Tag: lgbt

I was 15 and trusted the ‘experts’ on gender care. Turns out, they were winging it

“I feel like we’re all just winging it,” said one clinician at the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), according to a recent report that exposed a recording of what advocates of so-called gender-affirming care have been saying when they think no one’s watching. “And [that’s] okay, you’re winging it too. But maybe we can just, like, wing it together.”

The “it” they were “winging” was my body. Their recklessness has left me with lifelong scars, both physical and psychological.

I was only around fifteen years old when I was introduced to transgenderism. A lot of what I heard resonated with me. I hated myself and hated my body. I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and anorexia, so I was no stranger to being uncomfortable in my own body. I had gone into the doctor’s office to get help for my mental state, and after my first appointment, I left with a letter of approval for testosterone.

Just one appointment led me down a pathway of permanent destruction and mutilation. I believed my doctors when they told me that girls could become boys, and that removing my breasts was the “life-saving care” I needed to avoid taking my own life. I genuinely believed the doctors who said transitioning was going to be the cure to my mental and emotional distress.

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‘Queer food’ course at Boston U. explores what ‘polyamorous’ and ‘non-binary’ people eat

Boston University students can study the “ways in which language and behaviors around food both reinforce and challenge gender hierarchies and restrictive norms around sexuality,” in a “Food Studies” class.

“Food, Gender, and Sexuality,” helps students explore the concept of “queer food,” according to Professor Megan Elias. The university recently profiled the professor and her course, along with a book she helped write, titled “Queers at the Table: An Illustrated Guide to Queer Food (with Recipes).”

The professor (pictured) gave some examples of topics of discussion in her “food studies classes.”

Students might consider “how [their] food choice is representing [their] gender identity,” she said in an explanatory video produced by Boston U.

“How is that different if you’re gay? How is that different if you’re non-binary? How is that different if you’re polyamorous,” she asked.

All these questions help “disrupt kind of ideas about foods that really obscure human experience,” she said.

Queer food is not a new concept, according to Elias.

“Queer food has always been,” Elias said in an interview with the university’s Faculty Angle series. “Queer people have always been cooking, they have always been eating, they have always been part of the food landscape. And so to acknowledge that is really to show us a new way of thinking about food.”

“We really feel that talking about queer food is a way to disrupt ideas about food that really obscure [the] human experience,” she said further. “That is what we do in food studies—we use food to understand the bigger picture of human experience.”

Elias said she does not have a definition for what “queer food” is but wants “recognition” it exists.

“So, to understand that queer food has always been, that queer people have always been cooking, they have always been eating, they have always been part of the food landscape,” she said in the YouTube video.

“Gender norms” can infect the way people think about food and cooking, Elias said. For example, “the idea that there’s a ‘mom’s home cooking,’” is not inclusive because some homes don’t have a mom, she said.

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California Family Loses Custody Of Daughter After Refusing To Medically “Affirm” Her Transgender Identity

A Ukrainian family in California says Child Welfare removed their teenage daughter from their home and placed them on the child abuse registry after they declined to “affirm” her transgender identity. Speaking to Reduxx under the condition of anonymity, the parents say the removal followed a report filed by their daughter’s psychiatrist without their knowledge.

The mother, who will be referred to as Ellie, told Reduxx that a social worker from Shasta County Child Welfare Services arrived at the family’s home on June 3, 2024, without prior notice. According to Ellie, the worker accused the parents of emotional abuse and demanded access to their daughter, who will be referred to as Maya, without presenting a warrant or court order.

“She just kept saying, ‘You’re emotionally abusing your child,’” Ellie said. “But she had nothing in her hands. No paperwork. Nothing.”

The removal was a dramatic climax following years of instability that Ellie says began in early childhood. After the family immigrated to the United States in 2007, Maya began experiencing anxiety, anger issues, attention difficulties, and emotional dysregulation. Her mental health concerns, which once resulted in a temporary placement in a psychiatric facility, were made worse by the persistent bullying she experienced at school starting in first and second grade. She said the bullying came not only from other students but also from indifferent teachers, and that repeated complaints to school administrators were dismissed.

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Trans-Identified Male Who Strangled Wife to Death Serving Sentence in Women’s Prison

A convicted killer man who brutally murdered his wife is serving a life sentence in a women’s prison. Robert Kosilek now calls himself “Michelle” and was quietly transferred into the Massachusetts Correctional Institution Framingham (MCI Framingham) women’s prison with the legal assistance of the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD Law).

Kosilek, now 76, violently murdered his wife Cheryl McCaul at their condominium in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Cheryl’s body was discovered in the back seat of her gray Hyundai parked in a shopping mall lot in North Attleborough on the evening of Sunday, May 20, 1990.

She had been strangled with a rope and a wire to such an extent that her head was nearly severed. Her body was exposed in a graphic sexual manner, with her top pulled up and her pants around her ankles.

A taxi driver testified that he picked up Kosilek from the same mall on the afternoon of May 20, and drove him to a store located near Kosilek’s house in Mansfield. That evening, according to court records, police in North Attleborough received a telephone call from Kosilek stating that his wife had not come home that evening and asking whether there had been any reports of possible vehicular accidents in the area.

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Viral video shows trans male masturbating in women’s bathroom at California Planet Fitness

A trans gymgoer was found masturbating in a California Planet Fitness bathroom in a video that went viral over the weekend. The video, taken by a witness of the incident also showed multiple men confronting the trans-identified male in the women’s locker bathroom after being caught.

Grace Hutson, who posted the video online, claims she encountered the male masturbating in the bathroom stall last May, with the footage having recently gone viral. The clip was originally posted to TikTok, where an unidentified person appeared to be pleasuring themselves in the bathroom stall. 

“At the end of the day, whether you’re transgender or not, you should not be stroking your sh*t in the women’s bathroom,” Hutson said in a TikTok video posted on Sunday after the footage went viral online.

At the time of the incident, the young woman alerted gym employees, who did not know how to handle the situation. Hutson’s boyfriend ultimately was the one to confront the trans gymgoer. Looking back, Hutson says she wished she had done more to address the situation.

“I was just really uncomfortable and, honestly, I kind of just wanted to say my piece and get the f*ck out of there. Looking back, I do have regrets, like I should have done more. I should have called the cops,” she said. “I thought about it, but I was like there’s no way anything is gonna come of this. People are just gonna say I’m transphobic.”

The clip has come to light after other incidents last year in various gyms where trans-identified males have been confronted about being in the women’s bathroom. In one instance, LA Fitness terminated a woman’s membership after she complained about a man using the women’s locker room.

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“Two Mommies” and Drag Queen Episodes: How Sesame Street and PBS Have Gone Off the Rails

There was a time when PBS and Sesame Street were considered the most wholesome and educational content for children. However, over the years PBS has moved so far to the left that many conservative parents do not want their children watching anymore. Parents and lawmakers have called for defunding because they don’t want their tax dollars supporting left-wing political and social causes.

One of the original intents of Sesame Street was to present red, green, blue, and yellow monsters so that children could not relate to them on ethnic lines. Very quickly black and later Asian and Latino muppets were added, which was antithetical to the original “color blind” intent of the show. Eventually gay and trans characters were added.

The content consistently promotes identity politics over individual merit, diversity and inclusion as primary values rather than traditional American principles, and liberal social positions on sexuality, gender, and race. The activist framework teaches children to “speak up” and challenge traditional norms.

This directly conflicts with conservative values emphasizing traditional family structures, biological sex distinctions, parental rights and authority, a color-blind merit-based approach, religious freedom and conscience protection, and American founding principles.

Sesame Street posted Pride Month messages celebrating “LGBTQIA+ people,” with the “T” representing transgender. The show has featured same-sex parent families in episodes since 2017, including characters with “two daddies” or “two mommies.” Episode 5132 in 2021 introduced Dave and Frank, a married gay couple raising their daughter Mia.

The “ABC’s of Racial Literacy” initiative launched in 2021 introduced Black Muppets Wesley and Elijah Walker to teach children about “racial justice” and “systemic inequality.”

The problem with teaching young children these concepts is that the instruction presupposes differences in outcomes across ethnic groups are the result of injustice and inequality. Racial literacy is defined by Sesame Workshop as “the knowledge, skills, and awareness needed to talk thoughtfully about race and racism,” along with strategies to “counter or cope with racism” and an understanding of “the role racism plays in society.” This definition assumes racism plays a role in society and leaves no room for debate.

Of course, if debate were allowed, it would involve five-year-olds who have no other basis of knowledge on the subject, which is precisely why many critics argue that liberal agendas in PBS and Sesame Street programming amount to indoctrination rather than education.

Episode 3140, which aired in 1993, featured a racist phone call intended to portray “institutional racism.” One of the show’s human characters, Gina, received an anonymous, disturbing racist call after some evil person was triggered by seeing her and her Black friend playing in the park. The episode led to discussions with Telly, Baby Bear, and Savion about prejudice, unfairness, and how to respond to hateful messages.

While this may have happened to someone, somewhere, at some point, outrage over a Black and a white person being friends is not a normal occurrence that most people experience. The episode represents another example of how liberals take an exception, turn it into the rule, and then use it to justify training, classes, and lessons on how to guard against something that is statistically rare.

In 2021, Sesame Street introduced Ji-Young as the first Asian American Muppet, explicitly as part of a “racial justice initiative” to combat anti-Asian hate, a concept that later became codified during the Biden administration. The premise itself is something of a misnomer, as very few people actually hate Asians. Under official definitions, however, targeting someone because of their race qualifies as a hate crime. Asians are often targeted by muggers and criminals because they are perceived as easy targets.

Other PBS children’s programming has followed similar patterns. Arthur’s episode “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” in 2019 featured gay marriage between a teacher and his partner Patrick. Work It Out Wombats! in 2023 featured lesbian couple Duffy and Leiko raising daughter Louisa. The Clifford the Big Red Dog reboot in 2019 included LGBTQ characters. Odd Squad featured a same-sex wedding episode. Postcards from Buster aired “Sugartime!” in 2005, showing children with lesbian mothers. PBS digital content included a “Let’s Learn” segment featuring drag queen Lil’ Miss Hot Mess reading “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish.”

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Taxpayer-Funded Florida Theater Held ‘Drag Queen Christmas’ Show Despite Protests and AG Demands

In a move that has ignited fierce debate across Florida, the Pensacola city-owned Saenger Theatre hosted a sold-out performance of “A Drag Queen Christmas” on Tuesday, despite months of controversy, public outcry, and demands from state officials to cancel the event.

The touring drag show, known for its provocative content, drew protests outside the venue but proceeded without interruption.

The Saenger Theatre, a landmark in downtown Pensacola built in 1925, is fully owned by the city, with taxpayer dollars covering its maintenance and upkeep, though not directly funding the show itself.

Conservatives had argued that allowing such an event in a publicly funded space amounts to an endorsement of obscene and anti-Christian content, especially given its timing just days before Christmas.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier publicly condemned the city for permitting the performance, calling it a “public nuisance” that mocks Christian beliefs and risks exposing children to inappropriate material.

“Two days before Christmas, Pensacola will host a demonic, sexually explicit drag show at the city-owned Saenger Theatre,” Uthmeier wrote in a post on X. “Pensacola shouldn’t platform obscenities that denigrate its residents and expose kids to harmful content. They should cancel the event.”

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WTH? Zohran Mamdani Appoints First Lesbian New York City Fire Commissioner with ZERO Firefighting Experience

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has appointed former chief of emergency medical services Lillian Bonsignore to serve in his incoming administration as commissioner of the New York City Fire Department.

She will be the second woman and the first openly gay Fire Commissioner in New York City’s history.

During a news conference on Tuesday, announcing the appointment, Mamdani described Bonsignore as “a leader who cares about their work because she did it herself.”

However, Bonsignore has never served as a firefighter. After more than 30 years as an emergency medical technician (EMT), Bonsignore retired from the FDNY as Chief of EMS operations in 2022.

“I know the job. I know the— what the firefighters need, and I can translate that to this administration, who’s willing to listen,” Bonsignor said.

“I know what EMS needs. I have been EMS for 30 plus years.”

In her new role, Bonsignore will oversee approximately 11,000 firefighters, 4,500 EMTs, and more than 2,000 civilian employees, according to CBS.

The role is currently held by Mark Guerra, a career FDNY firefighter, who took over after former Commissioner Robert S. Tucker resigned, citing Mamdani’s stance on Israel.

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19 Blue States Sue Trump Admin to Preserve Right to Perform Child Sex Changes

A total of nineteen blue states are suing the Trump administration in a bid to protect the right to perform child sex changes.

Last week, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he would cut off Medicare and Medicaid funding to any provider that offers so-called gender-affirming treatment to minors.

“Under my leadership, and answering President Trump’s call to action, the federal government will do everything in its power to stop unsafe, irreversible practices that put our children at risk,” Kennedy said at the time.

The Oregon-led lawsuit claims that the decision “exceeds the Secretary’s authority and violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Medicare and Medicaid statutes.”

Oregon Attorney General Dayfield argued that child sex changes are an essential form of healthcare.

His office said in a press release:

Attorney General Dan Rayfield today led a coalition of 18 other states and the District of Columbia in suing to ensure the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cannot threaten providers with a so-called declaration that baselessly and unlawfully attempts to limit a family’s ability to work with their providers to make the healthcare decisions without interference from the federal government.

The declaration falsely claims that certain forms of gender-affirming care are “unsafe and ineffective” and threatens to punish any doctors, hospitals, and clinics that continue to provide it with exclusion from the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs.

“By targeting Oregon providers, HHS is putting care at risk and forcing families to choose between their personal health care choices and their doctor’s ability to practice,” said Attorney General Rayfield.

“Healthcare decisions belong with families and their healthcare providers, not the government.”

Among the states signed up to the lawsuit are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, Washington, and D.C.

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Oklahoma University Trans Instructor Fired for Failing Christian Student’s Essay on Gender

University of Oklahoma student Samantha Fulnecky, a Christian, received a zero grade from transgender teaching assistant Mel Curth for not upholding a woke narrative for a paper on gender stereotypes.

Initially, the University removed Curth from the classroom. On Monday, they announced that Curth “will no longer have
instructional duties at the University.”

“A student’s claim of religious discrimination on an individual assignment in an online Psychology Course taught by a graduate teaching assistant has come to resolution.”

“As stated previously, the student followed two available processes at the University: the grade appeals process in the college and she made a formal claim of illegal religious discrimination.”

“As already announced, the grade appeal was decided in favor of the student, removing the assignment completely from the student’s total point value of the class, resulting in no academic harm to the student.”

“The claim for discrimination has been investigated and concluded. The University does not release findings from such investigations.”

“At the same time of the investigation, the Provost-the University’s highest ranking academic officer— and the academic Dean reviewed the full facts of the matter.”

“Based on an examination of the graduate teaching assistant’s prior grading standards and patterns, as well as the graduate teaching assistant’s own statements related to this matter, it was determined that the graduate teaching assistant was arbitrary in the grading of this specific paper.”

“The graduate teaching assistant will no longer have instructional duties at the University.”

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