'll see pictures of men and women in stereotypical representations; trousers and skirts. This is because these are how the world views men and women, but how they look and present, otherwise there'd be pictures of genitals instead. I'm female, I present as female, dress as female, live my life as female, but this is not enough to be considered female to Mr Davies, rather a physical aspect of myself that is only between me and my partners. You're right Mr Davies, you are on the wrong side of history, and you are bigoted. Just like you were when you called to stop marriage equality and attacked gay people in 2012. When David Cameron announced plans to legalise same sex Mr Davies wrote the following; 'We're going to lose a large number of very loyal activists who've gone out and campaigned for us over the years and who don't like this idea, so politically it's barking mad. 'I think most people are very tolerant and have no problem at all if people are gay, but, and I hate to say this in a way because people I expect it's going to cause controvesy, but I think most parents would prefer their children not to be gay, knowing most parents want grandchildren if nothing else.' Mr Davies' original article can be found at South Wales Argus Go to Amy's Blog Follow Amy on Twitter

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[amazing-amy-w]

CW's Next DC Crossover Event Airdate Announced

After the success of last years crossover event 'Invasion' between Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl CW has announced that a second four part crossover event will be airing, this time over two nights. The crossover will begin in Supergirl on Monday, November 27th, followed immediately by Arrow; and will be concluded the night after with The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. This marks a difference from last years crossover event, which aired across four nights.

CW's President, Mark Pedowitz, spoke about the change in structure for this years event, 'Last year's was the most successful week in CW history in terms of ratings and everything. We felt in this particular case we had The Flash and Legends paired, so it was better to make it two two-hour movies - a miniseries - we thought this was the best way to go. 'We had a lot of conversations with producers and marketing people. Next year, we might go back to four nights.' Supergirl season three will begin to air on October 9th, The Flash season four and Legends of Tomorrow season three will air on October 10th, with Arrow season six airing on October 12th. Go to Amy's Blog Follow Amy on Twitter

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[amazing-amy-w]

Comedian Refuses To Apologise For Saying They Would Kill Trans People

American comedian Lil' Duval has refused to apologise for a 'joke' made when appearing on the radio show The Breakfast Club where he said that he would kill a trans person if he slept with them. When asked how he felt about President Trump's proposal to ban transgender servicepeople from taking part in military service. 'I'm just doing my thing,' he replied, 'shout out to all the trannies out there.' Lil' Duval was then asked what he would do if he were to sleep with a transgender person without knowing that they were trans beforehand. 'If you had sex with one and you didn't know?' 'This might sound messed up and I don't care, but, she's dying.' He responded. 'I can't deal with that. I can't do that. You manipulated me to believe this thing. In my mind, I'm gay now!' One of the shows presenters tried to get Duval to apologise for his comments whilst on air by pointing out that it would be a hate crime; Duval, however, continued on to defend his response. 'There should be some kind of repercussions if you do that to somebody. If one did that to me and they didn't tell me, I'm gonna be so mad I'm probably going to want to kill them. I can say what I want and do what I want, and people understand where I'm coming from. They know I'm not coming from a place of malice.' Many members of the trans community and their allies took to Twitter to express their disapproval of Duval's comments, including actress Laverne Cox.

Author Janet Mock, whom Duval referred to with male pronouns during his interview, condemned the shows hosts for allowing hate speech. 'It's this deplorable rhetoric that leads many cis men, desperately clutching their hetrosexuality, to yell at, kick, spit on, shoot, burn, stone and kill trans women of colour,' she wrote in an open essay online. 'Duval purposefully misgendered me (as the hosts laugh, thereby cosigning it) in an attempt to put me in my place and erase my womanhood. Their fragile masculinity would not allow them to recognise a simple truth: I am an accomplished, beautiful black trans woman.' Duval has refused to apologise for his comments, responding to the criticism on Twitter by releasing the following image:

He has also spoken about the incident during an interview with TMZ Live, where he claimed that his response was justified by the emotional and psychological damage sleeping with a trans person would cause him. 'I went crazy there, because that's what they made me do. That's what they made me say.' He said. 'I said that because the hosts were saying, taking away somebody's power of choice, it should be criminal; you don't know what it could do to someone psychologically.' Duval went on to claim that his comments were not transphobic. 'I don't got no problem with transgender, I ain't got no problem with gay people. I got a problem with somebody trying to take something from me. In my own mind, I say what I feel. This is only about one situation, and the situation was 'what would you do if you found out somebody was a man that I thought was a woman, and didn't tell me she was a man.'

Lil' Duval is still facing criticism for his comments and his refusal to apologise. Go to Amy's Blog Follow Amy on Twitter

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[amazing-amy-w]

Sesame Street Celebrates Pride Month

Sesame Street has long been one of the most progressive and groundbreaking children's shows, having covered topics like death, HIV and Aids, divorce, Autism, financial difficulties, disability, parental incarceration, and environmentalism to name but a few. With such a rich history of supporting good causes and raising children's awareness of real world differences and issues it's of little surprise that the show has come out in support of the LGBT+ community and Pride month. The show's official Twitter page tweeted an image of popular character Elmo and several other muppets forming a rainbow.

Whilst the tweet has received a great deal of support and approval on social media some people are decrying the tweet as 'evidence of an agenda' at Sesame Street and HBO, with some on the extreme end claiming that the show, and Pride, are trying to sexualise children. Go to Amy's Blog Follow Amy on Twitter

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[amazing-amy-w]

Teenager Arrested Following Pride Death Threats

A 19 year old man from Cumbria has been arrested following online threats to kill people at a Pride event with a machete. The young man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested by Cumbria Police after posting threatening messages on a Facebook page for a Cumbria Pride event that was being held at the New Empire pub. 'I'm going to walk in with a fucking machete and slaughter every one of the gay bastards.' He wrote on the events post, along with a photograph of the weapon he had purchased. 'I've had enough. I don't want to live in a gay world and I sure as hell don't want my children living in one. What happened to our traditional qualities? They're fucking ruined. 'I don't care if I die, I'm fighting for what I believe in and that's the future of my country, my folk and my race.'

The manager of the New Empire pub told the press that they did consider cancelling the event, however, after discussions with attendees and staff decided to go forward with the plans. 'We asked customers in the pub if they wanted to stay or leave and they all said no. We felt safe as armed police were parked outside. We had lots of phone calls and massages of support but obviously, some people stayed away.' They told news outlet Pink News. 'We are very proud to support the LGBT community and will not be deterred by any of this.' The man was arrested shortly before the event, with Cumbria Police Superintendent Mark Pannone releasing a statement to reassure the public and the attendees of the event. 'I can confirm that following further inquiries it was determined that it would be appropriate for the investigation to be led by the North West Counter Terrorism Unit. We will support them, as required, with their ongoing investigation. 'Public safety is our absolute priority which was why we acted quickly last night to protect the community, and arrested a 19-year-old man from Barrow. 'I can reassure the community that we have robust procedures in place to respond to reports of of serious activity and we will continue to work closely with our local communities to help keep Cumbria safe. 'Over the last few weeks we have increased patrols in our neighborhoods and at local events to prioritise the safety of the public and would ask people to continue to be alert and report any suspicious activity to the police. 'There is no place for hate crime in Cumbria, it will not be tolerated.' Go to Amy's Blog Follow Amy on Twitter

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[amazing-amy-w]

Chicago Dyke March Bans Jewish Pride Flag, Ejects Participants

The Chicago Dyke March, part of the larger Chicago Pride events happening in the city this month, has faced controversy and condemnation as it has banned participants from carrying Jewish Star of David flags at their event. Local LGBT+ newspaper, Windy City Times, reported that three people were asked to leave the celebration after flying the flags. The Windy City Times wrote; However, also asked to leave by Collective members of the Dyke March were three people carrying Jewish Pride flags (rainbow flags with the Star of David in the middle). According to one of the individuals - A Wider Bridge Midwest Manager Laurel Grauer - she and her friends were approached a number of times at the park because they were holding the flag. 'It was a flag from my congregation which celebrates my queer, Jewish identity which I have done for over a decade marching in the Dyke March with the same flag,' she told Windy City Times. She added that she lost count of the number of people that who harassed her. One Dyke March collective member asked by Windy City Times for a response, said the women were told to leave because the flags 'made people feel unsafe', that the march was 'anti-Zionist' and 'pro-Palestinian'. 'They were telling me to leave because my flag was a trigger to people that found it offensive,' Grauer said. 'Prior to this I had never been harassed or asked to leave and I had always carried the flag with me.' The Dyke March is billed as a more inclusive event, one that has a stronger focus on social justice issues that larger Pride events. More than 1,500 people participated in this years march. The American Jewish Committee condemned the actions and called for others to do so too, to speak up against the decision to eject Jewish LGBT+ people. American Jewish Committee Chicago Director Amy Stoken said, 'In the heart of our city one of the most blatant incidents of anti-Semetism took place at the Dyke March. Where is the collective outrage over this despicable targeting of Jews?' Dyke March did release a statement about the matter on their social media, which read; Yesterday, June 24, Chicago Dyke March was held in the La Villita neighborhood to express support for undocumented, refugee and immigrant communities under threat of deportation. Sadly our celebration of dyke, queer and trans solidarity was partially overshadowed by our decision to ask three individuals carrying Israeli flags superimposed on rainbow flags to leave the rally. This decision was made after they repeatedly expressed their support for Zionism during conversations with Chicago Dyke March Collective members. We have since learnt that one of these individuals is a regional director for A Wider Bridge, an organisation with connections to the Israeli state and right-wing pro-Islam interest groups. A Wider Bridge has been protested for provocative actions at other LGBTQ events and has been condemned by numerous organisations for using Israel's supposed 'LGBTQ tolerance' to pinkwash the violent occupation of Palestine. The Chicago Dyke March Collective is explicitly not anti-Semetic, we are anti-Zionist. The Chicago Dyke March Collective supports the liberation of Palestine and all oppressed people everywhere. From Palestine to Mexico, border walls have to go! In January 2016, a Shabbat service being held for Jewish participants of a gay activism conference in Chicago, was protested by hundreds of people. Protesters entered the conference area chanting 'Hey hey, ho ho, pinkwashing has to go', eventually taking over the stage and preventing visitors from being able to speak at the event. Pinkwashing is the term used to describe the alleged efforts by the Israel government to cover up treatment of Palestinians by celebrating its record on gay rights. Views on events on social media such as Facebook and Twitter seem to be divided, with some members of the LGBT+ community supporting the Dyke March's decision to remove members of the Jewish community from the event, whilst others have condemned it as an act of anti-semetism. Go to Amy's Blog Follow Amy on Twitter

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[amazing-amy-w]

Woman Who Sued Her Transgender Daughter Loses Case

In November 2016 Annmarie Calgaro began legal proceedings to sue her daughter for transitioning from male to female. Along with her daughter Calgaro took legal action against two non-profit healthcare providers, the St Louis School Board, the principal at her daughter's school, Saint Louis County, and the director of the county's Health and Human services agency, This week a judge called the case 'meritless' and dismissed the lawsuit. Calgaro began the lawsuit after learning that her daughter was transgender and was undergoing treatment to transition. She learnt that members of her daughters school staff and other organisations had helped her daughter to begin this process, something that she claimed violated her rights as a parent. Whilst Calgaro's daughter is considered a minor, she had been officially emancipated with help from a local aid group. Calgaro's daughter had moved away from her family home and was living alone, which the school argued allowed the teenager to make her own medical decisions. The judge in the case, Paul Magnuson, concluded that teenager was not in fact emancipated as it 'did not act under color of state law' as Minnesota law does not allow a minor to become emancipated for their parents unless a state court makes the decision, which did not happen. Despite this, Calgaro's case was dismissed on Tuesday. Calgaro's lawyer, Erick Kaardal of the Thomas More Society, has stated that she may consider appealing the decision. 'It was brought to my knowledge that my son began receiving hormone replacement treatment from Park Nicollet Health Services to transition from male to female, with medical assistance paying for this. I was not consulted or informed in any way,' Calgaro told journalists, claiming that her daughter's actions had violated her rights under the 14th Amendment. The Thomas More Society is an anti-abortion law firm who are currently also in a legal case where they are representing a Texan activist who has attempted to frame Planned Parenthood for buying and selling organs. Calgaro's daughter, who turns 18 in a few months time, has stated that those who helped her did not pressure her into transitioning or to exclude her mother from the process, but that both decisions were her own. 'My providers had no involvement in my decision not to involve my mother in my healthcare decisions,' she said in court documents. 'I was not pressured in any way by my providers to consent to this treatment.' It is currently unknown if Annmarie Calgaro intends to appeal the ruling. Go to Amy's Blog Follow Amy on TwitterAdd Amy on TumblrConnect with Amy on LinkedInJoin Her Fans on Facebook Sources: Attn LGBTQ Nation Life Site Pink News

[amazing-amy-w]

Parent Protests Gender Neutral Pronouns Used By Brown University

A parent has expressed outrage over the acceptance letter they have received for their daughters application to Brown University in America.  The reason for this, the use of gender neutral pronouns. News of this matter surfaced after an article by James Freeman was published in the Wall Street Journal in which he ranted against the university.  Freeman said that he received a letter from the parent of a newly accepted Brown student who was angry at the way their daughter was addressed. The unnamed parent said that they received a letter from the university addressed to the 'parent/guardian' of the student.  The letter welcomed the student to the university and commended them for 'their' contribution and hard work. The article also reported that the university also left a voicemail message that used gender neutral language. Whilst most people would be fine with the use of gender neutral language, or perhaps not even notice it, this parent has now refused to allow their daughter to attend Brown University, claiming that 'only left-wing extremists are welcome'. Wall Street Journal writer James Freeman supported the parents stance and even went as far as to insult the Dean of Admissions at Brown, Logan Powell claiming that he's not 'familiar with pronouns.' 'We've read about the literacy crisis in the U.S. but would not have guessed that that the problem extends to Ivy League administrators.' Brown University responded to this criticism by explaining that their admissions office 'typically refers to applicants by first name or by using they/their pronouns.  While the grammatical construction may read as unfamiliar to some, it has been adopted by many newsrooms and other organisations as a gender-inclusive option.' The parent of the student cited the use of gender neutral language as unnecessary as their daughter 'has always been clear what her biological gender and identity is - she's a woman.' Go to Amy's Blog Follow Amy on Twitter

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[amazing-amy-w]

Transphobic Sign Owner Resigns From City Council Presidency

Jay Linn, the owner of Northridge Auto Parts and Repair, has resigned from his position as president of Olmstead Falls city council following complaints about a sign outside of his business.

The sign was erected in early February, and contained the message 'If you don't know who you identify as, pull down your pants and look'.  The business, and Linn himself, quickly attracted complaints on social media, with people labelling the message as being transphobic in nature.

At the time Linn replied by saying, 'There's no malice in the sign.  It's just making the point why does everybody want to be someone else and draw attention to them, be who you are and be happy with who you are.

'I'm a believer that when god put you here, he put you here as what you are.' Over the following weekend a number of people stood outside of Linn's business in protest, holding their own signs that condemned the message.

Linn announced on Thursday 9th February that he would be resigning from his position on the local city council due to the reaction he had received over the sign.  

'I resigned because the major and I don't share the same views.'  He told local news stations.  Linn has claimed that since placing the sign he has been attacked by LGBT+ groups, received death threats towards himself and his family, and been told that his business will be blown up.  Linn has not, however, filed any police reports regarding any of these claims.

'I haven't filed police reports.  The police are going to do absolutely nothing,'  He complained.  'I shut my Facebook page down.  I'm not going to respond to any more comments.  I serves for 30 years on three different boards and commissions.  I won't bend to any special group.

'My sign meant, why can't these people be satisfied with what god put them on earth as?  Why do they have to re-identify?  Why can't they be satisfied with what they are truly brought into the world as?

'You're looking at non-political correctness right here, I am non-political correctness because I don't give a rats rear end about political correctness.'

When speaking about the matter to a number of news sources Linn was questioned about the sign by trans woman Rissa Trent, who said; 'I questioned him on his position on the City Council.  I said, you're supposed to represent everyone in your city, how can you be impartial when you hate a portion of your community?  He started screaming on the air with, how dare I bring it up.'

Linn has now resigned from his council position, saying that he and the mayor do not share the same views and that he does not agree with the agendas that she is currently pushing forward.

'I've turned in my resignation letter due to you evil sick people.'  He posted on his Facebook page.  'I'm done serving the community that includes you after 30 years.  The mayor has my resignation letter, why don't you email her and ask her for a copy of it.  Once again, you are a sick bunch to try and desecrate a person that serves the community for 30 years that includes you.' Go to Amy's Blog Follow Amy on Twitter

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Join Her Fans on Facebook Sources: Newsnet 5 The Chronicle ABC News 5 Cleveland Fox 8 Cleveland

[amazing-amy-w]

Manga Creator Jiro Taniguchi Dies Aged 69

One of the best known and most popular manga artists, Jiro Taniguchi, has passed away aged 69, his publisher has announced. Mr Taniguchi was born in Tattori City in 1947 and moved to Tokyo to become a manga creator, with his first work, 'Kareta Heya', being published in 1970.  Taniguchi was well known and loved for his signature fine line drawing style and shading without ink. He published many works aimed at an adult audience, with stories depicting the everyday lives of ordinary people. Taniguchi's work was popular outside of Japan, possibly due to his western influenced art style, and he received a number of awards for his work, including several Eisner Awards and an Ignatz Award.  His work proved to be very popular in France, where he was even knighted as a chevalier in France's Ordre des Arts et des letters in 2011. His publisher described him as an 'extraordinarily kind and gentle' man.  'The humanism that imbued all his work is familiar with readers, but the man himself is less well-known, naturally reserved in character and more inclined to let his work speak on his behalf.'

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School Cancels Visit From Trans Author Calling It 'Inappropriate'

The multi-award winning author Juno Dawson has had her visit to a Catholic school cancelled because she's transgender. Dawson has been visiting schools across the UK to promote her latest book, 'Margot and Me', and was due to visit Brownedge St. Mary's Catholic High School in Preston, Lancashire.  However, just 48 hours before her visit Dawson received news that the event had been cancelled. Speaking to BuzzFeed news, the author has said that a member of the school staff informed the company that had organised the visit that the event had been deemed 'inappropriate', stating that the 'subject matter' meant that 'they didn't think it was suitable'. 'It's a perfectly appropriate book for that audience,' Dawson said.  'All week I've been speaking to year seven and eights with no problems - in a mixture of grammar schools, private schools, faith schools, all sorts of different schools.' Dawsons latest book, 'Margot and Me', is aimed at teenage readers and follows a teenage girl named Fliss, who is staying with her grandmother in Wales whilst her mother recuperates from chemotherapy, and the diary she finds made by her grandmother in the 1940's. The visit would have consisted with a discussion about the book and its historical context, including the role of women in the 20th century.  After the visit was cancelled one of the event organisers contacted the school to try to make other arrangements for the visit, including speaking to an older year group.  However, a member of the school staff informed them that the senior staff had 'forbidden' Dawson's visit. Dawson has said that she was deeply upset by the school's position.  'I went through stages - the first was I felt personally attacked and quite mortified.  But then I became angry as I very quickly realised that you can't do that - you can't discriminate against people because of their gender.' 'There will be young people at Brownedge who will be LGBT.  Those kids knew I was coming and now I'm not.  It beggars belief.  One does wonder what kind of support those kids are getting.' Since the publication of the original BuzzFeed article the school has removed their tweet to Juno Dawson to say that they were looking forward to her coming visit. The headteacher of Brownedge, Martin Reynolds, has denied that the event has been cancelled, claiming that they had instead requested that it be rescheduled until later in the year, denying any allegations of discrimination. Dawson and the event organisers have said that the school's response in untrue, as they have not requested the event to be held at a different time, and that they have turned away all attempts to reorganise the visit.  Reynolds' response has been labelled as 'back-peddling'. 'I won't be the only person this is happening to, and historically trans people have really struggled with employment, because we feel we can't survive in the workplace.'  Dawson has said.  'I consider myself very privileged in that I'm freelance and work within the arts, but this was a brutal reminder that for trans people employment is really hard and that's why I couldn't let it go.' Dawson is planning to write to the head of the school and is considering taking legal advice. Go to Amy's Blog Follow Amy on Twitter

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Republican Lawmaker Mocks Trans Violence

During a recent panel discussion hosted by the Texas Tribune on 7th February Texas Republican state representative Briscoe Cain made comments that reduced violence against transgender people as 'dudes walking around in dresses getting beat up'. Cain made the comments when asked by moderator Evan Smith to defend Senate Bill 6, one of a number of new anti-transgender bills that target bathroom use currently proposed in state legislator.  The bill, if passed, would require people to use the restrooms that match the gender assigned to them on their birth certificate rather than the gender they live as, similar to the North Carolina HB2 bill. 'We shouldn't be penalising [people who discriminate],' Cain responded, 'it wasn't a problem when I was a child.  Was it a problem when you were a kid?  I don't remember dudes walking around in dresses getting beat up.  It wasn't a thing, and now I think we're encouraging it.' Cain went on to cite the bill as being about private businesses being 'forced to make accommodations for people who want to use bathrooms that have nothing to do with them'.  He went on to add; 'Men need to use men's restrooms'. He explained that he and other Republicans were 'emboldened' to pursue Senate Bill 6 after the defeat of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), which would have provided protection for LGBT+ people from discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. 'That's when we really began to be emboldened.  We realised that it wasn't just a political thing.  That parents, grandparents, everybody's concerned about men and women's bathrooms, shower rooms and locker rooms.' The entire discussion can be viewed in the video below, with the comments regarding Senate Bill 6 beginning around 27 minute mark.

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