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In the architecture of the HKW, the Trans* Opera presents personal experiences of rejection and despair, but also the curiosity and creativity of the performers and their non-binary and trans* bodies. The performance explores colonized bodies as well as vocal and performative practices of people who switch between gender identities. “My body and voice are all that I have. It's inside my guts as I am to you. If you want it too, if you are to me as I am to you. We'll head up ahead joining forces to move. I look for my peers, all different girls complementing tones, fortifying pitch, multifying voices and colors to queer. I want to build bridges, collections of thoughts, travestis empowered, libidos and more. Reincarnating our goddesses, those ones who've been gone, almost all killed cold blooded by ignorant man kind. We're hybrid and witches, we chanting our songs with our bitches ancestors, travesties empowered. An army of shouts, the guns will be us, all mermaids, all girls, while swaying our tails. Attacking the norms, transitioning words, putting spells to transform, confusing the sound.” - Excerpt of the Trans* Opera Mavi Veloso feat. Dynno Dada, Sanni Est & Tina Escarlatina DJ-Set by Educated Body

Helping worthy non-profit groups promote their causes is an important part of who we are at Method. We truly believe in the organizations to which we give pro bono support, providing expertise and commitment that enables them to amplify their messages, expand their audiences and attract the patrons and donors who can ensure their success. One of our biggest pro bono successes to date has been our partnership with Encircle, an organization that strives to bring families and communities together to enable LGBTQ+ youth to thrive. Founded in Provo, Utah in 2017, Encircle provides and maintains safe spaces for young people where they can have access to therapy and other programs to help them lead fulfilling lives. Approximately 10 percent of Method’s team identifies as LGBTQ+, which makes this cause all the more meaningful. Encircle was at work on its second location, in St. George, Utah, when it reached out to Method in 2020 to help it grow and further its mission. A fund-raising effort in 2021 that we helped promote, which had the support of luminaries including Apple CEO Tim Cook, far exceeded its goal of raising $8 million to build 8 new locations. And the media coverage surrounding the campaign put Encircle on the national stage, with more than 100 articles and broadcast segments, including Good Morning America, Billboard, NBC News, NBA.com, iHeartRadio, People and USA Today. Since 2017 we’ve provided pro bono support for Parity.org, which was founded to promote gender equality in corporate America. We’ve helped the organization attract wide media coverage about the ParityPledge, in which companies commit to interviewing at least one woman and person of color for every job at the VP level and higher. So far, more than 500 companies have signed on. Our work has included helping Parity.org and Ralph Lauren promote a roadmap for how brands in the fashion industry can break down barriers to achieve gender equality. We also helped the group place a byline in Fast Company by Cathrin Stickney, Parity.org’s founder and CEO, on the importance of tracking attrition in assessing a company’s DE&I efforts. Our work also gained the attention of Insider, which named Cathrin to its list of the “100 People Transforming Business.” In spring 2021 we publicized the launch of ShePlace, an online platform and community to support and celebrate all self-identifying women, including cis and transgender women, as well as non-binary and gender-fluid individuals. It is the newest iteration of the influential women’s networking organization — Utah Wonder Women — that Method helped found in 2010, working with the noted documentary film producer Geralyn Dreyfous; Jacki Zehner, the first female partner at Goldman Sachs; and Jennifer Danielsen, former president of Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Utah. Method’s women employees have been active participants and organizers for Utah Wonder Women and, now, ShePlace.

List of UK Rape Crisis Services These are a list of UK services that can provide professional support and counselling. Refuge supports women, children & men experiencing domestic violence with a range of services. For support, call our Helpline on 0808 2000 247. Click here for website. Rape Crisis England & Wales Get information, help and support after rape, sexual assault or sexual abuse. They are the national membership organisation for Rape Crisis Centres in England. Click here for website. Solace Rape crisis Solace find creative and innovative ways to support thousands of women, children and young people each year from prevention and crisis to recovery and independence. Click here for website. They are a feminist organisation committed to supporting survivors of sexual abuse, rape, domestic abuse, and harassment across Oxfordshire. Click here for website. They help male, trans, and non-binary victims of sexual abuse as well as their friends and family, no matter when the abuse happened. Click here for website.

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for those who aren't caught up with Big Sky. The fifth episode of Big Sky's second season said farewell to one of the show's key players. In the episode, Jerrie (Jesse James Keitel), the Season 1 kidnapping victim–turned–private investigator, makes the painful decision to leave town after her estranged father tells Jerrie that her mother is terminally ill with cancer. Though it appears Jerrie is exiting the show for good, she and her father will make a brief appearance in the winter finale on Thursday, Dec. 16. With Jerrie out of the picture, that must mean Jesse James Keitel has other projects up her sleeve. Let's discover why the nonbinary actor — who uses she/her and they/them pronouns — is leaving Big Sky. Why did Jesse James Keitel leave 'Big Sky'? In August, Variety reported that the Queer as Folk reboot on Peacock officially added Jesse as a series regular. Since then, the show has completed its casting process and found its crew members, so it's a possibility that Jesse left Big Sky to film the revival series. On Nov. 17, Jesse joined the upcoming trans docuseries T-Town as an executive producer. Per Variety, "the series explores the historically underrepresented lives of dynamic trans entrepreneurs who are launching their own businesses, building up communities, and empowering a new generation to live their truth." Jesse shared the news on Instagram, writing: "I know firsthand the perseverance and support it takes to thrive as a transgender creative." "Even at a time when anti-trans legislation and hate crimes are at a staggering high, my community is overflowing with inspiring, game-changing business owners, innovators, and entrepreneurs." Jesse concluded, "I couldn’t be more thrilled to highlight their hard work and tell their stories from all around our beautiful country — one trans community at a time." Jesse broke primetime television barriers with Jerrie in 'Big Sky.' Not only did Jesse land a lead role on ABC's Big Sky, but she became the first non-binary series regular in a lead role in the history of television. This casting choice was a huge deal for the LGBTQ community, as their representation in the entertainment industry was expanding beyond words. After Jesse's last episode on Big Sky, she posted several photos from the set and expressed her appreciation for Jerrie to her 20,900 Instagram followers. "Over the last two years, Jerrie gave me the opportunity to have important, groundbreaking conversations advocating for trans and non-binary people," Jesse said. "She also brought me endless sources of inspiration and memories I’ll cherish for a lifetime. Every moment of my work on this show has been my love letter to the trans community." Jesse concluded with a tease about Jerrie's future on Big Sky: "From aspiring musician and sex-trafficking survivor to an official PI at Dewell & Hoyt, Jerrie’s journey has been gargantuan. But fret not — I think Jerrie still has some unfinished business." Big Sky airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. EST on ABC.

Individuals applying for a driver license in California can self-certify their gender category as male, female or nonbinary as of Jan. 1. Driver licenses will be marked with an “X” for those who do not identify as male or female. This law also extends to birth certificates. California is one of the few states, including Oregon, Maine, Arkansas and Minnesota, to offer non-binary gender markers on driver licenses, according to intomore.com. Medical records or a doctors note are no longer required for people to have their gender marked “X,” and no additional fees are required for changing a gender marker, making it easier for transgender, gender-nonconforming and intersex people to have their identity accurately reflected. Science teacher and Upper School Coordinator of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Nate Cardin said that this change is a step toward greater acceptance for nonbinary people. “There are members of the Harvard-Westlake community who do not identify as male or female, so to see the state government and to see our school acknowledging that gender is not just binary is a really powerful change that acknowledges people who have not been acknowledged before,” Cardin said. English teacher Darcy Buck, who identifies as nonbinary, is still deciding whether or not to have their documents changed. Buck said that although it would be affirming to have official documentation reflect who they truly are, they are concerned that being more visible as non-binary would make them more vulnerable to violence. “It provides an opportunity and a conundrum to the nonbinary members of the community, as it does to me,” Buck said. “There are students who don’t identify as male or female and have either recently received a driver’s license or are in the process of receiving a drivers license. If they chose “X,” they are choosing documentation that reflects who they truly are, but they also choose documentation that might create issues for them. It would be great if none one of us have to fear being fully who we are in the community that we are in, and our hope of course is that our allies will work for us so that we can achieve that.”

Sam writes – “The binary, on absolute terms, serves very few – and at least for me, being non-binary is about making room for every part of myself. I’m not surprised that others feel that way, too.” When we think about non-binary folks, we often think about agender, neutrois, or “gender neutral” people who do not identify with the categories of man or woman in any conceivable way. Those folks are real, and absolutely deserve visibility and validation. But I also think this is a very limited understanding of what it means to be non-binary. If we only think about non-binary identities on these terms, we fail to encompass the diversity of this community and the radical ways of doing (or not doing) gender. Non-binary is defined as someone who does not identify exclusively as masculine or feminine. This can actually include quite a number of people and (a)genders. But we forget sometimes that non-binary can encompass more than just someone who disowns the binary altogether – it can include someone who reclaims it for their own ends, expression, or performance. For me, I am a very femme… View original post 610 more words

At Erietta Boutique, we love Canadian designers and sustainable brands. We choose unique pieces that are on trend, but not trendy, and clothes that feel beautiful on the body. Our experienced stylists can help you complete an outfit or outfit you completely! Transgender and non-binary people are welcome at Erietta Boutique. Please let us know how to address you so that we can respect your pronouns and identity, regardless of where you are in your transition. We offer private appointments so that you can be alone with our stylists if you feel more comfortable. Please feel free to give us a call to make arrangements.

Eddie Redmayne is reflecting on his Oscar-nominated turn in 2015’s The Danish Girl, calling his performance as Lili Elbe, one of the first trans women to ever undergo gender reassignment surgery, a “mistake.” “No, I wouldn’t take it on now,” he told The Sunday Times. “I made that film with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake.” He added, “The bigger discussion about the frustrations around casting is because many people don’t have a chair at the table. There must be a leveling, otherwise we are going to carry on having these debates.” Tom Hooper directed The Danish Girl from a 2000 novel of the same name by Daid Ebershoff. Some members of the LGBTQ community criticized the film at the time of its release, suggesting that the part of a trans woman should have been played by a trans actor. In 2015, Redmayne told IndieWire that starring as Elbe was a “great privilege,” and called criticism of the film, “important.” He said, “I think there has been years of cisgender success on the back of trans stories.” Redmayne is currently anchoring J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise, with the third installment, The Secrets of Dumbledore, due out in April of 2022. Redmayne has distanced himself from Rowling’s persistent transphobia, telling Variety in 2020, “I disagree with Jo’s comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid. I would never want to speak on behalf of the community but I do know that my dear transgender friends and colleagues are tired of this constant questioning of their identities, which all too often results in violence and abuse. They simply want to live their lives peacefully, and it’s time to let them do so.”

Film Review: In "John Wick 3", the action is as impeccable as ever, but the story is faltering Si vis pacem, para bellum. If you want peace, prepare for war. The John Wick franchise has become a staple of modern action films. It skitters gingerly between James Bond’s clean cut suave and Mission: Impossible’s ridiculous set-pieces, taking one step affront with its incredible stunt coordination and insanely bloody body-counts, and taking two steps back with its unnecessarily convoluted plots. John Wick 3: Parabellum, continues the franchise moments from where it left off; with a fourteen million dollar bounty on his head, dog-loving contract killer John Wick (Keanu Reeves) attempts to find safe passage, atone for his crimes, and stay alive. On paper, the plot is simple and effective. Not to say that action films require simple lots (a good action movie is often times only as great as its villain), but John Wick 3 is less about gun-toting, ass-kicking survival strategies and more about appeasing a contract-killer Internal Affairs division who seek to destroy anyone who aided John Wick during the previous film. To start things with a bang, as John Wick would; the problem with Parabellum is its inability to focus on its own story, in favour of world-building, sure by now that it’ll get another sequel. A film should focus on itself before it focuses on franchise maintenance (may I remind you the tragic Robin Hood remake set up for a sequel, though Parabellum is miles ahead of that tragedy). This leads to a simple plot being overly convoluted and twisted, regardless of its pretty simple outcome. However, when it’s not exploring the inner-most coils of New York City’s contract killer connections, Parabellum’s stunts are the best in the franchise, and perhaps the best Hollywood produced action film stunts in decades. Let’s be honest, thats what we’re here for. Featuring an ensemble of stunt coordinators who broke bones behind Spider-Man 2, Mission: Impossible 5, 300, and more, alongside the phenomenal international fight team from the critically acclaimed Indonesian The Raid franchise (which would be highly recommended to any John Wick fan who wants a bit more gore and oomph to their story), Parabellum features perhaps the most intense and well executed cold-open fight scenes of all time, which are leagues ahead of any James Bond opener. Although the endless spurts of CGI blood in the later gunfights can get tiresome, the brutal hand to hand combat sequences (with some interesting weapon choices) will continuously leave audience members on the edge of their seats. The excellent choreography is impeccably captured by cinematographer Dan Laustsen, whose smooth eye makes sure you know exactly which body part is hitting where. Sound designer Luke Gibleon works hand in hand, making each brutal thump and slice sound as shiver-inducing as it should (and believe me some of those stabs will make you squeamish). John Wick is moulded to Keanu Reeves’ Zen-like personality and so he plays the character as well as ever. And at 54 years of age he’s showing no signs of slowing down. Halle Barry, Lawrence Fishburne, Anjelica Huston and more Hollywood giants stud the screen with simple yet effective underworld figures that the actors clearly have a good time portraying. As usual with the John Wick franchise it’s a joy to see Lance Reddick and Ian McShane tag-team as the infamous ‘Continental Hotel’ ambassadors. Unfortunately, Asia Kate Dillon disappoints in their* first big screen role as The Adjudicator, an ill-delivered Girl with the Dragon Tattoo role which is far more prevalent than one would desire. *note: Asia Kate Dillon is non-binary and uses ‘they’ pronouns Parabellum kicks higher and harder than its action competitors. While it stammers in story, it shouts in stunts making it an easily enjoyable popcorn thriller. Given a little room to breathe, John Wick is obviously ready for another chapter.

22nd June 2016 The discomfort of Becoming a Mother by Yara Richter,Sociology Undergraduate from the University of Warwick, and Wendy Hollway, Emeritus Professor in Psychology at the Open University It's been almost six months since our Annual Lecture by Wendy Hollway, 'Becoming a Mother, Gender & Feminism' so we thought it would be an poignant time to look back and reflect upon Wendy's message. We asked one of our undergraduates who attended the lecture to write a piece that summarised the lecture, whilst also critically engaging with some of the ideas. We also offered Wendy the chance to respond, which produced a open, honest, and sometimes uncomfortable discussion around motherhood, femininity, and the position of gender and feminism studies today. Embracing the Uncomfortable When Reflecting on Motherhood: A Reflection on Wendy Hollway’s Annual Lecture on “Becoming a Mother”, by Yara Richter As a daughter, as someone who is friends with a young mother, and most importantly, as someone who might someday become a mother herself, I was looking forward to Wendy Hollway’s lecture with much interest. Secretly, I was hoping to hear some concrete pro- and con-arguments as to whether becoming a mother nowadays even makes sense. Although the lecture did not add any such arguments to the imaginary mothering-list of mine, it gave me many valuable thoughts and nudges regarding theoretical considerations relating to gender and parenthood, and strongly inspired me to keep reflecting on how I position and practice my feminism. Hollway opened her talk by explaining how in interviews, prospective mothers had described pregnancy as feeling “weird”. This constituted a base for her analysis, because she described those mothers as faced with an inner conflict between their ideological views on gender, and the physical reality of biology. Because – if I understood Hollway’s argument correctly – “phallic logic” has been causing women to try to eliminate gender inequalities by getting closer to the “masculine”, an inherent conflict arises when pregnancy serves as a reminder of biological differences. Hollway used the matrixial theory, the idea of trans-subjectivity, and the notions of diachronous versus synchronous parenthood, to explain how men and women are bound to experience parenthood differently. As a result, Hollway suggested that feminism needs to be very careful about disregarding the biological. In my eyes, this provided us with a comprehensible conclusion and an interesting challenge, because the notion of “the biological” often serves as an uncomfortable reminder of the universalisation and essentialisation of presumed biological differences, which feminism aims to fight against. "In my opinion, using the term “mothering” has a cisnormative feel to it." In connection to “phallic logic”, Hollway reflected on the concept of “femininity”. She seemed generally critical of 2nd wave feminists’ ways of revolting against stereotypes of femininity. Personally, I've been thinking about the concepts of masculinity and femininity, and my position in and between the two, ever since taking a gender module in first year. Therefore, I see Hollway’s analysis as an invitation to further reflect on what feminism means to us as individuals, and how we adapt our behaviour with regard to its aims. In conversations, I try to move away from reifying the ideas of “femininity” and “masculinity”, by replacing them with more accurate descriptions (such as "soft" and "assertive", rather than "feminine" and "masculine"). Here, Hollway’s frequent mention of “phallic logic” reminded me that it is problematic to try to erase those concepts all too soon, and inspired me to be aware of general limitations of feminism’s sex-gender division. What I found rather challenging was Hollway’s reflection on how, influenced by the adaptation of “phallic logic”, there has been a shift from the concept of “mothering” to “parenting”. She seemed to view this shift as central to the troubles of becoming a mother nowadays. While I understand that an unconditional adaptation of “masculinity” as a form of feminism is questionable, I believe that viewing the term “parenting” as problematic is conflicting with current movements towards non-binary views of gender. In my opinion, using the term “mothering” has a cisnormative feel to it. I feel quite strongly about this, maybe due to the fact that from the beginning on, a non-binary view of gender and sex, and the emphasis of the former as detached from the latter, has been a central theme of my feminism. This, combined with my own complex gender identity, and my non-binary view on sexuality, makes me wonder what term Hollway might recommend I use instead of parenting. Hollway acknowledged this conflict and the possible political implications, and I recognise that the argument as it stands is central to her analysis. "feminism needs to stop ignoring the biological, yet, we cannot erase the perspectives of people for whom biology is not as straight-forward as “having a womb or not”. Probably the most crucial point to me was Hollway’s attachment of motherhood to the physical experience of having a womb. This line of reflexion caused issues around cisnormativity and heteronormativity to keep floating around my brain throughout the talk. Although Hollway did not explicitly argue that having a womb leads to a certain quality of mothering, I kept thinking that the analysis could suggest that there are qualitative differences in parenting between lesbian, gay, and heterosexual couples, merely grounded on a count of wombs within the couple. Following from this, questions around cisnormativity arise, as the link between mothering and possessing a womb could lead us to suggest further divisions between those who are capable of bearing children, and those who are not (including intersex or transsexual women). According to Hollway, feminism needs to stop ignoring the biological, yet, we cannot erase the perspectives of people for whom biology is not as straight-forward as “having a womb or not”. It is important, however, to acknowledge that Hollway reflected on the composition of her sample as entirely heterosexual. She seemed to be aware of the restrictions this posed, which is why I perceive the makeup of the sample to be an interesting point where her research could be extended. One of the main aspects I liked about Hollway’s lecture was that she was honest and open-minded about the questions her research prompted. I certainly was inspired to reflect on the nature of parenthood as opposed to motherhood, and the various aspects that constitute them. Several times, Hollway strongly encouraged the audience to embrace the uncomfortable aspects of her analysis. This seemed like a call to us as critical thinkers, but also human beings, to question our uncomfortableness, and try to get behind what is causing it. As one of her concluding thoughts, Hollway made it very clear that her perspective on the issue is one related to the one of her “generation” of feminism. She urged us (as the new generation of feminists) to add relevant aspects (e.g. queerness) to the discussion. With my mothering-list pushed to the back of my mind, I left the talk with many questions and inspiring thoughts, and a slightly confused, uncomfortable feeling – according to Hollway, just what is needed to advance this issue. Wendy Hollway's response to Yara Richter: I appreciate the open-mindedness of Yara's blog (which reflected the way that session was conducted). The theme of discomfort was an appropriate one because I was questioning some ways of thinking about gender equality that are so commonplace that they are taken for granted. In trying to unsettle the hidden binaries of masculine and feminine that underpin the gender equality model based on the male model, I was asking a lot of the audience and I think I probably tried to put too much into a single talk. Yara’s blog picked up some key themes, like political issues around the distinction between mothering and parenting. The difficulty of going beyond the dominant feminist gender model was demonstrated by Yara’s discussion of how hard it is to grapple with the discomfiting aspects of conceptualizing women’s reproductive biology and its implications for gender equality. Let me try and spell out that aspect of my talk, which was very condensed. I was theorizing gender through Bracha Ettinger's crucial conceptual distinction between femininep (feminine to the power of the phallus) and femininem (feminine to the power of the matrixial). Whereas the phallic logic of femininep is premised on gender and sexual difference, femininem is by no means determined by the womb or biology: ‘a supplementary, shifting stratum of human subjectivity and meaning (…) delivered to us all’ (Pollock 2008: 13). Politically this is obviously important. It is hard to get ones’ head around, given the entrenched paradigm we are up against. "In pregnancy and after childbirth, women have heightened access to femininem, because of the renewed, immediate, transsubjective experience of what Ettinger calls ‘coeventing’." Ettinger’s matrixial theory gets more complicated when it addresses directly the implications of this distinction for mothering and parenting. Everyone – man, woman, birth or social parent – has access to transsubjective co-feeling, com-passion, on which care for a dependent infant must be based. For a man, it derives from ‘what once he co-evented at the register of his own becoming’ (Pollock 2008: 9, emphasis added). This is because everyone has experienced this primordial condition themselves, pre- and post-natally (although we don’t “remember” it or have conscious access) and it is in this sense that femininem is available to men as well. Women have double access to the femininem , first in the last period of prenatal life in the maternal womb […], and second, as someone who has a womb […], whether she is a mother or not’ (Ettinger, 1997). In pregnancy and after childbirth, women have heightened access to femininem, because of the renewed, immediate, transsubjective experience of what Ettinger calls ‘coeventing’. I used a case study, all too briefly, to illustrate how variable access to the femininem was in one heterosexual couple, where the father was more “maternal” than the birth mother. Again, gender does not follow from recognizing physical reproductive difference, as long as the psychology of that difference is not reduced to biology or to the old binary logic of masculine/feminine. The talk was based on the following article, now available: Hollway, W. (2016) ‘Feminism, psychology and becoming a mother’. State of the Discipline, Feminism and Psychology, 26 (2), 137-152. Elaboration at length of the ideas, with further references can be found in: Hollway, W. (2015) Knowing Mothers: Researching Maternal Identity Change. London: Palgrave. Image courtesy of Pixabay 8th February 2016 Is female heterosexual desire still a taboo?: the male body in Poldark (2015) by María Seijo-Richart, MA in World Cinema from the University of Leeds I enjoyed immensely the 2015 TV series Poldark, and not exclusively because of Aiden Turner’s shirtless scenes (although, being a heterosexual female, they contributed). Nevertheless, I was puzzled at the stir these scenes provoked. Robin Ellis did appear shirtless in the 1975 version. Moreover, if the main target audiences of period dramas are heterosexual females, it should not be shocking that these productions acknowledge female desire, especially in the 21st century. When researching for my thesis about the film transpositions of Wuthering Heights, I observed a tendency, from the 1990s, to focus on the male body as a source of pleasure, both for the heroine and for the women in the audience. Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth)’s famous lake scene in Pride and Prejudice (1995) was preceded by Harvey Keitel’s full frontal in The Piano (1993) and followed by Stephen Dillane’s in Firelight (1997). Nudity had been present in mainstream film and TV since the late 1960s, but mainly focused on the female body. In my thesis, I argued that the display of the male body acknowledges the changes in women’s social roles in the late 20th century: we are economically independent (therefore members of the paying public) and the expression of our sexual desires does not automatically bring moral condemnation. I consider Darcy’s lake scene totally faithful to Jane Austen. Lizzie Bennett would look mercenary if she fell for Darcy after seeing his house (as she does in the novel), but it is credible for a 1995 audience that she would feel attracted to him in a wet shirt. Moreover, Darcy is not only baring his body. He is caught off-guard, out of the mask of stiffness he projects to society. The scene is different in the novel and the TV series, but the effect is the same: Darcy’s true self is on display. Clothes (or absence of them) are a common device in film and TV to define the characters: Poldark’s infamous mowing scene has a counterpart when his cousin Francis handles the scythe in his gentleman clothes, while complaining about blisters (he is weak and conventional). In contrast, Ross’s unruly hair and bare chest show his disregard for social conventions. The 1990s focus on the male body is not exclusive of Hollywood or European cinema, but international, as I observed during my research. In fact, it has been always a feature in Bollywood film industry, with the idea acquiring open sexual undertones only recently (compare 1950s fully clothed hero Dilip Kumar to Salman Khan’s trademark ripped shirts in the 1990s). In Bollywood, the body of the hero works as the canvas in which the story is written, which is applicable to Poldark. Emblems or scars symbolize cultural identity (the scar in Ross’s face, reminder of his past as a soldier). The body also implies moral purity: Poldark taking a dip in the sea (washing off his shame for having slept with a prostitute) is similar to Brahmin Mangal Pandey (Aamir Khan) emerging from the Ganges in The Rising (2005) after his ablutions. Moreover, the violence inflicted to the hero’s body emphasizes his endurance and resilience (Poldark’s bruised face after fighting Demelza’s father stresses his defiant decision not to leave his home). Accusing modern costume drama of “sexing up” overlooks the fact that sex has always been present in literature and cinema. If we have a different perception, it is because the literary and cinema traditions we regard as “classic” are the 19th century Victorian novels and 1930s - 1950s Hollywood films. These were quite sexually repressive periods. The Victorian era promoted the suppression of passion partly as a reaction to the cult of sensibility and open expression of feelings which characterized the second half of the 18th century. This is the period in which Poldark is set, and also when Tom Jones (1749, Henry Fielding) and Fanny Hill (1748, John Cleland) were written. In each of these novels, the hero and (more importantly) the heroine have multiple lovers without being punished by the narrative. Similarly, Winston Graham’s Poldark novels were written in the 1940s, part of a subgenre which updated 18th century romances. This subgenre regularly provided source material for Gainsborough film melodramas. While Hollywood was constrained by the Hays Code of censorship and melodramas focused on the family, this strand of British melodrama focused on the sexual lifestyle of wealthy landowners (The Wicked Lady, 1945, had some “risqué” scenes reshot for the American release). In her iconic essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975), Laura Mulvey established that Hollywood classic cinema positions the male as owner of the gaze, which he projects over the female. This is not necessarily the case in other film industries. Bollywood films often show the hero being looked at from the point of view of the adoring heroine. Authors like Desai (2008) and Vasudevan (2006) talk about the darsanic gaze: the heroine positions herself like a devotee looking at an object of veneration, a god (the hero). This is an ambivalent idea, as the male still bears the authority, but the female owns the look. As she is the one with the power to give devotion, she remains in charge of the desire. By showing Poldark through the eyes of a desiring Demelza, his later seduction of the servant girl loses any predatory connotations, but becomes mutual (the final decision to go to his room is hers). Besides, she does not only admire his body, but his books, his piano (symbolizing her wishes to improve herself). Theirs is not a relation of subservience, but of emulation. They appear as equals. The display of the male body in film and TV has complex implications that go beyond the sexual. It is one of the elements which build a compelling drama. However, the critical emphasis on the “eye candy” aspect makes me wonder if heterosexual women are still expected to feel guilty for having desires. It also fails to address how homosexual and lesbian audiences feel about these scenes. María Seijo-Richart holds an International PhD in English Philology at the University of A Coruña (Spain). She also has a MA in World Cinema at the University of Leeds, where she currently works. She regularly contributes at the jobs.ac.uk blog at the University of Warwick. - Desai, Jigna: “’Ever since you discovered the video, I’ve had no peace’: diasporic spectators talk back to Bollywood Masala”. The Bollywood Reader. Eds. Jigna Desai & Rajinder Dudrah. New York: Open University Press, 2008: 229 – 242. - Vasudevan, Ravi S. “Addressing the spectator of a ‘Third World’ National Cinema: the Bombay ‘social’ film of the 1940s and 1950s”. Asian Cinemas. A Reader & Guide. Eds. Eleftheriotis, Dimitris & Needham, Gary. Edinburgh: Edinburgh U. P. 2006: 295-316. 16th January 2016 Reader, Viewer, Player: The ‘I’ in Textual Analysis by Joanna Cuttell, Sociology PhD candidate at The University of Warwick. Feminist thinkers within the social sciences have successfully argued for an approach which does not occlude the visibility of the researcher in pursuit of objectivity, but rather makes the subjective ‘I’ visible and accountable. Mainly deployed as a component of qualitative research, methods which openly draw upon and discuss the experience of the researcher such as autoethnography and autobiography are useful tools in understanding and making clear both the research process and the relationship between the researcher and the researched. Rather than individualising and undermining arguments and conclusions, these methods make evident the subjective and situated nature of research. As the ‘I’ is ever present in all research, and continual subjective decisions are made throughout the research process (Harding, 1993, in Hesse-Biber, 2012: 10), processes of reflection and accountability enable ‘strong objectivity’ (Harding, 1991) in their ability to account for and highlight the power relations within the research process. In the brief discussion that follows, I propose that owing to the interactive and potentially immersive elements of videogames, the field of games studies is an apt area to practise and document the ‘I’ within the research. With any qualitative research, the researcher needs to be understood as a ‘situated’ observer in that their background, situation, and identity will all have an effect on both the research process and their results (Markula & Silk, 2011: 4). Observations made as part of the research process need to be understood as based on their personal relationship to the ‘other’ which is observed (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005:21) as well as the researcher’s internal dialogue which informs and reforms their process and revisions (Markula & Silk, 2011: 73). In order to highlight the spatiotemporal elements of the construction of knowledge, autobiography as a feminist-analytic method furnishes the researcher with the tools to critique and make clear their situated position. It allows the reflexive researcher to connect the personal and the cultural and then ‘refract’ their interpretations (Ettore, 2005: 536). However, the adoption of methods which recognise the situated, subjective, and experience-based quality of research “needs to be tempered with an understanding of the self that will shape the process; that is, it requires the researcher to be reflexive about their own position and how this interacts with both their experiences and assumptions” (Cuttell, 2015: 65). In drawing on autoethnographic and autobiographic methods by which we acknowledge our social location, we can make apparent our own role in “constructing rather than discovering the story/the knowledge” (Letherby 2000: 90 in Letherby 2002: n.pag). That is not to say that we are therefore confined to merely studying ourselves, as we – as situated and social agents – encompass “second- and third-hand knowledges as well as first-hand knowledges” (Stanley, 1993: p.50). Developing a ‘conscious subjectivity’ about our interaction with the object studied is important as it “helps break down the power relationship between the researcher and the researched” (Cotterill & Letherby, 1993: 72). When we analyse media texts, we are no less a part of the research process than when we are studying peoples and cultures. Indeed, in the process of ‘reading’ the text, we must acknowledge the active involvement the researcher is required to undertake in order to perform their analysis. In the field of games studies this is further complicated by the interaction necessitated by the objects ‘gameness’ (Juul, 2001). Because of its ‘playability’, one cannot study a game without directly interacting with it and thus influencing it (Kücklich, 2002). One cannot play a game to completion without developing some measure of proficiency – what Graeme Kirkpatrick (2012) terms ‘gamer habitus’ – with the controls. The researcher must therefore not only become complicit within the mechanics and narrative of that game, but any meaning must be contextualised vis-à-vis the player (Malliet, 2007: para. 9). By employing and adapting elements of autoethnography and autobiography when studying interactive media such as videogames, the researcher can thus situate and articulate the interactive, immersive experiences of that activity and potentially draw upon their own experiences as part of their analyses. In my own research, negotiating my ‘closeness’ to the object studied, as well as reflexively recognising, understanding and documenting the ‘I’ within my research, has given me critical access to an often obscured element of media research. Incorporating an immersive, reflexive, autoethnographic component not only allowed me to critically access and discuss the experiential, immersive elements of the practice of gaming, but also to situate my readings in a specific spatiotemporal context. My findings are thus offered as “one of many interpretations of the gaming experience” (Cuttell, 2015: 66). I believe that this does not diminish my claims; rather it allows me to personally, socially, and culturally situate and contextualise them such that I can be more transparent about the specifics of my research process. I believe that, as feminist researchers, we must challenge research which is produced where the self that produced it is obscured. By recognising our role in the construction of knowledge and the design and practise of research, we “privilege positionality and subjectivity” (Reissman, 2000: 3) and as such gain a critical purchase on the diffraction (Haraway, 1997) of such observations and the situated knowledges they produce (Haraway, 1988). We need to extend the requirement for the visible ‘I’ beyond the social sciences’ use of feminist ethnographic methods and into other areas of research. Given videogames’ necessary interactivity and ability to generate immersive states, I propose that game analysis is an ideal mode of experiential research for recognising and documenting the ‘I’. Joanna is a third year Women and Gender PhD student with the Sociology Department at the University of Warwick. Joanna's research interests are centred on immersion, gender, accumulation, and morality in video games. Her thesis is titled "Gender in Immersive Gaming: Violent Spectacle, Morality, and Accumulation" and is supervised by Prof. Deborah L. Steinberg and Dr Amy Hinterberger. Through developing an immersive-participatory method, this thesis engages with work on power, agency and subjectivity in order to analyse the affective and embodied relationship between the player and the game world. It specfically interrogates themes of authority, aquisition, and morality Joanna completed field work at the end of summer 2014 and is currently writing up her findings. Joanna's recently published article in the Journal of Comparative Anthropology and Sociology explores her initial findings, and can be accessed here. Joanna’s final year of study is funded by a 'Funds for Women Graduates' grant. Cotterill, P, and Letherby, G. (1993) ‘Weaving stories: Personal auto/biographies in feminist research.’ Sociology, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 67-79. Cuttell, J. (2015) ‘Arguing for an immersive method: Reflexive meaning-making, the visible researcher, and moral responses to gameplay.’ Journal of Comparative Anthropology and Sociology [online], vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 55-75. <http://compaso.eu/archive/issue-1-2015-video-games-and-insightful-gameplay/cuttell-abstract/>. Denzin, N. K. and Lincoln, Y. S. (2006) ‘Introduction: The discipline and practice of qualitative research.’ In Denzin, N. K. and Lincoln, Y. S. (eds.) Handbook of Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. pp. 1-42. Ettore, E. (2005) ‘Gender, older female bodies and autoethnography.’ Women’s Studies International Forum, vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 535-46. Haraway, D. (1997) Modest−Witness@Second−Millennium.FemaleMan−Meets−Onco Mouse. New York, NY: Routledge. --- (1988). ‘Situated knowledges: The science question in feminism and the privilege of partial perspective.’ Feminist Studies [online], vol. 14 no. 3, pp. 575-599. <http://www.staff.amu.edu.pl/~ewa/Haraway,%20Situated%20Knowledges.pdf>. Harding, S. (1991) Whose Science? Whose Knowledge? Thinking from Women’s Lives. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Hesse-Biber, S. N. (2012) ‘Feminist research: Exploring, interrogating, and transforming the interconnections of epistemology, methodology, and method.’ In Hesse-Biber, S. N. (ed.) Handbook of Feminist Research [online]. New York: SAGE, 2012. <http://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/43563_1.pdf >. Juul, J. (2005) Half-Real: Video Games Between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Kirkpatrick, G. (2012) ‘Constitutive tensions of gaming’s field: UK gaming magazine and the formation of gaming culture 1981-1995.’ Games Studies: The International Journal of Computer Game Research [online], vol. 12, no. 1. <http://gamestudies.org/1201/articles/kirkpatrick>. Kücklich, J. (2002) The study of computer games as a second-order cybernetic system.’ In Mäyrä, Frans. (ed.) Computer Games and Digital Cultures Conference [online]. Tampere, Tampere University Press. <http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.190.115&rep=rep1&type=pdf>. Letherby, G. (2002) ‘Claims and disclaimers: Knowledge, reflexivity and representation in feminist research.’ Sociological Research Online [online], vol. 6, no. 4. <http://www.socresonline.org.uk/6/4/letherby.html>. Malliet, S. (2007) ‘Adapting the principles of ludology to the method of video game content analysis.’ Games Studies: The International Journal of Computer Game Research [online], vol. 7, no. 1. <http://www.gamestudies.org/0701/articles/malliet>. Markula, P. and Silk, M. (2011) Qualitative Research for Physical Culture. Basingstoke:Palgrave Macmillan. Riessman, C. K. (2000) ‘Analysis of Personal Narratives’ [online]. In Gubrium, J. F. and Holstein, J. A. (eds.) Handbook of Interviewing. pp. 1-41. <http://alumni.media.mit.edu/~brooks/storybiz/riessman.pdf>. Stanley, L. (1993) ‘On auto/biography in sociology.’ Sociology, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 41-52. Hinterberger, A. (2007) ‘Feminism and the politics of representation: Towards a critical and ethical encounter with “others”.’ Journal of International Women’s Studies [online], vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 74-83. <http://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1380&context=jiws>. Stanley, L. (1992) The Auto/Biographical I. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Wall, S. (2008) ‘Easier said than done: Writing an autoethnography.’ International Institute for Qualitative Research, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 38-53. 2nd November 2015 Rethinking Cultural Stereotypes: Reflections on Different Contexts by Iro Konstantinou, Sociology PhD candidate at The University of Warwick. My research interests have never really fallen directly under the broader themes of gender studies. Coming from a culture where gender roles were largely pre-defined, I grew up with very clear stereotypes in my head. Relationships between males and females were constituted in the private sphere and the positions and notions related to them always echoed ideas found in religion, culture and history of the nation. Men have always (up until now even) been seen as the breadwinners, historically saving the country from enemies; whereas, women are responsible for raising children, a lot of them abandoning their careers and dreams altogether to devote their lives to the family. Personal choices can never be questioned unless contested in public – this was obviously never the case while growing up. Despite the anachronistic stereotypes of the above, I do not believe that much has changed ever since I left Greece, more than ten years ago. When I came to England, with visions of it perfectly combining modernity and progress with traditional aspects, I was slightly taken aback to see that the family I was staying with at the time sent their girl to a school which was only for girls, and very far from home. According to them, it was a school which would ensure she would get the best possible results and get into a prestigious university. As the years passed, I stayed in a lot of what could be described as gentrified areas and observed that a lot of middle class families would try their best to get into ‘outstanding schools’, even if that meant that 1. Your child would have to travel for more than an hour on a daily basis to go to school 2. The whole family would move to a different ‘catchment’ area or 3. Your child would go to a private school, if neither of the above were possible. For me, the whole process seemed bizarre. Where I grew up the best school was the one that required 1. the least walking time and 2. meant that your best friends – who all lived near you – would be at the same school. Some of my best memories were shaped while walking to and back from school. The idea of the whole catchment area seemed interesting but quite problematic on so many levels, which cannot be discussed in a blog entry. Communities require a lot more stability to produce stable societies – or cohesive societies as Theresa May recently described them. The other element which struck me was the idea that somehow schools attended separately by boys and girls was still a notion which was considered beneficial for the society at large. I found it hard to see how pupils who never mixed on a daily basis from early in life, could function appropriately and be able to see each other as equals while at university and then later on in professional circles (as a matter of fact they cannot, not at a university or a professional level). The focus of primary and secondary education should not be preparing pupils to pass exams but to create well-rounded individuals who are able to grasp new concepts of equality, cutting across gender, class, ethnicity and race. In progressive, industrial societies like Britain, where equality features so high in the agenda of the government, it cannot be the case that schools encourage non co-educational tuition. This does send the wrong message regarding images of equality and cohabitation in public spaces, which require meaningful interactions and compromise. As part of my PhD research, I am conducting an ethnographic study at a private school in London. The pupils at the school come (at their majority) from white, middle class families; they possess the cultural and economic capital which will allow them to explore opportunities, further their education and occupy elite social and professional positions. The school itself has a very long history and prides itself on a change in discourse regarding public schools; its ethos is not only about educational achievement but ensuring that pupils shape an attitude that will allow them to give back to society. The school became co-ed in the early 90s. For the first years of this change the number of girls at the school could be counted in one hand; they used to hide from the boys. This was 20 years ago and at the beginning there was a pastoral officer responsible for the well being of the girls. Now that the ratio between boys and girls is almost 50-50, this role seems no longer necessary and has been side-lined. The school also has a very vibrant sports community – which has been through the years associated with boys and sports which are largely seen to be preferred by boys. In an interview with a senior member of the school I asked them ‘And what mechanisms did you put in place to ensure that girls felt included in all of this environment?’ The reply was ‘Oh we have a lot of activities, you know, girly activities’. I thought best not to ask what these ‘girly’ activities might involve. It is not the numbers and statistics and having different female-related titles which will ensure equality but real change in our perceptions of stereotypes. Iro is a PhD candidate at the University of Warwick at the Department of Sociology. She is currently conducting an ethnographic study in a secondary school, researching the constructions of identity amongst adolescents and the effects of cultural and economic capital on this process. Her research interests include educational (in)equalities, class, ethnicity, race, gender, and the everyday. She also holds an MA in English in Education, which examined perceptions learning among international students in English universities, adopting a sociocultural lens.

Today in "the entire world is steadily losing its mind" news, there will no longer be terms like "manhole", "policeman" or "chairman" in Berkeley, California city codes, according to CNN. Words that "imply a gender preference" will soon be removed from the city's codes and replaced with gender-neutral terms, according to recently adopted ordinances. Berkeley voted on Tuesday to replace "gendered" terms in its municipal codes. Words like "manhole" will be replaced with words like "maintenance hole". "Manpower" will be replaced with "human effort". The item passed without comment or discussion and wasn't controversial, according to Berkeley City Council member Rigel Robinson, the bill's primary author. "There's power in language. This is a small move, but it matters". Gendered pronouns like "he" and "she" will also be replaced with words like "they". The office of the city manager said that the city's municipal codes currently "contain mostly masculine pronouns". "Having a male-centric municipal code is inaccurate and not reflective of our reality. Women and non-binary individuals are just as entitled to accurate representation. Our laws are for everyone, and our municipal code should reflect that." When will this idiocy end?

Nontraditional Age Students Mount Holyoke continues to support the philosophy of its founder, Mary Lyon, who believed that a Mount Holyoke education should be available to any talented woman who could benefit from it. In recognition of the fact that the quest for knowledge has no age limit, Mount Holyoke College welcomes scholars who follow unconventional paths to its gates and, through The Frances Perkins Program, opens the nation's oldest women's college to students of nontraditional age who have not yet earned an undergraduate degree. Each year, for twenty-five admitted Frances Perkins scholars, that welcome comes with very generous financial support from the College. Applicants for a second bachelor's degree are not eligible for institutional funding and should contact the Office of Admission for more information. Mount Holyoke is a women's college that is gender diverse and welcomes applications from female, trans and non-binary students. The Frances Perkins Program is open to and designed for candidates 25 years and older who have experienced an interruption in their education, but who now seek the intellectual challenge of completing their 4-year degree at a top liberal arts institution. Veterans, active military, and those under the age of 25 with dependents are also eligible to apply. Frances Perkins scholars fulfill the same requirements as do all other Mount Holyoke students, but have the added flexibility of electing either a full or part-time (two course) schedule and, if they enter with sophomore or junior standing, are exempt from the first-year seminar requirement. Each year approximately 90 diverse and intellectually curious women are enrolled at Mount Holyoke as Frances Perkins scholars (FPs). Most FPs matriculate with between thirty and sixty four transferrable credits. These students enhance Mount Holyoke's excellence by bringing extensive work and life experiences to campus. Their contributions to the academic and social climate of the College are embraced by their traditional-aged classmates as well as the College's faculty and staff. Together, FPs form a close-knit community, supporting one another both as scholars and as women. Since its founding in 1980, the Frances Perkins Program has graduated more than a thousand highly accomplished women. Many have entered the professions; others have excelled in well-known graduate programs; some have chosen entrepreneurial paths; one is a current Fulbright Scholar. We invite you to visit, and begin to more fully imagine where the unique confidence born of a Mount Holyoke education could lead you.

Reflecting on My Failure to Build a Billion-Dollar Company In 2011, I left my job as the second employee at Pinterest — before I vested any of my stock — to work on what I thought would be my life’s work. I thought Gumroad would become a billion-dollar company, with hundreds of employees. It would IPO, and I would work on it until I died. Something like that. Needless to say, that didn’t happen. Now, it may look like I am in an enviable position, running a profitable, growing, low-maintenance software business serving adoring customers. But for years, I considered myself a failure. At my lowest point, I had to lay off 75 percent of my company, including many of my best friends. I had failed. It took me years to realize I was misguided from the outset. I no longer feel shame in the path I took to get to where I am today — but for a long time, I did. This is my journey, from the beginning. A weekend project turned VC-backed startup The idea behind Gumroad was simple: Creators and others should be able to sell their products directly to their audiences with quick, simple links. No need for a storefront. I built Gumroad the weekend I thought up the idea, and launched it early Monday morning on Hacker News. The reaction exceeded my grandest aspirations. Over 52,000 people checked it out on the first day. Later that year, I left my job as the second employee at Pinterest — before I vested any of my stock — to turn Gumroad into what I thought would become my life’s work. Almost immediately, I raised $1.1M from an all-star cast of angel investors and venture capital firms, including Max Levchin, Chris Sacca, Ron Conway, Naval Ravikant, Collaborative Fund, Accel Partners, and First Round Capital. A few months later, in May 2012, we raised $7M more. Mike Abbott from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), a top-tier VC firm, led the round. I was on top of the world. I was just 19, a solo founder, with over $8M in the bank and three employees. The world was starting to take note. We grew the team. We stayed focused on our product. The monthly numbers started to climb. And then, at some point, they didn’t. To keep the product alive, I laid off 75 percent of my company — including many of my best friends. It really sucked. But I told myself things would be fine: The product would continue to grow and no one far from the company would ever find out. Then, TechCrunch got wind of the layoffs and published “Layoffs Hit Gumroad As The E-Commerce Startup Restructures.” All of a sudden, my failure was public. I spent the week ignoring my support network and answering our customers’ concerns, many of whom relied on us to power their businesses. They wanted to know if they should look for alternative products. Some of our favorite, most successful creators left. This hurt, but I don’t blame them for trying to minimize the risk in their own businesses. So what exactly went wrong, and when? Failing in style Let’s start with the numbers. This is our monthly processed volume, until the layoffs: It doesn’t look too bad, right? It’s going in the right direction: up. But we were venture-funded, which was like playing a game of double-or-nothing. It’s euphoric when things are going your way — and suffocating when they’re not. And we weren’t doubling fast enough to raise the $15M+ Series B (the second major round of funding) we were looking for to grow the team. For the type of business we were trying to build, every month of less than 20 percent growth should have been a red flag. But at the time, I thought it was okay. We had money in the bank and product-market fit. We would continue to ship product and things would work out. The online creator movement was still nascent; the slow growth wasn’t our fault. It always looked like change was right around the corner. But now, I realize: It doesn’t matter whose “fault” it is; we hit a peak in November 2014 and stalled. A lot of creators absolutely loved us, but there weren’t enough of them who needed our specific product offering. Product-market fit is great, but we needed to find a new, larger fit to justify raising more money (and then do it again and again, until acquisition or IPO). For the type of business we were trying to build, every month of less than 20 percent growth should have been a red flag. In January 2015, after our final double-or-nothing hail-mary, our bank balance dipped below 18 months of runway. I told my 20-person team the road ahead would be a tough one. We didn’t have the numbers to raise a Series B, and we would have to work really hard over the next nine months to get even close. To that end, we deprioritized everything except features that would directly move the needle. Many were not core to our business, but we needed to try everything we could to get our monthly processed volume to where it needed to be. If we succeeded, we would raise money from a top-tier VC again, hire more people, and pick up the journey where we’d left off. If we didn’t, we would have to drastically downsize the company. In those nine months, when the whole team knew we were fighting for our company’s life, not a single person left Gumroad. From “this is gonna be hard,” to “yep, turns out it was,” every single person worked harder than ever. We launched a “Small Product Lab” to teach new creators how to grow and sell. We shipped a ton of features, including weekly payouts, payouts to debit cards, payouts to the U.K., Australia, and Canada, various additions to our email features, product recommendations and search, analytics to see how customers are reading/watching/downloading the products they’ve purchased, and add-to-cart functionality. And that was just between August and November. Unfortunately, we didn’t hit the numbers we needed. Slim down or shut down? Looking back, I’m glad we didn’t hit those numbers. If we’d doubled down, raised more money, and appeared in the headlines again, there would have been a very real possibility of even more spectacular failure. With that off the table, our options were: - Shut down the business, return the remaining money to investors, and try something new. - Continue with a slimmed-down version of the company to aim for sustainability. - Position the company for an acquihire. Some of my investors wanted me to shut down the business. They tried to convince me that my time was worth more than trying to keep a small business like Gumroad afloat, and I should try to build another billion-dollar company armed with all of my learnings — and their money. I tended to agree with them, to be honest. But I was accountable to our creators, our employees, and our investors — in that order. We helped thousands of creators get paid, every month. About $2,500,000 was going to go into the pockets of creators — for rent checks and mortgages, for student loans and kids’ college funds. And it was only growing! Could I really just turn that faucet off? If I sold the company, it would be mostly for our stellar team — and I would no longer be able to control the destiny of the product. There were too many acquisition stories of companies promising exciting journeys and amazing synergies to come — and ending with a deprecated product a year later. Selling was certainly tempting. I could say I sold my first company, raise more money, and do this all again with a new idea. But that didn’t sit right with me. We were responsible to our creators first. That’s what I told every new hire and every investor. I didn’t want to become a serial entrepreneur and risk disappointing yet another customer base. We decided to become profitable at any cost. The next year was not fun: I shrunk the company from twenty employees to five. We struggled to find a new tenant for our $25,000/month office. We focused all of our remaining resources on launching a premium service. In June 2015, a few months before our layoffs, our financials looked like this: - Revenue: $89,000 for the month - Gross profit: $17,000 - Operating expenses: $364,000 - Net profit: –$351,000 A year later, in June 2016, our monthly numbers looked like this: - Revenue: $176,000 for the month - Gross profit: $42,000 - Operating expenses: $32,000 - Net profit: +$10,000 It hurt, but it meant creators would keep getting paid. It also meant that we were in control of our own destiny. From skeleton crew to lifestyle business It got worse from there. Gumroad was no longer the venture-funded, fast-growing startup our investors and employees signed up for. As everyone else found other opportunities, the skeleton crew fizzled from five to one. I was basically alone. I didn’t have a team, nor an office. And San Francisco was full of startups raising gobs of money, building amazing teams, and shipping great products. Some of my friends became billionaires. Meanwhile, I was running a “measly” lifestyle business. It wasn’t what I wanted to do, but I had to keep the ship from sinking. Now, I understand some people would dream to be in that position. But at the time, I just felt trapped. I couldn’t stop, but there was only so much I could do as an army of one. For years, my only metric of success was building a billion-dollar company. Now, I realize that was a terrible goal. I shut off the rest of the world. I didn’t tell my mom about the layoffs — she had to read the article and tweets herself to find out. My friends were worried, but I assured them I was neither depressed nor suicidal. I left San Francisco for long stretches at a time, thinking that some travel would give me adequate distance. It only made me more lonely. Every day, I woke up and took care of all of Gumroad’s support queries. I tried to fix all of the bugs I could. Often, I had to ask for help from former Gumroad engineers. They were all employed by then, but they always found time to help. Once all things Gumroad were taken care of, I tried to go to the gym, and if I had the willpower, work on a side project (a fantasy novel). Most days, I failed. To me, happiness is about an expectation of positive change. Every year before 2016, there was an improvement in my expectations — in the team, the product, or the company. This was the first time in my life when the present year felt worse than the last. Living in San Francisco was already a struggle. When Trump won the election, I ended up leaving for good. Then one day, everything changed. Again. I’m wary about sharing this part of the story, because I don’t know if there is anything to learn from it. But it happened, so here it is. On November 27, 2017, I got this email from KPCB, our lead investor: I am following up our conversation a few months ago. KP would like to sell our ownership back to Gumroad for $1. Can we discuss this week? Mike had left KPCB to start a new company, and KPCB didn’t want the operational headache of appointing a new board member. Plus, it helped their taxes. In one fell swoop, our liquidation preferences (how much we would have to sell for before dollars started going to employees) went from about $16.5M to $2.5M. All of a sudden, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Small, dim, and far away, but present. There was a path to an independent business, not beholden to the go-big-or-go-home mentality I signed up for when I raised money. One investor joined them. We’ve bought back a couple more, since then. I keep the rest of the investors up-to-date with a brief email every few months. The future came into focus: I could grow a small team, slowly buy back our investors, and build Gumroad into a meaningful business focused on our creators. We would never become a billion-dollar company, and that started to feel okay. Certainly, the thousands of creators selling on Gumroad wouldn’t mind. Finding new forms of impact The eight years I worked on Gumroad were full of personal ups and downs. There were months where I worked 16 hours a day, but there were also some months where I worked four hours a week. Here’s one way to picture that time: Can you tell which is which? I can’t. We had a sales team for a few years, then we didn’t. Can you tell when we made the switch? I can’t. It doesn’t matter how amazing your product is, or how fast you ship features. The market you’re in will determine most of your growth. For better or worse, Gumroad grew at roughly the same rate almost every month because that’s how quickly the market determined we would grow. Instead of pretending to be some sort of product visionary, trying to build a billion-dollar company, I’m just focused on making Gumroad better and better for our existing creators. Because they are the ones that have kept us alive. Creating and capturing value At a CEO Summit many years ago, my all-time hero, Bill Gates, took the stage. Someone asked him how he dealt with failing to capture so much value. Microsoft was huge, sure, but tiny compared to the total impact it has had on the world and on humanity. Bill’s answer: “Sure, but that’s true with all companies, right? They create some value and succeed in capturing a very small percentage of it.” I am now more focused on creating value than capturing it. I still want to have as large an impact as possible, but I don’t need to create it directly or capture it in the form of revenue and valuation. Take Austen Allred, for example. He’s raised $48M for his startup Lambda School, and he got his start selling a book on Gumroad. Startups have been founded by former Gumroad employees, and dozens more companies have been massively improved by recruiting our alumni. On top of that, our product ideas, like our credit card form and inline-checkout experience, have proliferated across the web, making it a better place for everyone — including those that have never used Gumroad. While Gumroad, Inc. may be small, our impact is large. There is, of course, the $178,000,000 we have sent to creators. But then there’s the impact of the impact, the opportunities that those creators have taken to create new opportunities for others. Opening up about our financials I’ve found other ways to create value, too. After the layoffs, I didn’t talk to anyone about Gumroad. Not even my mom. And after moving away from San Francisco, I felt pretty disconnected from the startup community. As a way to re-engage with the community, I thought about sharing our financials publicly. Founders starting their own companies could learn from our mistakes, utilizing our data to make better decisions. It was scary: What if we don’t grow every month? It could scare off prospective customers. It’s something I would never expect a startup seeking venture capital to do. It makes sense to hold those cards as close to your chest for as long as possible when you must raise money, hire people, and compete for customers with other venture-seeking startups. But, since we were not any of those things anymore, it was easier to share that information. We were profitable, and a no-growth month won’t change that. So in April 2018, I started to release our monthly financials publicly. Ironically, more investors have reached out (we’re just interested in raising money from our customers for the moment, thanks!), more folks want to contribute to Gumroad, and our shift in focus has brought us closer to our creators. And instead of freaking out about how “small” Gumroad actually is (like I thought they would), our creators have grown more loyal. It feels like we’re all in this together, trying to earn a living doing what we love. Soon, we’re also planning to open-source the whole product, WordPress-style. Anyone will be able to deploy their own version of Gumroad, make the changes they want, and sell the content they want, without us being the middleman. In 2018, we donated over $23,775 (eight percent of our profits) to different causes. We raised money for the hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico and the floods in Kerala. We helped fund the Presence-of-Blackness project in speculative fiction, and a Mexicanx publication. Seeking the non-binary For years, my only metric of success was building a billion-dollar company. Now, I realize that was a terrible goal. It’s completely arbitrary and doesn’t accurately reflect impact. I’m not making an excuse or pretending that I didn’t fail. I’m not pretending that failure feels good. Everyone knows that the failure rate in startups — especially venture-funded ones — is super high, but it still sucks when you don’t reach your goals. I failed, but I also succeeded at many other things. Gumroad turned $10 million of investor capital into $178 million (and counting) for creators. Without a fundraising goal coming up, we’re simply focused on building the best product we can for our customers. On top of all that, I’m happy creating value beyond our revenue-generating product (like these words you’re reading). I consider myself “successful” now. Not exactly in the way I intended, though I think what I’m doing now counts. Where did my singular focus on building a billion-dollar company come from in the first place? I think I inherited it from a society that worships wealth. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Bill Gates was my all-time hero and the world’s richest person. Ever since I can remember, I’ve equated “success” with net worth. If I heard someone say “that person’s really successful,” I didn’t assume they were improving the well-being of those around them, but that they’d found a way to make a ton of cash. Wealth can be a measure of being able to improve the well-being of those around you, as seems to be the case for someone like Bill Gates, who has invested heavily in philanthropy. But it’s not the only way to measure success, nor is it the best one. There’s nothing wrong with trying to build the next Microsoft. I personally don’t think billionaires are evil. And there’s a part of me that wishes I was still on that path. But for better or worse, I’m on this one now. This has been my path to not building a billion-dollar company. There are many like it, but this one is mine. If you’re interested in staying up to date on the Gumroad journey, sign up here. Gumroad is a product of many people’s hard work, including our alumni: Leigh McCulloch, Sidharth Shanker, Anish Bhayani, Kathleen Warner, Heather Whiles, Benjamin Nguyen, Steve Kaye, Tuhin Srivastava, Avinash Ananth, Joel Packer, Katsuya Noguchi, Matan-Paul Shetrit, Amir Haghighat, Ian Atha, Emmiliese von Clemm, Kate Yu, Sri Raghavan, Ryan Delk, Al Hertz, Travis Nichols, Maxwell Elliott, Phil Howes, Ben Reynolds, Michael Klocker, Bryan English, Laura Biester, Jake Heimark, Aaron Relph, Ben Walsh, Greg Terrono, Donald Huang, Paul McKellar, Francisco Gutierrez, Kyle Doherty, and Jessica Jalsevac. Thank you. Making you smarter about business. Stay On Top of Your Game. Enter Your Email Address Below. 100’s of Lenders in One Place Providing the difference in order for you to obtain the best rate and terms for your clients. We Make It Possible Underwriting Specialist Review Close More – Earn More More Programs – More Opportunity Find Out More Contact Us Today

“When I was little my grandma told me that if I brushed my hair 100 times a day I would be a beautiful woman. My grandma also felt that a strong part of cuban culture is knowing how to peel an orange correctly. I remember when I was little that she would spend hours with me in front of the mirror practicing these repetitive actions. When I was five my world was small and all I knew was my house, my grandparents house, and my school; these places were the stages for my social performance and the preparation I had to peel fruit in front of strangers.” “Peeling Fruit In Front Of Strangers” is a new joint production by Francisco Baños Diaz (choreographer and dancer), Luke Oliver Francis (dancer), Katharina Merten aka Dorothy Parker (musician) and Rachel de la Torre aka Lamb Kebab (vocalist) and Lotte Meret Effinger (visual artist) for Balance Club / Culture Festival 2020. The performance will take place on 20 May 2020 and combines elements of contemporary dance, rap and avant-garde club music to create an exclusive emulsion. The treatment lasts 30 minutes. A video documentation of the performance will be uploaded on Sunday, May 24th. Luke Oliver Francis is a non-binary artist from Great Britain. Besides their current engagement as a solo dancer at the Leipzig Ballet, they also engage in various projects and collaborations, including creating the party series “Series Be.” at the Institut für Zukunft, which aims to give the queer Leipzig club scene a home. Francisco Baños Diaz is a Spanish choreographer, dancer and DJ. In addition to his engagement as a dancer at the Hanover State Ballet, his work in the form of diverse projects and collaborations has already been shown at various locations and events, including the Gallery for Contemporary Art Leipzig, the Lofft Theater Leipzig, and the Leipzig Opera House. He is also a member of soft spot, a DJ-collective by women* & LGBTIQA+ in Hanover. As Frawn he is resident DJ at “Series Be.” Rachel de la Torre (Lamb Kebab) is a Cuban-American musician and rapper known for her powerful lyrics. Lamb Kebab has worked with a number of renowned artists* and institutions, including Amplify Berlin, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, CCTV Radio and Creamcake. Her music has been released by Danse Noir, IfZ, NAAFI, Aishida Park and Switch Handz. Katharina Merten aka Dorothy Parker is a DJ, producer and video artist. Her diverse collaborations with artists* from the fields of theatre, literature, visual arts and contemporary dance have been shown at various venues and festivals, including at the Gallery for Contemporary Art Leipzig, at Skulptur Projekte Münster, at Trauma Berlin, at HVW8 Berlin, at Mousonturm Frankfurt, at Schauspiel Leipzig, at Reference Festival Berlin, at Nachtdigital, at Chaos Communication Congress, at KV – Verein für zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig, at Center for Literature – Burg Hülshoff, at Dokfest Kassel, at International Women’s Film Festival Dortmund/ Cologne and at Institut für Zukunft Leipzig. Lotte Meret Effinger’s projects and collaborations range from video, publishing, installation, performance to curating and writing. Her work was presented in different institutions such as Kunsthalle Basel, Kunsthalle Baden-Baden and at the Arsenale in Venice. Her work has been acquired by Lafayette Anticipation and Kunstkredit Basel-Stadt.

NEW COVER ART! We have a new logo and you’ll be seeing that reflecting more in our visuals! Also, I apologize if there was a delay with the episodes uploading this week– we ran into some podcast hosting issues, but hopefully they are now fully resolved. Enjoy the show! In this episode, Linda teaches us about gender development and identity with children and young teens. With the recent rollbacks in Health Care Rights, new rules have erased explicit nondiscrimination protections for the LGBTQ community, and health care providers are being sent the message that they can deny care. Linda, Co-Director of the Gender & Sexuality Development Clinic and a family services specialist, not only gives us an overview of gender development and identity, but also discusses the important elements of supporting the LGBTQ community through direct client care as well as through systemic advocacy. Linda shares helpful tips on openly discussing sexuality and gender with all children to support development in an open and safe space. Linda gives specific resources for therapists to utilize so that we can say updated with policy changes that may affect our clients. She also runs a wonderful training program that supports mental health providers in offering affirmative therapy & becoming a stronger advocate for Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, Gender Expansive, and Non-Binary (TGNCNB) people. Linda A. Hawkins, PhD, MSEd, LPC, is at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The Gender and Sexuality Development Clinic (GSD Clinic) offers psychosocial and medical support for gender variant, gender-expansive and transgender children and youth up to age 21 and their families. Linda has co-authored several studies and been granted numerous awards for her work and research. CHOP Gender Clinic: https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/gender-and-sexuality-development-clinic Linda’s Training Program: https://www.widener.edu/academics/graduate-studies/affirmative-therapy-transgender-communities Gender Spectrum (organization & conference): https://genderspectrum.org/ Looking for more creative content? Sign up for our newsletter and get a free creativity guide! Join the Creative Therapy Umbrella Hub Facebook group to further discuss, collaborate, and create with your fellow creative arts therapy community! Have feedback? Fill out our anonymous survey to let us know your thoughts, concerns, questions, suggestions, and feedback. For us to serve you better, we need to hear YOUR voice!

Website Spit It Out Project Spit it Out is an award winning charity aiming to build connections and provide a platform for discussions around trauma and healing through creativity, working off of 4 pillars; To celebrate our first year we want to launch the charity with an immersive event; The Aye Festival! A series of event dedicated to tackling the stigmas around ‘taboo’ and difficult conversations through workshops, exhibitions, talks, live performances and screenings. The Festival will be held across Glasgow, Edinburgh and Online. We will be hosting covering topics of: Aye Consent – Consent and Boundaries Aye Am – Identity Aye Feel – Mental health Aye Fuck – Sex Aye Stand – Activism Aye Move – Connection to the body through movement The Festival will showcase not only incredible spoken word, visual art, dance and music by local and international artists but also interactive workshops from amazing local groups such as Skateboobs, The Better Sex Workshops and Intercultural Youth Scotland to name a few. We are an embryonic organisation, having only received our charity status in July last year, run voluntarily by a group of young women and non-binary creatives. All the work we do is funded through fundraising and our ticket sales. We offer a sliding scale of £0-£10 for tickets and all money goes straight back into the festival and paying our creative contributors. The dates of the festival are: June 16th – 19th in Glasgow June 20th – 22nd Online June 23rd – 26th in Edinburgh We’re looking for friendly faces to help us with a range of duties before, during and after the festival and to help us make this a safe, fun and engaging space for everyone to come together. We’re looking for motivated people who wold like to join the volunteer team! Duties before, during and after the festival will be thing like: Putting up posters Promoting festival events Set up and take down of workshop, performance, screening or exhibition spaces Providing people information on Festival Events Monitoring and controlling visitor flow Being available to support SiO staff Stage management and artist support Cleaning up after events Access to all Aye festival activities (dependent on spaces available) The chance to support an emerging charity and learn new skills. Opportunity to get involved in the local arts scene and work with a great artists and contributors. Make friends and become part of the SIO community. Learn how to talk about important subject matter in safe surroundings. Invitation to private parties.

This is a long, conversational interview with Brit Mandelo, editor of Beyond Binary: Genderqueer and sexually fluid speculative fiction (Lethe Press, April 2012), in which we approach the book in terms of editorial approach, work process, content, publishing, and community. It starts with a lengthy introduction then moves onto questions, which continue in Part 2 and Part 3. A couple of months ago I read an ARC of Beyond Binary, and gave it the following long, conversational blurb: Seventeen stories of genderqueer and sexually fluid people living, laughing, lusting and lying their way through the world. Seventeen points of light burning like beacons above the plain of "normal." Seventeen tales written mostly in the twenty-first century about the future, the past that never was, and alternate universes that might never be (or always have been). Seventeen authors working on the bow wave of their own writing, riding a surge of inspiration.Why so long? Because I want this book to reach its readers. It matters. We need to see ourselves reflected in the stories we read. It can even save lives. These writers--the vast majority identify as female, a thrill all of its own--play with many versions of queer. The stories range from a 35-page novelette that begins at the raw edge of loneliness and ends in exuberant human connection, to a 6-page blink of quantum weirdness encompassing all possibilities. The stories teem with gay, trans, lesbian, bi, polyamorous, asexual, unspecified, and imaginary people--as well as aliens, angels, and androids. But each ends with some oh-so-human satisfaction, resolution, or glad understanding. Beyond Binary is peopled by those who are brave, who say Yes to joy--and not only survive but thrive. Some of these pieces are truly strange. Some are delicious romps. But in the end this is the rarest of anthologies: the sum is greater than its parts. Read it. Read it all. Reading the book brought back memories of editing the BENDING THE LANDSCAPE series of all-original short fiction with queer protagonists. I started the project in the mid-nineties. The first volume, Fantasy, was published in 1997, the second, Science Fiction, in 1999, and the third and final volume, Horror, in 2000. It was a huge amount of work, with lots of attendant frustration, but in the end it brought me a vast heaping of satisfaction and a hot current of joy. It was absolutely worth it; I still get email about it from readers. The books won various honours and--just as importantly to me--individual stories were nominated for a host of awards for their authors. I had multiple aims with BtL: to get litfic writers to dip their toes into speculative fiction, to get straight writers to try their hand at queer characters, and to ensure an even gender balance...all while curating three volumes of great-to-read fiction. Multiple aims, of course, is insane ideal for a brand-new editor, but, well, I simply wouldn't listen to wiser heads. I was convinced I could do it all. I made a lot of mistakes. (Some of which I'm too embarrassed to write about, even today. I'm guessing there are still some members of the queer community who think I'm an idiot. All I can say is: yes, I was an idiot, but I hope I'm a bit less of an idiot than I used to be, mainly because some of you were patient and helpful. So I'm sorry. And thank you.) I'm a hands-on fiction editor. And in this regard I'm very good at what I do--not an idiot at all. I took some of the pieces down to the ground and helped rebuild them: lifting a sleek 7,000-word story from a 15,000-word novella swamp; persuading a couple of writers to switch point of view; suggesting to others a different ending. Most of the writers seemed okay with this--many even grateful. But there was one notable exception: a well-known-at-the-time manly man who told me to go fuck myself, and that he didn't rewrite, especially to notes from an cocky little asshole like me; oh no, he had better things to do, "like beat off in my hat." It took five years to produce three books, thousands of hours of brute work. (I lost one of my favourite stories, from Brian Aldiss, early on in the process, due to publishing problems. It was published in Interzone.) It wasn't easy figuring out how to work with my co-editor, Stephen Pagel, on such a big project (though in the end we worked together beautifully; we worked out a seventy-percent consensus rule). Or to move from one publisher to another mid-stream. Or plough through the tsumani of earnest, often terrible submissions whose theme seemed to be: love conquers all (even gravity and lack of oxygen). I had to say no, over and over, to hopeful new writers, and it's hard work breaking hearts. Also, the cherry on top of the awful pie, I didn't really make any money--because of the publishing change mid-stream I ended up passing much of my fee along to the authors. The whole experience was so exhausting, in fact, that although I've been approached to edit anthologies several times since, I've always said no. But I've been thinking for a few years now that we desperately need more speculative fiction anthologies with quiltbag writers and/or characters and/or themes. A couple of a times I've come close to biting the bullet. But, hey, now there's Beyond Binary. I'm thrilled: I won't have to do it! So I'm grateful to Brit. Brit, describe to me in your own words why you took on this project, what you hoped to achieve, and how it felt to put it together. I took on this project because I wanted there to be a book that collected genderqueer and sexually fluid stories in one place and made them available to a larger audience of readers. I wanted to read a book like that. I wanted to have had a book like that when I was a teen, when I was seeking narratives to explain my own identity, to deal with how I didn't quite fit into the binary boxes available to me both in the heteronormative world and, often, in the predominantly lesbian and gay community I was part of at the time. The sense of not-fitting, of having to reduce or ignore vital parts of myself to fit those boxes, was a constant pressure. Finding the words and stories to explore non-binary identities was a beautiful thing for me, when it happened, and with Beyond Binary I hoped to provide a book for the people who need it, now, like I needed it then. That's part of why I tried to choose stories that encompassed different sorts of identities under the bigger umbrellas of genderqueer and sexually fluid. There are trans* stories, bisexual stories, asexual stories, gender-neutral stories, gender-fluid stories, stories about the gendering of bodies, and a lot in between. I hoped to capture a small corner, at least, of the big tapestry that is "non-binary identities," and also to include intersectional stories, too. So, really, what I hoped to achieve was to create a book that spoke to people. I hoped to foreground these great genderqueer and sexually fluid stories for the audience that was seeking them—and for people who might not know they were seeking them, too. I wanted to help lighten a little bit of darkness in the larger conversation about gender and sexuality, when it comes to non-binary identities; I wanted to amplify and draw attention to these so-often silenced dialogues of self. The power of storytelling is a big, big power; the power of being made real in words and text is something that feminist and queer theorists have been talking about since before I was born. I hoped to contribute to that. Putting together the project was an emotional and fulfilling experience, only made more so by the reception of the book. It was difficult, too—I worried constantly about balancing narratives and voices in the book, about missing stories, about still-silenced voices, about potential erasures I might be unintentionally contributing to—but the difficulty and stress were absolutely worth it. I felt while reading for and arranging the project that I was doing something worthwhile, something valuable and potentially good. It was personally satisfying—as I said, I would have loved to have had a book like this, years ago—and very emotional. It prompted me to talk more publically about my identities, also, which was fraught with discomfort but ultimately a great relief. (I'd come out as queer years ago, but discussing my gender identity had remained a very private and personal thing.) The responses and the positive support the book has received have been overwhelming, and I'm glad that at least a portion of what I was trying to do seems to have been successful. You were very smart to go with reprints for your first book project. Did you do any editing at all? Would you like to in the future? I did a little minor, cosmetic editing in some cases, but didn't get elbow-deep into any of the stories. Because I was reading for reprints, I looked for pieces that stood out to me "as-is." There were stories I came across in the reading process that, had I been doing hands-on editing, I might have suggested revisions for; instead, I had to let them go. After that, I definitely wanted to work with original stories and more in-depth editing in the future. And, serendipitously, I was offered the position of fiction editor at Strange Horizons early this year, so I'm now getting to do that hands-on work. It's great! I'm glad to have the opportunity to continue working as an editor, and this time for one of my favorite magazines—plus, there seems to be a really nice continuity there, since there are two reprints originally published at Strange Horizons in Beyond Binary. Right now I'm thinking there needs to be a companion volume of older stories: so we can see where today's work is coming from. And of course I have ideas about that. But tell me what you think. I think that would be brilliant. There's a history in speculative fiction of stories that explore spectrums of gender and sexuality, many of those written before there were words or frameworks to easily do so with. I could think of a few stories straight away that I didn't or couldn't include in Beyond Binary, like Joanna Russ's "The Mystery of the Young Gentleman." Getting reprint rights for things can be tricky, though. There are some great Ursula K. Le Guin stories that I would have liked to have included, too. And in the case of an ideal companion volume, I think I'd also like to include novel excerpts; there are so many books that were dealing really intimately with issues of sexual fluidity and gender, like Marge Piercy's Woman on the Edge of Time. That novel had a lovely third-person pronoun, "per," that I wish would pick up greater usage today. And I'm sure there are much older stories, too—I'd love to be set loose in a good research library to seek them out.

An interesting poll in PinkNews: despite more than two years of relentless and increasingly vicious scaremongering in pretty much the entire national media and online, most UK women are still in favour of self-ID for trans people: 57%, compared to 21% against. It’s welcome, of course, and it echoes many other polls (and trans people’s experiences) that show most women don’t believe the lurid claims of the pressure groups that pretend to speak for them, but at the same time it’s frustrating to see reporting and polling about trans “issues” that focus on the things bigots want to talk about, not the things that are important. Self-ID is a minor administrative thing that not only isn’t relevant to cisgender people, but that isn’t particularly important to trans people either. Sure, we’d like the process of legal gender recognition to be less humiliating and expensive and for it to be inclusive of non-binary people. And yes, gender recognition certificates can help protect us against some forms of discrimination. But on the list of things trans people want to focus on, to address, to talk about, the gender recognition process is near the bottom of the list. We’re only talking about it because other people won’t stop shouting about it. There is only so much oxygen in media, and they’re using it all up. My news app brings me stories about trans issues. For several weeks now, the trans-related coverage has been overwhelmed by a single celebrity whose views on trans people are no different from and no more insightful than any run-of-the-mill transphobe on Twitter. But of course, she’s famous. It’s Caitlyn Jenner all over again. A few years ago it seemed like the only articles anybody was allowed to write about trans people were either based on some awful thing Caitlyn Jenner said or some awful thing someone else said about Caitlyn Jenner. Meanwhile the important stuff didn’t make the papers at all. Why would it? A celebrity has an opinion! It’s not just the coverage. It’s that it sets the agenda for other media: the celebrity’s opinion is either the hook, or the only thing the presenter wants to talk about and will let the guest talk about. It often feels very much like this: Expert: Well, John, the big concern is that a woman who needs hormone treatment can go to her GP and get a prescription that day – unless she’s trans, in which case it can take three or even four years to get the same medication. And that’s dangerous because –” Presenter: “But this celebrity, who’s really just an ordinary concerned parent, says trans people drink the blood of freshly slaughtered children. How much children’s blood do they drink?” Expert: “What? That’s ridiculous. Of course they don’t drink the –” Presenter: “When did they stop drinking the blood of freshly slaughtered children?” This isn’t helping anybody, and it certainly isn’t educating and informing. It’s a distraction. As Toni Morrison famously said about racism: “The function, the very serious function of racism, is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and so you spend 20 years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says that you have no art so you dredge that up. Somebody says that you have no kingdoms and so you dredge that up. None of that is necessary. There will always be one more thing.”

“Ladies, gentlemen, and non-binary beings who refuse to be forced into one or more specific genders,” began CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker, employing the network’s prescribed group salutation. “I have gathered you all today here in the CNN newsroom to discuss this Anthony Scaramucci Russia story we retracted and how it has had a negative impact on our network’s sterling reputation for journalistic integrity and objectivity. Hey, pay attention! Stop laughing!” The room quieted down. Even Don Lemon looked up from the bar, where he was mixing a cosmopolitan. “Listen, people….,” Zucker began. “I identify as an otherkin and that’s humanocentric!” shouted a producer dressed in a bright blue fox costume. The network was rightfully proud of its “a-furry-mative action” outreach to the marginalized furry and brony communities. Zucker sighed. “Before I go on, I just want to make sure that O’Keefe guy isn’t secretly taping us again. You’re the sharpest, keenest investigative journalists in the business – any sign of him?” “Nope, he’s totally not here,” replied a voice from the audience, a young white man dressed like Superfly. “Great. Now this Scaramucci story was a big problem, and not just because we got caught. As you know, Russia is ratings gold, but if we keep coming up empty we’ll leave our audience as unsatisfied as a woman married to a liberal man,” Zucker explained, using an analogy his audience could relate to. “We just can’t keep reporting shaky Russia stories about billionaires based on single, anonymous sources that turn out to be fake news.” “So … avoid slandering billionaires? Maybe focus on rodeo clowns and so forth?” suggested Jim Acosta. “Exactly,” replied Zucker. “Don’t do this kind of thing to people who buy their lawyers in bulk! I’m not saying pick on people who can’t fight back against a giant media company but, you know, try and pick on people who can’t fight back against a giant media company.” A cheerful voice from someone in the front row cried out: “I got a new puppy! His name is Woofy!” “Yes, Chris, you’ve already told us all about Woofy several times,” sighed Zucker. “Woofy likes to bark at squirrels, and my brother is governor!” “That’s terrific, Chris. Someone, get him his fidget spinner. Anyway, starting now, we’re instituting The room erupted into chaos. “What the hell?” screeched Wolf Blitzer. “Preposterous!” “Wolf, your name is sort of like my puppy Woofy’s!” said Chris Cuomo. “Sort of.” “Never!” snorted Christiane Amanpour, who had been annoying Jake Tapper because her enormous pink gyno hat was blocking his view. “Look at it spin!” piped up Chris Cuomo between delighted giggles. Jim Acosta stood up and adjusted his tie. “I want to register my outrage and disapproval of this hateful attack on the free press in the strongest possible terms!” “Oh, knock it off, Jimmy. There’s no camera here,” Zucker said. “From now on, your anonymous sources have to actually exist. That’s final. I’m sorry people – calm down! – but you can’t quote sources who don’t exist.” From the back, Don Lemon finished his drink and howled, “The voices tell me MANY THINGS!” “Look,” said Jim Sciutto. “Like my friend Don, I deeply believe that invisible voices in our heads can be legitimate news sources. Especially if a different voice in our head confirms what the first voice told us.” “But don’t you understand,” stuttered an indignant Brian Stelter. “Don’t you know that democracy will die in darkness if you impose arbitrary rules on us that limit our ability to report things that never happened?” “Look, I know this represents a sea change in how CNN operates, but there’s a lot of heat on us right now,” said Zucker. “Personally, I’m still heartbroken that we were unable to go forward with our plans for CNN Kidz Newz Nite With Kathy Griffin.” “Kathy is a saint and she was robbed!” yelled Don Lemon, who staggered up the aisle, pausing to “accidentally” spill his fresh cosmo on Jake Tapper. “Hey!” shouted Tapper. “That suit cost more than your pec implants!” “Get out of my head!” screamed Lemon, who began sobbing. He’d been an emotional train wreck since the defeat of his friend Hillary, who he had steadfastly defended against all sorts of awful people who insisted on telling the truth about her. “Settle!” howled Zucker. “We are journalists! We are all about our sacred duty as reporters to tell the truth to our viewers in an objective and professional manner! And also ratings. Sweet, sweet, life-giving ratings.” “Sometimes daddy used to come home late at night with his special friends and they were all dirty and had shovels. They always took the cannoli,” Chris Cuomo said to John Berman, who got up and moved down three chairs. “All right, all right, let’s move on to solutions. Cooper, your eyebrows are fine, so put down that mirror and pay attention! Now, we’ve had some troubles, but we’re going to come back stronger. The consensus is that the best way to do that is by leveraging exciting, diverse talents and marginalized minority voices, like Shaun King…” “You want to tell him?” Jake Tapper whispered to Brooke Baldwin. “And Sally Kohn,” said Zucker. “Their smart, common sense takes on current issues will help reach out to red America on whatever issues those hicks care about.” Just then a young production assistant with “#Resist” tattooed across xis forehead rushed over to the network president and handed him a note. He read it and furrowed his brow. “People, listen up! Trump just tweeted ‘This Russia fake news is fake. Failing CNN is failing. Sad!’ Clearly, he’s hiding something, and I’m guessing its collusion. Put up the ‘TREASON WATCH’ chyron and someone get Louise Mensch on the phone! This is not a drill – we’re flooding the zone! CNN is back!” The crowd broke up as people rushed to their places. And while a producer led Chris Cuomo by his soft hand to the anchor chair, he was heard to say, “I got a new puppy! His name is Woofy!”

Nude on uk tv However, Ofcom chose not to investigate as there was nothing that breached their rules and that the show was purely a dating show and does not contain sexual activity and was also shown after the watershed. Pussy on viemo. The series frequently had fights in the shower, graphic nude scenes, and a uniquely naked approach to solitary confinement. But from the 70s, post-9pm dramas on BBC1 and ITV specialised in the quick-flash tactic, in which a woman might show her breasts while rolling on top of a lover or swinging out of bed, or offer a rear nude view while walking into the shower. There are no boundaries to the amount of time the main character Hannah Lena Dunham, who also created the show spends naked in the show. Nude on uk tv. Scroll to continue with content AD. Louis CK himself hopped out of bed naked as a jaybird at the end of an episode. Photo by Frederick M. Next is year-old David from Maidstonea divorcee after 24 years of marriage, who has a brand new outlook on life. Having exhausted Cornwall's dating pool, Millie hopes to finally wave goodbye to laidback surfers. Black Tie Nights — 30 min Drama, Romance 4. Study reveals which TV show has the most nudity. Kinky sex videos tumblr. Top 43 Jennie Jacques. One of the most horrific scenes in Game of Thrones history, viewers are to surmise that even queens are subject to public humiliation. And non-binary pansexual Lee is open to all genders as well as seeking acceptance from a lover. House of Lies follows a group of management consultants who stop at nothing to seal business deals and make money. Threads collapsed expanded unthreaded. MyIntyre is not the most notable or prolific actor. A significant percentage of the full-frontal nudity screened on UK TV appeared on Eurotrash Channel 4,which sampled stark examples from abroad. He also brought a whole lot of nudity. The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. Will he find a kindred spirit? If you change your mind, here's how to allow notifications: Similarly, the sudden popularity of fellatio in TV drama towards the end of the last century — with notable scenes in This Life BBC2, and Queer As Folk Channel 4, — was that the act seemed visually daring, and infuriated puritans, but with the penis conveniently unseen. Top 24 Natalie Dormer. But for a penis to be seen, even flaccid and cold, still pricks the attention of viewers. Zoe is into the 'natural look', but is struggling to meet someone who shares her enthusiasm. Chubby hot nude girls. In the season five finale, the fallen queen, Cersie Lena Headey with the help of a body doubleis made to walk naked full frontal and back through the streets of King's Landing after having confessed to adultery. In the first season, nude scenes are so plentiful in Black Sails that it seems like just a part of everyday life for its characters. While there is an abundance of sex in Secret Diaryviewers are only privy to partial nudity, albeit much of it, including bare breasts and bottoms. All other people have a nice time watching! Zane's the Jump Off — 30 min Drama 7. Based on the popular diary of the anonymous sex worker known only as Belle de Jour. Davies, Queer as Folk was the first hour-long drama series on American television to portray the lives of gay men and women. Alex the window cleaner seeks someone who'll take a shine to his fit body. Website for moms seeking advice, community, and entertainment. - Blowjob tumblr vids - Big penis nude beach tumblr - Lauren simpson nude Big tits hairy pussy pics Show 25 25 50 All. Top 30 Hannah Murray. Milf round boobs. A significant percentage of the full-frontal nudity screened on UK TV appeared on Eurotrash Channel 4,which sampled stark examples from abroad. Will he find a kindred spirit? Men have even credited the show for giving insight into the female perspective on sex and relationships. If you change your mind, here's how to allow notifications:. Nude on uk tv. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. All other people have a nice time watching! Drama about the pioneers of the science of human sexuality whose research touched off the sexual revolution. Ray from Swindon was fed up of dating bad boys and wants to find a nice guy. Most of the stories Viewers often see bare bottom and breasts, as well as full-frontal nudity. Top 34 Sally Hawkins. Talk about shock value. Beeg tag 18. Top 27 Catherine Bell. But he does deserve credit for going there. Kieron, 32, an account manager, picked Alisha, a trainee tattoo artist from West Yorkshirefrom six women. After two years, Olivia is still mourning the death of her husband. He quickly became an integral part of later seasons beyond being the antagonist of the first season. Cathy was 43 and looking to start a family. Found in the collection of Fondazione Pirelli. Topics Television TV and radio blog. August Learn how and when to remove this template message. Top 18 Sophie Turner. Top 21 Rhona Mitra. Hentai family play. Follows two couples living under the same roof who struggle to keep their relationships alive while pursuing their individual dreams. Top 5 Rosamund Pike. Top 3 Alice Eve. Top 26 Kim Cattrall. A chronicled look at the criminal exploits of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, as well as the many other drug kingpins who plagued the country through the years. Tags boobs butts game of thrones hbo mr. Photo by Frederick M. Davies, Queer as Folk was the first hour-long drama series on American television to portray the lives of gay men and women. Shawn Mendes creates fashion collection to celebrate homecoming stadium show. Teddy GarcesKinyumba Mutakabbir. Top 2 Gemma Arterton. Sign Up for Our Newsletter! He shattered his squeaky clean image in his very dark turn on Boardwalk Empire. You won't see any complaints about sexism or the objectification of women here. Psychology student Alesia was tired of meeting 'boys' and hoped to meet a real man. Purefoy plays a serial killer with a legion of fans on The Following. Liz vassey naked pics Zane's the Jump Off — 30 min Drama 7. Black Tie Nights — 30 min Drama, Romance 4. Going naked on the beach. The half-hour program features There are no boundaries to the amount of time the main character Hannah Lena Dunham, who also created the show spends naked in the show. The only place to satisfy all of your guilty pleasures. Articles needing additional references from August All articles needing additional references Use British English from August The sex scenes throughout the show are plentiful and raunchy — "True Guilty Pleasure" at its finest. Top 30 Hannah Murray. Some guardians of classic literature, though, may be alarmed by signs that Andrew Davies is upping the ante. She had dated a few "love rats" and was now searching for her Prince Charming. In his native Sweden, Skarsgard has not been afraid from showing the goods. The show follows the story of gynecologist William Masters Michael Sheen who conducts research into human sexuality with assistant Virginia Johnson Lizzy Caplan. Due to the frequency, and immensity, of the scenes he definitely stole focus and secured an interesting role on the show. In later seasons, particularly season seven, topless women became much more prevalent. I want to receive the best daily and weekly boobs pics. Besides acting, Cuoco is a professional horse rider. Autoplay Next Video On Off. All comments are moderated and may take up to 24 hours to be posted. Please enter your name. All sexy videos with Kaley Cuoco! At the moment the actress is engaged to Karl Cook, with whom they have been in a serious relationship since Continue reading Kaley Cuoco leaked nude photos. Continue reading Kaley Cuoco nude photos. The actress is in no way related to William Shatner. Please send any copyright reports to:

|Estimated completion time: 16 minutes.| Questions to consider: - What is identity? - Can a person have more than one identity? - Can identity be ambiguous? - What are fluidity and intersectionality? The multiple roles we play in life—student, sibling, employee, roommate, for example—are only a partial glimpse into our true identity. Right now, you may think, “I really don’t know what I want to be,” meaning you don’t know what you want to do for a living, but have you ever tried to define yourself in terms of the sum of your parts? Social roles are those identities we assume in relationship to others. Our social roles tend to shift based on where we are and who we are with. Taking into account your social roles as well as your nationality, ethnicity, race, friends, gender, sexuality, beliefs, abilities, geography, etc., who are you? Who Am I? Popeye, a familiar 20th-century cartoon character, was a sailor-philosopher. He declared his own identity in a circular manner, landing us right where we started: “I am what I am and that’s all that I am.” Popeye proves his existence rather than help us identify him. It is his title, “The Sailor Man,” that tells us how Popeye operates in the social sphere. According to the American Psychological Association, personal identity is an individual’s sense of self defined by (a) a set of physical, psychological, and interpersonal characteristics that is not wholly shared with any other person and (b) a range of affiliations (e.g., ethnicity) and social roles. Your identity is tied to the most dominant aspects of your background and personality.5 It determines the lens through which you see the world and the lens through which you receive information. Complete the following statement using no more than four words: I am _______________________________. It is difficult to narrow down our identity to just a few options. One way to complete the statement would be to use gender and geography markers. For example, “I am a male New Englander” or “I am an American woman.” Assuming they are true, no one can argue against those identities, but do those statements represent everything or at least most things that identify the speakers? Probably not. Try finishing the statement again by using as many words as you wish. I am ____________________________________. If you ended up with a long string of descriptors that would be hard for a new acquaintance to manage, don’t worry. Our identities are complex and reflect that we lead interesting and multifaceted lives. To better understand identity, consider how social psychologists describe it. Social psychologists, those who study how social interactions take place, often categorize identity into four types: personal identity, role identity, social identity, and collective identity. Personal identity captures what distinguishes one person from another based on life experiences. No two people, even identical twins, live the same life. Role identity defines how we interact in certain situations. Our roles change from setting to setting, and so do our identities. At work you may be a supervisor; in the classroom you are a peer working collaboratively; at home, you may be the parent of a 10-year-old. In each setting, your bubbly personality may be the same, but how your coworkers, classmates, and family see you is different. Social identity shapes our public lives by our awareness of how we relate to certain groups. For example, an individual might relate to or “identify with” Korean Americans, Chicagoans, Methodists, and Lakers fans. These identities influence our interactions with others. Upon meeting someone, for example, we look for connections as to how we are the same or different. Our awareness of who we are makes us behave a certain way in relation to others. If you identify as a hockey fan, you may feel an affinity for someone else who also loves the game. Collective identity refers to how groups form around a common cause or belief. For example, individuals may bond over similar political ideologies or social movements. Their identity is as much a physical formation as a shared understanding of the issues they believe in. For example, many people consider themselves part of the collective energy surrounding the #metoo movement. Others may identify as fans of a specific type of entertainment such as Trekkies, fans of the Star Trek series. “I am large. I contain multitudes.” Walt Whitman In his epic poem Song of Myself, Walt Whitman writes, “Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself (I am large. I contain multitudes.).” Whitman was asserting and defending his shifting sense of self and identity. Those lines importantly point out that our identities may evolve over time. What we do and believe today may not be the same tomorrow. Further, at any one moment, the identities we claim may seem at odds with each other. Shifting identities are a part of personal growth. While we are figuring out who we truly are and what we believe, our sense of self and the image that others have of us may be unclear or ambiguous. Many people are uncomfortable with identities that do not fit squarely into one category. How do you respond when someone’s identity or social role is unclear? Such ambiguity may challenge your sense of certainty about the roles that we all play in relationship to one another. Racial, ethnic, and gender ambiguity, in particular, can challenge some people’s sense of social order and social identity. When we force others to choose only one category of identity (race, ethnicity, or gender, for example) to make ourselves feel comfortable, we do a disservice to the person who identifies with more than one group. For instance, people with multiracial ancestry are often told that they are too much of one and not enough of another. The actor Keanu Reeves has a complex background. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to a white English mother and a father with Chinese-Hawaiian ancestry. His childhood was spent in Hawaii, Australia, New York, and Toronto. Reeves considers himself Canadian and has publicly acknowledged influences from all aspects of his heritage. Would you feel comfortable telling Keanu Reeves how he must identify racially and ethnically? There is a question many people ask when they meet someone whom they cannot clearly identify by checking a specific identity box. Inappropriate or not, you have probably heard people ask, “What are you?” Would it surprise you if someone like Keanu Reeves shrugged and answered, “I’m just me”? Malcom Gladwell is an author of five New York Times best-sellers and is hailed as one of Foreign Policy’s Top Global Thinkers. He has spoken on his experience with identity as well. Gladwell has a black Jamaican mother and a white Irish father. He often tells the story of how the perception of his hair has allowed him to straddle racial groups. As long as he kept his hair cut very short, his fair skin obscured his black ancestry, and he was most often perceived as white. However, once he let his hair grow long into a curly Afro style, Gladwell says he began being pulled over for speeding tickets and stopped at airport check-ins. His racial expression carried serious consequences. More and more, gender is also a diversity category that we increasingly understand to be less clearly defined. Some people identify themselves as gender fluid or non-binary. “Binary” refers to the notion that gender is only one of two possibilities, male or female. Fluidity suggests that there is a range or continuum of expression. Gender fluidity acknowledges that a person may vacillate between male and female identity. Asia Kate Dillon is an American actor and the first non-binary actor to perform in a major television show with their roles on Orange is the New Black and Billions. In an article about the actor, a reporter conducting the interview describes his struggle with trying to describe Dillon to the manager of the restaurant where the two planned to meet. The reporter and the manger struggle with describing someone who does not fit a pre-defined notion of gender identity. Imagine the situation: You’re meeting someone at a restaurant for the first time, and you need to describe the person to a manager. Typically, the person’s gender would be a part of the description, but what if the person cannot be described as a man or a woman? Within any group, individuals obviously have a right to define themselves; however, collectively, a group’s self-determination is also important. The history of black Americans demonstrates a progression of self-determined labels: Negro, Afro-American, colored, black, African American. Similarly, in the nonbinary community, self-described labels have evolved. Nouns such as genderqueer and pronouns such as hir, ze, and Mx. (instead of Miss, Mrs. or Mr.) have entered not only our informal lexicon, but the dictionary as well. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary includes a definition of “they” that denotes a nonbinary identity, that is, someone who fluidly moves between male and female identities. Transgender men and women were assigned a gender identity at birth that does not fit their true identity. Even though our culture is increasingly giving space to non-heteronormative (straight) people to speak out and live openly, they do so at a risk. Violence against gay, nonbinary, and transgender people occurs at more frequent rates than for other groups. To make ourselves feel comfortable, we often want people to fall into specific categories so that our own social identity is clear. However, instead of asking someone to make us feel comfortable, we should accept the identity people choose for themselves. Cultural competency includes respectfully addressing individuals as they ask to be addressed. She is speaking. I listened to her. The backpack is hers. He is speaking. I listened to him. The backpack is his. They are speaking. I listened to them. The backpack is theirs. Ze is speaking. I listened to hir. The backpack is zirs. The many layers of our multiple identities do not fit together like puzzle pieces with clear boundaries between one piece and another. Our identities overlap, creating a combined identity in which one aspect is inseparable from the next. The term intersectionality was coined by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989 to describe how the experience of black women was a unique combination of gender and race that could not be divided into two separate identities. In other words, this group could not be seen solely as women or solely as black; where their identities overlapped is considered the “intersection,” or crossroads, where identities combine in specific and inseparable ways. Intersectionality and awareness of intersectionality can drive societal change, both in how people see themselves and how they interact with others. That experience can be very inward-facing, or can be more external. It can also lead to debate and challenges. For example, the term “Latinx” is growing in use because it is seen as more inclusive than “Latino/Latina,” but some people—including scholars and advocates—lay out substantive arguments against its use. While the debate continues, it serves as an important reminder of a key element of intersectionality: Never assume that all people in a certain group or population feel the same way. Why not? Because people are more than any one element of their identity; they are defined by more than their race, color, geographic origin, gender, or socio-economic status. The overlapping aspects of each person’s identity and experiences will create a unique perspective. Consider the intersectionality of race, gender, and sexuality; religion, ethnicity, and geography; military experience; age and socioeconomic status; and many other ways our identities overlap. Consider how these overlap in you. Do you know people who talk easily about their various identities? How does it inform the way you interact with them? - 5APA Dictionary of Psychology https://dictionary.apa.org/identity proper citation to come

Damning study shows how LGBT+ representation in games is practically non-existent The study, titled “The Double-Edged Sword of Online Gaming”, explores how gaming can both help and hinder male gamers, with poor representation countered by community. It comes from The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and Promundo-US. The study found that male characters outnumber female by four-to-one, and white characters outnumber characters of colour three-to-one. Those white characters are significantly more likely to display violence compared with characters of colour (51.7 per cent of characters compared with 33.6 per cent). Female characters are almost five times more likely to be shown with some level of nudity compared with male characters. The study also found that LGBT+ representation is practically non-existent: just 0.03 per cent of video game characters identified as LGBT+. Disability representation is also incredibly low: 0.1 per cent of characters were shown to have a physical disability (this doesn’t account for non-visible disabilities). The study is based on the seven pillars of Promundo’s ‘Man Box Scale’. These are essentially stereotypes of toxic masculinity: self-sufficiency, acting tough, physical attractiveness, rigid gender roles, heterosexuality and homophobia, hypersexuality, and aggression and control. The study found that four in five male characters upheld at least one of these traits, with 63.6 per cent of character enacting some form of violence. Almost half of male characters carry a gun. For these findings, analysts surveyed 27,564 characters in 684 fifteen-minute gameplay segments from sessions with the top 20 Twitch streamers. Of those top streamers, all were male and only one identified as LGBT+. What’s more, sexist language was used in 37.7 per cent of the segments analysed and one in four streamers used sexually degrading language (variations of the phrase “suck my d*ck” were heard in 7.9 per cent of segments). Overall, the study found that popular streamers reinforced the ‘Man Box’ stereotypes in 96.5 per cent of the segments analysed. Not only does this study therefore show the lack of diversity in video games and the high propensity of toxic masculinity traits, it shows how these stereotypes are perpetuated by male Twitch streamers. “Our study highlights the increasingly influential role that gaming plays in the lives of young men,” says Geena Davis, Academy Award-winning actor, and founder and chair of the Institute. “It also spotlights the dramatic under representation of women, non-binary and queer folks, and people of color in both the content and throughout the development process. We need to create a better pipeline for these marginalized identities.” “The video game ecosystem is a double-edged sword,” summises Gary Barker, President and CEO of Promundo-US. “It is part of the problem as it fuels harmful ideas of manhood; it is also an important part of the solution. The video gaming culture provides valuable human connection and a safe space to discuss feelings… The danger is that the current culture often normalizes violence, hate, and fosters a belief system consistent with white extremism.” You can read the report in full here.

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Annually described as “the hottest two weeks in winter,” Centaur’s Wildside festival is ideal for theatregoers who have scribbled in their New Year’s resolutions a determination to crash out of their comfort zones. Taking place in early January, just in time for those fading seasonal hangovers to become manageable, it consists of several shows that have been either hand-picked from the previous summer’s Fringe festivals or have otherwise come to the attention of the festival’s curators. (Actually, “curator,” singular: local performer/director Johanna Nutter is flying solo now that her usual co-curator Roy Surette has stepped down from the Centaur director’s chair.) There’s also the concurrent late-night Offside events, which take place at the Centaur’s bar area, and which this year include tributes to Nina Simone and Iggy Pop. tap here to see other videos from our team. As it happens, Iggy is a rare male presence in this 21st edition of the festival. (Don’t salivate too much: the 70-year-old legend will be there in spirit, not in leathery, torso-baring person.) As Nutter puts it in Wildside’s press release: “I usually approach the programming like I’m planning a banquet, choosing plays that cover a spectrum wide enough to satisfy everyone’s tastes. This year it just worked out that most of the playwrights, actors or the subject matter of each production is female or non-binary centric. Recent world events and media headlines suggest that this year’s Wildside is in total sync with global issues and changes.”

Dear St. Paul’s family, As we seek to be sensitive to the needs of all our members and visitors, we are always alert for new ways to signal that St. Paul’s is a safe place for everyone, living out our “Welcome All” mission statement. When we installed gender-neutral bathrooms a few years ago, we sent a powerful message about our welcome of trans and gender-non-conforming friends. We are preparing to take another step in this direction, with small stickers that will allow each of us to specify, right on our St. Paul’s nametags, the pronouns by which we wish to be known. Mine are “She, her, hers”. What are yours? This may seem like an unnecessary and even meaningless gesture to you, but it makes a big difference to someone whose gender may not fit with how they are perceived. Having one’s pronouns on display avoids awkward conversations and misunderstandings, and if everyone does it, it says that we as a community are aware of the daily challenges facing the transgender and non-binary community and that we want to be supportive; it says that everyone is equally valued and precious, deserving of dignity in our uniqueness. Each person has the right to select the pronouns that work for them, just as we each have the right to be known by a particular name or nickname. Some non-binary people will choose “they/them/theirs” as their pronouns. This is part of who they are and we should respect that. Most of us have been conditioned to expect the “they” family of pronouns to refer to plural subjects; it takes a little practice to get over the awkward feeling of using “wrong” grammar, but language is a fluid phenomenon and we are capable of change: just read a chapter from the King James Bible to be reminded of how much it changes over time. (When was the last time you addressed someone as “thee”?) I believe that a little discomfort on the part of the majority is the least we can do to help reduce the significant and continuous discomfort of a minority group among us. I have changed my email signatures to include my pronouns. I hope you will do likewise. The pronoun stickers are available at our Greeters table, available for all who would like to participate. They fit snugly on our standard St. Paul’s nametag beside the logo. Your sister in Christ,

Photo by Laura Bemrose. The debut LP from AJA is long overdue. I had heard of her notorious live shows years before news of any ‘official’ release. Part of the reason for this is that her music, although clearly written and produced with meticulous detail, is nonetheless a live experience. Indeed rarely do electronics sound so alive. Although brutal and harsh in timbre, it’s clear that this music has a carnal intimacy to it. The shrieks and shudders of noise jump and twitch like muscle spasms. The sharp shifts in dynamic genuinely make my body respond in reflex. Listen to the new single from her upcoming record, ‘Tuck It, Tape It’, on full volume and try not to jolt upright involuntarily when it kicks in. AJA’s live performances also have a kind of psychoanalytic pull to them. Throughout the course of a show, she draws the audience deeper into their psyches. The cacophony of screams and noise bring (or force) to mind the return of childhood repressions. Fear, trauma and anxiety come to the fore in the safe enclosure of the stage. She even compares her live shows to witnessing childbirth. It’s unsurprising to me that lyrics are of secondary importance to AJA. Because her squeals and squarks are fundamentally pre-linguistic. They come from a place that is deeply embedded in the mind but rarely accessed. As with primal scream therapy, there is an understanding that no progress comes without some carefully controlled regress. But unlike a lot of the screamy noise power-electronics of today, AJA’s music is actually fun. Her theatrical costumes and shapeshifting visual persona have more in common with Marilyn Manson than Merzbow. This gives AJA’s sound a unique queer identity. It is like a drag performance pushed to the extremes. Queer art today often takes the body as its subject. With Arca’s bulbous torsos and Lotic’s twisted skeletons, the body becomes a metaphysical abstraction. The anatomical ambiguities and contorted limbs can reflect the psychological anguish of gender dysphoria, or the experimentalism of queer sexuality. AJA projects these themes through the lens of psychedelic noise. Her music is like biting into a lemon. Bright and glossy on the outside, but with a fleshy interior that tastes acidic, bitter, and sharp. In anticipation for her debut album on Opal Tapes, we spoke to AJA about gender, performance, and death metal. When I was researching for this interview I thought there were two AJAs — the style of music you used to play is so far away from what you do now! I started off making punk and experimental music when I was 16 and then when I was 18 I started an experimental project with a producer called Andrew Course and we made this really thrashy extreme music. It was like Crystal Castles on crack. That was my first taste of production. But after that I had this idea of trying to bring these punk roots into the mainstream. I was so sick of hearing the same old shit all the time. I was also really frustrated with how women were being represented, so I kind of subconsciously started trying to make music that was more commercially viable but with quite intricate production. But when I was writing pop music I was just always missing something. I was trying to be something that I’m just not. And it was when I saw Emptyset at Norberg festival that it all changed. I got back to England and cancelled all my shows, cancelled my EP release and got rid of everything. I wanted to completely start again from scratch. What happened at Norberg? Norberg festival spiritually reconnected me to experimental music and I just thought ‘what am I doing?’ So I moved to Berlin and joined a grindcore band called Batalj and just started learning to make harsh noise and power electronics. I was learning about hardware, synths, noise pedals. I had to reconnect to my roots and it was such a special time for me. I felt like a kid again, rediscovering a part of myself that was dormant for a while. And I see you’re playing Norberg festival this year? Yeah - I guess that’s where it all started for me. I absolutely love Norberg festival. It’s the most inspirational live event I have ever attended. I did an early performance there that was basically just an improvised jam that ended up lasting hours. I love playing environments that are smaller and tight-knit. You know the audience are going to ‘get it’. It’s so nice to know that all your hardwork and vision will be received in the right way. Sometimes I play shows and I can tell I am going to be misunderstood. I suppose your live sets are quite extreme and theatrical, so they’re naturally going to be quite polarising. When I was in Berlin I tried to fit into that ‘female noise artist’ trope: no makeup, no costume, all in black. It’s kind of rare to see a noise artist in a bio queen/drag queen kind of look. So it took me a while to come out of my shell. I now collaborate with a costume designer called Lu La Loop. She makes individual costumes for me, depending on where I’m performing. I’m wearing a new costume for Norberg festival, for example. I also make my own acidic visuals, based on queer and drag influences, around gender and sexuality and so on. I love the combination of bright pink colours and obscure grotesque aesthetics with dark, dingy noise. That’s the juxtaposition I go for. I was super influenced by AIDS Wolf and Skin Graft Records for this - these female fronted artists who really didn’t give a fuck. I just want to get to the core of how I’m feeling; the core of whatever emotion I’m trying to process. I feel like the more open I am, the more the audience can sense that energy. Strange and magical things happen when you perform from this place within yourself. I want people to just lose their inhibitions and lose themselves in the performance. Photo by Simon Parfrement There’s that track on your new album, ‘Tuck It/Tape It’. I guess there is something specifically queer, or drag, about your costume performances. I feel as though Lucy [Lu La Loop] and I are interested in exploring what is ‘between’ gender. I definitely identify as female and I definitely bring lots of femininity to the costumes, but I really find the idea of ‘asexual being’ very interesting. The illustrations I do and all the whole visual component of my work stems from queer interests. I do feel quite passionately about supporting the LGBTQ+ community and I really enjoy playing in places which hold a safe-space policy around this. Do you feel like your audience has changed, or become queerer, since you started using imagery and costumes? To be honest, when I’m performing I don’t really see much [laughs]. I’m either hyperventilating or spinning around in a frantic circle. I’m usually on another planet so I can’t really comment [laughs]. I understand you have also done some workshops related specifically to gender too? I started teaching workshops over a year ago on field recording manipulation, hardware, costumes and branding: the whole shabang. I was lucky enough to work with Huddersfield University for their Music, Gender and Identity course for a researcher called Liz Dobson. I taught a workshop of young girls, and it was amazing to be part of raising a generation of girls to have the confidence to produce and experiment, and not be intimidated by misogyny in the music industry. The girls were amazing, they were so switched on. I feel very passionately about trying to empower women, girls and non-binary people. To be honest, I’ve had some shitty experiences in music, and I want to lead with positivity and tell girls: you can do it, and it’s really fun. I personally find the crowds at events with a good gender balance are way more fun anyway. Yeah I’ve played at festivals before where there’s like two women — it’s bizarre. But at Norberg they don’t really shout about how great they are with the gender balance, it just is. And that’s how it should be. I’m not that bothered about events that boast about being ‘50/50’ or whatever. It shouldn’t be a big deal. There’s so many fucking amazing female artists out there - bookers don’t have an excuse not to in my opinion. There’s no goddamn excuse anymore! It strikes me that you have been performing and producing for a long time, if you’ll pardon my impatience, why has it taken this long for your first proper release? I’ve been trying to find the right label for a long time. This album was finished about a year and a half ago, so a long time. Now I’m on Opal Tapes, I’ve been pinching myself every morning when I wake up [laughs]. I’m so happy to be with them. But the process of making this album has been quite tough to be honest. I’ve had so many people let me down and I’ve discovered things about labels that aren’t in line with my politics, so I’ve had to drop things. I just knew that I had to get this out, somehow. Plus I don’t really like contacting people, I just want to perform [laughs]. The album uses a mixture of field recordings, hardware and sample packs that I made myself. I was really inspired by Puce Mary, Samuel Kerridge, AIDS Wolf. I think that album is a subconscious expression. Is it like a collection of live recordings, or more ‘written’ in a conventional sense? It was very meticulously written. Every bar was taken into consideration. The whole album took two to three years to write. My live performances are about 90% improvised, but the album is more of a self-contained journey. It has its own story. I love the singing on ‘Black Stain’. How do you relate to your voice when you perform? I definitely see my voice as an instrument. I don’t do much singing live, I just open with some opera… [laughs]. I love processing my voice in a way that makes it like an instrument, especially when you tune it down and whack up the chorus. I use it more as a background sound, covered in delays and reverbs so it’s just a drone. A lot of my tracks don’t have lyrics actually, which I guess is quite unusual. I used to write lyrics but I’d never really stick to them and there’s something really magical thing that happens when I perform. I don’t really have to think and this sound comes out of my mouth [laughs]. It took me a while to accept that. In an odd way, I feel like the use of vocals in that way is quite similar to death metal too. I kind of grew up on metal so I really love a good scream [laughs]. I do scream a lot in my performances. I really honed my scream over time. When I went on tour with Batalj, we did 25 dates in a row and I was screaming every word. Luckily I can do it now without wrecking my throat. It’s quite satisfying. It’s really cathartic to release energy in that way. There does seem to be something quite psychoanalytic about your music. It’s almost like witnessing an exorcism. That’s exactly it really. It feels like I’m being exorcised sometimes. My shows are fucking intense. They’re like watching someone give birth. And you just have to deal with it. I found myself through making that brutal noise stuff, and the screaming really channeled the heart of everything I was dealing with then: childhood traumas and loads of negativity. Before I went on stage I used to think to myself, ‘OK, what do I want to deal with?’ I used to try and put myself back into a situation and kind of ‘relive’ it in a safe space, trying to express how I felt then through the performance. But that was a year and a half ago, and I’m kind of at peace with a lot of that stuff now. I used to get nervous thinking ‘how am I going to conjure up all this aggression if I’m no longer feeling it?’ But I can see my sets going in a different direction now. I want them to be more more fun. I’m creating a virtual-reality experience at the moment with the University of Nottingham, with a kind of music video coming later in the year. I’m looking forward to reaching a different audience with that. The stuff I make now is still crazy and manic and noisey. It’s still like 160bpm wonky noisey techno with some fucking banshee whales or something over the top. But whether it’s aggression or pain or humour, there’s always going to be this manic ridiculousness to it. That’s just who I am.

The non-profit's spring gala on Monday evening championed collective empowerment and radical perspectives. MUSE, Aperture’s Spring 2019 gala, brought together the nonprofit organization’s talented and diverse community in warm celebration of the night’s honorees: Mickalene Thomas and Racquel Chevremont, and The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Hosted in Union West’s expansive venue in Chelsea, the evening brought together leaders in the arts including Roe Ethridge, Ethan James Green, Zachary Tye Richardson, Shiona Turini, Antwaun Sargent. Guests arrived to cocktails by Gem + Bolt, music djayed by Alima Lee, a makeup booth sponsored by the gender non-binary brand Fluide, and a silent auction featuring prints donated by Bob Gruen, Shen Wei, and Kathy Ryan among others. After guests took their seats, the dinner began with a video welcome from gala co-chair Tilda Swinton, recorded when she attended the Orlando exhibition. Swinton thanked Aperture and the night’s honorees for their tireless work to expand the definitions of what groundbreaking photography can look like, and to foreground perspectives often ignored by less progressive institutions. Works by Mapplethorpe, Thomas, Seydou Keïta, Ellsworth Kelly, and more sold in a lively auction presented by Christie’s during the dinner. Foundation president Michael Stout spoke on behalf of The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, reaffirming the decades-long bond between the Mapplethorpe Foundation and Aperture. Thomas and Chevremont accepted their honors, following moving introductions from Richardson and Turini. “In this city, it can feel like we’re taking a lot,” Richarson said. “‘What can you give me? How can you benefit me in some way?’ And when I first met [Thomas and Chevremont], it was quite the opposite of that. It was more so, ‘What can we give you, how can we support you, how can we love you?’” In her speech, Thomas again emphasized the collaborative, communal work integral to the mission of Aperture and especially to her practice. “I think the magic about what you see up here is a collective force,” Thomas said. “What you see in my photographs is because of all of these [people on stage] and that’s the exciting part.”

I have identified as a dancer longer than I have identified as a non-binary person. When I came to the realization of my gender identity a few years ago, I began to fully grasp the reality of identifying both with the dance and gender nonconforming communities. Because dance is historically an extremely gendered space focusing on stereotypically held ideas of femininity and masculinity, it becomes difficult, and at times scary, to be a person who rejects the binary. Early last semester, I began to focus on the ways in which gender non-conforming people are portrayed (or not portrayed) in the dance world. I came across Sean Dorsey, a trans man who started his own modern dance company in San Francisco. Dorsey provides a wonderfully complex and important viewpoint that the rest of the dance community must begin to take into account. In regard to his status as the first and only trans modern choreographer, he explained in a 2010 interview with Kaitlyn Muriel Tikkun: “I don’t get to say ‘thank goodness for the trans dance community.’ I’m it.” The fact that Dorsey is bringing issues of gender in dance to the spotlight has opened many people’s eyes to the importance of expanding dance to those beyond the labels of male and female. As I began to read more about Dorsey and his work, I became more and more confident that I, despite identifying as non-binary, could make my dreams of working in the professional dance world a reality. Later in the semester, I was thrilled to learn that Dorsey would be coming to talk to my Intro to Dance Studies class. Listening to Dorsey talk about his works, goals and experiences, and being able to have a one-on-one conversation with him enforced, for me, that while the trans and gender non-conforming dance community may be extremely small, it exists and needs to be encouraged and grown. Dorsey and his company will be performing their newest work “The Missing Generation” in San Francisco in May. It brings to life the voices of those lost in the early years of the AIDS epidemic and the impact their stories can have today. I would highly encourage anyone, regardless of experience with dance or dance viewing, to attend the performance if at all possible. Not only does this performance send an impactful message to audiences, but by supporting Dorsey and his work, support goes to the recognition of gender non-conforming dancers. While I have seen many video clips from Dorsey’s shows, I can’t wait to experience the reality of his company in real time. The act of seeing live dancing, for me, is incredibly magical, and I’m sure that the added layer of opening gender discussions will only make the performance more of a unique experience. There is a massive amount of work that must be done to truly include trans and non-binary people into the dance world. Sean Dorsey and his work are immensely important in furthering this cause and have provided at least one gender non-conforming dancer with the confidence to continue the art they love. Dorsey helped me come to fully accept my identities as a gender non-conforming dancer through his art, activism and stories. I’m incredibly glad to say that I now feel confident enough in my identities that I can continue working towards a gender inclusive dance world.

So usually I’m on here telling you all about an awesome queer country artist whose song / album I’ve fallen in love with. This time is different – this time I want to tell you about an amazing artist whose album I think we WILL fall in love with – once it’s made! To that end I sat down over email and asked queer country pioneer Dillbilly to tell us about the new album they’re crowdfunding. Emchy: How would you describe you and your music? Dillbilly: I’m a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who grew up in a rural working class community in southern Indiana and now resides in Oakland. I identify as a white non-binary queer but I’m just as much a cook, a farmer, and a dog lover. Oh and I use the pronouns they/them. Music: Genre queer singer-songwriter. I can’t seem to settle on this so I’ve also described myself as alt-country, americana, and folk Emchy: How many albums have you done? Emchy: What are you excited about with this one? Dillbilly: This will be my 10th record and the first one under the name Dillbilly, which feels like something to celebrate. All my previous records are under my birth name. Moreover, in the past 20+ most of my records have self-recorded and produced. It’s just been me in my bedroom with a ton of instruments that I may or may not know how to play, my laptop, some field recordings, and a couple microphones. I would bring in other collaborators and players from time to time, but mostly it was me by my lonesome being a mad scientist and locking myself in my bedroom for a month. I do love that process which is why I’ve done it that way for so long, but this record is different. Thinking about doing this next record by myself just made me feel empty. I didn’t want to do it alone anymore. Over the past couple of years, I have been playing around the bay with an incredible band made up of Kofy Brown (Kofy Brown Band, Sistas in the Pit, Skip the Needle), Rhonda Kinard (The Onyx, The Singing Bois), Squeak, and Jesse Strauss (The Singing Bois, Genie of the Lamp). These folks have breathed new life into my songs and I love them with my whole heart. I knew I wanted to involve them somehow as well as give myself the opportunity as an artist to know what it feels like to let others in on the process in hopes of squeezing the most beauty out of the songs. That discovery led me to take a leap and pitch the project to one of my long time musical heros, Julie Wolf (Ani Difranco, Allison Miller, Indigo Girls, Dar Williams, and more), who I had met through mutual friends. I had seen that Julie had been producing and was working with my friend Katie Cash so I googled producer (haha) and was like, “yup…that’s what I need….someone to guide the ship”. At the end of that first meeting, she committed to being my producer for this new record and with that she has gathered an incredible cast of musicians that I have only dreamed of playing with. They include, Todd Sicafoose (Allison Miller, Ani Difranco, Anais Mitchell, etc), Daren Hahn (Melissa Ferrick and Ani Difranco), and James Deprato (Sammy Hagar, Chuck Prophet, Katie Cash, etc.). So I’m excited about this record because I get to make it with my brilliant band and musical heroes! We are excited to bring this project into 25th Street Studio in Oakland and Bird + Egg Studio in Richmond, CA. Emchy: Was the album inspired or influenced by anything specifically? Dillbilly: As with any of my music its always inspired by a connection to the whatever ecosystem I’m apart of. You’ll hear that in all my lyrics, along with many bird references (I’m a bird nerd). It’s how I make sense of the world, so this record is very much inspired by the landscape and animal life of Northern California where I’ve been living the past 5 years. Specifically, chaparral. That’s the working title of the record. So yea, its inspired by looking at the world through the lens of that landscape. The animal life, the plant life. Making metaphors is usually where I start in writing songs. There are definitely records that are I have in mind with this next project. Greg Brown’s Iowa Waltz, Sufjan Steven’s Carrie & Lowell, Joanna Newsom (everything), Cloud Cult’s (everything), Valerie June’s Order of Time, Bon Iver Self Titled, Gillian Welch Revelator, and Junip Emchy: Is it your first crowdfunder? Emchy: So many people don’t get how hard crowdfunding can be. Are there things you like / dislike about crowdfunding? Dillbilly: Well. I will say this. I like telling stories and you definitely get to do that when you crowdfund, but asking people to support my life’s work by donating money feels incredibly vulnerable. All my baggage about money and self worth are alive and well so it’s been an incredible growing place for me to practice standing in my value as an artist. The support of my friends, fans, and family have been overwhelming the best part of doing the crowdfunder. There’s nothing like feeling held by the people you love. Emchy: Any special perks that you want to call out? Dillbilly: Yes. I’m excited to be putting out my first vinyl record, so that is one of the perks you can get by contributing to my campaign AND you get it before it is released to the public. Other perks you can get are: A song composed just for you, dog training (bay area only), house shows, Liner credit on the record, and more! Emchy: What are your goals for this record? Dillbilly: Well, making this record, the way I’ve described above speaks a lot to what my goals are. Besides all that, I’m excited to see where this new process takes me, but I hope it speaks to folks and ultimately the goal is to reach a wider audience which I hope will lead to more opportunities and space to make music. Emchy: Are you going to tour the album? Dillbilly: I definitely plan to tour the record. Europe is one of the big goals as well as playing the West Coast, Midwest, and East Coast. I’m open though and excited to share it. Emchy: Anything else our queer country audience should know? Dillbilly: I’m so excited to announce that I’ve signed with Waxsimle Productions, a small record label and production company based in LA. Waxsimile has agreed to support the POST-production of this record which includes mastering, manufacturing of CD’s and Vinyl, promotion, graphic design, music video, PR and more. Basically, these are all the expenses on top of what I’m crowdfunding for. This has been a deal in the making throughout the whole campaign so I’m thrilled to be able to share it with you now. Folks can contribute to the production of the record knowing that the post production piece is covered. As for me, I can’t wait to see where this partnership leads. It sure is nice to not be in this alone.Also – The name Dillbilly is an ode to where I come from in the southern midwest. It means midwestern charm, country music, farming, working class sense of humor, and the complexities of being white and queer in a red state. My values may not align with some of the most conservative parts of where I come from, but it is a piece of what shaped me and I hold responsibility for that in my music and in my actions. Check out Dillbilly’s crowdfunder here: www.igg.me/at/dillbillymusic And have a listen to one of their awesome tunes here:

If you follow only one person on TikTok, make sure it’s Ruth Codd. Using her platform to amplify disability awareness, with her enigmatic style and quintessential Irish humour, the 24-year-old Wexford-native has amassed more than 610,000 followers on the video sharing platform. t the time of our (Zoom) interview, Ruth is less than one week post-operation and has a beaming smile on her face. “Hopefully this will be the operation to fix it so I can get back to world domination,” the professional make-up artist, barber and TikTok star says with utter determination and admiration, the kind that makes you adjust in your chair and straighten your posture. Aged 15, Ruth suffered a broken left leg which failed to heal, causing her agonising pain and ulcers which could not be remedied. In an attempt to rectify the broken leg, Ruth underwent eight operations during her teens but, due to her poor quality of life, made the life-altering decision to amputate the leg. “I had to wear splints and a really heavy cage around my leg. My quality of life wasn’t good. I couldn’t work and it was affecting me day-to-day so I decided I would get it amputated. Adjusting to life with her new body was a profound experience, she says, despite having to learn how to walk again. “I was just so determined to get some quality of life back and some form of normality that I was willing to do whatever,” she says, recalling memories of using crutches for three years and missing out on numerous experiences during her late teens. “It only took me two days to learn how to walk again – I think because for the first time in eight or nine years I wasn’t in pain. It is like a massive weight off my shoulders. I took the step with the prosthetic and for the first time in years it wasn’t sore.” She attributes her growth in self-confidence to her prosthetic, observing the new lease of life it has afforded her. “I would say my amputation has given me more confidence. I probably love myself more because I know I’ve fought so hard for the simple thing of just walking around. It has given me back my life.” Drawing on her experiences, the content creator uses her flourishing TikTok presence as a springboard to make disability more visible, commenting that the “realness” and “rawness” of the platform allows her to be her colourful self. Her content is witty, yes, but also eye-opening. On the subject of online trolls, she believes she’s well-equipped to deal with the negativity – for every 100 comments “there’s always one nasty comment”. With many strings to her creative bow, Ruth plans to return to the UK where she worked as a professional make-up and special effects artist with some of the biggest West End theatre productions, but is also excited at the prospect of continuing her disability advocacy work on social media. “Hopefully, if anything, my content makes people less scared to approach the subject of disability and raises a bit of awareness about how to approach the subject. This whole TikTok thing is taking off – and I really enjoy making YouTube videos. I’ve learned to just let life happen and see where the road takes me and what opportunities come my way.” ‘I’ve retrained how I think about disability as a label’ Róisín Ní Haicéid Listening to Róisín Ní Haicéid’s captivating indie-rock debut EP Airport Dads, it’s hard to believe her band, Banríon, is only in its infancy. “Music is pretty new. I did some guitar lessons as a teen but nothing major,” the north Dublin-based musician, student and activist tells me – all blasé and cool, as though her band hasn’t been heralded as the captivating new presence on the city’s thriving rock scene. Music elicits multifaceted responses from the human psyche; it can make us want to dance, cry, sing. For Róisín, it offers healing qualities, too. Writing candidly about her disability and the relationship she has with her body, Ní Haicéid’s music is, at times, self-deprecating, raw and evocative. Aged 13, Róisín was diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis, a rare musculoskeletal disorder that predominantly affects young girls during puberty, and causes the spine to curve into an ‘s’ shape. What followed was a series of aggressive and exhausting surgeries which involved placing a series of titanium rods and screws on either side of Róisín’s spine to help straighten and support it. Due to major complications from one procedure, Róisín suffered temporary paralysis down her left leg resulting in permanent weakness and muscle atrophy and she now relies on a walking aid and a supporting ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) leg brace. Then came months of strenuous rehabilitation and adjusting to life with a new body. “I woke up from that operation with no feeling from the waist down and in the most amount of pain I’ve ever been in,” the musician recalls. “I spent the next four months at the National Rehabilitation Hospital getting my legs back working”. Another setback with scoliosis in 2018 saw Róisín take one year out of her studies at Trinity College to focus on her health and wellbeing. It was during this time that music took centre stage and she admits the creative process of songwriting has helped her to make peace with her disability. “It gives whoever wants to listen a real insight into my experience as a person who has had five spinal surgeries in six years, or who uses a walking stick. I think it’s a pretty brave thing to do.” Adjusting to life with limited mobility is, at times, a turbulent rollercoaster fraught with highs and lows. Finding an online community and engaging in activism, she tells me, not only helped her to accept her disability, but to establish a new meaning for ‘disability’, one that puts ‘ability’ to the forefront of the conversation. “I was in denial about it,” Róisín says of the early stages of her disability. “It was through disability activism that I have retrained how I think about disability as a label. Society disables you more than your own condition does because of stigma, the lack of equality and accessibility.” Róisín dubbed this summer as “the summer I decided to stop hiding my bionic leg” and, four years on from the operation that changed her life, the Sociology and Social Policy student enjoys pushing the boundaries of her own limitations. Although, she admits, she has some way to go yet in terms of total self love and acceptance. “Any kind of positive body image that I feel is not something that comes naturally and there’s so much unlearning to do. As a whole I feel good about my body image now, but it took a long time and a lot of work. I hope it’ll only get better as I get older.” ‘I’ve retrained how I think about disability as a label’ Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird Over the past six months, students with disabilities have been adapting to online and remote learning as a result of the coronavirus crisis. Prior to the pandemic, the wants and needs of students with additional needs have been deemed “too difficult” to implement, but third-level institutions have been quick to transition to online learning when required by the general public. So says Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird, Officer for Students with Disabilities at Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union. “Learning is becoming a lot more accessible. It’s a real shame that it took a global pandemic for that to happen, but Trinity has been great at listening.” The 24-year-old history student, disability advocate and activist takes pride in her role as officer for Students with Disabilities, but worries that the impact of coronavirus on those with a disability will be long-lasting and critical. “Because of Covid, we can’t host mixers for students. It’s very sad I think. Students with disabilities, in particular, are going to miss out and I’d hate for them to feel alone and isolated sitting at home. We’re looking at moving things online and then in December we have the UN international day of persons with disabilities – we’re going to have something big to celebrate that.” Niamh has Friedreich’s ataxia, a progressive neuromuscular disease for which there is currently no cure, as well as cardiomyopathy and scoliosis, and has relied on her wheelchair for mobility since the age of 20. “It’s very complicated,” she says of her rare condition, “but the wheelchair is a great asset to have in my life. I know some people see it as restrictive when they say they’re bound to a wheelchair, but I don’t see that at all. My wheelchair gave me my independence.” The progressive nature of Niamh’s condition means she’s had to readjust to her body and learn to love it again. “That was really difficult for me,” she says of her transition from walking unaided to using a wheelchair. For Niamh, her biggest roadblock as a wheelchair user was how she would be perceived by the world around her. “I feel like it definitely did make it harder to accept myself. I don’t think I was concerned with how I viewed myself, but rather I was more concerned with how others viewed me,” she says candidly. “In my daily life I do wonder what people think of me. Do they look at me and think, ‘oh, poor Niamh’?” Born from her passion for disability activism, community and sense of belonging, Niamh established DisabilityAndI, a storytelling platform for people with disabilities to share their experiences which, in turn, has helped Niamh to accept her own journey. “I do still think I’m on the journey of getting there,” she says of her relationship with her body. “I’m trying to find a compromise between giving myself enough time to relax and take care of myself but also living my life. It’s a hard thing to do, I’m still figuring it out.” “I think I’ve accepted myself at the moment. It could change a year or two down the line but at the moment I’m very happy.” ‘Disability is a core part of my identity. It’s everything I am. It’s made me the person I am’ Disabled Women Ireland co-founder Alannah Murray’s achievements belie their youth. At 23 years of age, the Cavan native has accomplished more than most will in a lifetime. Alannah was awarded a place on the prestigious Washington Ireland Programme – a six-month programme of personal and professional development that brings university students from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to Washington DC, for summer internships and leadership training; she delivered a TEDx Talk on the subject of disability and society; she is a co-founder of Disabled Women Ireland, the only dedicated organisation to advocate for the rights of women, trans and non-binary people with disabilities in Ireland; and she is currently studying to obtain a masters degree in Research in Creative Media from Dundalk Institute of Technology. “It feels weird to say that I’ve done those things,” Alannah tells me, recounting the commute she used to have while living in Washington DC, which involved passing the White House every day. The opportunities she has been awarded are even more remarkable given the fact that Alannah navigates life in a wheelchair and lives with dermatomyositis, a rare and progressive autoimmune disease marked largely by muscle weakness. “I don’t remember how it feels to run around. I know that I did it but I can’t remember the sensation of it anymore,” she tells me. “Eventually, when I was 10, the doctor said ‘enough is enough’. I had calcium deposits sticking to my muscles, causing my joints to stiffen, so I wasn’t able to straighten my knees anymore. We agreed it was chair time. At this stage I had already almost died once.” Despite this, Alannah didn’t identify as a disabled person until university. It was there where she was exposed to other like-minded people who shared a similar experience. “I grew up completely mainstreamed and I had no experience of what ‘disabled’ was,” Alannah says of her early childhood and, later, their experiences in third-level education. “As I got older and went to college, I realised I could be this whole new person. I’d never been around that many disabled people before in my life. It was terrifying, but it was a big turning point. For me, disability is a core part of my identity. It’s everything I am. It’s made me the person I am.” Years of trauma and long-stay hospital visits left Alannah feel disconnected from herself, but she is learning to reclaim her autonomy through self care and being in tune with their body. “I completely disconnected to my sense of self and had so many unhealthy coping behaviours for so long. I hated everything about myself. Now I love to cook, I love skincare, I love taking baths and I love taking pictures of sunsets. I got tattoos because the doctors told me I couldn’t! “I’ve learned that it’s okay to do things just because it makes you happy. I think that’s been my big takeaway in the past year or so: that it’s actually okay to just exist and not work yourself to the ground or please other people. It’s cool to just vibe sometimes.” While coronavirus restrictions have eroded independence, Alannah is continuing her studies and working from home. “I come from a big family and I’m used to being around people so I’d never been on my own, but I’ve enjoyed it. Me being in this house is the ‘backpacking-through-Thailand’ equivalent of finding myself. It’s been great.” ‘I love my body. I love my arm. I know for a fact I wouldn’t be in the situation I’m in if I didn’t have a disability’ Seventy-six consecutive days is the total amount of time Paralympic swimmer Ellen Keane spent away from the swimming pool during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. “My confidence grew because of swimming,” she says, reflecting on the earlier days of her professional career. “Instead of looking at what my body couldn’t do, because of sport I was getting stronger than most able-bodied people. I was questioning why I was ever ashamed of my body when I’m probably able to lift more with one hand than the average person [can] with their entire body.” Born with dysmelia, a congenital abnormality characterised by missing or foreshortened limbs, (in Ellen’s case, her left forearm), she soon realised that instead of focusing on what she couldn’t do because of her disability, she could focus instead on her strengths, pumping all of her efforts into a sport that would soon see her becoming Ireland’s youngest Paralympic athlete at 13, and being crowned a three-time Paralympic swimmer at 25. Ellen, who is also completing a degree in Culinary Entrepreneurship at the Dublin Institute of Technology, has a complex relationship with her body, and attributes her growth in self-confidence to her “stubbornness”. “I never liked people helping me,” she says, recalling moments of frustration during her childhood when tying her hair up seemed like an impossible task for the athlete who can now swim a 100m breaststroke in under two minutes. “It’s just a way of life,” is how the young athlete describes navigating her world with one arm, noting that, at times, her disability can result in periods of anxiety and frustration. She overcomes these periods, she says, by being open and honest. “I have a psychologist to talk to and I think it’s so important to have an outlet and have those conversations.” Growing up Ellen admits she was “so insecure” about her arm and used to hide it. Going to college, she says, was a monumental turning point in establishing a healthy relationship with her body. “Once I started to show off my arm, loads of people who I looked up to or had any issues with their body or body image, they were all like ‘because of you I want to show my disability’, and I was like ‘wow’! It’s incredible the effect you can have on someone without realising it.” When asked if she takes ownership of her disability, she answers with a wholehearted “yes”. “I love my body. I love my arm. I know for a fact I wouldn’t be in the situation I’m in if I didn’t have a disability. By taking ownership and being proud of your disability you’re giving other people permission to do the same and showing people who aren’t disabled or who will never experience a disability that it’s not a scary thing or a bad thing. “I think a lot of people with disabilities need to realise that their disability is a powerful thing and it’s their little bit of magic that they can use to have a great life.”

Right in the middle of Pride month, Oregon just made a huge move to support non-binary people. According to BuzzFeed, the Oregon Transportation Commission approved a rule on Thursday that will allow people living in the state to officially declare their gender as non-binary on their driver's licenses. Instead of just "M" for Male and "F" for Female, people will soon be able to choose "X" when ticking off their gender marker. Reuters points out Oregon is the first state to provide this option. The rule, which will go into effect on July 1, came after a judge ruled people should be able to select non-binary as a gender option on their identification. Oregon isn't the only state working to improve gender marker options on official documents. The California legislature is considering bill that would allow people to officially declare their gender as non-binary, and would make it easier to switch your gender on any legal document. With the official decision coming in June, which is Pride month, Transportation Commission member Sean O'Hollaren told BuzzFeed this is much more than just a rule change. "When we request approval on an administrative rule, it just doesn’t do it justice," he said. "It’s fitting that this is before us during pride week in Oregon and pride month around the country." Someone else, who remained unnamed, explained the significance of the rule to BuzzFeed. "While to some, this change may not seem very big, I assure you that it is," the person said. "While this change may not save the world, it will without a doubt save the worlds of those who need it." This is a good point. Adding another gender marker to the system may seem small or insignificant to some, but for those who do not identify as binary and have been forced to exist within one on legal documents, finally being officially recognized on their license is a step toward being more recognized in society in general.

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|It has been an incredible first year in office. I’ve learned a lot about the inner workings of our city while tackling the many interconnected issues and challenging our government to expand our imagination of justice. The victories we’ve achieved together have been sweet and numerous, but there is still so much to do! Click on each section below to read about what we accomplished in 2018 and where I’m planning to lead in the coming year. It has been a delight to serve as your Cambridge City Councillor for the past year, and I look forward to a spirited re-election campaign in 2019. As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to discuss whatever is on your mind- no time is too inconvenient, and no issue is too small.| Housing & Displacement My work on housing has been centered on helping tenants find stability and remain in Cambridge amidst an out of control real estate market and rapidly rising rents. My office has helped several individuals and families facing eviction or burdensome rent increases. Often we were the last line of defense against displacement or even homelessness, and I’m glad we were able to help find stable housing in many cases. I really appreciate the dedication of our partners in this work: the Cambridge Housing Authority, the Multi-Service Center, Greater Boston Legal Services, city staff, and my colleagues on the Council. Though I am not a member of the Housing Committee this term, I attended every meeting and found ways to keep tenant protections in the conversation as much as possible. Tenant Right of First Refusal Early in the year, I was one of just three councillors to vote in support of having a conversation about the concept of Right of First Refusal, which would give tenants faced with eviction an important opportunity to purchase their building, perhaps with the help of one of the city’s affordable housing nonprofits. This is an important conversation that Somerville is already having in support of Rep Denise Provost’s enabling legislation, and I remain disappointed that the effort was squashed before the conversation even began. Relocation Assistance for Tenants Later in the year, I submitted an order asking for a legal opinion on the renter relocation assistance ordinance recently enacted in Portland, Oregon. Portland’s ordinance, implemented despite a statewide ban on rent control, gives tenants a sum of money when they are faced with moving due to a no-fault eviction or burdensome rent increase. It also significantly increases the amount of notice landlords must give in these situations. The order was referred to a new commission on tenant protections, organized by Mayor McGovern and chaired by Councillor Siddiqui, which will begin meeting this month, January 2019. I am optimistic and hopeful that tenants will be well represented on the commission and that bold ideas such as relocation assistance and even right of first refusal will be seriously considered as the meetings begin. Comprehensive State Level Reform During December’s informal sessions, Statehouse Leadership tried to pass Governor Baker’s “Housing Choices” bill without discussion, opportunity for amendments, or even a vote. I support Rep Mike Connolly’s decision to oppose the bill as written to give the legislature an opportunity for transparent conversation about more comprehensive reform, including tenant protections, during the formal session. An attempt was made to put the Cambridge City Council on record urging Mike to reconsider, but when more than 100 residents (including many tenants) spoke out in opposition, the resolution ultimately failed 4-4. The vote was a huge symbolic victory for those who believe, as Mike and I do, that we must pass a comprehensive reform package including tenant protections and new opportunities for revenue generation this year during the formal session. Read more about Mike’s position and plan for moving forward on his blog. Climate & Environment As co-chairs of the Health and Environment Committee, Vice Mayor Devereux and I have worked to make sure climate change and environmental issues are a top priority of the council. The recent IPCC report on staying below a 1.5° C temperature increase has given a new sense of urgency to the issue, and it has never been more important for municipalities to take the lead. This year however, it became clear our choices at the local level continue to prioritize convenience, development, and profits over people, tree canopy, and even our own safety. There was, however, reason for hope: thousands of young people stood up and demanded a Green New Deal to rapidly shift our electric grid to 100% renewable energy while creating jobs for those willing to help make it happen. I was proud to stand with activists from Sunrise Movement at Rep Katherine Clark’s district office in Cambridge as we asked for her support. Not long after, she signed on! I also stood with Sunrise activists at the doors of Harvard’s “Bipartisan Congressional Orientation” as we called for newly-elected reps to show their support. Our calls were so loud that freshman Reps Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Rashida Tlaib (MI), and several others came down to speak! This surge of energy and enthusiasm in the streets, combined with our incredible class of Freshman legislators, including our own Ayanna Pressley, gives me hope for the future. Public EV Charging Stations We built on the Vice Mayor’s work from the previous term and asked about increasing the number of publicly accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging stations around the city. Lack of charging options remains a barrier to widespread EV adoption in dense urban centers, even as prices have dropped to largely affordable levels. The resulting report from the City Manager reminded everyone of the goal: to increase conversion from combustion engine to electric without increasing overall car ownership in the city. In order for Cambridge to hit our proportion of the state’s overall goal, we would need to have 4,000 EVs on the road by 2025. The City Manager has appropriated funding in the FY19 operating budget to develop an “EV Strategy” which will better determine how we achieve that goal. Additionally, several new public EV charging stations will be installed in Spring 2019: - 99 Sherman Street (Danehy Park) - 73 Sherman Street (St Peters Field/Salt Shed) - 177 Garden Street (St Peters Field / Montessori School) - 375 Green Street (Lot 8) - 420 Green Street (Lot 9) Protecting our Tree Canopy In April 2018, data was collected on our tree canopy via a LiDAR study, and I immediately asked that (1) the results of that study be delivered before the end of the year and (2) future studies be carried out more frequently, especially until the canopy stabilizes. We were told that the frequency will change to once every 2-3 years from once every 4-5 years. Not long after, we got the preliminary result of an 18% decline in our city-wide tree canopy since 2009. While we wait for soon-to-come recommendations from the urban forest master plan task force, I proposed a series of stopgap measures: requiring a permit to cut down a healthy, mature tree anywhere in the city, requiring additional steps for removal of healthy street or park trees in non-emergency situations, and funding for new street trees in the most impacted neighborhoods, which tend to also be the lowest income neighborhoods. To those orders, the City Manager responded that the Council would be formally notified anytime a healthy tree on city property has to be removed from now on, and he also allocated $100,000 for planting and care of additional trees, with a particular focus in East Cambridge and The Port, both areas that are particularly vulnerable to the urban heat island effect. Click here to see the list of streets that will soon or have already received new plantings. If there is one on your street, please help take care of it! Read more about the data and our tree canopy loss on my blog. Net Zero Progress In May, we held a committee hearing to receive a progress report on the Net Zero Action Plan which I helped develop and advocated for extensively in the years prior to taking office, starting in 2013. The plan is fully staffed and being implemented since it was adopted by the council in 2015. It is important to make sure the plan stays on track, and I am expecting an update to the Green Building Requirements Ordinance soon, that will require more insulation and other efficiency measures as part of construction. Meanwhile, the city has already begun a commendable effort to achieve net zero emissions in new municipal building construction in advance of the 2020 deadline. The buildings replacing the former King Open School and associated buildings in Wellington Harrington will be completely fossil fuel free! This building complex, to be completed in 2019, will host the King Open School and Extended Day program, the Cambridge Street Upper School, the Valente Branch Library and the Gold Star Mothers Pool, as before. In addition, the entire Cambridge Public School Department’s administrative offices will move into the new buildings as well. The entire complex will be heated and cooled via geothermal heat pumps and solar panels, with a bio-diesel backup generator in case of a power outage. Some electricity will still come from the grid, but the city is on track to zero out those emissions entirely over the next several years. The MLK school on Putnam Ave, completed in 2015, was certified LEED Platinum in 2018, and the YWCA’s women’s shelter at 859 Mass Ave was constructed net zero by the city. Getting to Zero Waste In October, I chaired a committee hearing to discuss the three prongs of the city’s zero waste effort: recycling, curbside organics, and the recent bans on plastic bag/polystyrene. The city’s Curbside Organics program has gotten off to a great start: 800 tons of food scraps were diverted from landfills in the first 6 months of the program, an 8% overall reduction in what we are sending to our landfills. While there are legitimate concerns about how those scraps are being composted, currently there are no facilities nearby that can accept such a large amount of food waste. Diverting our food waste away from landfills and incinerators is a huge step in the right direction, and hopefully more ecologically sound composting options will become available that can process such large volumes. When it comes to recycling, China’s efforts to reduce contamination has raised costs by $35/ton for the city and upended the industry. Our contamination rate for recycling is around 10%, which is nearly twice as good as Boston! If we can get down to 7%, costs will decrease significantly, so remember: absolutely no plastic bags in recycling! But the reality is, improving recycling purity is an impossible chore and the real focus needs to be on banning all single use plastics. I plan on introducing such a ban this year, with necessary carve outs for items we simply cannot eliminate at this time, including plastic straws for use by those with medical needs. In November, I chaired a hearing on fracked gas infrastructure and gas leaks. We heard from representatives of HEET, Mothers out Front, Green Cambridge, USW 12003, and Eversource. I called this hearing in the aftermath of the tragic Merrimack Valley explosions because the state’s network of contractors, utilities, and overseers is so interconnected that the same contractor on the job the day of those explosions routinely does work in Cambridge, and was even responsible for the negligent destruction of a magnificent oak tree on Gore Street last summer. The city was compensated at over $67,000 for the oak tree, setting an important marker on the monetary value of trees in our city. Following the hearing, I submitted a resolution calling on Governor Baker to adequately fund the inspectional division of the DPU after it was revealed that there were only 3 qualified inspectors on staff in the weeks leading up to September’s Merrimack Valley explosions, which is shameful. There are fundamental problems at every level of service, and our aging infrastructure isn’t getting replaced fast enough! The only real answer is to move towards renewable energy, but in the meantime we need to make sure there are no more blow-ups! You can read more about this issue and the hearing in my December Update. Climate Adaptation & the Climate Safety Petition Last Spring, residents from across the city filed a zoning petition which called for stronger flood protections and additional green space requirements in new developments. The city’s own research indicates that areas of the city will be highly susceptible to climate change-induced flooding and the urban heat island effect in the coming decades, especially in East Cambridge, Alewife and the Port. Imagine your elderly neighbor getting trapped in her home during a major flooding event, or a young child suffering from heat stroke during a heat wave! The petition contained many common sense and necessary measures to protect our loved ones against such dangers, including elevating mechanicals, raising buildings to be above projected flood levels where appropriate, and an innovative “green factor” that would mandate trees and green space to soak up water and help cool the air, something that is already being implemented in Seattle. These ideas are critical to protecting our safety as we continue to develop dense residential housing in the Alewife Floodplain and throughout our city. Unfortunately, the Council voted this petition down without seriously exploring or discussing its contents, over concerns that the new requirements would adversely impact the development of additional housing. It is a false dichotomy to position climate protections as in opposition to housing development, especially when we consider that it is precisely those residents with the fewest resources and fewest options that are hit the hardest by the calamities of climate change. This outcome was particularly disappointing because the negative vote may end up making it more difficult to implement some of the necessary concepts, many of which had broad support. At the time, I wrote in the Cambridge Day that the Council had made an “egregious error” voting it down in that way. Fortunately, Mayor McGovern has convened a task force, co-chaired by one of the original petitioners, to develop concrete zoning proposals in 2019 to help protect us from the dangers of climate change. I intend to work closely with the task force to implement these important climate protection measures in the council as soon as possible! Lowering our Speed Limits Based on the past work of Councillor Carlone and his former aide, current State Representative Mike Connolly, the state recently granted municipalities the authority to lower the regular speed limit from 30 to 25 MPH, and to 20 MPH in certain specially designated “safety zones”. Cambridge promptly lowered speed limits to 25 MPH citywide, and to 20 MPH in the five major squares (Kendall, Central, Inman, Harvard, and Porter) which were all designated as safety zones. The law gives municipalities latitude to designate safety zones much more broadly, however, and I put forward a policy order with Vice Mayor Devereux calling on the City Manager to do this more quickly and cover as much of the city as possible, especially areas adjacent to “parks, schools, youth centers, small residential streets, senior centers, senior housing, public housing, or anywhere else in close proximity to land-uses serving vulnerable populations”. A few months later, Vice Mayor Devereux chaired a committee hearing to further discuss the topic. Councillors were unified in their support for implementing more safety zones as quickly as possible, and city staff have begun to evaluate the impacts of the initial safety zones in preparation for creating additional ones. I will continue to join my colleagues in insisting on more safety zones implemented as fast as possible, so that everyone will be safer as they travel around our city. Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Safety Shortly after the deadly Uber AV crash in Arizona, I wrote a policy order giving the City Manager recommendations on best practices for AV testing in our city. Governor Baker plans to move ahead with a program that allows companies to test AV in cities and towns across Massachusetts, and it is important that we demand that this testing is only done with safe practices in place. The policy order calls for having two human drivers inside the vehicle at all times, ensuring vehicles comply with all posted speed limits including the recently enacted 20 MPH safety zones in our squares, extensive data sharing with the city, and written documentation of the safety practices put into place by the companies before they begin testing in Cambridge. The City Manager and his staff are actively negotiating with the state and interested companies based on these policy guidelines. In 2019, I will continue to advocate for these essential safety measures being in place before any autonomous vehicle testing is allowed on our streets. Protected Bike Lanes I am committed to implementing a network of protected bike lanes (PBLs) in Cambridge so that people of all ages feel more comfortable getting out of the car and onto their bike. I have been insisting on a more comprehensive implementation plan, and finally in November 2018, the City Manager announced an appropriation of $200,000 for that purpose. In the meantime, here are the specific streets and squares I have prioritized in my first year: Longfellow Bridge: the bridge was under reconstruction for many years, and I successfully asked the council to go on record in support of the effort led by Reps Connolly and Livingstone, as well as many activists, to install a PBL as part of the new layout. Amazingly, the state listened and included a wider lane with flexposts! I hope at some point they will make the protected bike lane even wider to better accommodate cyclists of varying abilities. Porter Square: In support of and based on requests from safety advocates, with the support of my colleagues, councillors Carlone and Devereux, I called on the city to install PBLs in Porter square as part of upcoming intersection improvements, which ultimately led to a reconsideration of the design and the installation of a protected lane for turning from Somerville Ave onto Mass Ave. While there is still much to be done in Porter, this represents a significant improvement to one of the most dangerous turns in the square. River Street: I put forward a policy order asking the City Manager to include a PBL along the entire length of River Street as part of the upcoming redesign. Such a lane would complement the award winning southbound cycle track on Western Avenue as the only protected route northbound from Memorial Drive to Central Square to create a continuous protected loop between the square and the river. Speeding is a particular problem on River Street because of its proximity to the highway, and current conditions are treacherous for cyclists and pedestrians seeking to access numerous amenities including grocery stores, pharmacies, and a park. I am grateful for the prompt response we received from the City Manager that noted “separated bike facilities as identified in the bicycle plan…are critical to the success of the project” and highlighted the diverse 15-member Working Group that will begin meeting this month to figure out the final design. Inman Square: The effort to make Inman Square safer began before I joined the council, and I am glad we finally moved this project forward last year. Though the plan isn’t perfect and contains significant tradeoffs, I pushed as hard as I could to get the best outcome possible. This included: many meetings with individual stakeholders and city staff including the City Manager, an insistence on additional community meetings, and chairing an additional committee hearing to ensure the project was thoroughly vetted and community voices were heard. Though I am sad to lose the 4 beautiful honey locust trees in Velucci Plaza, ultimately the final plan will be safer for all modes of travel. Through my direct efforts the city will move some of the smaller trees and plant even more additional trees than originally proposed, in order to replace the lost canopy as quickly as possible. Memorial Drive (Paul Dudley White Path): Memorial Drive is a major commuting thoroughfare for cyclists, who have to share a narrow, deteriorating path along the highway with pedestrians, strollers, and joggers. Last Spring, I began meeting with stakeholders and officials to discuss how we can improve the situation. Because the land is state owned and managed by DCR, I put forward a policy order, passed by the council, that asked the City Manager to convene a meeting with DCR and prioritize this work. Fortunately, DCR announced significant funding earmarked for improvements along this stretch over the next few years. I look forward to continuing this conversation in 2019 to ensure improvements are made as soon as possible. South Mass Ave: A major accomplishment of 2018 was the installation of a PBL along Mass Ave from Memorial Drive to Sidney Street in both directions, along with dedicated bus lanes as well. Kudos to our city staff for this major rethinking of how road space can be re-allocated on one of our busiest and most dangerous thoroughfares. Looking ahead, it will be important to fill in the gaps along Mass Ave to create continuous protection from the Arlington line to the Charles River. Legal Cannabis Implementation & Equity Voters overwhelmingly approved Question 4 in 2016, which legalized the growth, sale and possession of cannabis across the Commonwealth, and over the past year the council has had an important opportunity to ensure that equity and justice are prioritized as this new industry enters Cambridge. While it may feel like this process took too long, it was important to carefully minimize the risk that the industry could become dominated by big money applicants, leaving smaller, less generously funded equity applicants sidelined and unable to participate in the market. Councillor Siddiqui and I worked together from very early on to put forward policies that would guide the industry to develop as equitably as possible and to create opportunities for people who have been disproportionately impacted by prohibition. In the long term, we will benefit from the careful consideration of how to balance our equity goals with a timely introduction of adult-use cannabis businesses in our city. Read more in a detailed post on my blog, or review the final zoning language which will take effect on April 20, 2019, along with a separate ordinance specifically focused around the equity component. As a software engineer by trade, a top priority of mine has been to advance the cause of digital equity, a conversation that had been stuck in stalemate for quite some time following the recommendations issued by the Broadband Task Force in 2016. I began by meeting with residents for whom a lack of consistent broadband access is a difficult reality. One resident, an elderly woman living in public housing, reported having to conduct personal online video conversations with her family from the common room of her building, because that was the only place where she could access the internet. In another case, two siblings I spoke with recently graduated from CRLS without consistent internet access at home, relying on a patchwork system of friends, family, after school programs, and coffee shops to do their homework. When asked directly whether they thought they would have done better in school with consistent broadband at home, they unequivocally said yes. While Municipal Broadband remains an important goal for me, the City Manager has made it clear he does not want to move forward in that direction. So my focus this year has been to work with the administration on other policies to more immediately help those who are most severely impacted by a lack of access. The policy order I put forward asked for a plan which included four things: - A clear quantitative and qualitative understanding of the digital divide in Cambridge - A plan to ensure affordable broadband access in public housing by 2025 - Expanding the city’s existing fiber optics network, conduits, and right-of-ways to improve broadband access for residents and the public - A review of the dig-once policy to maximize the potential for future expansion of the fiber optic network In response, the City Manager requested a $150,000 appropriation, which we approved, to conduct a study of the digital divide. He also announced the formation of a new “Digital Equity Advisory Board” that will meet for the next year to discuss goals and strategies. As a global center of technological innovation, however, we have a responsibility to do more than just study the problem and have theoretical discussions. Furthermore, this problem is going to take much longer than 12 months to solve. I am still expecting a formal response to items 2-4 of my policy order, and I will continue to work with our strong community advocates and others to insist that more direct action is taken in the coming year and beyond towards the goal of providing high speed internet access to everyone in Cambridge. Indigenous Peoples’ Day My good friend and former City Councillor, Nadeem Mazen, began this important work back in 2016 when he led the Council in voting to change the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I’m honored to continue this effort, and I began working with Indigenous advocates to discuss how we can make Indigenous Peoples’ Day a robust tradition and celebration beginning in 2019. As the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe continues to resist the Trump Administration’s attempt to appropriate their land, it is not enough to simply change the name of a holiday- we must lift up Indigenous voices and ensure their representation. I look forward to holding another committee hearing in early 2019 to discuss possible funding sources for this important holiday so we can make sure it becomes a permanent Cambridge institution. Supporting our Trans Community Bigots put trans rights on the ballot in 2018, collecting enough signatures to force a referendum on the bipartisan decision to protect trans folks under our state’s public accommodations law. I was proud to cosponsor a resolution that put the Council’s weight behind a YES vote to keep the trans community protected from discrimination. YES won overwhelmingly statewide, and earned more than 90% support in Cambridge. It was great to see the commonwealth unite in rejection of hate and in support of keeping discrimination illegal in places of public accommodation. Later in the year, I wrote a policy order co-sponsored by Councillors Mallon and Simmons, asking the City Manager to take a closer look at the city’s website and to make adjustments to ensure everyone feels comfortable using it. There still remains at least one signup form which forces the user to choose male or female without giving a third option for those who are trans or non-binary (see image), and that needs to change! In 2019, the Council will consider asking the state to allow gender neutral birth certificates, something that recently passed in New York City. Condemning Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman In April, I sponsored a resolution condemning the policies of the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince, and criticizing MIT and Harvard for their handling of his recent visit to Cambridge. bin Salman rose to power through incredibly undemocratic means, and is considered the architect of Saudi Arabia’s intervention in the Yemeni Civil War, one of the worst humanitarian crises on the planet. I was particularly disappointed in my alma mater for the unusual lack of dialogue that occurred around the visit. These institutions should not be nurturing ties with someone this evil. Even after the world learned bin Salman ordered the brutal killing of prominent journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi himself a few months later, MIT released a report recommending that the university continue to maintain ties. Mass Evictions at the EMF Building When notorious real estate developer John DiGiovanni evicted more than 200 artists from their workspace and community at the EMF building on Brookline Street, I submitted a policy order asking the city to buy the building outright so that the artists could continue honing their craft within city limits. More than 50 impacted artists showed up to speak at public comment, which was incredibly moving. As discussions advanced, it became clear that the conditions of the building were unsafe and the City Manager decided not to pursue buying the building. However, the magnitude of the loss was understood by everyone involved- if we don’t have workspace for artists, how can we expect them to play at our nightclubs, in our squares, at our events and in our cultural district? This important discussion led to the Mayor creating a task force led by Councillor Mallon, which has already put forward several important policy proposals. I am optimistic that the task force will help us do better in supporting our artists and the arts. Eliminating Busking Fees The Council was unanimous in its support of eliminating fees for street performers, in alignment with the policies of Somerville and Boston. At a committee hearing on the topic, my motion to strike all fees from the ordinance passed 6-0 and would eventually gain unanimous support from the full council. Though the administration was hesitant, my colleagues and I insisted that this was one small thing we could do for the artist community after a difficult year. You will still need a permit to perform on Cambridge streets in 2019, but it will not cost anything to obtain. Direct Support for Artists in our Community When it comes to the arts, I have made it a point to not just be an advocate from my seat in the Sullivan Chamber, but also to directly experience the ways artists are actively enriching our community whenever possible. I include announcements of upcoming shows and music releases in my monthly newsletters, I seek their perspective anytime related policy comes forward for a vote, and I attend performances whenever possible. Something I particularly look forward to are the performances put on by Bridge Repertory Theater at the Multicultural Arts Center in East Cambridge. Bridge Rep is quickly becoming a Cambridge institution thanks to the hard work of my good friend Olivia D’Ambrosio and many others, and I was thrilled to support an appropriation from the City Manager for $18,000 so they can continue to expand their community engagement initiatives. The upcoming production of Who is Eartha Mae? will run throughout the month of February and promises to be spectacular.

By Charles “Sam” Faddis | AND | September 2, 2020 As violence continues to gut cities across the nation, increasingly the question is – who is behind all of this? Who is organizing and instigating clearly coordinated efforts at tearing this country apart and destroying the existing social, political, and economic system? As the old adage holds – follow the money. Refuse Fascism is a front organization for the Revolutionary Communist Party of the United States. Refuse Fascism functions as an umbrella organization supporting Antifa actions all across America. Refuse Fascism is funded at least in part by an organization called the Alliance for Global Justice. This group is based in Tucson, Arizona. It was founded in 1998. The Alliance for Global Justice has received funding from a wide range of organizations. This includes the Tides Foundation. The Tides Foundation functions as a sort of legal cutout for groups wishing to donate to leftist causes but attempting to hide their support. The Tides Foundation is generally credited with having pioneered anonymous “Dark Money” transactions for politically liberal and progressive organizations in the areas of the environment, health care, labor issues, immigrant rights, gay rights, women’s rights, and activism against gun rights, industrial development, and corporations. “Structural racism” is a common theme in many Tides Foundation projects as is the concept of “white privilege.” One of the Tides Foundation’s projects is the Apollo Alliance, formed under the umbrella of something called the BlueGreen Alliance. This initiative promotes a radical clean energy revolution whose tenets bear an uncanny resemblance to Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal. The Alliance for Global Justice also receives money from among others: - The Open Society Institute/Open Society Foundations created by George Soros. - The Arca Foundation. Arca gives money to radical environmentalists, anti-corporate activists, and supporters of the Communist regime in Cuba. - The New World Foundation. From 1982 to 1988 this organization was chaired by Hillary Clinton. The Foundation has given money to the Committees in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, a group dedicated to a communist takeover of that nation, Grassroots International, a group with ties to the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and Earthjustice, an organization focused on the elimination of the use of fossil fuels. - The Foundation for Deep Ecology, an organization that considers human beings to be a plague on the earth. The Foundation embraces the “Deep Ecology Platform,” which emphasizes that there must be a substantial reduction in the size of the world’s human population and that humans must renounce their “current obsession” with achieving “an increasingly higher standard of living.” The Foundation seeks to block industrial activity and “rewild” large portions of North America. The Alliance for Global Justice originated in an organization called the Nicaragua Network – a group dedicated to supporting the Marxist Sandinista regime in Nicaragua. It was created by the Nicaragua Network to take charge of actions focused on areas outside of Nicaragua itself. Katherine Hoyt and Chuck Kaufman are founding co-chairs of the Alliance. Hoyt is married to a Nicaraguan citizen and was involved in the Sandinista efforts to overthrow the government of Nicaragua and establish a socialist state there. Hoyt has openly spoken of allowing her home in Nicaragua to be used by Sandinista guerillas and stockpiling Molotov cocktails there. Kaufman has a long history of involvement with Communist organizations. He was one of the founders of a group called A.N.S.W.E.R. – a group focused on ending U.S. “threats” against North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba and an end to the “colonial-style occupation in Palestine and in Haiti.” In short, the mobs tearing apart our cities are not spontaneously organizing or self-funding. They are the visible manifestation of what is an almost unbelievably vast network of foundations and front organizations that have been growing inside this nation under our noses for decades. These groups are, by and large, overtly hostile to the United States of America as it currently exists. They have long since made common cause with some of our most dangerous enemies, and they consider you and me the enemy. What these groups want is not reform. They use phrases like “black lives matter” and “justice” in a deliberate effort to make themselves less threatening and to lull the population as a whole to sleep. This is intentional and a time-honored tradition amongst radical leftist organizations. "I'm an afro-indigenous non-binary local organizer." PLEASE CLAP pic.twitter.com/HfRnIH0Gf2 — ???? Josh Lekach ???? (@JoshLekach) July 18, 2020 What is intended is something much more radical. It is, as one leftist speaker recently put it, the “abolition” of the United States as we know it and its complete replacement with a Marxist state. Follow the money – that will tell you everything you need to know. Of note, Refuse Fascism was one of the organizers of the D.C. march on the White House on 27 August where a number of prominent Republicans were harassed and intimidated leaving the White House. It has been reported that a group affiliated with Clinton aides also organized for the 27 August protests – the Party Majority PAC. Refuse Fascism is one of the primary organizers of the “Trump/Pence Out Now” protests and plans for nationwide protests and demonstrations on 5 September 2020. Their struggle to upend our nation is never-ending. SHARE IT WITH THE WORLD

We need more truth and love and joy for black femmes in the LGBT community. I made this list to call that in. Every day, my existence is made better by the efforts of beautiful black femme souls working to make this world a better, safer, more inclusive place. Still, our moments of celebration can feel few and far in-between. Our advocacy and hard work in shaping resistance movements go unseen. I’m more likely to see the news that one of my trans sisters was murdered or abused than hear about their accomplishments and the light they’re bringing to our lives. It has to stop. These are 23 of the black, queer and trans femme women and non-binary people that make me feel overwhelmingly seen and loved on social media. Every person on this list deserves their own celebration – or at minimum your follows and likes to amplify their voices. Following their accounts has been a balm for my soul. I know it will be for yours, too. This Black History Month we are supporting the black femmes currently making history. Get ready and if you aren’t already, I suggest you sit down before reading this list, cause honey these glorious embodiments of black femme magic are sure to sweep you off your feet. All images are from each person’s personal Instagram. Nay pretty much does it all. She’s an LA based artist (find her work @gaudylosangeles) and model who has worked with prominent creators in the body positivity world such as Gabi Fresh, Shooglet, and Adipositivity. She’s also co-host of the podcast “Attack of the Queerwolf!” When she isn’t doing all that, she’s on IG doing the advocating against fatphobia and giving us the unapologetic “not here to please you” black girl content we all need. Follow her here. The intense levels of public scrutiny Munroe Bergdorf has faced the last couple years – especially in the wake of calling out L’oreal for their racism – hasn’t slowed this model and activist down one bit. If anything, it’s encouraged her to proudly double down on her activism. Munroe is the first of many people on this list fighting for inclusivity and equality in the fashion industry and world at large. One look at her IG page full of fierce femme looks and words of encouragement will it make it clear why she stays booked, and she always will, despite the haters. Follow her here. My editor gave me permission to shamelessly promote myself, so of course I’m taking her up on that. Hello, I’m Reneice! I’m one of the few black, fat, queer, women food writers around. I write a baking column called Femme Brûlée right here on Autostraddle.com! I’m also an MSW, activist, body positive life coach, and lover of plus size swimsuits. My Instagram is where all these skills intersect. I live for swim photoshoots, post often about food in my stories, and denounce all the ‘isms and ‘phobias I can through writing, food, modeling, body positivity and self love. Follow me here. If Kiersey Clemons isn’t already on your out, queer actress to watch list, go ahead and add her right now. Her talents on screen can were most recently seen in RENT Live, as well as indie film favorites Hearts Beat Loud, Dope, and Netflix’s Easy. All queer roles! Her talents on IG include incredible fashion posts, advocacy from the heart, and selfies that should be next to the definition of “Black Girl Glow”. Follow her here. Cora Harrington is the founder and Editor in Chief of the blog The Lingerie Addict, the world’s largest lingerie blog. Everything I know about intimate apparel I learned from Cora and her new book In Intimate Detail, which is available for purchase now. The Lingerie Addict was the first place I ever saw that bodies like mine and high quality lingerie meet. I came for the inclusivity and stayed for the in-depth knowledge of the lingerie world and the breathtaking photoshoots Cora posts of herself modeling the latest fashions. It’s content that’ll make you blush in all the best ways. Follow her here. Laverne Cox is a force and a vision. She’s an Emmy winning television producer, Emmy nominated actress, model, and LGBT advocate. She is the first ever trans woman to star (and slay) on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine. She also continues the trend of being an impressively talented black woman who somehow still finds time in her schedule to educate, support and uplift our community. Follow her on IG for all these accomplishments, and because no one works a fan or red carpet like Laverne Cox – her insta stories will remind you of that almost daily. Follow her here. There is no one, NO ONE in my online world that does as much activism and education around black AND disabled AND queer AND fat lives as Erika Hart. She’s a sexuality educator, activist, performer and cancer warrior who proudly went topless at Afropunk following her double mastectomy so that she could help dismantle the lack of visibility of black and brown bodies. I feel centered by Erika and her Instagram, and am stronger because of it. Follow her here. Briq House’s burlesque performances are refreshingly unique and overwhelmingly sexy. They changed my life. They also earned her the much deserved bragging rights of one of the Top 50 Most Influential Burlesque Industry figures of 2018. She is also Executive Producer of Seattle’s Sunday Night Shuga Shaq, the only all-POC Burlesque Review in the Pacific Northwest. Briq’s Instagram will have you fanning yourself and reaching for water to quench your level 10 thirst. Her page is an altar to black femme sexuality, a reminder that sex work is absolutely real work, and radiates with the kind of infectious confidence that will have you taking an impromptu solo boudoir shoot like the goddess you are. Follow her here. Samantha Irby is the New York Times best selling author of We Are Never Meeting Again. She writes the hugely popular blog Bitches Gotta Eat, which is full of the funniest and most heartfelt writing I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. She has published two other books, Meaty and New Year, Same Trash. Her Instagram is full of hilariously relatable content and expert memes as well as incredible book recommendations, top notch food content, and adorable cat photos. Follow her here. Fatima Jamal, also known as @fatfemme online, is an incredibly talented artist, writer, and public speaker whose work centers and explores themes related to the body. She’s also a fierce fashionista and plus size model who slays the gram flawlessly while advocating for unapologetic self-love. It’s no wonder she was named one of the coolest queers on the internet by Teen Vogue, and I have to agree. Her presence on my timeline is always a gift! Follow her here. BuzzFeed producer and bodacious babe Jazzmyne Jay really knows how to give good ‘gram. She’s a style icon, so the outfits are always on point, and I’ve fallen into every single one of her thirst traps. Plus, you’re likely to leave her page uplifted as she’s also an advocate for body positivity. Follow her here. Trans model and activist Jari Jones could teach one master class in Slaying The Gram and another in changing the face of the historically racist, transphobic, and fatphobic fashion and beauty industries at the same damn time. She holds brands accountable and looks damn good doing it. Jari’s IG feed is bound to give you closet envy and her smile is one of the brightest around. Follow her here. Kelela is a contemporary R&B artist with a voice like honey who’s open about her sexuality in an industry that’s still far too silencing of queer love. Her music is turn the lights down sensual, her style is eye catching, and you can experience it all on her IG. Follow her here. If you haven’t had a solo dance party to one of Lizzo’s confident, affirming, catchy as fuck tracks yet, then do yourself a favor and get on that. Her songs are the uplifting powerful bops every black queer femme deserves and her music is a major element to maintaining my glow. You might wanna get on her Instagram, too. It’s full of the juicy thirst traps and her signature videos of twerking while playing the flute (like the multi-talented diva she is). Follow her here. Kim milan is an award winning writer, educator and activist whose work and excellence is internationally recognized. Her racial justice trainings are some of the best available worldwide. She also teaches yoga classes with her precious daughter in tow. Talk about goals! Kim is an incredible role model for black queer parenting and entrepreneurship. One look at her Instagram shows that Kim’s love for her family, herself, her work, and the community are fierce. Plus, all those baby smiles are bound to give you the warm fuzzies. Follow her here. There is SO much to say about Janelle Monáe that I’m just going to say: If you aren’t yet following her IG for her Afrofuturist award winning music, or her award winning career as an actress, then please follow for the way Janelle wears her looks and the way it makes you feel. Her outfits on Instagram make me scream daily. Her music has been fuel to my black resistance for years and will be for years to come. Follow her here. If you search Jasika’s name on Autostraddle.com it’ll be made clear pretty quickly that our love for her runs deep here. Along with being an award winning actress (Danger & Eggs, Suicide Kale, Underground, Scandal, Fringe, and many more) Jasika is an expert seamstress. Follow her on insta for incredible DIY sewing inspiration, adorable spontaneous dance breaks and my personal favorite, couch karaoke. Follow her here. Aaron is a disabled, gender non-conforming, femme tearing down the walls of ableism in the fashion industry. This bright beautiful star is working to increase visibility and accessibility for black, queer, disabled fashionistas everywhere. Her presence, work, voice, and style are flawless and so needed. Especially for the millions of people worldwide who had never seen anyone that resembles them in high fashion until Aaron. Find her on IG for all the looks, all the equality work, and such expert level smizing I’m sure Tyra is proud. Follow her here. Doing the good work of decolonizing the world of health and wellness, Ali Simon is a body positive yoga instructor with one of the most popular and inclusive classes in Los Angeles, CA. You can imagine then that her Instagram is a source of uplifting, affirming love and care content for all bodies, especially marginalized ones. Follow and get your flow on. Jessamyn Stanley makes defying stereotypes look like art. She’s a yoga teacher for bodies of all sizes and abilities, a body positivity advocate, and writer. Carving out space in the yoga industry for fat, queer, black bodies is no small feat, but Jessamyn does it with a smile on her face and a hand out to pull as many people into the light as she can. I can’t get enough. Follow her here. Portia Wilson is the founder of Deeper Genius Acupuncture & Healing Arts in Los Angeles, CA. Through her practice of acupuncture she works to dissolve the barrier between black women and wellness/preventative health. I’ve had the pleasure of being treated by Portia and it was by far the best experience I’ve ever had with a physician. If I’d known a healthcare experience could go so well, I’d have a completely different relationship with the industry, and that is exactly the magic and importance of Portia’s work. Follow her to see how good the present and future of healthcare can be. If you’ve seen Tessa Thompson in literally anything she’s done (there’s SO much), but especially for the purposes of this site, Janelle Monáe’s Pynk music video, then you know why she’s on this list. You can also watch her on TV in Westworld, in the movies Selma, Dear White People, the Creed series, Sorry to Bother You, and Thor: Ragnarok (Valkyrie! That bodysuit!). Then follow her on Instagram and swoon at literally everything she wears and every time she and Janelle bless us by being in the same place at the same time. Follow her here. Afro-Latina trans model and actress Indya Moore stepped on the MainStage with year with F/X’s Pose and she has no intention of stopping any time soon. Did we mention that she just landed an entire Louis Vuitton campaign!! She serves looks like they are breakfast, but it’s her advocacy and constant genuine care for trans and queer communities of color that will keep you coming back for more. Follow her here.

Non-Binary Kink: Dismantling Static and Gendered Roles Class Shopping Discount: Show your ticket or confirmation email to save 20% off your entire purchase at Bondesque! Valid for one visit on the date of the workshop. Course Description: Kink and gender roles have so much to offer. Why should we limit ourselves to just one? In this workshop, Mistress Nix will explore how we define ourselves and the many roles we can use in our play. She will demonstrate some of her favorite scene dynamics, such as forced masculinization and Domme-Domme scenes. Through group discussion, participants will design some scene ideas together that challenge the classic assumptions of the gender and kink binary. There will be opportunities for hands-on practice for those who wish to do so. This workshop is 18+. Instructor: Mistress Nix is a professional dominatrix, leather woman, performer, and activist. She is a founder of the Twin Cities Little Scouts troop and the Twin Cities Sirens, both of which she helps lead. Her favorite places to perform are Bondage-a-Go-Go, Kinky Friday, and Sex Ed. She has been lucky enough to train with some amazing kinksters, both locally and in BDSM communities around the country. She is excited to pass on some of the lessons learned through her experiences with those elders and through her own exploration. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Ticket sales are final and tickets are non-transferable. This workshop is 18+.

Need help, support, or want to find out more? Help & Support New Road Parents Are you parenting a child who is questioning their sexuality or gender? We are a group of parents and carers in Worcestershire and South Birmingham area, whose children have come out to them as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Non-binary or Gender-fluid. There are other categories too. We may have more than one such child and they may have disclosed at any age from very young into adulthood. The Basement Project The Basement Project is a small, local charity that supports young people up to the age of 25 at risk of becoming homeless, who are homeless, or who are in crisis. The support we offer is free, non-judgemental and centred around the needs of each individual. We offer a drop in service; floating support, when we go out and support young people in their own homes; mediation to re build relationships; counselling from a qualified counsellor and a food bank, offering toiletries and home starter packs where needed. Helping gender-diverse kids, young people and their families since 1995. Today, Mermaids has evolved into one of the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ charities, empowering thousands of people with its secure online communities, local community groups, helpline services, web resources, events and residential weekends. We also seek to educate and inform wider society on gender identity by helping professionals accommodate and reassure gender-diverse young people. More coming soon! This is a new site, and we’re updating it as quickly as we can… We’re a group of LGBT+ Worcestershire residents who believe in supporting, empowering and connecting the Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Pan, Ace/Aro, Trans and Non-binary community. Birmingham Pride weekend is the climax of year round activity, where we all come together to celebrate LGBTQ+ achievement, life and love.

Fantavious Fritz Creates Film Grant For Female Directors The WORK GRANT was founded by filmmaker Fantavious Fritz and musician Charlotte Day Wilson, made possible by the Prism Prize, which Fritz and Wilson took top honors at this year for "Work." The Prism Prize is a national, juried award established to recognize the artistry of modern music video in Canada. A jury of more than 120 Canadian music and film industry professionals - including members of the print / web media, broadcasting, film, radio, and video art communities - are selected to nominate the best of the year. These jurors choose the Grand Prize winner as well, which carries with it a substantial cash reward. The Prism Prize is awarded based on artistic merit. Jurors are asked to consider the following criteria: Originality, Creativity, Style, Innovation and Effective Execution. The WORK GRANT is a one-time music video fund available for emerging Women & Gender Non-Binary directors with Canadian citizenship. Click Here for The Work Film Grant Website

/r/dogs is a discussion-based subreddit, meant for asking questions, sharing information, and learning about our beloved canine companions and related dog-centric topics. DogTraining: A forum on dog training and behavior. Here you'll find content that will help you train your dogs. Dog training links, discussions and questions are encouraged and content related to other species is welcome too. This community is geared towards modern, force-free methods and recommendations. /r/Relationships is a community built around helping people and the goal of providing a platform for interpersonal relationship advice between redditors. We seek posts from users who have specific and personal relationship quandaries that other redditors can help them try to solve. AskWomen: A subreddit dedicated to asking women questions about their thoughts, lives, and experiences; providing a place where all women can comfortably and candidly share their responses in a non-judgmental space. As part of our commitment to that mission, the AskWomen subreddit is curated to promote respectful and on-topic discussions, and not serve as a debate subreddit. For women and gender non-binary redditors who are fit, want to be fit, like reading about fitness to put off getting fit. Feel free to discuss your own personal experience related to fitness, exercise, dieting, gaining weight, body image, and health. Welcome to TwoXChromosomes, a subreddit for both serious and silly content, and intended for women's perspectives. We are a welcoming subreddit and support the rights of all genders. Posts are moderated for respect, equanimity, grace, and relevance. r/sex is for civil discussions about all facets of sexuality and sexual relationships. It is a sex-positive community and a safe space for people of all genders and orientations. This is (mostly) a 'serious' community - posts and comments that sidetrack discussion will be removed and may result in a ban. /r/Parenting is the place to discuss the ins and out as well as ups and downs of child-rearing. From the early stages of pregnancy to when your teenagers are finally ready to leave the nest (even if they don't want to) we're here to help you through this crazy thing called parenting. You can get advice on potty training, talk about breastfeeding, discuss how to get your baby to sleep or ask if that one weird thing your kid does is normal.

Meet the movers and shakers who form The Future (25 and Under) category, supported by Clifford Chance, in the inaugural Attitude 101 list. The inaugural Attitude 101 list is here, and we’re shining a rainbow-coloured spotlight on 100 LGBTQ trailblazers – and one Person of the Year – whose contributions to their fields are changing the world as we know it. After a difficult year, it’s time to look firmly to the future as we celebrate queer accomplishments from across a range of sectors. Attitude 101 consists of 10 categories, each containing 10 individuals, and importantly forgoes any kind of ranking; instead highlighting the collective power of our community’s individual achievements. The categories are as follows: Science, technology, engineering & mathematics; Fashion and design; Sport; Third Sector & Community; The Future (25 and Under), supported by Clifford Chance; Media and Broadcast; Financial & Legal; Arts & Entertainment. Plus a very special Person of the Year, whose achievements in 2020 have set a new precedent for what’s possible for LGBTQ people. Young people are our future and the LGBTQ trailblazers who make up The Future (25 and Under) category, supported by Clifford Chance, are giving their senior counterparts a run for their money. This category includes actors, activists, creatives and campaigners. The one thing they all in common is that they all demand to have their voices heard through talent and hard work. Check them out below: Arlo Parks – Poet and singer A precocious – not to mention unapologetically queer – talent, 20-year-old Arlo, aka Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, is being tipped for very big things and has popped up on all the notable “ones to watch” lists. Of course, the pièce de résistance is taking pride of place in Attitude’s 101 The Future category. “It’s quite surreal, especially to be experiencing this growth in a year like this – I can’t quite believe it, because I spend most of my time at home playing Scrabble with my dad and cooking ramen, do you know what I mean?!” she chuckles. “It’s weird how the world has expanded, and the consciousness of my music has expanded so much, but I’m still trying to make sense of it all.” Arlo Parks’ debut album Collapsed in Sunbeams is out on 29 January. Jazz Jennings – Activist & reality TV star Jazz Jennings first stepped into the spotlight in 2007, when she was six years old — wearing a dress, she appeared on US television and opened up about being a transgender child. She has been a prominent media figure ever since, releasing her own children’s book, a memoir (2016’s Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen featured on the list of the most banned books of the decade) and, with the support of her family, she set up the TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation. Now 20, Jazz is the star of her own reality TV series, TLC’s I Am Jazz, holding a mirror to the trans experience. Max Harwood – Actor Plucked from obscurity, Max Harwood is set to make a real song and dance in Hollywood as the show-stopping star of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. The British newcomer — who has no previous screen credits — reigns supreme as the teen drag queen dreaming of a stage bigger than his South Yorkshire home, in director Jonathan Butterell’s glittering adaptation of the Olivier-Award-nominated West End musical. Max, 23, admits he was nervous about trying the famous red heels on for size. “It was daunting because obviously lots of people have played the role before on stage,” he tells Attitude. “But I feel very lucky.” Blu del Barrio – Actor Star Trek history was made when it was announced that Blu del Barrio was joining the ranks of Star Trek: Discovery and would, ahem, boldly go forward as the first-ever non-binary character in the franchise. Making their screen acting debut, Blu, 23, plays mysterious cadet, Adira, in the sci-fi spin-off. The American star, who studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, said the role gave them the courage to come out. “I hadn’t told the majority of my friends and family that I was non-binary,” they told GLAAD. “When this happened, it felt like the universe saying: ‘Go ahead.’” Ellen Jones – Campaigner, speaker & writer Ellen Jones campaigns for LGBTQ issues, mental health, autism and gender. In 2018, she won the first-ever MTV EMA Generation Change Award in recognition of her work, while a year earlier she was named Stonewall’s Campaigner of the Year after tackling LGBTQ inequality in schools and online. Jones produces a wellbeing-themed newsletter, titled Reasons to Keep Going; hosts her own podcast, Never Read the Comments — exploring how the internet can be used to positive effect — and runs an Instagram account (@disability.lgbt) designed to amplify and educate on disability and LGBTQI+ matters. Beth Ingram – Founder of mental health service, Hearts and Minds As a teen, Beth Ingram struggled with mental health and spent a lot of time in and out of hospital. After becoming all too aware of the lack of support services for young people, Beth founded Hearts and Minds in September 2017. The peer-led charity — staff and volunteers have experienced mental-health difficulties — specialises in creating spaces and communities where 14-/15-year-olds can be seen, heard and reminded that they’re not alone. In the summer, Beth’s efforts were rewarded when she received The Diana Award, the highest accolade a young person can receive for social and humanitarian action. Travis Alabanza – Artist, performer & writer Travis Alabanza is one of the UK’s most influential trans voices. A fixture on London’s queer scene, the artist, performer and writer published their debut poetry collection, Before I Step Outside (You Love Me), in 2017, followed a year later by their acclaimed theatre show, Burgerz — inspired by a transphobic attack, in which they were pelted with a burger and verbally abused by a member of the public. Leading the way in the national conversation around transgender rights, Travis’s new play, Overflow, is set inside a women’s toilet cubicle and flushes out prejudices as it explores trans safety. Anick – Researcher, creative & activist Anick speaks out for people with variations in sex development and intersex traits. Born with ‘atypical genitalia’ — before a chromosome test determined him to be male — Anick underwent multiple surgeries as a child to ‘normalise’ his appearance, and in the BBC’s 2018 documentary, The Intersex Diaries, he is seen preparing for a procedure to create a phallus. Bringing intersex issues out of the shadows, Anick campaigns for children’s rights and is against genital surgeries — for cultural reasons, or non-life saving concerns — until a person can provide informed consent. “You don’t own anyone else’s body,” he said. Yasmin Benoit – Activist & model British model and activist Yasmin Benoit shines a light on the sometimes overlooked, often misunderstood letter at the end of the LGBTQIA acronym. Identifying as asexual and aromantic, Yasmin, 24, wants to debunk harmful stereotypes and provide more visibility through her social media movement #thisiswhatasexuallookslike. “When you say you don’t experience romance and sexuality and that those things are, innately, not a part of you, people think you’re less human,” she said previously. Righting the wrongs (and striking a pose while doing so), Yasmin serves fierce, long-overdue representation. Zareen Roy-Macauley – Campaigner & poet Zareen Roy-Macauley won the 2020 LGBTQ+ Undergraduate of the Year Award, partnered by Clifford Chance, National Student Pride and Attitude. A University of Cambridge graduate, with a first-class degree in human, social and political sciences, Zareen was the university’s first LGBTQ+ officer of the African and Caribbean Society, where she worked to improve LGBTQ+ inclusion. She later became the first-ever president of FUSE — a safe space for BAME LGBTQ+ students. Zareen is also the co-founder of the slam poetry collective, GlobePoets, and has won and competed in several national and international contests.

Eight Ways to Celebrate a Socially-Distanced Mother’s Day in Boston There's truly no time like now to show the special women in your life how much you care. Mother’s Day is certainly going to look a little different this year. Maybe you’ve found yourself quarantined miles away from mom, or maybe you’ve found yourself holed up in your childhood bedroom and spending a lot more time with her than usual, but one thing’s for sure: Your annual brunch, spa day, and family party aren’t happening this time around. However, while your normal reservations may be canceled, Mother’s Day certainly doesn’t have to be—in fact, there’s really no time like now to remind the mother figures in your life of how much you care. Whether you’re quarantined together or celebrating apart, read on for our best ideas to help you safely and creatively honor the mothers, grandmas, aunts and other special women in your life this Mother’s Day. Send her a stunning bouquet. While you may not be able to picnic at the Harvard Arboretum for Lilac Sunday this year, you can still dress up your mother’s quarantine zone with some beautiful blooms. Kinship Floral and Winston Flowers can deliver a sweet springtime arrangement, an orchid plant, or even a small succulent garden to her front door. Or, if your mom has a green thumb, send her a self-care gardening kit from the South End’s Table & Tulip, and she’ll be able to watch her garden grow all quarantine long. Expand her reading list. Everyone is looking for something new to read right about now, so this is the perfect time to help mom restock her bookshelf. In honor of the holiday, try browsing the website of Somerville’s All She Wrote Books, a bookstore that stocks the work of female, queer and non-binary authors of all genres. Whether mom wants to curl up with an anthology of feminist essays or a “radical new” guide to astrology, this small but mighty bookstore can provide, with quick shipping to boot. For more book recommendations from All She Wrote’s owner, Christine Ciampa, check out our self-isolation reading list. Move your brunch or dinner reservation to your kitchen table. View this post on Instagram 🚨 Almost a week to go until Mother’s Day! 🚨 This year, @seasontogo has got all your mom’s favorites: @mary_alise_edinger’s cinnamon buns, yogurt parfait, sizzley bacon, and quiches galore! We’re taking orders at the link in our bio from now until Wednesday the 6th. Take a stroll on over to @seasontogo on Saturday the 9th, pick up your meal, and serve it fresh on Sunday morning! 🥞 🥓 🍳 🍓 Mother’s Day wouldn’t be the same without an indulgent family feast, and this year is no exception. Celebrate (and keep the kitchen clean!) by picking up or ordering delivery from your favorite Boston restaurant. Some local spots are even getting extra creative with their Mother’s Day takeout menus—South End hotspot SRV is offering a family-style tasting menu; the North End’s Alcove is offering several different crowd-pleasing dinner and brunch options; Season to Taste Catering has take-and-bake cinnamon buns, strata, and more; and Summer Shack will even pack up all the fixings you need for a kitchen clambake. Want to kick the at-home dining experience up a notch? If you’re a Cape-dweller, you’re in luck: KG Events & Design is offering custom Mother’s Day tablescape kits for pickup at their Edgartown studio, so you can dress up your dining room table with chic chargers, glassware, flatware and centerpieces. Propose a toast. If you and mom are quarantined together, don’t forget to raise a glass in her honor—you can play bartender by mixing up Instagram-worthy cocktails with a kit from Blossom Bar, sending a bottle of rosé or prosecco to mom’s doorstep from one of these local bottle shops offering delivery, or grabbing a pack of Night Shift Brewing‘s new gose-style ale, “You Da Mom,” via curbside pickup or delivery. To keep the party going, sign yourself and your parents up for the virtual wine tasting class Somerville’s Rebel Rebel Wine Bar will be hosting on Sunday—just pre-register on Eventbrite, reserve your class wines, and head to Rebel Rebel’s Bow Market location in advance to pick up the bottles you’ll need. Cheers! Give her the gift of wellness. Is your mom getting tired of her daily jog around the neighborhood? Help her shake up her workout routine by gifting her a subscription to one of these virtual fitness classes by Boston trainers. If she likes barre, yoga and mindful meditation, the on-demand classes from the Exhale app would be a great fit. If she’s more into strength training, try signing her up for Achieve Fitness’s 30-day Achieve at Home program, or subscribe her to Redemption Fitness’s live or on-demand classes. Whatever fitness class you choose, match your virtual gift with with a new tank or leggings from local athletic brands Peach, The Cue or Fierce + Regal. Help her cultivate a new hobby. Again—we’re all just looking for ways to pass the time. Instead of recommending your favorite Netflix show to your mom yet again, try giving her a Mother’s Day gift that will help her kickstart a new hobby. Maybe mom could get into one of these feminist embroidery kits from Boston artist Elise Huguette, an intricate cat puzzle from Trident Booksellers that doubles as a work of art, or some adorable new baking supplies from East Cambridge’s Elmendorf Baking. Turn her bathroom into a spa. If mom is overdue for her mani/pedi or massage appointment, she’ll certainly appreciate an at-home spa day. The South End’s Olives & Grace has everything you need to pamper her in their online store, from bath salts to eye masks to aromatherapeutic candles. You can even bring her some tea in an on-theme mug for extra good vibes. Go for a socially distanced stroll. Yes, you’ll have to dodge plenty of other groups, and yes, your face will be obscured by a mask in any commemorative family photos you take, but if you’re up for it, spending some quality time with mom in the great outdoors is the perfect way to cap off a quarantined Mother’s Day. Since others will certainly be out if the weather is nice, consider foregoing the Boston Common or the Esplanade in favor of a less-traveled destination—like one of these tucked away parks.

Still room for 13 people Are there women and non-binary people attending the conference who would like to hang out? After a day of probably being the minority (my experience at tech conferences) it may be pleasant to meet up and be the majority. If you want to join it would be lovely if you identify as women or non-binary person, or member of another underrepresented or marginalized group in tech. We could have dinner and exchange our passions and experiences in a safer space. The conference's code of conduct will apply and will be enforced by the activity's organizer. - Fri 02 Aug — 19:00 - Fri 02 Aug — 21:30 - Let's meet at the venue.

Scotto Moore and Eddie DeHais craft an a cappella sci-fi musical. When Eddie DeHais first read Scotto Moore’s musical Silhouette, they were pissed. “I said, why didn’t you ask me to direct this! I hate you!” DeHais laughs, their faux-hostility long dissipated. DeHais and Moore are co-directing Moore’s brand-new a cappella musical, with a cast of 12, primarily womxn and non-binary people. It’s an epic on a cosmic scale, in which every body and every voice is part of the tapestry of the storytelling. “I rarely see shows that deal with such complex ambiguity, and as an artist that’s what I’m interested in,” DeHais says. “What is right or wrong? How do you make those decisions? How do you fight fascism without falling into those same tactics?” Silhouette, Moore explains, is a town on a faraway planet, and home to a group of women who long ago mutinied from an imperialist fleet ravaging the galaxy. When a scout ship from the fleet crashes there hundreds of years later, the residents rescue the pilot, then realize that a scout could mean the fleet is nearby—how far will they go to protect their refuge? Moore and DeHais first met when DeHais was auditioning for Moore’s play Balconies. “There was one character I was struggling with, and I said, I bet if I cast this intelligent talent in this role we’ll figure something out,” Moore says. “It was a gamble, but after the first read-through I got so much feedback [from DeHais] about how I had completely missed the boat with this character, and from that point on we knew we had a real connection.” They refined their shared, sci-fi-steeped aesthetic—and their ability to butt heads in a constructive way—working on Storm and Desire, a webcomic they created together for more than two years. “For some people science fiction is about spaceships, technology and the future,” DeHais says. “For me, science fiction is about the mindscape, the social ramifications of a society that goes to extremes.” Moore, who is writing the book, music and lyrics, is also helping arrange the music for a cappella voices. “Part of the vision is we’re moving actors between the background and the foreground, but nobody ever really leaves the stage,” he says. “That’s indicative to me of the coherence of these characters—the bubble they’ve crafted for themselves is reflected in the way they generate music.” Moore initially approached DeHais about choreographing movement for the show. DeHais proposed that they also handle scenic design, as the movement and sets will be so intertwined. Moore tends toward grand narrative work; DeHais ambitious, interdisciplinary abstraction. As codirectors, their Venn Diagram overlaps on story and acting. “We’re constantly challenging each other’s expectations,” DeHais says. “The work is always going to be better because we bring such different things.”

Seasonal Educator (FT, 6 months) Tracy Aviary, Salt Lake City Join Tracy Aviary’s education team! We are pleased to offer two full-time seasonal educator positions that will provide on-the-ground experience in science communication and environmental education by supporting educational programming at Tracy Aviary & Botanical Garden and Tracy Aviary’s Jordan River Nature Center. Seasonal Educators will report to the Director of Education and will work closely with other Education staff members. Start Date: Monday, May 2, 2022 at the latest; may start earlier End Date: Six months from start date Schedule: 40hr/week, rotating shifts. Evening and weekend work will be required. Compensation: $12-$15/hr, depending on experience Complete one week of paid training At both campuses: Prepare for and facilitate onsite and off-site programming, such as guided tours, family nature programs, bird identification classes, and more Provide site interpretation, which includes communicating with guests about local ecology, natural wonders, and animal behavior (especially birds) Create and/or edit curriculum and other educational materials using Google Suite and Canva Administer evaluation instruments such as surveys to improve program quality and effectiveness When working at Jordan River Nature Center: Provide assistance to guests, including communicating the mission and vision of the Nature Center Assist with site operations, such as opening and closing the Nature Center Please note that these positions do not involve any direct contact with animals. Preparing and facilitating programs 30% Site interpretation 20% Creating/editing educational materials 15% Program evaluation 15% Nature Center-specific tasks 15% Studies have shown that women, non-binary folks, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are much less likely to apply for a position unless they feel they meet every qualification as described. We are committed to finding the best overall candidate and welcome candidates who may come from less traditional backgrounds. Please think about the breadth of your life experience when considering the following list of qualifications. Background or demonstrated interest in science communication and/or environmental education Background or demonstrated interest in ecology, animal behavior, or related fields Effective in working well collaboratively and managing time efficiently Excellent written and oral communication skills Experience interacting with members of the public Additional and Preferred Qualifications Knowledge about regional birds and avian ecology Certification in CPR and First Aid Proficiency in word processing, layout and editing Familiarity with learning assessment tools and strategies Knowledge of and commitment to justice, equity, accessibility, and inclusion in the community and workplace Bilingual English/Spanish preferred but not required About Tracy Aviary Tracy Aviary is committed to inspiring curiosity and caring for birds and nature through education and conservation. As the largest and oldest of only two free-standing aviaries in the nation and accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Tracy Aviary has grown and evolved over our more than 80-year history to become a cultural landmark, public garden, and leader in environmental education and conservation.

Think of a life on the wagon. Devoid of the stress and anxiety and anxiety that typically includes alcohol consumption. Think of locating an on the internet recovery program grounded in a holistic, evidence-based method– one that is mindful of your mental health and wellness, physiology, connections, atmosphere, spirituality, and identity when addressing the source of alcohol use. This is recuperation, reimagined. This is Tempest. Tempest’s ingenious as well as effective technique puts individuals at the center of their recovery, empowering members to look for treatment by reimagining their partnership with alcohol, and as a result, themselves. This is Valentine Beloved’s (they/them) sincere testimony on exactly how they got to recuperation with Tempest’s membership program. How did your journey with alcohol usage start? ” My trip with alcohol started around the same time I came out of the closet. I was 12 years old. This was likewise the very first time I spoke up about the abuse I was enduring as a child. Drinking ended up being a means for me to deal with these hard experiences. I guess you can say that alcohol was my buddy, which really developed my partnership with drinking for the next twenty years.” When did you start to fret about your alcohol consumption? ” I started questioning my drinking when I was 23 years old. I had actually lost housing, my job, and college. Up up until that factor, I had been extremely uncaring about my drinking. To me, it was typical to blackout and also have all this drama– that was part of living an enjoyable life. Yet when I came to be homeless, I was finally going to check out my life, as well as the function alcohol was playing in it. I had a specialist that recommended rehabilitation, and also I was open to that, as long as it was not 12-step based. I understood I wasn’t mosting likely to be able to pray the alcohol away, since I was taught to attempt and also pray the gay away as a child. I went to rehab. As well as even though it was not a 12-step program, the only aftercare offered were 12-step meetings, and that wasn’t accessible to me. I pursued 5 years to make it work while also remaining in and also out of homelessness and also moving to various cities– believing there would become a neighborhood where it did work. However it never ever did.” What inspired you to confront your trouble and also connect for aid? ” At one point, I remember assuming I prefer to pass away an unfortunate event death than to sit in a meeting as well as act that I rely on God as well as to think that this is going to work. I was 28 years old when I started having drunk suicide efforts. After a number of those, I really felt incredibly risky, as well as my life– my mental wellness– was truly suffering. So, I started looking for alternate methods to make healing work. I went to reflection resorts, which enabled me to gain mindfulness skills to help with impulse control, as well as have the ability to hold onto my intentions and also follow through. That was my wake-up call.” What led you to Tempest? ” I was attempting to make recovery occur in a city that does not have many choices beyond AA, which was most cities at the time. I had actually tried doing what everyone else told me to do for several years, and it just didn’t work. Their method of recovery did not work for me. I recognized that I had actually lost my inner compass. Then, one day, I ultimately said, I’m mosting likely to try as well as pay attention to myself– my heart, my mind. That’s when I started allowing my compass overview me, which led me to things that assisted me flourish, and eventually guided me to Tempest. Ultimately, I had the ability to simply “be” momentarily. Tempest enabled me to breathe as well as heal. That’s when I recognized I really did not have to do this all by myself anymore. I concerned Tempest assuming it was temporary, but it wound up being this extraordinary, equipping area with many resources. Rather than having to do with wrong and redemption, the educational program had to do with recognizing ourselves where we’re at as well as locating the areas of our life that we may require to develop.” How did you incorporate the program into your life? ” This was a space and also a neighborhood that I would certainly constantly wanted, so I finally felt like I was specifically where I required to be. I was around people I identified with, which allowed me to lean right into and also embrace my trans non-binary identity. I had a whole neighborhood of individuals that supported whatever regarding me, not simply my healing. Tempest assisted me see my susceptabilities without reasoning. The lessons educated me just how to recognize these locations and strengthen them to ensure that I can head out into the globe and know that I was less at risk of a slip or a regression. I satisfied a lot of amazing individuals that provided me a place within the community. I had a function, and also I was honored and loved in that neighborhood. That did a whole lot for my healing. It was something I had actually never ever felt prior to concerning Tempest.” Just how would you define Tempest to a potential member? ” Tempest is a program that combines all of the different concepts of addiction and also modern-day recovery wisdom, and after that pairs it with an equipping structure that enables you to really feel solid on the planet. It helps you find the areas in your life that make you susceptible to dependency and also gives you the devices to enhance them. The membership itself is like a play ground for sobriety. There are many methods to satisfy other people. With Tempest, you attach as well as gain from others via meetings as well as month-to-month get in touch with. As well as the most effective component? Integrating suggests most of us gain from a lot of different sources of wisdom. And also, no one is ever before simply “doing Tempest.” We’re all bringing sources and also devices to the area.” What’s next for you? ” Tempest aided me locate my inner strength. It enabled me to see myself. And I now really feel equipped to repay in a much more significant means. I have actually produced a resource called Recuperation Disco. Right now, it’s a podcast and also web site dedicated to helping individuals locate recovery resources, however I want it to be a lot extra. I’m gradually growing it, but I’m also prepared to keep up it, when the time is right! I’m ready to take dangers. As well as I understand that no matter what, I have this amazing neighborhood that supports me. Neighborhood, link, self-confidence. That’s what Tempest taught me.” Tempest is an online alcohol therapy program that takes an alternative and also equipping approach to healing. Via expert-led lessons and a supportive area, you’ll get the devices you require to develop an alcohol-free life you enjoy.

The Ketogenic Diet is a low carb, high fat method of eating. And /r/keto is place to share thoughts, ideas, benefits, and experiences around eating within a Ketogenic Diet. Helping people with diabetes, epilepsy, autoimmune disorders, acid reflux, inflammation, hormonal imbalances, and a number of other issues, every day. The great comedian, Ed Wynn said, "Without your health, riches, possessions and fame are all mud." With the high costs of health care, how can we *afford* not to keep ourselves well? Most fast for health, self-discipline and preparation and not for religious reasons. Perhaps no subject is less understood by the public and the "healing" professions than this oldest of means of caring for the sick body. This subreddit is for anyone following or interested in learning more about an ancestral-style diet, such as paleo, primal, or whatever other names they're falling under these days. Other topics of interest are health, fitness and lifestyle issues as seen from an evolutionary perspective. For women and gender non-binary redditors who are fit, want to be fit, like reading about fitness to put off getting fit. Feel free to discuss your own personal experience related to fitness, exercise, dieting, gaining weight, body image, and health. If a million people gave a dollar to someone, they could be a millionaire. We are an embodiment of this showerthought: https://redd.it/2mq94c Additionally, you can join our mailing list for monthly reminders at send.redditmm.com A subreddit for carnivores --- people who eat only foods from the animal kingdom. "When all the top soil is gone, it really won’t matter what dietary pattern your children and their children follow because they’re all going to be screwed. Livestock, especially ruminants, are essential tools in rebuilding soils and soil health." -- for full ref, see section "Red Meat and the Environment" in the subreddit's FAQ r/KetoScience is dedicated to being the center for online discussion on the latest scientific discoveries in the broad and expanding role of the ketogenic diet(KD) in reversing chronic disease. We post RCTs, prospective cohorts, epidemiology , and case studies and discuss the pro's and con's of each. We discuss type 2 diabetes, gout, Alzheimer's, mild cognitive impairment, obesity, epilepsy, mental illness, autoimmune diseases, metabolic syndrome, sugar, omega6 polyunsaturated seed oils, &more!

The Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability (CFOJA) has released their report #CallItFemicide Understanding gender-related killings of women and girls in Canada 2018. The report confirms that in 2018 148 women and girls were killed by violence in Canada. On average, every 2.5 days one woman or girl is killed in Canada which they state is “a consistent trend for four decades”. 53 per cent of the women who were killed in 2018 were killed by an intimate partner. This report is a reminder that women and girls do not experience violence as a coincidence –rather, violence against women is the result of structural, deep-rooted discrimination and cultural norms. Unlike other criminal activity in Canada, for the last 40 years reports of violence against women and girls has increased. BWSS has been providing programs, services, support, and advocacy to end gender based violence. Now, more than ever women, trans women and gender non-binary folks are speaking out about their experiences. While societal attitudes are shifting, this new report is another reminder that our work must continue and that Canada still has a long road ahead before women and girls can live free without the fear of violence.

POSTED ON May 8, 2016 BY Three Dollar Bill Cinema We are proud to present the Northwest premiere of the excellent new documentary feature SUITED on May 15, as the closing night film for the 11th annual Translations: Seattle Transgender Film Festival! Brought to you by producers Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner (HBO’s Girls), this validating documentary spotlights the harsh struggle to find clothes as a transgender or gender-nonconforming person. But it’s far from a hopeless endeavor, as customers visiting the Brooklyn tailoring company Bindle & Keep demonstrate by sharing their common experiences. Whether you’re suiting up to be a trans boy at a bar mitzvah or an attorney in court, whether you’re a student facing discrimination in job interviews or you’re getting married, this business will pull out all the stops to make you feel happy and grounded in your body when you look in the mirror. We'll be joined for the evening by the film's subject Rae Tutera. In advance of the screening, we asked Rae a few questions: What does trans visibility mean to you? For me, trans visibility means moving beyond the current narratives about transness, the most familiar of which might be the the framework of being trapped in the wrong body. While I understand there are people who identify with and feel comfortable working within that framework, it has limited the lens through which trans identities - which are immeasurably diverse - are understood. It might even limit the lens through which trans people understand themselves. I'd like to see trans folks tell their own stories so that we have ownership over our narratives, and see a spectrum of binary and non-binary identities, and for nuanced femininities and masculinities be equally valued. How does your film speak to the issues facing today's transgender communities? Today's trans communities face bathroom bills like North Carolina's HB2, legislating discrimination that puts trans women further at risk and trans youth in a position of unprecedented vulnerability. There are so many communities within the trans community, and we all have to navigate discriminatory landscapes while trying to be our real selves but while also trying to protect ourselves. In the film, we see one of the subjects, my dear friend Everett face the realities of both racism and transphobia. We see Jillian talk about a reality where she thought not existing might be a better alternative to living her life as a trans woman. We see a handful of subjects who are on the non-binary spectrum trying to situate themselves in a world that would prefer they commit to a gender. Ultimately, the film gives a glimpse into only a handful of experiences, but it shows some of the indignities trans folks endure - with grace and humanity - both within their own families and within society. I hope that people see the film and are reminded they have the right to be themselves no matter what issues we face within our communities. Do you consider yourself an activist as well as a filmmaker? I'm only a subject in this film, and I joined this project to try to be an advocate for my clients (who have become family to me through this process). I'm learning how to be an advocate in a greater context as I answer these questions and attend festivals. What are you most excited about for your visit to Seattle? I'm excited to see SUITED at Translations with an audience of my queer and trans peers - I've only seen the doc twice in the settings of Sundance and the Martha's Vineyard Film Festival. And I'm excited that the audience will include some of my dearest friends who live in Seattle because they'll be seeing the film for the first time after hearing about it for years and supporting me through the process. Get your tickets for SUITED on May 15 now! POSTED ON May 6, 2016 BY Three Dollar Bill Cinema MAJOR! is a documentary film exploring the life and campaigns of Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a formerly incarcerated Black transgender elder and activist who has been fighting for the rights of trans women of color for over 40 years. At the heart of MAJOR! is a social justice framework that puts the subjects at the center of their story. MAJOR! was produced in collaboration with Miss Major, the film’s participants, and a transPOC Community Advisory Board to ensure that these stories, which are so often marginalized, exoticized, or played for tragic drama, retain the agency and humanity of those who tell them. Click here to watch the trailer or purchase your tickets now. MAJOR! plays Thursday, May 12 at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian. Miss Major is a veteran of the Stonewall Rebellion and a survivor of Attica State Prison, a former sex worker, an elder, and a community leader and human rights activist. She is simply “Mama” to many in her community. If history is held within us, embodied in our loves and losses, then Miss Major is a living library, a resource for generations to come to more fully understand the rich heritage of the Queer Rights movement that is so often whitewashed and rendered invisible. Miss Major’s personal story and activism for transgender civil rights intersects LGBT struggles for justice and equality from the 1960s to today. At the center of her activism is her fierce advocacy for her girls, trans women of color who have survived police brutality and incarceration in men’s jails and prisons. In October 2015, Miss Major retired from her role as executive director of the San Francisco-based Transgender GenderVariant Intersex Justice Project (TGIJP), advocating for trans women of color in and outside of prison. MAJOR! is more than just a biographical documentary: It’s an investigation into critical issues of how the Prison Industrial Complex represents a wide-spread and systematic civil rights violation, as well as a historical portrait of diverse LGBT communities, told with love and humor, and personalized through the lens of a vibrant and charismatic woman. Through first-person narration and innovative visual story telling, MAJOR! seeks to create a living, breathing history of a community's struggle and resilience, as seen and experienced by those who lived it. Click here to learn more about the filmmakers and Community Advisory Board. POSTED ON Feb 29, 2016 BY Three Dollar Bill Cinema Our 11th Annual Academy Awards Party was a shining success last night! We are so excited for all of the Academy Award winning actors and films. While all of the great films and talent at the official ceremony desereved recognition, we also wanted to recognized others that made it such a powerful and gorgeous year. The 2nd Annual Rainbow Cinema Award winners are: Best Documentary: DRAG BECOMES HIM Best Actress: Lily Tomlin, GRANDMA Best Actor: John Boyega, STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS Best Director: Todd Haynes, CAROL Best Picture: TANGERINE POSTED ON Jan 27, 2016 BY Three Dollar Bill Cinema The Academy unfortunately failed to nominate some outstanding films and performances again this year. In light of this, we want to showcase the talent and beauty of the women, queers, and people of color who make the world of cinema the exciting and dynamic art form we love. Please take 30 seconds and tell us which of the films and actors you think deserve awards from our list of nominees or feel free to write in your personal favorites! You have until Feb 25th to cast your ballot! Winners will be announced at our 11th Annual Academy Awards Party. Take the survey here. POSTED ON Nov 25, 2015 BY Three Dollar Bill Cinema Need some great holiday gift ideas? Consider giving your special someone a piece of our history with one of the posters or prints featured in our art exhibit, Queer as a Three Dollar Bill: 20 Years of LGBTQ Visibility Through Cinema. If you haven't checked it out already, we encourage you to come by and see the progression of our festivals and our organization through our artwork. The exhibit is located just outside our office on the second floor of the 12th Avenue Arts Building (1620 12th Ave) and can only be viewed through December 3rd. Limited Edition, hand-pulled screen prints (unframed) of 13 Black Cats, the artwork for the 13th Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, can be purchased for $50 each. (see above) Framed posters of three important films featured in our programs over the years are listed at $250 each. If you are interested in purchasing any of these items, please email: email@example.com. POSTED ON Oct 19, 2015 BY Three Dollar Bill Cinema Here are this year's SLGFF20 Audience Favorites as determined by popular vote! Favorite Narrative: FREEHELD by Peter Sollett Favorite Documentary: THE GLAMOUR & THE SQUALOR by Marq Evans Favorite Lesbian Short Film: (We have a tie!) BOXEADORA by Meg Smaker JOANI, QUEEN OF THE PARADIDDLE by Tina Gordon Favorite Gay Short Film: TRÉMULO by Roberto Fiesco Favorite Transgender Short Film: RAISING RYLAND by Sarah Feeley Click here for our SLGFF20 Jury Award Winners. POSTED ON Oct 18, 2015 BY Three Dollar Bill Cinema The winners of the juried prizes at the 20th annual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival are as follows: BEST FEATURE FILM: NAZ & MAALIK by Jay Dockendorf A rarity in queer cinema, this film is an intimate portrait of two young Muslim men that places gay relationships within a political, even geopolitical, context. BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM: UPSTAIRS INFERNO by Robert Camina [pictured above] Utilizing brutally honest interviews and visceral footage, Upstairs Inferno is an important record of the largely unknown yet deadliest attack in LGBT history. DOCUMENTARY FILM HONORABLE MENTION: PETER DE ROME: GRANDFATHER OF GAY PORN by Ethan Reid Important and entertaining biography of a filmmaker and artist whose honest, beautiful and explicit work unabashedly celebrated gay sex and social justice in pre-AIDS era NY and London. BEST SHORT FILM: TRÉMULO by Roberto Fiesco Distinguished by gorgeous cinematography and a rich, compelling visual narrative, TRÉMULO tells the story of an unlikely romance between a soldier and a young man, with tension, beauty, and tenderness. SHORT FILM HONORABLE MENTION: HOLE by Martin Edralin MOST INNOVATIVE SHORT FILM: POP-UP PORNO: M4M by Stephen Dunn Pop-up porno takes a story we've never heard and tells it in a wholly original and innovative way. [Photo credit: Urban Focus Photography] POSTED ON Oct 8, 2015 BY Three Dollar Bill Cinema In 1935, at eight years old, Joani Hannan picked up a pair of drumsticks and beat her path in entertainment history. Joani was a pioneering female jazz drummer who traveled the world in the USO and played alongside Marilyn Monroe in "Some Like It Hot.” Despite the challenges and constraints of the 50s and 60's for women and queers, Joani transcended stereotypes exemplifying to all who she met - the strength, self love and courage to be true to oneself no matter what. The film recollects Joani's unconventional adventures as a female drummer, entertainer conquering Hollywood and becoming an independent queer business person who only wanted to give gays and lesbians a place where they had the freedom to be themselves. Joani inspired everyone she met and does so again for the viewer of "Joani: Queen of the Paradiddle" as we get to experience her devastating smile, charm, humor and candor. “Joani: Queen of the Paradiddle" is Joani in her words recollecting her life and adventures in this unique and intimate documentary of a friend, mentor and gay rights trailblazer. “Joani” is an interview style documentary with excellent raw archival footage of Joani as a musician, entertainer, business owner and softball player. The film incorporates music from the era and is a sometimes humorous and thoughtful remembrance of the early gay rights movement. Interviewed at Joani's homes in the Humboldt Hills and Desert Hot Springs, shot in HD video, the documentary also incorporates excellent archival footage of Joani from early childhood through the 70's - “Joani: Queen of the Paradiddle” has a jubilant nostalgic feel as it takes the viewer back in time to the early gay movement. "An important film about a seminal female drummer that paved the way for all women in music. Joani was a fearless leader in the gay community during a time when homosexuality wasn’t accepted by society. As a musician and a queer woman, I owe a lot to Joani’s legacy. A must-see.” -Patty Schemel, drummer World Premiere at the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival - 3:15pm 10/18 at AMC Pacific Place Run Time: 31 minutes POSTED ON Oct 5, 2015 BY Three Dollar Bill Cinema Colby's dad knows his son is gay, but he doesn't like talking about it. He respects it, but ignores everything about that aspect of his son's life–he doesn't even know about Colby's long-term boyfriend, Rusty. Increasingly committed to Rusty, Colby hatches a plan to trick his father into camping with Rusty under the pretense that Rusty is Colby's straight friend and future business partner. Colby is convinced that, given the chance, his father and his boyfriend will get along great... Winning Dad celebrates the idea that family love strengthens romantic love, and that romantic love–even gay love–strengthens family love too. In 2010, writer-director Arthur Allen joined the US Merchant Marine to write Winning Dad. Returning from sea in 2012, he was recruited to campaign for Marriage Equality in Washington State. During this time he cast the film and began putting together his creative team. In 2013 the Winning Dad creative team fundraised $31,000 on Kickstarter from 532 supporters of the film. The campaign closed on Father's Day, and in July 2013 principal photography was shot in Seattle and the North Cascades of Washington State. The crew shot 34 locations in 21 days. After a year of editing, the rough cut of the film was selected for the 2014 USinProgress program with the Champs-Élysées Film Festival in Paris. Arthur was flown to Paris to present the film to 40 film professionals, who each spent 15 minutes with him giving their critiques and observations. With these insights, Arthur returned to Seattle to recut the film and finish sound and color post production. Winning Dad premiered at the Boston LGBT Film Festival in April 2015 as the Harvard Square opening night film. It continues to screen at festivals around the world and will be available on VOD December of 2015. Screening October 13 at 7pm for the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. Run Time: 81 minutes POSTED ON Oct 1, 2015 BY Three Dollar Bill Cinema Barbara Hammer is a visual artist primarily working in film and video. Her work reveals and celebrates marginalized peoples whose stories have not been told. Her cinema is multi-leveled and engages an audience viscerally and intellectually with the goal of activating them to make social change. She is most well-known for making the first explicit lesbian film in 1974, Dyketactics, and for her trilogy of documentary film essays on queer history Nitrate Kisses (1992), Tender Fictions (1995), History Lessons, (2000). Welcome To This House, her new feature documentary on the poet Elizabeth Bishop, was funded by a Guggenheim Fellowship (2013-14). It is a feature documentary film on the homes and loves of poet Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979), about life in the shadows, and the anxiety of art making without full self-disclosure. Hammer filmed in Bishop’s ‘best loved homes’ in the US, Canada, and Brazil believing that buildings and landscapes bear cultural memories. Interviews with poets, friends, and scholars provide “missing documents” of numerous female lovers. Bishop’s intimate poetry is beautifully performed by Kathleen Chalfant and with the creative music composition by Joan La Barbara brings Bishop into our lives with new facts and unexpected details. "In 2010 I was thinking about a film on Cape Cod comparing the landscapes around the places I had lived during summer months, the old dune shacks and the modern houses that are being rebuilt. I realized I needed a human figure for physical and emotional scale to populate the architecture and the geography. The poet Elizabeth Bishop had lived both at a girls youth camp in Wellfleet and as a young adult in the Province Lands dune shacks of her friends.... ...Bishop was in the closet to the outside world, but she seemed to have as many lovers as she had homes. I glove trotted on her trail and found more and more female lovers emerging from interviews with friends, colleagues, critics and poets. Bishop was a lusty woman and I respect that, but writing openly of those experiences wasn't possible due to her need for privacy propelled by the homophobia of the times." Screening: The Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival October 15th at 5pm Location: Northwest Film Forum Run time: 79 minutes Page 2 of 13 pages < 1 2 3 4 > Last ›

The Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN) applauds the July 7 appointment of Black autistic community leader Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, PhD(c), MA, to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). The IACC coordinates federal activities concerning autism spectrum disorder and provides advice to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, JD, on issues related to autism. Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, PhD(c), MA (she/they) is an educator, writer, public speaker, parent, and global advocate, and is the Equity, Justice, & Representation Consultant for AWN. She now joins six other openly identified autistic members of the IACC, which is the largest cohort of autistic community advocates on the IACC. The IACC also includes 14 other public members with expertise in research, family, housing, and other relevant disciplines in addition to 23 federal members representing key federal agencies and departments that serve the autism community across a wide variety of areas, including justice, research, healthcare, education, and social services. IACC Executive Secretary and Acting National Autism Coordinator, Susan Daniels, PhD, describes the cohort of new IACC members as having “...a wider representation of perspectives from across the autism community than ever before,” and this 2021 - 2024 IACC cohort, which includes new and returning members, is certainly the most diverse one to date. Its membership, which includes seven autistic members - Sam Crane, JD; Dena Gassner, PhD(c), MSW; Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, PhD(c), MA; Lindsey Nebeker, BA; Valerie Paradiz, PhD; Ivanova Smith, BA; and Hari Srinivasan (student) - include an individual with intellectual disability; augmentative adaptive communication (AAC) users; a minimally speaking individual; gender, sexual, and religious minorities; autistic and non-autistic parents of autistic children; individuals whose heritage includes Black, Latinx, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and other cultural groups. Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, AWN’s Equity, Justice, & Representation Consultant, had this to say about the 2021-2024 IACC cohort: "As a Black autistic non-binary woman, I feel that our incoming IACC cohort symbolizes huge progress with regard to representation for my communities. For too long the perspectives and needs of gender minorities and BIPoC individuals have not been sought out nor paid attention to in critical autism-related matters including those related to health, the justice system, education, and employment despite having noticeably concerning outcomes throughout the lifespan. The voices of Black and immigrant autistic people in particular are needed now more than ever. One important issue affecting the autistic community which AWN hopes the IACC will address is the systemic disenfranchisement our families face with regard to custody, particularly disproportionate involvement with child and adult protective services. These disparities, especially in families of color where one or more parents are autistic, are simply unacceptable. I look forward to working collaboratively with my peers to address these matters as a member of the IACC.” AWN joins our colleagues in the autistic and disability communities in both applauding the announcement and calling for more, much needed change. The first meeting of the new IACC will take place virtually on July 21-22 of 2021 and will be open to the public via webcast.

Massachusetts trailing on seat belt use, drunk driving prevention BOSTON — National and state leaders urged passage of a Baker administration bill to improve road safety at a packed legislative hearing Thursday, arguing that Massachusetts needs to more strictly enforce seat belt use and crack down on handheld device use in order to save lives. Representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the state Department of Transportation opened Thursday's hearing before the Joint Committee on Transportation with remarks in favor of a bill (S 7) filed by Gov. Charlie Baker that proposes a wide range of new regulations aimed at reducing motor vehicle crashes. The bill would allow police to enforce seat belt use requirements without first identifying another offense, require all DUI offenders to use an ignition interlock system, restrict the use of mobile devices by drivers, and more. "Today, sadly, Massachusetts has among the lowest seat belt rates in the country, the only state lacking any provision for ignition interlocks for first-time offenders, and the last state in New England to pass a hands-free law," said Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack. In 2017, only about three in four Massachusetts drivers used seat belts on any given trip, the second-lowest rate among all states, according to testimony from Executive Office of Public Safety and Security Director of Highway Safety Jeff Larason. That rate increased to 80 percent in 2018, but even with the improvement the Commonwealth was still well below the national average of 90 percent. Despite the lower-than-average seat belt usage rates, Massachusetts still compares favorably to the rest of the country in roadway safety overall, Pollack said. Highway fatalities have decreased almost 20 percent since 2006, but she stressed "that is not good enough." "Every life matters, and to move with urgency toward zero deaths, we need to do more than we are doing," Pollack said. One key proposal in both Baker's bill and in several others considered at Thursday's hearing would update provisions on distracted driving. Currently, state law bans texting while driving, but given the growth in apps, the Baker administration and others want a more extensive policy prohibiting drivers from using all mobile devices unless in hands-free mode. The proposed measure would cut down on avoidable crashes and reduce fatality rates, according to NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg. "Strengthen the law, and lives will be saved," Landsberg said. "Turn on to driving, tune in to paying attention, and let's drop out of this dangerous and addictive behavior." Several speakers recounted losing family members to drunken drivers, citing those cases as reason for Massachusetts to require all DUI offenders to use an interlock device that prevents a car from operating if the driver is impaired, something several bills propose. "The interlocks save lives," said Helen Witty, national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, whose daughter died while rollerblading after being struck by a vehicle whose driver was intoxicated. "The data's there. We've given you the information. These interlocks are proven to save lives. I urge you, MADD urges you, I beg you to pass this legislation." No explicit opposition was raised at Thursday's hearing to any of the road safety proposals or the push for licenses to include a non-binary gender option, but several speakers did raise concerns that any action to expand seat belt and mobile-device laws should consider the risk of racial profiling. Rahsaan Hall, racial justice program director for the American Civil Liberties Union's Massachusetts chapter, said the proposals are valuable but that they should not proceed without measures requiring law enforcement to collect demographic data regarding traffic stops. That information — which had been gathered from 2000 to 2004 but not afterward — would help track potential disparities in how the new laws are enforced, Hall said. "Racial profiling is a very serious situation and it has very real implications and consequences," Hall said. "Black and Latinx folks are more likely to be stopped than white drivers. They're more likely to have a hostile encounter with a police officer when they are stopped. They're more likely to be searched or have their vehicle searched." Other lawmakers filed their own versions of legislation aimed at improving safety on the state's often congested roads. More than three dozen bills were before the Transportation Committee at Thursday's hearing, ranging in scope from Baker's wide-reaching package to a Sen. Joseph Boncore bill proposing to regulate electric scooters and a Rep. Tommy Vitolo bill extending pedestrian right-of-way in crosswalks to bicyclists and other riders. Boncore, one of the committee's co-chairs, said members will work to synthesize different ideas on the table into viable legislation. "A lot of the different pieces of legislation bring up a lot of good points at a very granular level," he said. "It's up to the committee to take those different parts and report out a bill that encompasses everyone's thoughts and concerns on these issues."

Pride started as a radical protest in New York City to assert the dignity, humanity, and equality of LGBTQ people. Since then, however, it’s been commodified–especially by brands–as a monthlong festival that gives companies a chance to appear inclusive and diverse each June, simply by decking their storefronts and websites in rainbow flags and shouting “Happy Pride.” Those tactics don’t always resonate with queer consumers who, after all, are queer 12 months a year. There’s value in dedicating a month to raising social consciousness, but there’s even more value (including the kind you can see on a balance sheet) to meaningfully representing the significant chunk of the population that’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, and asexual. As the beauty industry, for example, is finally coming around to discover, it just doesn’t make business sense to ignore them. Indeed, market researchers have found that LGBT households spend more than non-LGBT households and estimate queer American’s combined spending power at some $965 billion. Inclusivity isn’t always queer (but should be) Nevertheless, LGBTQ people remain consistently marginalized across many consumer industries, including in my own, lingerie. All the “body positivity” marketing we’ve been seeing from fashion and beauty retailers so far hasn’t translated into greater LGBTQ inclusion. Not only are brands that are explicitly queer-focused brands largely absent from major trade shows and industry publications, they’re also rarely sold in boutiques or department stores. There’s a kind of enforced invisibility at work here, one implying that queer people don’t exist or at least don’t buy lingerie. Yet the success of companies like Chromat and TomboyX indicate the exact opposite is true. LGBTQ customers not only exist, but brands that welcome and encourage their patronage go on to thrive. It’s not just a business matter, though. When historically marginalized people see themselves represented in mainstream imagery–in lookbooks, editorials, on a company’s website, and so on–it validates and acknowledges their existence, a sign that they are worth being noticed and catered to. We know that representation when it comes to size and skin color matters. Why should gender identity and sexuality be any different? Still, for brands that are new to inclusivity, expanding their horizons can seem daunting. What does being LGBTQ-inclusive look like? And what changes can brands make for the long-term? For those wondering how to get started, here are three small recommendations that are easy for companies to incorporate into their branding, marketing, and work culture, plus two bigger suggestions that may take a bit longer to implement. But all are worthwhile to make everyone feel more welcome. Three easy changes . . . - Use gender-neutral language. It can take some practice, but once you get used to it, this semantic shift is easy to maintain, and your trans, genderqueer, and non-binary customers will appreciate it. For example, instead of saying “she” or “he,” use pronouns like “they” or “them.” Similarly, when responding to customer service inquiries or emails, don’t assume the customer’s gender. Before automatically responding with honorifics like “Mr.” or “Ms.” or “sir” or “ma’am,” ask yourself if you’re certain they fit the person you’re speaking with (or better yet, scrap them entirely). - Don’t assume your customers are heterosexual or even in relationships. Especially around holidays like Valentine’s Day or Christmas, brands tend to use language that assumes everyone belongs to a straight, nuclear family. But many of your customers may be gay or non-binary or even asexual. Don’t assume your female customers automatically have husbands and boyfriends or that your male customers don’t. Words like “spouse” and “partner” are always suitable if you’re unsure. - Keep talking about LGBTQ issues outside of June. During Pride month, every brand is proud to wave its rainbow flags for all to see, but what about the other 11 months? Your queer customers don’t disappear on July 1st. Show that your investment in the community goes beyond the bare minimum by being inclusive all year round. . . . And two bigger ones - Use more diverse models, especially on the axes of sexuality and gender expression. Your brand imagery is your calling card. The photos you use to market your brand and its products and services are more effective than any press release when it comes to showing what your company values and who it’s trying to market to. No matter what you’re selling, chances are that images of human beings will feature in your marketing campaigns in some form or another. So think about what they should look like. Be willing to show same-sex couples in your advertisements (even when the message isn’t about a LGBTQ-focused product or initiative!) or ads featuring non-binary, trans, or genderqueer people. - If you sell things that people wear, offer fit notes for a range of bodies. This is crucial for apparel or footwear retailers. And while it’s certainly the most time-intensive suggestion on this list, it’s also the one that stands to make the biggest impact on customers. A good example of a company that does this is Bluestockings Boutique, one of the first lingerie e-tailers for the LGBTQ community (in full disclosure, I’m friends with its founder), which offers fit notes for trans-feminine people on items like underwear. It’s neatly incorporated onto the site alongside other information on size and fit. Becoming a more LGBTQ-friendly consumer brand isn’t impossible, and you don’t need to get it right overnight. Queer people will be paying attention long after Pride month ends. We aren’t going anywhere. Cora Harrington is the founder and editor-in-chief of the popular intimate apparel blog The Lingerie Addict and author of the forthcoming book In Intimate Detail: How to Choose, Wear, and Love Lingerie. Follow her on Twitter at @lingerie_addict.

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For this post, our latest work experience student Miriam (Mim), who identifies as non-binary, interviewed friend and fellow work experience student Carissa. Both are passionate about creating a safe community space for sexually diverse and gender diverse teens. Read the interview below: Hiya, I’m Mim (they/them*) and for my addition to the blog, I wanted to share with you a new independently run safe space called READY. As a non-binary person, I am really excited about this. I do have a small bias as a contributor to the project and as a close friend to the founder, Carissa Fischer. As I write, Carissa is still working hard to finalise the safe space, and will be setting up a dedicated READY Facebook page. where she will post announcements about the official launch. During my work experience week at Tea Tree Gully Library, I interviewed Carissa about the motives behind the safe space and she had this to say. Why did you want this safe space? I wanted to create a safe space for LGBT+ people to meet other LGBT+ people and to create a support network to strengthen our alliance as diverse people. During late last year it dawned on me that the only sexually diverse and gender diverse youth I know personally is you. So I did research into the other safe spaces in Adelaide, and found an entire community that I wanted to meet. I learnt that there is no safe space locally (North-east Adelaide) for the broad spectrum of LGBT+ youths. This concerned me because this is a recurring theme in LGBT+ teens – often they will only know one other LGBT+ teen personally or more commonly, they won’t know anyone. I knew I had to start this space because, to my knowledge, no one else had. What does the name READY mean? READY stands for Rainbow Education and Alliance of Diverse Youths. It is also a metaphor in being ready for the world ahead and growing up. This program aims to help prepare sexually diverse and gender diverse adolescents to figure out how they fit into the world with their diverse lives. Adolescence is a really hard time for anyone, but mental health statistics show that it’s especially tough for sexually diverse and gender diverse teens. It’s hoped the READY space will help these teens develop self-love and self-worth. The program also aims to encourage (but not enforce) self-discovery. What do you hope to see happen in READY? My main hope is that READY become a well-known program with a thriving sexually diverse and gender diverse community, which can engage with other safe spaces in Adelaide. Just before our official launch we are planning to screen the movie Love, Simon which will hopefully kick off monthly movie nights. I want to be able to watch some movies with representation of the LGBT+ community and reflect on portrayals and stereotypes which will allow critical thinking and self-reflection. I honestly just hope this program works. READY is going to be open to sexually diverse and gender diverse youths aged 15-22. Of course allies** (and people wanting to become allies) and questioning** are always welcomed. All I ask is, are you READY? *Non-binary: Not identifying within the feminine and masculine binary. I prefer that people use the pronouns they or them, when I am mentioned in written or spoken form, instead of he or she. **Ally: is a heterosexual person who supports equal civil rights, gender equality, LGBT social movements, and challenges homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. ***Questioning: A person who is questioning their sexuality or gender

You guys, I freaking adore Erin Keam. This Kiwi turned Seattleite has a heart of gold and a fantastic and unique business. She helps women, especially entrepreneurs, grow their confidence in various aspects of their lives, with a focus on style and wardrobe. She’ll push you in all the right ways – she even got me out of my comfort zone by interviewing me for my first podcast ever. But she’s so much more than that – Erin is also all about elevating other women’s businesses, lifting up their voices, helping them feel strong and ready to conquer the world. You can find Erin on her website at https://www.erinkeam.com/ and on LinkedIn. She has an amazing podcast where she interviews women entrepreneurs as well as a really great blog. As you’ll see below, Erin is funny and warm, intelligent and kind – I know you’ll just want to get to know her more and hang out with her online. Sign up for a mini-Intensive with Erin. Get clarity in your life and confidence in your closet so you can make the most of 2022! https://www.erinkeam.com/purchase/135868-Life-Development-Consult First things first – What would be your perfect walk on stage music? Tell us the story of how you started your business. I started my business during a tropical rainstorm in Maui. It was a much-needed break from Seattle gloom, but when we landed in Maui, we arrived in the middle of a tropical thunderstorm! It turned out to be such a blessing. The combination of being cocooned inside with rain battering down the windows, and nothing to do but read and sleep and journal, led to the inspiration for my original business, The Happy Wardrobe, which evolved into erinkeam.com. I outlined a completely unique Method for discovering a woman’s true inner closet by combining every single one of my previous careers. In the last thirty years, I’ve always explored everything I have been curious about, which ranged from marketing to retailing to real estate to television and film production to copywriting to being an instore DJ in Tokyo. I also know how to set up your fish tank and I’m a declutter diva. I’d also had over twenty years in the recovery field and a lifelong passion for clothes. By utilizing my skills in teaching self-development along with everything related to how women feel about, present themselves and offer services with their businesses, I would help explore themes and patterns easily discovered in their own home, which would lead to a closet they resonated with and move them in the direction of the life they want. The sun came out, I flew home and bought the domain name. I was enrolled in a digital marketing degree at Bellevue College, but as soon as I got my Green Card, I launched. What do you feel makes your audience special? I primarily work with women entrepreneurs. I believe women are the answer to everything, and I’m passionate about us all making more money, so wanted a way to help promote others, hence my podcast where I talk to women I’ve never met. It started out as a project to get me through Seasonal Affected Disorder and also helped combat the isolation of Covid. Every woman I know is committed to helping other women grow and succeed. I also utilize the podcast for introductions so we can hire each other. My podcast audience is predominantly female as well, though I have interviewed non-binary people. My guests share each other’s episodes and cheer each other on. If you could magically give all of your community members one thing in this world, what would it be, and why? It would be a community of supportive women who are with them to share wins, challenges, laughter, offer help, feedback and support and love them unconditionally. I want every woman to have a cheerleader or best friend who whispers in their ear every day that they are brave, incredible, talented, and worthy of the best life has to offer. That they are unique and precious and needed…and probably undercharging! Has anything surprised you about starting a website? I used to be content manager for a couple of websites, so the only thing that surprised me really was back in 2010 when I was working on an international site and told not to use Google Translate for pages in foreign languages, lol. It had seemed such a shortcut but led to some hilarious mix ups. My VA manages my current site, with direction from me. I use an all-in-one platform called Simplero which is relatively new in the field and I’m really impressed with. If you use this link you’ll get a free 14-day trial. The concierge team they have are awesome and they are improving features every day. I prefer women-owned businesses, but am very impressed with the creator and founder Calvin Correli, he has a philosophy and ethos I agree with. The platform manages my blogs, products, sales, courses, website (It’s an easy WUSIWYG system) and newsletters among other things. The only thing it doesn’t have is a calendar function (yet) so I use Acuity. I have a marketing background, but I still plan on getting a website audit/assessment from a consultant soon. It’s impossible to be objective about your own content. What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking about starting their own business? Find a problem which needs solving, preferably for a niche market, and brainstorm what you can do to offer a solution. Think in terms of value added to the customer, not cost. Be very clear with your messaging. A confused person says no. Always remember “what’s in it for them.” Start with a minimal viable product and go as lean as you can. The adage “you need to spend money to make money” is better replaced with “what’s the tangible return on investment on this and how can it be measured?” Get coaching from someone who has what you want. Get an assistant for your home or business as soon as you can – buy back time. (To find an affordable Virtual Assistant like mine, talk to Riah Gonzalez from Linq Consulting Services.) Dress for your Vision. Know that everything you have ever experienced is of value and there is always enough time, money, and love. You are right on time and it’s never too late. Work on your mindset. Find a squad who will support you. If you’re a woman, raise your prices. And remember, it’s all about Cinderella – everyone is looking for a transformation of some kind. If you could go back in time and do something differently, what would you do and why? I believe that everything I’ve ever experienced has contributed to who I am today, and although It’s taken a ton of self-work to recover from painful experiences and destructive behavior, I wouldn’t change a thing. I know that everything I have been through can be of benefit to others if shared with strength and hope. I also have a huge breadth of skills because I never stopped learning in multiple fields. My love of adventure and my constant desire for growth has led me down so many paths and they all had a great view. There were definitely dark times along the way. I’d had mood swings and depression since I was young, but it wasn’t until I was 35 that I was diagnosed as bipolar. It explained why I struggled with consistency, and I have learned I have to prioritize being well. Do you have an email list? If so, did you start it when you launched? Yes I do. I occasionally send out musings about life, career, mindset and style. I’ve been told they are amusing and quirky, which is nice. I started with friends and family, but now I get regular sign ups through my website or podcast. Is this your only job? Did you launch your business while working another job? I’ve worked since I left high school at 18. When I came to the USA at 45, I was on a student visa, and since I couldn’t legally earn, I spent time not studying beta testing my services. I started with a focus on uncovering women’s unique personal style, but since I run a “boutique” service, clients can choose to focus on anything from public speaking to decluttering their Zoom home office to planning their ideal life or dating profile. I also run Vision workshops, I’m creating an online course in conjunction with Dona Sarkar (https://www.linkedin.com/in/donasarkar/) and I’m going to be collaborating with another creative endeavor, details to come. For fun, I write fiction and non-fiction, recently wrote a screenplay, plus I host my podcast (have you listened to Cory’s episode yet? She was awesome!) Right now I’m also learning to sing and ride horses. Not at the same time… What do you say to someone wanting to start a business? When I talk with women wanting to start a business, in some cases I recommend an A job and a B job. The A job is your new business, but there is nothing wrong with having a back-up B job in something you’re not that excited about to pay the bills. You can start your new business part-time until it can support you. Keep separate personal and business accounts and track your earning and expenditure every day. Work on your mindset, women have had generations of being trained to have “imposter syndrome.” And charge based on the value you bring, not by the hour. How do you promote your site? Ironically, for someone who’s brilliant at helping others market, I struggle to be visible as I’m affected by mood swings. I’ve learned to batch outward facing content and schedule it so I show up consistently on social media and other platforms. Regardless of how I feel, I always show up for clients, focusing on others helps and inspires me. I am also active in online communities and I belong to several squads. I have a ton of content, so it’s pretty easy to find me in search engines. Who are your favorite bloggers or podcasts right now? Well, me. I think I’m hilarious. And I certainly have incredible guests! Check it out!

Gender pay gap reporting and trans people Adam Penman, July 27, 2020 As COVID-19 challenges develop and, hopefully, subside, the enforcement of the pay gap reporting deadline for employers with at least 250 employees in Great Britain will continue from 6 April 2021. Gender pay gap reporting was suspended for 2020 to relieve the perceived pressure on employers during times of unprecedented challenges. Concurrently with, and also prior to, COVID-19, we have seen global social movements, such as the Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements, gain traction, changing the discourse around equality, including in the workplace. The transgender rights movement, which has permeated mainstream consciousness and challenged conventional thinking in respect of binary gender norms, has been essentially omitted from gender pay accountability measures. The gender pay gap legislation requires qualifying employers to report, amongst other indicators, on the mean and median average pay of relevant employees. It requires employers to report on “ordinary pay” and “bonus pay,” which are expressly defined, in respect of “males” and “females,” which are left undefined. This leaves employers to decide how to categorise transgender or non-binary employees as either “male” or “female.” The legislation, perhaps unwittingly, brings employers into the debate about how to define gender as it is up to the discretion of employers to decide practically how to include trans people in their reporting, for example by using HMRC payroll records or using the gender (if any) that the employee identifies with at the snapshot date of the report. Again, employers are put in a position of risking incorrectly identifying the gender of an employee or posing uncomfortable questions to employees, which also may carry confidentiality and data protection risks. Inconsistencies in reporting approaches and the lack of nuanced qualitative data (for example, about employees who are transitioning) increases the risk of inaccurate reporting. For employees that do not identify with either gender, both the Acas and the Government Equality Office guidance suggests that they may be excluded from the pay gap report, which clearly creates a tension between the promotion of equality and inclusion on one hand and essentially excluding those people, who have fought for greater visibility, from the pay equity conversation. The omission of any apparent consideration of the trans community (itself a diverse one), perhaps helps to distort the existing gender pay gap. For example, if trans women’s experience in the workplace is used to artificially narrow the gap, having spent some time in their early careers as cis men, this undermines the accuracy of the reporting and can be used by some employers to manipulate their figures. It is likely that the omission even suppresses a wider pay gap between cisgender employees (those who identify with their assigned sex at birth) and transgender employees, as the gap is not required to be tracked and remains officially unknown. Some employers have taken the initiative to accurately and separately report on the cis-trans pay gap or addressed the lack of reporting in their voluntary accompanying reporting narrative. Both approaches serve to enhance the transparency and accountability principles which underpin the gender pay gap reporting legislation and, for that reason, appear preferable to employers absorbing trans employees into one of two binary groups, or ignoring them altogether. Proactive steps by trans conscious employers will assist in highlighting any pay disparity problems and inform employer led responses to tackle them, such as targeted inclusion and awareness training. As the trans movement continues to inform the debate on gender and equality, it is important to maintain momentum for accountability for pay injustices and benchmark progress by acknowledging gender nuances in reporting, at the very least by including trans employees’ in accompanying pay gap reporting narratives. Adam Penman is associate at McGuireWoods London.

International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers was first recognized on December 17, 2003 as a memorial and vigil for the victims of the Green River Killer who murdered over 70 sex workers in Seattle, Washington. Since then, the meaning of December 17 has empowered people from cities around the world to come together and organize against discrimination and remember victims of violence. The Sex Workers Project joins Support Ho(s)e, Lysistrata and other Queens community allies in calling for an emergency rally to demand justice for Yang Song, a community member murdered in an NYPD-led raid on her workplace in November. In yet another horrific example of the daily violence and injustice faced by sex workers around the world, Yang Song’s death highlights the undeniable harm caused by criminalization and dangerous “rescue tactics” employed by law enforcement that conflate sex work and human trafficking. No one is safe until everyone is safe; no one is free until we are all free. People in the sex trade are workers, parents, neighbors, friends, and loved ones navigating complex circumstances to survive, thrive, and support their families and communities. We must each take responsibility to ensure not one more person is subject to the isolation that makes violence possible. We imagine a world that is safe for sex workers, where human trafficking does not exist, and where all people can live free from violence, stigma, and exploitation. -An end to all violence against women, queer people, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming individuals, People of Color, people experiencing poverty, migrant workers, immigrants with barriers to documentation, and incarcerated peoples -The full decriminalization of sex work and related survival economies The defense of worker rights and protections in all forms of labor -Divestment from mass incarceration and commutation of people in those systems -Policies to reduce harm enacted on those already impacted by criminal justice involvement -An end to NYPD’s terrorizing of vulnerable communities and accountability for predatory practices including profiling, street harassment, sexual violence, raids, extortion, and murder -An end to ICE presence in courts, schools, hospitals, and private homes and instead, meaningful Sanctuary City practices emphasizing community informed trust and safety -An end to criminal legal responses to “save” trafficking victims, such as Human Trafficking Intervention Courts and other misguided diversion models -A widened safety net of non-coercive, non-judgmental support services and increased access to material resources to ensure economic stability and affirm people’s self determination -Investment in community leadership honoring the expertise and lived experiences of those most impacted by criminalization and violent systems At noon December 17, 2017, join us at the 109th NYPD precinct in Queens to honor Yang Song’s life and demand safety, dignity, and human rights for all sex workers!

A petition calling on the government to instate a hospitality minster has recevied over 29,000 signatures, as well as the backing of top UK chefs. Are we human... or are we 70 points? Hospitality Speaks will give chefs, waitstaff, and bartenders a platform to anonymously publish their experiences online. “Wednesday arvo orgy, because of boredom.” With threats of customer harassment and misogynist kitchen culture, hospitality can be tough on its trans and non-binary employees. Social action platform Good Day Productions connects restaurants with local charities "to show them how easy it is to make a difference." After a local restaurant was shamed for taking waitstaff tips, Parklife founder and newly appointed Night-Time Economy Advisor for Greater Manchester Sacha Lord hopes to introduce a “gold standard in tipping.” The rates are three times what was previously thought. How the legendary restaurant makes sure you enjoy more than just the food. Miami Beach is now considering panic buttons as a way to protect the city’s more than 11,500 hotel workers from sexual harassment and assault.

#AbortionMeraHaq, translating to ‘abortion is my right’, is a campaign demanding safe, legal and affordable abortions for all that require it, because safe abortions save lives. #UnstereotypeCinema is a campaign by FII and Oxfam India to take a hard look at the films filling our theatres today, and look at ways in which they contribute to a society of rampant violence and rape culture. For our #ChalkfullBullying campaign, we took on documentation in varied forms, with name and anonymously, of people's testimonies of gender-based bullying in schools. Feminism In India is launching a campaign to address sexism in the workplace. We take a broader view of workplace safety than the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, recognising that safety is a concern not only for women but also for all non-binary individuals and sexual minorities. Feminism In India and Newslaundry are launching a new campaign to tackle the redressal of sexual harassment complaints in college campuses – #MakeMyCampusSafe. Feminism in India and Godrej are bringing to light the stories of women in the beauty and wellness industry. #SalonSector FII and TARSHI have launched a campaign #WhyCSE - CSE In The Classroom to emphasize the need for Comprehensive Sexuality Education in schools. #ThePadEffect campaign explores the intersection between sustainable menstruation and culture. It is time we re-value menstruation because life depends on it. In #IndianWomenInHistory campaign, we will remember the untold legacies of women who shaped India for the month of March, which is globally celebrated as Women's History Month. Based on our research report, we are running a campaign against online abuse and harassment that women face, especially on social media websites. Our campaign #DigitalHifazat campaigns for a secure and safe internet for all. 12Page 1 of 2

Migrants Don’t Destroy Traditional Values–The Market Does by Benjamin Studebaker The other day I ran across a survey–apparently 40% of British people feel that “having a wide variety of backgrounds has undermined British culture”. When people say that western culture has been undermined, they are implicitly saying that at one point in time western culture was better. Many socialists, liberals, and progressives don’t agree with that–they think traditional values are wrong and moving past them is good. But today, instead of relitigating social issue debates about changing values, I want to make a case to our socially conservative friends on their own terms. To be clear, this doesn’t mean I agree with traditional values. I merely want to show that the values social conservatives treasure are not threatened by migrants–they are instead threatened by the very markets many on the right so deeply prize. In the post-war period–the 50s and 60s, when ordinary people in western countries received large wage increases and saw their living standards skyrocket–they were largely insulated from the consequences of markets. In the halcyon days when we all knew that the man on television with the deep voice could be trusted implicitly, there were large trade barriers between countries. States didn’t have to worry much about competing with each other to attract business, because for the most part business was immobile. German firms were German, British firms were British, American firms were American. When different countries don’t worry so much about competing with each other, they can all do their own thing. They can develop a certain distinctiveness. But over the last half century, we got rid of much of the trade barriers we used to have, and the trade percentage of global GDP increased from less than 25% to more than 55%: The more countries trade with each other, the more they must compete with each other to be economically successful. It’s one thing when you’re growing apples to sell to your own people–it’s another thing when you are trying to sell apples to some third country. That third country doesn’t have to buy your apples. It can grow its own, or buy them from someone else. Your apples have to be cheaper and better than everyone else’s apples. This is what many people like about markets. The competition forces us to become more efficient and more innovative, to improve the things we make and the services we render. The thing is, the same strategies for encouraging efficiency and innovation tend to work everywhere. In the academic literature, when people write about what facilitates prosperity, particularly in a competitive global marketplace, they tend to describe a suite of behaviours which all countries can pursue and sets of institutions which all countries can adopt. To stay competitive, countries have to become more similar to each other. The deviants lose ground. And weak, poor countries get abused by strong, rich countries. This means that the distinctive, traditional “American” or “British” values which conflict with these imperatives have to be jettisoned. To make our economies competitive, we have to make our individual citizens competitive, and that means we have to make them into driven, highly educated, hard working people. It also means we have to avoid paying them more than we absolutely have to. The most successful countries will be the countries which develop the institutions and policies which produce people who adhere strictly to all of this. People who put their careers first. People who are willing to move anywhere to get ahead. People who will take on any amount of debt to get the degree they need. These people are the people who reject the traditional, communitarian notion of happiness–they don’t stay in the town they grew up in, get married in their early 20s, and raise a family in the same churches and schools they themselves grew up in. These are the people who go to the university far away, then move to the big city. They’re the people who are too busy with their careers to get married until their 30s, if they get married at all. Statistically, if they do get married, more of them will also get divorced. They internalise the notion that self-actualisation is the most important thing, that the career is where you get it, and that spouses and children have to fit into that story if they want to stick around. All these unmarried, work-first city people need to get their sex drives satisfied, so casual sex has to be invented and relentlessly promulgated, reinforced both by birth control technology and by the slow erosion of the laws and norms which once discouraged premarital sex, adultery, sodomy, and every other kind of sex which makes the economy more efficient rather than less efficient. To really compete, the economy can’t make use of just half the workforce. Women have to enter the workforce, then they have to be socialised to put work first just like the men, and that means they’ll need access to casual sex too. Discriminating against women is economically inefficient, so we have to knock that off and make them equal across the board. The same goes for racial and ethnic minority groups–an efficient economy won’t waste their talents. To facilitate the end of discrimination on the basis of race or gender, we have to blow up the distinctions which give these categories meaning to people. Gender becomes a spectrum, race becomes a construct. Transgender and non-binary identities spring up into the collective consciousness. People begin having multiracial offspring. The traditional values have been rendered economically obsolete, so we obliterate them. An efficient economy will happily poach workers from other countries. It will even take the poor and uneducated, knowing not only that even ordinary workers make rich countries richer but that their children and their grandchildren will contribute to GDP for generations to come. The right thinks the migrants change us–but we change them. To compete in western societies, the migrants and their descendants have to adopt western values. They have to go to the schools and universities where they are given the training to compete, and in these places they learn the market’s values. Once upon a time white, Christian westerners lived traditional, communitarian lives. But market imperatives compelled them to abandon their values, to assimilate into a borg. The same thing happens to the migrants and their children. Islam is as readily effaced by the market as Christianity was, twisted in the western countries into an unrecognisable form. There’s a reason the terrorist group Boko Haram has a name which roughly translates to “Western Education is Sacrilege”. Its values cannot survive contact with the institutions and value-morphing mechanisms of western market states. All it can do is attempt to hide the people of developing countries from these forces, miring them in poverty in the process. The migrants are just like the rest of us–they come to the big western cities to survive and compete in the market’s great, terrible game. And they must watch as they, or if not them then their children, surrender everything about themselves which was distinctive to win. The market is the melting pot, and melting burns. What becomes of the work-first yuppies in the cities? Our expectations have been so heavily reshaped that we can never be satisfied by the traditional lives which satisfied our parents, but we will all too often find that the self-actualisation we were promised in our careers eludes us. We exhaust ourselves trying to find the career that completes us, and when we tire of that we plow our way into the mess that is the modern dating world, and when that goes south we make another run at finding occupational fulfilment. Back and forth we go–always trying very hard, always being productive and efficient, and accomplishing a great deal for our employers and very little for ourselves. And perhaps as time goes on we drink more booze, sip more coffee, whatever it takes to go on. But that’s okay with the market. It needs us to work hard, it doesn’t need us to be happy. If we really get fed up, we can go looking for community. We can hole up in little enclaves with other people who are politically, religiously, ethnically, or sexually like us. But those enclaves make us weird and isolated from the rest of society, and the time we spend in them doesn’t improve our CVs or help us get ahead. Some of us will go back to the suburbs and try to copy our parents, but it will never quite get us where it got them. The desperation and ennui that has long infected the suburbs will get us harder. We may not be able to live without community, but we also can’t live with it anymore. We want more–we don’t just want the distinctiveness that comes with being part of a group, we want the distinctiveness that comes with being a fully self-actualised individual. We are groping after god, now. A white picket fence just doesn’t cut it. What awaits us? Too many will become BoJack: Of course, if we found a way to rein in the market, to restore space for inefficiency, some of us might find other ways to live. But why do that when free trade can help us score piles of plastic on the cheap?

What The?! Animals That Appeared Places You Would Never Expect InsideEdition.com looks at the odd places animals have turned up in 2016. Did you hear the one about the gator that found its way behind the wheel of a car, or the snake that got loose on a flight? They may sound like jokes, but these stories of animals in unusual places in 2016 are all true. Alligators often found themselves acting like people this year. In Florida, a woman had an unannounced visitor to her home when a nine-foot-long gator knocked on her door late one night in May. In Texas, a woman came to her driveway to find a massive seven-foot gator behind the wheel of her car. While deer, raccoons, and rabbits are a pretty common sight in suburban areas, imagine finding an aquatic animal in your front yard. That's exactly what happened to a Florida homeowner who saw a manatee on her lawn after the city of St. Petersburg, where she lives, flooded in June. In August, another Florida woman heard a kitten trapped inside the dashboard of her car. After nearly 20 hours trapped in the vehicle, she was able to get a hold of some mechanics who presented her with a difficult choice: Save the cat or keep the car intact. She chose the cat, and the car was dismantled, piece by piece to free the feline. For people aboard this aircraft, the Samuel L. Jackson film Snakes On a Plane wasn’t in-flight entertainment but reality. Passengers on the plane en route to Mexico had an undesirable stowaway as a three-foot-long snake got loose in an overhead compartment and dropped into the cabin of the craft. For more strange animal encounters, watch our video above. Trending on Inside Edition GoFundMe Donations Top $238K for Las Vegas Man Who Received Goodie Bag After Never Missing Work in 27 YearsInspirational Jess Hall, 1 of the Nation’s 1st Non-Binary Police Chiefs, On Being a Role Model in Their Wisconsin TownHuman Interest Sister of Detained Man Who Smashed Head in Police Van Speaks Out: 'It Makes Me Sick to My Stomach'Crime R. Kelly Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Racketeering, Sex Trafficking of GirlsCrime Texas Man Who Was Acquitted of Killing His Father in 2014 Due to Insanity Escapes Mental Health HospitalCrime

HUMANS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM – ARCHIVES “EARLY ON, I USED TO THINK OF AUTISM AS NOT A GOOD THING BUT NOW I THINK OF IT AS A GIFT. AUTISM GIVES YOU A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON LIFE.” Ryan, Mentor I CAN Network I am one of out five children and I am a mentor with the I CAN Network. I recently finished my university studies to work with young children, and someday I’d like to work in a kindergarten or childcare setting. School was not always easy for me, especially since I am also dyslexic, but I did have some wonderful teachers who encouraged me. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was already preparing for the I CAN Network back then. Whenever someone would tell me that I couldn’t do something, it made me want to show them, Yes, I CAN! The only person who should say what I can and cannot do is me. I am also an example of how someone can go from being a mentee in the I CAN Network to actually becoming a mentor. I was first introduced to I CAN by a teacher’s aide when I was in Year 12. Prior to I CAN, I had a small group of friends, but I didn’t always have an easy time socially. Growing up, I found a lot of the unwritten social rules to be confusing. How close should I stand? Should I be looking them in the eye? What should I talk about? Although the thought of change and new places can make me uncomfortable, I soon found a safe place with I CAN. It felt good to be among people who really understood me, including many who shared some of my interests (art, reading Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, anime and overseas travel). Being encouraged to develop from mentee to trainee mentor really gave a boost to my confidence. It signalled that other people recognised my leadership potential and how good I am with kids. One of my strengths is that I am open and naturally optimistic – I always see the light at the end of the tunnel. I see the good in people and I appreciate all of the things that make them unique. There are a lot of rewarding things about being a mentor, most of all witnessing how our mentees can grow in confidence over time. I’ve seen mentees who have started our (school) sessions feeling quite disconnected and not being comfortable engaging with others. By the end of the program, they are taking part and having fun with their peers and with us mentors. We see that same magic happen at our camps, which is why I love them. It makes me feel proud that I can have a positive influence on our mentees, and that drives a lot of my confidence to try new things. Before I joined I CAN, I didn’t really have any Autistic role models or Autistic peers. Now I am surrounded by a great community of friends and teammates from I CAN and beyond. One of my wishes for a more embracing society is one that appreciates just how different Autistic people are from each other. There’s this really unhelpful stereotype that all Autistic people are a certain way, and I can tell you that that is not true. When I look at my I CAN team, we all have vastly different personalities and profiles. I’d also like to see society create more Autistic-friendly spaces where we can get a break or retreat for some quiet time. We often feel and perceive things more strongly than other people, and when we feel more comfortable in our surroundings, we are better able to show the world what we can do. My involvement with the I CAN Network has taught me that it’s okay to be different. In fact, it’s more than okay; it’s a positive. How boring would our world be if we were all the same? I want to use my voice and my skills as a teacher to help create a world where we are all valued for being who we are. I am a creative, philosophical and deeply spiritual Autistic woman who has come to an understanding of my Autism later in life. I am the proud mum to two amazing Autistic young people and three fur babies. I am very fortunate to also have a very special person in my life who makes me laugh and feel loved. As a passionate educator, I’ve had the privilege of teaching teenagers for the past ten years. I love any opportunity that allows me to support families whilst leveraging my own lived experience of being Autistic. Historically, our voices have not been present in discussions on how to best meet Autistic support needs, but this is changing as more and more organisations recognise the immense value of our perspectives and experiences. I am very interested in, and have tremendous respect for, Autistic-led research and Autistic-led program planning. My ten-year-old daughter told me that to her Autism means that we are “limited edition” – and there are special aspects of Autism that the others in the collection would really like to have! I identify with a strongly positive and strengths-based understanding of my Autism, whilst acknowledging that like anything that falls outside the norm, we may need to have our own “care manual” to maintain ourselves and show others what type of care we need. I continue to use my voice to create a world that is more embracing of Autism, especially in two arenas that I hold dear: inclusive education and the health of Autistic women. Professionally, I am working with inclusion policy on a day-to-day basis, and I often observe a gap between inclusion policy and inclusion practice in school settings. There are many reasons why this is happening, but the consequences for our Autistic students and their families are very serious. As we strive for inclusive education – including the determination of what reasonable adjustments are necessary to support Autistic students – it is so important that our Autistic voices be at the centre of the decision-making process. We know our needs best and when given the appropriate support, resources and opportunity, we can tell people exactly what we need. When our Autistic needs are respected, our diverse strengths can shine and often this is when young Autistics can find their future vocation area. After my Autism diagnosis, I began to learn that late-diagnosed women are at a tremendous disadvantage with regards to our health and wellbeing. New research has uncovered what so many of us have experienced: that in our communication with health professionals, our voices are often misunderstood and misrepresented and our gender-specific Autistic traits are incorrectly perceived as solely related to mental health issues. This means that we are either significantly delayed in getting the correct help for our health needs, or sometimes we don’t get help at all. I want to continue to use my voice to change that, especially since recently being diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Dysautonomia. The I CAN Network has been so important in my understanding of my Autism. In the initial months after my diagnosis I was feeling a real unease and disconnect between my own positive views of my Autism and what our society says about Autism. When I heard Chris Varney’s message, though, I could recognise for the first time that here was someone else on the Autism Spectrum with whom I can identify – it felt safe and authentic. By gosh, we really need that! The I CAN Network is an integral organisation for the wellbeing of our Autistic community. I am proud to be involved both as a mentor and a speaker; we have a lot of work to do to change the way society views Autism. It still surprises me how many people either describe or strongly imply that Autism is a terrible affliction that should be prevented and/or “cured”. I’m not suggesting there isn’t suffering, but in my experience, the suffering is caused by the lack of understanding in our society and co-existing conditions, not by Autism itself. There are compelling reasons why we need to talk about Autism in a positive way. For those of us who were diagnosed late, we need to discover what our Autism means for us and not what we may have understood about Autism prior to our diagnosis. For our young people being introduced to their diagnosis, we want to set a stage that allows them to embrace their Autistic traits unreservedly. There is nothing to be ashamed about, nothing to fear either – and Autistic adults really need to light the path for future generations. Without authentic self-identity there can be no real self-esteem. So I encourage young people to embrace ALL of their Autistic traits through an extremely positive and kind lens and from there we can build on experiences that bring hope and joy into our lives. We deserve nothing less! I’m 18 years old. I love anything sports-related and I like collecting sports stuff, mostly things to do with FIFA and FIFA World Cup. I play cricket and football and am also a fan of soccer, basketball, cricket and football. Autism to me means that I can really concentrate on stuff that I am very passionate about: for example, I can name every FIFA World Cup first place winner and at some editions of the FIFA World Cup, I can name the top four finalists and many of the winners in events from the Olympic Games editions. I can also name every AFL grand final winner from this century and can do the same with the FIFA World Cup, Olympic Games, FIBA World Cup and ICC Cricket World Cup. And I can name the capital city of most European countries. To me, sport is important because if you play team sports, you get to socialise, you feel good doing it and it’s fun. Also you learn how to cope when losing and that can help in your personal life. Sport has helped my Autism because I get to socialise with people around my interest. I would encourage other Autistic students to find a sport that they love because sport brings people of all backgrounds and abilities together. Doing something you love with others who share the same interest is good for anyone. I admire a lot of sportspeople, particularly those who have experienced hardship and come through the other side. I can relate to that because I’ve overcome stigma and negativity by being willing to have a go at everything that comes my way! If I had to name one player who really inspires me, it’s German soccer player Marco Reus. Marco originally missed out on the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the UEFA Euro in 2016 due to injury. In the FIFA World Cup in 2018 he was Man of the Match in one of the games. In 2019 Marco now gets to captain his club side Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, which is Germany’s First Division. I admire and feel supported by a lot of people I know in real life, including my family (I get my positivity from my dad), Aquinas College and their Educational Support Staff and mentors from the I CAN Network like Max Williams, Chris Varney and Daniel Munter. Before I became involved in I CAN, I didn’t really know anything about it and I didn’t even know much about Autism! By going to I CAN sessions, I’ve learnt about my own Autistic strengths and how I should concentrate on those rather than my weaknesses. I’ve been able to see the interests, strengths and weaknesses of other Autistic peers and my mentors and compare them with mine. The I CAN Network is important to me because it is helping to make a world that benefits from embracing Autism and focusing on what Autistics can do. I think it’s so valuable for Autistic students to educate their peers on Autism, if they’re ready to. People might not know you’re Autistic or what Autism is unless you say something. If you’re not comfortable disclosing that you’re Autistic, I would say that’s all right, too. You should do things when you are ready. When I disclosed at my school that I was Autistic, things got better. After I went on TV in 2017 in an ABC Lateline segment, I made more friends at school. People wanted to be my friend. I wasn’t scared of disclosing my Autism to my peers because being Autistic doesn’t really bother me. There’s nothing wrong with Autism. In fact, being Autistic makes you unique and special. One of the biggest reasons to talk about Autism positively is so that Autistic children can grow up feeling good about themselves and so that their peers understand that being Autistic is all right. The more people who hear positive things about Autism when they are young, the better chance we have of building a world that is inclusive. I’m 19 years old. I’m an I CAN mentor, an enthusiastic video gamer – League of Legends is my favourite – and last year I moved into my own place with four other housemates. Growing up, I didn’t really have trouble making friends, but I did have trouble keeping them. You know that one kid who pushes a joke just a little too far or doesn’t know when to stop talking about something? That was me. Thankfully, I have some close family members who are Autistic – including my dad – so I didn’t have to look far to find people who understood me. I was first introduced to I CAN in 2013, which was the same year it was founded, so I’ve been around since the beginning. I heard Chris Varney speak at a local support group event about his vision for I CAN school programs, and I fell in love with the idea of it straightaway. He talked about creating a model in which no one would be ignored and everyone would have a voice. This resonated with me because my own school experience was not that great. In terms of voices, I was talked about a lot at my school – my negatives were a constant topic of discussion – but little was done to improve the situation or to highlight my positive attributes or those of other students with support requirements. In 2013, my goal as a 13-year-old listening to Chris Varney was to bring I CAN to my school and change the culture. That part of my quest was totally unsuccessful, but what has been very successful is my personal connection to I CAN. I started attending I CAN weekend camps and over time became a camp mentor and then a school mentor. I’ve taken part in a large number of the camps that I CAN has hosted. Because of the people in my personal network, I don’t hear a lot of the negativity about Autism that’s out there any more, though I certainly know it still exists. Many kids come to our programs with very, very negative perceptions of Autism that they’ve internalised from others. I remember one boy who came to a camp and could explode aggressively if he even heard the word “Autism”. But, two days later, he was standing up in front of his peers, giving an “I CAN talk” and telling everyone, “I’m Autistic.” That’s the power that can come when you are surrounded by peers who understand and accept you. Our emphasis at I CAN on the strengths-based approach to Autism really makes sense. Autistics represent a big percentage of the world’s population. When society shuts us down and tells us that we are defective, it limits what we can contribute. When we are validated and believe in ourselves, we can do so much more. Especially for Autistic kids, I think it’s important to get the balance right between genuinely building them up and not merely inflating them with hot air. Part of that process is letting them experience challenges and not always being shielded from failure. Something I tell my mentees often is that they don’t have to be perfect. Struggling is part of life’s journey. I think there’s a way that we can offer support that still empowers young people. I try to help my mentees build the ability to see their own strengths for themselves. Still, I see a lot of students – and sometimes their families, too – looking for that validation in other forms, such as top grades or high ATAR scores. There’s already a lot of pressure for Autistic kids to get through the day socially and from a sensory perspective. When I help my students with any schoolwork, I always highlight the benefit that comes from putting in the effort and what can be learnt from making mistakes, rather than signalling that their worth is tied to a particular letter or number result. It’s very rewarding to mentor Autistic kids and to help those who are not Autistic understand how to better support Autistic students. Every Autistic voice can help with this process, and I think it’s so important to include younger Autistic voices in these conversations. We have the most recent lived experience of the educational system. When you include and listen to our voices, you will be hearing what Autistic students need. Right now, in the school system as it currently is. In fact, for me, one of the best parts about being involved in I CAN is that I know my voice is valued. I don’t subscribe to the pyramid approach, where voices at the top matter more than others. I view everyone at I CAN as a peer, including Chris Varney, our Founder and CEO. Even when I was 13, I never saw him as “Chris, the national leader”, and to this day, I don’t see him as “Chris, my boss”. He has always been “Chris, my mate who is a huge Star Wars head”. I respect him as a peer, and I know he feels the same way about me. We have different responsibility levels, but we are both doing the same work: building a world that embraces Autism. I am AJ and I am 14 years old. I like public transport (buses, trains and trams), learning about the environment, and coming up with ways to stop bullying. Autism is a different operating system and Autistic people process things differently. Autism helps me with my memory. I can remember things really well. I can remember all types of buses and where they go. I started getting into buses when I moved to Albury Wodonga. I am fascinated by buses and bus routes because the branding of buses is so unique. Dysons bus service in Wodonga allows me to visit their depot frequently and the drivers also know me very well. I’ve been helping my sister Cassie, who is 11, take the bus home. Cassie and I are the only ones in our family who catch buses. What makes a good bus system is whether everyone can access the network. People don’t catch buses when a system is not properly organised, including when buses are not frequent enough or when there is congestion. Currently, only three quarters of the people in Albury Wodonga can access the bus network. I want to see this level increase to include everyone. I have talked to Dysons’ drivers about creating a new bus route. I even made them a map of what a new bus network could look like. The drivers were impressed. I am going to share it with the company once I finish the network map. I will show it to Martin’s (bus company) as well. So far I have finished the first stage of the network and I am almost up to the second stage. I’ve actually been in the newspaper, which got everyone in my community excited about my bus network. It could help build up the population of Albury Wodonga even more because of jobs created. I have lots of people cheering me on because I’m unique. My strengths include remembering stuff really well, friendliness, good manners and problem solving when it comes to stopping negative behaviour. Recently there was a severe bully who was nasty to multiple students, and I was one of his targets. I came up with a 5-step strategy to deal with future offenders, with repeat offenders starting from step 2 onwards. When people say negative things about Autism, it can really hurt and offend someone. It’s important to choose words carefully. Programs like I CAN Network were made to help people. I like being a part of the I CAN Network because I’ve met new people and have learnt new things. What I’d like to say to younger Autistic kids is: “You are not alone. You can do anything regardless of who you are and you can help make changes to our world.” A world that embraces Autism would be like a pizza with a good mix of toppings (people fully included in the group). Everyone can be different, not just those with Autism, and that’s a great thing! My name is Kate, and I am a proud member of an Autistic family. My two children are Autistic, I am married to an Autistic man, and I was recently diagnosed myself, having recognised so much of my younger self in my children. I don’t consider Autism a disorder. It’s a different way of experiencing the world. As an advocate, I am trying to drive the narrative for Autism acceptance and promoting authentic Autistic living; that is, being one’s true Autistic self. As I’ve reflected upon and unpacked a lot of my childhood difficulties, I can see that they were related to being Autistic and completely misunderstood. When I was growing up, most of my teachers told me I was lazy, stupid and clumsy. I struggled to read and write and never understood academic work at school. As a result, I always had a sense that I was not intelligent and not able to tackle academics. This feeling stopped me from doing college courses and pursuing my career aspirations. I wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self, “Understand that school work is difficult not because you’re lazy or stupid as teachers often told you, it’s because you can’t learn in a standardised way. Love yourself more, be kinder to yourself and know you will find your way. Don’t ever give up on your dreams!” Now at age 40, after finding my authentic Autistic self, I am studying a degree in psychology and counselling. Ultimately, I would like to complete my degree then move forward to further academic development, which will lead me into the specialty of Autistic females. I am never going to experience the world as a neurotypical person, so I don’t use neurotypical social norms as guidance in my life. That would just be setting myself up to fail. Instead, I set my goals and aspirations around developing my authentic Autistic identity and being the best Autistic person I can be. One of my strengths is that I am highly focused and totally devoted to fulfilling my goals. Over the past few years, my passion has led me to create a blog and form multiple social media platforms, including a very active Facebook page called Girls Autistic Journey-Non binary Acceptance. I am UK-based but still feel a strong connection to the I CAN Network’s mission, especially around I CAN’s mentoring and positive development for schools. Often, the media will portray Autistic people in such a stereotypical way that people truly believe that that’s how most Autistic people are. When I am faced with negativity or misconceptions around being Autistic, which happens in real life and certainly happens online, I try to gently educate by sharing credible information and lived experiences. Thankfully, I find that most people are open to learning and understanding, though there will always be those who I cannot reach or help because they are so far down the dark hole of misinformation and fear. I believe that positivity around Autism builds acceptance for future generations of Autistic people. We have so many wonderful qualities that deserve to be recognised and celebrated: deep focus, unique perspectives, trustworthiness and reliability, high integrity, creativity, ability to retain information, ability to maintain routines, consistency, just to name a few. By highlighting these strengths, rather than the list of so-called defects, we can help to break down stigmas and false information about being Autistic. Likewise, when Autistic young people have mentors who are positive and full of understanding, it signals to them from an early age that they are an important part of the next generation of Autistic voices. Mentors provide hopes and dreams for our Autistic children, as they are able to show them, “Look, we are Autistic, and it’s all okay!” Everyone wants to live a life that feels right for one’s self, without fear of being ridiculed or judged or excluded by others. I think we still have a long way to go to reach a point of an inclusive society, where Autistic people don’t feel forced to mask or apologise for who we are. I dream of a world that is equal, fair and can unlock all of the wonders that Autistic people hold inside, and that’s what motivates me to keep doing my work. What is everyone waiting for?! I am 17 and proudly Autistic. I am in Year 12 and have my own business with three employees. My passion is motorsports, and I can remember all the results from every race in the past ten years. This year is very busy with school, work, friends and my Year 12 formal coming up. Things haven’t always been this good. I was targeted by bullies, I had trouble finding a job and I didn’t feel proud about being Autistic. After going to an I CAN camp last year, positive things really started happening. The I CAN camp opened my eyes about Autism and it was where I found my tribe. It was nice meeting so many people like me and learning from mentors like Chris, Daniel and others. I CAN camp helped me embrace being Autistic rather than seeing it as something negative. I now choose to be very open about who I am. I have a lot of strengths. My mum calls me “Google Maps” because I can remember every single place I’ve been. I have a great personal I CAN Network around me, including my friends, my girlfriend and my family. I don’t think that society is truly inclusive yet, and I am starting to speak up about this more and more. When I was looking for after-school work, no one would hire me. They actually did me a favour, though, because I am now self-employed and preparing for world domination! My business, Clay’s Bin Cleaning, has so many customers that I’ve had to add more employees. Over the past year, my business has attracted a lot of attention in the media. It’s pretty amazing being in the news, and I feel a bit like a famous person. I really hope that my story encourages more Autistic people to start their own businesses. There are a lot of messages I would like the world to hear. The first is that it’s very important for people to talk positively about Autism because we are not burdens on society. We have so much to offer. Our different way of thinking is the reason we have the internet and SpongeBob SquarePants and so many other wonderful, innovative things. Also, please don’t limit us because we are Autistic. Instead of saying someone can’t drive a car, say that they can’t drive a car yet. We are always changing and learning. We have the capacity to achieve great things. Oh, and my mum would tell everyone to read NeuroTribes! It makes me happy that my story can help other Autistic kids and teens. My advice to all of you would be: never stop believing in yourself and surround yourself with people who believe in you! I’m a passionate Potterhead (sorted into the Hogwarts house of Ravenclaw on Pottermore) with a truly unforgettable brain. Literally. Not only am I Autistic, I also have an extremely rare kind of memory called HSAM (Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory). HSAM makes me unable to forget any day of my life. I was diagnosed with HSAM by neuropsychologists from the University of California, Irvine after two years of thorough tests and brain scans. Since the age of nine I’ve been a huge fan of the Harry Potter series. Recess time at school was always difficult for me, and my teacher suggested that I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which had recently been published. I was reluctant to veer from my preferred reading of atlases and other reference books, but once I entered that magical world, it immediately felt like a form of escape. Twenty years later it still feels the same way! I also learned a lot about social skills through Harry Potter by noting how he interacted with others, resolved conflict and even managed his homework! I received my Autism diagnosis as a fifteen-year-old, and although I wasn’t surprised in the slightest, it was still a tough time for me. I had missed out on a lot of much-needed support and understanding at school that comes with a diagnosis and that negatively affected my post-school qualifications. Yet once I graduated from high school, I did my best with my therapies and giving myself my own catch-up lessons. Blogging and public speaking – which I found so much easier than more personal and unpredictable one-on-one speaking – became a way to tell my story and connect with others. As with my love of Harry Potter, my passion for sharing my story continues to this day. It gives me a sense of pride knowing I can provide motivational support to others while also helping people understand Autism better. I am constantly proving people wrong, especially when they have low expectations of me. For instance, two years ago I entered a local Toastmasters speech competition. After the rehearsal, another member of my club took me aside and said that due to my Autism, communication and cognitive difficulties I would never be able to win a competition – but that the losses might be a good learning opportunity for future speeches. Imagine that person’s surprise when I ended up with first place! Saturday, 28 October 2017 was a great day. It’s very important for people to talk about Autism in a positive light because that helps those of us on the spectrum feel more accepting of who we are. The I CAN Network is fabulous because our core purpose is to focus on what Autistic people CAN do instead of on our difficulties. Since I joined the I CAN Network as a speaker/mentor in March of 2017, my life and confidence have changed immensely. For years, I had been struggling to find work and that really affected how I saw myself. When I discovered the I CAN Network, it was such a blessing. Firstly, I was so happy that I could say to everyone, “I’m employed!” However, perhaps the greatest benefit of all was being able to connect with other people like me, learn from them and give advice of my own in an environment where I fit in so easily. I’ve made some wonderful new friends and my social circle has branched out considerably. Due to HSAM, I remember and relive my past from various ages constantly, so there are many things that I would love to tell my younger self. Most importantly, I would tell her that life gets so much easier when you enter adulthood. Once we complete our education at school, we’re able to take a path that is much more our own. Life too isn’t linear; just because one thing doesn’t work out it doesn’t mean that we won’t achieve what we desire in another way in the future. Also, we grow and even mature through our life experiences. Often what we truly desire will change slightly over time. I can remember nearly every past day of my life, but if I had the ability to look into the future, I would like to see a world that truly embraces Autism. For me, that vision would be a world in which Autism is viewed as a normal part of life and that every human on the Autism Spectrum would be viewed as different, not less. Whether we are wizards, muggles or anything in between, everyone should be valued as important members of this world and every person should be accepted as equals. I’m Kyal. I’m Autistic, dyslexic and for the past three years, I have mentored hundreds of Autistic students through the I CAN Network. I am also a huge history buff. I love contemplating things like “Why did the Roman Empire fall?” and what we can learn from that period in time. Even though school was not easy for me, I’ve always had the hunger to learn more. My own personal history includes a really dark period. For most of my school years, I was totally misunderstood inside the classroom – my teachers simply believed that “Kyle needs more discipline” – and I suffered social abuse and violence at the hands of my peers. I was very angry and filled with self-doubt. There’s a lot of garbage floating around about Autism, and garbage is what sticks unless someone offers a more accurate and compelling view. It’s really important that people – especially Autistic young people – see examples of self-pride, confidence and success. If we don’t know what these things look like, it’s hard to know how to get there. A big turning point came when my mum helped me transfer schools to a place where negativity wasn’t accepted, the amazing staff believed in me, and the bullying stopped. I got involved in drama and video production, which helped me start to move outside my negative headspace, see that I was good at something and that I was worthy of having friends. The other big turning point in my personal history was getting connected with the I CAN Network in 2016. I often tell people that “I CAN gave me my ‘me’ back.” At I CAN, we prove that Autistics CAN run the business, CAN influence the education system, CAN be great communicators, CAN make an impact on how young people see themselves and CAN change the way society views Autism. If I could go back in time and tell my younger self something, it would be “You are going to be OK. You are going to find a place where you feel safe.” My personal I CAN Network – my mum, my partner, my grandparents, my I CAN teammates and of course my mentees – makes me feel safe and continues to give me the confidence to take on life. When I was younger, I didn’t see any benefit in being different. Now I see Autism as a strength, especially when society is willing to make adjustments to support us. My world is noisy and vibrant, and I can’t imagine being any other way. If someone offered me a magic pill to make me “normal”, I would tell them where they could stick it! Many of the greatest innovations and creations in our history have been shaped by Autistics. But even if we aren’t the next Leonardo da Vinci, we all have something unique to contribute. Our world would be much duller without Autism! For anyone who wants to help make our world better for Autistics, here is my advice: seek out primary sources, just as you would if you were studying history. When it comes to Autism, the primary sources are people who are Autistic. Get in touch with I CAN, follow Autistic bloggers, connect with Autistics in your community. Ask questions, keep asking questions, challenge the stereotypes, move outside your comfort zone, learn more so that you will know and understand more. We’re all in this together, and we still have work to do to make our world more inclusive. When I think about what a world that embraces Autism would look like, I can’t help but consider it in terms of history. My greatest wish is that someday soon, when I am telling my mentees about my experiences growing up, they will have no point of reference. I hope they will say, “Wow, Kyal, you must have grown up in the Dark Ages”, because things like low expectations, bullying and negativity surrounding Autism will be totally extinct. I am a proud non-binary Autistic advocate. I am the founder and owner of my own business, and enjoy presenting and mentoring. I am currently studying a Bachelor of Speech Pathology with the hope of providing animal-assisted therapy for Neurodivergent individuals. I have a very special connection with animals. I have always been drawn to them and relate to them more strongly than humans. Autism is my life. Autism makes up who I am and so many of my friends and loved ones. Autism has gifted me with greater connectedness to the world around me and a voice for animals and others like me. Whilst there are challenges that come with this, ultimately my sensitivities give me unique insights on life that I have been able to turn into my strengths. I am very lucky to have a huge support network, which includes the mentors and friendships I have made through the I CAN Network. Autistic mentors have been so important in helping me see my potential and worth and in making me feel less abnormal and alone. I have an amazing mother who continues to support me and advocate for me in those moments when I cannot, and encourages me to stand up for my rights and follow my dreams. My grandfather has helped me learn to believe in myself and was my main inspiration for becoming an Autistic advocate. I also have a pretty eclectic and wonderful friendship circle, full of outcasts, Neurodivergent individuals, and the occasional Neurotypical. I gravitate towards those who embrace who I am and who listen to our tribe and our voices. I surround myself with positive like-minded people and try to contribute what I can. I hope that this will create a flow-on effect and reach the right people. I share I CAN’s belief that a better world is possible and achievable, but I also think society still has a long way to go before it is truly inclusive of Autistics. I believe most people are aware of Autism, but the question is, do they understand it, and, most important of all, do they accept it? Ironically, despite some claims that Autistics are not very empathetic, I believe society at large should try more to put themselves in our shoes and understand what it feels like to be in an oftentimes noisy and overwhelming world. We only have to look at the low employment rates of Autistic people to see that there needs to be more understanding of our strengths as well as our difficulties, and how valuable we can be if we are included in the workplace environment. If I could give my younger self – and all Autistic young people out there – one piece of advice, it would be: love yourself. Self-acceptance and self-love are some of the most vital things to develop. As Autistics, we are going to face challenges, often significant ones, but if we believe in ourselves and our self-worth, we can achieve truly great things. Sometimes life is painful, but life can also be rewarding and exciting. For parents, teachers and other influential people in our lives, my message is this: it’s really important to highlight our strengths and give hope to us Autistic young people. Demonstrating the positive aspects of Autism helps us accept and love our Autism and have a positive Autistic identity. This is vital for our mental health. We already know how we struggle, so it is far more helpful to show where we can succeed and what ways we can contribute to society. And lastly, if I could deliver one take-home message to the world: Please listen. We all have our individual perspectives of Autism, and there is often a lot more that occurs under the surface. We want to be heard. We want to be loved. We want to and deserve to be included. Every step is a step, great or small. This could be as simple as allowing us to use technology in the classroom, providing sensory spaces, or working out what mode of communication suits us best. You find us in all walks of life and at all ages – we are students, artists, scientists, teachers, parents, and more. Please listen to our voices. Kristy, Lijy’s Mum: Everyone communicates. In raising Lijy, I’ve really come to appreciate that there is so much more to communication than spoken words. Lijy has a gift of warmth and love. The way he expresses these things takes my breath away. That’s not just a proud mum’s opinion either! In the words of almost everyone who meets him, Lijy is an absolute joy. He loves life in a way that is quite contagious. People cannot help but smile when they watch him for more than a few minutes. He also has many varied struggles, but he happily laughs, flaps and spins his way through life. He adores nature, and we are convinced that he communicates with the trees, ocean, birds and other animals. Lijy is a skilful gymnast (especially on the trampoline), has amazing memory, attention to tiny detail, and a love for numbers and music. When all other means of communication aren’t working for him (e.g., hand over hand, PECS, communication device with the LAMP program), music is something that never fails. He seems to learn best through music, which appears to be his language. He has songs to wake up to, songs to get ready for school, songs for the drive in the car, songs to help transition from place to place and the most important of all – bath time and bedtime songs. Everyone who knows and works with Lijy believes he does understand far more than any of us realise, and we believe wholeheartedly that one day he will find the best way to convey his thoughts to others. In the meantime, we will keep following his lead and trying to learn from him. To me, as a parent, Autism is an intrinsic part of who Lijy is and that is a beautiful thing. I would not want Lijy to be anyone other than exactly who he is. Autism means that Lijy sees and experiences the world differently to me, and I give thanks daily that he is patient enough to try to share his view with me. Sadly, outside of our wonderful bubble of accepting friends, family and teachers, I don’t think society as a whole is very inclusive yet. Often when we are out and about, we get looks of judgement, harsh words and a complete lack of understanding. It saddens me as a parent, but I am comforted by the fact that Lijy appears to be completely confident and proud of the fact he is Autistic. Everything about the way he carries himself yells “I am proud and nothing you say or do can bring me down!” We hear negative language around Autism and other disabilities all the time. It’s time for people to realise that disability and Autism are not dirty words. We need to flip the narrative. Yes, there can be a lot of difficulties; most of these happen because society doesn’t provide the right support and understanding. Autism should not be feared but embraced. When Lijy was diagnosed, the most common phrases I heard were “he can’t” and “he will never …” Now we know that, with the right support and mindsets, he can and maybe someday he will! That’s why we love the I CAN Network. They not only support Autistic young people in such a powerful way but educate and encourage society as a whole to understand the strengths that come from Autistic minds. With all of the talk of deficits that typically surrounds Autism, I CAN is like a breath of fresh air! I can’t wait for Lijy to be old enough to take part. If people reading this want to make our world more inclusive for Lijy and other Autistics, the first step is being more open to listening to Autistic voices from all different backgrounds. And if you really want to have a broader appreciation of what Autism is and how amazing the community can be, seek out lots of Autistic friends! Ever since my son was diagnosed, I have surrounded myself with his tribe. I am so much better for it. I believe Lijy is too, as I have a better understanding of how he sees the world and how I can help support him to be the best he can be … though he is doing a pretty awesome job all by himself!

Whether you want to write fiction/non-fiction, plays and poems, Ignite is for you! Whether you’ve written before or are an absolute beginner, you are very welcome. With Ignite, you aren’t expected to write for big chunks of time or to share work. You’ll develop your skills and confidence in a small, supportive group, joining us at for live in two-hour workshops each week. You’ll learn how to push through doubt, reduce fear of the blank page, become disciplined in your practice and enjoy writing so much more. You’ll become skilled in characterisation, dialogue, creating dynamic settings and other essential writing techniques. If you haven’t written creatively before but always wanted to, or if you haven’t written for some time and want to kick-start your practice, then this low-cost, intensive course is for you. Hundreds of women and non-binary writers have graduated from Write like a Grrrl. Join us for this low-cost course!

Proud To Run, presented by Frontrunners Chicago, celebrated 38 years with its annual 5K run/walk, 10K run and, for the first time ever, a half-marathon on June 29 at The Grove, just north of Montrose Harbor. Like last year, Proud To Run's theme was "Run Forward." Race results were immediately available at the event for the 2,204 participants. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her daughter, Vivian, came to cheer on the runners and walkers at the finish line and hand them their medals. Lightfoot also spoke to participants and volunteers ahead of the awards and beneficiaries presentation. Since its inception, Proud To Run has raised more than $600,000 for various local LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS organizations. "It was a dream come true to invite Mayor Lightfoot to speak this year," said Proud To Run Co-Director John Avila. "It was also great to have her walk through our race village and mingle with the crowd. I was so proud to be part of this icon Chicago LGBTQ event." "The passion and commitment of recent race directors have significantly raised the prominence of Proud To Run in the eyes of the entire Chicago community," said Proud to Run Co-Director John Bowen. "The future looks very bright for this event that adds so much to Chicago's Pride celebrations." Award-winning WGN-TV reporter Mike Lowe returned for the second year in a row to emcee the event. Lowe brought Lightfoot to the stage; announced the first-, second- and third-place winners in each category and introduced each beneficiary representative: About Face Theater Artistic Director Megan Carney, GenderCool Project Co-Founder Jennifer Grosshandler, HOME Executive Director Gail Schechter and LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois Director Jerome' Holston. Lowe said this year's event was dedicated to Patricia Nell Warren, author of The Frontrunner: A Novel. ( Warren passed away in February of this year. ) "I am so proud and humbled to be your mayor," said Lightfoot. "I am especially proud to be here on Pride weekend." Lightfoot spoke about having a lot to celebrate as an LGBTQ community. "Chicago is a beacon of hope," said Lightfoot. "It is a place where people from all over the country can visit and have a moment where they can live their full authentic lives." Lightfoot said a number of LGBTQ youth are still suffering because their families have rejected them after they have come out, adding that a few LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness will be riding with her during the Pride Parade. Lightfoot also spoke about looking out for the transgender community, and that other communities need support, including Muslims, Jewish people and immigrants. "We must continue to fight against hate wherever it rears its ugly head," said Lightfoot. "Not in our city, not in these times." Carney said the grant money will be used so About Face Theater can tour more and spread its message. Grosshandler spoke about her transgender daughter, Chazzie ,and the origins of the GenderCool Project that she co-founded with Gearah Goldstein. She explained that the organization is youth-led and focused on spreading a positive message across the country. One of the GenderCool Champions, Gia ,also spoke. Schechter said HOME is the only organization in Chicago that provides intergenerational affordable housing, and is focused on building inclusive and diverse communities. Holston noted that the LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois is 23 years old and has grown to about 300 businesses. The half-marathon's first-place winners were Melissa Kuhlman ( women ), Steve Browne ( men ) and Ing Swenson ( non-binary ). First-place winners in the 5K race were Amanda Porter ( women ), Nick Fagan ( men ) and Dan Solera ( non-binary ). The 10K race winners were Mallory Dreyer ( women ), Alvaro Montoya ( men ) and Chris Ramacciotti ( non-binary ). The 5K mixed-gender team winner was "That hustle. That jam." and the 10K mixed gender team winner was from United Airlines. Frontrunners Chicago Former President and Proud To Run Former Director David Reithoffer presented Frontrunners Chicago Former President and Proud To Run Former Director Corbin Woodling with a plaque that honored his years of service with the organization. Ahead of the races, Lakeshore Sports & Fitness' Nicole Thomas led participants in warm-up exercises and local transgender singer Molly Jane Powers performed the National Anthem. Chicago Spirit Brigade cheered on participants at the start and finish lines and the Lakeside Pride Brass Quintet performed at the finish line. Following the races, Urban Pooch head trainer Jim Bahr and his dogs performed an agility demonstration, Chicago Spirit Brigade showcased its signature dance moves and Tiny Bubbles Ukulele Ensemble performed. Urban Pooch co-founders and co-owners Ed Kaczmarek and Dan Gaughan ( who are also a married couple ) spoke about the company's seven-year involvement with Proud To Run and what it means to them. Also, Windy City Cycling Club members guided runners/walkers along the race course. Sponsors included Ankura, Bswift, CMSA, Cushman & Wakefield, Fifth-Third Bank, Fitness Formula Clubs, Fleet Feet Chicago, Fred Astaire Dance Studio, here, Jewel-Osco, joyboi Smoothie Bowls, Lakeshore Sport & Fitness, Neurosport Physical Therapy, PepsiCo, Protiviti, RSM, Running to the Beat, SAGIN LLC, Sapphire, Solving IT, TBI, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Thorek Memorial Hospital, Townie, United Airlines, Urban Pooch, William Blair & Company, and ZS. See frontrunnerschicago.com/proud-to-run-chicago/ .

How can constraint solvers best exploit parallel processing when all workstations, laptops, tablets and even phones are multicore computers? To address this question we review the literature on exploiting parallel processing in constraint solving. We start by looking at the justification for the multicore architecture, the direction it is most likely to take and limiting factors on performance. We then review recent literature on parallel constraint programming and SAT solving. We have organized the survey into four categories, as follows. Parallel consistency and propagation (Section 3), where constraint propagation algorithms are parallelized. Multi-agent search (Section 4), where multiple agents attempt to solve the problem in parallel while sharing useful information. Parallelizing the search process (Section 5), in which the search process is split among multiple workers in some way. Portfolios (Section 6), where a set of diverse solvers are selected to run in parallel until one of them solves the problem. Our survey is focused on approaches to parallelism developed in the constraint programming and SAT communities. A number of surveys of related areas have previously appeared, whose contributions we gratefully acknowledge and cite below where they overlap with our concerns. These include surveys of parallel solving in SAT [Martins et al. (2012), Hölldobler et al. (2011), Singer (2006)], Distributed Constraint Satisfaction [Yokoo and Hirayama (2000), Faltings (2006)], algorithm selection and portfolios [Kotthoff (2014)], Concurrent Constraint Programming [Frühwirth et al. (2006)], and a proposal of seven challenges for future research in parallel SAT [Hamadi and Wintersteiger (2013)]. Other surveys address closely related problems amenable to parallelisation, but fall outside the scope of this paper’s focus on constraint solving. For example, Mixed integer linear programming (MILP) is a powerful technique from the operations research community for solving discrete optimization problems: Ralphs et al2017 have written an excellent survey of parallel MILP solving. 2 The Hardware: Multicore, GPU and Amdahl’s Law Written in 2006, Intel’s White Paper Held et al. (2006) starts by saying “… two cores are here now, and quad cores are right around the corner”. Now, 16 and 32 core machines are commonly available. But why go multi-core? In the past performance improvements could be taken for granted as clock speeds increased (from 5 MHz in 1978 to more than 4 GHz in 2018), component size decreased, and chip density increased. Three reasons are given for the shift to multi-core. First, although component size continues to fall, power-thermal issues limit performance, so we can no longer simply increase clock speeds. Secondly, power consumption: individual cores can be tuned for different usages (e.g. dedicating hardware resources to specific functions), and when not in use cores can be powered down. And thirdly, rapid design cycles: hardware designs can be reused across generations. What are the major challenges? Intel put top of their list “programmability”, that the platform must address new and existing programming models. And then “adaptability”, such that the platform can be dynamically reconfigured to conserve power. Of course “reliability”, “trust”, and “scalability” are also important, as we increase cores we cannot compromise the correctness of the hardware. Intel considers development of multi-core software to be amongst the greatest challenges for tera-scale computing, specifically with regard to ensuring that “there are compelling applications and workloads that exploit the massive compute density” and that “multiprocessing adds a time dimension that is extremely difficult for software developers to cope with”. They give a further justification for the multi-core architecture: “… why tomorrow’s applications need so many threads. The answer is that those advanced, intelligent applications require supercomputing capabilities, and the accompanying parallelism that allows those applications to proceed in real-time. … it requires an equally massive shift in hardware and software.” Intel’s tera-scale computing vision is to aim for hundreds of cores on a chip, giving the capability of performing trillions of calculations per second on trillions of bytes of data with a stated goal “… a 10improvement in performance per watt over the next 10 years.” Held et al. (2006). How close are we to that goal? In 2006 two core machines existed. At the time of writing in 2017, Intel are selling server chips with 24 physical cores (48 threads with hyperthreading) running at 2.40 GHz. Their Teraflops Research Chip (Polaris) contains 80 cores. But there is a shadow cast over this optimism: Amdahl’s law. Amdahl’s law predicts the maximum speedup that can be expected from a system as we increase the number of processors. The law assumes that a program is composed of a parallel part and a sequential part , such that . The expected speed up is then , where is the number of processors. As tends to infinity Amdahl’s law predicts that maximum speedup will be , as the original term tends to zero. As an example if we had , so 99% of our problem can parallelised, 64 processors would run our program 39 times faster. For 128 processors the speedup is 56 times, for 1024 processors it is 91. As the number of processors continues to increase the speedup tends to 100. If the law predicts a maximum speed up of 10, and if half only our program can be parallelized, and maximum speed up is 2, regardless of the number of processors available. It was this argument, in the late 1960’s, that encouraged hardware development away from multi-processor and towards faster processors. In the late 1980’s Gustafson 1988 argued that Amdahl’s law is overly pessimistic, as it assumes that as we increase the available parallel processors we continue to keep the workload fixed and hope for reduced runtime. That is, it is a “fixed-size speedup” model and assumes and are independent; multi-processing is only used to improve response time. Gustafson assumes that problem size also scales with the number of processors, i.e. as we get more processors we increase the problem size and that run time, not problem size, is a constant. Gustafson observed that the parallel or vector parts of a program scales with problem size and the serial part does not (it diminishes proportionally). Consequently as we get more processors the workload grows andincreases resulting in an increase in speedup. This is the “fixed-time speedup” model and an example is weather forecasting, where we use multi-processors to increase the quality of our results (the weather prediction) in a fixed amount of time (before the evening news). Perhaps this model is more appropriate for parallel constraint solving where we are always striving to solve larger and harder instances. The constraints community has a long history of engaging with the challenges involved in concurrent and parallel programming. Concurrent Constraint Logic Programming was developed in the 1980s Maher (1987); Furukawa and Ueda (1988) followed by, outside the context of logic programming, Concurrent Constraint Programming Saraswat and Rinard (1990); Henz et al. (1993); Frühwirth et al. (2006). This led to incorporation of constraint reasoning into multi-paradigm languages such as Mozart Van Roy and Haridi (1999). However, ongoing developments in efficient constraint solving have meant that constraint techniques now seem less suitable for integration into the heart of languages like Mozart. As a result, constraints are no longer available in the first release of Mozart 2: It is planned to retain constraint solving in Mozart via linkage to the constraints library Gecode Gecode Team (2006). One current area of great interest is solving on GPUs. Almost all modern desktops and laptops provide a powerful GPU, and there are several popular methods of utilising GPUs, including CUDA111http://www.nvidia.com/object/cuda_home_new.html and OpenCL222https://www.khronos.org/opencl/. Using GPUs has led to orders of magnitude improvement on many important problems, including nearest neighbour Garcia et al. (2008), MaxSAT Munawar et al. (2009), SAT Manolios and Zhang (2006); Dal Palù et al. (2015) and Constraint-Based Local Search Arbelaez and Codognet (2014). One common thread in these papers is that applying a GPU provides the greatest improvements on problems which can be solved by massively parallel simple calculations. GPUs are not a silver bullet, and direct ports of existing algorithms to a GPU architecture often perform poorly. 3 Parallel Consistency and Propagation In 1990 Kasif (1990) showed that the problem of establishing arc-consistency (AC) is P-complete i.e. the problem is not inherently parallelisable under the usual complexity assumptions. This is done by giving log-space reductions of AC to Horn-clause satisfaction and vice versa. A major open problem in complexity theory is whether NC=P, where NC is “Nick’s Class”, the class of problems that can be solved in polylog time using polynomially many processors. Kasif therefore showed that in the worst case we cannot establish arc-consistency exponentially faster with a polynomial number of processors, unless NC=P. This is no surprise, as we have to do a chain of deductions in arc-consistency, where each depends on (some subset of) the preceding ones. We can read this result as being fatal to the enterprise of parallel consistency, but then, it is not fatal to solving constraint problems that they are NP-complete! So we have to take P-completeness into account rather than regard it as fatal. While the general case of AC is P-complete, researchers have found special cases of problems that are in NC. While solving CSPs whose constraint graph is acyclic was known to be in P Freuder (1982), Zhang and Mackworth showed that it was also in NC for constraints of arbitrary arity Zhang and Mackworth (1991). Kasif and Delcher analysed a wider range of restrictions on the constraint graph Kasif and Delcher (1994), while for arbitrary constraint graphs Kirousis gave a restriction on constraint relations being used which also leads to membership of NC Kirousis (1993). 3.1 Parallel Arc-Consistency There has been a steady stream of work on distributed consistency algorithms. One of the justifications of this is that the problem itself may be distributed geographically or due to organisational structures, as in Prosser et al. (1992) and discussed further in Section 4.2. The other justification is speed, which we discuss here. Here, the P-completeness of arc-consistency need not be fatal: it does not exclude the possibility of obtaining useful speedup from parallel processing. For binary constraints, Kasif and Delcher showed that if a problem has variables with domain size , then AC can be solved in time using processors, as long as the constraint graph contains constraints Kasif and Delcher (1994). Nguyen and Deville presented a distributed AC-4 algorithm DisAC-4 Nguyen and Deville (1995, 1998). The algorithm is based on message passing. The variables are partitioned among the workers, and each worker essentially maintains the AC4 data structures for its set of variables. When a worker deduces a domain deletion, this is broadcast to all other workers. Each worker maintains a list of domain deletions to process (some generated locally and others received from another worker). The worker reaches a fixpoint itself before broadcasting any domain deletions, and waiting for new messages from other workers. The whole system reaches a fixpoint when every worker has processed every domain deletion. It may be a difficult problem to partition the variables such that the work is evenly distributed. The experimental results are mixed, with some experiments showing close to linear speedup, while others show only 1.5 times speedup with 8 processors. A similar approach led to algorithms DisAC-3 and DisAC-6 based on their sequential counterparts AC-3 and AC-6 Baudot and Deville (1997). Hamadi 2002 presented an optimal distributed AC algorithm, DisAC-9, optimal with respect to message passing whilst outperforming the fastest centalized algorithms. 3.2 Parallel Propagation of Non-Binary Constraints Ruiz-Andino, Araujo, Sáenz and Ruz 1998 presented a distributed propagation algorithm for -ary functional constraints. These constraints are represented as indexicals, where each variable in the scope of the constraint has a functional expression defining its domain. For example, given the constraint , the indexical for is . The CSP is split into subsets such that each constraint appears in exactly one subset. If a variable is associated with constraints in more than one set then that variable is duplicated. Each subset is propagated sequentially by its own processor and any domain reductions of variables shared between processors is communicated between processors. The experiments presented show the relative performance gains by increasing the number of cores they make available to their algorithm. First consistency is established, then a variable assignment is made and consistency is re-established. This is repeated until a solution is found or a variable domain is wiped-out. The performance of this technique is highly dependent on the quality of the distribution of the CSP, which is a difficult problem in itself. The conflicting optimisation criteria for quality of a constraint distribution are minimising the network traffic whilst maximising the distribution of the propagation frontier. It appears that this technique will not handle high arity constraints well due to increased communication cost. Parallel propagation has been proposed for numerical problems, where the variable domains are infinite. Domains are represented as an interval using two floating-point numbers, and the objective of propagation is to narrow the intervals. Although numerical constraint satisfaction is not the focus of this survey, we would like to mention one paper. Granvilliers and Hains 2000 proposed a parallel propagation algorithm for non-linear constraints. This was evaluated on a Cray multiprocessor. The gain from using 64 processors (compared to 1 processor) varies from almost nothing to about 6 times, depending on the problem instance. Rolf and Kuchcinski 2010 parallelise both search and consistency (we discuss parallelisation of search in Section 5). They take a different approach to parallelising consistency, by splitting the set of constraints to be propagated among threads, rather than parallelising the work of a single constraint. They begin with an example demonstrating that a simple search parallelism scheme is at the mercy of the location of the solution(s) in the search tree. If they are all going to be found by the first thread anyway, the others are just adding overhead. They introduce some terminology: parallel search, a type of OR parallelism and therefore data parallelism; and parallel consistency, a type of AND parallelism and therefore task parallelism. They claim that, for many models, solvers spend an order of magnitude more time enforcing consistency than they do searching, in which case data parallelism is less suitable. Another flaw is that data parallelism naturally puts more stress on the memory bus Sun and Chen (2010). In their approach to parallel consistency, they require synchronization of pruning, but do not share data during pruning to avoid upsetting the internal data structures of global constraints. Rather than fixing which threads deal with which constraints, at each node each consistency thread takes a set of constraints to propagate from the queue. When all constraints in the queue have been processed, updates are actually committed. The process can stop early if one of the threads detects inconsistency. When combining both parallel search and consistency, each search thread gets an associated set of consistency threads. An alternative architecture is briefly discussed in which all threads take from a shared work pool, but the authors claim that scheduling uptake from this pool could be prohibitively complex. Experiments are on Sudoku and -Queens using up to 64 threads on 8 cores. The gains are modest. They identify three problems: inefficiencies in parallel consistency caused by not sharing data, the synchronization of pruning described, and third the memory bus. Campeotto et al 2014 investigated parallel propagation using a GPU architecture and the NVIDIA CUDA programming model. Each constraint is assigned its own block of threads on the GPU, and some propagators are further parallelised by filtering each variable in a separate thread. Also, the constraints may be divided between the host CPU and the GPU to add another level of parallelism. The work focuses on efficient propagation of the inverse constraint and the positive table constraint. Modest speedups are reported when using the GPU (compared to the host CPU alone), with the highest being 6.6 times. 3.3 Parallel Unit Propagation in SAT Conflict-Driven Clause Learning (CDCL) SAT solvers are the most successful class of SAT solvers for structured instances, and efficient unit propagation is central to their success. Dal Palù et al 2015 proposed a parallel unit propagation algorithm implemented on a GPU architecture, demonstrating approximately one order of magnitude speed-up compared to the host CPU. However they used an exotic unit propagation algorithm without watched literals. They also implemented a version with watched literals but noted that the speedup compared to the sequential version was negligible. It is not clear whether their techniques could be applied to a modern SAT solver with watched literal unit propagation. Manthey proposed a method to parallelise unit propagation using a multi-core shared memory architecture 2011b. One thread drives the CDCL search and performs all operations except unit propagation sequentially. Other threads are only active when the solver is performing unit propagation. The set of clauses is partitioned among the threads. Each thread propagates its own clauses and records any implied literals in its own queue. Then a thread checks all other threads for new implied literals in a way that is lock- and wait-free, and copies them into its own queue for processing. He reported a speedup of 1.57 times using two threads, and found that the approach does not scale beyond two threads. The method has been slightly refined in a later work by the same author Manthey (2011a). 3.4 Parallel Update in Local Search Local search methods such as Constraint-Based Local Search (CBLS) Hentenryck and Michel (2009) start with a complete assignment that may violate some of the constraints. At each step, a change is made to the assignment with the goal of converging on a satisfying assignment (optionally optimising some criteria). For parallel implementation of local search, Verhoeven and Aarts 1995 introduced the notion of ‘multi-walk’ and ‘single-walk’. A multi-walk search uses parallelisation to explore multiple parts of the search space at the same time, with parallel independent or loosely interacting local search processes. A single-walk search is an inherently sequential search, but the calculation of neighbourhoods and/or update of search state may be performed in parallel. Most work on parallel local search has focused on multi-walk parallelisation, as described in Section 5.2. An example of parallel state update in local search is GENET, a neural network local search method for CSPsWang and Tsang (1991); Davenport et al. (1994). The convergence cycle in GENET involves each node updating in parallel Davenport et al. (1994). GENET was designed to be implemented on VLSI hardware Wang and Tsang (1992). Negative results on parallelising update within the Adaptive Search method were reported in the Partitioned Global Address Space model Munera et al. (2014). Single-walk and multi-walk approaches can be combined: i.e. a multi-walk search can be implemented in which individual search is itself parallelised. The use of GPUs is attractive in this case, given the cost effectiveness per thread and also the fact that the thread architecture of GPUs matches well with the architecture of local search Arbelaez and Codognet (2014). CBLS has been implemented using a GPU for the number partitioning, magic squares, and Costas array problems, obtaining promising results Arbelaez and Codognet (2014). Speedups of up to 17 times were obtained for the first two problem classes, with a much lesser speedup for the Costas array problem since the neighbourhoods were so small that a pure multi-walk approach was used. Large neighbourhood search (LNS) is a powerful local search technique for constraint optimisation problems. Given a complete assignment that satisfies all constraints, conventional LNS attempts to improve its objective value by relaxing (unassigning) a subset of the variables (called a neighbourhood) and searching for an improved assignment within that neighbourhood. Campeotto et al Campeotto et al. (2014) parallelise LNS on a GPU architecture, firstly by exploring multiple neighbourhoods in parallel and secondly by parallelising the search within each neighbourhood. Promising results are presented where the GPU LNS algorithm is compared to a CPU implementation of the same, and compared to a conventional LNS implementation in a CP solver. 3.5 Parallel Singleton Arc-Consistency In Gharbi (2015) a master/worker architecture is proposed where the master performs a backtracking search and workers compute a high level of consistency, one that is not normally considered economical. That is, the master performs a relatively shallow inferencing search (i.e. maintaining generalised arc-consistency) while workers perform deep inference (i.e. singleton arc-consistency), communicating with each other via a collection of shared stacks. The architecture might be thought of as the workers being deep thinkers capable of interrupting an unencumbered searcher. The empirical study gives inconclusive results, but does point the way to exploiting this architecture with various levels of consistency, not just SAC. 4 Multi-Agent Search In multi-agent search we have one problem and a collection of cooperating problem solving agents that execute in parallel. The agents may be diverse, and in fact diversity is a desirable property. When multi-agent search is applied to conventional constraint satisfaction problems, each agent has a copy of the whole problem and is capable of solving the problem independently. The agents work on their own copy of the problem and they collaborate in some way. Multi-agent search is also applied to the Distributed Constraint Satisfaction Problem (DCSP) where each agent sees only part of the problem, and therefore no single agent can solve the entire problem alone. We give an overview of DCSP solving techniques in Section 4.2. Assuming we have processors, a speedup of less than is sub-linear, equal to linear, greater than super-linear. Probably the first report of super-linear speedup is due to Rao and Kumar1988 in parallel depth-first search on the 15-puzzle. They argue that if all solutions are uniformly distributed about the state space then average speedup can be super-linear. The next body of work to report the phenomenon of super-linear speedup was multi-agent search. One of the earliest examples of this is due to Clearwater, Huberman and Hogg1991. To demonstrate the power of cooperative problem solving they investigated the time to solve word puzzles, posed as constraint satisfaction problems, using a collection of agents. Each agent could solve the problem independently. Agents wrote hints to a shared blackboard, and agents randomly read hints from the blackboard whilst solving the problem. As the number of agents increases, and the diversity amongst agents increases, a combinatorial implosion occurs with a subsequent super-linear speedup in problem solving. They present as an explanation of this phenomena “… the appearance of a lognormal distribution in the effectiveness of an individual agent’s problem solving. The enhanced tail of this distribution guarantees the existence of some agents with superior performance.” The idea of multi-agent search was further explored in the portfolio-based search proposed by Gomes and Selman 2001. A portfolio is a multi-agent search with no communication between the agents. Portfolios are surveyed in Section 6. 4.1 Multi-agent Search in SAT The SAT community has been quick to exploit multi-agent search. An excellent survey of parallel SAT solving by Martins, Manquinho and Lynce 2012 identifies multi-agent search (named portfolios in their paper) as one of two main approaches to parallelism in SAT, with search-space splitting being the other main approach (covered in Section 5.5 below). Hölldobler et al 2011 gave a short survey of complete parallel SAT solvers, including multi-agent approaches. An earlier survey is also available Singer (2006) but is largely superseded by Martins et al 2012. In this section we survey a small number of the most notable multi-agent SAT solvers, and refer the reader to the earlier surveys Martins et al. (2012); Hölldobler et al. (2011); Singer (2006) for more detail. We focus on Conflict-Driven Clause Learning (CDCL) SAT solvers because they have been the most successful on structured SAT instances in recent years. CDCL SAT solvers generate learned clauses that are entailed by the original formula. Sharing these learned clauses is a key opportunity for multi-agent SAT solving. First we consider a line of work where a small number of agents communicate intensively through shared memory. ManySAT Hamadi et al. (2009b) exploits one of the main weaknesses of DPLL solvers, namely their sensitivity to parameter tuning, to create a set of diverse SAT solvers. Each SAT solver operates on the entire formula, and with an unrestricted search (i.e. the search space is not divided among the agents). In the original (1.0) version of ManySAT, the SAT solvers share learned clauses of length 8 or less. The length limit is intended to allow the most important learned clauses to be shared while avoiding the overhead of sharing all learned clauses. ManySAT has four agents, each with a hand-crafted set of parameter values. In the improved ManySAT 1.1 Hamadi et al. (2009a) each pair of agents has a dynamically adjusted length limit. The limits are adjusted based on the rate that shared clauses are received and also on quality (which is a measure of the relevance of shared clauses to the search process of the solver receiving them). ManySAT 1.5 Guo et al. (2010) takes a somewhat different approach where two of the agents are masters and the other two are slaves. Each master directs the search of one slave in order to improve the quality of learned clauses transmitted from the slave to the master. In essence ManySAT is an invocation of Clearwater, Huberman and Hogg’s cooperative problem solving strategy, but rather than share hints agents share nogoods, i.e. facts as to where solutions cannot exist. ManySAT has been successful in SAT competitions, suggesting that intensive clause sharing is an interesting strategy for shared memory systems. ManySAT 1.0 won the parallel track of SAT-Race 2008, while version 1.1 won the parallel track of the SAT 2009 competition. Version 1.5 came second in the parallel track of SAT-Race 2010. Interleaving search with inprocessing Järvisalo et al. (2012) has been shown to extend the reach of sequential CDCL solvers. Inprocessing simplifies the formula by applying a set of rules. An example is identifying two literals that take the same value in all solutions and replacing one literal with the other throughout. Inprocessing typically has a large set of configurations, so it can serve as another source of diversity. Plingeling is a multi-agent solver that exploits inprocessing. It builds on the highly efficient sequential solver Lingeling Biere (2010); Järvisalo et al. (2012) by running versions of Lingeling in parallel with different random seeds, different configurations of inprocessing, and a different initial variable and value ordering. In the 2010 version of Plingeling Biere (2010) only unit clauses (i.e. assignments of SAT variables) are shared between agents. Despite this very simple clause sharing scheme, Plingeling has been highly successful. Plingeling won the SAT-Race 2010 parallel track. Martins et al 2012 compared Plingeling with all three versions of ManySAT and a number of other (less successful) solvers. The solvers were allowed four parallel threads. Plingeling performed best overall despite having the worst speedup factor (compared to the sequential version of the same solver) of only 1.60. It seems the strength of the underlying solver is more important than parallelism in this case. Plingeling has continued to improve alongside the sequential solver Lingeling. In 2013 the authors introduced sharing of clauses up to length 40 Biere (2013). Plingeling continues to do well in competitions: it came second in the parallel track of the SAT 2016 competition, after its sister solver Treengeling Biere (2013) (which is based on dividing the problem instance). All the above approaches rely on shared memory for fast communication between the agents. In contrast, Hyvärinen, Junttila and Niemelä 2009 investigated parallel SAT solving in distributed computing environments without shared memory. They report experiments with up to 96 parallel workers. They proposed Clause Learning Simple Distributed SAT (CL-SDSAT), where the technique is to run multiple independent randomized SAT solvers with no direct communication. Each worker is given a time limit. When a solver times out, it shares some of its learned clauses with the master. The shared clauses from workers are combined centrally, and whenever a new worker is started it is given the current set of shared clauses. Filtering the shared clauses is key to this approach. Hyvärinen et al 2009 propose that the workers should share their shortest clauses, and the central store should select clauses that have been learned independently by the largest number of workers. CL-SDSAT can be instantiated with any sequential SAT solver with minimal changes. An analysis of the runtime distribution of the randomized workers shows that the technique can perform well simply because some workers will have short runtimes. Also the clause sharing scheme is shown to reduce the expected runtime of workers. CL-SDSAT is not shown to achieve a linear or super-linear speedup, so it is probably most useful for very hard instances where an answer is required in a short time. Recent work by Balyo, Sanders and Sinz 2015 broadly follows the same approach of diversification and clause sharing. The system is designed for a cluster of computers each of which has multiple cores and shared memory, therefore communication takes advantage of shared memory when it is available. As in CL-SDSAT, short clauses are preferred for sharing. They report results of experiments on up to 2048 cores. Mean and median speedups are reported, and in some cases the mean speedup is super-linear however the median is sub-linear. On a less positive note, a recent study has shown that resolution refutations (i.e. resolution proofs of unsatisfiability) produced by sequential SAT solvers are typically very deep and contain many bottlenecks (depths where the proof contains a small number of clauses) that must be processed sequentially Katsirelos et al. (2013). They conclude that it is impossible to produce such refutations with a high degree of parallelism, limiting the speedup of multi-agent search in SAT. The major assumption is that parallel solvers produce similar resolution refutations to sequential solvers. It is not clear how the findings apply to satisfiable instances, or indeed to parallel search (Section 5.5) where the solver produces resolution refutations in parallel for each fragment of the search space. Of the seven challenges posed by Hamadi and Wintersteiger 2013 , the most relevant here is the challenge to improve estimates of the local quality of incoming (shared) clauses. Many solvers simply prefer short clauses or employ fixed limits on clause length or the value of a heuristicBiere (2013); Balyo et al. (2015). However there has been work on measuring the relevance of imported clauses Audemard et al. (2012), and on managing imported clauses separately to reduce overheads and protect the importing thread from being swamped Audemard et al. (2012); Audemard and Simon (2014). In our view the challenge has not been comprehensively addressed. To conclude, multi-agent search with shared clauses is a popular and successful approach to parallel SAT. How it compares to other approaches such as search splitting is the topic of on-going research. 4.2 Distributed Constraint Satisfaction and Optimisation Problems The Distributed Constraint Satisfaction Problem (DCSP) and its optimisation equivalent (DCOP) is an area of multi-agent systems that has been extensively researched over many years. DCSPs and DCOPs have been solved using asynchronous backtracking techniques Yokoo et al. (1992) and also by distributed local search techniques Hirayama and Yokoo (2005); Zhang et al. (2005). Excellent surveys have has been written by Yokoo and Hirayama 2000 and by Faltings 2006. There is a critical distinction between DCSPs and conventional CSPs - called ‘centralized’ CSPs by Yokoo and Hirayama. In a DCSP, no agent holds the entire CSP: indeed each variable in the CSP is owned by a given agent, and inter-agent constraints exist between variables held by different agents. Some of these constraints may not yet be known by an agent, and become known by message-passing. An example would be allocation of nurses to shifts in a hospital containing several departments: to a large extent each department can allocate its nurses independently, but there will be inter-departmental constraints which may invalidate a schedule proposed by one department. Thus, although DCSP does address parallel constraint solving, the research motivation is different. Yokoo and Hirayama state: “Of course, even if the research motivations are different, the same algorithm might be useful for both. However, as far as authors know, existing parallel/distributed processing methods for solving CSPs are not suitable for distributed CSPs, since they usually require some global knowledge/control among agents.” This conclusion has not remained universally true, since Hamadi’s DisAC-9 algorithm has attracted interest from both points of view Hamadi (2002). Nevertheless, most research on DCSP and DCOP has focussed on the case of a distributed problem rather than the distributed solution of a centralized problem. The latter is our focus here. DCSP techniques were used to parallelise the search to a centralized CSP Salido and Barber (2006). A graph partitioning algorithm was used to divide the original CSP into an appropriate number of subproblems, in this case 10, aiming to minimise the number of variables shared between subproblems. The subproblems were then solved concurrently, with communication between agents to ensure consistency on the shared variables. We do not attempt to survey the large amount of ongoing research into non-centralized DCSP and DCOPs. Research has continued intensively with a particular focus on the optimisation variant DCOP, such as for example Grinshpoun et al. (2013); Wahbi and Brown (2014); Zivan et al. (2015); Netzer et al. (2016); Sassi et al. (2017); Fioretto et al. (2014, 2015); Fioretto et al. (2016). Significant systems have been built for reasoning on DCSPs and DCOPS, including FRODO Léauté et al. (2009) and DisChoco Wahbi and Brown (2014). 5 Parallelizing the Search Process By “parallelizing the search process” we mean search parallelism at the granularity of nodes or search states, hence each worker is close to being a standard sequential constraint process but they are collectively orchestrated to be part of the same overall search process. We refer below to both local and complete search. For local search, parallelism has been used to increase the number of starting points available in the local search Michel et al. (2006). For complete backtracking search, the issues we will highlight include: how the search space is divided between workers; how workers communicate what portions of search they have completed and what new solutions and improvements to their optimisation function they have found; how state is shared (if appropriate); how learned constraints are shared between workers (if learning is implemented); and specific implementation details and abstractions. 5.1 Parallel Backtracking Search Parallel search in simple branch-and-bound settings has a long history. For example, Karp and Zhang 1993 proposed a randomized work allocation strategy for backtrack and branch-and-bound search. Bader et al 2005 and Crainic et al 2006 review early works, and discuss implementation issues. First we define the key concept of a semantic path. A semantic path is a sequence of search decisions (typically of the form or for some decision variable and constant ). A search node of a DFS tree is uniquely (and very compactly) described by a semantic path containing all the search decisions between the node and the root. Perron was one of the first to report on parallel search in a commercial constraint programming toolkit Perron (1999), the 1999 update of ILOG Solver. The search space is represented as a tree of search nodes partitioned into an explored part, a frontier and an unexplored part. When a worker enters a new node, it does so by recomputation: each decision in a semantic path is applied to reach the starting point, propagation is performed then search begins. The recomputation scheme is general enough to allow more exotic search algorithms than DFS, and it also allows nodes to be allocated to different processors on a shared memory machine. Each processor runs its own search process exploring different parts of this common search tree, with a communications process ensuring work balancing and termination detection. Empirical evaluation was on a 4 processor machine using jobshop scheduling problems, i.e. optimisation problems rather than searching for the first solution. When using complete search (in particular variants of LDS) parallelism showed a linear speed-up, but with depth first search the improvements were less convincing. On the whole, the results are less than conclusive. A similar approach was taken by Schulte 2000, who implemented parallel search in the multiparadigm programming system Oz/Mozart (which supports both concurrency and constraint programming). The goal was to make use of commodity computers on a network, therefore communication between machines is limited. As in Perron 1999, a search node is given to a worker which then explores the search tree beneath the node. Distributing search nodes is a natural choice because they can be represented very compactly as semantic paths. The approach is work-sharing, mediated by a single manager, and with a coarse granularity. Results show close to linear speedup (between a 4% and 52% overhead associated with distributing work), although a maximum of six workers were used. Nowadays a single machine might have many more than six cores. Zoeteweij and Arbab 2004 describe a component-based approach to parallel search. They design a system which requires only that solvers may publish their search frontiers, and use added constraints to direct each solver component to different areas of the search tree. Results are presented on three benchmark instances, showing speedups of between ten and fifteen on sixteen cores. The COMET constraint programming toolkit was enhanced to allow multicore parallel search using shared memory Michel et al. (2007). This is done “under the hood” so that a constraint programmer need not know that it is taking place or how it is implemented. Each processor core runs a worker. When a worker expands its current search node, it produces new unexpanded search nodes, where an unexpanded node is a self-contained subproblem specified as a semantic path. Parallel COMET uses a technique called work stealing where workers who have run out of work take unexpanded nodes from other workers, leaving them less work to do and keeping all workers busy. It is implemented as follows: Search nodes are represented as continuations Reynolds (1993) and are added to a central pool. When workers are idle they steal continuations from the central pool, and this is synchronized; in the case of optimization problems workers communicate new bounds on the objective function, again synchronized. Experiments were performed on N-Queens, Scene Allocation, Graph Colouring and the Golomb Ruler problem using depth first search and limited discrepancy search (LDS) on 1 to 4 processors. Speed ups were a bit less than linear, although superlinear speedups occurred with LDS and this was attributed to the order that continuations were stolen, disrupting the normal search order. Dal Palù et al 2015 parallelised the search process of a SAT solver using many threads on a GPU. In the context of a DPLL search without clause learning, the host CPU explores the upper part of the search tree and distributes subtrees to the GPU cores. They report a speedup of 38 times compared to the equivalent sequential process on the host CPU. Parallelising a SAT solver with conflict-directed clause learning is left to future work. 5.2 Parallel Local Search presented parallel local search in the COMET system. The papers describe an architecture for distributing the work over multiple (heterogeneous) machines. The distribution of tasks is intended to be nearly independent of the COMET program that describes the search. The COMET programs given as examples describe various local search strategies including evolutionary algorithms and varieties of constraint-based local searchHentenryck and Michel (2009). Parallelism is implemented by distributing different starting assignments to the workers, i.e. the ‘multi-walk’ strategy of Verhoeven and Aarts (1995). The experimental results demonstrate close to linear speedups with up to 12 workers. An extensive body of work investigates parallelising the “Adaptive Search” Diaz (2001) local search method for constraint solving. A multi-walk approach on the magic squares, perfect squares, and all-interval series problems shows increasing speedups with more cores can be obtained, e.g. more than 100 times speedup with 256 cores Caniou et al. (2011). Speedups do flatten with the number of cores, and it seems that the smaller the benchmark, the faster the flattening occurs Caniou et al. (2011). Even better results are obtained on the Costas Array Problem. In a two-dimensional Costas Array, cells must be filled in a square grid, such that there is exactly one filled cell in each row and column, and no two vectors between two filled cells are the same Drakakis (2006). A pure multi-walk approach gave almost linear improvement in search up to as many as 8,192 cores Caniou et al. (2015). This shows that foregoing the ability to share information between search processes can lead to almost perfect speedups. Parallelising Adaptive Search has been explored on different multi-core architectures. We mentioned in Section 3.4 work on using Adaptive Search using GPUs Arbelaez and Codognet (2014). The Cell Broadband Engine (used in the Sony Playstation 3) contains one controlling cores and a number of subsidiary ones called “Synergistic Programming Elements” (SPEs). Adaptive Search was parallelised effectively in this context on some benchmark problems, although scalability might be limited by the small local stores on the SPEs. Using the Partitioned Global Address Space programming language X10, a multi-walk approach led to good results with increasing numbers of cores, again flattening off except in the case of Costas Arrays Munera et al. (2014). Munera, Diaz, Abreu, & Codognet 2014 improved results further by introducing cooperation between the separate processes, and this was successfully used to solve hard instances of stable marriage problems with ties and incomplete lists Munera et al. (2015). In the context of parallel local search for SAT, Arbelaez and Hamadi 2011 proposed an improvement to the standard restart strategy employed to diversify search. Each thread uses a distinct local search algorithm and all threads employ restarts. Threads share the best assignment they have found so far (with the cost, i.e. the number of unsatisfied clauses). When restarting a thread, rather than restarting at a random assignment, the best assignments of other threads are synthesised into a single assigment. They show this cooperation technique improves performance in experiments with four and eight threads. Arbelaez and Codognet 2012 studied the same cooperation strategy with higher degrees of parallelism. They scaled their approach up to 256 threads using independent groups of up to 16 cooperating solvers. There is no communication between groups, and in this case each thread ran the same local search algorithm. The approach is evaluated on random SAT instances from a recent SAT competition, and the reported speedups are sub-linear. For example, with 256 threads where groups of four threads cooperate, the paper reports a speedup of 5.95 times compared to a single thread. A later publication by Arbelaez and Codognet 2013 contains a much broader experiment with both structured and random SAT instances drawn from a recent SAT competition. In this case a pure multi-walk approach is used, i.e. there is no cooperation between threads. In common with Arbelaez and Codognet (2012) speedups on random instances are poor. However, for some structured instances they report near-linear and even super-linear speedups with 512 threads when compared to 16 threads. A side-benefit of using the multi-walk approach for parallel local search is that it can increase the robustness of timing of local search: with multiple independent walks, the variability in the time to find a first solution is greatly reduced Diaz et al. (2012). 5.3 Search Order and Heuristics The issue of parallelism disrupting the search order is well-known in conventional branch and bound search, where non-linear speedups are called anomalies: Lai and Sahni 1984 and Li and Wah 1986 explain the phenomenon, and also show how to guarantee that absolute slowdowns will never occur in a synchronous setting. This is extended to an asynchronous setting, which more closely resembles common modern hardware, by de Bruin et al 1995. Lai and Sahni suggest that “anomalous behaviour will be rarely witnessed in practice”, however this claim relies on a set of assumptions that are often broken by modern CP solvers. Chu, Schulte and Stuckey 2009 refine the work stealing approach, introducing confidence-based work stealing. The authors point out that work stealing not only allows load balancing, but also influences the order in which the search tree is explored. In earlier work stealing approaches (such as Michel et al. (2007)) the strategy was usually to steal from as close to the root as possible. The paper includes examples showing how it can sometimes be far better to steal “left and low” (i.e. as deep as possible) but sometimes stealing high can be better. The message of course is that it should be dynamic. They claim that the presence of a branching heuristic complicates the process of finding a good stealing strategy. Consequently the proposal is to steal based on confidence: the estimated distribution of solution densities among the children of a node. When doing binary branching, this is equivalent to confidence in the heuristic (since it chooses that left branch). Ideally the user should provide a confidence function for the heuristic, but the authors show how a simple substitute can still work when this is not available. Confidence values are updated during search. However, in practice they found that stealing too low tends to increase the communication cost. Hence they set a bound above the average fail depth below which search nodes cannot be stolen. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique, ranging from speedups of 7 times to superlinear on the benchmarks in the paper. The same observation is brought back to a conventional branch and bound setting by McCreesh and Prosser 2015, where constraint programming terminology is used to explain observed behaviour in several different parallel maximum clique algorithms. Different work distribution strategies are compared, with the results showing that the interaction between search order and work splitting often has more of an effect on the results than work balance. Speedups are usually at least close to linear on 64 cores, with super-linear speedups being common. Xie and Davenport 2010 describe an attempt to exploit an IBM Blue Gene supercomputer, which has large numbers of relatively slow processors. They use a form of parallel limited discrepancy search, where a master worker allocates work to other processes initially, and where workers generate additional parallelism when they believe they are exploring a large subtree. The exact interaction with the discrepancy ordering is not described. Results on resource-constraint project scheduling benchmarks suggest roughly linear scalability up to 256 processors, and sometimes up to 1,024 processors, but Xie and Davenport believe that multiple masters would be required for larger processor counts. Distributed parallel discrepancy search is investigated further by Moisan et al 2013; 2014, who investigate a problem involving integrated planning and scheduling for the forest-products industry. Each worker is independent, recomputing only the subset of the search tree containing the leaf nodes allocated to that worker. This would usually be a substantial overhead, but in their setting, leaf nodes of the search tree are much more expensive than internal nodes, since a full linear program is solved at each leaf. Search is not run until completion, but the solutions obtained using 4,096 workers by either form of discrepancy search are of much higher quality than conventional parallel backtracking search, demonstrating the importance of controlling the interaction between parallelism and value-ordering heuristics in this setting. 5.4 Heuristic-Ignorant Decompositions A prototype for distributed depth-first search based upon splitting and work-stealing is described by Jaffar et al 2004. To reduce contention, they use a heuristic to attempt to steal the largest remaining job. Results are presented on a selection of binary integer linear programming models, showing roughly linear scalability up to 64 processors. The experiments consider only enumeration and optimisation problems, to “avoid any effects such as superlinear speedup”; the importance of bounds-sharing for optimisation problems is noted. Kotthoff and Moore 2010 describe an approach to distributed search with no direct communication between workers. The approach assumes a job queueing system is available as a substrate. A standard solver is wrapped in a script that does the following: Search until a time limit is reached or completion. If solution found then terminate all jobs and return solution. If search space completed then halt. Otherwise, split the domain of the current variable (i.e. the variable about to be branched when the solver timed out) into parts (where is a constant). To each slice add a set of restart nogoods that rules out the search space explored so far in the current solver. Submit each slice to the job server. Hence the technique is similar to work stealing but less dynamic—work cannot be stolen until a time limit is reached. The novelty in this approach is twofold: using a job server to avoid implementing distribution, fault tolerance, etc.; and using restart nogoods rather than recomputation to rule out previously explored search. The former should be self-explanatory. The latter may not be: recomputation implicitly assumes that the parent will continue to search and it is giving away only a part of its search space. This technique works instead by the parent giving up all its search space and splitting itself into parts. Restart nogoods ensure that the child processes are together given the remaining part of the parent search space, and made to search different portions of it by the splitting constraints. It was not determined if this approach is better than recomputation in practice. The proposed approach is more flexible than recomputation, in the sense that the children are allowed to search the remaining space in any order, instead of always having to stick to the early part of the parent’s variable ordering. This allows each solver to use a different search strategy, but no experiments were carried out doing this. Machado et al 2013 describe a distributed work-stealing approach built on top of MPI and pthreads, using a mix of local and global work pools. Results on the N-Queens enumeration problem with show roughly linear speedups up to 512 processors, whilst results on a single quadratic assignment problem optimisation instance are similar. Machado et al note that their system has a non-deterministic execution time, since the amount of search depends upon when an optimal solution is found. Constraint solvers often employ restarts (where search is started again with a different heuristic ordering) to allow the solver to break out of large subtrees that contain no solutions. Cire et al 2014 noted that many constraint solvers do not learn during search, so very little or no information is retained when search is restarted, therefore the search following a restart may be performed in parallel with the search before the restart. In this way they obtained near-linear speedups with up to 32 threads. Fischetti, Monaci and Salvagnin 2014 present a somewhat different splitting technique. A search tree is evaluated until sufficiently many open nodes are generated, and then workers use a deterministic rule to partition open nodes between them. This approach requires nearly no communication between workers. An implementation in Gecode shows speedups approaching linear using 64 cores. The authors state that since they are “interested in measuring the scalability of our method, we considered only instances which are either infeasible or in which we are required to find all feasible solutions (the parallel speedup for finding a first feasible solution can be completely uncorrelated to the number of workers, making the results hard to analyze)”. The possibility that scalability could be less important than search order is not considered. Malapert, Régin and Rezgui 2016 describe an approach they call Embarrassingly Parallel Search. The idea is to decompose a problem semi-statically using a depth-bounded depth-first search, creating more subproblems than workers, and then to distribute the subproblems to the workers from a queue. The authors show that if sufficiently many subproblems are created (30 times the number of workers is suggested), and if it is ensured that these subproblems are not trivially detected as inconsistent, then the balance problem is addressed. Results on optimisation and enumeration problems are presented using up to 40 cores on a single machine, and up to 512 cores across a data centre, approaching linear speedups. Results for decision problems are not presented. Palmieri, Régin and Schaus 2016 also use the Embarrassingly Parallel Search decomposition for heuristic selection, as an alternative to portfolios. They perform the decomposition, use parallelism to try many variations of variable and value-ordering heuristics on a small subset of the decomposed subproblems, and then select the most promising choice for the remainder of the search. Results are reported on a wide range of enumeration and optimisation problems, showing that the technique beats a multi-armed bandit portfolio. Menouer et al 2016 show that starting with a static decomposition, and then switching to dynamic work-stealing, yield better results than either technique on its own when parallelising the OR-Tools solver. Results using two twelve core machines are mixed, with speedups ranging from seven to ten. 5.5 Learning in Parallel Search In this section we cover approaches that parallelize the search process while also learning implied constraints that are shared among workers. The bulk of this work comes from the SAT community where Conflict-Driven Clause Learning (CDCL) SAT solvers have been very successful and dominate the field. Martins, Manquinho and Lynce 2012 have written a detailed survey of approaches to parallelisation in SAT, and Hölldobler et al 2011 wrote a short survey of recent developments in complete parallel SAT solvers. An earlier survey by Singer 2006 has been largely superseded by Martins et al 2012. Martins et al 2012 identified multi-agent search and search-space splitting as the two main approaches to parallel SAT solving. We covered multi-agent search in Section 4.1, and we cover search-space splitting here. We select a small number of the most interesting contributions, and refer the reader to the earlier surveys Martins et al. (2012); Hölldobler et al. (2011); Singer (2006) for more details. Guiding paths are a key concept in parallel search for SAT. Guiding paths are almost identical to semantic paths (described above) in CP. The other important concept is clause sharing, where the key is to avoid sharing all learned clauses by heuristically selecting the most effective ones, as described in Section 4.1. GridSAT Chrabakh and Wolski (2006) is an early example of a parallel CDCL SAT solver. It is based on the sequential solver Chaff, and is designed to run on a heterogeneous network of computers so it makes no use of shared memory. The search is distributed using guiding paths. Each thread is able to split its portion of the search space into two pieces at any time, generating a new guiding path from the topmost unexplored search node. The approach is similar to work stealing as employed by some CP solvers. In addition, learned clauses are shared between threads when their length is less than a limit that can be fixed or dynamically adjusted during search. Reported speedups are sub-linear for the most part, however the authors report that a number of previously unsolved SAT instances are solved by GridSAT. Chu and Stuckey 2008 presented PMiniSat, a parallelization of MiniSat 2.0 employing work stealing. The solver uses several techniques for sharing clauses among threads. Firstly, all clauses with length beneath a certain threshold are shared among all threads; this technique has been used previously, for example by ManySat Hamadi et al. (2009b). Secondly, a novel measure called effective length is used: the effective length of a learned clause is evaluated per worker, and it is the number of literals in the clause that are not false under the current assignment. A small effective length indicates that a small number of literals need to be set to false before the clause unit propagates. Only clauses whose effective length is less than a given threshold are accepted by other threads. Hence clauses are preferentially shared between pairs of workers that are searching similar areas. Third, a worker is able to store clauses in a suspended state until it is working on another item of work where the shared clause is unit. Unfortunately the details of this are very sketchy and no implementation is described. The similarities between PMiniSat and multi-agent search for SAT are clear. Finally, Hamadi et al 2011 showcase an interesting variation on this theme: by careful use of barrier synchronisation, it is possible to preserve some of the deterministic aspects of sequential search in a parallel setting, even when sharing learned clauses. Schubert, Lewis and Becker 2009 presented PaMiraXT, a hybrid multicore and multicomputer SAT solver. On each computer it uses all available cores. The system solves a single SAT instance using guiding paths to differentiate the search on each worker. The workers are guaranteed to search disjoint parts of the search space. Work stealing is employed when a worker completes its search. Once again, a key concern is how to share clauses efficiently and effectively. On each computer, the solvers all share a single clause database and they all propagate all the clauses of the other processes. The clauses are all stored in a shared read only memory segment and the workers keep their watches in their own memory space to avoid contention. To share work within one computer, there is a master process that steals work and passes it to idle workers. Work stealing is performed as close to the root as possible. Between computers, the workers share clauses of length 3 and under. The work stealing between computers is elegant. The same mechanism is used as within a computer, i.e. a process requests some work from the master, but instead of solving it directly it sends the work to another computer. Experiments clearly demonstrate that larger numbers of cores reduce the wallclock time, however the total time spent by all cores is not provided and so it is unknown whether PaMiraXT can achieve a linear or super-linear speed-up. Cube and Conquer Heule et al. (2011) is a complementary approach to search space splitting. The search space is divided into thousands or possibly millions of fragments (named cubes) using strong lookahead heuristics to guide the choice of variables to assign. The cubes are divided among the workers and each solved independently using a CDCL algorithm. Thus Cube and Conquer is a hybrid of strong lookahead and CDCL. The Cube and Conquer strategy is used by Treengeling Biere (2013), one of two parallel versions of the highly successful SAT solver Lingeling. Treengeling came first in the parallel track of the SAT 2016 competition. The Cube and Conquer approach has been successfully applied to a very challenging problem in mathematics named the Boolean Pythagorean Triples Problem Heule et al. (2016); Heule and Kullmann (2017). A Pythagorean triple is a set of three natural numbers such that . The problem is to partition a set of natural numbers into two parts such that neither part contains a Pythagorean triple. For a given value of the problem encodes straightforwardly into SAT, and Cube and Conquer was applied to prove that can be partitioned whereas cannot. Solving both instances ( and ) took 35,000 hours of CPU time on a cluster with 800 cores, enabling the instances to be solved in about 2 days. Ehlers and Stuckey 2016 parallelized a lazy clause generation constraint programming solver. Lazy clause generation solvers employ SAT-style learning with CP propagation algorithms. They demonstrate that a hybrid approach (combining SAT-style multi-agent search with CP-style parallel search) provides the best results, although it does not scale as smoothly as classical CP parallel search. When finding an optimal solution, speedups are often super-linear, whereas when proving optimality or unsatisfiability, speedups are usually sub-linear. Dovier et al 2016 implemented an entire ASP solver on a GPU, using nVidia’s CUDA framework. The results are extremely mixed: the sequential CLASP solver on a CPU vastly outperforms the GPU solver. However, CLASP with heuristics disabled is occasionally comprehensively beaten by the GPU solver (which does not implement heuristics). It is not clear whether these successes are due to search ordering coincidences that heuristics would address, or whether the GPU solver would be genuinely competitive if it implemented heuristics itself. Nonetheless, these results demonstrate that it is at least possible to run complex search algorithms on a GPU, even if it is not clear whether doing so will ever be beneficial. Finally we refer to Hamadi and Wintersteiger’s seven challenges in parallel SAT 2013. The second challenge is the most relevant here: to develop improved dynamic decompositions, either splitting the search space or the instance. Cube and Conquer employs static decomposition, however its success on very difficult instances of the Boolean Pythagorean Triples Problem (one satisfiable, one unsatisfiable), and its first place in the SAT competition suggests that it addresses the challenge well. 5.6 Richer Search Trees An early work on parallel search is due to Bill Clocksin’s DelPhi principle Clocksin (1987). The context here is Prolog, which explores AND-OR trees, which are richer than the OR-trees common in constraint solving. The motivation is to avoid the overhead incurred by having a shared memory or copying computation state between processors. The central idea is to associate a processor with each path through the search tree, hence avoiding overhead due to transferring state between processors mid-path. However this seems like a false economy as it results in duplicated work (consider two branches that differ only at the very bottom). Usually we don’t have enough processors to allocate one to each of the possible paths. Suppose we have processors and we explore all log paths. If we find a solution, terminate otherwise consider the log-bit extensions to these paths (where is the number of processors we have left—there is some art and strategy to this as will continue to increase as the original log bit paths are explored) and continue. In fact to continue DelPhi search starts from scratch again in order to be in the right state (the paths are stored very compactly as bit strings). Much more recently, Bergman et al 2014 worked on decision diagram search trees. When decision diagrams become too wide, usually a number of subproblems are created and evaluated sequentially. Instead, in this work they are evaluated in parallel. Nearly linear speedups are obtained on maximum independent set instances using up to 256 cores, but it is worth noting that not a single one of these results from 256 cores beats a better sequential algorithm with one core McCreesh and Prosser (2015). Finally, Otten and Dechter 2017 describe a parallelisation of AND-OR search trees for genetic linkage applications across a grid computing system based around the CondorHT framework. This system does not allow dynamic communication between nodes, and so considerable effort is spent to obtain a good decomposition upfront. Otten and Dechter demonstrate a machine learning approach which is able to predict a suitable partitioning depth. They also discuss redundancies caused by work duplication, which are necessary due to the inability to share information during search. Their experiments scale to a cluster of 27 machines, each with 12 cores (for a total of 324 cores); speedups vary considerably, but are often comfortably over 100. 6 Algorithm Portfolios Algorithm portfolios were originally conceived Huberman et al. (1997) as a means to exploit and guard against the variability in performance found in combinatorial search algorithms with a stochastic component, for example in the heuristic selection of variables and values to guide the search. Huberman et al. 1997 characterise the ‘reward’ of such an algorithm as its mean performance, while its ‘risk’ is the variance in that performance. Taking inspiration from Economics, they present a method for allocating computational resources across a portfolio of algorithms each independently solving the same problem instance so as to balance risk and reward on an ‘efficient frontier’. Gomes and Selman2001 follow a similar approach to consider how to assign algorithm instances (including multiple instances of the same algorithm) across a number of processing units, demonstrating empirically that the ideal portfolio composition varies according to the number of processing units available. The simplest method of parallel portfolio construction is the hand-selection of a set of solvers, combined with a scheme for how these solvers should distributed among the available computing resources. This approach is taken by ppfolio Roussel (2011), which employs five SAT solvers, originally on the basis of their performance of the 2009 SAT solving competition and then subsequently on more recent competitions, and specifies the combination of these solvers to run for a given number of available cores. A similar approach is taken by pfolioUZK Wotzlaw et al. (2012), which combines both complete and incomplete SAT solvers. ppfolio-like portfolios are termed Plain Parallel Portfolios by Aigner et al. 2013, who perform an empirical analysis of their performance and scalability. A theoretical analysis of the success of the plain parallel approach is given by Hyvärinen and Manthey 2012. Inspired by ppfolio, aspeed Hoos et al. (2015) automates the construction of portfolios from benchmark data for a particular class of problems. The task of allocating time slices on processing units to solvers so as to minimise timeouts with respect to the benchmark data is formulated and solved as an answer set programming problem, enabling the automated production of portfolios with non-uniform resource allocation. An alternative method of portfolio construction is on a per-instance basis, depending upon the nature of the instance to be solved. In this approach, problem features thought to be useful performance predictors are selected and a performance model is built based upon these features and a set of training problem instances. The model is then used to make selection and resource allocation decisions based on the features of an unseen instance. This method can be viewed as an example of the Algorithm Selection Problem Rice (1976). In the sequential context, a prominent early example of this approach is SATzilla Xu et al. (2008), which learns an empirical hardness model that predicts the runtime for an algorithm on an instance based on the instance’s features. p3S Malitsky et al. (2012), a parallel version of the earlier sequential 3s Kadioglu et al. (2011), employs the same set of features as SATzilla. Measured via Euclidean distance in the normalised feature space, p3S uses the nearest neighbours in the training set to the instance to be solved to decide the composition of a parallel portfolio, which may contain both sequential and parallel SAT solvers. Also following SATzilla, this portfolio is supplemented by a statically decided parallel solver schedule designed to consume the first ten percent of available run-time in an attempt to avoid expensive per-instance feature computation. Both decisions are formulated and solved via Integer Programming. CSHC Malitsky et al. (2013a) employs the same static schedule as 3S for the first ten percent of available run time, followed by an instance-based selection made by matching the incoming instance against statically formed clusters of training instances. In this case, clustering is performed in a hierarchical manner, incorporating cost information. A parallel version of CSHC ran in the 2013 SAT competition Malitsky et al. (2013b) deploying three separate instances of CSHC, each trained on a different category of the competition instances. Lindauer et al. 2015 demonstrate how to extend existing sequential algorithm selectors to rank candidates so as to construct a parallel portfolio from the top-ranked solvers. They also use aspeed to compute parallel pre-solving schedules. In Constraint Programming, CPHydra O’Mahony et al. (2008) employs case-based reasoning, storing feature-annotated instances and performance data in a case base, then retrieving the most similar case to an unseen problem instance. Yun and Epstein 2012 extend CPHydra to work in parallel, employing heuristics to create parallel portfolios from single-processor portfolios. Similarly to 3s, sunny-cp Amadini et al. (2015b) employs a nearest neighbour approach to select relevant training instances, based upon which solvers are selected, allocated a certain runtime and scheduled. sunny-cp2 Amadini et al. (2015a) generates a parallel portfolio on cores from a sunny-cp schedule by allocating to the first cores the solvers scheduled with the greatest allocated time and allocating the remainder to the final core so as to preserve their original schedule. sunny-cp2 can also solve constrained optimisation problems by supporting bounds communication between solvers. Bordeaux et al. 2009 highlight the importance of sources of variability when the number of processing units is large. They identify three desirable qualities: scalable (different settings will result in different runtimes); favourable (varying from the default does not systematically worsen performance); solver-independent (exploiting the features of individual solvers prohibits re-usability). One such source of variability is in the configuration space of modern constraint or SAT solvers. The ACPP system Lindauer et al. (2017) exploits this opportunity to construct parallel portfolios automatically from configurations of individual sequential solvers, sets of sequential solvers, or a combination of sequential and parallel solvers. Proteus Hurley et al. (2014) provides further variety in the constituents of a portfolio by considering different encodings of a given problem (in this case into SAT) and different potential solvers for each. Similarly, Akgün et al. 2010 discuss the automated refinement via Conjure Akgün et al. (2011); Akgün (2014); Wetter et al. (2015), which captures patterns in constraint modelling such as symmetry breaking Frisch et al. (2007); Akgün et al. (2013); Akgün et al. (2014) and matrix modelling Flener et al. (2001, 2002), of multiple constraint models from an abstract specification in the Essence Frisch et al. (2005, 2007); Frisch et al. (2008) language in order to form constraint model portfolios. Savile Row Nightingale et al. (2017) prepares the generic constraint models produced by Conjure for particular constraint solvers as well as output to SAT. In doing so it applies a number of optional reformulations, such as common subexpression elimination Gent et al. (2008); Nightingale et al. (2014, 2015) and the addition of implied constraints Colton and Miguel (2001); Frisch et al. (2004); Charnley et al. (2006), which could serve as an additional source of diversity in portfolio construction. We have presented a survey of the literature on parallel constraint solving. There is a great variety of interesting work in this area, and we divided it into four broad categories: parallel consistency and propagation, parallelizing the search process, multi-agent search, and portfolios. In each area there are challenges, such as Kasif’s 1990 proof of the P-completeness of establishing arc-consistency. Challenges remain in parallel SAT solving also Hamadi and Wintersteiger (2013). However, recent results with work stealing, partitioning of the search space, portfolio approaches, and embarrassingly parallel search, give considerable cause for optimism. Multicore computing is now the norm. Whether we would prefer the comfort of a faster single-processor world or not, therefore, we must embrace this paradigm. There seems to be little overall guidance that can be given on how best to exploit multicore computers to speed up constraint solving. We hope at least that this survey will provide useful pointers to future researchers wishing to correct this situation. 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Demi Lovato Coming Out as Non-Binary Is Latest Bold Move In Their Career Reclamation The increasingly candid pop star and recovering addict shared that they now identify as they/them. Anyone who watched Demi Lovato's recent YouTube docuseries, Dancing With the Devil, knows the 28-year-old singer and actor has indeed been through hell and lived to tell. And in the nearly three years since a tramautic drug overdose that left them partially blind, Lovato has made a concerted effort to reclaim their life and career and refract it through a lens of self-possession and discovery. It hasn't always been without missteps (see: last month's yogurt-shop fiasco), and it can be incredibly awkward to witness their rehabilitation in real-time across everything from a myriad social-media platforms (which tally just shy of 160 million combined followers between Twitter and Instagram alone) to their new weekly podcast, 4D With Demi Lovato. But it is remarkable to watch the child star-turned-advocate — who has overcome eating disorders, addiction and abuse — lay themself bare in a way that's inextricable from how they've resurrected their business. To that end, Lovato announced today that they identify as gender non-binary and will be changing their pronouns to they/them. "This has come after a lot of healing & self-reflective work," their tweet explained. "I'm still learning & coming into myself, & I don't claim to be an expert or a spokesperson. Sharing this with you now opens another level of vulnerability for me." Their declaration comes two weeks after the premiere of 4D and is effectively an enticement to download episode two, which dropped this morning and features Lovato discussing gender identity and exploration with non-conforming artist Alok. And since we just linked to the podcast ourselves and will be subsequently sharing this story with our millions of social-media followers, Lovato's intention to motivate a virtuous cycle of provocative dialogue and dynamic entrepreneurialism has clearly won the day. No word on whether any froyo brands plan on advertising on 4D. Entrepreneur Editors' Picks Tory Burch Built a Brand Around Empowering Women. Now Her Foundation Is Furthering Her Mission: 'How Do We as a Company Have a Positive Impact on Humanity?' This Founder Had to Play College Basketball in Men's Shorts and Shoes, So She Launched an Athletic Clothing Company Named After the Now 50-Year-Old Title IX Act Is Beyoncé's 'Break My Soul' the Theme Song of the Great Resignation? You're Probably Falling for All of Amazon Prime Day's Psychological Sales Tactics. A Marketing Professor Reveals Them — and How You Can Actually Get the Best Deal. Comedian Paul Virzi: 'If You're Not Authentic, You Have Nothing' Struggling to Come Up With Creative Ideas? Try Doing This. Picking a Winning Emerging Brand Is How You Get Rich in Franchising. Here's How to Spot One.

"Good Girl" Pink Slips & Being Your(whole)self One of the things we think about a lot in the coaching (and therapy) world is this: Who is my “ideal client”? Meaning what types of people or experiences am I deeply interested in + qualified to work with? I am never quite sure how to answer this question because I work with (and like working with!) so many different people. Over the course of my work in counseling & coaching, I have worked with men, women, and non-binary folks; with parents, founders, writers, healers, artists, prisoners—all kinds of people. And I have learned from and been impacted by all of them. But if I had to narrow it down to one thing that I love love LOVE to work on, it’s Good Girl Metamorphosis—I love working with women (and everyone!) to let go of toxic perfectionism, self-doubt, and people pleasing. And beyond just this letting go, there is also the claiming of what you really want, and who you really are. A few notes: I’m going to use the female pronoun as I write this and I want you to know that 1. includes anyone who self-identifies as a woman and 2. also EVERYONE, and that which is feminine (or deemed so) in all of us. Because on a societal level, we devalue the “feminine” in all of its forms—we shame men, too, for the ways they are ‘soft’ or ‘emotional’ or‘needy’. (And maybe the use of the female pronoun will be a good experiment for the dudes reading this, since we ladies have been trying to mentally insert ourselves into phrases like “mankind” for, like, ever.) Basically, your “good girl” is a sweet little swirl of all the ways of being that you internalized as “acceptable” in your environment. So, if you grew up in the larger environment of American culture you were probably taught a lot about how you (and your body) should look, but also that thinking or caring too much about your appearance is shallow or selfish (unattractive). You were probably taught that it was important for you to seem feminine or “ladylike”, but that you shouldn’t be “too girly” or “overly” emotional, or (gasp) crazy. And on some level, we all encode these stereotypes as cautionary tales about the pitfalls or nuisances of being a whole, actual woman (by woman I mean person). You’re supposed to be sexy, but not “slutty”. Smart, but not a know-it-all. Accomplished, but not ambitious. Thin, and yet voluptuous. And while you’re at it, you should also, naturally and with ease, be able to subjugate your own needs and prioritize everybody else’s. And it goes on and onnnnn. Knowing the “good girl” part of myself as intimately as I do, I also know this: her real truth comes screaming up inside of her sometimes, as she sits across from her boss, her partner, or her mother; but she swallows, nods, and agrees politely anyway. And all the while, she is ablaze with the deep-down knowing that something does not feel right. In essence, women are getting pummeled with messages about the delicate balance of exactly who they should be ALL OF THE TIME and it’s not just that all of this noise is getting in, it’s also about what is then being left out—those parts of ourselves that are “unacceptable” and therefore must be pushed away. And all of this is before we even get to the complex layers and intersections of cultures (like your own specific community, background, etc.) and all of the different, dissonant messages coming in at that level. For instance, there are certain expressions that some women (in large part women with more privilege) are allowed, that are dismissed and distorted when other women experience them. So, yes, all of this is really heavy. The weight of all of these 'should's could break your back if you let it. But here’s the wonderful part about the good girl: YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE HER, and you certainly don’t have to only be her. She has done a great job helping you navigate the world, so thank her for her service and then get about the business of living your life. This good girl, with all of her rules and self-criticisms and silence is just one piece--one role that we have taken on. And we have done that wisely, in a culture (or a relationship, or a job, or even a family) where it didn’t feel safe for us to show up in all of who we are. And that’s part of my point: the “good girl” is a shield, not a self. She is a feeble stunt-double for vibrant, dimensional, grown-ass, freedom-is-your-birthright women. How do we, each of us, lean into the strong, hungry, bad ass, life-giving parts of ourselves in order to heal the lie that we were meant to be small, “safe”, docile, little creatures? Because what we are meant to be is ourselves. Our. WHOLE. Actual. True. SELVES. I have deep compassion for this good girl part of all of us—talk about suffering in silence, girl, you deserve a medal—but what if we made the powerful choice to drop the suffering and the silence? Sign. Me. Up. And although we cannot shift all these levels of historical & institutional wounding in an instant, we can begin the process—here and now—by reclaiming within. What if you challenged yourself to step into all of the purpose, bliss, and IDGAF that’s possible for you??? Because for real, your good girl is not going to be the one to do it—it’s just not her strong suit. Which brings us here: what part(s) of yourself do you need to call forth in order to fully show up? To live your life from your whole self? Maybe it’s tapping into the righteous sisterhood you hold with your friends, or the eyes-wide-open HBIC that you embody in your work, or the tender protector you drop into as a parent—or maybe just a good old-fashioned dance party would do it? It ALL starts by declaring it, so I made you a mad lib: I care about ______________________________ , not __________________________________. I was not put here for the use, approval, or pleasure of anyone else. I am here for my own purpose(s), and I’m starting to think that ____________________________ has something to do with that. This week, I will take a stand for my own personal freedom, knowing that this can also be a powerful stand for the freedom of all others, by doing _________________________ , saying ________________________ , and being ______________________. And I’ll leave y’all with this quote that I just love: “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.” –Martha Graham

In the fall of 2013, when I was an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee (UWM), I took a course with Dr. Shelleen Greene called Multicultural America. As part of the class, we worked with the Pan African Community Association (PACA) – a non-profit organization on Milwaukee’s north side which offers after-school programs and assistance to African immigrants and refugees. Throughout the semester, each UWM student paired up with a PACA student to create a collaborative digital storytelling project that shared their stories about migration and learning new cultures. The collaboration facilitated an engagement with members of the community that I wouldn’t otherwise have had—and it also supported a deeper understanding of the ethnic studies concepts and theoretical frameworks I’d been introduced to in the class. The student I worked with was named Juma, and the experience of working with him had a lasting and profound impact on my life as an artist. This term, I designed and taught my own class at Portland State University (PSU), an opportunity offered to me by Harrell Fletcher, the director of the Art and Social Practice program where I am completing my MFA, and made available through the advocacy and work of Ellen Wack, an Administrative Coordinator in the department of Art and Design. The seminar class, called Relational Art and Civic Practice, is designed to support students with conceptual development as well as in-practice application of the strategies involved in socially engaged art projects. In addition to lectures, readings, and discussions, I wanted to give the students hands-on experience with a project. Ellen asked me if I wanted to add a community-based learning component to the curriculum, and it seemed like an obvious decision to partner with my project, Trans Boxing. Conversation has been central to my artistic practice and education, and so I wanted to create a context in which PSU students and Trans Boxing members could be in dialogue with one another. To do this, I created an interview assignment. After doing some initial research on Trans Boxing, the students were asked to generate a set of questions they’d like to ask participants. I went through and selected the questions I found most interesting, which would be used to guide our group interviews with Trans Boxing participants. I thought a group interview would be beneficial for multiple reasons. In addition to generating content for written interviews and posters– the format provided a framework for dialogic learning. The context that was created allowed two otherwise unaffiliated groups to come together and discuss trans identity, belonging, athletics, and a whole host of other related topics. The excerpted conversation is from two group conversations I guided between Trans Boxing members and students from my art seminar course at PSU, which took place on Zoom on Tuesday, February 16th and Thursday February 18th, 2021. Bri Graw (Portland State University): You’ve all been talking about representation, and what it means to be an openly trans athlete in terms of how important that is for younger generations to look to. Where have you sought inspiration for your own representation? Maggie Walsh (Trans Boxing): That’s a great question. I mean, I definitely didn’t have it growing up at all. I remember joining the softball team and learning that being successful at softball meant that in addition to the skill, you also had to make sure that you weren’t labeled like, the “dyke player.” So, I had to create representation on my own. Like even if it was something that I could intellectually understand in an academic way or something, applying it in terms of like a sport hadn’t been something that I had consciously done until I felt like I was welcomed into a space that was doing it just naturally. Eleadah Clack (TB): Yeah, just from my experience as a queer masculine Black lesbian, you do have to look for representation in things that don’t necessarily look like you sometimes. You have to create it. If you look at the Trans Boxing class, that’s a powerful image just to look at it in a grid view. Like I don’t do it frequently because I’m usually watching myself while I do the drills, but like when I do, and I’m sitting there like, Yo, this is really deep. It’s really dope. Everybody’s so focused on themselves, but at the same time we’re coming together. And I think that’s a way of actually creating that representation within our group that we’re looking for outside. We all experienced similar marginalization. It’s not even like we have to really speak on it, because we know that. But then also seeing each other strengthen and grow… it is creating the representation that we want to see for real. Eniko Banyasz (PSU): I actually went to one of the recorded Trans Boxing classes. I was too shy to go to a live one because I haven’t worked out with other people in so long. After warming up and then hearing the instructor be really supportive, like, “Yeah little bit more, just 10 more seconds!” I was like, “Yes, yes!” And then I did it. I felt like I accomplished something so great. My experience in high school PE education was so bad because you constantly have to compare yourself to national averages. And, you know, you’re put into these boxes. And I feel your success in physical education should be so personalized. Baer Karrington (TB): Yeah, high school is traumatizing in a lot of ways, especially if you’re not out and especially around sports, which are so gendered. I work in pediatrics and I do a lot of work with gender expansive children or young people, and so it’s been really powerful for me to out myself as a trans athlete, so I can potentially be a gateway for young people who really struggle with finding a space that feels safe for them. I want to show them that there are spaces that are safe and that validate our identities. Bri (PSU): Yeah, Baer, going off of that, I wanted to ask, how has this experience affected other parts of your lives? Maggie (TB): I think that it’s given me the ability to take different parts of my life and start blending them together. I think it’s easy to kind of let certain facets of your identity just be parts of your identity and exist in different spaces. And I think that’s true of everyone. I don’t think that’s just a genderqueer thing. But, as I developed a new identity as a boxer, and as an athlete, I saw how that could be blended in with both my personal life and social life. For example, my boss is a huge boxing fan. And like, we ended up going into a boxing match together. It became like a tool for us to talk about other issues and other things at work. So in a way, I think it’s given me a new language and a new confidence to sort of blend all these different things together that maybe previously were easier to keep compartmentalized. Eleadah (TB): Boxing is such a technical sport, and it helps me move through a lot of other spaces where there’s not a lot of nuance or technicality. Because I have this knowledge, if I’m in a space it’s like, Oh but there is nuance, because I’m here and I know how to do this on the ropes, I know how to turn my body this way… Dane Kelley (PSU): How do you feel about other members of the group, and what kind of connections have you made through participating in Trans Boxing? Brionne Davis (TB): I like that it’s like, we’re all the same, but we are different, you know? And it’s not just that like one, you know, that one type of transgender individual, because when speaking to my family or friends about it, they have that one view of what a trans person is supposed to look like. In Trans Boxing there are all different kinds of people—just like you see varieties of cisgender individuals in other spaces. It just feels more like a community of, you know, all shades of colors, which is the kind of community I prefer to be in. Camden Zyler (TB): What I’ve noticed about myself is that I’d rather bond with people doing activities that I like. So I feel like Trans Boxing encompasses that because I’m hanging out with people that I can relate to, and also we’re bonding over an activity that we all enjoy. Nolan Hanson: I’ve never felt great in spaces where the only thing bringing people together was an identifier, and like, thinking that is enough to create community. Camden (TB): Yeah, I feel like the way that systematic oppression affects gender non-conforming people or transgender people could be similar, but within these categories there are experiences that interact with our transness or our gender non-conforming-ness. So to have this one unifying thing, like, okay, we’re all equal because we’re all like trans or gender non-conforming… I personally find that like, that’s not true; there are just so many different factors. And maybe there’s a collective joy and sorrow and all these different things that we may or may not share, being trans and gender non-conforming, but we also have different interests. Eleadah (TB): I think it’s cool to think about what we do in Trans Boxing within the wider context of boxing. Because while it is like, you know, heavily masculinized, and patriarchal or whatever, there’s a connection that’s also existing outside of that, because it is skill-based, legacy based. It’s a two-way interaction and educational kind of thing. So even if you’re the manliest of men, you have to submit at a certain point to learn everything that you need to learn. And then at some point you’re going to be tapped to give that back. To you know, be a nurturer in a way to someone else’s skill. Maggie (TB): You’re like, you’re blowing my mind every time you speak; I’d never thought of it like that. It’s a very intimate sport in a lot of ways that I like—in the sense of like, it’s one-on-one, but then also the emotional aspect is so super interesting. Belen Murray (PSU): I just want to say that I find it really interesting that you guys are boxers. And I’m thinking of boxing as like, you know, rough and tough, like smashing faces and stuff like that. Anyway, like, all of you are like, “Oh, it’s so healing. And it’s such a great community.” And I’m, like, “Wow, that’s cool. That’s interesting.” I need that. You know, I want to work on my self esteem and build a community. It’s wonderful [the project] it’s doing that. Nolan: I’m glad that we can kind of complicate that stereotype for you, Belen. Belen (PSU): Yeah among everything else! Nolan Hanson (they/he) is an artist based in New York City. Their practice includes independent work as well as collaborative socially engaged projects. Their work has been shown in New York, Chicago, Portland, and San Francisco. Nolan is the founder of Trans Boxing, an art project in the form of a boxing club that centers trans and gender variant people. Eniko Banyasz (they/them, she/her) is an illustrator, character designer, hobby comic artist and plush craft/toy design enthusiast based in Portland, Oregon. Eniko is the owner of Pangokin Creations, and is currently pursuing their BA in Art Practice at Portland State University. Orion Rodriguez (he/they) is an author and editor of educational nonfiction and fiction with a social justice bent. His writing has been published in Salon, Prism Reports, Lightspeed Magazine, and other publications. Their visual art has appeared in group exhibitions in Chicago, Denver, and Portland. Belen Murray (she/her) is a graphic designer and humanities and sociology student from the California Bay Area. Belen is passionate about working with Native American communities. She currently resides in Portland, Oregon, and attends Portland State University. Dane Kelley (they/them) is a painter and illustrator based in Portland, Oregon. They are in their final year at Portland State University and will be graduating with a BS in Art Practice. Their work focuses on blurring the lines of gender and sexuality representation by using a queer lens. Mai Ide (she/her) is a Japanese American, Portland-based female artist, mother, wife, and full-time BFA student. Her work has been grounded in the textile realm for a long time and she tries to discover new materials as her medium. For her, an assemblage sculpture is a unique collision, an opportunity to provoke radical social change. Ivan Vincent Santos Diaz (he/him) is an artist and designer based in Portland, Oregon. He is a full-time dog caretaker with a passion as a hobby to become a professional pitbull, boxer, and Brazilian Dogo breeder, as well as someone who has the power to reach out to queer couples and queer community, as he likes to help out with any problems. Brianna Graw (she/her) is based in Portland, Oregon. She will be graduating with her degree in art and literature in spring 2021. She prefers to spend her time surfing, wandering, or reading a good story. Eleadah Clack (she/her/boss) is a writer and fundraiser living in Washington, DC. She is author of The World Without Racism, a self-help guide for white culture. Find out more at www.theworldwithoutracism.com and follow at @theworldwithoutracism. Maggie Walsh (she/they) is a genderqueer marketing strategist living in Brooklyn. They have been boxing with Trans Boxing for 2 years. Their other interests include photography, ice cream, and hanging out with their chihuahua, Puck. Baer Karrington (they/them/their, elle/le in Spansh) is a genderqueer-transfemme 4th year medical student going into pediatrics. Their main research interest is in transgender and gender expansive health equity and empowerment, with a focus on community participatory and community-led projects. Brionne Davis (he/him) is a Queens native trans guy who has been a member of the Trans Boxing Collective around 3 years. An aspiring entrepreneur who enjoys all things tech, tech repairs and health/fitness. Camden Zyler (they/he) is a non-binary transmasculine bookworm and writer living in New York City. They are a proud Trans Boxing member. His hobbies include reading, boxing, learning American Sign Language, and being in nature. The Social Forms of Art (SoFA) Journal is a publication dedicated to supporting, documenting and contextualising social forms of art and its related fields and disciplines. Each issue of the Journal takes an eclectic look at the ways in which artists are engaging with communities, institutions and the public. The Journal supports and discusses projects that offer critique, commentary and context for a field that is active and expanding. Created within the Portland State University Art & Social Practice Masters In Fine Arts. Program, SoFA Journal is now fully online. Conversations on Everything is an expanding collection of interviews produced as part of SoFA Journal. Through the potent format of casual interviews as artistic research, insight is harvested from artists, curators, people of other fields and everyday humans. These conversations study social forms of art as a field that lives between and within both art and life. Sponsored by the Portland State University Art and Social Practice MFA Program

Pros: A glorious celebration of the body in all its unrestrained beauty. Cons: Some of the arguments purported in favour of the sex working class aren’t as strong as others. When I accepted the invitation to review Sex Worker’s Opera I expected what was advertised on the tin: an opera where professional opera singers perform side by side with actual sex workers. What I got instead was a strikingly honest insight into the sex industry and its limitations – limitations imposed mainly by the current bureaucracy. Supported by slogans like ‘Rights no rescue’ the workers address the resistance of public opinion and some political manoeuvres that could compromise the safety of the trade. One of these manoeuvres, called the ‘Nordic Model’, makes the purchase of sex services illegal, a measure that, according to the workers, won’t convince them to change their lives but will force them to carry on under more covert and unsafe circumstances. More than an actual opera, the ensemble of nine, plus a music quartet, delivers a variety show, constantly swinging between serious and facetious. Vignettes of different length and genre use songs, acting and spoken word to enlighten the audience on some of the most common situations faced by sex workers. A street hooker is rewarded for her marital advice, a non-binary worker is tied up with the ropes of prejudice and a younger woman is insistently challenged by her sister for her career choices. The most touching moments see a mother explaining to social services why her fifteen-year old daughter shouldn’t be taken from her; a woman whose disability prevented her from retaining a regular job; and a chilling police raid in a venue wherein the workers are treated like cattle. There’s also a minute of silence for all the sex workers who are killed whilst doing their job, in support of the valid argument that the trade needs regulations on safety, not coercive laws. The argument that sex work is a personal choice is reiterated to the extreme. Although I completely agree with it, I’d like to think that their pessimistic depiction of nine to five and hospitality employment as a living hell – in contrast to their flexible and fulfilling jobs – is not always the case. The come back after the interval is a show-stopping choreography of pride and skill that I suspect caused a sleepless night for many of us in the audience. Involving the use of a pole, sky-high heels and very little clothing, the piece is smoking hot and celebrates the human body in all its unrestrained beauty. The message behind it is that the job pays the bills but there’s always a human being under the wig and heavy makeup. For such an entertaining reality check on the industry of pleasure, and the inventive use of technical resources, the show deserves five stars. Overall, though, Sex Worker’s Opera might be a bit niche and quite possibly not the sort of crowd-pleaser you’d go to see with your family. Original Concept: Clouds Haberberg Director: Clare Quinn Musical Director: Alex Etchart Movement Director: Siobhan Knox Producer: Ovalhouse and Experimental Experience Box Office: 020 7582 7680 Booking Link: http://www.ovalhouse.com/whatson/booktickets/sexworkers Booking Until: 2 December 2017

Popular commentary on dating apps often associates their usage with “risky” intercourse, harassment and poor psychological state. But those who have utilized a dating application understands there’s so much more to it than that. Our brand new studies have shown dating apps can enhance young people’s social connections, friendships and intimate relationships. Nonetheless they can certainly be a supply of frustration, exclusion and rejection. Our research could be the very very first to ask app users of diverse genders and sexualities to talk about their experiences of application usage, security and wellbeing. The task combined a paid survey with interviews and imaginative workshops in urban and local brand brand New Southern Wales with 18 to 35 year olds. While dating apps were used to complement individuals for intercourse and long-lasting relationships, these people were more widely used to “relieve boredom” as well as for “chat”. Typically the most popular apps used had been Tinder among LGBTQ+ women, right men and women; Grindr among LGBTQ+ men; OK Cupid among non-binary individuals; and Bumble among right females. We discovered that while application users recognised the potential risks of dating apps, they even had a selection of techniques to assist them to feel safer and handle their well-being – including negotiating permission and sex that is safe. The majority of study individuals frequently employed condoms for safe intercourse. Over 90% of straight women and men commonly used condoms. Simply over one-third of homosexual, bisexual and queer males usually utilized pre-exposure prophylaxis to stop HIV transmission. About 50.8percent of right individuals stated they never ever or hardly ever talked about sex that is safe prospective lovers on dating/hook-up apps. Around 70% of LGBTQ+ participants had those conversations to some degree. Amber, 22, bisexual, feminine, stated she ended up being “always one that needs to start an intercourse talk over messages”. She used chat to talk about exactly exactly what she liked, to say her need for condom usage, to offer a merchant account of her very own intimate wellness, also to feel “safer”. Some homosexual and bisexual men’s apps – such as Grindr and Scruff – enable some settlement around intimate health insurance and intimate techniques in the profile. Users can share HIV status, therapy regimes, and “date last tested”, along with saying their preferred intimate activities. Numerous individuals talked about their methods of reading a profile for “red flags” or indicators that their physical or safety that is emotional be at an increased risk. Warning flag included not enough information, not clear pictures, and profile text that suggested sexism, racism, along with other unwelcome characteristics. Apps that want a shared match before messaging – where both events swipe right – had been sensed to filter down a great deal of unwelcome conversation. Numerous individuals felt that warning flag had been almost certainly going to can be found in chat in place of in individual pages. These included possessiveness and pushiness, or communications and photos that have been too intimate, too early. Charles, 34, gay/queer, male, as an example, defined red flags as, “nude pictures totally unsolicited or perhaps the very very first message that we have away from you is simply five images of one’s cock. I’d believe that’s a right up signal that you’re not likely to respect my boundaries … So I’m perhaps maybe maybe not planning to have a way to say no to you personally whenever we meet in real world.” Consent emerged being a key concern across every area of this research. Individuals generally felt safer once they had the ability to clearly negotiate the types of intimate contact they desired – or didn’t want – with a potential partner. Of 382 study participants, feminine respondents of all of the sexualities had been 3.6 times almost certainly going to like to see app-based information on intimate permission than male individuals. Amber, 22, recommended negotiating consent and safe intercourse via talk. “It’s a great discussion. It doesn’t need to be sexting, it doesn’t need to be super sexy … we just want it had been easier simply to talk about intercourse in a way that is non-sexual. All of the girls which can be my buddies, they’re love, вЂit’s means too embarrassing, we don’t speak about sex with a guy’, not whenever they’re sex,” stated Amber. Nonetheless, others worried that sexual negotiations in talk, for instance on the subject of STIs, could “ruin the moment” or consent that is foreclose, governing out of the possibility which they might alter their brain. Chelsea, 19, bisexual, female, noted, “Am we going, вЂokay so at 12 o’clock we’re planning to try this’ then imagine if we don’t desire to?” With regards to came to meeting up, ladies, non-binary people and males that has intercourse with guys described safety strategies that involved sharing their location with buddies. Ruby, 29, bisexual, feminine, had a group that is online with buddies where they might share information on whom these were ending up in, as well as others described telling feminine members of the family where they planned become. Anna , 29, lesbian, female, described an arrangement she had together with her buddies so you can get away from bad times. “If at any point we deliver them an email about sport, they already know that shit is certainly going down … So them an email like, “How may be the soccer going?” they know to phone me personally. if we send” But while all individuals described “ideal” security precautions, they failed to constantly follow them. Rachel, 20, directly, feminine, installed an application for telling buddies whenever you expect you’ll be house, but then deleted it. Amber said, “I tell my buddies to simply hook up in public areas despite the fact that we don’t follow that guideline.” For a lot of individuals, dating apps provided a place for pleasure, play, linking with community or fulfilling people that are new. For other people, app usage could possibly be stressful or aggravating. Rebecca, 23, lesbian, female, noted that apps “definitely can deliver somebody into a deep despair because well being an ego boost. You commence to concern your self. in the event that you’ve been in the application and had little to no matches or no success,” Henry, 24, directly male, felt that numerous right men experienced apps as a place of “scarcity” in comparison to abundance that is“an of” for women. Regina, 35, directly, feminine, suggested that application users who felt unsuccessful had been prone to keep this to by by themselves, further increasing emotions of isolation. “I think whenever individuals are experiencing a difficult time with the apps. can be personal about any of it. They’ll just share with friends whom they understand are regular or present users and may reveal their use – even bordering on obsession with swiping – in a sensitive and painful moment.” Individuals shared a selection of individual approaches for handling the stress connected with application usage including time that is taking, deleting apps, turning off “push” notifications and restricting time allocated to apps. Many individuals welcomed more focus on apps among health care professionals and health that is public, they cautioned them against defining apps as “risky” spaces for intercourse and relationships. As Jolene, 27, queer, feminine, stated, “App relationship is element of regular life that is dating consequently health advertising should completely incorporate it to their promotions, in the place of it be something niche or different.” Anthony McCosker is a professor that is associate news and communications at Swinburne University of tech. This short article first showed up in the discussion.

This entry is an attempt to share a cliff notes version of Gender 101, for those readers who may find themselves confused and uncomfortable with engaging in conversations about gender as a result of lacking a basic capacity to navigate through terminology. The reason I’m writing this is partly because I was asked to, and partly because I once lacked the same terminology and understanding, and so I found it difficult to express myself or understand how to be a better ally. Anything that is missing from this page or is erroneously reported is due entirely to my own deficit in knowledge. An ally is someone whose gender identity and/or sexual orientation is/are relatively socially privileged (such as someone who is heterosexual, and/or born in a body that reflects the gender they experience from within), but who prioritizes raising consciousness or debunking harmful stereotypes. There are good and bad allies: a good ally is motivated by an awareness of injustice and a drive to do their part to eliminate it; a bad ally is motivated by feelings of guilt for being in a relatively privileged position or by getting an ego-boost for trying. LGBTQ is the short form of an acronym (i.e., lesbian/gay/bisexual/trans*/queer) that keeps getting longer and longer, and is sometimes playfully referred to as “alphabet soup” for this reason. More serious gestures include using the acronym “LGBTQ+” or the current full length acronym, which I’m sure will be missing at least one letter by the time I look it up for you. Sex is a biological phenotype (i.e., male, female, intersex). It is the attribute of one’s identity that is determined by which chromosomes one has (and which genes are turned on or off). It is the state one’s body is born in. It is the set of physical characteristics that are referred to as one’s primary and secondary sex characteristics as an adult. It is part of concrete reality. Sex is often mistaken for being the same thing as gender, which is actually an abstract part of reality (i.e., we ought to intellectually extract the concept of gender from discussions about biological sex, because they aren’t synonymous even when they are congruous). Intersex is a medical term (that may sometimes but not always also describe the gender identity of a person who is described as medically intersex). In the simplest terms, it is any body that is considered (medically) gender-ambiguous at birth, though some intersex conditions only manifest upon gonadarche (the sudden increase in production of sex-determining hormones). While intersex bodies are traditionally understood by the mainstream as some sort of weird, alien concoction of “both sexes” (historically called hermaphroditism, which is now considered grossly insensitive), this is actually a very narrow, inappropriately reductive conception of the “intersex identity” (as if there is just one) within an entire spectrum of intersex conditions that are known to exist within the human species. Some statistics suggest that as many as one in every 5,000 births in North America is of an intersex infant. Until the 1990s (when intersex activism became visible to the Western mainstream for the first time), North American surgeons frequently violated intersex infants and children with compulsive gender reassignment surgery (in some cases a second time, in order to “correct” children who exhibited what was considered incongruous gender expression). Many of these surgeries were conducted even without parental consent (let alone at the request of the patients themselves), and many non-consensually reassigned intersex persons have been left with lasting functional impairments. While the medical community has gained from this history, in the development of gender reassignment surgical techniques that allow the majority of today’s post-operative transsexuals to retain sexual function without leaving them as visible anatomical anomalies, these developments would have been made with consenting patients, and it was wrong to try to erase intersex lives with the application of the scalpel. Gender is a social construct that is used and enforced by society as a practical system of organizing people in society into two basic groups (such as by the sign on the washroom that tells you whether to expect urinals or stalls on the other side of the door). These two groups, men and women, are referred to as the gender binary. They are also sometimes expressed as an ordered pair of opposites, written as man/woman (there are many ordered pairs of opposites, such as white/colour and able/disabled, that are used to organize people into two basic groups, and this organization results in groups which experience social privilege while others experience social oppression — feminist convention when writing ordered pairs is to list the privileged group first, for the purpose of acknowledging that they are privileged). Gender is not something one is born with, that is written somewhere in your chromosomes, that is immutable/unchanging/permanent, or that is determined on the basis of how one’s distinguishing body parts are arranged. When people talk about gender, we are talking about an abstract concept and a social construct. Many transpeople report having experienced non-consensual gendering, both in their childhood, and into the present. This is the erroneous projection of a perceived gender (based on how their body is “socially read” by the perceiver) onto a person who internally experiences a different gender (or lack thereof). Thus, when I was born female, and raised a girl, I was non-consensually gendered through my entire childhood. And today, when someone sees the shape of my body or the (current) absence of coarse facial hair, and assumes this as an indicator of how I experience my gender, they are non-consensually gendering me. Many transpeople find non-consensual gendering a form of violation against them personally, and some even argue that everyone is non-consensually gendered, as the current organization of society does not encourage one to explore either the meaning of gender or their internal subjective experience of it. Rather, it is argued, exploration of gender is actively discouraged by the present structures of society, because we have all internalized so deeply, the organization of people based on body shapes and assumed gender-congruence, that we enforce these assumptions on each other every day. Everyone has a gender identity of some sort (even those whose gender identity is agender, or “without a gender”). It is the subjective experience of congruity or incongruity you have with respect to your own body. If you are agender, for example, but your body has a phenotypic sex (and secondary sex characteristics), this is referred to as gender-incongruity, because your gender identity is not reflected accurately by your physical, sexed body. Exploring gender is a self-guided process of introspection about one’s subjective experiences of gender identity in relation to one’s physical sex and/or society’s constructions of the gender binary (i.e., “man/woman”). Many people begin exploring gender in their childhood, and for a long time, the majority of parents and public school teachers attempted to stop this process, making it unsafe for individual people to explore gender until they were adults. Some of these attempts to enforce rigid gender constructs (i.e., stereotypes) are experienced, by people who try many different ways as children to explore gender, as traumatic. These sorts of traumatic experiences of gender are frequently used as an excuse to belittle or invalidate people whose gender identity is not socially privileged, which is wrong, and constitutes a form of gender-based oppression. Social transition is a process by which one makes adjustments to the way they talk about their gender identity and communicate this change to others, either on a need-to-know basis or to more people (such as the public). It may include a change in one’s name, a declaration of preferred pronouns, and/or changes in the manner in which one dresses at home, in public, and/or in school/at work. Social transition is accomplished without making any physical changes to one’s biological sex through access to surgery and/or hormones. Some people who socially transition make more than one social transition over their lifetime. Gender reassignment is a clinical term that describes surgical transition and/or chemical transition (i.e., the use of synthetic sex hormones that are different from those naturally produced by one’s body). Individuals who experience physical sex-gender identity incongruity often seek gender reassignment in order to relieve intense and persistent negative feelings towards their own bodies that interfere with their day-to-day functioning and relationships, when socially transitioning is not enough to relieve those persistent negative feelings. Everyone has a gender embodiment of some sort (yes, agenders too). It is a set of social behaviours (such as the way you sit and walk, or which washroom(s) you use) and visible cues (such as the clothing you wear), that collectively communicate to the rest of society, how you experience your gender. If you are femme, for instance, you will tend to use ladies’ washrooms, and often wear clothing that is socially read as feminine (such as sundresses in the Summer, or form-fitting clothing that is marketed towards women). Gender embodiment often changes when one socially transitions. And while gender embodiment is often expected to change when one’s gender is reassigned, it does not always. Binary gender refers to a group of gender identities that are reflected by words like “man” or “woman”, though sometimes neither of these more general categories are accurate. Binary gender is reflected in the social construction of gender, as in the construction of the gender binary. Binary gender is also reflected in some gender identities and some gender embodiments, but it is not reflected by chromosomal sex. For instance, whether or not a given person has undergone a gender reassignment, if they subjectively report a binary gender identity and embody a gender that is socially read as being congruent with societal expectations to adhere to the gender binary, then they are said to have a binary gender. Agenders are not said to have a binary gender, for the obvious reason that they don’t internally experience a gender. Non-binary gender refers to a group of gender identities that are reflected by words like “genderqueer”, “genderfluid”, “transmasculine”, or “transfeminine”. For the reason that they are not binary in nature, words like “man” or “woman” are grossly inaccurate. Non-binary gender is not reflected in the social construction of the gender binary, and as a result, non-binary gender is said to be underprivileged/oppressed. Non-binary gender is reflected, however, in some gender identities and some gender embodiments, but not by chromosomal sex. For instance, whether or not a person has undergone a gender reassignment in part or in whole, if they subjectively report a non-binary gender identity and embody a gender that is socially read as confusing, ambiguous, androgynous, or incongruous with what their gender is expected to be based on their body shape, they are said to have a non-binary gender. Binary sex refers to physical bodies that make very good biology textbook diagrams, because the set of traits they exhibit make them easy to be appointed “male” or “female”. For instance, an adult body that has a penis, coarse body hair, and a lack of fatty breast tissue, is considered to have a binary sex that is said to be male. An adult body that has a vulva, fine body hair or a lack thereof, and (more or less) fatty breast tissue, is considered to have a binary sex that is said to be female. Binary sex may be an individual’s birth sex or a product of full gender reassignment. Non-binary sex refers to physical bodies that are invisible in the dominant culture, sometimes because they are literally reassigned to a binary sex in infancy, childhood, or adulthood through surgery and/or hormone therapy. Most of the time, non-binary sex is invisible in the dominant culture because it is considered unsightly or creepy, or because society at large sees all bodies as binary-sexed by default. Though it is probably obvious at this point, non-binary sex is considered underprivileged/oppressed. A body is considered to have a non-binary sex when one is born medically intersex (and not reassigned to a binary-sexed body), or when one succeeds in having a partial surgical transition (such as having an operation to remove breast tissue from an adult female body). One is said to be cisgendered when he/she inhabits a binary-sexed body and experiences a binary gender identity that is congruous with one’s chromosomal sex. This is a person who has never felt the need to access gender reassignment in any format, in order to feel a sense of congruity between his/her body and gender identity. The manner in which he/she embodies gender is also relatively congruent with societal expectations of binary gender. One is said to be transgendered when he/she inhabits a binary-sexed body and experiences a binary gender identity that is incongruous with one’s chromosomal sex. This is a person who has very likely felt the need to socially transition and/or access gender reassignment, in order to feel a sense of congruity between his/her body and gender identity. The manner in which he/she embodies gender is also relatively congruent with societal expectations of binary gender. Historically, the term transgender has been used as an umbrella term to generalize about virtually anyone who is not cisgendered, but in recent decades, many non-binary gendered persons have expressed dissent with this practice, as it implies transition from one binary gender to another. A much more appropriate term, therefore, is simply trans*. This allows for individuals of non-binary identity to identify as trans, and allows for the inclusion of other distinctions under the binary gender umbrella. Transsexual (also Transexual) Transsexual is a clinical term describing fairly intense gender-incongruity, characterized by gender dysphoria arising from feelings of being mis-sexed, or being born in a binary-sexed body that doesn’t match one’s subjective experience of gender. One is said to be transsexual when he/she inhabits a binary-sexed body and experiences a gender that is incongruous with one’s chromosomal sex. This is a person who has very likely felt the need to socially transition and/or access a gender reassignment, in order to feel a sense of congruity between his/her body and gender identity. The manner in which he/she embodies gender is typically expected to be relatively congruent with societal expectations of binary gender, for the period in which he/she is accessing gender reassignment, and this has been recognized as an oppressive act (part of an entire complex of denying healthcare, which is referred to as gate-keeping). Transsexuality is not an accurate reflection on how one identifies or embodies his/her gender, as much as it is a clinical depiction of one’s historical relationship to his/her own body. Transvestitism and autogynephilia are clinical terms describing similar paraphilic behaviours on the part of a binary-sexed and (gender-congruent) binary-gendered individual (typically men), who temporarily presents as what is often a caricature persona of the opposite binary gender. The clinical presentation of each is distinguished from cross-dressing, both by a heightened state of sexual arousal experienced while engaging in either behaviour, and a deep need for secrecy in order to avoid intense conflicting feelings of shame and humiliation or conflict with one’s spouse, family, and loved ones. The distinctive quality of transvestitism is a hypersexualized gender presentation, while the distinctive quality of autogynephilia is sexual arousal from fantasies of completely mundane, non-sexual, sexist stereotype behaviours such as cooking and ironing, while temporarily cross-dressing. The validity of autogynephilia is presently under dispute, as it was used as a part of the greater scheme of gate-keeping to deny innumerable intensely transsexual women in particular, of access to healthcare when they most needed it. Whether or not autogynephilia actually occurs, either behaviour may be an aspect of a greater exploration of gender. Both terms have historically been used to invalidate transsexual experience, and this is wrong, and constitutes a form of transphobia. Cross-dressing is a term to describe someone of binary sex and binary gender, who presents as a persona of the opposite binary gender. This behaviour may be temporary or a prolonged lifestyle (in which case it represents a particular gender identity in and of itself), but is distinguished from transsexuality by a lack of subjective feelings of gender-incongruity. It is also distinguished from transvestitism and autogynephilia by a lack of hypersexualizing of the behaviour. An individual cross-dresser may still feel a deep need for secrecy, because it is a particularly poorly understood and oppressed form of gender expression. Cross-dressing may also be engaged as a means of gender exploration. Drag (Kings and Queens) Drag describes a performance art, in which an individual presents a binary gender embodiment that is different from their daily gender embodiment, during stage shows that can range from comedy to impersonation of a famous singer, or lip-synching and dance as a fictitious character. Some drag is performed with an element of burlesque or strip-tease as well. While drag is a performance of gender, and thus is not generally considered a gender identity in and of itself, it is sometimes used as a means to explore gender or to share one’s journey of gender exploration with others. Pronoun Preferences For Non-Binary Genders When someone talks about their gender and indicates that they don’t identify as either a man or a woman, or indicates in any other way that their gender is a mite more complicated than how our societies are organized into men and women, the best thing you can do is simply ask “Do you have a pronoun preference?” This way, you aren’t trying to fit them into boxes that they may find as constraining and inappropriate as literally the entire structure of society often is. In fact, many non-binary-identifying people will appreciate the fact that you thought to ask, rather than assuming that you know. Genderfluid is a gender identity describing a person whose embodiment and subjective experience of gender fluctuates with some degree of regularity. Genderfluidity may be considered either binary or non-binary, or even both. Pronoun preference will vary individually, and may even vary for some individuals as their gender embodiment varies (such as someone who prefers masculine pronouns while presenting masculine, and feminine pronouns while presenting feminine). Genderfluidity is not reserved exclusively for persons who have socially transitioned and/or undergone gender reassignment — many people who have done neither, one, or both identify as genderfluid. Genderqueer is a gender identity describing a person whose embodiment and subjective experience of gender is a deliberate, conscious, political act, with the intent to express queerness — a political identity, a sexual orientation, and in this case, a verb too. Someone who is genderqueer (as I personally identify) may have a non-binary sex and will often tend to present a non-binary gender, an androgynous gender, or a binary gender that contradicts their birth sex. Pronoun preference will vary individually, though many prefer gender-neutral pronouns such as ze, hen (a recent advance in Sweden), it, or they. Genderqueering is not reserved exclusively for persons who have socially transitioned and/or undergone gender reassignment, although many socially transition and some undergo partial gender reassignment as a part of their gender expression. I personally have socially transitioned, am using hormones to chemically transition, and experience a need to undergo an operation to remove my reproductive organs, in order to feel at peace with my body. Agender is a gender identity describing a person who does not internally experience a distinguished conception of gender. This person may be binary-sexed or non-binary-sexed. Their gender embodiment and social transition may tend towards androgyny or towards a deliberate defiance of gender congruence/binarism, in rejection of all social constructions of gender that are projected onto them. Many experience a desire to access surgical gender reassignment towards a lack of sex characteristics (and a few are successful), but the current paradigm of Western medicine presents enormous gate-keeping barriers against gender nullification in particular. Pronoun preference will vary individually. Metagender is a gender identity describing a person whose subjective experience of gender is not adequately described by any existing terminology (i.e., I never “met a” gender like you before). This person may be binary-sexed or non-binary-sexed. Their embodiment may fluctuate or be persistently of a particular nature. They may experience a need to socially transition and/or access gender reassignment. Pronoun preference will vary individually. Transmasculine and Transfeminine Transmasculine and transfeminine describe gender identities of people whose subjective experience of gender is like being transgendered, except they don’t identify as having a binary gender. I personally identify as transmasculine, and to me, this means that although I was born female, I experience a masculine gender from within and embody a masculine gender presentation (generally). I would rather be mistaken for a man than be mistaken for a woman. I use male pronouns, but don’t have a preference other than please-not-female-pronouns. I began my social transition in the Summer of 2010 (which included a name change), and have started injecting testosterone in the end of Winter 2011 (though not every transmasculine person does). If I am successful in accessing surgery to remove my reproductive organs (which not every transmasculine person also wants for themselves…) I will be injecting testosterone for the rest of my life (…for precisely this reason). This can be taken as a fair, general sort of example of what transmasculinity means, with negotiation through gender flowing in the opposite direction being a fair example of what transfemininity means. Two-Spirit and Bi-Gender Two-Spirit is a term arising from the Navajo people, who are an indigenous culture in the South-Western United States. Multiple other indigenous cultures (such as the Coast Salish First Nations of Canada and the Cree) have since adopted the term, either to replace a previous term that bears a similar and/or identical meaning, or to replace previous terminology that is seen as derogatory or insulting. In Navajo culture, Two-Spirit describes someone within their community who embodies energies of both male and female gender, and whose gender embodiment fluctuates occasionally from one to the other. Two-Spirit individuals are revered within Navajo culture. As I’ve already indicated in parentheses above, the term Two-Spirit has become culturally syncretised throughout North American indigenous communities, who have often adopted it to mean more-or-less the same thing. For instance, the meaning of the term Two-Spirit is more ambiguous in Coast Salish culture, as it is attributed both to binary-identifying cisgendered persons who are attracted to other Two-Spirit people, and to gender-diverse individuals (who are regarded by the Coast Salish as uniquely endowed with the ability to bridge opposites together and perceive from both masculine and feminine perspectives at any given time). The Cree give the term Two-Spirit a different meaning; generally exclusive to gender-diverse members of their community, who were not always treated with respect and may sometimes still face barriers within their communities. Outside of aboriginal cultures, the term bi-gender(ed) is preferred and taken to mean essentially the same thing as the term Two-Spirit means to the Navajo. However, it is out of respect for ethnic differences and the history of colonialism in the continent of North America in particular, that bi-gendered is used by non-indigenous gender-diverse people. Pronoun preferences tend toward they, as a reflection of the dual nature of a Two-Spirit or bi-gender individual’s genders — it is much like simultaneously having two of them. And, like many non-binary gender identities, neither is associated with a particular kind of body the most often. Many Two-Spirit and bi-gender individuals socially transition to variable degrees and in various ways. Operation & Binary-Identifying Trans People When I was a kid, there was a hilarious game called Operation, in which the goal was removal of teeny tiny bones with clumsy forceps from an electrified board. But in terms of gender, solicitation for yet-undisclosed information about operations comes with a much higher shock. It’s a very sensitive subject, and there is no general rule that speaks fairly to all trans* people’s experiences. Some are pre-op, some are post-op, some are non-op, and some are just… some-op. Some find these discussions very uncomfortable, as they feel that such solicitations for very private information about the content of their pants, kilts, and skirts reflects an aggressive display of entitlement to violate what little privacy they have left. The best thing you can do is simply put down all your assumptions and just listen. If an individual trans man or trans woman doesn’t want to tell you about what operations they have had or seek, if any, it’s not your place to ask them for that kind of information. Trans Person Vs. Transperson That little gap up there? It means something. Whether the person concerned identifies as a man or as a woman, that little gap distinguishes between someone who is out as trans and someone who isn’t (or at least, isn’t quite out, in that they live their day-to-day life blending into anonymity as just-another-man or just-another-woman as much as possible). I have found that the default tends to be without-the-gap until otherwise specified in individual cases, because it is only by virtue of socially constructed gender (and the system of privilege and oppression this produces) that there is any need at all to distinguish between transwomen and ciswomen or transmen and cismen. So when we talk about transwomen as a group, or transmen as a group, we don’t make assumptions that they all want to be considered trans, as many just want to live fully as the gender they have been reassigned to, without needing to further qualify (or quantify) their existence. Identifying as trans has no bearing on one’s gender identity or embodiment, but it is a political identity (one that isn’t embraced by all transpeople). Butch & Femme, Bear & Cub I found myself in a conversation with someone who asked a femme lesbian why she would date a masculine woman, but not find herself attracted to men. My answer was, quite simply, that the woman he was talking to is attracted to butch women. Butch and femme are binary gender identities that I find are not often spoken of outside of lesbian communities. Similarly, bear and cub are binary gender identities that are rarely spoken of outside gay communities. I personally gravitate towards cubs and butches. I can’t really explain it, other than that I simply don’t relate as well to femmes and bears (maybe because I perceive femmes and bears as too close to heteronormative stereotypes? I may never be certain). It needs to be stated, even though it’s probably obvious: butch, femme, bear, and cub, are binary gender identities (which imply binary sex) and binary gender embodiments. Some may still feel a need to socially transition at some point (especially if one is in-the-closet about his/her sexuality), although these genders tend to be persistent from childhood — just like non-binary gender identities. Lastly, some exceptions will always exist concerning pronoun preferences and accessing gender reassignment. And simply because these are binary genders, does not mean in any way that they are reserved exclusively for cisgendered persons. If you’ve made it all this way without ceasing to pay any attention to the contents of this journal entry (congratulations!), it should be clear at this point that gender is a loaded term. Because of the manner in which society is organized into ordered pairs of opposites, we walk about every day with the assumption that everyone else is cisgendered until they tell us otherwise — unless we commit ourselves to daily exploration of the meaning of gender in society. Once we do become conscious, we start to see gender-variance everywhere we go. And in fact, I tend to believe that more people are at least playing with gender than those who are not. And many more people would explore their genders if it didn’t make the people closest to them feel insecure about what that means in terms of their sexuality (because if homophobia wasn’t systemic, this wouldn’t represent a problem).

Paul Kengor is a professor of political science and the executive director of the Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College. Paul Kengor is the author of God and Ronald Reagan: A Spiritual Life (2004), The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism (2007), The Judge: William P. Clark, Ronald Reagan’s Top Hand (Ignatius Press, 2007) and The Communist — Frank Marshall Davis: The Untold Story of Barack Obama’s Mentor (Threshold Editions / Mercury Ink 2012). Kengor Writes . . . Paul Kengor is a professor of political science and the executive director of the Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. Paul Kengor is the author of God and Ronald Reagan: A Spiritual Life (2004), The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism (2007), The Judge: William P. Clark, Ronald Reagan’s Top Hand (Ignatius Press, 2007) and The Communist — Frank Marshall Davis: The Untold Story of Barack Obama’s Mentor (Threshold Editions / Mercury Ink 2012). Joe Biden and the Democrats’ Racist Abortion Position — They Couldn’t Be Prouder of Their Genocidal Commitments. Imagine if Donald Trump announced he would change his longtime opposition to public funding of abortion in order to ensure that black, Hispanic, and poor women can abort their babies. Would liberals need even 10 seconds before foaming at the mouth screaming that he’s a racist? Last week in Atlanta, Joe Biden, Democrat presidential frontrunner for 2020, said: “For many years as a U.S. senator, I have supported the Hyde Amendment as many, many others have because there was sufficient monies and circumstances where women were able to exercise that right [to abortion], women of color, poor women, women who were not able to have access. . . . But circumstances have changed.” Thus, said Biden, “I can’t justify leaving millions of women without access to the care they need and their ability to exercise their constitutionally protected right. If I believe healthcare is a right, as I do, I can no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someone’s zip code.” In response, the crowd of liberal women went wild, applauding ecstatically. It was an incredible moment. A sick moment. Think about what Joe Biden said, to liberals’ roaring approval: He’s reversing his long-held position so “women of color, poor women” can get abortions — that is, have their abortions publicly paid for. He’s changing specifically because of women of color and poor women. He wants them to be able to have their abortions. He wants to make sure money isn’t an issue. He wants no obstacles to them securing their desire to abort their child. This change is prompted wholly on their behalf: “women of color, poor women.” Even long-held religious objections should be no barrier. Your belief in God, and your conviction that God would shudder at you helping to finance others’ abortions, plays second fiddle to the greater goal of these women getting abortions. Naturally, liberals will recoil when seeing Biden’s comments framed that way. Biden, after all, is their boy, and Roe v. Wade is their baby. The hallowed “right to choose” is a sacrament in the liberal church. That abortion far and away disproportionately annihilates minorities and especially African-Americans is dismissed in light of their ultimate highest good. I’ve written here many times about the awful history of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger; her work with the “Negro Project”; her commitment to racial eugenics for what she called “race improvement”; and her May 1926 speech to the Silverlake, New Jersey, chapter of the KKK, which she openly wrote about in her memoirs. I’ve written on Hillary Clinton’s abortion hypocrisy and on liberal cult-hero Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s assessment to the New York Times Magazine: “I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of. So that Roe was going to be then set up for Medicaid funding for abortion.” I also wrote here recently about abortion in Biden’s birth state of Pennsylvania, a state he hopes to take away from Donald Trump. The vast majority of Planned Parenthood clinics in Pennsylvania and throughout the nation are located among African-American populations. Looking strictly at Pennsylvania, the latest statistics show that 43 percent of abortions were to African-American women and 10 percent to Hispanic women. More remarkable is the sheer disproportionally: only 11 percent of Pennsylvania women are black and 7 percent are Hispanic. Abortion in Pennsylvania, like everywhere else in America, victimizes minorities by leaps and bounds. The national figures show that abortions by black and Hispanic women outpace white women by 4.5 times. Some civil rights leaders, including Dr. Alveda King, have called this “Black Genocide.” Well, America’s minorities should know how much Joe Biden has their back: he wants to make sure they get free abortions. In fact, it’s so important to Biden that he’s willing to suddenly abandon his three-decade-long support of the Hyde Amendment for this grand objective. And progressives cheer mightily. Biden, of course, is hardly alone in this among liberals. Quite the contrary, he’s caving on the Hyde Amendment because not doing so is heresy in the liberal church. The Democratic Party once supported the Hyde Amendment, just as it once defined marriage as between a man and a woman. But progressives, you see, have since progressed. They’re now more enlightened. Hyde must be aborted, so Americans can support abortions for poor women, women of color, black women, Hispanic women. “The problem is, the Hyde Amendment affects poor women, women of color, black women, Hispanic women,” says Patti Solis Doyle, who served as Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign manager in 2008, and who has also worked for Biden. And whose lives are eliminated in this equation? The answer: Poor babies, babies of color, babies of black women, babies of Hispanic women. Planned Parenthood, naturally, is thrilled with Joe Biden hopping on the progressive bandwagon. Minority women are its biggest customers. “Happy to see Joe Biden embrace what we have long known to be true: Hyde blocks people — particularly women of color and women with low incomes — from accessing safe, legal abortion care,” said Leana Wen of Planned Parenthood. You can’t make this up. And it’s no laughing matter. Just ask Elizabeth Warren. Choking back tears, filled with anger, she insisted to an audience of clapping, stomping women that Hyde be reversed: “Understand this,” said Warren, voice trembling. “Women of means will still have access to abortions. Who won’t will be poor women.” This is the prevailing position of today’s Democratic presidential candidates and the party generally, with the party’s old men no longer summoning the intestinal fortitude to oppose the hysterical pack. Biden is merely the latest Democrat man without a chest, an ongoing line of lily-livered gutlessness that the late Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Bill Casey foresaw over two decades ago. The Joe Biden of 2019 is selling his soul for the political approval of today’s unhinged Democratic Party, which has completely lost its mind on moral-cultural issues. What’s especially sad is that Democrats are hell-bent on this policy at a time when the number of abortions have been in decline. For those who hoped and prayed that the scourge of black abortion would likewise decline, well, too bad: the Democrats are doing their damnedest to ensure that when it comes to public funding of abortion, no child is left behind. Liberal Democrats tell us they love blacks and the poor. They are just oozing with compassion for them. So much so that they will strive to ensure that you — as a taxpayer, and regardless of your religious or conscience objections — are forced by the state to help ensure that every black or poor woman who wants to terminate her child will not be financially prohibited. Wow, what compassion. Pretty sick, folks. Pretty sick, Joe. The “Today Show” Celebrates Communist Holiday On Friday morning I was sitting alone gumming a bowl of oatmeal in the breakfast area of a Hampton Inn in Pontiac, Illinois, when I was assaulted by an absurdity on the widescreen TV. There I was, calmly minding my own business, keeping my big mouth shut for a change, opening it only for the next scoop of tastelessness. Just then, a group of maniacs from the “Today Show” ruined my tranquility by babbling obliviously and ecstatically about International Women’s Day. International Women’s Day? Seriously? Had I slipped back in time a hundred years ago to, er, Leningrad, March 8, 1919? Judging from the giggling guy and gals on the screen, I had not. I checked my phone. It was March 8, 2019. And I was in America. Some “Today Show” dingbat gushed feigned excitement about the great holiday. Sitting to his left were two or three fashionable ladies likewise sharing his jubilation. The male host turned over the segment to a lady reporter outside the building, who was flanked by two young women prattling on about the liberation of the “music industry” from some sinister male dominance that obviously has deprived the likes of Madonna and Barbra Streisand of millions of dollars in riches. Behind them all was a gaggle of girls cheering about something else that had something to do with International Women’s Day. It was confusing. All of these women and yet — and yet — no Comrade Clara. That’s right. No Comrade Clara. Where was Clara Zetkin? It was then that I realized that, no, I hadn’t slipped into a time-warp overnight somewhere along Rt. 55 on my way from Eureka College to the Union League Club in Chicago later that day — both places where, ironically, I would deliver lectures celebrating America’s defeat of international Communism in the last century. I guess the celebration is premature. Recall, dear leaders, that we Americans won the Cold War and defeated the likes of Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin, and Clara Zetkin. Because of the laws of nature, Clara wasn’t at “Today’s” studios on Friday. Never hopping an elliptical a day in her life, never doing a Pilates workout, and surely never prancing around in yoga pants, Clara died 86 years ago. She died in Moscow, of course. She was there in the rollicking 1930s, the cusp of Stalin’s wondrous five-year plans, and just missed his Great Purge and mass famine imposed upon the Ukraine. But Clara was there in New York on Friday in spirit. And it seems unfair that the folks at “Today” offered no acknowledgment of this matron of International Women’s Day. Not even a photo! Of course, let’s be honest, and sadly serious for a moment. Most of these modern products of our universities have no idea who Comrade Clara was, or would give a rip, and would surely hurl cries of “McCarthyism” at me for raising the specter of the old German socialist-Marxist. Clara will not be condemned. Communism will not be condemned. I will be condemned. As usual, anti-communism will be condemned. Swimming along with the cultural tide, infused by the Zeitgeist, choked by what R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. calls the Kultursmog, they only know what they’ve been taught. More so, they are victims of their progressive professors’ many sins of omission — chief among them the utter failure to teach the lessons, the damage, and the outright horrors of Communism. They’ve been duped. Hence, as a public service, I’d like to here pause to enlighten them on the origins of the Communist holiday they commemorated last week. Clara Zetkin was a big-time German pinko. A Marxist theorist and proud feminist-socialist, she also claimed the banner hoisted today by the likes of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her charming congressional colleague from Dearborn, Michigan, Ms. Tlaib — that is to say, Clara was a “democratic socialist.” And the International Women’s Day was Clara’s thing. If you doubt me, take a glance at the piece (including the accompanying photo of the women carrying the banner, “WOMEN OF THE WORLD UNITE”) on “The Origins of International Women’s Day” in People’s World, the longtime flagship publication of American Communism, and successor to the Daily Worker. Right from the horse’s mouth: “Within the last twenty years, many thousands of women worldwide have begun to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD). However, the way in which the day is marked often bears little resemblance to the original IWD purpose and origins. This is a great misfortune.” How so? What was the motivation for “IWD?” People’s World writer provides an accurate answer: “IWD was founded at the beginning of the last century to both highlight and celebrate the struggle of working women against their oppression and double exploitation.” “Today, this fight has not been won — their struggle is still our struggle. Thus, it is timely to remind women and men in the labor movement and elsewhere of the inspirational socialist origins of IWD in the hope that it will ignite again a progressive socialist feminist women’s movement rooted in an understanding of the class basis of women’s inequality. We can learn from our history, but first we must rediscover it.” Assisting in that rediscovery, People’s World notes (correctly) that the first historic demonstration launching IWD took place on March 8, 1908 by “women workers” on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. From there, Clara and the European worker-masses rose up: “Meanwhile, news of the heroic fight of U.S. women workers reached Europe — in particular, it inspired European socialist women who had established, on the initiative of the German socialist feminist Clara Zetkin (1857-1933), the International Socialist Women’s Conference. This latter body met for the first time in 1907 in Stuttgart alongside one of the periodic conferences of the Second [Communist] International (1889-1914). “Three years later in 1910, Zetkin proposed the following motion at the Copenhagen Conference of the Second International: ‘The Socialist women of all countries will hold each year a Women’s Day, whose foremost purpose it must be to aid the attainment of women’s suffrage. This demand must be handled in conjunction with the entire women’s question according to Socialist precepts.’ “The motion was carried. March 8 was favored.” From there, notes People’s World, the Bolsheviks got into the full swing and adopted International Women’s Day as a national holiday that would last throughout the entirety of the USSR: “In 1917 in Russia, International Women’s Day acquired great significance — it was the flashpoint for the Russian Revolution. On March 8, (Western calendar) female workers in Petrograd held a mass strike and demonstration demanding peace and bread. The strike movement spread from factory to factory and effectively became an insurrection. “The Bolshevik paper Pravda reported that the action of women led to revolution, resulting in the downfall of the tsar, a precursor to the Bolshevik revolution. ‘The first day of the revolution was Women’s Day. . . . the women . . . decided the destiny of the troops; they went to the barracks, spoke to the soldiers, and the latter joined the revolution. . . . Women, we salute you.’ “In 1922, in honor of the women’s role on IWD in 1917, Lenin declared that March 8 should be designated officially as Women’s Day. Much later, it was a national holiday in the Soviet Union and most of the former socialist countries.” There you go. That says it all, doesn’t it? It was a national holiday in Lenin’s and Stalin’s USSR. Well, it looks like our intrepid “progressives” in the United States have picked up the torch. They are poised to make IWD a national holiday in the United States, too. International Women’s Day marchers, unite! “Today Show” producers and hosts and reporters, unite! To borrow from Trotsky’s and Stalin’s Pravda, “We salute you!” Where is Clara today, as the women of “Today” honor her legacy? Clara Zetkin is buried in the wall of the Kremlin, where she was placed nearest the rotting bosom of Vladimir Lenin. There for the red funeral with tears in their eyes were Lenin’s widow and Stalin himself. That was the genesis of International Women’s Day. Ladies, if you bite from the fruit of International Women’s Day, you are eating the fruit of a poisoned tree. You are a sucker. What “Deep Christian Convictions” of “Democratic Socialism”? Editor’s Note: This essay was first published in Crisis Magazine. I do my best to avoid The New York Times. Truly, I try not to read it. Doing so invariably ruins my day and wastes my time. It not only frustrates me but pains me. On countless thousands of occasions I’ve found myself reading a Times piece that leaves me barking at the page about something utterly crucial that was magically excluded from the piece in order to advance whatever flawed thesis was being forwarded in the name of some left-wing position. It’s maddening. This happened again when a friend this week sent me a widely circulated op-ed piece from last weekend’s Times, titled, “Can We Please Relax About ‘Socialism?’” It was written by David Bentley Hart, who — and this particularly caught my eye and prompted me to write here — is a scholar of religion and (according to the tagline) “an affiliated scholar of the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study.” Ironically, I just spoke at Notre Dame, where I lectured on the differences and confusion regarding what is “socialism,” what is “democratic socialism,” what is Communism, Marxism, etc. Above all, I laid out what the Catholic Church has said about these things. Drawing the necessary distinctions is never easy, as they are constantly blurred by the very people advancing the terms, and telling us that those who are concerned about socialism and Communism are the big problem. Socialism and Communism aren’t the problem, you see — it’s the anti-socialists and anti-communists who are the menace. Dr. Hart, in his defense, was raised under what he refers to as a “British variant” of socialism, which he defines as “exemplified by F. D. Maurice, John Ruskin, William Morris, R. H. Tawney, and many other luminaries (including, in his judiciously remote way, C. S. Lewis).” I would unequivocally object to putting Lewis in any such category. (Lewis was a critic of progressivism, let alone socialism and Marxism.) As for British “socialism,” well, which variant — and how far back? How about the Fabian Society type, the H. G. Wells variant, the George Bernard Shaw slop, or the Labour Party’s 1918 Clause IV-style that called for “common ownership of the means of production,” which Tony Blair repudiated in 1995? What about the disastrous Attlee administration that nationalized everything under the English skyline between 1945-51 (much of which Margaret Thatcher mercifully de-nationalized)? Even today’s Labour Party, long the home to presumably the type of “socialism” that Dr. Hart approves (incidentally, what kind of “socialist” is Jeremy Corbyn?), will not dare re-do what Clement Attlee did. Maybe Dr. Hart sees Britain’s NHS as constituting the best of British “socialism,” but it would be simplistic to say that that makes Britain “socialist.” Certainly, when Marx and Engels and Lenin and Trotsky wrote of socialism and democracy (Lenin and Trotsky and Stalin were initially members of the Social Democratic Party of Russia before the party split between Bolsheviks and Menshaviks in 1903), they would not have considered contemporary Britain socialist. And so, what is socialism? What is democratic socialism? Ask ten self-described socialists or democratic socialists and you’ll get ten different definitions, few of them grounded in a firm historical understanding of the term. What we tend to get from people on the left is ridicule of conservatives who legitimately fear what the left wants to do when it prattles on about the glories of “socialism” and “democratic socialism,” and how we should all take a deep breath and sit back and enjoy the vast fruits of what would await us if we would simply submit to taking the road to state utopia. Google the phrase “21st century socialism.” That’s what Hugo Chavez championed in Venezuela, and I could show you article after article from left-wing sources (People’s World especially) on how this was touted just a decade ago as the great new “democratic socialist” thing. In that sense, none of what Dr. Hart wrote — in a snooty way that made fun of everything from Fox News and Ben Stein to conservatives understandably troubled by the rise of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — surprised me. (What’s troubling about Ocasio-Cortez is less her personality than what she represents: the sudden shocking support for a failed ideology now being blithely embraced by millions of millennials oblivious to its history.) But what really got me about Hart’s piece, particularly given his affiliation with Notre Dame, was this passage: “Democratic socialism is, briefly put, a noble tradition of civic conscientiousness that was historically — to a far greater degree than either its champions or detractors today often care to acknowledge — grounded in deep Christian convictions. I, for instance, am a proud son of the European Christian socialist tradition, especially in its rich British variant . . . but also in its continental expressions (see, for example, Pope Pius XI’s encyclical Quadragesimo Anno, with its prescient warnings against the dangers of unfettered capitalism).” This demands a response — not the “British variant” part but the assertion that “democratic socialism” is “grounded in deep Christian convictions” and that “the European Christian socialist tradition” has “continental expressions” in the likes of “Pope Pius XI’s encyclical Quadragesimo Anno.” Hart adds, in that same vein: “Well — only in America, as they say. Only here is the word ‘socialism’ freighted with so much perceived menace. I take this to be a symptom of our unique national genius for stupidity. In every other free society with a functioning market economy, socialism is an ordinary, rather general term for sane and compassionate governance of the public purse for the purpose of promoting general welfare and a more widespread share in national prosperity.” First off, that’s not actually socialism, traditionally understood or defined — i.e., market economies by definition are not socialist systems. This is a highly elastic and misapplied definition of socialism. So why call it “socialism”? Getting Quadragesimo Anno Completely Wrong — But that aside, let’s focus on Hart’s other key claims: Only in America? Well, what about in Rome? What about at the Vatican? And indeed, what about Pope Pius XI and Quadragesimo Anno, not to mention numerous Church encyclicals dating back to Pius IX’s Qui Pluribus, published in 1846, two years before the Communist Manifesto? What about even modern (perceived) liberal popes, like John XXIII? Let’s leave aside Communism and stick to “socialism.” The Church perceived socialism, too, as a menace. I could go on and on with examples, but here are just a few that stand out — again the kind of stuff that The New York Times has a maddening habit of leaving out of its left-wing op-ed pieces: Section 120 of Pius XI’s Quadragesimo Anno states bluntly: “Religious socialism, Christian socialism, are contradictory terms; no one can be at the same time a good Catholic and a true socialist.” This is stated quite clearly. Imagine then — truly, imagine the amazing affront — of a New York Times piece citing Quadragesimo Anno in defense of “democratic socialism” being “grounded in deep Christian convictions” and of a “European Christian socialist tradition” with “continental expressions” in the likes of “Pope Pius XI’s encyclical Quadragesimo Anno.” Could there be a more inappropriate source to have cited for that assertion? Sure, Dr. Hart also cites Quadragesimo Anno for “its prescient warnings against the dangers of unfettered capitalism.” Fine, no problem there, but Quadragesimo Anno is completely against socialism. In fact, there are some fifty references to “socialism” or “socialist” in Quadragesimo Anno, and they’re pretty damning. Quadragesimo Anno stated that the “characteristic of socialism,” including a more modern form that had developed since the time of Leo XIII, was “fundamentally contrary to Christian truth” (section 111). Section 55 of Quadragesimo Anno spoke of “. . . the Socialists who hold that whatever serves to produce goods ought to be transferred to the State, or, as they say ‘socialized,’ is consequently all the more dangerous and the more apt to deceive the unwary. It is an alluring poison which many have eagerly drunk whom open Socialism had not been able to deceive.” The encyclical gives careful thought to this. Sections 113 to 124 of Quadragesimo Anno constitute an extended discussion of the “more moderate” form of socialism that some more recent “socialists” had sought to develop as distinct from Communism. Some of these socialists, states the encyclical, might even try to “incline toward” or “approach the truths which Christian tradition has always held sacred.” Nonetheless, the Magisterium here recommends that if one is seeking “demands and desire” consistent with Christian truth, these are not unique or “special to Socialism. Those who work solely toward such ends have, therefore, no reason to become socialists.” It advises: “Those who want to be apostles among socialists ought to profess Christian truth whole and entire, openly and sincerely, and not connive at error in any way. If they truly wish to be heralds of the Gospel, let them above all strive to show to socialists that socialist claims, so far as they are just, are far more strongly supported by the principles of Christian faith and much more effectively promoted through the power of Christian charity” (sections 115-116). This is a clear rejection of socialism, whether “moderate” or “modified,” and certainly of any conception of “Christian socialism.” Socialism, asserts Quadragesimo Anno, cannot be reconciled with Catholic teachings because its concept of society itself is “utterly foreign” to Christian truth. I could cite example after example from official Church teaching, long before and after Quadragesimo Anno. A Consistent Anti-Socialist Tradition — In his 1849 encyclical, Nostis Et Nobiscum, Pius IX calls both socialism and Communism “wicked theories,” “perverted theories,” “perverted teachings,” and “pernicious fictions.” They are linked together throughout the encyclical. Pope Leo XIII, in his second encyclical, Quod Apostolici Muneris (On Socialism), issued December 28, 1878, lumps socialists and Communists together as part of a “wicked confederacy.” He writes: “We speak of that sect of men who, under various and almost barbarous names, are called socialists, Communists, or nihilists, and who, spread over all the world, and bound together by a wicked confederacy, no longer seek the shelter of secret meetings, but, openly and boldly marching forth in the light of day, strive to bring what they have long been planning — the overthrow of all civil society.” (A key point to dwell on: civil society as apart from “the state.”) He says, “They leave nothing untouched.” Not only do they attack the right of property, but they “. . . debase the natural union of man and woman, held sacred even among barbarous peoples; and its bond, by which the family is chiefly held together. . . . Doctrines of socialism strive almost completely to dissolve this union.” Quod Apostolici Muneris speaks of the “pest of socialism,” the “plague of socialism,” and the “evil growth of socialism,” warns of the “recruits of socialism,” and accuses socialists of “stealing the very Gospel itself with a view to deceive more easily the unwary.” These socialists “distort it (the Gospel) so as to suit their own purposes.” So much, again, for “Christian socialism.” In 1891, Leo XIII issued Rerum Novarum, which was the basis for Quadragesimo Anno 40 years later. This classic encyclical is a favorite of liberal Catholics, who seem to forget its staunch rejection of socialism. The encyclical chastises socialists for cultivating the “poor man’s envy of the rich” and depriving the worker of his just wages through redistribution schemes that violate the right to private property. These policies empower the state at the expense of the wage earner who ultimately suffers from the loss of his financial autonomy (sections 4-5). Rerum Novarum notes that socialists “strive against nature in vain.” They even undermine the family and the home: “The socialists, therefore, in setting aside the parent and setting up a State supervision, act against natural justice, and destroy the structure of the home” (section 14). Rerum Novarum adds: “Hence, it is clear that the main tenet of socialism, community of goods, must be utterly rejected, since it only injures those whom it would seem meant to benefit, is directly contrary to the natural rights of mankind, and would introduce confusion and disorder into the commonweal” (section 15). Even more liberal modern popes, like St. Pope John XXIII, states in Mater et Magistra: “No Catholic could subscribe even to moderate Socialism.” That passage actually quotes Pius XI: “Pope Pius XI further emphasized the fundamental opposition between Communism and Christianity, and made it clear that no Catholic could subscribe even to moderate Socialism. The reason is that Socialism is founded on a doctrine of human society which is bounded by time and takes no account of any objective other than that of material well-being. Since, therefore, it proposes a form of social organization which aims solely at production, it places too severe a restraint on human liberty, at the same time flouting the true notion of social authority.” I could go on and on with such citations. Clearly, the teachings of the Church reject the notions of a moderate socialism that’s allegedly infused with or grounded in the Christian faith. The article by Dr. Hart not only leaves all of this absent but suggests something fully to the contrary, particularly by invoking Pius XI and Quadragesimo Anno. And again, his affiliation is with Notre Dame, which concerns me about the situation at Notre Dame. Notre Dame recently lost a well-known professor, Joseph Buttigieg, father of Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Joseph Buttigieg was an expert in “critical theory” and was no less than president of the International Gramsci Society. Yes, the society is named for the infamous Italian Marxist, Antonio Gramsci. Notre Dame’s president, Fr. John Jenkins, not only accepted this but hailed Buttigieg as a profound scholar. In fact, Buttigieg ran the Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program at Notre Dame. Pius XI would roll over in his grave if he knew that the head of the International Gramsci Society was a tenured professor at a college named for Our Lady. In sum, I intend no ill will to Dr. Hart. But it’s troubling to see assertions like this in major op-ed pieces that receive a lot of attention and have a significant impact. To see socialism described not only cavalierly, benignly, but even as a product of deep Christian conviction, and in the name of encyclicals like Quadragesimo Anno, simply should not stand without rebuttal. People are being terribly misinformed. We fail repeatedly to teach the truth about not only Communism but socialism. * Kengor Writes . . . Paul Kengor is a professor of political science and the executive director of the Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College. Paul Kengor is the author of God and Ronald Reagan: A Spiritual Life (2004), The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism (2007), The Judge: William P. Clark, Ronald Reagan’s Top Hand (Ignatius Press, 2007) and The Communist — Frank Marshall Davis: The Untold Story of Barack Obama’s Mentor (Threshold Editions / Mercury Ink 2012). The New Socialists — The Green Red Deal Watermelons: green on the outside, red on the inside. Leftist environmentalists hate that. And yet, they do little to eschew the label. Quite the contrary, they earn it in spades. They have from the outset. Whether sheer coincidence or because the Devil has a sense of humor, Earth Day always marks Vladimir Lenin’s birthday. The first Earth Day, April 22, 1970, just happened to be the centennial of Lenin’s birth. Given that interesting confluence of dates, it seems more than ironic that so many former Communists, when the Cold War ended, ran for the woods. It was the ideal ideological refuge. Rocks and frogs cannot tell the Commie “environmentalist” to go jump in a lake. They can’t tell the central planners to take a hike back to their air-conditioned offices in Manhattan or coffee shops in Berkeley. Thus, for socialists, here’s the perfect constituency to wield government power and manage people and property. If Marx and Engels were alive today, they would be writing manifestos on ecological “social justice” at some silly university. Today, their disciples at People’s World urge left-wingers everywhere to “Get on board the . . . Climate Train.” The head of Communist Party USA hails modern ecological warriors as “climate justice activists” battling for a crusade of “green socialism.” That brings us to, obviously, the latest manifestation of socialist ideology cloaked in green environmentalism: the so-called Green New Deal uncorked in February by its new champion in Congress, America’s “democratic socialist” star, Miss Socialist USA, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The entire spectacle was stunning to behold. And since the announcement at the end of last week, conservatives everywhere have teed off, taking their whacks at this ill-begotten creation. Amid the many reports, one of the best distillations of this environmental swill was done by Americans for Tax Reform, which posted a PDF of Ocasio-Cortez’s talking points prior to the press conference for the February 7 morning launch. If you haven’t seen it, read it and weep. Actually, read it and laugh. It reads like something out of The Onion or The Babylon Bee. One is tempted to call the proposal juvenile, but sophomoric seems a better word because it plays to the college-girl image that Ocasio-Cortez ironically wants to shed. Actually, the proposal may well forever torpedo her ability to be taken seriously. It makes one wonder if certain forces in the Democrat camp conspired against the young woman, perhaps one of the surprise Democrats who applauded Trump’s line denouncing socialism in the State of the Union — that would include Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and (it was reported in no less than the disgruntled Communist press) even Elizabeth Warren. Did a Machiavellian Ms. Warren, perhaps working with her old Massachusetts colleague, Ed Markey, conspire to try to kill the presidential possibilities of Ocasio-Cortez? If not Warren, then maybe Schumer and Pelosi, who perhaps feel threatened by this young congresswoman that DNC chair Tom Perez calls “the future of our party”? If that sounds over the top, well, take a look at Ocasio’s talking points from last week, which really ought to constitute political suicide: “Build out high-speed rail at a scale where air travel stops becoming necessary.” “Upgrade or replace every building in the U.S. for state-of-the-art energy efficiency.” “A 10-year plan to mobilize every aspect of American society at a scale not seen since World War II to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.” “National, social, industrial, and economic mobilization at a scale not seen since World War II.” As for paying for this “massive transformation of our society,” look at this breathtaking display of economic illiteracy: “The Federal Reserve can extend credit to power these projects and investments, and new public banks can be created to extend credit.” No fear, says Ocasio-Cortez, “the question isn’t how will we pay for it, but what will we do with our new shared prosperity.” The needed greenbacks from the Green New Deal will fall from the rejuvenated air like manna from Gaia. Conservatives have lampooned the notion of attempting to lay a vast array of railways across the Pacific from California to Japan. It would be easier to invent Star Trek teleporters. And yet, lest you think that Ocasio-Cortez and friends really want to ban airplanes, forget it. The jets will be there for the leisure of the limousine liberals, the champagne socialists, for the planners, for the rulers rather than the ruled, for the masters rather than the masses. The Proletariat, the rabble, what Marx called the lumpen proletariat — they will get sandwiched into the boxcars. The smart people, the party apparatchiks, they fly first-class. Invoking FDR, JFK, Ike, and Kamala and Bernie, Ocasio-Cortez sums up her program in the name of “social and economic justice and security through 15 requirements.” The whole concoction reads like it was crafted at a corner Starbucks by college kids marshaled from Ocasio-Cortez’s Twitter following. And no doubt, this proposal by Ocasio-Cortez and allies is a mass indictment of our universities and education system. The old Al Gore’s environmental manifesto was pretty extreme too. He likewise spoke of changing human nature and Americans undertaking a “wrenching transformation” of their society. Also evoking World War II, Gore warned of an “environmental holocaust” and “ecological Kristallnacht.” Al Gore’s Earth in the Balance betrayed an Al Gore not in balance. But even Ozone Al’s ideas weren’t as excessive as this heap of ecological-ideological mumbo-jumbo dished by Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. This poor girl has embarrassed herself. This genuinely ought to be a career-killer. Yes, I know that for liberals what matters most are intentions and identity. Identity politics is the altar at which they worship. They’ll vote for her. But vast numbers of Americans, including virtually anyone in the business world or private sector with a rudimentary sense of how stuff works, will judge this a disqualifier for higher office, especially the White House. Again, one must wonder if Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has been set up. That aside, the less laughable and more insidious aspect of this are the genuinely radical roots. To that end, interested observers should dig deeper into the origins of the Green New Deal. This thing didn’t just roll off the turnip truck when Ocasio-Cortez strolled into Washington a few weeks ago. For a gander at the wider tentacles of this beast, check out the “About” section for the Green New Deal at the website of the Green Party. One sees instantly that this is far more about socialism than environmentalism. Below the tab for “Hands Off Venezuela” are the Four Pillars of the Green New Deal. Point one focuses on the Economic Bill of Rights: “Our country cannot truly move forward until the roots of inequality are pulled up, and the seeds of a new, healthier economy are planted. Thus, the Green New Deal begins with an Economic Bill of Rights that ensures all citizens: After that comes pillar two, on “A Green Transition,” followed by the remaining two pillars, on “Real Financial Reform” and “A Functioning Democracy.” Thus, only a quarter of the four pillars for the Green New Deal actually deals with green deals. The vast majority is old deal socialism. Among the remaining two pillars are calls for: “Establish a 90 percent tax on bonuses for bailed out bankers”; “enact the Voter Bill of Rights”; “making Election Day a national holiday”; “abolish the Electoral College and implement direct election of the President”; “restore the vote to ex-offenders who’ve paid their debt to society”; “protect local democracy and democratic rights by commissioning a thorough review of federal preemption law and its impact on the practice of local democracy in the United States”; “create a Corporation for Economic Democracy”; “repealing the Patriot Act”; “ending the war on immigrants”; “rein in the military-industrial complex by reducing military spending by 50 percent and closing U.S. military bases around the world”; etc. Get the picture? What in the heck does this have to do with the environment? Nothing, of course. But this is how the left has long exploited the environment for its own purposes of revolution and radical transformation. Not a word of this is a surprise to anyone who has followed left-wing environmentalists. Green on the outside, red on the inside. Welcome to American socialism’s new Green Red Deal. Abortion Racism in Pennsylvania — Where Abortion Wears a White Hood Democrats are losing it over abortion. Sure, they’ve long been bad on the issue, but they’re suddenly escalating the vitriol. And by “Democrats,” I’m referring to elected ones. You could always find unhinged “pro-choice” liberals doing vulgar things. Elected Democrats, however, have tended to show a little more restraint. Not any more. Look at Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York, or Gov. Ralph Northam in Virginia, the latter of whom generously promises that an infant that survives an abortion will be “kept comfortable” amid final gasps without attempts at resuscitation. In Alabama, Democratic state rep. John Rogers accepts abortion with a shrug: “you kill them now or you kill them later.” Here in Pennsylvania, Tom Wolf is the nation’s first governor who was a Planned Parenthood escort — those macabre volunteers who ensure that distraught girls approaching an abortion facility walk in with cash and walk out without a baby. In fact, here in Pennsylvania, we have not only a governor who was a Planned Parenthood escort, but a state rep., Brian Sims, which brings me to the focus of this article. In a breathtaking spectacle, Sims proudly filmed himself outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Philadelphia — the Locust Street Surgical Center — verbally accosting an older woman who was praying the rosary. For eight painful minutes, this former college football player turned angry LGBTQ activist, and he gives this woman an oral drubbing. He repeatedly tells her she is “shameful” and “disgusting.” “There is nothing Christian about what you’re doing,” he lectures. “There’s nothing loving or kind,” he says of her. He lambastes her “broken morality.” He asks for her address so people can “protest in front of her home,” as if hounding her there wasn’t sufficient. More must be done, with perhaps a larger and angrier mob. I’m always amazed by the lack of charity and understanding by self-proclaimed “tolerant” liberals so intransigent that they can’t even concede that pro-lifers are motivated by a benevolent concern at least worthy of respect. They’re so hell-bent on the righteousness of their cause that they assume nothing but malice on the part of their opponents — whose primary objective is simply to try to save defenseless unborn babies. They rage against them. There’s something diabolical about it. And make no mistake, a spiritual battleground wages at these clinics. I’ve witnessed it. I’ve watched the escorts engage the people praying. A few months ago, on a bitterly cold day, I joined a group outside the Planned Parenthood abortion center in Pittsburgh. Sims’ caricature could not be more inaccurate and viciously unfair. One of those praying told me that the previous week he stood beside an elderly woman who kneeled on a frozen sidewalk on her aching legs while a dude inside strummed a ukulele and grinned at her. “We’re freezing outside in the snow, with 80-year-old women praying and kneeling on payment covered with ice,” he told me, “and they’re inside, staying warm, and mocking us. You could feel the evil.” The pro-lifers, particularly those from churches, are almost always a model of charity, sacrifice, and mortification. Moreover, it’s the pro-lifers, not the clinic workers or Planned Parenthood volunteers, that are there to comfort the crushed girl as she leaves the clinic and prepares for a life of emotional, spiritual, and, possibly, physical trauma because of what the abortion advocates did to her inside. Sims’ nasty charges are wrong on so many fronts, but I want to underscore his most outrageous accusation against pro-lifers, namely: the “BLATANT RACISM they spew.” He leveled that surreal charge repeatedly in his video. This “old white lady,” he says of her dismissively, as if that label merits automatic denigration, is “extremely racist.” He accuses her of a “racist act of judgment.” What in the world is Sims talking about? If you’re looking to affix racism, you would be far more justified looking in the direction not of those defending the unborn babies, but of those terminating them. There’s far and away a disproportionate number of unborn African-American children killed by abortion. The escorts guide in and funnel their mothers. Sims’ wild claim has great irony given that Planned Parenthood is the spawn of Margaret Sanger, who I’ve written about frequently, including her work with the “Negro Project,” her gospel of “race improvement,” her May 1926 speech to the Silverlake, New Jersey chapter of the KKK. The vast majority of Planned Parenthood clinics are located near African-American populations. The infamous Gosnell “House of Horrors,” a sick slaughterhouse of unborn black children, resided just down the street from where Sims engaged in his antics accusing pro-lifers of racism. It’s downright stunning that Sims either cannot see that or, in turn, casts the finger of racist shame in the complete opposite direction. Well, given Sims’ claims to be worried about racism, and given that he’s a Pennsylvania legislator, I ask him this simple request as a fellow Pennsylvanian: Could he please ask the clinic for data on how many of its abortions have been of minority babies? I asked that question of an analyst who does research on this issue in Pennsylvania. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a breakdown for that particular clinic, or for just Planned Parenthood, on how many patients are African-American,” she told me. “Here are some statistics we do have statewide.” According to the latest abortion statistics from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, in 2017 there were 30,011 abortions performed in Pennsylvania. Among them, 14,726 were to white women, 12,865 were to African-American women (43 percent), and 3,038 were to Hispanic women (10 percent). Thus, 53 percent, or a majority of abortions, were of minority women and unborn babies. Even more remarkable is the sheer disproportion: only 11.9 percent of Pennsylvania women are black and 7.3 percent are Hispanic. Pennsylvania is 82 percent white. Abortion in Pennsylvania, like everywhere else in America, victimizes minorities by leaps and bounds. If abortion was a person, it would wear a white hood, and be the deadliest Klansman in this nation’s history. And who’s leading the assault? Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood performs half of the abortions in the state of Pennsylvania. It operates nine of the 12 largest abortion clinics in the state. The facility where Sims harangued that woman is the largest in the city of Philadelphia. Philadelphia is the fifth largest city in America. (The state’s second largest city, Pittsburgh, is 65th. Philly is the epicenter of abortion in Pennsylvania.) And who does Brian Sims finger as the bad actor in all this? The “racist”? He points to the likes of the woman outside the clinic praying to God that this industry of death will stop — that this “black genocide,” as Dr. Alveda King calls it, will end. He says “shame” on her. She’s the one he finds “disgusting.” And finally, aside from the race issue, that particular clinic that Sims stood in solidarity with isn’t good for women of any ethnicity. That Locust Street facility is guilty of many violations against the women whose babies it has ripped from their wombs. It has been cited for numerous code violations, failing over half of its last 23 patient-safety inspections. And yet, it has never been shut down. Now that’s shameful and disgusting, Rep. Sims. In fact, maybe we should be grateful to Sims. In bringing national attention to himself, he’s bringing national attention to this clinic and this scandal of abortion racism. * Kengor Writes . . . Paul Kengor is a professor of political science and the executive director of the Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College. Paul Kengor is the author of God and Ronald Reagan: A Spiritual Life (2004), The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism (2007), The Judge: William P. Clark, Ronald Reagan’s Top Hand (Ignatius Press, 2007) and The Communist — Frank Marshall Davis: The Untold Story of Barack Obama’s Mentor (Threshold Editions / Mercury Ink 2012). Women Who Lied About Sexual Assault Remember the Scottsboro boys? Over the weekend, a throng of angry protesters gathered outside the Capitol Building with signs and t-shirts touting a new battle cry: BELIEVE WOMEN. It’s a slogan that took off with the #MeToo movement, but it’s in hyperdrive right now. The left found this slogan useful in serving its latest political purpose: an attempted takedown of Brett Kavanaugh. According to the new mantra, women never lie about sexual abuse, and thus anything and everything that Christine Blasey Ford alleged of Brett Kavanaugh was, ipso facto, accurate. Every charge she leveled must be believed, because women do not lie about sexual assault. Well, here I would like to interject to remind liberals of one of their favorite historical morality tales: What about the case of the Scottsboro boys? And therein, what about Victoria Price and Ruby Bates? Recall, liberals, that this has been one of your sacred cows for many decades. As a public service, I herewith share the story: On March 25, 1931, two white women, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates, claimed that they had been gang-raped by nine black teens along the railroad from Chattanooga to Memphis. The boys had hopped a train ride, as had the two girls, who were with two white boys. A fight broke out inside the train car, with the white boys tossed off, leaving the white girls and black boys together. The white boys informed the nearest stationmaster that they had been in a fight with the black boys. The stationmaster took quick action. At the next stop, a town called Paint Rock, Alabama, a militia/posse took the law into their hands and “arrested” the black boys, transporting them to jail cells in nearby Scottsboro. The charge was that they had raped the white girls. As news spread, enraged whites gathered outside the jail, ready to form a lynch mob. The governor of Alabama called in the National Guard. Local authorities promised the seething vigilantes that justice would be hastily served, guaranteeing quick trials and verdicts. On cue, five days later, on March 30, 1931, an all-white jury indicted the nine boys, and the trial began shortly thereafter. Thus ensued a whirlwind of complications, from miscarriages of justice to incompetence to retractions. The attorneys who defended the boys were judged too old or too drunk. The boys themselves did not always help their cause: one alleged that everyone was guilty except for himself; two others confessed but later withdrew their admissions, saying they had confessed under physical duress; and the remaining six pleaded innocence. Not calming the storm was a racist jury, eager to execute the boys. Even as the prosecution argued that the youngest should get life in prison rather than capital punishment, the whites pressed for the gallows for the entire group. All were convicted and sentenced to death. The story was far from over. A mistrial was declared, appeals were rapidly set in motion, and newspapers began reporting that the two girls were not pure lambs but, rather, Tennessee prostitutes. Yes, prostitutes. A second round of trials commenced in March 1933. In the most sensational development of the second trial, Ruby Bates recanted her earlier testimony, claiming she and Victoria Price had not been raped, and had concocted their story out of fear they might be charged for a federal crime because they had crossed state lines while practicing an “immoral” form of business with the white boys; the prosecution contended that Bates was lying, and had been paid off. The jury again voted for conviction, but the judge vetoed. The case of the Scottsboro boys became a crusade and cause célèbre for the left, especially the Communist left. Communists adopted the Scottsboro case as a major campaign to recruit blacks to Communist Party USA. In one particular instance, their success was sensational: CPUSA’s cynical Scottsboro campaign caught the attention and began drawing into the Communist Party a young journalist and editor in Atlanta named Frank Marshall Davis, who decades later would become a mentor to a Hawaiian adolescent named Barack Obama. Yes, Barack Obama, America’s first black president. (I address this in great detail in my biography of Davis, The Communist.) The American left insisted on the innocence of the black boys accused of sexual assault. The left insisted that the two women had lied about the sexual assault. You could not believe the women. So, how does this square with the left’s BELIEVE WOMEN movement today? What does a righteous progressive do with the Scottsboro case now, given the new refrain that women never lie about sexual assault? How to reconcile the Scottsboro boys with the Ford-Kavanaugh case? Well, truth be told, with the ideological perversities and pathologies of the left, this one can be (partly) tidied up with some nifty identity-racial politics. Here you go: the Scottsboro boys were black men, whereas Brett Kavanaugh is a white man, and a pro-life white man, and a conservative Catholic, and seeking to fill a crucial Supreme Court seat that could threaten the left’s holy grail: Roe v. Wade. Thus, Kavanaugh is a complete reprobate, never to be believed. By contrast, on the left’s ideological totem pole, the Scottsboro boys assume, by nature of their skin color, an elevated victim status that compels them to be believed, just as Kavanaugh’s position at the bottom rung of the pole (near the slimy pond scum) demands a verdict of presumed guilt. For the confused, or unanointed, just ask a Millennial college grad. This is what your children learn in our universities with your life savings. This is the price you pay for their indoctrination. But while those curious mental gyrations help a liberal navigate how and why Brett Kavanaugh must be presumed guilty and the Scottsboro boys presumed innocent, it does leave the messy problem of what to do with the left’s new dogma that women never lie about sexual assault. Again, what about Victoria Price and Ruby Bates? Yes, yes, I know — they were white southerners. That’s a definite bottom-dweller on the totem pole. But still, they were women. And women, we are told, quite categorically, must always be believed. And one of these two women admitted to lying. Both, at one point, reportedly lied about being raped. So, liberals, especially those of you dominating our universities, how will you reevaluate the Scottsboro case in light of your new-fangled political sloganeering in October 2018? I’d like to be in the Gender Theory classroom at Swarthmore or Yale when the gals take up that one. Then again, maybe not. Brett Kavanaugh’s Abortion Critics and Hypocrites It’s shocking what forms of violence Christine Blasey Ford’s backers will accept. Something undeniably bad happened to Christine Blasey Ford in the early 1980s. That seems clear. Whether the chief perpetrator was Brett Kavanaugh is something we may never know with absolute certainty, even as his alleged accomplice (named by Ford) likewise insists on Kavanaugh’s innocence. Still, Ford’s story, given in her compelling and emotional testimony, seemed heartfelt and believable. Likewise, Kavanaugh’s denial, given in his compelling and emotional testimony, seemed heartfelt and believable. My earnest sympathies, at this point, are with both Ford and Kavanaugh, but they are not with the pro-choice Democrats and liberals reflexively backing Ford and reflexively excoriating Brett Kavanaugh as a presumed-guilty sex abuser. The Senate Democrats and the abortion lobby opposing Kavanaugh vowed to oppose him long before Christine Blasey Ford came forward. Her allegations merely gave them ammunition for a character assassination (rightly or wrongly earned) to further back their pre-determined vote against Kavanaugh from the outset. Three weeks ago, before the public heard of Ford, nearly all Senate Democrats announced their intention to vote against him. And why? We all know the reason. There’s not a liberal or conservative in Washington who doesn’t know the reason. Three words: abortion, abortion, abortion. And therein lies something sick, perverse, wicked about the “pro-choice” left’s castigation of Brett Kavanaugh as an abuser. What Kavanaugh was accused by Ford of doing when they were teenagers — forcing himself upon her, covering her mouth, with her fearful of being raped — is an abusive act we all condemn and abhor. I’m the same age as Ford, and if I ever saw a guy doing that to a girl at a party, I would have been the first to pounce on the dirtbag. And I’d shudder to imagine him one day sitting on the U.S. Supreme Court. But while such is a violent act that we all, conservatives and liberals alike, condemn and abhor, the same cannot be said about the thinking of conservatives and liberals toward unborn human life. The pro-life position views unborn children as precious, innocent, and worthy of our intervention and protection. Pro-lifers defend the sanctity and dignity of each life in the womb. They seek to stop violence against unborn babies. The pro-choice position, to the contrary, does not. It allows for — and, in fact, relentlessly fights for — the “right” of a mother and an abortionist to rip apart an unborn baby in the most destructive way imaginable, often into the third trimester. A lot of people were crying when they listened to Christine Blasey Ford describe what she claimed happened to her: the pinning down on the bed, the escape from the clutches of her attackers, her “pinballing” (as she described it) down the stairwell, her dash outside, her never forgetting the cruel laughs of the attackers. It’s indeed very sad. Well, here’s a newsflash: If a national audience of tens of millions of Americans sat and listened to a blow-by-blow description of what happens to an innocent child during an abortion, well, they would be more than weeping. They would be sobbing. They’d be in agony, asking how a supposedly humane country and culture could continue to permit such mass injustice. Why do you think liberal newspaper editors refuse to show even a cartoon rendering of a partial-birth abortion? Both acts of violence are heart wrenching: against Ford, against some 60 million aborted babies in America since Roe v. Wade. And yet, it is the latter — the feminist left’s holy grail, Roe v. Wade — that Ford’s most ardent defenders, and Kavanaugh’s most vociferous detractors, are seeking to protect and preserve at all costs. As they demand the protection of victims of sexual abuse, they also demand the preservation of abortion. They seek to undermine Kavanaugh in order to maintain Roe. To borrow from Nancy Pelosi, this is “sacred ground.” Abortion, abortion, abortion. “The greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion,” said Mother Teresa. “By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems.” Abortion “. . . is really a war against the child, and I hate the killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that the mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? . . . Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love one another but to use violence to get what they want.” Sex abuse is violence. And abortion is violence, too. And yet, and yet, that is ultimately what the political left and the Senate Democrats are battling for in resisting not just Brett Kavanaugh for the high court but each and every pro-lifer who will sit before the Judiciary Committee. They will continue to oppose all pro-life Supreme Court nominees, regardless of any alleged incidence of sex abuse in their background. And they will do so in the name of the single greatest abuse of unborn children in the history of America: Roe v. Wade. Liberals, your opposition to violence in the ultimate cause of continuing the violence of abortion — long before and after Brett Kavanaugh — rings rather hypocritical. George Cahill’s New Constellation Editor’s Note: George Cahill was a much-appreciated long-time supporter of The St. Croix Review. George Cahill was a man with a higher mission fixed to the skies. He volunteered to fight in World War II at the earliest possible age: seventeen-and-a-half. Both parents signed off, and he headed to gunnery school in Las Vegas. George met his crew in Lincoln, Nebraska. They flew to Newfoundland and then Iceland and England. And there, his mission would be a most daring one. George flew on a B-17 with the Eighth Air Force. He was a togglier, a perilous position often alternately referred to as a “bombardier” or “nose-gunner” or “tail-gunner,” though George was a stickler for the differences. The togglier sat inside the cramped “nosecone” of the plane and released the bombs. Earl Tilford, my retired colleague from Grove City College, who himself served in the Air Force, and who had George speak to his classes, told me this about toggliers: “A B-17 togglier was responsible for arming and dropping the bombs in lieu of a bombardier. . . . The togglier had to flip a number of toggle switches to arm the bombs and activate the release mechanism and — above all — make sure your plane’s bombay doors were open, otherwise you’d blow yourself out of the sky. That happened on occasion.” George flew 28 combat missions under intense fire, wedged into a tiny spot between two 50-caliber machine guns. Over lunch one day in September 2015, I pushed George to describe what that was like. He wasn’t surrendering much. I got a few short sentences from him. “Nothing but plastic between me and the atmosphere,” he told me of his vulnerability while bombing Nazi targets. I asked if the plastic could stop enemy bullets. “Oh, hell no!” he scoffed. “Bullets go right through it, and you hope they go out the other side!” Out the other side of the plane that is, not the other side of the togglier and crewmates. I asked George if he had “any close calls.” He shot me a shocked look, with another, “Oh, hell!” This time, the “Oh, hell” meant “Oh, hell yes,” though he didn’t care to elaborate. There were, I pried out of him, “at least a dozen” close calls. I later learned that on one occasion George’s “Flying Fortress” was so shot up with holes that his crew of 10 had to do an emergency landing in Wales with only one of four engines still operating. As the plane coasted into a landing, the final engine stopped. They barely made it. That was what George faced. “Incidentally,” adds Earl Tilford, “more B-17 crewmen were killed in World War II than U.S. Marines. In 1943-1944, attrition rates were near 90 percent for 25-mission tour.” For a visual, if you’ve seen the chaotic opening scene of the film “Unbroken,” about World War II bombardier and Olympian Louis Zamperini, that’s what George experienced. “Oh, hell.” That’s about right. But during our lunch, George wasn’t there to tell me about World War II. He had two other missions that day. First, he showed me around Flag Plaza in downtown Pittsburgh — his creation, pride, and joy. George was the founder and president of the National Flag Foundation, a terrific organization. George was our flag-man at our American Founders luncheon events, held quarterly by the Center for Vision & Values, at the Rivers Club in downtown Pittsburgh. After saying grace, we would do the Pledge of Allegiance, which George always led, but first with an extemporaneous explanation of something about the American Founders’ understanding of their new flag as representing a kind of New Constellation. And that brings me to the former togglier’s primary mission that day in September 2015. George took me to lunch to toggle my attention, to zero-in on a project close to his heart: something called The New Constellation. An admirer of flags since his Boy Scouts days, George explained to me that the arrangement of the stars of the new flag envisioned by the American Founders represented a kind of New Constellation altogether. There was a divine Author to the heavens, who had set the stars in place. The men of the Founders’ era learned to navigate by the stars. Their country would be navigated by both a natural law and divine law — or, as Jefferson put it in the Declaration, by “the laws of nature and nature’s God.” Nate Mills, a GCC alumnus and emerging expert on the topic, puts it this way: “The Founders believed that by structuring a government inspired by the laws of nature and nature’s God they could look to the night sky as a metaphor for their experiment in federalism.” In the Flag Act of 1776, the flag implemented a design of 13 stars “representing a new constellation.” The Founders saw each colony as a fixed star, set and living in harmony with one another and not interfering in the spheres of any other state’s place in the celestial order. “In understanding their experiment in self-government in terms of astronomy,” says Mills, “the Founders appealed to a powerful set of metaphors to help explain to the world the unique synthesis of ideas that the United States of America represented.” The New Constellation was a stirring image grounded in the natural, the theological, the astronomical, the philosophical, and the political. The Founders did nothing without meaning, and their flag and New Constellation was no exception. George loved this concept, and was anxious to convince the Center for Vision & Values to pick it up. He told me he was old and running out of time. It was the last best thing he wanted to do. Current and future generations needed to know. He wanted our group, the Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College, to study it. One of my best students, Nate Mills, now with National Review Institute, jumped on it. He did not disappoint. We thrilled George with Nate’s paper and presentation on the topic at our American Founders event in March 2017. Nate’s work and ours isn’t finished. We will continue to carry this flag for George, whose time has indeed now passed. George Cahill passed away on July 2, at the age of 92. This unflagging champion of America’s New Constellation now joins the shining light of the brightest and best of all constellations — no doubt a heavenly one. We salute you, George. * Kengor Writes . . . Today’s Progressives Have Completed the Takeover and Destruction Communists First Started Calling for More Than a Century Ago. The title of this article will raise eyebrows even among conservatives, but read on. The title is accurate and undeniable. The left has succeeded in driving a final nail in the coffin of the Boy Scouts as it once was. The organization is now a shell of itself. It capitulated first on “gay” scout leaders, then on “transgender” scouts, and now on girls joining the Boy Scouts. Progressives bask in their triumph, dancing on the grave of an organization they never wanted to build up; it was an organization they wanted to take down. For the left, this is less about giving something to girls than taking something from boys. It’s another scalp on the cultural-ideological wall. Lest anyone think this isn’t a take-down, or a fundamental transformation, well, consider that the Boy Scouts of America, founded in 1910, will now be called simply “Scouts BSA” for those ages 11 to 18 (a change openly celebrated with puffy propaganda pieces by PC-stylists at the BSA website). This is a coerced inclusion of gender-neutral “Cub Scouts.” The Boy Scouts have been emasculated, neutered. The organization that prided itself on courage stands impotent, fearful in the face of feminists and LGBTQ militants. They’ve cowered to the forces of “diversity” and “tolerance.” And for cultural revolutionaries, the defeat of the Boy Scouts is the end of a long march through yet another institution. This march began literally a century ago, not with the New York Times or Democrats, but with Socialists and Communists. Surely that’s an exaggeration — a right-wing red herring? Grab the nearest liberal to howl accusations of Red-under-every-bed McCarthyism? No doubt, the notion of a long Communist assault against the Boy Scouts will surprise even many conservatives. The ugly truth, however, is that American Communists have been after the Boy Scouts for over a century. Marxists were hell-bent on taking down the Boy Scouts prior to even the Bolsheviks taking down czarist Russia. Once again, here as well, it just took the wider liberal left a little longer to eventually align with the Marxist left. I will not here lay out the full litany or extended paper trail of evidence, which can be found in the (less accessible) Comintern Archives on Communist Party USA at the Library of Congress or (easily accessible) simple searches of archives at the remarkable Marxist clearinghouse, www.marxists.org. What follows are several unmistakable examples beginning in 1911, with links to the original sources: Exhibit 1 takes us way back to June 1911, only a year after the Boy Scouts of America was established. It’s an article by a Celia Rosatstein titled “Why Boys Should Not Join the ‘Boy Scouts,’” published in The Young Socialists’ Magazine. The article portrayed the Boy Scouts as gun-hungry, pro-war, bloodthirsty capitalist fanatics. The young socialists instead urged youth to sign up for the Socialist-Communist faith. The Young Socialists’ Magazine promoted “Socialist Sunday Schools,” not unlike the “Commie Camps“ to which New York City-based Marxist parents sent their children in the summers — a political-ideological substitute to what Christian parents commonly know as “VBS,” or Vacation Bible School. (Ex-Communist Ron Radosh writes of his commie-camp experiences in his fascinating memoir, Commies.) This was the faith for the new school, for the new revolution. “Especially you boys of the Socialist Sunday Schools, do not join the ‘Boy Scouts,’” urged Ms. Rosatstein. “Persuade your friends not to do so, but instead to join the Socialist Schools.” Exhibit 2 is the March 1924 issue of The Young Comrade, an article titled, “Why We Are Against the Boy Scouts,” by Thelma Kahn. There, “capitalism” was fingered as the nefarious tool for training Boy Scouts not only to shoot guns, but to shoot their fathers and brothers (yes, seriously): “Capitalism does not only train the Boy Scout to shoot and use a rifle for its own interest but to shoot down his own father and brothers when there is a strike.” This penchant for violence ultimately marches the Boy Scout off to war: According to Ms. Kahn, “grown-up Boy Scouts” infested by the vagaries of capitalism become soldiers who go off to “fight England.” (Hmm, England?) “The Boy Scouts,” added Ms. Kahn with an added twist of the knife, “also learn how to stick people on the end of their rifles and other ignorant things.” The delightful Ms. Kahn wrapped up with a pitch to youngsters to instead join the Junior Section of the Young Workers League. Exhibit 3 is a full issue of Young Pioneer from July-August 1929, published by the Young Workers League of America in New York City. The lead piece focused on a shameful demonstration against 1,500 innocent boys from across America as they excitedly prepared to cross the Atlantic for an international Jamboree in England. The Young Pioneers came to rain on the parade. The young commies denounced these boys as children exploited by their parents’ greedy factory “bosses.” As the Boy Scouts readied to board their ship for the trip of a lifetime, the Young Pioneers descended, unfurling banners that read “Down with the Boy Scout Jamboree,” “The Boy Scouts are supported by the bosses,” “Smash the Boy Scouts,” “Join the Young Pioneers of America,” and “Defend the Soviet Union.” At the demonstration a young Red named Harry Eisman was arrested for what even the Communist publication described as “militant” behavior. As for that Boy Scouts’ pledge to God and country, the Young Pioneer urged the youth to “Follow in Lenin’s Way.” And as an added kick in the rump of the boys, it accused the Boy Scouts of racism, publishing an alleged letter to the editor from a “Negro” boy named Leslie Boyd swearing his allegiance to the glorious Young Pioneers rather than the disgraceful Boy Scouts. The bilious smears that I’m recounting here were standard fare from these Communist organizations, and I could give example after example, from campaigns against the Boy Scouts by New York Communists in the 1920s to Chicago Communists in the 1930s onward to the 1970s and on and on. Communists in the 1970s assailed the Boy Scouts for “being indoctrinated to emulate the Green Berets.” This runs all the way to modern times, especially as American Communists vigorously embraced cultural issues. By the start of the new century — as seen, for instance, in a May 2001 issue of Party Builder — Communist Party USA was joining forces with the ACLU to openly condemn the Boy Scouts as “anti-gay.” And alas, it was here that the far left found its formula. This tactic would work masterfully in redefining the Boy Scouts in the left’s own image. As cultural Marxists have taught in their universities, the trick to deconstructing America, especially its Judeo-Christian roots, is to go cultural, not economic, particularly through the perverting of sexuality and gender. The key was a cultural Marxist revolution rather than an economic Marxist revolution. That’s the ticket. And yet, while the prime instrument against the Boy Scouts has been sexuality and gender, Communists have remained capable of wild cheap shots at the Boy Scouts that smack of the 1930s all over again. An egregious example is a piece published last summer in People’s World, the successor to the Soviet-backed Daily Worker. The author was John Bachtell, head of Communist Party USA. This piece was headlined, “Trump’s Scout speech likened by some to Hitler Youth rally.” The piece lit up the “reprehensible” Donald Trump for a “hate-filled speech” that violated “every norm of decency and morality” before 40,000 Boy Scouts at their national Jamboree in West Virginia. In a moment of confession, Bachtell conceded to his comrades that he had once been a Boy Scout. But he saw the light through the darkness of the Boy Scouts’ militaristic, jingoistic, homophobic, and racist ways. Bachtell testifies to his moment of grace, when he left the Boy Scouts for good: “This was during the height of the Vietnam War and all the militarism and the patriotic display was meant to whip up war fever and loyalty to country. Again, as someone coming from a progressive family opposed to the war, the entire show was a big turnoff. “After that Jamboree I quit the Scouts and never regretted it. I felt like I was being indoctrinated to be a cog in the war machine. “Later, I realized just how reactionary the Scouts were, including the whole ugly history of racial exclusion, segregation, and homophobia. It wasn’t until 2015, after a long struggle that the BSA adopted a resolution dropping restrictions against gay youth joining.” There, in one piece, in 2017, is a summary list of Communist attacks in a protracted ideological war against the Boy Scouts. It took a century, but the Marxists and Socialists finally got them. They needed the help of the wider left, especially the thorough re-education in the universities. It took the wider liberal left some time to warm to the cause, but eventually liberals/progressives got there. As they typically do. Fifty Years Ago: An Assassination That Shook America It was 50 years ago that a shocking moment of violence rocked America: the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. The tragedy erupted shortly after midnight June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. It should have been a great night for RFK. He had just achieved a grand victory, having won California in the Democratic primary. He was on his way to the party’s presidential nomination. But not everyone in that building had similar plans. After giving a jubilant speech, Kennedy was led from the podium toward the hotel exit via a carefully preselected back route through the kitchen. But someone was lurking along that path. A 24-year-old Palestinian-Jordanian immigrant named Sirhan Sirhan jumped out from behind a cart stacked with trays and began firing a .22 revolver. He lodged three bullets in his intended victim, one directly in the head, entering behind the right ear and piercing Kennedy’s brain. Kennedy went down. He would never stand again. Why did Sirhan pull the trigger? The answer was simple: The young Palestinian was seeking vengeance for the New York senator’s support of Israel in the Six-Day War the previous June. Sirhan was vehemently anti-Israel when the Jewish state had defeated the Arab states. He vowed revenge, with Bobby Kennedy the chosen outlet for his anger. His rage at RFK went ballistic. He scribbled maniacally in his diary on May 18, 1968: “My determination to eliminate RFK is becoming more the more (sic) of an unshakable obsession. R.F.K. must die. R.F.K. must be killed. R.F.K. must be assassinated. . . . Robert F. Kennedy must be assassinated before 5 June 68.” Looking back, this was maybe the first major manifestation of Middle East terrorism in the United States, long before September 11, 2001. And yet, it is crucial to understand that this was a deadly act prompted not only by the evil of Middle East terrorism but also — albeit quite forgotten — by the evil of Soviet Communism. What did the Soviets have to do with this dirty deed? The answer: The Six-Day War had been shamelessly provoked by the Kremlin. Looking to exploit divisions in the Middle East and further exacerbate America’s foreign-policy problems at the time (especially in Vietnam), Soviet officials in May 1968 had cooked up false intelligence reports claiming that Israeli troops had been moved into the Golan Heights and were readying to invade Syria. Moscow peddled the malicious disinformation to Egypt and other Arab states hostile to Israel. The Kremlin wanted to provoke a military confrontation with Israel. And it worked. On this, there is no debate. It is a historical certainty. Moscow had precipitated the Six-Day War in June 1967, which, in turn, had prompted RFK’s assassin in June 1968. And the rest is history. At the time of his death, Robert F. Kennedy was only 42 years old. Had he lived to win the presidency, he would have been 43 at his inauguration, the same age as his late brother at his swearing in. His shooter was 24 years old, the same age as Kennedy’s late brother’s shooter. Today, 50 years later, the shooter is still with us. Bobby Kennedy is long gone. Who knows what might have been? A Victory for Freedom and the Pro-Life Movement The pro-life movement celebrates this Independence Day 2018 with a big victory at the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s a victory for freedom. In yet another narrow decision, this one titled National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, the high court last week struck down a 2015 California law that forces pro-life crisis pregnancy centers to advertise abortions. These are centers established for the very purpose of not doing abortions and for providing an alternative to abortion. The California law compelled the centers — many of them religious, with conscientious objections to abortion — to hand out materials to their clients advertising state-subsidized abortion clinics. As noted by the Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented the centers before the Supreme Court, the California law requires these approved and licensed pro-life medical centers, which offer free help to pregnant women, to provide phone numbers for local county offices that refer women to Planned Parenthood and nearby abortionists for free or low-cost “abortion services.” What happens if the pro-life centers do not follow the abortion dictates of the state? The California law allows for a cumulative fine of $1,000 penalized against each pregnancy center for each instance in which the center fails to communicate the abortion option to a client. Policing and enforcing the financial penalties alone would be a bureaucratic mess. And that’s aside from the obvious moral affront. The pregnancy centers viewed the law as an unconstitutional infringement upon their rights of speech, not to mention their freedom of religion and conscience. As LifeNews.com described it: “This law sabotages freedom of speech by forcing organizations to encourage actions that are in direct opposition to their religious beliefs and counter the mission and purpose of their organizations.” It is indeed a direction contravention of the religious beliefs and missions of so many of these centers. It begs the question: What’s next? Requiring a synagogue to hand out materials promoting Islam? Requiring Baptist and Catholic churches to post or hand out materials to same-sex couples instructing them where to go for a same-sex marriage ceremony? And with state-leveled fines for non-compliance? This is a clear intrusion upon the freedoms of these non-abortion centers. The high court agreed, but barely. The slim 5-4 majority opinion was written by Justice Clarence Thomas, who was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Anthony Kennedy, the court swing-vote who in June 1992 preserved Roe v. Wade by writing the majority opinion in the infamous Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling. The Supreme Court’s four liberals walked in usual lock-step, with Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor insisting that non-abortion centers provide information on abortion as an option. The 5-4 ruling was a victory for the pro-life cause, but the reality is that this unjust California law should have never gotten this far. The very notion that it did is another sad reminder of how militant the “pro-choice” side is. To that end, the reactions to the court decision by the pro-choice movement are telling: The Center for Reproductive Rights and the National Abortion Rights Action League insist that pregnancy centers “manipulate and deceive” pregnant women by not advertising the abortion option to them (as if these women had never heard of abortion prior to stepping into the center). Planned Parenthood Action called these centers “deceptive” and “harmful” to women. It charged centers — the vast majority of which are run and staffed by women — with “lying to women, withholding medical information, and cutting off access to care.” Abortion activist Heidi Hess protests that the high court has “voted to control women,” and has now “set the stage for even more attacks on our reproductive rights.” This was done by the court’s “anti-woman majority,” Hess fumes, and by “five male Supreme Court justices.” That complaint seems the height of hypocrisy. Again, one of the five male justices, the court’s “moderate” Anthony Kennedy, is seen as a hero to the abortion cause. He wrote the dreadful June 1992 opinion that preserved Roe v. Wade. And, lest we forget, it was an all-male Supreme Court that gave America Roe v. Wade in January 1973. No complaints about the seven male Supreme Court justices who gave us Roe? Such reactions reveal not only the stridency of the “pro-choice” movement; they also reveal how far too many “pro-choice” activists merit the very label they detest: pro-abortion. Consider: For decades, these same activists have adamantly refused to advertise or counsel non-abortion options in abortion clinics. There has long been a legislative and grassroots push by pro-lifers to have ultrasound machines installed in abortion clinics and to require that each woman evaluated for an abortion receive an ultrasound first. (That’s wise, if not essential, from a medical standpoint alone.) Pro-lifers are not deceptive about why they want ultrasound images: 80-90 percent of women considering abortions change their minds when they see a picture of their unborn baby in their womb. I know women who run crisis pregnancy centers and have told me story after story of women instantly changing their minds the moment they glimpse of a photo of their child. In fact, one friend who runs a center told me that pregnancy help centers are proliferating at a rapid rate, and in direct proportion to the shrinking number of abortion clinics. That’s the real story that’s going on here. Follow the money. Abortion centers are losing business, big-time, to pregnancy help centers that give women alternatives to killing their unborn baby. Thus, pregnancy help centers are a mortal threat to abortion clinics. Abortionists and their defenders want to stop these centers in any way they can. If an abortion clinic — take the Gosnell clinic in Philadelphia, for example — suddenly lost 80-90 percent of would-be abortions from clients changing their minds because of ultrasounds, the abortion clinic would go bankrupt. The entire abortion industry would be in jeopardy if ultrasound technology was required. “Pro-choice” activists know this, which is why they refuse legislation requiring ultrasounds. And how does that refusal help a woman’s “choice”? Do pro-choicers want women to have maximum information for their best “choice” or not? The tragic truth is that far too many pro-choice activists want only information that leads to a choice in favor of abortion, not a choice against abortion. That’s not a pro-choice position; it’s a pro-abortion position. I’ve met women in tears who have told me about walking into Planned Parenthood clinics and receiving no option but abortion. One woman told me through sobs about her experience two decades ago. She was a college freshman terrified of her parents learning she was pregnant. She hoped that someone, somewhere, on her way to the clinic or inside, would provide her with options other than abortion. At the clinic, she was given no such option, nor a flicker of compassion. She said the nurses and “doctors” alike treated her with such cold routine. She was stunned to discover that the physical pain was immense (she said she felt “everything”), and the emotional pain has never gone away. Her baby was destroyed. She has never gotten over the trauma. I frequently attend and speak at pro-life gatherings, and I meet these women constantly. Today, they are the backbone of crisis pregnancy centers. They staff the centers and they also give money to the centers to provide abortion alternatives, not to promote abortion. The California law sought to undermine that very purpose. Shame on the “pro-choice” movement and Supreme Court justices who refuse to understand that. And for the pro-life movement, this is a July 4th to be thankful for a major court victory on behalf of liberty. With God and Richard Pipes The most respected academic authority on the Russian Revolution, 20th century Communism, and the Cold War has died. He was Richard Pipes, longtime professor of Russian history at Harvard, and a remarkable man. Where to start with an adequate tribute to Professor Pipes? I’ll start with some biographical observations and then finish with personal reflections. Richard Pipes was born in Poland on July 11, 1923. As a 16-year-old Jew at the time of Hitler’s invasion, Pipes mercifully escaped, thanks to a clever and shrewd father. He credited not only his father but also Providential intervention. That experience, and those that followed, taught Pipes several life lessons. In his memoir, Vixi: Memoirs of a Non-Belonger, he wrote, “The main effect of the Holocaust on my psyche was to make me delight in every day of life that has been granted to me, for I was saved from certain death.” Pipes observed: “I felt and feel to this day that I have been spared not to waste my life on self-indulgence or self-aggrandizement but to spread a moral message by showing, using examples from history, how evil ideas lead to evil consequences. Since scholars have written enough on the Holocaust, I thought it my mission to demonstrate this truth using the example of Communism.” Pipes would do exactly that. Pipes earned a doctorate in history at Harvard in 1950. He spent the next 50-plus years there, as professor of Russian history, director of the Russian Research Center, and principal investigator of the Harvard Project on Cold War Studies. He was well-received at Harvard, with full classrooms, even as one of its few outspoken conservatives. In 1996, he retired, though his association with Harvard continued under emeritus status. Among his most important publications were Russia Under the Old Regime (1974), The Russian Revolution (1990), Russia Under the Bolshevik Regime (1994), The Unknown Lenin: From the Secret Archive (1996), and Communism: A History (2001). The latter is a concise go-to book for understanding Communism in theory, practice, and history. But among Pipes’ greatest contributions were outside the classroom, as he helped win the Cold War at a practical-policy level. To that end, he joined President Ronald Reagan’s National Security Council in 1981, where he was the NSC’s senior Kremlinologist. He did great work for Reagan, which means he was loathed by the Kremlin. In January 1982, Pipes was described in Pravda as “one of the ideological mentors of the U.S. administration.” The Moscow Domestic Service excoriated this “odious figure” who “plowed the furrow of ardent anti-Sovietism and anti-Communism.” He was a “dyed-in-the-wool reactionary, hysterically fighting for nuclear confrontation with the Soviet Union.” Pipes was a favorite bogeyman of the likes of the disgraceful disinformation artist Georgi Arbatov. He would confess satisfaction over arousing the contempt of such “vile people.” Pipes certainly had Ronald Reagan’s respect, and vice versa. He was impressed at how Reagan had “grasped that the Soviet Union was in the throes of terminal illness” at a time when “nearly all the licensed physicians” — academic Sovietologists, the State Department, the CIA, journalists, ambassadors — “certified its robustness.” Pipes said that Reagan “instinctively understood, as all great statesmen do, what matters and what does not.” This quality, said Pipes, cannot be taught: “like perfect pitch, one is born with it.” Pipes’ most lasting contribution to the Reagan team was his hand in writing one of the most critical documents in the take-down strategy against the USSR: NSDD-75. Released on January 17, 1983, it became probably the most important document in Cold War strategy under Reagan’s and Bill Clark’s NSC. As Pipes put it, the nine-page directive “said our goal was no longer to coexist with the Soviet Union but to change the Soviet system.” Norman Bailey would call NSDD-75 “The Strategic Plan That Won the Cold War.” Bailey’s NSC colleague, Tom Reed, called it “the blueprint for the endgame.” The Soviets certainly saw it that way, as evidenced by an article in one Soviet publication in March 1983 which carried the telling title, “Pipes Threatens History.” It alleged (correctly) that NSDD-75 “speaks of changing the Soviet Union’s domestic policy. In other words, the powers that be in Washington are threatening the course of world history, neither more nor less.” They were indeed. Warnings About Putin — It was two decades after NSDD-75 that I met Pipes in person. It was September 27, 2005, and he came to Grove City College to give our annual J. Howard Pew Lecture. A few things from that day have stuck with me. I’ve never forgotten Pipes’ assessment of Vladimir Putin, which has stood the test of time. I asked his opinion of Russia’s prospects for a democratic future. Pipes described what he called a “very discouraging picture”: “I had high hopes that after the dissolution of the Communist regime, Russia would take the path of democracy — imperfect, but a democratic path nonetheless. Instead, they went right back to autocracy. I have no hopes now. . . . Russia 10 to 20 years from now will be a kind of a mild dictatorship. If Russians elect their leaders, they will likely do so in skewed elections. . . . “Of course, Russia today is certainly better than it was under the Communist regime. . . . But it is not a democracy. It’s not what we hoped for. It’s an autocracy. Not a tyranny. Not a totalitarian regime. An autocracy. . . .” According to the Russian constitution, the president can only serve two terms, but there is already talk in the Duma that he should be begged to run for a third term, that it is undemocratic to deny the people the right to vote for a man they want just because he has served two terms. Putin repeatedly says that he will not run for a third term, but I would not bet on that. I argued with Pipes about that. At the time, I had a much more positive view on Putin and Russia, and I was surprised by Pipes’ pessimism. As usual, he was right. Pipes and Ted Kennedy — Beyond that, two other things really struck me about that Pipes visit in September 2005. I handed him two things that really piqued his interest: One was that March 1983 article from the Soviet press, “Pipes Threatens History,” which Pipes hadn’t seen. (I found it in Soviet press archives.) He loved it. It made him proud to so rattle the Kremlin. The other document was unworthy of pride: it concerned Ted Kennedy’s private overture to the Kremlin. I had been with Pipes all day, from the airport to dinner to the lecture and then getting him back to his room at Grove City College’s Cunningham House. Late that evening I showed Pipes the now-infamous May 1983 Ted Kennedy-KGB document of which I had recently come into possession. I was considering publishing it in my coming (2006) book on Ronald Reagan, but only if I could verify its authenticity. Given his expertise in Soviet archival work, Pipes was a perfect person to examine the document. I handed Pipes the five-page memo in Russian, followed by an English translation. He sat in a chair in the corner, legs crossed, and began with the Russian version. I waited on the sofa, thumbing through a coffee-table book of Norman Rockwell illustrations. I impatiently headed to the entryway and then the kitchen in search of a piece of paper to jot down his conclusions. Pipes calmly stared at the document and then muttered a curse word in reference to Kennedy. I immediately wrote down every word that followed. I’ve debated back and forth in writing this tribute whether I should quote Pipes verbatim. His reaction was visceral, and I implore readers to consider it in full: After studying the document in silence, Pipes looked up at me and shared his immediate emotional reaction, “This is treason.” When I cautioned that it might indeed be close to treason, but not necessarily, Pipes nodded, retreated, and reevaluated, speaking more carefully, “Yes, at least very close to treason.” He then provided a rough summation of what he read: “He [Kennedy] was operating behind the back of the president of the United States, reaching out directly to a major head of state, to work against the president.” He paused and added simply, in his typical style: “Terrible.” I implore people to interpret this in the proper spirit: Pipes’ initial reaction was to curse Kennedy and utter the “T” word. It’s a natural first-reaction I’ve seen many times. But after his initial anger cooled, he stepped back, thought more deeply, and assessed that, yes, at the very least, what Kennedy did was bad. Treason? Maybe, maybe not. Pipes knew that treason was a significant legal, technical, Constitutional matter. He knew that far more information would be needed to level such a formal charge. But it was bad. I told Pipes my understanding of the provenance of the document. Before I could ask my main question, he affirmed, in his distinctive voice: “I’m sure it’s authentic.” I pressed him (and many others, incidentally) on that, inquiring whether the memo might be a forgery. “Oh, no,” he said. “I have no doubt that this is authentic.” I told him that I felt history needed to know about the document and what it describes. He completely agreed: “Yes, yes. . . . I hope you can publish it.” I shared with him my concern that Kennedy and his liberal admirers in the media would tear into me for questioning their vaunted “Lion of the Senate.” Pipes advised me on that and wished me luck. It turned out I had nothing to worry about it. Kennedy and his press sycophants simply ignored the document, and still do to this day. “Fools and Useful Idiots” — I would remain in touch with Richard Pipes over the years. He was an invaluable expert and eyewitness. I could give example after example. As I searched my email box today, the most recent Pipes’ email that I hadn’t deleted is dated April 7, 2014. I had asked him his thoughts on the role of the Soviets in the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II. He wrote: “Thank you for your letter of April 3 which arrived while I was in Moscow. I certainly was not skeptical about Moscow’s role in the attempt on the life of John Paul II while working in the White House in 1981: I believed then and believe now that the assassination attempt was initiated and organized by the USSR. . . . “I trust you are well. All the best, RP” Like Ronald Reagan, like Bill Clark, like Bill Casey at the CIA, Richard Pipes never had any hesitation in thinking Moscow capable of all sorts of malice and mischief. Another of my favorites was an email thanking me for exposing what Pipes called “the fools and useful idiots” among the American left who said stunningly ignorant things glowing about Lenin’s and Stalin’s USSR. It reminds me of when I saw Pipes at a Philadelphia Society conference in April 2012. I was speaking on dupes from the 1920s and 1930s, quoting the likes of George Bernard Shaw, and H. G. Wells, and Margaret Sanger, and their outlandish encomiums for Stalin’s Russia, as well as Malcolm Muggeridge’s bewildered amazement at the spectacle of Western progressives raving about Bolshevism. I lifted my eyes from my text and caught Pipes with an impish grin, loving every minute of the roast. And then there was a correspondence we carried on over the prospect and possibility that Moscow considered a full-scale invasion of Poland in 1980-81, with President Reagan contemplating a military counter-response, which, as Pipes said dramatically, would have erupted into “World War III.” Well, those discussions are gone now. In fact, each time I received an email from Dr. Pipes I wondered how much longer they would continue, because his email address included the year of his birth: 1923. Each year that date grew older. It ended last week, at age 94. In God’s Image — I’d like to finish with a favorite Pipes’ reflection, which I’ve shared every year with my Modern Civilization course at Grove City College. It deals with what matters most to Pipes now, at this very moment. It concerned keeping rather than losing the faith. Pipes wrote: “Many Jews — my father among them — lost their religious beliefs because of the Holocaust. Mine, if anything, were strengthened. The mass murder (including those that occurred simultaneously in the Soviet Union) demonstrated what happens when people renounce faith in God, deny that human beings were created in His image, and reduce them to soulless and therefore expendable material objects.” As noted, surviving the Holocaust made Pipes delight in every day that God had given him. There would be many such days. He felt a “duty” to defy Hitler by living a joyful and contented life. To be sad and morose and to complain would thereafter strike him as “forms of blasphemy” in light of his Providential gift of survival. Above all, he would spend the remainder of his long and scholarly life exposing godless ideologies and the totalitarian tyrants who deny that human beings are made in God’s image. Few human beings in the academy did that as nobly and expertly as Richard Pipes. * Kengor Writes . . . Marx at 200: Classical Marxism vs. Cultural Marxism This Saturday, May 5, marks the bicentennial of Karl Marx’s birth, a cause for literal celebration in certain quarters of the academy. It’s often charged among the political right that America is going Communist, or at least socialist, or toward some form of Marxism. My concern is less classical Marxism than cultural Marxism, a strain of Communist thought that even most of those engaging in it aren’t consciously aware of. If you Google “cultural Marxism,” the first thing that pops up is a Wikipedia definition dismissing it as a “conspiracy theory which sees the Frankfurt School as part of an ongoing movement to take over and destroy Western culture.” A conspiracy theory? Well, that merely affirms the point. The vast majority of those advancing cultural Marxism aren’t even aware they’re doing so. Tell them and they’ll either blankly stare or mockingly laugh at you as a conspiracy monger. In truth, cultural Marxism not only exists, but exists as a dominant form of Marxism in America and much of the West today. Classical Marxism’s Decline Classical Marxism, by contrast, continues to dwindle. Just this week I caught a rare admission that slipped from the lips of the current chairman of Communist Party USA, John Bachtell: He said that CPUSA has a mere 5,000 members. Yes, only 5,000. You could find more members of Unicorn Party USA. Even more pathetic is that CPUSA has been pounding its chest lately claiming a “surge” in membership under the siege of President Donald J. Trump. Really? Some surge. Of course, CPUSA never had big numbers. At its heyday in the 1930s, it probably never had more than 100,000 members. That’s why Communists have always sought out dupes among the broader liberal left. It’s why Marxist ringleaders like Angela Davis show up at the Women’s March not quoting Lenin but stumping for same-sex marriage and condemning “climate change.” Davis didn’t dare openly agitate for the KGB at the March; she agitated for LGBT. The Communist movement has always needed liberals as props to enlist at rallies. Rarely could CPUSA ever have filled Central Park with its own members. Bachtell’s cohorts today might not fill a sandbox at a Manhattan playground. The reason for that is good news: The original ambition of an economic/class-based revolution has failed in America. And so, instead, today’s Marxists — including those in CPUSA, once the home of classical Marxism — have gone cultural. It’s a form of Marxism so radical in its redefinition of human nature that Marx himself would blush and find it bewildering. As I write, the lead article at CPUSA’s website is titled, “The Capitalist Culture of Male Supremacy and Misogyny” — a piece breathtaking in its cultural radicalism. And it personifies the Communist movement’s thrust today. Frankfurt School of Freudian-Marxism So, what is this cultural Marxism, and how did it emerge? It began not on May 5, 1818, with Marx’s birth, but over 100 years later with the birth of what came to be known as the Frankfurt School. These 1920s and 1930s German Marxists were Freudian-Marxists. For them, orthodox/classical Marxism was too limiting, too narrow, too controlled by the Soviet Comintern that strong-armed national Communist parties. This rigidity prevented these more freewheeling neo-Marxists from initiating the cultural transformation they craved, including revolutionary changes in marriage, sexuality, and family. These Frankfurt-based theorists were left-wing intellectuals who looked to the universities as the home base from which their ideas could be launched. They spurned the church and looked to Marx and Freud as the gods they believed would not fail. Rather than organize the workers and factories, the peasants and the fields and the farms, they would organize the students and the academy, the artists and the media, and the film industry. One can look at the Frankfurt school’s cultural Marxism not as a replacement for classical Marxism, but as the accelerator pedal that was missing from the wheezing, stalling vehicle. The cultural Marxist agrees with the classical Marxist that history passes through a series of stages on the way to the final Marxist utopia, through slavery and capitalism and socialism and ultimately to the classless society. But the cultural Marxist recognizes that Communists will not get there by economics alone. In essence, cultural Marxists shrewdly realized that the classical Marxists would utterly fail to take down the West with an economic revolution; capitalism would always blow away Communism, and the masses would choose capitalism. Cultural Marxists understand that the revolution requires a cultural war over an economic war. Whereas the West — certainly America — is not vulnerable to a revolt of the downtrodden trade-union masses, it is eminently vulnerable when it comes to, say, sex or pornography. While a revolution for wealth redistribution would be unappealing to most citizens of the West, a sexual revolution would be irresistible. Put the bourgeoisie in front of a hypnotic movie screen, and it would be putty in your hands. The key figures of the Frankfurt School included Georg Lukacs, Herbert Marcuse, Wilhelm Reich — who literally wrote the book and coined the term, “The Sexual Revolution” — Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, and others. The formal school began in 1923 as the Institute for Social Research at the University of Frankfurt in Germany. Among its driving forces from within Moscow was Willi Munzenberg, the so-called Red millionaire. “We must organize the intellectuals,” exhorted Munzenberg. And so they would. And how did they slide into America? The threat of Hitler’s Germany drove the Frankfurt School out of Europe and into the welcoming arms of America’s left-wing academics. Most to all of the leading practitioners of the Frankfurt School were Jews who needed a safe haven from Hitler’s madness. So, they and their Institute came to New York City, specifically to the campus of Columbia University, already a hotbed of Communist thought. Pleading the case for them at Columbia was John Dewey, founding father of American public education and Communist sympathizer. (Dewey described himself as a small “c” Communist, objecting only to “official Communism, spelt with a capital letter.”) Thus, their primary area of operation would be the educational system — the schools, the universities, and particularly the teachers’ colleges. It was no coincidence that Columbia housed the nation’s top teachers’ college — a creation of John Dewey. From there, the cultural Marxists spread their ideas to campuses nationwide. Their extremist notions would sweep up the ’60s New Left, to which the likes of Herbert Marcuse became an ideological guru to the radicals who today are tenured at our universities. Gramsci’s March Through the Institutions Not to be forgotten in all of this was a critical figure, a non-German. At the age of 35, in 1926, Antonio Gramsci was arrested in his native Italy by Mussolini, and would spend the last 11 years of his life in prison. Samuel Gregg calls Gramsci perhaps “the most dangerous socialist in history.” Whereas Marx and his original followers were all about class economics, seeing wealth redistribution and the seizure of the means of production as the key to their vision, Gramsci looked to culture. If the Left truly wanted to win, it needed to first seize the “cultural means of production:” the culture-forming institutions such as the media and universities and even churches. Not until leftists came to dominate these institutions would they be able to convince enough people to support their Marxist revolution. “This part of his thesis was like manna from heaven for many left-wing Western intellectuals,” writes Sam Gregg. “Instead of joining a factory collective or making bombs in basements, a leftist professor could help free society from capitalist exploitation by penning essays in his office or teaching students.” And in a really radical stroke — one too radical for its own time, but that would ultimately succeed — Gramsci and his heirs insisted that these leftist intellectuals needed to question everything, including moral absolutes and the Judeo-Christian basis of Western civilization. They needed to frame seemingly benign conventions as systematic injustices that must be exposed. This is where we got professors fulminating against everything from “the patriarchy” to “white imperialism” to “transphobia.” By the 21st century, even biological sex was no longer considered a settled issue. As I write, the New York City council offers public employees the option of choosing from 31 different gender identities. Of course, that’s nothing compared to Facebook, which at various times in the last three years has listed 51 gender options. There was no traditional institution off limits to the cultural Left. In fact, so “critical” was the cultural-Marxist left of anything and everything that it would brand itself as “critical theory.” Today, there are entire academic departments and programs dedicated to “critical theory.” Barack Obama’s alma mater, Occidental College, has a Department of Critical Theory and Social Justice, which at its website promises to instruct wide-eyed students in the principles of “Marxism, psychoanalysis, the Frankfurt School, deconstruction, critical race studies, queer theory, feminist theory, postcolonial theory. . . .” You get the picture. For the cultural-Marxist left, “critical theory” is the zeitgeist, the prevailing spirit of the age. Michael Walsh calls it “the cult of critical theory,” the guiding force of what Walsh describes as “The Devil’s Pleasure Palace,” the instrument for what he rightly calls “the subversion of the West.” To quote the ’60s radicals, hey, hey, ho, ho, Western civ has got to go. Gramsci himself foresaw societal transformation coming about by a “march through the institutions.” In this, he was prophetic. Sam Gregg puts it well: “The worst part of Gramsci’s legacy is that it has effectively transcended its Marxist origins. His outlook is now blankly taken for granted by millions of teachers, writers, even churchmen, who have no idea that they are committed to cultural Marxism.” And so, adds Gregg, “the vast structures of cynicism which Gramsci’s ideas have built, which honeycomb Western society today, will prove much tougher to dismantle than the crude cement blocks of the old Berlin Wall.” They will indeed. The people of Berlin had no problem recognizing the concrete wrongness of the wall that corralled them. But try to tell those redefining marriage that what they’re advocating is concretely wrong. The Never-Ending Search for the Newest Victim Class In a crucial respect, classical Marxism and cultural Marxism will always bear an essential, enduring commonality — one that explains a lot about today’s modern left. Both classical Marxists and cultural Marxists see history as a series of struggles that divide the world into hostile/antagonistic groups of oppressors and the oppressed. Both seek out victim groups as the anointed group that will serve as the redeemer group. The victim group becomes the agent for emancipation in ushering in the new and better world. The Marxist must always, then, be on the search for the victim class that, in turn, must always be made aware of its victimization. Its “consciousness” must be raised. In classical Marxism, this was simple: the victim group was identified by class/economics. It was the Proletariat. It was the factory worker. In cultural Marxism, this hasn’t been so simple, because the culture is always changing: the victim group is constantly being searched for anew by the cultural Marxist. The group one year might be women, the next year a new ethnic minority, the next year another group. Today, there’s a hard push by cultural Marxists to tap the “LGBTQIA-plus” (People’s World frequently uses that label) movement as the championed victim group. Thus, a cultural Marxist like Angela Davis — mentored by Herbert Marcuse — could stand at the Women’s March before a sea of young women in pink hats and recite a litany of popular grievances. In her casting about for victim groups, the former Communist Bloc cheerleader hailed Chelsea Manning, “trans women of color,” “our flora and fauna,” and “intersectional feminism,” and denounced “white male hetero-patriarchy,” misogyny, Islamophobia, and capitalist exploitation. This is where today’s Marxists in America are toiling hard. They are working diligently on the cultural front. That’s where they are confident they can finally take down Western civilization and its Judeo-Christian bedrock. From Factory Workers to “Cultural Workers” In closing, consider this striking new term I recently encountered when perusing the latest “About” section of the website of People’s World, successor to the Soviet-funded Daily Worker and the leading mouthpiece of American Communism. It singled out a label I hadn’t heard before: “cultural workers.” It states: “Today, People’s World offers a daily news platform for the broad labor-led people’s movement — a voice for workers, the unemployed, people of color, immigrants, women, youth, seniors, LGBTQ people, cultural workers, students and people with disabilities.” They’re looking not for factory workers but for cultural workers. Forget the factory floor — that project failed long ago. Communists tried to organize the steelworkers, the autoworkers, the teamsters, the coalminers. It didn’t work. Thus, the new recruiting ground is the classroom floor, the campus, the university, and the schools. That’s where the cultural workers who can usher in the fundamental transformation are being found. These modern cultural revolutionaries are succeeding magnificently in redefining everything from marriage and family to sexuality and gender. And most stunning of all, it’s the parents — many of them conservative Christians — who are paying for the grand indoctrination with their life savings. And 200 years later, Karl Marx would be chuckling heartily at that irony. Marx’s Apologists Should Be Red in the Face May 5 marked the bicentennial of Karl Marx, who set the stage with his philosophy for the greatest ideological massacres in history. Or did he? He did, but deniers still remain. “Only a fool could hold Marx responsible for the Gulag,” writes Francis Wheen in Karl Marx: A Life (1999). Stalin, Mao and Kim Il Sung, Mr. Wheen insists, created “bastard creeds,” “wrenched out of context” from Marx’s writings. Marx has been accused of ambiguity in his writings. That critique is often justified, but not always. In The Communist Manifesto, he and Friedrich Engels were quite clear that “the theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: abolition of private property.” “You are horrified at our intending to do away with private property,” they wrote. “But in your existing society, private property is already done away with for nine-tenths of the population.” And this: “In one word, you reproach us with intending to do away with your property. Precisely so; that is just what we intend.” Marx and Engels acknowledged that their views stood undeniably contrary to the “social and political order of things.” Communism seeks to “abolish the present state of things” and represents “the most radical rupture in traditional relations.” Toward that end, the manifesto offers a ten-point program, including “abolition of property in land,” “a heavy progressive or graduated income tax,” “abolition of all right of inheritance,” “centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly,” “centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the state” and the “gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equitable distribution of the population over the country.” In a preface to their ten points, Marx and Engels acknowledged their coercive nature: “Of course, in the beginning, this cannot be effected except by means of despotic inroads.” In the close of the Manifesto, Marx said, “The Communists . . . openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions.” They were right about that. Human beings would not give up fundamental liberties without resistance. Seizing property would require a terrible fight, including the use of guns and gulags. Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin and a long line of revolutionaries and dictators candidly admitted that force and violence would be necessary. We’re told the philosophy was never the problem — that Stalin was an aberration, as were, presumably, Lenin, Trotsky, Ceausescu, Mao, Pol Pot, Ho Chi Minh, the Kims and the Castros, not to mention the countless thousands of liquidators in the NKVD, the GRU, the KGB, the Red Guard, the Stasi, the Securitate, the Khmer Rouge, and on and on. Couldn’t any of them read? Yes, they could read. They read Marx. The rest is history — ugly, deadly history. Remembering Barbara Bush — and Robin Only two women were both wife to a president and mother to a president. One was Abigail Adams, who died 200 years ago, October 28, 1818; the other was Barbara Bush, who died yesterday, April 17, 2018. Mrs. Bush was 92 years old. Barbara Bush will be remembered as simple and unpretentious, especially following Nancy Reagan as first lady. Mrs. Reagan was known for fancy clothes and fancy friends, as part of the Hollywood set. Mrs. Bush was known for being more homespun, more Texas, even though she was raised a blueblood with much fancier trappings than Nancy. She followed Nancy in many ways, including in death, as Nancy passed away in March 2016. Still, Barbara humbly accepted the role of the older-looking and less-glamorous first lady. Her husband jokingly called her “The Silver Fox,” and she graciously smiled and accepted the ribbing. She was more Mamie Eisenhower than Jackie Kennedy. We’ll hear all sorts of things about Mrs. Bush in the next few days. But there’s one story about her that I learned when researching and writing a biography of her oldest son — a story I think is well worth remembering. It’s probably the most human thing about this very human lady. It was the fall of 1953. George W. Bush was seven years old. His parents’ green Oldsmobile pulled in front of Sam Houston Elementary School in Midland, Texas. George happened to be strolling down an outdoor corridor with his friend, carrying a Victrola record player to the principal’s office. The moment that he saw the car, he set down the phonograph and sprinted ahead to his teacher. “My mom, dad, and sister are home,” he shouted. “Can I go see them? The little sister was Robin. To this day, George W. Bush swears he saw her. He says he caught her small head barely rising above the backseat. His parents had been in New York, where they were tending to George’s little sister. He knew Robin was sick, but had no idea how sick. The three-year-old was dying from leukemia. George’s parents returned with an empty back seat and emptier news. “I run over to the car,” said Bush almost half a century later, “and there’s no Robin.” She was not coming home. “I was sad, and stunned. I knew Robin had been sick, but death was hard for me to imagine. Minutes before, I had had a little sister, and now, suddenly, I did not.” Bush says that those minutes remain the “starkest memory” of his childhood. When asked about the incident in an interview, his eyes welled with tears. He stammered his response. Pauline Robinson “Robin” Bush started to show symptoms in February 1953, just after the birth of her baby brother Jeb. She simply wanted to lie down all day. Mysterious bruises began appearing on her body. The Bushes took her to Dr. Dorothy Wyvell, renowned in West Texas pediatrics. Wyvell was shocked by the test results. She told the Bushes that the child’s white blood cell count was the highest she had ever seen, and the cancer was already too advanced. She recommended they simply take Robin home and allow nature to take its course, sparing all of them the agony of futile treatments. The Bushes couldn’t do that. George H. W. Bush had an uncle in New York who was president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering cancer center. They agreed to do everything they could in the hope of some breakthrough. As for Barbara Bush, she was constantly at Robin’s side during the hospital stay. Her husband shuttled between New York and Midland. Each morning of Robin’s New York stay, her father dropped by the family’s Midland church at 6:30 a.m. to hold his own private prayer vigil. Only the custodian was there, and he let him in. One morning, Pastor Matthew Lynn joined him. They never talked; they just prayed. Barbara was the strong one throughout the affair. When Robin received blood transfusions at the cancer center, her mother held her hand. Her father had to leave the room. Robin never had a chance. Eventually, the medicine that labored to try to control the evil metastasizing in her frail frame quickly caused its own set of problems, and George H. W. was summoned from Texas immediately. He flew all night to get there, but by the time he arrived Robin had slipped into a coma. She died peacefully. “One minute she was there, and the next she was gone,” remembered her mother. “I truly felt her soul go out of that beautiful little body. For one last time I combed her hair, and we held our precious little girl. I never felt the presence of God more strongly than at that moment.” It all happened so fast. By October, Robin was dead, only weeks from her fourth birthday. “We awakened night after night in great physical pain — it hurt that much,” Barbara recalled. Alas, it is said that this was the reason Barbara Bush turned prematurely gray. There was a story — quite a story — behind that trademark hair of Barbara Bush. The story’s name was Robin. May Barbara Bush rest in peace, reunited at long last with that little girl. John Kerry: Reporting for Duty . . . From Vietnam to Iran He hasn’t changed a lick in 47 years. I’ve been asked a number of times about John Kerry’s unauthorized actions with Iran compared to Ted Kennedy’s unauthorized actions with the Kremlin. Kerry, this spring 2018, sought to undermine President Trump’s policies, whereas Kennedy, spring 1983, sought to undermine President Reagan’s policies. Many people — including the president of the United States — want to know if Kerry’s actions constitute a violation of the Logan Act. It’s a question I’m frequently asked about Kennedy. The short answer, in both cases, is that I’m not the source to provide the answer. Congress is. The Democratic Congress in the 1980s didn’t hesitate to launch criminal proceedings against President Ronald Reagan and his staff (many of them fine men of great integrity) in a militant pursuit for impeachment over “Iran-Contra.” Liberal Democrats did so while turning a blind eye as their leader — House Speaker Jim Wright — buddied up to Sandinista dictator Daniel Ortega in his own negotiations. And Wright wasn’t secretary of state, just as John Kerry wasn’t secretary of state when he conferred with Iranian officials in secret meetings in New York. In what the Boston Globe described as a “rare move” of “unusual shadow diplomacy,” Kerry met with the Iranian foreign minister (among other high-level foreign officials) “to discuss ways of preserving the pact limiting Iran’s nuclear weapons program. It was the second time in about two months that the two had met to strategize over salvaging a deal they spent years negotiating during the Obama administration, according to a person briefed on the meetings.” That’s the very deal that President Trump was working to cancel just as Kerry was working to save it. And that’s hardly the only Kerry outrage. No, this is old-hat. I’d like to remind everyone of Kerry’s affront decades ago. The date was April 22, 1971, 47 years to almost the exact day that Kerry met with the Iranians. That moment, too, included yet another unsavory role by Ted Kennedy. Senator Kennedy helped arrange for the young Kerry, a Vietnam vet, to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, courtesy of Senator J. William Fulbright, hero to a young Bill Clinton, another vocal Vietnam War opponent. There, Kerry spoke of “war crimes committed in Southeast Asia” by American troops — war crimes that were “not isolated incidents but crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command.” He charged that U.S. soldiers had: “. . . personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam. . . .” Kerry’s blistering testimony went on and on, filling two hours. The Senate room was packed with reporters and cameras. The testimony scandalized America and its soldiers. Kerry claimed to speak on behalf of not simply the “small” group called Vietnam Veterans Against the War, of which he was the only representative to testify, but on behalf “of a very much larger group of veterans in this country.” And most damaging, his testimony came amid at least seven pending legislative proposals relating to the war; continued funding hung in the balance. That funding would signal whether the United States tried to win or opted for withdrawal, and whether the boys in the rice paddies got the weapons to defend themselves. Kerry’s statement hit Vietnam vets like verbal napalm. His analogy to Genghis Khan, widely considered one of history’s worst beasts, was a damning indictment. His words made headlines worldwide. Overnight, his face was everywhere. He was inundated with media requests, an instant celebrity. He was discussed at the highest echelons of the Nixon White House, where the president dismissed him as a “phony.” And speaking of phony, John Kerry’s testimony would be vigorously disputed from the outset. One of the most dramatic such confrontations was a heated debate between Kerry and John O’Neill on the Dick Cavett Show on June 30, 1971. O’Neill had taken command of PCF 94, John Kerry’s Swift Boat, after Kerry’s departure. So incensed was O’Neill that over 30 years later he would co-author a bestselling book, Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry, laying out why he and other Swift Boat veterans judged Kerry “a liar and a fraud, unfit to be the commander in chief of the United States of America.” O’Neill and a group of roughly 200 “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” called a press conference in Washington on May 4, 2004. The group wasted no time with an extraordinary ad campaign that arguably cost John Kerry the presidency. He lost the presidency less in November 2004, than in April 1971. As to the actual origins of Kerry’s information, that is likewise a controversy. One source disputes Kerry’s claim with a bracing suggestion — namely, that the origins were not American, nor Vietnamese, but Russian. The Kremlin, primarily under Yuri Andropov’s lead at the KGB, had a nasty campaign of disinformation aimed at American servicemen. An eyewitness was Lt. Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa, who later became the highest-ranking intelligence official to defect from the Soviet bloc. Pacepa spoke to Kerry’s testimony of brutal U.S. “war crimes”: “The exact sources of that assertion should be tracked down. Kerry also ought to be asked who, exactly, told him any such thing, and what it was, exactly, that they said they did in Vietnam. Statutes of limitation now protect these individuals from prosecution for any such admissions. Or did Senator Kerry merely hear allegations of that sort as hearsay bandied about by members of antiwar groups (much of which has since been discredited)? “To me, this assertion sounds exactly like the disinformation line that the Soviets were sowing worldwide throughout the Vietnam era. KGB priority number one at that time was to damage American power, judgment, and credibility. One of its favorite tools was the fabrication of such evidence as photographs and ‘news reports’ about invented American war atrocities. These tales were purveyed in KGB-operated magazines that would then flack them to reputable news organizations. Often enough, they would be picked up. News organizations are notoriously sloppy about verifying their sources. All in all, it was amazingly easy for Soviet-bloc spy organizations to fake many such reports and spread them around the free world. “As a spy chief and a general in the former Soviet satellite of Romania, I produced the very same vitriol Kerry repeated to the U.S. Congress almost word for word and planted it in leftist movements throughout Europe.” Pointing to “peace” organizations that the KGB saturated with dubious anti-American propaganda, Pacepa stated: “The quote from Senator Kerry is unmistakable Soviet-style sloganeering from this period. I believe it is very likely a direct quote from one of these organizations’ propaganda sheets.” Andropov would proudly tell Pacepa that the KGB’s Vietnam campaign had been “our most significant success.” Thanks to the manipulation of the American peace movement. One can debate where and when John Kerry got his information. What is undeniable, however, was its value to America’s enemy: the Viet Cong. In Unfit for Command, John O’Neill recalls the experience of one his band of brothers, Bill Lupetti, a Navy corpsman who had treated injured Swift Boat soldiers. Lupetti was stationed at An Thoi, where both O’Neill and Kerry had served. For Memorial Day 2004, Lupetti returned to Vietnam, painfully visiting Ho Chi Minh City, wandering through the streets earnestly looking to find out whether certain Vietnamese friends had survived the merciless Communist takeover enabled by the American withdrawal. Lupetti happened upon the War Remnants Museum. Inside, he came to an exhibit dedicated to “heroes” who had helped the Communists win the war. A wall plaque at the head of the exhibit stated: “We would like to thank the Communist parties and working class countries of the world.” This included the “wholehearted support” of various “progressive human beings.” Among those progressives represented in pictures, Lupetti glimpsed American campus radicals from the 1960s. (In fact, Jane Fonda’s smiling face was captured in a photo in a separate Women’s Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, standing alongside Madame Binh.) And there, Lupetti was staggered by the sight of a photo of John Kerry — the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee that year. There he was, John Kerry, in a special exhibit honoring those whose “heroic” contributions had helped the Viet Cong defeat the United States. The Communist Vietnamese never forgot John Kerry’s testimony in 1971. It had been a great help. And perhaps today, in Iran, Kerry’s words are again being heralded, this time by the world’s worst theocratic terror state. Perhaps if the nuclear deal gets resurrected, Kerry’s mug will find a frame on the wall of a “heroes” exhibit somewhere in Tehran one day: Another testimony to him saving America’s adversaries from the Republican in the White House. * Kengor Writes . . . Imagine if Stormy Daniels Were Bill Clinton’s Friend Gennifer Flowers. CBS’s “60 Minutes” rounded out Palm Sunday yesterday with an exclusive interview with porn-star Stormy Daniels leveling salacious charges against President Trump. The interview was aired almost 20 years to the day of another surreal interview involving a president and sensational sexual allegations. On March 24, 1998, the New York Times provided a platform for one Bernard Lewinsky, father of a lady likewise infamous for lewd antics. In an article titled, “He Accuses Special Prosecutor of ‘Trying to Torture’ His Daughter: Lewinsky’s Father Rips Into Starr,” Lewinsky exploded not at the man who employed his little girl — Monica — as a sexual play-thing in the nation’s most revered office, but instead unleashed his anger at, well, Ken Starr. “I think this is just the drip torture technique that Ken Starr is using on her,” complained the Los Angeles cancer specialist, condemning not Bill Clinton’s grotesque techniques on his daughter. “He is just trying to torture her in every possible way.” Dr. Lewinsky said his daughter was being used as a political “pawn” by the slimy Starr. She was now “very depressed” and a “virtual prisoner in her apartment,” unable to talk or even see family and friends and her own brother. It wasn’t his first slap at the independent counsel. In a piece the Times ran a few weeks earlier, “Intern’s Father Assails Starr Over Inquiry,” Lewinsky had barked at Starr: “Lay off!” These were words that surely would have been better spent hurled at Bill Clinton. But that wasn’t the mindset of Monica’s father; his villain was the independent counsel. Dr. Lewinsky surmised that what Ken Starr (not Bill Clinton) had “brought upon” his daughter was “unconscionable.” Displaying his liberal bona fides, Dr. Lewinsky said the nefarious Starr so repulsed him that the counselor made him think of the worst of humans: Joe McCarthy. The attorney was running a “McCarthy-era” investigation. In fact, said Dr. Lewinsky, this new era was actually worse than that: it was reminiscent not merely of the McCarthy era but “of the Inquisition” and even “the Hitler era.” Yes, the Hitlerian Ken Starr was “completely out of control.” (Again, no charges of Bill Clinton being out of control.) That was 20 years ago. And it’s worth noting today because Dr. Lewinsky’s comments weren’t solely representative of an enraged father who had gone bananas thanks to Bill Clinton and was lashing out. No, Lewinsky was a proud liberal, and his misdirected indignation was reflective of liberals’ misdirected indignation during the Clinton-Lewinsky affair. The liberal press wasn’t simply in denial mode; it, too, was in attack mode — attacking not Boy Clinton, but Bad Boy Starr. Such it had been for two nutty terms of Bill Clinton. Above all, the left told us this sordid stuff didn’t matter, and the liberal mainstream press did everything to avoid the elephants in the Clinton bedroom — actually, in the Clinton Oval Office. Monica’s dad was sadly symptomatic of Bill’s supporters throughout the media. It wasn’t until deep into the second Clinton term that names like Monica Lewinsky and Juanita Broaddrick — the latter a two-decade old case of alleged rape by Bill Clinton — made their way into the media. The press had to be dragged kicking and screaming, and only then after exposés by Matt Drudge. As for Broaddrick and her rape claims, the story finally hit the mainstream media when NBC’s Lisa Myers bravely broke ranks and interviewed Broaddrick. Then, the mainstream press slowly followed, including a detailed report on the front page of the February 20, 1999 edition of the Washington Post. It was, alas, the seventh year of Bill’s presidency. Broaddrick herself would confront Hillary Rodham Clinton with a letter to the sitting first lady demanding an explanation, a letter excerpted in the press. That story didn’t enter the mainstream media until October 2000, the final full year of the Clinton presidency. The American Spectator as early as late 1993 had been breaking extraordinary stories based on stunning interviews with (among others) the Arkansas state troopers unluckily assigned to Gov. Bill Clinton. The troopers’ accounts were jaw-droppers, and credible — and yet the press assiduously ignored them. When Paula Jones or Gennifer Flowers attempted a press conference, they were openly mocked by the press; literally laughed at on the spot. (To its credit, “60 Minutes” did confront both Clintons on allegations of Bill’s marital infidelity during the 1992 campaign, an interview in which Bill and surely Hillary lied through their grinning lips.) Recall, too, how all the president’s men joined the pack. Throughout 1998, the lieutenants in the Clinton camp were on a rampage against the special prosecutor’s office, which they openly portrayed as operated by fundamentalist-hayseeds, puritanical tyrants, sexual McCarthyites looking for a woman under every Clinton bed. Ken Starr was a modern Torquemada. Especially adept at the art of vicious sliming was Clinton hatchet-man James Carville, who lampooned Starr for — heaven forbid — praying and singing hymns during walks along a creek near his home. “He goes down by the Potomac and listens to hymns, as the cleansing water of the Potomac goes by,” screeched a howling Carville, “and we’re going to wash all the Sodomites and fornicators out of town!” Sidney Blumenthal, White House aide and Clinton apologist extraordinaire, snarled that Starr fancied himself a “zealot on a mission derived from a higher authority,” and ripped Starr’s chief deputy in Little Rock, W. Hickman Ewing, who was obviously a “religious fanatic.” Words like “bimbo” and “trailer-park trash” were tossed around brutally by Clintonistas to besmirch women who courageously stood up against the most powerful man in the world. Bill’s victims might have started the #MeToo movement, if only a single pro-choice feminist in Washington had been willing to stand at their side. And now, 20 years later, it’s March 2018, barely a full year into the Trump presidency, and liberals are practically kicking down the door of the Playboy Mansion looking under couches for dirt on the Donald. It seems only a matter of time before CNN sets up a full-time bureau in a Washington strip club. Poor Anderson Cooper, a genuinely decent guy, seems to have been dispatched to the Porn Beat, where his duties include shoving microphones in the faces of X-rated film stars and former centerfolds. Turning on CNN in front of the kids is a risk nowadays. Now, every new sexual allegation against Donald Trump is an instant headline. No hesitation — straight to the front pages, baby. And as for me, for the record, I’m as troubled by the allegations in 2018 as in 1998. I’m not shrugging this off. Conservatives must stand on principle and care about and condemn such outrageously and scandalously bad behavior, especially to retain any credibility. As readers here well know, I voiced character concerns about Donald Trump during his campaign in 2016 — as I had about Bill Clinton in 1992. But my focus here is liberals, and this reality: Their hypocrisy is coming back to bite them. When liberals protest that Trump supporters aren’t taking these charges seriously, or cry foul when Trump defenders point instead to Bill Clinton in the 1990s, well, they shouldn’t be surprised. Liberals, there’s a moral-political consequence to how you covered your ears and eyes in the 1990s. And now you’ll see it among a sizable segment of voters who will reject your remonstrations of moral outrage against Donald Trump. Frustrated? So were we. Obama’s CIA Director Would Sooner Vacation in North Korea Than at Mar-a-Lago. Obama CIA director John Brennan, recently uncorked an epic Twitter rant. Enraged by President Trump’s words aimed at FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, Brennan steamed at the president: “When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history. You may scapegoat Andy McCabe, but you will not destroy America . . . America will triumph over you.” More than one faithful reader emailed me about the irony of such words coming from a man who wanted Gus Hall to be president of the United States. For those too young to remember, Gus Hall was the longtime hack and head of Communist Party USA, beginning in 1959 until his death in 2000. Not even Joe Stalin as a Party General Secretary came close to matching Gus Hall’s interminable tenure. Hall was unwaveringly dedicated to a global Communist revolution and a truly Evil Empire that was ultimately and blessedly consigned to “the dustbin of history.” Brennan’s loaded words echoed a phrase that Bolshevism made infamous: From the delightful Leon Trotsky to the charming Yuri Andropov, the exhortation evidently remains etched in Brennan’s comradely memory. “Go the place where you belong from now on,” Trotsky thundered at the Mensheviks in 1917, “the dustbin of history!” Our former CIA director channeled Trotsky in the service of blasting Trump. Of course, that’s precisely why the good reader emailed me. The reader graciously remembered my piece for The American Spectator in September 2016 in which I noted that the same Mr. John Brennan had supported Mr. Gus Hall for POTUS back in the Brezhnev era. Brennan literally cast a vote for the Kremlin’s man in Washington. Needless to say, the Kremlin in those days was a rather bad place that housed some nasty guys. Leonid Brezhnev’s KGB chief was Yuri Andropov. About the time that Brennan was registering a ballot for Moscow’s man in America to become America’s next president, Brezhnev and Andropov were giving the green light to one of the most shocking crimes of the deadly 20th century: the assassination of Pope John Paul II. Andropov gave the go-ahead to the Soviet GRU to hire Muslim-Turk Mehmet Ali Agca to murder the head of the world’s largest Christian church and inheritor of the Chair of St. Peter. That ought to have raised a red flag to John Brennan, who, among other things, had been raised an Irish Catholic. His lurch to the far left occurred during his college years at the Jesuit-run Fordham University in New York. (Today, it’s unclear where Brennan stands faith-wise, with not a single mention at his official CIA page and other biographical sources and amid unproven claims that he converted to Islam. The Arabic-speaking ex-CIA director, who studied abroad in Cairo, has made very positive statements about Islam and the “privilege” of making pilgrimage to Mecca and paying homage to “the majesty of the Hajj.”) In fact, if one studies Brennan’s admission that he voted for Gus Hall, it looks like he also suggested that he might have been a member of the Communist Party in 1980. Yes, a formal member. Once upon a time in pre-Obama America, the possibility of CPUSA membership would have been a disqualifying factor to run the CIA. But not to the president that Americans elected in 2008 and reelected in 2012. To the contrary, Obama would have been highly sympathetic. It was likewise in 1980, at Occidental College, according to classmate John Drew, that the young Obama was an ideological Marxist, albeit not a formal CPUSA member. Only the most hardcore joined The Party — including Obama mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, whose underground code name for The Party was “The Church.” But alas, that’s just the start of the irony in John Brennan’s Tweet about the corruption of Donald Trump. Observe that Brennan also blasted Trump for demagoguery, venality, and moral turpitude. Well, that took some gall for a Gus guy. Gus Hall was all those things, and worse. I couldn’t begin to here lay out the full spectrum and spectacle (and disgrace, to borrow another Brennan description) that was Gus Hall, but here’s one particularly relevant item of interest: ol’ Gus was so corrupt that even the Russkies couldn’t trust him. An eyewitness to that reality was Morris Childs, a remarkable individual whose story was told by the late John Barron in his fascinating book Operation Solo: The FBI’s Man in the Kremlin. Childs was Gus’s number-two at CPUSA. And all along, Childs was secretly working for the FBI. The courageous Childs marvelously hoodwinked Hall and his Moscow cronies. The Soviets loved Childs like a brother, bestowing on him their celebrated Soviet Order of the Red Banner — a hilarious accomplishment for an undercover FBI agent. What Childs learned from the Soviets was significant. But as to the point of Gus Hall’s corruption, consider this: The Soviet Union was secretly bankrolling CPUSA, including annual subsidies to the Daily Worker. It was illegal for CPUSA and Gus Hall to receive this money. Our government knew this was happening, but it kept the information quiet to protect Childs so he could continue providing crucial inside intelligence. Morris Childs and his brother Jack (also working for our side) were conduits for the funding. The Kremlin gave CPUSA tens of millions of dollars. The total rose to $2,775,000 by 1980. The FBI knew the precise amount because it counted every dime at a half-way house prior to when Morris deposited it in a safe for Gus Hall. To repeat: Hall and CPUSA were doing all of this illegally. They were a directly-subsidized arm of America’s chief adversary, a barbaric regime. But that’s not the end of it — of, that is, Gus Hall’s corruption. As for the safe in which Moscow’s money was placed for CPUSA, Gus always pocketed a portion for his personal stash. Childs knew this, the FBI knew it. He wasn’t trustworthy. Then again, why would anyone trust a Communist General Secretary? Come to think of it, why would anyone vote for a Communist General Secretary to be their president of the United States? That brings us back to John Brennan. One might lend more credibility to Brennan’s crowing about Donald Trump if he had better judgment about presidents of the United States. And this article doesn’t begin to detail Gus Hall’s venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption. Where to start and finish with those? Here are merely a few Gus gems: On vacationing in North Korea: “The world should see what North Korea has done. In some ways it’s a miracle. If you want to take a nice vacation, take it in North Korea.” On the Party’s position on the Hitler-Stalin of 1939, Stalin’s purge trials, and the 1956 invasion of Hungary: “I never believed that we should dwell too much on the past. I have been much more interested in the future.” On socialism’s inevitability in America: “There’s no question that the United States will become a socialist country. It’s as inevitable as the sun rising tomorrow.” On the Party remaining committed to revolution: “We want to overthrow the capitalist system. But the means that we have chosen are ones of mass education and propaganda. We have our newspaper and we appear on talk shows and we will take part in elections.” Well, John Brennan took part in those elections. He cast a vote for the cause. Let’s Not Forget Bernardine Dohrn, Bill Ayers, and the Four-Finger Salute Most articles on the death of madman Charles Manson opened by mentioning his role in the diabolical Tate-LaBianca murders. The AP story started this way: “Charles Manson, the hippie cult leader who became the hypnotic-eyed face of evil across America after orchestrating the gruesome murders of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and six others in Los Angeles during the summer of 1969, died Sunday after nearly a half-century in prison. . . .” The Manson Family, as his followers were called, slaughtered five of its victims on Aug. 9, 1969, at Tate’s home: the actress, who was 8½ months pregnant, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, celebrity hairdresser Jay Sebring, Polish movie director Voyteck Frykowski and Steven Parent, a friend of the estate’s caretaker. Tate’s husband, “Rosemary’s Baby” director Roman Polanski, was out of the country at the time. The next night, a wealthy grocer and his wife, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, were stabbed to death in their home across town. Charles Manson led this cult of killers. After a sensational trial that truly shocked America, Manson and four genuinely scary members of his “family” — Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten, and Charles “Tex” Watson — were sentenced to death. But because the California Supreme Court had struck down the death penalty, all were spared execution and instead given life sentences. Manson had directed his “family” members to go out into the dark of night to do “something witchy.” That they did. The way they killed Sharon Tate was especially gruesome. Shortly after midnight, they stabbed Tate at least a dozen times, mutilating the beautiful actress, who was due to give birth in two weeks. Tate had reportedly begged for the life of her unborn child but was told by one of the Manson girls: “Look bitch, I don’t care about you. I don’t care if you are having a baby. You are going to die and I don’t feel a thing about it.” The Manson girls repeatedly rammed forks into Tate’s belly to kill her child. The dead baby boy was later removed from his mother’s still womb and buried with her in her arms. Manson’s acolytes took Tate’s spilled blood and used it to paint the word “PIG” on the front door of her home. As for the murder of the LaBiancas the next day, Manson himself tied up the couple and ordered his devotees to do the kill. They brandished their knives and ferociously hacked away. They would leave a fork sticking out of the dead belly of Leno LaBianca, a supermarket executive. The fork was used to carve the word “WAR” on his belly. Everyone knows that Charles Manson inspired those murders. None of that is being forgotten in reports of his death. But what also shouldn’t be forgotten was how the murders inspired Bernardine Dohrn, the ’60s militant Marxist who spearheaded the Weather Underground. That surreal, cruel moment came at the appropriately titled “War Council” held in Flint, Michigan on December 27, 1969, two days after Christmas. It was attended by some 400 student radicals from the SDS-Weathermen cabal, who promoted this political-ideological-sexual gathering as a collective “Wargasm.” For the lovely ’60s hippies, it would be (as usual) a night of radical politics, unrestrained sex, and violence. Among the ringleaders was the late John Jacobs, who had coined a fitting slogan for the evening and for the entire movement: “We’re against everything that’s good and decent.” That became obvious when the indecent Bernardine Dohrn grabbed the microphone. “We’re about being crazy motherf—ers,” Dohrn shouted, “and scaring the sh-t out of honky America!” It was like a radical revival meeting, with the Rev. Dohrn at the political pulpit. Inspired by the spirit — that is, some sort of spirit — Bernardine fired up her brothers and sisters with her hideous ruminations on the vicious Tate-LaBianca murders. The future professor of child education at Northwestern University School of Law — no less than founding director of the university’s Children and Family Justice Center — thrilled over the scene in the bloody Tate living room: “Dig it! First they killed those pigs. Then they ate dinner in the same room with them. Then they even shoved a fork into the victim’s stomach! Wild!” One would like to think that this gory moment appalled even the hardcore in that room, but that wouldn’t be accurate. The faithful, from Bernadine’s sweetheart, Bill Ayers, to everyone else in the hall, knew Bernardine was serious — and they dug it. As reported by Mark Rudd, one of the core leaders of SDS and the Weathermen, the assembled “instantly adopted as Weather’s salute four fingers held up in the air, invoking the fork left in Sharon Tate’s belly.” Imagine. Just imagine. A room full of highly educated young people from some of America’s most hailed colleges. United in a grotesque four-finger salute of diabolical death. Bill Ayers has been asked to comment on the episode. The best face that Ayers has tried to put on the event is to claim that his sweetheart was being “ironic” or had employed “rhetorical overkill” (Freudian slip?) or was speaking “partly as a joke.” Among the former ’60s radicals who later investigated the incident is David Horowitz, today a leading conservative. Horowitz set out to document the incident, interviewing his old comrades: “In 1980, I taped interviews with thirty members of the Weather Underground who were present at the Flint War Council, including most of its leadership,” he wrote. “Not one of them thought Dohrn was anything but deadly serious.” I’ve likewise talked to witnesses. A few years ago I spoke to a Weather Underground cadre who was there. This witness was a good guy — a courageous Vietnam vet who offered his services to the FBI and had infiltrated the group at great personal risk. His name was Larry Grathwohl, who I wrote a tribute to at The American Spectator in July 2013. There, I recounted a conversation I had with Grathwohl the previous summer. Grathwohl had been at the War Council. When I asked if Dohrn and the others were indeed serious, and whether the rest of the radicals had joined the four-finger salute, he confirmed vigorously: “Absolutely! No question.” He repeated emphatically: “Remember, I was there. I saw it.” In fact, Grathwohl added a tidbit that I hadn’t read in accounts of that evening. He said that throughout the remainder of the night, as the “flower children” danced, they gleefully bopped and grooved with their fingers in the form of the four-finger salute, thrusting their arms up and down and back and forth, laughing joyfully. Larry demonstrated for me. I felt sick to my stomach. “How awful,” I said. “Oh, yes,” he replied. “It sure was.” Mark Rudd, the SDS leader who shut down Columbia University a year earlier, in the spring of 1968, translated this message for the wider world: “The message was that we sh-t on all your conventional values, you murderers of black revolutionaries and Vietnamese babies. There were no limits to our politics of transgression.” No, there were not. And this is not quite the flowery image of the innocent ’60s idealists dancing with daisies that liberals would like us to believe about this degenerate generation of ideological goons and nerds and thugs. A line had been crossed that night in Flint — the first steps into a dark world. From the high altar of Rev. Dohrn’s four-finger salute flowed domestic terror cells, gunpowder, bomb-making units. A “new decade now dawned,” recalled Rudd, as “the New Red Army marched out from Flint, exhilarated and terrified.” Its members would spend the next decade literally plotting the violent overthrow of the United States of America, which (quoting their hero, Che Guevara) they declared “the Great Enemy of Mankind.” They planned attacks, planted bombs, and engaged in murder, all along fleeing the federal authorities as fugitives on the FBI’s “Most Wanted” list. Ayers would change his name from town to town, chillingly visiting cemeteries where he borrowed the names of deceased babies from tombstones as his macabre aliases. Neither Ayers or Dohrn would get prison time. Quite the contrary, both spent the 1980s earning education degrees from universities like Columbia, and in the 1990s would become professors at, respectively, University of Illinois-Chicago and Northwestern. Dohrn and Ayers, of course, were back in the news again in 2008, when their friendship with an aspiring Illinois politician named Barack Obama was raised. A chilling symbolic moment in Obama’s rise was the political blessing he received in the living room of Bill and Bernardine in their Hyde Park home in 1995. (Even the New York Times reported on this on the newspaper’s front page in October 2008, albeit downplaying the incident. See: Scott Shane, “Obama and ’60s Bomber: A Look Into Crossed Paths,” New York Times, October 4, 2008.) Obama during the 2008 campaign would do his best to distance himself from Ayers, just as he did another leftist Chicagoan, his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. In fact, Obama and Bill Ayers actually did a number of things together in Chicago. They jointly served as board members at the Woods Fund in Chicago; they worked on “school reform” through the Chicago Annenberg Challenge; they served on a juvenile-justice panel (organized by Michelle Obama); they appeared together as speakers or panel participants at Chicago events; they had many mutual associations, including with disturbing figures like Rashid Khalidi; they acknowledged one another in books and reviews and even endorsements of their books; they had a relationship as neighbors (three blocks apart); plus numerous other reported associations. (I detail these and many additional connections, with copious endnotes, in my book 2010 book, Dupes.) In 2001, the same period when Ayers openly lamented that he had not done enough damage to the Pentagon, Ayers donated $200 to Obama’s reelection campaign for the Illinois Senate, which Obama happily accepted and was never called upon to repudiate. The relationship was professional and personal. Some have speculated that Barack met his wife Michelle at the Sidley & Austin law firm where Bernardine Dohrn worked. But, hey, who’s counting — eh? By 2008, Bill and Bernardine were enthusiastic backers of the group “Progressives for Obama,” spearheaded by SDS founder and leading ’60s radical Tom Hayden. Unlike Charles Manson, who spent the rest of his life in prison, neither Bill or Bernardine were sentenced to jail time for their alleged crimes, some of which (albeit not as sadistic as Manson’s) could have killed many more people. As Ayers later infamously celebrated, “Guilty as hell, free as a bird!” Of course, what Charles Manson did was truly of hell. Manson was guilty as hell, and he didn’t get away with it — neither in this world and surely not in the next. But as we look back at the evil that Charles Manson committed in 1969, we shouldn’t forget how Bernardine and buddies saluted that evil. Remembering Fidel Castro’s Death Editor’s note: A shorter version of this article first appeared in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Last November marked the anniversary of the death of Fidel Castro, our hemisphere’s worst dictator for a half century. When we remember Castro’s death, we should remember him for just that: death. Expressing the depths of Fidel’s destruction is impossible in a short article. But among the corpses under his despotism were the thousands who perished while trying to escape his island-prison by swimming nearly 100 miles to American shores. A testimony to that desperation was recently provided to my students at Grove City College by a Cuban citizen, who I must leave nameless. In describing her fellow citizens’ surreal lives under totalitarian Communism, she noted that only recently have Cubans been allowed to visit their beautiful beaches, and even then only under strict surveillance. That’s a stunning thought for a country literally surrounded by beaches. And yet, Cubans are banned from their beaches because their government fears they’ll dash into the deep water and start paddling profusely for freedom — swimming all the way for Florida. Imagine that. Try to conceive the utter despair. Try to wrap your mind around the cruelty of a government not even letting its suffering citizens escape — a regime so repressive that it will not dare avert its gaze for a moment lest its people attempt the physically unimaginable in the agonizing hopes of dashing from this Marxist police state. We already know that Cuba is a bizarre island without boats. Look at satellite images of Cuba. No boats! There’s also no fishing industry, and people don’t have the luxury of eating fish. (They largely eat chicken, pork, rice, beans.) Why no boats? Why no fishermen? Because fishermen bolt the first chance they get — just like swimmers. For the record, how many people have attempted the swim since Castro took over in 1959? It’s difficult to say. In 1999, the Harvard University Press classic, The Black Book of Communism, estimated that some 100,000 Cubans had risked the treacherous journey. Of those, perhaps as many as 30,000 to 40,000 died from drowning. As those in the sea bob for breath, the government on occasion has employed the resources of the state to sink them, dropping large bags of sand at them from helicopters hovering above. Yes, actually dropping sandbags. As we consider the tens of thousands who’ve drowned, compare it to another glaring number: zero. That’s the total number of Americans who have attempted the swim to Cuba, including all those merry liberals raving about the wondrous “free” education and healthcare awaiting humanity in the Castro collectivist utopia. Bill Bennett, Ronald Reagan’s secretary of education, speaks of “the gates test.” To wit: when a nation opens its gates, in which direction does humanity flow? Well, when the United States leaves its borders unchecked, the refugees stream in. In the Communist world, the apparatchiks had to build a wall in Berlin to keep the captives contained. In Cuba, they can’t even visit their beaches. I imagine the Communists in Cuba would earnestly have followed the example of their old comrades in East Germany and built a wall around the beaches — if they could afford it. Aside from those who drowned, how many others died under Fidel Castro? Those numbers likewise run into the thousands. There were the more traditional Marxist methods: bullet to the head, deprivation, succumbing to inhumane prison conditions. The numbers vary, but the range of dead from those means is typically between 10,000 and 20,000, whether victims of long-term imprisonment or outright execution by bullets. Fidel’s onetime executioner-in-chief, Che Guevara, today an icon to profoundly ignorant college students who sport the cruel psychopath on their t-shirts, is estimated to have overseen as many as 2,000 executions (some of which he personally performed) during the brief period he ran Fidel’s execution pit at the La Cabana concentration camp. Beyond Che’s “bloodthirsty” (he charmingly used that word to describe himself in a letter to his wife) achievement, many more Cubans were liquidated by other state assassins. In all, most credible estimates place the total dead somewhere between 15,000 to 18,000. That’s a lot of people for a tiny island. And again, it doesn’t include those who drowned while attempting an incredible swim. The late professor R. J. Rummel, an expert on the sordid subject of death by government, estimates that from 1959-87 alone, the grand total of cadavers produced by Fidel ranged from 35,000 to as high as 141,000. How’s that for a resume? Actually, for a Communist leader, it’s pretty typical. As we pause to remember Fidel Castro at the one-year anniversary of his demise, let us remember him for what he achieved the most: tyranny, repression, and death. * Kengor Writes . . . Going Red for International Women’s Day The ability of the Communist left to consistently mislead and use an ever-wider group of people never ceases to amaze. I wrote a few weeks ago about the Women’s March, a shocking display of vulgarity that erupted after the Trump inaugural in January, where none other than Angela Davis — America’s longtime leading female Marxist revolutionary — was honorary co-chair and featured speaker. Davis fired up the faithful as they donned crude pink hats and cheered her revolution. Now, this week, the female front was enlisted again, this time going not pink but red — figuratively and literally. [March 8] was International Women’s Day. If you know little to nothing of the history of this event, then you probably know more than the vast majority of young women and oblivious corporate sponsors tapped as dutiful foot soldiers. The fact is that the origins of International Women’s Day are Communist-socialist. That reality is so unavoidably obvious that the “About” section at the official International Women’s Day website candidly lays out the origins in touting this glorious “collective day of global celebration” and calling on “the masses” to “help forge a better working world.” Take a look at this surprisingly honest historical timeline provided at the website: International Women’s Day Timeline Journey 1909: In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman’s Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on 28 February. . . . 1910: In 1910 a second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named Clara Zetkin (Leader of the “Women’s Office” for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women’s Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day — a Women’s Day — to press for their demands. The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women’s clubs — and including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament — greeted Zetkin’s suggestion with unanimous approval and thus International Women’s Day was the result. . . . 1913-1914: On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women’s Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. In 1913 following discussions, International Women’s Day was transferred to 8 March and this day has remained the global date for International Women’s Day ever since. . . . 1917 : On the last Sunday of February, Russian women began a strike for “bread and peace” in response to the death of over 2 million Russian soldiers in World War I. Opposed by political leaders, the women continued to strike until four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. The date the women’s strike commenced was Sunday 23 February on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia. This day on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere was 8 March.” I must concede kudos to the International Women’s Day website developers for sharing this accurate history. This is spot on. Readers will, of course, recognize many of these dates and names, especially the Russian ones. They may not identify names like Clara Zetkin. Zetkin was a big-time German Marxist — or, as leftists will prefer to call her, a socialist or “social democrat.” In fact, Lenin and Trotsky and pioneering cultural Marxists like Herbert Marcuse were also social democrats. Clara was a leading international advocate for Lenin. I have clips from Working Woman magazine, the January 30, 1934 edition, which I copied from the Soviet Comintern files on Communist Party USA. This particular edition included a preview of the coming International Women’s Day of March 8, 1934. It featured a glowing review of Clara’s book Reminiscences of Lenin, including praise for the late despot’s “warm smile,” “keen joy” for workers, “clear thinking,” and “masterly eloquence.” This was Clara’s valentine to Vladimir — a vicious killer — at the time of his death in January 1924, amid her “hour of grief” and “deepest personal sorrow” at the “irreparable loss” of this “great man.” Perhaps passages of this blast-from-the-past could be posted in the “About” section of the International Women’s Day website? But there was much more to this year’s International Women’s Day. Its call for a better “gender world” was a distinctly and fittingly red one. Indeed, this seems almost unbelievable in its audacity, but the January Women’s March organizers, who just happened to spearhead this year’s International Women’s Day, literally urged women everywhere to wear red on Wednesday. Yes, red, and to do so in “solidarity” with the “masses.” That call is issued without apology or irony at the Women’s March website, along with two other eye-opening exhortations: Anyone, anywhere, can join by making March 8 “A Day Without a Woman,” in one or all of the following ways: Women Take the Day Off, from Paid and Unpaid Labor: Avoid shopping for one day (with exceptions for small, women- and minority-owned businesses). Wear RED in Solidarity with a Day Without a Woman: What a perfect color for this year’s International Women’s Day: red, the color of the revolution. But the ironies don’t stop there. Consider the parade of duped organizations that this year’s comradely organizers managed to hook into their cause. No, I’m not talking about the usual suspects, such as those highlighted at People’s World, which I quote: “Backers include the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), Jobs With Justice, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Nurses United (NNU), Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROC United), and the National Organization for Women (NOW).” Those are just a smattering of the same-old-same-old; basically, the regular assortment of leftist groups that rallied behind the so-called “P---y Hats” (their word) in Washington in January. No, look at this group of unexpected allies: The banner sponsors for this International Women’s Day included a select list of ten prominent corporate partners that served up themselves as this year’s cast of tools for exploitation. The list includes Caterpillar, BP, MetLife, PepsiCo, and Western Union. Do the folks at the PR office at these corporations have any concept of what they lent their name to? Maybe they do. I’m wondering if their female employees got the day off on Wednesday. If not, hopefully they didn’t get in trouble if they simply “took the day off.” Vladimir Lenin is credited for devising the term “useful idiots.” It’s a cynical albeit all-too-fitting label. And this International Women’s Day once again smoked them out. Neil Gorsuch on Life, Liberty, and the Natural Law In a stunning moment in the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Neil Gorsuch, Senator Dianne Feinstein, a staunch supporter of so-called “abortion rights,” took umbrage with one of Gorsuch’s previous written statements. As Feinstein described it, “He [Gorsuch] believes there are no exceptions to the principle that ‘the intentional taking of a human life by private persons is always wrong.’” Well, yes, that’s right. That’s what Gorsuch believes. That’s a good thing, isn’t it? Not to Senator Feinstein, sadly, for whom the alpha and omega is what her colleagues Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton consider a “sacred right:” a woman’s “right to choose.” Roe v. Wade is sacrosanct in their eyes, and that’s the complete opposite of what Neil Gorsuch considers sacrosanct. The Gorsuch statement that Feinstein was quoting comes from a book he wrote in 2006, The Future of Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, published by Princeton University Press. In that book, Gorsuch wrote that “all human beings are intrinsically valuable and the intentional taking of human life by private persons is always wrong.” As for me, I will choose that worldview over the Feinstein worldview any day. Gorsuch’s views stem from a very deep, very rich, and very old tradition known as natural law. Natural law affirms that we do what we ought to do according to nature, to our very nature. “What we ought to do is based on what we are,” writes Peter Kreeft. The natural law, notes Kreeft, is naturally known, by natural human reason and experience. You need not be a religious believer to know the natural law, even if that law (many of us believe) was written into nature by a Creator. Really, it’s easier to give examples of natural law than a definition. Human sexuality demonstrates natural law so well because it’s so self-evident. Another violation of natural law is murder: one human life taking another. That’s a violation held by cultures and societies and governments of all times. Natural law is as old and varied as the Old and New Testaments, as the Jewish and Christian faiths, as Aquinas and Augustine, as John Calvin and John Paul II, as Martin Luther King Jr. and Jacques Maritain. It is considered immutable and permanent throughout the variations of history, a universal rule that binds us all. As Augustine put it, natural law is “the law that is written in the human heart.” As Aquinas explained it, the natural law allows us to “know what we must do and what we must avoid. God has given this light or law at the creation.” Of course, Augustine and Aquinas were Christians, but one need not be a Christian to understand what Thomas Jefferson referred to as “the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God.” Pre-Christian figures like Aristotle and Cicero spoke of this eternal law. “True law is right reason in agreement with nature,” stated Cicero. “It is of universal application, unchanging and everlasting.” Nonetheless, this hasn’t stopped many in today’s culture from aggressively seeking to redefine human nature. If you’re endeavoring to fundamentally transform human nature, especially on issues like marriage, family, sexuality, and gender, then the natural law is your chief foe. Indeed, if you’re an aggressive secular progressive, one seeking day in and day out to redefine human nature, what do you do with natural law? One of my former students got an answer in law school, when her progressive professor boldly proclaimed that “natural law doesn’t exist.” But I caution this professor that if he/she really believes this, then he/she must also reject the natural-law-based conclusions of tribunals such as Nuremberg after World War II, when the judges told Nazi officials that regardless of what Hitler’s laws stated, they should have known that what they were doing was wrong. To gas human beings and recycle their corpses into soap and lampshades is an obvious violation of basic laws of humanity — no excuses. Or, consider slavery and various civil-rights laws. One current libertarian writer states that “the greatest spokesman for natural law in the 20th century was probably Martin Luther King, who denounced segregation not because of its technical complexities, but because it betrayed the natural law principles of the Declaration of Independence.” This being the case, most progressives will do with natural law what they do with Biblical Law and other moral laws — they will pick the applications they like and ignore or reject those they don’t. Or, even more brazenly, they will try to remake the natural law in their own image. No, sorry, it doesn’t work that way. Nature tells you what to do; you don’t tell nature what to do. Just as your biology and your 74 trillion chromosomes tell you your gender; you don’t tell yourself your gender. But tell that to modern disciples of the dictatorship of relativism, where everything is deemed redefinable, from one’s gender to whether a human life is even considered a human life. And that brings us back to Neil Gorsuch. Gorsuch is incredibly well-educated. It’s difficult to find a more credentialed academic pedigree. He studied natural law while earning a Ph.D. at Oxford (he has a J.D. from Harvard) under one of the world’s preeminent authorities on natural law, John Finnis. Professor Finnis was Gorsuch’s dissertation adviser. He’s now on faculty at Notre Dame Law School and a professor emeritus at Oxford. Finnis’ best-known work is his Natural Law and Natural Rights. It was there that he issued his statement on the inviolability of all human life, and how no human being should be able to take the life of another human being — the statement that Senator Feinstein found so reprehensible. Gorsuch is also a defender of religious liberty, which Feinstein is likewise finding objectionable. Take Gorsuch’s statement in support of the Little Sisters of the Poor, when the Obama administration tried to force the nuns to pay for abortion drugs. He wrote: “When a law demands that a person do something the person considers sinful, and the penalty for the refusal is a large financial penalty, then the law imposes a substantial burden on that person’s free exercise of religion.” It’s good to have Supreme Court justices of this mind, not of the thinking of the likes of Senator Feinstein. In all, this means that Neil Gorsuch’s thinking on issues like human life and religious liberty should be in concert with faithful Christians, and it should be sympathetic to the rights of those Christians against a government that tries to coerce them. Socialism Attacks the Family, Just as Its Inventors Intended Editor’s note: This article first appeared at Stream.org. Last year, “socialism” was the most looked-up word at Merriam-Webster.com. That is hardly a surprise. It clearly reflects growing interest, especially with the remarkable surge of lifetime socialist Bernie Sanders, who won a pile of states in pursuing the Democratic Party presidential nomination. He earned over 13 million votes nationwide. Many of those voters have only a hazy idea what socialism entails, but most surely know that it gives the government more control over the so-called “means of production” as well as your wallet and your property, but not as much as outright Communists crave. American interest in socialism was growing well before Bernie Sanders. A telling marker came in 2011, when a major study by the Pew Research Center found that 49 percent of Americans aged 18-29 have a positive view of socialism, exceeding those with a positive view of capitalism. What those voters might not realize, but which I know for certain, is that socialism undermines marriage and family: I’ve published an entire book on the subject. What I learned from mining the origins of the movement is that this is not an accident: The founders of socialist movements always intended their system to have this effect. Intended Consequences: Most obviously, socialism undermines the family economically. Socialism is ineffective, unproductive, and impoverishing. It creates not economic prosperity but backwardness, and often, genuine deprivation (see Venezuela). In that way alone, socialism adversely affects what sources as diverse as Pope Francis and Ronald Reagan have described as the “fundamental cell” of society: the family. But surely socialism’s founders didn’t realize that their system just flat-out didn’t work, right? Actually, they believed that it did — and in one sense it does: It weakens families for the benefit of the state, exactly as it creators meant it to. Since at least the early 1800s, when the effort began in earnest, extreme-left radicals have sought to undermine the natural, traditional, Biblical, family — the Western Judaeo-Christian model anchored in a man and woman as parents of a household. The steady assault on this timeless model has been a long march that culminated in the chaos of the sexual revolution of the 1960s and in the antics of the nature-redefiners of today’s secular left, which employs bullying, state coercion, and demonization to forcibly redefine everything from marriage and parenting to biological sex (or as they now call it “gender”), and whether a child in the womb is even considered a life. Marx and Engels in The Communist Manifesto wrote of the “abolition of the family,” which even in 1848, they could flaunt as an “infamous proposal of the Communists.” What, precisely, they meant by that is a complicated subject. But complexities aside, there is no question that efforts to redefine the family structure have been long at work, from Marx and Engels to sordid figures such as Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Alexandra Kollontai, Margaret Sanger, Margaret Mead, Wilhelm Reich, Herbert Marcuse, Betty Friedan, Kate Millet, and assorted ’60s New Left radicals from Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn to Mark Rudd and Tom Hayden. They included groups ranging from the Bolsheviks to the Frankfurt School of cultural Marxists to the Planned Parenthood eugenics “progressives” to the Weather Underground and many more. Socialists on American Soil: A glance at this list of dubious characters reveals a mangled mosaic of the wide-ranging left. Among them, the earliest and maybe most revealing of the socialists specifically — at least from a family-focused perspective — was perhaps Robert Owen. Owen (1771-1858) was an English utopian-socialist who made his way to American soil. On July 4, 1826, as John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the geniuses of the Declaration of Independence, both dramatically breathed their last gasps on the 50th anniversary of their eloquent achievement on behalf of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, Robert Owen stood atop his new ideological colony in New Harmony, Indiana and delivered his “Declaration of Mental Independence.” It is a document you surely didn’t read in school, but perhaps you should have, because it foretold the spirit of our modern age. Owen proclaimed: “I now declare to you and to the world that man up to this hour has been in all parts of the earth a slave to a trinity of the most monstrous evils that could be combined to inflict mental and physical evil upon the whole race.” “I refer to private property, absurd and irrational systems of religion and marriage founded upon individual property, combined with some of these irrational systems of religion.” There it was: property, religion, marriage. This was Robert Owen’s unholy trinity. Owen’s acolytes began their new civilization by scrapping the Christian Anno Domini calendar, marking 1826 as their new “Year One.” He was imitating the Jacobins, who had likewise “reset” the calendar in 1794 amid their bloodcurdling de-Christianization of France. (Mussolini and Pol Pot would later follow suit.) Owen established what the 1960s hippies would call communes. Owen’s socialist communes pooled not only profits but people, replacing the nuclear family with the collective family. His socialism was cultural as well as economic, as socialism and its enthusiasts always would be. The New Harmony colony floundered within just two years, with Owen curiously absent from his creation for sustained periods, thus setting the standard for future leftist-utopian chieftains: They rarely live according to the rules and systems they create for others. Socialism and Communism have always been for “the people,” “the masses,” the ruled, but rarely for the rulers. Castro, Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao — given the choice — they never lived the same way with the same rules and equal salaries as the serfs. Indeed, how could they? Their socialist-Communist cocoons were always intolerable because they were bankrupt and unnatural. No one chooses that misery. But the unnatural is what so many leftist utopians pursued then and in the years and centuries ahead. Even as Robert Owen’s New Harmony commune quickly collapsed, a dozen or so imitators sprang up around the country. Rarely did any of them last more than four years. Owen’s leftist vision remained alive and undeterred. “The social system is now firmly established,” he asserted. An uphill stream of Owen-like dreamers on the left would keep the flame alive, from the 1820s to the 1960s in their own communes, and into the 21st century with their own versions of marriage and family. Never learning from failed projects of the past, they would always convince themselves that the previous project simply wasn’t done quite right — not yet. When they implemented their commune, their utopia, their more enlightened and modern view of marriage and the family, it would surely work this time around. Such is the socialist faith. Polyamory and Lemonade Seas: Charles Fourier (1772-1837) was another merry socialist who reviled property, marriage, and religion. He dreamed of collectivizing the masses in communes where they could undergo fundamental transformation. (He also believed that human efforts would someday turn the seas to tasty lemonade.) A forerunner to 1960s New Left radicals on American college campuses, Fourier openly advocated the abolition of monogamous marriage, and championed polyamory, homosexuality, and other forms of what Margaret Sanger and the 1920s American progressives would celebrate as “free love.” Fourier’s lead disciple in America, Albert Brisbane, practiced what his master taught, proving himself exceptionally progressive by maintaining several mistresses and fathering three illegitimate children. Predictably, the Fourier-Brisbane communes would work about as well as Owen’s ideological colonies, and the ones that followed. There were probably forty some such communes that sprung up around the country in this period, and quickly dissolved. No matter, leftists never give up. All they need is more power than the previous group of ideological colonists, and then they’ll get it right the next time. It is the governing spirit of their ideology. Just wait for their better, more enlightened ideas on marriage, family, sexuality, gender, and on and on. Forward! On the heels of Fourier came John Humphrey Noyes and his Oneida colony and their newfangled designs for the family, which included group marriages that shared both intimacy and children. Socialist Ancestors of the Gender Wars: All of these nature-redefiners plowed new ground for new versions of the family according to each of their ideological conceptions. To borrow from Pope Francis, they were engaged in “ideological colonizations.” Each new generation came up with its own socialist colonies, all the way to the Red Family Colony in Berkeley in the 1960s established by Tom Hayden and Robert Scheer. The ’60s New Left also launched its glorious “smash monogamy” movement, which was an exciting form of marriage that would be (and had to be, they insisted) non-monogamous. In short, these were the bold ancestors of today’s same-sex marriage movement and “LGBTQ” sex-gender redefiners. They all shared in common, then and today, the rejection of any notion that there is a single natural, traditional, and Biblical model for the family. “It is not possible to speak of ‘the’ family,” insisted Friedrich Engels. Indeed, just ask the broad range of leftists in the current-day organization “Beyond Marriage.” They agree wholeheartedly with Engels on that one. * Kengor Writes . . . Rating the Presidents — and Obama I’ve been getting emails from bewildered colleagues asking about a survey of presidential scholars that determined that Barack Obama is the twelfth best president in the history of the United States, putting him near the top quartile of our presidents. How can this be? I, too, was mystified, especially given that I participated in the survey. The survey was conducted by the impeccably fair C-SPAN. Few sources do their job like C-SPAN does. If you want truly unfiltered news, C-SPAN is unrivaled for its ability to simply place a camera in a room and let reality speak for itself. When it comes to surveys of presidents, C-SPAN likewise has no peer. I remember the nauseating presidential surveys in the 1980s and 1990s. They were mere measurements of the liberalism of the academy — that is, liberal historians and liberal political scientists expressing their liberalism by their liberal rankings of presidents. It was a farce. C-SPAN, fortunately, has endeavored to provide a valuable corrective. In 2000, 2009, and 2017, C-SPAN set out to do its own survey and has indeed assembled a more rounded group of scholars. (I was among those surveyed for the 2009 ranking, as well.) To be sure, most (if not the vast majority) of the scholars surveyed are clearly on the left, but there are a decent number of conservatives: By my estimate, over a dozen, possibly as many as twenty. Of course, that’s still far out of proportion with the population at large, where self-identified conservatives have outnumbered liberals for decades (usually in the range of 35-40 percent self-identified conservatives vs. 20-25 percent self-identified liberals). C-SPAN needs to do better next time around. A field of 10-20 conservatives among 91 participants isn’t good, albeit better than the nonsense we used to see in biased surveys. Likewise befitting C-SPAN’s fairness, the ranking criteria for the presidents are commendably nonpartisan. The criteria are obviously intended to remove ideology from those doing the judging. Here are the ten criteria: Relations with Congress Vision / Setting an Agenda Pursued Equal Justice for All Performance Within Context of Times For each of the ten criteria, a president received a scored ranging from one (“not effective”) to ten (“very effective”). I’d like readers to pause and look at those criteria carefully. Imagine if you were doing the judging. Given these criteria — again, essentially non-ideological criteria — I personally had no choice but to score very highly presidents like Franklin Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson and Lyndon Johnson, all of whose presidencies I either did not approve of or outright despised or found destructive. But facts are facts: These presidents were extremely effective. No, I personally didn’t like how they were effective, but they were effective nonetheless. Did Wilson have an agenda and vision and get it through? Oh, yes. You bet he did. So did FDR and LBJ. And yet, those same criteria prompted me to rank Washington, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Reagan, and Eisenhower very high. I will not here share exactly how I tallied each, but I will say that those presidents in my top ten were very similar to those in the overall top ten. Here’s the top ten that C-SPAN compiled: Following at eleven and twelve, respectively, were Woodrow Wilson and Obama. (For the record, I gave Kennedy a decent rating, but to place him in the top ten, and ahead of Reagan, is just plain stupid. Gee, the guy wasn’t even president three full years.) But what about Barack Obama at twelve? I’ll say this as nicely and professionally as I can: I find this utterly perplexing. Do the exercise yourself. Go through those ten categories. Ascribe Obama a score of one to ten, and do so relative to other presidents you’ve ranked. Where would you give Obama a ten? How many (if any) scores above a five would you give Obama? For that matter, how would you not score Reagan so much higher than Obama? Yes, Reagan finished with an overall ranking of nine, which is better than Obama, but his total composite score wasn’t much higher than Obama’s. Seriously, are even liberals that happy with the Obama presidency? Try to remove your ideological lens, whether left or right, and assess these questions: What did Barack Obama accomplish? What is the Obama legacy? What was the Obama vision/agenda and (more important, since we’re measuring effectiveness) how successful was he in implementing it? In 2012, at the Democratic National Convention, Obama’s promoters could do no better than come up with silly placards about how Obama “got Osama” and “saved GM.” Unlike the vast majority of two-term presidents, Obama’s re-election numbers were much worse. In fact, Barack Obama was the first president ever re-elected with fewer popular votes, fewer Electoral College votes, a lower percentage and percentage margin of victory, and winning fewer states. He never had a sustained period of high favorability. He couldn’t elect a successor to carry on his legacy. To the contrary, Donald Trump plans to repudiate any Obama legacy. Where is the list of signature domestic achievements by Obama? Obamacare maybe? It was a disaster from the rollout, and it’s going to be repealed and replaced. What were Obama’s defining moments of crisis leadership? Where’s his Cuban Missile Crisis? Did he even have a crisis to lead? How about Benghazi as a candidate? Where was Barack Obama’s Camp David? What did he do for the Middle East, for Arab-Israeli relations, for relations with Russia, the EU, NATO, and the G-20? Where’s his NAFTA? Where’s his summit with the Russian leadership? Where’s his missile-reduction treaty? Where’s his chemical weapons ban? As for Obama’s economic record, it was colossally bad. My economist colleague Mark Hendrickson calls it a “shocking historically weak economic performance,” as many others have shown. During the eight years of Barack Obama’s presidency, the average annual real GDP growth was 1.5 percent, notes Hendrickson, “the weakest economic performance of any post-WWII president, and the fourth worst ever.” And to try to still blame that failure on George W. Bush after eight years is ludicrous. Obama’s GDP growth in 2016 (eight years after Bush) was a terrible 1.6 percent. Bush’s economy grew better than that, and he inherited a recession and was hit with 9/11 his first year, which devastated the economy. In fact, not only was George W. Bush’s economic-growth rate better than Obama’s, but so was Jimmy Carter’s. Yes, Carter — typically upheld as the dubious yardstick of economic incompetence — actually had more than double Obama’s GDP growth (3.3 percent)! Any deficit reduction under Obama (after he exploded the deficit to unprecedented record highs in the first two years of the Pelosi-Reid Congress) is attributable in large part to the Republican Congress that liberals excoriated for spending cuts (and now want to take responsibility for the subsequent deficit reduction). The Obama debt exploded way worse than the debt under Reagan and George W. Bush. So, where would you score Obama on Economic Management? I can’t imagine anything beyond a three. In what way was Obama a master at public persuasion? What new constituencies did he generate? Where are the Obama Republicans, akin to the Reagan Democrats? How were his relations with Congress? Did you observe stellar “administrative skills” in Obama? His notorious lack of meetings with his NSC and intelligence and security staffs were breathtaking in their lack of any administration. As I reported here in 2012, Obama attended only 44 percent of his Daily Briefs in the first 1,225 days of his administration. For 2012, he attended a little over a third. This was totally contrary to Bush and other predecessors. Reagan and Ike both had hands-off leadership styles, but at least they attended meetings. Who gave him a ten for that category? And if you’re extolling Obama’s attempted fundamental transformation of America’s public-school toilets via executive order, or his illuminating the White House in rainbow colors to celebrate the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision, or his suing the Little Sisters of the Poor via the HHS Mandate, sorry, but those are not among the categories for evaluation. I want to see the case made by the guy or gal who thinks that Barack Obama merits being listed near the top ten presidents in history. Actually, some must have rated him in the top five, because I guarantee my score for Obama (low as it was) surely dropped him a few pegs. In short, I’m stunned. Based on the criteria we were given for ranking these presidents, I cannot conceive how Obama could possibly score well. I don’t see how Bill Clinton didn’t rate higher than Obama. As noted, there were some conservatives on C-SPAN’s list. I’m wondering if the conservatives didn’t send in their surveys. The liberal historians must have gone bonkers in merrily giving Obama the highest scores in every category. But forget about that. This shouldn’t be a liberal-conservative thing. That’s the point. Literally half of my top ten or twelve were Democrats, and I’m no Democrat. Clearly, the liberal scholars were not able to separate their partisanship when it came to objectively judging Obama. There’s no way that Barack Obama should rate the 12th-best president in U.S. history. Not a chance. Women’s Marchers, Unite! “The most important task,” said Communist dictator Kim Il Sung in October 1971, in his address to the Democratic Women’s Union of North Korea, “is to revolutionize and working-classize all the women.” Kim hoisted the torch blazed by glorious female comrades such as Alexandra Kollontai (the Eleanor Roosevelt of the Bolshevik Revolution), Bella Dodd, Rosa Luxemburg, Ethel Rosenberg, Elizabeth Bentley, Lillian Hellman, Betty Freidan, Kate Millett, Angela Davis, and a bevy of true believers. Friedan and Millett were pioneers of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Millett, author of Sexual Politics, her dissertation at the ideological insane asylum known as Columbia University, became a cultural juggernaut when published in 1969. Time magazine hailed Kate as “the Karl Marx of the Women’s Movement.” They were marchers for the revolution. And this past weekend, their ideological sisters lent their support to the Women’s March on Washington, an event that sources like CNN gave maximum publicity — a level of attention that absolutely will not be granted to this week’s March for Life in Washington, where the goal will be to preserve life. A list of the sponsors for the Women’s March is illuminating. The two lead organizations, highlighted as the March’s “premier partners,” were Planned Parenthood — America’s preeminent abortion factory — and the Natural Resources Defense Council. As for the latter, if it confuses you why a group of climate comrades would march in lockstep with women whose highest priority is abortion, then you don’t understand the American left. Go to the website of the Women’s March, where “environmental justice” is featured among the leading “Unity Principles,” right up there with “reproductive rights” (read: abortion) and “worker’s rights” and “LGBTQIA rights” [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Queer, Intersex, Asexual]. But that was just the start. Arm in arm with the sisters at the Women’s March were two touted “Social Justice Partners,” namely: Emily’s List and NARAL. For these girls, too, “women’s rights” means one thing: abortion. Abortion, abortion, abortion. The holy sacrament in the feminist church. The next major level of sponsors for the Women’s March was an eclectic cabal of fellow travelers and usual suspects: the ACLU, MoveOn.org, the Human Rights Campaign, the American Federation of Teachers, the AFL-CIO, and SEIU, the worst of the government unions. And then there was a longer list of March “partners,” a Who’s Who of the left: AFSCME, the toxic National Education Association, the National Organization for Women, National Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Occupy Wall Street, the NAACP, the Council on American Islamic Relations, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Human Rights Watch, People for the American Way, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Sierra Club, the National Urban League, the YWCA, the Center for American Progress, Code Pink, and a litany of Religious Left dupes such as the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, the Unitarian Universality Association, and the heretical Catholics for Free Choice. And there was a wider panoply of perversity: novel organizations like Free the Nipple, Got a Girl Crush, Pussy Hat Project, and the Georgetown University College Democrats. But alas, most enlightening was another curious collective of sponsors for the Women’s March, one that brings me full circle to the start of this article. The Communists and Socialists came out: Communist Party USA and the Democratic Socialists of America. Yes, Communist Party USA was a proud sponsor of the Women’s March on Washington, and the ladies were evidently proud to have them. Ain’t nothing too left-wing, apparently, for the Women’s Marchers. Among the Bolshevik element, consider some of the high-profile individuals who lent their names. Listed first among honorary co-chairs at the March website was none other than the delightful Angela Davis, where the glowing, lengthy bio somehow avoided mentioning even one word of Ms. Davis’s most notable bona fides: Davis has long been, of course, one of America’s most infamous Marxist-Leninists. Comrade Angela was so high-ranking that she not only met with the worst Communist despots in the Soviet Bloc, but actually twice ran on Communist Party USA’s presidential ticket. The celebrated recipient of the Lenin Peace Prize, much appreciated by the Kremlin for her advocacy of the Soviet invasions of Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan, ran as vice president of the United States on the Communist Party ticket, alongside longtime CPUSA party secretary and hack Gus Hall. (As I noted in a recent piece for The American Spectator, among those who voted for the Hall-Davis Communist Party presidential ticket was none other than John Brennan, Barack Obama’s CIA director.) Davis was one of many tragic academic byproducts of Herbert Marcuse, the leading Frankfurt School cultural Marxist. Marcuse was guru to the 1960s New Left. Davis is arguably Marcuse’s most long-lasting success. He took her under his wing at Brandeis University in the early 1960s. In 1965, she honored her professor by retracing his steps to the University of Frankfurt. He sent her to West Germany to study at his old haunt, the hideous “Institute for Social Research.” She returned in 1967, coming back to America to continue studies with Marcuse as her doctoral adviser. The blooming Bolshevik formally joined Communist Party USA the next year. Like any good Communist, Davis’s road to the revolution included breaking a few eggs along the way. She was soon pursued on charges of kidnapping, murder, and conspiracy for her suspected role in the August 1970 murder of a prison guard. Like Weather Underground terrorists and Obama buddies Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, she landed on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list. And like Ayers and Dohrn, she escaped jail-time (“guilty as hell, free as a bird!” Ayers boasted), and then spread her wings in academia. Today, like her late mentor, Herbert Marcuse, Angela Davis is (naturally) a professor. She lists among her expertise the field of “critical theory,” the formal academic front-name for cultural Marxism. She holds forth on “LGBTQIA” issues to the wide-eyed freshmen whose duped parents hand over their children and lifetime savings to the universities to indoctrinate them. One might think that today’s left would shy away from figures like Davis. But again, anyone who thinks that doesn’t know the left. The likes of Angela Davis are not embarrassments to today’s left; they are heroes. In June 2016, the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum feted Davis with its 2016 Sackler Center First Award, “honoring women who are first in their fields.” Among Angela Davis’s firsts, of course, was to be the first female comrade to run on a Communist presidential ticket. And this past weekend, Davis was listed literally first among the female comrades who were the poster-girls to the Women’s March on Washington. She and her cronies at Communist Party USA and the Democratic Socialists of America must have gotten quite a kick at the legions of oblivious ladies and splendid dupes who joined them in solidarity last weekend — all marching for “women’s rights,” of course. Forward! Barack Obama’s Fundamental Transformation “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” So declared Barack Obama in Columbia, Missouri on October 30, 2008, on the cusp of his historic presidential election. It was a stunning statement, boldly revolutionary, surpassed only by the response of those in attendance, who, rather than pausing to reflect upon such an audacious assertion, wildly applauded. To be sure, these Obama enthusiasts would have ecstatically cheered anything he said at that moment. There was a full-fledged Obama personality cult in motion at that time. He could’ve promised a box of “Lucky Charms” cereal in every home and gotten a giddy reaction. Obama himself admitted to serving as a kind of “blank screen” upon which Americans desiring some warm and fuzzy “hope and change” could project whatever they wanted. But even then, the words “fundamentally transform” should have alarmed everyone. We Americans generally don’t do fundamental transformation. We make changes, yes, small and large, but who among us — other than the most radical revolutionaries — actually want to fundamentally transform the nation? Many people think that America has many problems, but those can be addressed without a fundamental transformation. Ask professors who teach history or political ideologies (as I have for two decades) and we will tell you that totalitarianism is the ideology that fundamentally transforms. Indeed, the textbook definition of totalitarianism, which I’ve scribbled on the chalkboard every fall and spring semester since 1997, is to seek to fundamentally transform — specifically, to fundamentally transform human nature via some form of political-ideological-cultural upheaval. So, that being the case, I winced when Barack Obama said that, and then felt sick to the stomach when I watched people blissfully and blindly applaud without question or objection. But now here we are, at the end of Obama’s presidency, a two-term one, and the question begs to be pondered: Did Barack Obama fundamentally transform the United States of America, as he promised? The answer is absolutely yes. That fundamental transformation, however, has not happened in areas where many might have hoped (or feared) in 2008. It has not been a fundamental shift in the attitudes of the vast majority regarding the role of government, taxation, regulations, economics, education, or even healthcare, where Obama had his signature legislative achievement. It hasn’t happened in foreign policy, though Obama has made a seriously detrimental impact in regions from Eastern Europe to the Middle East. The reality is that the true fundamental transformation has been in the realm of culture, notably in matters of sexual orientation, gender, marriage, and family. The shift there has been unprecedented and far beyond anyone’s imagination eight years ago. Looking back, that was where Obama’s heart was, and that was where his deepest impact will be felt. Changes there, more than anywhere, seem irreversible by anything other than the miraculous, than anything short of a religious revival or dramatic shift in spiritual-moral thinking. Obama’s cultural revolution on the sexual-gender-family front is all around us. We see it in the culture of fear and intimidation by the forces of “diversity” and “tolerance” who viciously seek to denounce, dehumanize, demonize, and destroy anyone who disagrees with their brazen newfound conceptions of marriage and family, even as our position (not theirs) has been the prevailing position of 99.99 percent-plus of human beings who have bestrode the earth since the dawn of humanity. Instead, in the Obama era, we are the ones portrayed as the outliers, as abnormal, as extremists, as “haters.” If you dissent from this new vociferous breed of human-nature re-definers, they sue you, they jail you, they smear you, they boycott you, they harass you, they ruin you — and they do so (with no sense of their hypocrisy) in the name of “tolerance” and “diversity.” Whether you’re a Baptist grandma who bakes cakes, or a Catholic photographer who takes wedding photos, or a Mormon florist who arranges flowers, they refuse your appeals to your conscience; they steamroll you. Changes by Obama and his allies here have constituted a major attack on religious liberty, where two-century-old First Amendment guarantees have been torched by modern culture warriors discerning heretofore unknown higher rights like “marriage equality” and co-ed toilets. That is a fundamental transformation of a culture and a nation that did not exist prior to Barack Obama’s ascent. The manifestations of this are so ubiquitous that laying them out here isn’t necessary, but I’d like to offer just a handful of brief illustrations and images: The first was the Newsweek cover from May 2012 showing Barack Obama with a rainbow halo over his head above the words, “The First Gay President.” This was in response to Obama coming out for same-sex “marriage,” which for five years he had claimed to oppose. This public shift occurred as Obama was ramping up his reelection campaign, just as Hillary Clinton would do later that year when she announced her 2016 campaign. After that announcement, Obama went wild with an aggressive agenda of fundamental transformation on the sexual-gender-family front, one that picked up speed, depth, and arrogance throughout his second term. The second is another image, more profound than the Newsweek creation/coronation because it was real. It was from June 2015, when the Obama White House, the nation’s first house, was lit up in the colors of the “LGBTQ” rainbow [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (and/or questioning) individuals/identities] on the day of the Obergefell decision, when a Catholic Supreme Court justice, Anthony Kennedy, led the liberal bloc of the court in redefining marriage and imposing this non-existent “Constitutional right” on all fifty states. If ever there was a picture of Obama’s fundamental transformation of America, that was it. Third was the bathroom fiat, when according to Barack Obama’s word, all public schools were ordered to revolutionize their restrooms and locker-rooms to make them available to teenage boys who want to be called girls (among other gender novelties). It is hard to conceive a more surreal example of executive overreach. Truly, George Washington is rolling over in his grave. Fourth is an ironic moment of Obama’s own doing, one that got virtually no press coverage. It occurred at a townhall meeting in London last April, where Obama was scolded by a young man for not doing enough to “recognize non-binary people” such as himself. This young man wanted the British government to “respect pronouns” — using not words like “he” or “she” but rather “hir” or “ze” — in addition to “commit to gender-neutral toilets.” “I really, really wish that yourself and [British Prime Minister] David Cameron would take us seriously as transgender people,” pushed the student. “. . . And perhaps you could elucidate as to what you can do to go beyond what has been accepted as the LGBTQ rights movement, in including people who fit outside the social norms.” It was almost hilarious to observe Barack Obama, of all people, reprimanded for inadequacies in this area, which brings me to my final example. That London incident might have prompted a remarkable action by the Obama White House a few weeks later, which also got virtually no news coverage: The White House press office released two extraordinary fact sheets detailing Obama’s vast efforts to promote “LGBT” rights at home and abroad. Not only was it telling that the White House would assemble such a list, and tout it, but the sheer length of the list is striking to behold. It is hard to find any similar roster of such dramatic changes by the Obama White House in any policy area. The list runs page after page. In short, what we see here is the true Barack Obama legacy, the genuine fundamental transformation. It has occurred not in economics, government, or foreign policy, but in culture. When we look back at Barack Obama’s eight years, we should visualize not Obamacare or something in foreign policy but the White House illuminated in rainbow colors on June 26, 2015, or a rainbow-haloed Obama coronated as the “first gay president.” George W. Bush: Deadlier Than Stalin? Our Profound Ignorance of the Crimes of Communism “Many Millennials Think Bush Killed More Than Stalin.” Such was the surreal subject head sitting in my email box one morning. “Holy @#$%!” wrote a colleague in response. “This is mind-boggling. . . . This is scary, scary, scary.” It sure is. It also isn’t surprising. Such profound, disturbing ignorance is a direct result of what Americans have learned about Communism in our horrid system of education, from high schools to colleges. The failure is massive. According to a stunning new report by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, one-third of Millennials (32 percent) “believe more people were killed under George W. Bush than under Joseph Stalin.” And it isn’t just those silly Millennials that we like to view as clueless. One in four Americans generally (26 percent) believe more people were killed under Bush than Stalin. That is breathtaking. Truly incredible. That rather sickening finding was just one by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, which has the noble objective of trying to correct America’s ignoble ignorance of the crimes of Communism. Among the basic facts that every American should know: At least 100 million people have died under Communist governments. That ghastly number, tabulated two decades ago by The Black Book of Communism, the seminal work on the subject by Harvard University Press, is actually conservative. For instance, the Black Book recorded merely 20 million dead in the Soviet Union. Alexander Yakovlev, one of Mikhail Gorbachev’s top aides, was given the official task of trying to quantify the victims. In a 2002 book published by Yale University Press, A Century of Violence in Soviet Russia, Yakovlev estimated that Stalin alone “annihilated . . . sixty to seventy million people” — figures consistent with those estimated by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, among others. Similar levels of bloodshed were wrought by China’s Mao Tse-tung, who was responsible for the deaths of 65 million, according to the Black Book, and possibly more than 70 million, according to more recent biographical studies. And then there were the killing fields of North Korea, Cambodia, Cuba, Ethiopia, Eastern Europe, Africa, and more. Really, the death generated by Communist governments over the last 100 years is likely closer to 140 million. For a sense of proportion, Hitler’s mad genocide against Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, the mentally disabled, the elderly, the handicapped, and others he deemed “misfits,” was approximately 10 million (six million of them Jews). The combined dead from World Wars I and II — the most destructive conflicts in human history — was 50-60 million. Communism’s body count surpasses both world wars combined and probably doubled. And yet, Americans’ knowledge of this vast sea of destruction is atrocious, which brings me back to the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. The foundation is seeking to document this ignorance on a regular basis via its first “Annual Report on U.S. Attitudes Towards Socialism.” According to the report, the vast majority of Americans (75 percent) underestimate the number of people killed by Communist regimes, and a strong majority (68 percent) believe that Hitler killed more people than Stalin. Death tallies aside, not only do they not see Stalin for the killer he was, but their views on Communism are not terribly negative. Just 37 percent of Millennials had a “very unfavorable” view of Communism. One quarter (25 percent) of Millennials have a “favorable” view of Vladimir Lenin, namesake of Marxism-Leninism, the vicious architect and godfather of the Bolshevik totalitarian state. And 42 percent of Millennials are flatly “unfamiliar” with Mao Tse-tung. It gets worse: 64 percent of Americans agree with Karl Marx’s classic credo that underpins Communist philosophy: “from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.” Thus, it’s not surprising that close to half (45 percent) of Americans aged 16 to 20 (first-time voters in this presidential election) said they would vote for a socialist, and 21 percent would vote for a Communist. Of course, that’s reflected in what happened in 2016, as Bernie Sanders, a lifelong self-professed “socialist,” received 13 million votes in the Democratic primary. To give you a sense of that number’s significance, Donald Trump got 14 million votes in the Republican primary, and that was a record for a Republican primary. This is not a failure to teach history; it is a failure to teach Communist and socialist history. We haven’t neglected to teach that Nazism was evil, that Hitler was a mass-murderer, that fascism is bad. We long ago failed when it came to Communism, Marxism-Leninism, Bolshevism, the USSR, Stalin, Mao, Castro, Che, Pol Pot, North Korea’s crazy Kims, and on and on. Importantly, that failure is often the result of ideological biases, especially among leftist teachers and professors. Liberals and progressives do not suffer the same historical negligence when it comes to teaching the crimes of fascism and Nazism. They do a bang-up job with Hitler’s crimes, but not Stalin’s. And the result is seen in this study. You reap what you sow. More death under George W. Bush than Joseph Stalin? Good grief, comrade. Remembering Two Christian College Presidents—Charles MacKenzie and Michael Scanlan The story of Christian higher education in America is a sad saga. Once upon a time, the nation’s premier universities were run by religious people or founded with religious missions, or at least were respectful of the Christian faith. That sharp reversal has been a painful long march, with a marked turn early in the 20th century. I’m often reminded of the sardonic words of Thomas Merton, who at radical Columbia University in the 1930s became a Communist. He ultimately escaped the god that failed, instead becoming a Trappist monk. Columbia had become a toxic environment where Dewey-ism rather than Christianity was the prevailing zeitgeist. Merton wrote: “Poor Columbia! It was founded by sincere [Christians] as a college predominantly religious. The only thing that remains of that is the university motto: In lumine tuo videbimus lumen — one of the deepest and most beautiful lines of the psalms. ‘In Thy light, we shall see light.’ It is, precisely, about grace. It is a line that might serve as the foundation stone of all Christian and Scholastic learning, and which simply has nothing whatever to do with the standards of education at modern Columbia. It might profitably be changed to: In lumine Randall videbimus Dewey.” That last sentence was a reference to John Dewey and to John Herman Randall, another influential Columbia philosophy professor. For Merton, he found God in spite of Columbia. And that was the 1930s. Merton and Randall and even Dewey would be stunned by the secular/leftward lunge of our universities in just a few generations. By the 1970s and 1980s, even colleges that were explicitly Christian by charter and mission enthusiastically separated from those moorings, led by administrators and faculty who fled the faith. And yet, amid all the chaos, a few jewels held firm to the foundation, keeping the faith and holding true to or reverting to their missions. Two colleges that did just that, preserving and actually heightening their commitment, are Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, and Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania, one Roman Catholic and one Protestant. The period when the two institutions successfully struggled to retain their commitments came in the 1970s and 1980s under the long-term leaderships of two particular presidents: Father Michael Scanlan and Dr. Charles MacKenzie. My occasion for mentioning this now is a quite moving development: both Father Scanlan and Dr. MacKenzie were called to be with their Maker this January. Scanlan died on January 7 at the age of 85. MacKenzie died, on January 26, at age 92. Michael Scanlan had stepped down as chancellor of Franciscan in 2011. He had been chancellor since 2000, and before that was president for 26 years. MacKenzie had been president of Grove City College from 1971 to 1991. He was the college’s (mere) fifth president. In reaction to Scanlan’s death three weeks ago, the Catholic press was filled with glowing tributes. Tributes to MacKenzie likewise have now begun. Current Grove City College president Paul McNulty describes MacKenzie as a man of “courageous leadership” who had an “extraordinary impact” on the college, strengthening its “core values of faithfulness, excellence, community, stewardship, and independence. . . . He inspired us to serve God with energy and integrity.” Right up until his death, said McNulty, MacKenzie “continuously prayed for Grove City College and our distinct mission.” Among the many remembrances of Scanlan and MacKenzie, I want to report an interesting but unseen ecumenical item related to their efforts — a joint effort. Faithful Catholics and Protestants alike will appreciate it, and it was first told to me by Scott Hahn, the famous Catholic convert and Franciscan University theology professor who, ironically, had been a student and then special assistant to President MacKenzie at Grove City College. Only Hahn could have observed what I’m about to relate. During some very trying days when the two colleges were seeking to hold true to their Christian missions, Hahn several times overheard phone calls between MacKenzie and Scanlan, as the two men alternately advised and encouraged one another. Somewhat akin to the excellent ecumenical work of the late Chuck Colson and Father Richard John Neuhaus, here were Protestants and Catholics working together, united by a common foe: secular relativism, in this case in the academy. Those phone calls, said Hahn, an eyewitness, were very important to MacKenzie. Hahn observed this first-hand in the president’s office at Grove City College. Hahn later heard more about the calls from Father Scanlan. When I met Scanlan, he confirmed the relationship with MacKenzie. Back in 2011, when I heard the news of Scanlan’s retirement, I emailed MacKenzie to inquire about their relationship. He was eager to go on-the-record. “During my twenty years at Grove City, Father Scanlan and I had several conversations or communications,” MacKenzie confirmed to me. “He and I were on the same wavelength as we sought to lead our schools back to the roots of the Christian faith. We were very careful what we said to each other, but I personally benefitted from his encouragement.” MacKenzie hastened to add that he wasn’t free to share everything from their conversations. That isn’t a surprise. Recounting the faculty battles alone would be enough for a book. MacKenzie simply summed up by emphasizing that he and Scanlan “were on the same side on many of the issues.” He called Scanlan a “man of courage and faith, and in that regard, he was a blessing to me. . . . I thank God for him.” And so do the folks at Franciscan University, which, today, like Grove City College, is a shining light amid the darkness of higher education. Both Scanlan and MacKenzie ensured that those lights were not extinguished under a bushel of secular relativism, as has happened at countless erstwhile Christian colleges. They wanted that light to shine before men, and they sought to do so cooperatively, not as antagonists from opposing Catholic and Protestant trenches, but as allies and partners working together in a shared vision. It’s a tale of two Christian colleges that both Catholics and Protestants alike can learn from and emulate. * Kengor Writes . . . Death by Fidel Fidel Castro is dead. To say those words is so strange. I’ve never known a moment when he wasn’t alive. Castro came to power seven years before I was born, and I’m almost 50. I’ve been lecturing on the man every fall semester for 20 years, spending two or three weeks on him, his ideology, and the beautiful country he destroyed. It’s ironic that the day he died I finished two long chapters on him for a book manuscript, and a family friend (whose mother escaped Cuba) visiting for Thanksgiving just happened to ask how much longer I thought the 90-year-old despot might continue to live. The answer, it turned out, was a mere few hours more. What to say in a few hundred words about a man like Fidel Castro at his death? Where to start? Where to end? I think the answer is easy: The focus on Castro at his death must be just that: Castro and death. First, there’s the death he was responsible for since seizing Cuba in January 1959, and then, second, there are the incalculable millions more who would have died — not just in Cuba but in America and worldwide — had he gotten his way in October 1962. So, for starters how many people were killed by Fidel and his Communist dystopia? Unfortunately, no one truly knows, akin to how no one knows how many poor souls he tossed into his jails, from political dissidents to priests to homosexuals. Fidel’s prison state has never permitted human-rights observers, reminiscent of how he never permitted the elections he repeatedly promised in the 1950s. That said, many sources have tried to pin down numbers and have generated some common estimates: The Black Book of Communism, the seminal Harvard University Press work, which specialized in trying to get accurate data on the enormous volume of deaths produced by Communist tyrants, states that in the 1960s alone, when Fidel and his brother Raul (Cuba’s current leader) established their complete control, with the help of their murdering buddy Che Guevara, an estimated 30,000 people were arrested in Cuba for political reasons and 7,000 to 10,000 were believed to have been executed. Even then, that was merely the start. From the late 1950s to the late 1990s, it’s estimated that Castro killed between 15,000 to 18,000 people, whether victims of long-term imprisonment or outright execution by bullets. That is a lot of people for a small island. And it isn’t all. Cuba is a surreal island of no boats, where boats are banned — because people with boats flee. Thus, untold numbers of citizens have attempted the treacherous nearly 100-mile swim to Florida in shark-infested waters. An estimated 100,000 have risked the journey. Of those, perhaps as many as 30,000 to 40,000 died from drowning. As they bob for breath, the Castro government sends military helicopters to drop large bags of sand on them from high above. Yes, actually drop sandbags on them. So, Fidel Castro is responsible for a lot of death. But here, too, these numbers do not capture the level of Fidel’s brutal madness. Consider the actual millions he badly wanted to kill, especially here in America. If Fidel Castro had his way in October 1962, the United States would have been leveled by atomic bombs and so would little Cuba, which would’ve ceased to exist. The fact is that Fidel recommended to Nikita Khrushchev that Cuba and the USSR together launch an all-out nuclear attack upon the United States, literally igniting Armageddon. This is no secret. Castro admitted it. In an open forum discussing the Cuban Missile Crisis 30 years later, Castro told Robert McNamara, JFK’s secretary of defense: “Bob, I did recommend they [the nuclear missiles] were to be used.” In total, said McNamara, there were 162 Soviet missiles on the island. The firing of those missiles alone would have led to (according to McNamara) at least 80 million dead Americans, which would have been half the population, plus added tens of millions of casualties. That, however, is a conservative estimate, given that 162 missiles was far from the sum total that would have been subsequently launched. The United States in turn would have launched on Cuba, and also on the USSR. President Kennedy made that commitment clear in his nationally televised speech on October 22, 1962: “It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union.” In response, of course, the Soviets would have automatically launched on America from Soviet soil. Even then, the fireworks would just be starting: Under the terms of their NATO and Warsaw Pact charters, the territories of Western and Eastern Europe would also erupt. Once the smoke cleared, hundreds of millions to possibly over a billion people could have perished, with Western civilization in its death throes. If Fidel Castro had gotten his way, he would have precipitated the greatest slaughter in human history. (Che Guevara also wanted to launch the nukes.) The Soviets were horrified. Their ambassador to Cuba, Alexander Alekseyev, was so stunned at what Castro told him that he stood frozen, speechless, crushed. Without waiting for an answer from the numb ambassador, Castro started writing his feelings on paper, which Alekseyev saw as a kind of “last testament, a farewell.” Fidel was ready to go — go up in a giant mushroom cloud for Marxism. As McNamara learned, this was Fidel’s big chance to die as a “martyr” for Marxism-Leninism. He was ready to “pull the temple down on his head.” A shocked Nikita Khrushchev realized he was dealing with madmen. Khrushchev’s son Sergei, in his three-volume biography of his father, said that the Soviet general secretary huddled with top officials in the “code room” of the Foreign Ministry late on a Sunday night and repeatedly ordered, “Remove them, and as quickly as possible.” Khrushchev urged Andrei Gromyko to instantly get in touch with Washington in order “to save the world from those pushing us toward war.” As for Fidel, he was “furious” with Khrushchev. “Castro was mortally offended,” recorded Sergei. “He had not managed to engage in a fight with the Americans. He had made up his mind to die a hero, and to have it end that way.” He had been ready to “die beautifully,” as one Soviet official put it. Denied his glorious opportunity, he now considered Khrushchev “a traitor.” Thankfully, the world averted nuclear war, through the leadership of Khrushchev and Kennedy, and no thanks to bloodthirsty lunatics like Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, who were ready to blow up the world in the name of their Marxist-Leninist nightmare. This, alas, was Fidel Castro. And for the record (and not surprisingly), not a word of it is found in the awful press release by President Barack Obama acknowledging Castro’s death, a statement that Marco Rubio rightly called “pathetic,” with “no mention of [the] thousands he killed and imprisoned.” Pathetic, indeed. Fidel Castro is dead. And Fidel Castro was death. Hillary’s Faith: In God and Roe She Trusts “Secretary Clinton, I want to explore how far you believe the right to abortion goes,” asked Fox News Channel’s Chris Wallace, moderator for the third and final presidential debate. “You have been quoted as saying that the fetus has no constitutional rights. You also voted against a ban on late-term, partial-birth abortions. Why?” Mrs. Clinton’s answer was precisely what we’ve come to expect. She bristled, her voice turning sharp, her tone unyielding: “Because Roe v. Wade very clearly sets out that there can be regulations on abortion so long as the life and the health of the mother are taken into account. . . .” It was her canned answer, one I’ve heard countless times in my years writing about her. Donald Trump’s retort was a good one — one of his best: “Well, I think it’s terrible. If you go with what Hillary is saying, in the ninth month, you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby. Now, you can say that that’s OK and Hillary can say that that’s OK, but it’s not OK with me.” With that, Hillary grew angry, denouncing Trump’s “scare rhetoric.” I wasn’t surprised. If you want to get under Hillary’s skin, challenge her on abortion, what she considers a sacred “right,” the hill of Roe that Hillary would die on. She continued with this telling line: “The government has no business in the decisions that women make with their families in accordance with their faith.” With that word, “faith,” I envisioned my email box filling up. That’s because I have the unenviable position of being a go-to guy on questions involving the faith of Hillary Clinton — fitting punishment for daring to write a book on the faith of Hillary Clinton a decade ago. Ever since, I’ve been peppered with questions from all sides of the political and spiritual spectrum. Among them, the one I get the most from conservatives goes something like this: How can you call Hillary Clinton a “sincere, lifelong Christian” (as I have) when she is so fanatical on abortion? The question frequently moves beyond abortion to more general statements about Hillary Clinton’s honesty and character. As one conservative colleague put it in an email to me this week, if Hillary is such a committed Christian, where is her faith in action — especially in regard to character and this abortion thing? It’s a valid objection from conservative Christians. It’s not, however, an objection that I hear from liberal Christians. And indeed, that dichotomy gets to the crux of the matter, and it’s one that conservative Christians always struggle to grasp. Here’s the reality: The fact is that Hillary Clinton, since childhood, has been a committed Methodist, which is a liberal denomination, the tenets of which she interprets very selectively — much like how Nancy Pelosi or Tim Kaine selectively interpret Catholicism. Much like how a Barack Obama selectively invokes the “Golden Rule” as (amazingly) a rationale to redefine marriage, obviously and unequivocally violating the multi-millennial natural-traditional-Biblical standard of marriage as being between a man and a woman. Look at Jimmy Carter, the “born-again” president, invoking his garbled understanding of the Scriptures in his support of redefining marriage. Look at Jim Wallis and the old Sojourners gang and their myriad of radically left-wing positions. Ask any of these liberal Christians if they believe they are acting un-Biblically, or in an un-Christian or ungodly way. They will vehemently protest. They are convinced — or have convinced themselves — that they are doing the right thing. They are Religious Left Christians. And, yes, certain positions they take, especially to conservative Christians, can be downright maddening. That brings me back to Hillary Clinton. She is a classic Religious Left Christian. In her mind, her position on abortion, even partial-birth position, is a moral one. I have no doubt that Hillary feels that someday she’ll be able to stand before her Savior and make the case that she did what she thought was right because she was seeking to save women’s lives via legal abortion — yep, irrespective of the 60 million unborn victims of Roe v. Wade. And Hillary is far from alone in that belief among the Religious Left. Do a Google search on the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. It’s an entire organization of left-wing believers who seem to think that the Creator would approve of Roe v. Wade. Among the members are the Episcopal Church, Obama’s United Church of Christ, Presbyterian Church USA, and other mainline groups. Most significant to the Hillary discussion, Hillary’s United Methodist Church was a pivotal, founding member (it finally withdrew only last April). The UMC’s liberalism on abortion is a key reason that Hillary glows about being “so comfortable” as a member. So, think about it, conservative Christians: How can you insist to Hillary that she’s not being a Christian in supporting legal abortion when all of these mainline Christian groups, including her own, were supporting legal abortion? Do I agree with these groups? No, I think they’re off their rockers, and will have much to answer for. But if you’re looking to reconcile Hillary’s thinking, well, you’re not thinking about it enough. Peer beyond your conservative Christian choir and gaze into the perverse ideological abyss of the Religious Left and you’ll discern some answers, infuriating as they are. Thus, returning to Hillary’s answer on partial-birth abortion in the third and final presidential debate: “The government has no business in the decisions that women make with their families in accordance with their faith.” Conservative Christians who believe that statement is inherently contradictory need to realize that to Hillary Clinton it is not. She believes she can justify her abortion position in accordance with her faith. To borrow from Donald Trump, Hillary can say that that’s OK, but it’s not OK with me. Nonetheless, to Hillary, it’s OK. How Mother Teresa Challenged Hillary Clinton on Abortion Two very different women on the minds of Christians right now are Mother Teresa, with her canonization on Sept. 4, and Hillary Clinton, with her name on the presidential ballot in 2016. Hillary stands as the most influential woman in America. Someone who might have foreseen such prominence for Hillary was Mother Teresa. Perhaps that’s why the bold nun from Kolkata, India, persistently challenged the then-first lady’s push to make abortion more widely available. Let’s back up to where it all began. Clinton’s arrival upon the national scene became reality when her husband was inaugurated president in January 1993. That same year, in August, both Clintons would greet Pope John Paul II, who came to America for World Youth Day in Denver. John Paul II spoke to both Clintons on the imperative of valuing the life of the unborn child. It didn’t seem to make much of an impact. The new first lady was already starting her efforts to revolutionize the health-care industry — which, people forget, she was doing very aggressively that first year, only to back off as her efforts hurt her husband politically. She said in an October 1993 televised forum discussing her new national healthcare plan that abortion would be made “widely available.” This prompted anxieties over the prospect of taxpayer-funded abortion, sparking the Coates Amendment in the U.S. House of Representatives, which sought to strip abortion funding from the plan. Mrs. Clinton’s intentions sent elected pro-life Democrats like Pennsylvania Gov. Bob Casey into such anger that Casey considered a run for the presidency to dislodge the Clintons. Clinton’s words also ignited fears over the availability of the abortion pill, RU-486, under her plan. One of her husband’s first acts in office was to push the pill to market through an expedited FDA approval process that pro-lifers insisted was too quick for the safety of the women who would take the pill. Not at all ignorant of these advances by the Clintons was a nun named Mother Teresa, who in February 1994 made her own visit to America, which included a meeting with the Clintons. The occasion was the annual National Prayer Breakfast, a huge ecumenical gathering in Washington. As president, Bill Clinton was a high-profile attendee, with Hillary accompanying him. That year, on Feb. 3, 1994, the keynoter was a very special guest, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and saintly figure who had come all the way from the most impoverished area of the planet, the slums of Kolkata. According to Kathryn Spink’s Mother Teresa, An Authorized Biography, the reluctant nun was invited by President Clinton himself. Held at the Washington Hilton, nearly 3,000 people packed the huge room. Near the dais were the president and first lady, along with the vice president and his wife, and a select few VIPs, including Supreme Court justices and the highest-ranking members of Congress. Unlike in typical years, where the keynoter sits among the assembled and waits for others to finish before his or her turn, Mother Teresa emerged from a curtain behind the platform only when she was called and then slowly hunched her way to the microphone. Hillary said in her memoir, Living History, she was struck by how tiny she was, wearing only socks and sandals in the bitter cold. The title of the talk was “Whatever You Did Unto One of the Least, You Did Unto Me.” She began by talking about Jesus and John the Baptist in their wombs, about their mothers, Mary and Elizabeth, and how the “unborn child” in the womb of Elizabeth — John the Baptist — leapt for joy as he felt the presence of Christ in the room when Mary entered to speak to Elizabeth. Hillary might have seen what was coming. She next spoke of love, of selfishness, of a lack of love for the unborn — and a lack of want of the unborn because of one’s selfishness. Jesus, said the sister, who brought joy while still in the womb of Mary, had died on the cross “because that is what it took for him to do good to us — to save us from our selfishness in sin.” Peggy Noonan, the former Reagan speechwriter and a pro-life Catholic, was there. She says that by this point in the talk some attendees began shifting in their seats, as a lot of what the lady from Kolkata had to say was striking too close to home. Then the sister said something that made everyone very uncomfortable: “But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because Jesus said, ‘If you receive a little child, you receive me.’ So every abortion is the denial of receiving Jesus, the neglect of receiving Jesus.” Here, Noonan described a “cool deep silence” that enveloped the room, but only for a brief moment, and then applause started on the right side of the room and then spread throughout the crowd, as people began clapping and standing; the ballroom was swept up in nonstop applause, which Noonan says lasted five to six minutes. Yet some did not clap at all. Hillary Clinton did not, and neither did her husband; nor did Vice President Al Gore and Tipper Gore. They sat there, in the glare of the hot lights, all eyes in the crowd fixed upon them, as they tried not to move or be noticed, conspicuous in their lack of response, clearly uncomfortable as the applause raged on. The tiny, weak, aged lady was only warming up. She had seen and experienced real suffering and couldn’t care less about making momentarily uncomfortable a crowd of a few thousand financially comfortable people who had never known real material deprivation and whose only crisis each morning was traffic or a long line at Starbucks. She returned to that selfishness point: “By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. [Abortion is] really a war against the child, and I hate the killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that the mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? . . . Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love one another, but to use violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.” The little nun was doing what pro-choicers find unacceptable and might have booed out of the room if not for her moral authority. She kept describing abortion as “killing.” She concluded by asking for prayers for her ministry, by asking for the blessing of God’s love and by telling the 3,000 that she would pray for them and their families: “God bless you all.” She then parted as she came, through the curtain behind the platform. Throughout the talk’s high points on abortion — the raw nerve — the Clintons and Gores remained in stone silence. One attendee, a pro-life Catholic and high-level appointee in the Reagan administration, later told me: “It was an outrage, an abomination, very rude. Mrs. Clinton in particular just sat there. I will never forget that moment. It told me all I needed to know about her.” To his credit, Bill Clinton realized that his behavior and that of his wife and the others was indeed rude. According to Spink, he apologized to Mother Teresa after the speech. Hillary responded later that day — sort of. In commenting on Mother Teresa’s remarks, she must have briefly given the nun hope that she, too, would speak on behalf of the unborn when she began, “I have always believed that Christ wanted us to be joyous, to look at the face of creation and to know that there was more joy than any of us could imagine.” As the “Champion of Calcutta” held her breath, however, she was disappointed, as Mrs. Clinton did what she has long done — applied the thought very selectively, restricted it solely to her understanding of economics, not unborn life, as she followed: “Or as Mother Teresa told us this morning, to see the joy on the face of a homeless beggar, who is picked up off the street and brought in to die, says joyously, ‘Thank you.’” Hillary’s remarks were an extraordinary example of psychological-ideological compartmentalization, a surreal mastery of ignoring the obvious, of hearing only what one wants to hear. Mother Teresa had come to give a major moral statement on abortion and did so in a way that shocked the entire crowd. And then Clinton flatly ignored the entire message in her follow-up remarks, carefully lifting a smaller item from the nun’s address, one with which she agreed, then placed it fully out of its context and used it for an entirely separate political purpose with which she was politically satisfied. Her reaction was inexpressibly strange, but no surprise. And it was not like Clinton did not get the point. “She [Mother Teresa] had just delivered a speech against abortion,” explained Clinton in assessing the keynote address in her memoirs, almost 10 years later. In the minutes after the talk, said Hillary, the nun persisted, taking the abortion issue directly to Hillary’s face: “[She] wanted to talk to me,” said the first lady. “Mother Teresa was unerringly direct. She disagreed with my views on a woman’s right to choose and told me so.” In other words, there was no mistaking the message that day, nor that Hillary got it unerringly. On the other hand, Hillary later, perhaps upon further reflection with the help of an aide, identified a crucial component of the speech that she did not need to take out of context to find common ground: Mother Teresa had said: “Please don’t kill the child. I want the child. Give me the child. I’m willing to accept any child who would be aborted and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child and be loved by the child.” Echoing the Malcolm Muggeridge phrase that introduced her to the West, Mother Teresa said, “I will tell you something beautiful. We are fighting abortion by adoption.” Now that was something that Hillary could applaud. Babies outside the womb, by her reckoning, merit her and society’s protection. In the course of one of their subsequent conversations, Clinton made clear to Mother Teresa that while she supported legalized abortion, she also wanted to see more adoptions, presumably as an alternative. The nun told the first lady she had placed more than 3,000 orphaned babies into adoptive homes in India. Hillary said she would like to visit the orphanage in New Delhi. A year later, she and daughter Chelsea did just that, visiting one of the Missionary of Charity homes in New Delhi, a facility that, said Hillary, “would not have passed inspection in the U.S.” because there were too many cribs crowded together. Mother Teresa informed the first lady of her goal of establishing a home in Washington, where mothers could take care of their babies until they found adoptive or foster homes. In turn, Hillary went to bat for her, rounding up pro bono lawyers to do legal work, fighting through the bureaucracy of the District of Columbia and doing what she could to lend a hand to create a home for infant children near Chevy Chase Circle, just over the Washington, D.C., line. She telephoned community leaders and pastors from nearby Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal and Presbyterian churches, calling them to the White House to see where and how they could help. Moving the bureaucracy, said Hillary, turned out to be harder than she had imagined. Regardless, Hillary Clinton apparently helped quite a bit. Mother Teresa was equally relentless on her end. When she felt the project was lagging, she sent a letter to the first lady, checking on the progress. “She sent emissaries to spur me on,” recalled Hillary. “She called me from Vietnam, she called me from India, always with the same message: When do I get my center for babies?” On June 19, 1995, the shelter for children opened, the Mother Teresa Home for Infant Children. This led to a photo op of Hillary and Mother Teresa clasping hands in the newly decorated nursery and smiling at one another. A reporter could not resist asking the uncomfortable question: Yes, conceded the first lady, of course they had discussed their “philosophical differences” over abortion. Mother Teresa, ever the peacemaker, stepped in to underscore where the focus should be at that particular moment, namely, on where they agreed: “We want to save the children,” she said. The nun, slow and frail, held Hillary’s arm as they toured the facility, examining the freshly painted nursery and rows of bassinets awaiting infants. This was not the end of the relationship, which Hillary has always looked back upon with fondness. In the short time she had left on earth, Mother Teresa continued to try to change Clinton’s view on abortion. According to Hillary, “she sent me dozens of notes and messages with the same gentle entreaty.” She dealt with the first lady with patience and kindness, but firm conviction: “Mother Teresa never lectured or scolded me; her admonitions were always loving and heartfelt,” wrote Hillary, adding that she had “the greatest respect for her opposition to abortion.” Mother Teresa saw in Hillary a potentially huge convert to the pro-life cause, and never gave up, but to no avail. Two years after their tour through the foster home in Chevy Chase, on a Friday, Sept. 5, 1997, Mother Teresa’s heart beat its last. The funeral Mass was held at St. Thomas Church in Middleton Row, Kolkata. Hillary Clinton was there. After the memorial service, Clinton unexpectedly found herself invited to a private meeting at the motherhouse, the headquarters of the order founded by Mother Teresa. As the nuns formed a circle around the coffin, where they stood in silent meditation, one of them, Sister Nirmala, mother’s successor, asked the first lady if she would offer a prayer. Later confessing to feeling inadequate to do so, Hillary hesitated and then bowed her head and thanked God for “the privilege” of having known this “tiny, forceful, saintly woman.” It was a complex, intriguing, touching, but also frustrating relationship. What to make of all of this today? Well, tragically, Hillary Clinton has become far more fanatical for “abortion rights” (and for redefining marriage and the ever-expanding “LGBTQ” agenda) — and at the expense of religious liberty — than Mother Teresa could have foreseen. Or maybe she did foresee it. Maybe the little nun saw it coming. Maybe she perceived that Hillary Clinton was poised to one day have an even greater impact. Perhaps something spoke to her. And perhaps a sign of her genuine saintliness was her vigorous attempt to reach out to Hillary Clinton and try to salvage, if not improve, the road ahead. With her canonization, Catholics might look to Mother Teresa now for some formal intercession, as Mrs. Clinton’s trajectory increasingly foreshadows a dark future for the unborn and for religious liberty in America. * Kengor Writes . . . Western Civ in the Crosshairs — and a Glimmer of Hope Students at Indiana University-Bloomington recently went into panic mode at the sight of a Dominican friar, who they mistook for a Ku Klux Klan member. Funny? Yes, but also sad. It is a further sign of the state of our universities, and what is and isn’t being taught. For starters, let’s get this on the blackboard: For a really long time, there have been religious guys in robes, flatly unmistakable in their appearance. This year, 2016 A.D. (Anno Domini, Latin for “In the Year of Our Lord”), just happens to mark the 800th anniversary of the Dominicans. The Dominicans, named for their founder, Dominic de Guzman, a Spanish priest and contemporary of another giant of the faith, Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscans, long pre-date the KKK. These “orders” preceded Luther’s Reformation by three centuries, and themselves were a vital reform in rekindling and sustaining the faith against some significant heresy. (A related funny-but-sad story on the Franciscans: A Franciscan friar told me about an encounter he had on the New York subway. A young woman looked at him in his garb and smiled and said: “Okay, I get it — you’re a Jedi Knight, right?”) The Dominicans far pre-date the American university. Not unrelated, our universities once taught what we commonly call “Western Civ,” or “Western Civilization,” where students learned the elemental facts of their Western world, and where contemporary campus oddities like religious figures were not alien to their mind’s eye. But such is not the zeitgeist of the modern university, where today’s typical student is enmeshed with a thoroughly secular worldview where a trinity of race, gender, and sexual orientation account for what is held sacred. They are carefully trained to be ever-vigilant for the slightest whiff of racism, sexism, and “homophobia” or (the latest rage) “transphobia.” Their “education” is such that an ancient religious order is utterly unrecognizable. That brings me back to what happened at Indiana University-Bloomington. The mysterious robed intruder shuffled his way on to campus in the dark of night. “U students be careful,” Tweeted one vigilant student, “there’s someone walking around in kkk gear with a whip.” The “kkk gear” was the friar’s robe. The “whip” was presumably either his belt or his rosary, the latter an 800-year practice likewise started by Dominic. Residential hall advisor Ethan Gill zapped an email to his peers, warning them of the ominous “threat” marching across the quad: There has been a person reported walking around campus in a KKK outfit holding a whip. . . . Please PLEASE PLEASE be careful out there tonight. Later in the evening, a relieved Gill retracted his warning, but not before recounting the sense of horror unleashed by the unsuspecting friar: Then my residents, terrified, come running to me, saying yeah the report must be true, they saw him and couldn’t believe there was a klans member with a whip. . . . (he explained) And I see this picture. It’s a priest. With a rosary. In short, it’s no surprise that today’s college students would be dumbstruck at the image of a religious figure in a robe. Such is completely symptomatic of the life and learning of the cultural asylum we call the modern American university, where — in the name of secular liberalism, multiculturalism, diversity, and “tolerance” — a relentless battle has been waged upon Western civilization for decades. In fact, consider this irony: fittingly, mere days after this incident in Bloomington, students at Stanford University resoundingly rejected — by a margin of six to one — an effort to add a required course on Western Civ to the curriculum. The campus secularists can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that a dangerous Western Civ requirement will not cut into enrollment for courses like “Narrating Queer Drama“ at Stanford’s department of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. And here’s the height of the irony: If students at Stanford, and at Indiana University-Bloomington and elsewhere, would dare explore Western civilization, they might discover that their entire educational tradition owes quite a debt to these arcane men with robes and beads. The reality is that it was the monks, starting with the Benedictines (founded in the fifth century), who preserved crucial ancient texts and were the educators who established the model and laid the foundation for the universities. We arguably would not have the modern university without monks, certainly not how and when we did. The founder of the Benedictines was Benedict of Nursia (480-547 A.D.). He arrived in the world only a century after the birth of Augustine (354-430 A.D.) and the Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.), which, among other things, affirmed the literal belief in the Trinity (no small thing). Picking up with the Dominicans and their influence: Dominic died in 1221, only to be followed by Thomas Aquinas (1225-74) and the Scholastics. Aquinas himself was a Dominican. Also seizing the torch at the time were the likes of Bonaventure (1221-74) and the great writer Dante (1265-1321). They all not only fought the heresies of their day, from Gnosticism to Albigensianism, but they were the teachers of their day, holding forth in historic universities from Oxford to Paris. Secularists need not approve of these things, but they ought not be embarrassingly (and even deliberately) ignorant of them. Needless to say, college students will not learn any of this in their courses on “Transgender Studies“ or “Gay Autobiography.” The progressive professors running these courses are championing the thoughts of Harry Hay (the Marxist gay-rights pioneer) rather than Francesco Bernardone. And I assure you that to the legion of contemporary American progressives, “progress” is indeed a vigilant sophomore more attuned to suspecting a klansman than recognizing a friar. In the ashes of the Judeo-Christian values and timeless absolutes they have set ablaze, our modern progressives in the academy have instead fashioned a molten calf of politically and culturally correct nostrums. They peddle false faiths full of contradiction and selective application, such as their “tolerance” and “diversity” heresies — carefully applied only to things they want to tolerate. It is tolerance and diversity for me but not for thee. They denounce the “bigots” who oppose transgender bathrooms while they resist the Christian teachings that have beautifully transformed and redeemed the lives of billions. And thus, when these late-adolescent products of contemporary academia look at a Dominican brother with confused fear, we shouldn’t be surprised. This is a direct extension of their “higher” education. This is what they and their parents have paid for at great financial and moral cost. May I point to what has been a light in the darkness? Here at my college, Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania, we not only respect Western civilization but teach it. It is the root of our five-course Humanities curriculum, which every student is required to fulfill—covering art, music, literature, history, and sacred ideas and texts — and one of the courses is even unashamedly titled, “Western Civilization.” We are striving to maintain Western Civ, not kill it. How counter-culture is that these days? It is indeed. As our college president, Paul J. McNulty, observes, “We are the counter-culture at Grove City College.” Yes, we are. In the 1960s, the campus “counter-culture” had decidedly different overtones than it does now, fifty years later. To be counter-culture in the twenty-first century means to fight to retain the best of the timeless Western Judeo-Christian values that got us here. And it certainly means knowing the difference between a priest and a klansman. The Communist Party Feels the Bern — U.S. Communists Couldn’t Be Happier About the Democratic Party’s Direction As it has for months now, The People’s World again this past week carried a headline hailing Bernie Sanders’ “revolution.” As the successor to the Soviet-funded and directed The Daily Worker, and as the ongoing house organ of Communist Party USA, The People’s World is pleased with the long march of “progress” in the Democratic Party. The far-left lurch of today’s Democratic Party is lovingly in line with what the comrades have long desired. These inheritors of the Soviet experiment see Bernie Sanders as an exciting culmination of what they have been fighting for. And they view Barack Obama’s “fundamental transformation” of the Democratic Party as having made a candidate like Bernie possible. If you think this is hyperbole on my part, you should educate yourself by reading what today’s Communists are writing. As the latest exhibit, consider the instructive words of John Bachtell, Communist Party USA chair, in the latest valentine to Bernie in The People’s World: The campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders is making a unique contribution to defeating the Republican right and has the potential to galvanize long-term transformative change. The campaign is also a movement. Millions are fed up with the same old establishment politics tied to Wall Street and the one percent. It’s reminiscent of the 2008 and 2012 Obama campaigns. . . . Seeds of change are being sown and foundations are being laid for deeper-going changes in the future. . . . The campaign is expanding the collective political imagination and injecting radical ideas into the body politic. It has legitimized democratic socialism in the national conversation. Sanders is also influencing Hillary Clinton to adopt more progressive positions on a wide range of issues. Note the Obama-speak in Bachtell’s rhetoric, from the invoking of “transformative change” and “seeds of change” to pointing to the very model of Barack’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns. And observe the excitement about Bernie having “legitimized democratic socialism in the national conversation” and influencing Hillary to adopt “more progressive positions.” The head of Communist Party USA continued: But Sanders understands if he is elected his radical economic and social agenda including breaking up the big banks, universal health care, tuition-free university, massive jobs creation, expanding Social Security, and repealing Citizen’s United will go nowhere given the vise grip the GOP and extreme right has on Congress. The only way to realize a radical agenda is through a “political revolution. . . .” Sanders sees his campaign as part of a much bigger movement that must be built. A political revolution rests on building a broad coalition. A political revolution will be fueled by ongoing shifts in public attitudes. Majorities of Americans now favor taxing the rich, raising the minimum wage, immigration reform, abortion rights, marriage equality, criminal justice reform, and action to curb the climate crisis. New social movements are influencing millions at the grassroots including the Fight for 15, Black Lives Matter, The Dreamers, reproductive rights, marriage equality, and climate justice activists. A political revolution is based on the idea that majorities make change. It is not enough for majorities to believe in an idea, they must actively fight for it. Movements are acting both within and outside the Democratic Party and comprise many of the key forces in the anti-right alliance. This pitch for Bernie in The People’s World by the head of Communist Party USA employs the rally cry “political revolution” a dozen times in under a thousand words, plus repeated use of the words “radical” and “progressive.” Make no mistake: the comrades are jazzed for Bernie Sanders. They want, as another The People’s World writer likewise puts it, nothing short of a “Bernie Sanders political revolution.” Bachtell looks with hope at how Bernie’s struggle could transform the political landscape and further remake the party of Kennedy and Truman: A political revolution can transform politics if labor, its allies, and the broad left put their stamp on the multi-class alliance, shape its politics and frame the issues debated for the elections. The Sanders campaign is helping do this. . . . It will be transformative if the anti-right coalition is united and mobilized. Polls show that 86 percent of Clinton supporters will support Sanders in the general election if he is the nominee, and 79 percent of Sanders’ supporters will support Clinton if she wins. Sanders will need Clinton’s supporters in order to win. Note, remarkably, the vast support for Sanders that exists not only among his own comrades but among Hillary Clinton backers. This is support, of course, for a man who has long been an avowed, unapologetic socialist, who was fully sympathetic to the Communist universe. Also revealing is how today’s Communists have hopped aboard the bandwagon of the new left’s cultural agenda, including on sexual-gender issues. I’ve been pointing this out for some time (see my book on the left’s takedown of family and marriage). The emergent Bernie-Democrat-socialist-Communist-progressive-liberal coalition, advises Bachtell, . . . must fight uncompromisingly against racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant attacks and all efforts to divide. Workers of the world, unite — against “transphobia”! Who would have foreseen that one? Karl Marx, call your office. Some Democrats reading this will lash out at me, as the messenger. But I urge them to again carefully read the words I’m quoting. They come directly from the head of the Communist Party USA, a man who is the successor to Gus Hall, to Earl Browder, to William Z. Foster, writing in the house organ of CPUSA, The People’s World, successor to The Daily Worker. I ask Democrats: Does it not concern you that your number two for the presidential nomination so fires up these literal Communists? Does that not bother you? Unfortunately, I fear that many of today’s Democrats couldn’t care less, especially the Bernie millennials educated into pro-socialist imbecility by our public schools and universities. As one reader of The American Spectator put it after reading my previous post on Bernie I informed my son, now over forty, that Bernie was a Communist. He replied, “So what!” Indeed, the Sanders campaign could mass-produce bumper stickers boldly touting “Bolsheviks for Bernie” sandwiched between grinning faces of Marx and Lenin and our contemporary products of the American university would shrug and cheer. Returning to the appraisal of Communist Party USA, John Bachtell finished with this: A political revolution will help establish the foundations for a real people’s party, whether it results in a breakaway from or a takeover of the Democratic Party. Regardless of whether Sanders wins or not, the politics of the nation will never be the same and the fight for a political revolution will continue. There we are, ladies and gentlemen. The new political revolution that “will continue” must come either with a breakaway from the Democratic Party or with a “takeover of the Democratic Party.” Once upon a time in America, it seemed it could have only come with a breakaway. But now, in the Obama-Bernie America, a takeover of the Democrats has greater promise than ever. Just ask the literally millions of modern Democrats pulling the lever for a 74-year-old socialist as their next president. And just ask Bernie Sanders’ advocates in the Communist Party USA. They, too, feel the Bern. Having a “Trump Talk” with Your Kids I was watching a Republican presidential debate as my eight-year-old, John, sat next to me. Donald Trump, the front-runner, looked left and ripped Ted Cruz as a “liar” before seamlessly pivoting right and skewering Marco Rubio as a “sweating choke artist.” “Lying Ted!” Trump barked. “Choking Marco!” he shouted. My eight-year-old son laughed at the buffoonish spectacle, as if we’d just tuned into the Cartoon Network. “No, John,” I told him. “That’s not funny. We shouldn’t treat people that way.” “Is that man going to be our president?” John asked. “I don’t know,” I replied. I decided to turn off the TV while John was in the room with Donald Trump. Who knows what might come next? In addition to Trump mocking Rubio and denouncing Cruz, he labeled George W. Bush a “liar” and Jeb Bush a “joke.” As for Mitt Romney: dumb, stupid, “loser.” Megyn Kelly: a “bimbo” with “blood coming out of her eyes.” He doesn’t like her. And if Donald Trump doesn’t like you, he lets you know. The American Founders extolled the virtue of prudence to our leaders and citizenry. They underscored the cardinal and theological virtues. Trump eschews virtue, embracing vice instead, and his supporters reward him by the millions. And thus, Trump excoriates his detractors: liars, losers, morons. “Look at that face!” yapped Trump of Carly Fiorina, a successful businesswoman. “Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that the face of our next president?” Again, push the children away from the TV. Yet another occasion: I check the latest headlines. The cable news station shows a Trump rally. Protesters speak up. This wasn’t the organized protest in Chicago, which Trump blamed on professional left-wing agitators; no, this is a typical political event. But Donald Trump is no typical candidate. Not one for criticism, Trump instructs his supporters how to respond to the dissenters: “Knock the crap out of them!” Don’t worry, the millionaire ensures: “Just knock the hell — I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees, I promise. I promise.” The cable news station shows repeated examples of such Trump bombast. Then follow clips of Trump supporters roughing up protesters in what could be a superb DNC ad against Trump in November. One Trump supporter, 78-year-old John McGraw, sucker-punched 26-year-old Rakeem Jones, with no regrets. “You bet I liked it,” McGraw growled to the press. “Knocking the hell out of that big mouth.” (Note how McGraw used Trump’s exact words: “knock the hell.”) Asked if Jones had it coming, McGraw affirmed, “Yes, he deserved it. The next time we see him, we might have to kill him.” Again, I turn off the TV before the kids see. Even more unsettling, the man behaving this way could be my kids’ next president, and from my own political party — the party of Lincoln and Reagan. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg with Donald Trump. I was talking to my friend Mark, a Hollywood evangelical. He has five daughters. I asked how he intends to explain Trump to his girls. Trump is not only repeatedly divorced, but left his wives for mistresses and brags about his sexual conquests (including with married women). The casino mogul has strip clubs under his belt. We thought Bill Clinton was bad. At least Bill had the political discreetness to deny his escapades. (How’s that for a new standard?) Trump boasts. Mark told me that he has had the “Trump talk” with his daughters. He has told them that, sadly, all morality could be out the window this election. Among the Republicans, there still are solid family men in Ted Cruz and John Kasich (as was “Choking Marco”). Unfortunately, with Trump, the moral character that Republicans have demanded in their leaders has become an utter non-issue to angry advocates. This year, Democrats will be able to tell Republicans that all their past talk of family values and criticisms of Bill Clinton was a bunch of rotten hypocrisy. The presidency is preeminently a position of moral leadership. “Morality,” said our first president, George Washington, is an “indispensable support” to political prosperity. That has not changed. What is changing is the huge number of Americans who suddenly don’t care about moral behavior in their leader, or excuse or justify it. And so, my advice to parents, especially on the Republican side: If Donald Trump gets the nomination, be prepared to sit down with your kids to have a frank “Trump talk.” Teach them not to be like that man. And always be ready to quickly change the TV channel. *

the making of motherhood w/ guests Kayleen Scuderi, wafaa beaini and farah beaini of tck town At this incredible event celebrating the wonderful role mothers play in our lives, we invited midwife of over 30 years experience, Kayleen Scuderi and facilitated a mother-daughter conversation with TCK Town's author Farah Beaini and her mum, Wafaa Beaini. Kayleen Scuderi is a mother of four children and has dedicated over 30 years to midwifery. She has worked through the full scope of midwifery practice from postnatal wards, nursery, clinic and birthing suites. Kayleen showed us her commitment to empowering women and their families through their birthing experience. Her focus is to support young midwives to journey with women through the birthing and mothering experience with a calm presence that supports women in the achievement of their best birth experience possible. She also reminds us as providers of community forums that it is our responsibility to continue reinforcing safe spaces for women to feel confident exploring the topic of pregnancy. The lovely Farah and Wafaa Beani led their own conversation where they asked questions to each other for the first time. This was a beautiful and honest discovery into their relationship and personal lives. Having moved here from Lebanon, Wafaa has sacrificed a lot for her family and is missing a closer relationship with her mother. We learned of the hardships of civil war and Wafaa's decision to bring her children to Australia. Farah, a powerful young poet and writer, has many qualities of her mother and we were blessed to witness the unfolding of their humour and idiosyncrasies with one another. mediums of Storytelling w/ guests Morgan cataldo, Travelling Hearts and Storytelling Victoria Mediums of Storytelling was our last event for 2016 - a wonderful way to end the year on a playful and festive note and a beautiful reminder of the multiplicity of self-expression. The event featured guests Morgan Cataldo, Racquel from Traveling Hearts and Jackie from Storytelling Victoria. Morgan works closely with young people from diverse backgrounds and provides them with the skills and tools to become advocates and experts of their own lived experiences. Morgan herself has had a lived experience of homelessness and has transcended well beyond those boundaries to show us that we can change those stories into strength. Racquel runs her own Traveling Hearts project - a grass-roots initiative dedicated to the exchange of stories through the visual thread of connection. Racquel uses recycled materials to create heart badges and distributes them back to the community for a small profit. During the event, we all had the pleasure of making some unique paper hearts with the exchange of lots of laughter. The evening concluded with a playful sit back, bean-bag-type show that took all of us back to our early childhood. Jackie showed us performative storytelling through a traditional Japanese art form, Kamishibai. Pulling slide after slide, we lived through voices and illustrations of many tales including that of marriage equality between a cockroach and a mouse. BEHIND SEXUALITIES AND CULTURES w/guests hiba tabidi, erik ly, rancez gozon and naomi joy We met Erik, Naomi, Rances, and Hiba, whose diversity of experience and opinion provided a fantastic platform for exploring the way sexuality is lived and understood in different cultural groups within and outside Australia. Erik is an advocate at YGender, a not-for-profit that supports gender diverse young people. Erik was born in Vietnam and assigned female gender at birth. From a very young age, Erik felt uncomfortable as female, and now as an 18 year old identifies as a non-binary trans male. Speaking with a maturity that belied his age, Erik was expressive and considered in sharing his perspective on trans* issues, and captivated our audience with his warmth and enthusiasm. Naomi is a human rights activist who has traveled the world focusing on women’s empowerment, LGBTQ rights and maternal health. Last year she returned from a year-long role as an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development in Kenya, where she met her husband, Barry. Naomi discussed how her marriage has helped her gain insight into her family’s culture and that of her husband’s family, particularly in relation to the occupation of gender roles and the expectations for relationships. The affection between Naomi and Barry was tangible, and we were heartened by their joy and their optimism for their future together. Hiba is a Sudanese Egyptian woman born in Sudan who arrived in Australia at 7 years of age. Hiba is the co-founder of Afrocare and a Cultural Intelligence consultant, and, as we discovered, a former hospitality worker, which is perhaps the best way to immerse yourself in any culture. Hiba described to our Australian-based audience the significance of bridal rituals in Sudan, and how her interaction with diverse cultures continues to shape her understanding of femininity and feminism. Hiba also recounted unfortunate incidents of racism and cultural misunderstanding, often rooted in ignorance or unmindfulness, which underlined the importance of edification to social inclusiveness. Rances is a Filipino man working in finance who identifies as homosexual. Rances was a beautifully measured speaker, both in his enthusiasm for fashion and gastronomy, and in his exploration of how his sexuality has developed in different cultural contexts. Rances relayed his encounters with Australian masculine stereotypes, including the cliches ascribed to heterosexuality and homosexuality, and related how his confidence in his own self-expression continues to grow. An engaging, informative and inspiring evening, Behind Sexualities and Cultures was our largest event to date, and we are grateful to Erik, Naomi, Hiba and Rances for sharing these aspects of their lives with us. W/GUESTS amelia tauoqooqo & jan ali Crossing Borders with Jan Ali and Amelia Tauoqooqo. Amelia is a breath of air amongst many other fabulous things - you may have seen her featured in the Project on Network Ten. Amelia was a mental health nurse for Australia's offshore detention centres. This evening, she challenged us all about what it means to be Australian and how we respond to issues of migration in our country. Jan is a hard working landscaper residing in suburban Melbourne. He arrived here almost 4 years ago, with the vision of settling in Australia with his family. Now a successfully resettled refugee, Jan awaits his family reunification rights to bring his family here. There was no story like Jan in the room this evening - over here by boat, having no contact with his family for over a year and still in search for his sibling, we all could barely understand the injustice of this situation. It was a humbling evening for all of us. What it means to be Australian w/ guest pauline whyman Behind The Label invited Pauline Whyman to talk us through her story of Australia in our live conversation at &Gallery. Enjoy our quick snapshot of a deeply complex evening with a personal account of Australian History through the eyes of creative playwright and Yorta Yorta woman, Pauline. Sexuality and Agency in bdsm w/guest Indigo Yung This is our teaser to a mindful and playful conversation with Indigo Yung. Indigo works in the BDSM industry as a mistress and took us through a discussion on sexuality and agency in her work. These highlights from a dense and insightful live interview reminds us of what indigo taught us about owning our sexuality and challenges what it means to be a woman of colour playing out in gender roles.

Our team is comprised of powerful #BlackLivesMatter – Toronto community educators, parents, and caregivers. Our team participates in a 2 day orientation and training prior to the start of the summer. Our core team of educators and team leaders all have extensive experience working with children in various contexts. Please see below for a list of team members and their roles: LeRoi Newbold is a steering committee member of BlackLivesMatter – Toronto, and has designed Afrocentric/Black focused curriculum and taught at the Africentric Alternative School for the past 7 years. LeRoi has worked with children and youth for the past 14 years as a teacher, early childhood educator, youth facilitator and arts facilitator. Emmanuel Ruta is a queer, Black educator interested in transformative education for young children. He currently teaches in the Peel Region. Hawa Sabriye is an Occasional Teacher with the Toronto District School Board and is currently completing her Masters of Education at York University. She has been working with children in camp, community and school settings for the past 8 years. She believes in the importance of cultivating self-love and awareness in black children at a very young age and is excited to be apart of Black Lives Matter Toronto’s Freedom School! Naomi Bain is an activist, writer, community educator and educational consultant. Naomi has 7 year experience working with children both in classroom and camp settings. She currently works with schools across Ontario helping librarians and educators curate their library collections. Naomi believes children have an essential part in bringing about change in the world, “by teaching children essential skills and love of literature we help prepare them to be the best that they can be Nauoda Robinson – Been child minding since my teen years. I’m a fun, passionate, nurturing, communicative, anti-racist/revolutionary raised child minder, and single parent to a 2.5 year old. Learning through play & daily activities is big with me – active, with a variety of learning styles are incorporated to help with a child’s social skills and confidence. Ki is a Black queer, non-binary transmasculine community care giver, healer & spirit warrior, they are super excited to be working with BLM Freedom School as afternoon toddler room support. ki is an aspiring Child & Youth Care Worker and hopes to participate in the raising of many children in a variety of different ways. Currently as the roommate & childcare provider of a toddler ki’s approach values play, exploration, care/sensitivity, and boundary setting. Nadijah Robinson is an artist and educator working with skills developed from practices such as sewing, printmaking, batik making, filmmaking, painting, and graphic design. Nadijah’s work combines what is needed to construct an affecting image, object or experience. Community is not only important to Nadijah’s practice as an audience or as a source of content, but also as the purpose of her work. She tells her own stories, and her communities’, for the purpose of healing. Kike is a queer, Nigerian, mixed-media community artist. Kike: My dedication to social justice and black liberation, my love for children, as well as my belief in the transformative powers of art – particularly given as tools to our children and youth is what brings me here and why I do the work I do. I’ve gained experience through paid and volunteer childcare, as well as facilitation through leading workshops with elders, children and youth in the community, creating a safer space for us all to harvest and share our stories. Perry is 29, white and uses they/them pronouns. Perry has been driving a school bus for the Toronto District School Board for two years and is committed to empowering youth to be their most authentic selves.

Swimsuit designer and GBC Fashion Techniques and Design program graduate, Betsy Campos, has opened her first flagship store for her swimwear brand, ŪNIKA Swim. ŪNIKA provides locally made to measure, body specific swimwear to help women feel comfortable and confident – regardless of age, shape, or size. We had the opportunity to ask Betsy a few questions about her journey into building the ŪNIKA swimwear brand. Betsy, what made you start ŪNIKA Swim? Has it always been a dream of yours to build a swimsuit business? ŪNIKA began as a personal frustration while shopping in Toronto. Growing up, I spent my summers in Brazil — swimwear is engrained into my culture. I never understood why swimwear was only available for three months out of the year in North America. I also couldn’t get over the fact that the quality and styles were always terrible. I remember trying to find something off the rack with my mother, whom of which is considered to be “plus size,” and was so disappointed with that fact that bigger busted women, and anyone over size ten, had limited options to choose from. I had always dreamed of having my own swimwear line so it’s great to see it all come together. What does ŪNIKA Swim represent? ŪNIKA comes from the Latin work “Unica.” It translates to Only One, One of a kind, and Unique. Our vision is to empower every woman in recognizing and appreciating her own individuality, as well as promoting a more body positive ideal in the swimwear industry. ŪNIKA provides custom, body specific swimwear to make every woman feel comfortable with herself, no matter what age, shape, or size. This article talks a bit about the #ConfidentlyU campaign. Can you expand on this? What does this campaign mean? Has ŪNIKA Swim launched any other campaigns? #ConfidentlyU was our first campaign that was shot by Toronto native and editorial photographer, Alex Evans, featuring West African model Miriann Joh, WIPP founder Bianca Harris, and non-binary make up artist Nate Matthew. Following the theme of “Confidently U,” the featured models exclude multi-duplicity – not only via their outward appearances, but through their bodies of work. They defy mediums, subcultures, and genres to create personal images that are confidently & uniquely their own. ŪNIKA Swim is currently working towards our next set of campaigns and online launch. How has the George Brown F113 Fashion Techniques and Design program helped you as a designer? When I first started off I had no idea how to sew. I didn’t know what went on behind a garment. I could have taken the path that most people take with paying someone to sample, pattern draft, and sew for me – but learning all of the fundamentals has really helped me excel. The program has saved me time, effort and money. Looking at garments now, I can analyze exactly how they are constructed and put together. Fashion Techniques and Design helped me tremendously. The course has granted me the confidence that I need to pursue new designs, and bring my visions to life. Did you always want to become an entrepreneur? What made you take the leap into entrepreneurship? I used to purchase things off the rack that didn’t fit me and reconstruct/sew them into new recycled pieces. Girls would stop me on the street to ask me what I was wearing… I remember thinking, “Maybe I have something special here.” I’ve always worked for others, but [I] remember thinking what it would be like to work for myself, and start something of my own. I didn’t really know too much about being an entrepreneur but I think I was great at rejection from a young age. I had the great advantage of being a terrible student in school. I wasn’t good at writing, reading or math, but I was always a visual and hands-on learner. Because of that, I was accustomed to not being approved by anyone or being popular. That was freeing to me, and that’s what building a business is about. Getting over what sets you back and moving forward. My mother never pushed me to pursue anything I didn’t want to do which allowed me to explore my creative side. I decided to take the leap into entrepreneurship once I realized I had found a niche to cater to. How long has ŪNIKA Swim been operating? ŪNIKA swim has been in the works for the past five years. I worked from home for the first two years building up clientele, and testing out the market until jumping into the flagship location at 101 Yorkville Avenue. What’s one piece of advice you would give to students aspiring to start their own business? Surround yourself with people who are better than you in the field you wish to pursue. Don’t rush the process – take your time, and do your homework. Be aware of what is already out there in the market. Instead of copying others are doing, try and find something that differentiates you from the rest. Eat, Sleep and breathe your dream. You have to see it when nobody else sees it, and feel it when it’s not tangible. It’s a lot of trial and error but it all pays off in the end. Navigate around obstacles when you run into one and remember that Persistence is KEY. If you’d like to learn more about ŪNIKA Swim line, you can check out their instagram at https://www.instagram.com/unikaswim/ ŪNIKA Swim is located at 101 Yorkville Avenue, Toronto ON, M5R 1C1

NIRCam and MIRI Coronagraphy of the Beta Pictoris Debris Disk This Example Science Program presents an application of the JWST High Contrast Imaging Roadmap, demonstrating how to create a cross-instrument MIRI/NIRCam observing program to observe the Beta Pictoris Debris Disk. Main article: JWST High Contrast Imaging Roadmap See also: Step-by-step guides The JWST High Contrast Imaging Roadmap guides readers through the process of designing a high-contrast imaging (HCI) observing program with JWST. Here we demonstrate this process, walking the user through the decisions made at each step, for an example science program that uses the NIRCam and MIRI coronagraphs to observe the Beta Pictoris debris disk. The debris disk around Beta Pictoris (Beta Pic) is famous for being the first circumstellar disk to be spatially resolved. Since its discovery in 1984, generations of observations have delivered insights into its complex structure, composition of its constituent particles and physical processes that shape the disk. As one of the brightest and largest disks on the sky, it remains a compelling target for detailed investigations at unprecedented sensitivities with JWST. The science case we describe here is based on the "Coronagraphy of the Debris Disk Archetype Beta Pictoris" GTO Program. Their goal is characterize the archetypical debris disk around Beta Pic with deep imaging in multiple filters across JWST’s entire wavelength range. Specific objectives include: - Measure the disk structure, composition and interactions with planets. - Test for the presence of water and CO2 ices and organic tholins (such as those on Titan). - Measure color variations and asymmetries across the disk. - Probe the thermal emission from both the warm inner belt and outer cooler main disk. - Obtain a comprehensive legacy dataset on this target, for analysis alongside similar data and/or on other debris disks studied using JWST. Main article: JWST High Contrast Imaging Roadmap Below we follow the workflow outlined in the JWST High Contrast Imaging Roadmap to design an observing program for this example science case. Becoming familiar with the HCI capabilities of JWST JWST and its suite of instruments, modes and high contrast capabilities will open a dramatic new era in the study of debris disks. JWST offers an unprecedented raw sensitivity, orders of magnitude beyond what can be achieved from the ground, and a wavelength coverage that adds significantly to that covered by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). JWST will provide resolved scattered light and thermal emission imaging of hundreds of debris disk systems. Debris disks are circumstellar disks composed of dust created by the collisions of plants and/or minor bodies such as asteroids. They are very faint compared to their central star and so the ability to reject starlight at extreme levels is essential. The high performance coronagraphs on JWST will enable us to resolve many of these disks. There are 5 coronagraphs of different types in NIRCam and 4 in MIRI, collectively usable with various filters spanning 1.8 – 23 μm. This filter complement spans a wealth of spectral features that can be used to characterize the compositions of dust and ice particles present in debris disks. Selecting a HCI observing mode Achieving the science goals of this program requires multi-wavelength imaging of the Beta Pic debris disk with high-spatial resolution. Resolved images at multiple wavelengths are powerful when it comes to characterizing debris disks: images provide independent measurement of the spatial distribution of the dust, while the variation of its brightness with wavelength allows the size distribution and composition of the dust to be constrained (e.g. Debes et al 2008; Rodigas et al 2015). For this observing program, we will employ the NIRCam and MIRI coronagraphs, which cover nearly the full wavelength range of JWST. NIRCam Coronagraphic Imaging will provide images of Beta Pic at HST-like resolution at near-IR wavelengths, with great sensitivity. We will use NIRCam’s F182M, F210M, F250M, F300M, F335M and F444W filters, which are sensitive to the presence of water and CO ices and organic tholins, to study the composition and spatial variation of the disk. We want to use the round coronagraphic masks (MASK210R and MASK445R) to obtain full azimuthal coverage of the disk, allowing us to study the vertical structure. With the F444W filter, we will also be able to search for unknown wide-separation (>10AU) planetary companions, reaching well below the mass of Saturn. We note, the known planet (Beta Pic b) will be at a small projected angular separation from the star at this time, after its near transit in front of the star in 2017—observing Beta Pic B is not a goal of this program. With MIRI, Coronagraphic imaging at 15.5 and 23 μm will allow us to image faint disk structures close to the star that have been unresolvable until now. We will use the F1550C and F2300C coronagraphic filters to probe the warm inner asteroid belt and cooler outer main disk, respectively. For MIRI, the coronagraphic imaging filters are associated directly with each coronagraph and are not interchangeable—selecting the filter selects the coronagraph. Selecting a PSF calibration strategy and suitable PSF calibrator In order to draw out the best contrast and achieve the smallest inner working angles of each coronagraph, we will observe a nearby and color- and flux-matched PSF reference source, using contemporaneous and identically executed observation sequences. We will employ the standard coronagraphic sequence for every instrument, mask and filter combination: an initial observation orientated at a desired nominal aperture position angle (i.e. one that maximizes the spatial coverage of the disk); followed by a second observation with an aperture position angle ~10 degrees relative to the first observation; followed by an observation of the PSF reference star. Furthermore, all observations will be linked in a non-interruptible sequence to ensure the PSF calibrator is observed close in time to the science target. Lastly, because of the brightness of Beta Pic, we do not foresee the need to employ the small grid dithering technique. Beta Pic, is a spectral type A6 star with a K magnitude of 3.48 and celestial co-ordinates of 05 47 -51 03. Following the guidelines provided in Selecting Suitable PSF Reference Stars for JWST High-Contrast Imaging, we are looking for a PSF reference calibrator that is: - Relatively nearby (to ensure scheduability and minimal slew time – which in turn minimizes thermal changes to the telescope and thus changes to the PSF) - Closely matched in spectral type (less critical at MIRI wavelengths, because the FQPM filters are relatively narrow, but has a stronger impact for NIRCam as the wavelengths shorten and as the spectral bandwidth widens) - Close in magnitude (allowing shorter exposure time on PSF star – especially helpful given our choice to use SGDs) - Is non-binary (and so will appear optically single at JWST resolution) Successfully used as a PSF calibrator for Beta Pic in many HST observations and a known single star, Alpha Pictoris appears a good candidate as our PSF reference target. It is located ~19° from the target star (at 06 48 11.4516; -61 56 28.8060) and has an overlapping visibility window. The difference in K mag between Alpha Pic (K=2.57) and Beta Pic (K=3.48) is ~0.9. Furthermore, Alpha Pic (A8V) is fairly close in spectral type to Beta Pic (A6V), which provides a more than adequate color match (given previous estimates of the impact of color mismatch on NIRCam coronagraphy contrast) to minimize chromatic differences between the reference PSF and target PSF. For the MIRI observations, color match is even less important. Assessing target visibilities and allowed position angles In order to assess the target visibilities and their available position angles (PAs) versus time relative to the MIRI and NIRCam coronagraphic masks—in particular, relative to instrumental structures such as occulting bars in NIRCam or boundaries in the MIRI 4-quadrant phase mask (4QPM)—we will use the Coronagraphic Visibility Tool (CVT). We first resolve Beta Pic using SIMBAD (see the CVT step-by-step guide). The disk's midplane is at a PA of 32° and has a separation and outer radius of around 0.4" and 13.4", respectively. Thus, we specify companions at a PA of 32° and separations of 0.4" and 13.3", to get an indication of the extent of the disk on the selected instrument and mask. We also define a another companion at a separation of 13.4" diametrically opposed to the first, to act as a proxy for the disk structure's position angle versus time. For the NIRCam observations, because the disk is edge-on, we will chose an orientation that places the disk mid-plane near the diagonal of the NIRCam coronagraph subarray to maximize spatial coverage, but avoid the ND spots. We find that the ideal orientation would be at an aperture position angle (APA) of ~350°, and other orientations would sacrifice some of the science. Consequently, we determine that an APA range of 345°–360° will be suitable for our NIRCam observations. For MIRI, we will orient the disk at an angle of ~45° from the 4QPM axes, which corresponds to an APA of ~345°. Note that this orientation also avoids the two supporting struts in the mounting bracket of the Lyot coronagraph, which themselves block light in the FOV. We will define a corresponding APA range of 340°–355°. We note that while we plan to define these specific PA range requirements, they are not completely rigid. In the event of a TA issue or other scheduling problem, we could consider alternative orientations. For the MIRI observations in particular, we only require the disk mid-plane is oriented near ~45 deg from the 4QPM axes-- there are several orientations acceptable, but we can only program one into APT. For NIRCam, the orientation we request is ideal however alternative orientations could be considered if absolutely necessary. Using the Exposure Time Calculator Once target visibility is confirmed and a PSF calibration strategy adopted, we use the JWST Exposure Time Calculator (ETC) to determine the optimal exposure specifications for our program. Step-by-step ETC calculation instructions can be found in the ETC Step-by-Step Instructions for Beta Pictoris article. Deciding on an observing strategy Now that we have made a series of technical decisions for our program (such as our PSF calibration strategy, exposure specifications, etc.), we now need to identify an observing strategy that incorporates each of these components, whilst also minimizing observing overheads and performance degradation. We find there are two strategies in which to schedule our set of observations. In the first approach, the observations made in each instrument are scheduled together in a non-interruptible sequence, at the orient in which the spatial coverage of the disk is maximized. Alternatively, by making a slight sacrifice in orientation and requiring that the NIRCam and MIRI observations be scheduled together in one long non-interruptible sequence (with the PSF reference observations placed between them) it is possible to save on overheads. However, this second approach puts very tight restrictions on the schedulability of the observations, resulting in a single two-day scheduling window. This is potentially problematic: if any observation failures were to occur that were not caused by the program itself (e.g., caused by an instrument or telescope operational problem, malfunction or safing event), there would not be another opportunity in which to repeat this sequence of observations within that observing cycle—the program would need to be deferred for at least another year. Thus, we will go with the first scheduling approach. This increases the schedulability of the observations from ~2 days per year to ~2 weeks and allows us slightly more ideal instrument orientations, at the expense of slightly longer overheads. We note that if there is a TA issue or something that prevents scheduling of the observations, there are other possible orientations that are available other than those provided. The order in which the two sets of observations will be scheduled is as follows: Table 1. Beta Pictoris observation techniques with NIRCam and MIRI coronagraphs Observing Beta Pictoris with the NIRCam coronagraphs Observing Beta Pictoris with the MIRI Coronagraphs: This order was chosen in order to minimize overheads while also minimizing time between reference PSF observations and science target observations. Using the Astronomers Proposal Tool Once we have completed all other steps in the proposal planning process, we can write, validate and submit our proposal in the JWST Astronomers Proposal Tool Overview (APT). A step-by-step guide for entering this example science program into the APT is provided in the APT Step-by-Step Instructions for Beta Pictoris article. Debes, J. H., Weinberger, A. J., & Schneider, G. 2008, ApJL, 673, L191 Rodigas, T. J., Stark, C. C., Weinberger, A., et al. 2015, ApJ, 798, 96

Ezra Miller is not only a bad influence, they’re a danger to the well-being of an 18-year-old woman … at least according to her parents, who are asking a court to step in and keep the actor away from her. According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Tokata Iron Eyes met a then-23-year-old Miller in 2016 — when she was just 12 — and the actor was visiting the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. From there, Tokata’s parents say she and Ezra developed a friendship they believe puts Tokata at risk. Tokata’s parents say Miller flew her to London in 2017 to visit the studio where “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” was filmed, as she was a big fan and Miller was a star in the movie. At the time of the trip, they say Tokata was 14 and Ezra was 25. As the friendship continued, Tokata’s parents claim Ezra supplied their underage daughter with alcohol, marijuana and LSD. Not only that, they claim Ezra — best known as The Flash in the DC superhero films — disrupted Tokata’s schooling at a private institute in Massachusetts so much, she dropped out in December 2021. The parents say they flew to Miller’s Vermont home in January to get their daughter … and discovered she didn’t have her driver’s license, car keys, bank card and other items needed to navigate life independently. They say they also found bruises on Tokata’s body which they allege Ezra caused. Shortly after she got home, Tokata’s parents say she fled to NYC to reunite with Ezra — and from there, the pair’s been traveling together to Vermont, Hawaii and Los Angeles. The two were spotted at a club in Hawaii in video obtained by TMZ. In the docs, Tokata’s parents state, “Ezra uses violence, intimidation, threat of violence, fear, paranoia, delusions, and drugs to hold sway over a young adolescent Tokata.” They claim Ezra’s also told Tokata to solely go by Gibson … a nickname she formerly used with family and friends. Then there’s this … they say Ezra’s decided Tokata is non-binary transgender, when she had previously declared herself “non-binary, queer, gay.” It seems Tokata is aware of her parents’ concerns — she recently took to social media to say she’s mentally stable, and her “comrade” Ezra has been a help in her life. She also says she’s recently gotten a therapist and is looking forward to the future. Tokata’s parents are asking the court to step in and issue an order of protection against Ezra on behalf of their daughter, and a hearing is set for next month. We reached out to Ezra’s team … so far, no word back.

Attorney general Suella Braverman says schools have no legal obligation to affirm trans pupils British schools do not have to affirm trans youth such as by using their pronouns, attorney general Suella Braverman has said. She told The Times that teachers have no legal requirement to support trans and non-binary pupils by letting them use the toilets or wear the school uniform that aligns with their gender. Braverman blasted schools’ “unquestioning approach” to trans youth, saying they should take a “much firmer line” by treating trans youth as the gender they were assigned at birth. It would be “outrageous” for educators not to have the right to question a child’s gender identity because under-18s cannot legally change their gender, Braverman said, schools in no way have to accommodate trans youth. “A male child who says in a school that they are a trans girl, that they want to be female, is legally still a boy or a male,” she continued in the interview published Friday (27 May). “And schools have a right to treat them as such under the law. “They don’t have to say, OK, we’re going to let you change your pronoun or let you wear a skirt or call yourself a girl’s name.” Attorney general Suella Braverman hails ‘heroine’ JK Rowling The same goes for non-binary pupils, the government’s chief legal adviser said, adding: “I would say to the school they don’t have to and that they shouldn’t allow that child to go into the girls’ toilets.” Braverman claimed that the 2010 Equality Act allows for “important single-sex exemptions” such as this. The legislation allows trans people – those of any age who fall under the protected characteristic of “gender reassignment” – to access all single-sex spaces. They can only be barred from spaces on a case-by-case basis if there is a proportionate and justifiable reason to do so, the act says. Legal experts previously told PinkNews that if a single-sex service provider were to blanket ban all trans people, this would violate the Equality Act. While trans adults can change their legal gender via the Gender Recognition Act, the drawn-out process means fewer than 5,000 Britons have successfully acquired a Gender Recognition Certificate. Simply using trans kids’ pronouns, their correct name and wearing the clothing they want significantly cuts their risk of attempting suicide and experiencing depression or anxiety, researchers have repeatedly found. More from PinkNews The Tory MP for Fareham also hailed JK Rowling, the Harry Potter author who has come under fire for her deeply anti-trans views, as a “heroine”. The billionaire is “very brave, very courageous” for speaking out against trans people using single-sex spaces, Braverman said. Braverman’s chilling remarks are among the clearest yet of a cabinet minister’s views on trans rights in schools. Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi is currently drafting guidelines on how schools should support – if it all – trans youth. Zahawi said in April that he is working on the guidelines together with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), an equality law watchdog. The commission has been dogged by claims of transphobia in recent months, from the time it advised that trans conversion therapy be delayed to calling for live-saving gender recognition reforms be paused. In April, it laid out a way for trans people to be lawfully excluded from single-sex spaces under the Equality Act in its guidance for single-sex service providers. During a hearing with the education select committee at the same time, Zahawi suggested that teachers should out trans children to their families or guardians.

The Queens’ College Junior Combination Room (JCR), a.k.a QJCR, is the union of undergraduate students at Queens’ College, Cambridge. It is led by the JCR Committee, elected to collate and express the views of JCR members and enhance the community with social events, welfare initiatives and more, all in accordance with the constitution and policy of the JCR. Hi my name is Tomos. I’m the JCR President and I’m an energy & environmental engineering student from North Wales. As JCR President, I lead and chair the JCR committee, provide assistance to all its committee members and am the principal liaison with College on the JCR. I love the Queens’ community and want to ensure that you can get the most out of your time here at College. Outside of work and the JCR, I can often be found in the bar, or going on post-brunch walks. Feel free to get in touch at any time with questions or suggestions at firstname.lastname@example.org” I’m Keir, a first year HSPSer, disco enthusiast, and perennial turtleneck wearer. I may have bad taste in football teams (Sunderland), Cambridge cafés (ARC), and political theorists (Hobbes), but I do love attending meetings. Which is ideal, because since becoming VPE this is, in fact, all I do. I’m also the creative visionary behind a few of this year’s JCR pics. But the bit of my job I’m most enthused about – much (much) more than the student politics – is leading on the JCR’s welfare initiatives. I’m always here to talk to, completely confidentially, about any welfare issues you may be having – message me on Facebook or at email@example.com to let me know you’re coming (I live in DD17), or come along to one of my drop-ins (usually Saturdays, 2-4pm). If I’ve recently been to Sainsbury’s, I may even have biscuits. But no promises. As a first-year historian I have plenty of time to do what VPIs do best: paperwork. My job is essentially tackling a large pile of admin each week to try and make queens’ the best college we can be, sending frankly impressive numbers of emails about stash, and managing the finances of societies and the JCR (aka checking how much welfare has spent on biscuits each term). You can either shoot me an email at firstname.lastname@example.org, message me on facebook, or simply yell at me in the buttery! I can otherwise be found losing at pool in the bar (its free thanks to the JCR !!) or arguing with one of the queens’ printers (they don’t like me). Likes include: clearly labelled society reimbursement receipts, promptly collected stash, taking a tea break Dislikes include: mushrooms Hi, my name’s Jacob and I’m the Secretary and Academics Officer on the JCR this year. Being an English student means I’ve got plenty of time to send everyone far too many emails (your inbox will hate me soon enough) and write the minutes for our Committee meetings. As well as this, I’ll be representing everyone’s academic needs, making sure the library and other study spaces are well equipped. So, if you have any suggestions for how to make the library better, want something communicated to the JCR or want to put something in the weekly newsletter (yes, yet more inbox clogging, sorry about that), then please email me at email@example.com or come have a chat. I’ll probably be in the bar. Hiya, I’m Django and I am your QEnts President! This means I’m responsible for putting on college bops, bounce, bar events, and anything else that can take your mind off work for a bit. I’m also a first year philosophy student, so you can find me pondering deep questions in my free time and inevitably not finding an answer. Always feel free to reach out with any suggestions or questions, whether you’re looking to put on some kind of event yourself (happy to help with) or just have some general feedback firstname.lastname@example.org Hi everyone! I’m Mikel and as well as a second year compsci, I’m the JCR Accommodation & Facilities Officer. I’m in charge of organising the Room Ballot and running it in conjunction with College, as well as managing the JCR Room and making sure everyone has all the Wii games, blackboards and blankets they could ever want. I also sit on the Domus committee with all the college departments, so I’m well placed to work with them on any internal issues to do with facilities around the college. If you have any questions or concerns contact me at email@example.com! Hi! My name is Tamara. I’m the Female Welfare Officer, and I’m a history student from Kent. As Welfare Officer, I work on ensuring procedural clarity regarding the college’s welfare system, and help to coordinate new initiatives. I hope to make a positive difference to the system here, and encourage more student involvement . Outside of work and the JCR, I can often be found napping, or going out with friends. Feel free to get in touch at any time at firstname.lastname@example.org Heyy, I’m Alistair, a second-year compsci from Llangollen and I’m one of your Welfare Officers :) My role involves dishing out sexual health supplies, running various welfare events, working on new initiatives, managing the wholesome mailing list and generally being there to give support. You can contact me anytime at my email email@example.com. Hello, I’m Yi Chen! I’m your JCR International Officer. I am a first-year studying Engineering from Singapore. I’m here to represent the international views at college and also to organise and maximise storage space! Moving to a new country can be difficult so I will provide support to help everyone settle in by organising events and providing information, especially during fresher’s week. If you have any questions, drop me an email at: firstname.lastname@example.org I’m Charlotte, a first year HML student and I’m the new JCR steward! I am really excited to see how we can make Queens’ food as great as possible, as well as more environmentally-friendly. Please do get in contact with me if you have any suggestions for the future of food at Queens’, and I can’t wait for what the next year will bring! Hi, I’m Beth, Environmental Officer on the JCR. I’m a linguistics student (previously, Classics – it’s a long story) from York. I make quite a lot of, in my opinion, excellent puns but I have been told (frequently) that they’re not as funny as I think they are. I spend most of my time taking part in stress-reducing activities such as karate or music to balance the main stress-inducing activity that is my degree. I want Queens’ students to be the most environmentally friendly they can be, whether this is through student-led initiatives or just participating in Student Switch Off – everybody can do something for the environment! I am keen to hear ideas and facilitate anything environment-related. Please get in touch at email@example.com Hello! My name is Hannah, a second-year Geography student, and I am this year’s JCR Sports and Societies Officer. My main role is the promotion of all our amazing sports and societies – we want as many people involved in extra-curriculars as possible! I also arrange University Challenge trials, organise the Queens’ societies fair in Michaelmas and am currently working on a joint ‘Sports Day’ with our sister college at Oxford. If you have any queries or suggestions for improving sports and societies at Queens’ then please email me at firstname.lastname@example.org! Or drop me a message on Facebook Hi everyone! My name is Bree and I’m a first year geographer and one of your First Year Representatives (Freps) at Queens’! My role here is to make your first year experience as ‘bree-lliant’ (credits to Abi for the pun) as possible! Please feel free to get in touch anytime to put forward any suggestions that you think would help to improve your first year experience here, no matter how big or small. Besides being your voice on the JCR, Iz and I are also responsible for organising the annual year-group dinners and, of course, for making Freshers’ Week 2020 the best one yet! I’d love to hear from you either via email (email@example.com) or send me a Facebook message! Hi, my name is Brendan. I’m the JCR Computer Officer and a Computer Science student. As Computer Officer, I keep the JCR website updated and help the committee add new features. I enjoy creating useful things and want to make sure the JCR’s digital presence is helpful for everyone. Let me know if there’s anything you want to see on the website (or on a potential Queens’ app) by email at firstname.lastname@example.org. Hi my name is Phoebe. I’m the Women and Non-Binary Officer and a second-year law student from Birmingham. My primary duty is to represent and support all Women and Non-Binary members of Queens’, ensuring the college meets their needs and does all it can to prevent gender discrimination. As part of my role, I am also President of the Feminist Society and get the honour of arranging the annual Women’s Dinner. I have loved Queens’ and been offered so much love and support during my time here, so I want to make sure all women and non-binary students have a similarly happy experience at Queens’. If you need any support or want to talk to someone about anything, send an email to me at email@example.com and I’ll help in any way that I can. Hey Everyone I’m Seth and I am the minorities officers here at Queens’. I am a third year Zoology student from South London, and my job on the JCR is to offer support to those from non-traditional and under-represented backgrounds. A large part of my job is to voice any concerns students may have, whilst supporting and representing student voices across college. I am always happy and free to talk about any concerns that you may have relating to fitting into college, or problems relating to being underrepresented. I will strive to help find a solution, or point you in the right direction to people who can aide in resolving any issues you may experience. If you ever have any ideas on how to improve access to Queens’ I would love to hear them. Please feel free to contact me at any time at firstname.lastname@example.org! Hi! My name is Abi, and I am currently your JCR Disabilities Officer. In general, my role is largely representative, so it involves voicing both the views and concerns of disabled students at Queens’, as well as distributing any information which may be helpful. Yet I am also here, and always happy, to chat about any concerns (big or small!) relating to a disability/ long-term health condition, or to help you to find the right people to talk to! Whilst I have had a really positive experience at Queens’ so far, I’m also aware this may not always be the case and am keen to make sure it is! If you have any ideas about how to make Queens’ a more accessible for everyone, I’d love to hear them! Please feel free to message/ email at any time or find me around college (email@example.com).

To kick of our Gender Month, Karen Pollock expresses her disappointment with celebrities who want to police who is “trans enough” March 31st is growing to a close as I write. In the fading sunlight of a fine spring day trans people, allies, community groups, and organisations are settling on the sofa, hopefully reflecting on a good day. For March 31st is also Trans day of Visibility. As the dark days of November bring with them sober remembrance of those who have been lost to transphobic violence, so the bright days of spring bring us a time of celebration. Both are needed, life is about more than its ending, but to ignore the violence is to ignore the reality of so many trans lives. Days like Trans Day of Visibility matter, the story which made the headlines of someone in their 90s finally able to express their true self shows how much they matter. Simply knowing the language to describe how you feel is a step on the road to knowing who you are. Unfortunately, it is also a day for ticking boxes, for organisations to show themselves to be trans friendly, without addressing structural change – and for individuals to self promote. It is the brandification of the person; pushed by social media, and encouraged by media titles who know that whilst everyone complains about people like Katie Hopkins they still click to read. Opinions which could be nuanced and thoughtful are dismissed. Clickbait rules, and it is all about hits. As the dark days of November bring with them sober remembrance of those who have been lost to transphobic violence, so the bright days of spring bring us a time of celebration Which brings me to the way that Pink News chose to mark Trans Day of Visibility. They ran a piece by India Willoughby entitled “Unless you are transitioning, stay out of the ladies”. Now, first a little background: this rather tawdry attempt to win publicity on the back of the issues in America references a trans person who was denied use of the toilets in a pub in the UK. This, unfortunately, is not uncommon. It happens due to a lack of training within all levels of a company. It is far too easy for a fine sounding policy document to be produced, which never actually filter down to customer facing staff. The case referenced was not the first, and sadly will not be the last, even with the protections of the Equality Act and the Kirkless case (which established in case law denial of access to appropriate gender toilets is discrimination). The UK is not the US. We don’t sell guns in Walmart, and we do have protections in law for minority groups. The debate in the UK is moving past “should trans people be allowed to pee in peace?” and into discussions of what accessible (for all) toilets should look like. This is a good thing, even if we have to be aware that discrimination still exists. Yet, Willoughby’s belief is that only binary trans people who are transitioning should be protected by the law. We need to ask ourselves, what does “transition” mean? It might sound obvious but of course, it is not. The language of “sex changes” and “born in the wrong body” is as outdated as Betamax videos and Walkmans. It is true that some people do prefer to describe their experience of their gender as a medical condition which is treated by surgery, whilst others feel that pathologisation diminishes their experience. It resembles the arguments about disability, with some using a social model of disability, which says they do not need to be “fixed” whilst others look for cures. Our relationship with our own sense of self – our identity – is intensely personal, and it is not for one to define for others how they must feel. However, transition is not, as seems to be claimed in the article, a fixed process. When would we define transition? From the moment someone questions their gender? Or the moment that someone receives medical intervention? If the latter, does that mean that people on NHS waiting lists are not trans? Of course not. The fact is transition is a cis concept, designed to pin down into neat boxes the messy thing we call gender. There is no gold star of transness which declares someone trans enough, except in the heads of those who seek to validate their own identities by pulling down others. Trying to explain how we personally experience gender is like trying to explain faith to an atheist. Indeed, it reminds me of a conversation I once had with someone who couldn’t understand how a parent loves their children equally. It is something you can experience, but very rarely describe. The idea of transition (in the narrow) has undergone medical interventions, not only excludes trans people who have not, or cannot undergo such interventions, but many non-binary people. By India’s logic an assigned female at birth non binary person who has no medical interventions cannot use a toiled designated for females. Now they may not want to, but, they are more likely, when using public toilets to want to use one with cubicles where they will not be stopped. They are not a cis woman, nor are they undergoing transition, so, they must apparently use the men’s. It is worth noting, that rather like the Republicans in America, the piece ignores the existence of trans men, and AFAB non-binary people. Transmisogny is it seems alive and well. The debate in the UK is moving past should trans people be allowed to pee in peace and into discussions of what accessible (for all) toilets should look like. Furthermore, we have to ask if the problem here really is cross-dressers using the bathroom, something which I confess I have only ever witnessed in gay bars? I have a sneaking suspicion that even if every binary trans person carried a card signed by the surgeon who performed their bottom surgery to be produced when they peed, some would still complain. This isn’t about how well you pass, or how much money you have – although they protect famous trans people from some of the severe hardships poorer trans people endure. This is about transphobia and transmisogyny. Some will always object to trans people and will always find ways to oppress, and deny their gender. It is something which only education, in the broadest sense of the word, can challenge. Just as it has taken years to turn around the idea that homosexuality is a medical disorder, that lesbians just needed a real man, so it will take time to win acceptance of trans people. That cannot happen whilst some trans people are looking down on other trans people as not trans enough. The fact is transition is a cis concept, designed to pin down into neat boxes the messy thing we call gender Bathroom panics are the instrument of those who believe no trans people should live their lives in freedom. No trans person has ever assaulted a cis person in a toilet. We do not need to argue about who is or is not trans enough, we need to confront those who have found a new anti LGBTQ cause to rally around. I am disappointed but unsurprised in a world of Katie Hopkins and Piers Morgan someone new has decided to build a career on controversy. I just think we can do so much better than this. Follow Karen on Twitter (@CounsellingKaz)

Apply for Summer 2017 Analytics Fellowships in Boston Looking for opportunities in data science? Check out the 2017 Boston Summer Analytics Fellowships! The city offers Data and Performance Fellowships, Data Science Fellowships, and Data Engineering Fellowships. Fellows will work on predictive models of restaurant health violations and opioid overdoses, analyzing the diversity of the City’s workforce and vendors, experimental testing of strategies for engaging new residents, and a number of other exciting projects. These positions are open to both undergraduate and graduate students in any major, though applicants with technical or quantitative majors are generally preferred. The deadline to apply is December 30, 2016. TA Positions Open for 2016-2017 COLL 100 Breaking Intuition is hiring new Teaching Assistants for Fall and Spring semesters. Qualifications include working knowledge of basic R functions (R language and writing R code) and statistical analysis. TA’s are required to attend lab sections Wednesday mornings from about 9-12:30 and hold office hours. TA’s will help answer lab assignment questions and grade lab work. The labs focus on machine learning and statistical analysis methods, causal inference, big data correlations, forecasting, and ensemble modeling. There are 5 lab assignments and 75 total students. Stipends pay about $2,000 per semester. Please contact Steve Shellman at firstname.lastname@example.org for interest. Send CV/resume and can also request a copy of the draft syllabus. Dr. Shellman is travelling and may be slower than usual to respond but will replay as soon as possible with information and can answer questions when available. Register for the Crack the Code Conference 2016 Interested in spending an afternoon in DC talking about data analytics? Check out the Crack the Code conference, a gathering of women and gender non-binary researchers interested in careers in progressive data, analytics, and technology. The conference will take place from 1:30-5:30 pm on Friday, November 18 at 2121 14th St NW, Washington, DC. Registration is free! Check out the conference website and register here if you’re interested. Apply to Present at the PI Sigma Alpha Conference Interested in representing W&M’s chapter at the Pi Sigma Alpha research conference? Pi Sigma Alpha is a national undergraduate political science honors society that seeks to promote undergraduate research and networking. The Fourth Annual Pi Sigma Alpha Conference will take place in Washington from February 17-18, 2017. Sessions are run similar to a professional conference with political science graduate students serving as chairs and discussants. Full details are online at http://office2248.wixsite. Apply Now to be a Weingartner Global Fellow Interested in deliberative democracy? Then check out the application for the Weingarter Global Fellows program! All W&M undergraduates are invited to apply to be named Weingartner Global Fellows for the 2017 calendar year. Online applications are due by Friday, November 18, 2016. Weingartner Fellows will coordinate the Weingartner Initiative in Deliberative Democracy (WIDD) in the spring and fall terms, 2017. Fellows will learn about the political theory and practice of deliberative democracy and select a topic for multiple 12-person deliberations to be held on campus next fall. 2016 Weingartner Fellows are currently conducting deliberations on the topic of “What Should We Do About Mass Shootings.” Fellows will receive 2 credits in both the spring and fall semesters, 2017. In addition, interested Weingartner Fellows will have the opportunity to receive funding in summer, 2017 to work on the “issue book” summarizing alternative policy approaches to the topic the group has selected. For more information about applying, see: The online application can also be found at the link below: If you have questions please contact Joel Schwartz (email@example.com). Public Lecture: The Science Communication Problem: One Good Explanation, Four Not so Good Ones, and a Fitting Solution This talk will focus on a paradox: from the dangers posed by climate change to the hazards of nuclear power, from the impact of allowing citizens to carry concealed handguns to the efficacy of the HPV vaccine—human beings have never in history possessed so much knowledge about the risks they face but agreed so little about what they actually know. Using the methods of the science of science communication, this talk will critically evaluate various explanations for public conflict over societal risks. Speaking at the talk will be Professor Dan Kahan of the Yale Law School & Department of Psychology. Professor Kahan’s research focuses on the tendency of individuals to conform their beliefs about disputed matters of fact (e.g., whether global warming is a serious threat; whether the death penalty deters murder; whether gun control makes society more safe or less) to values that define their cultural identities. More information about his research can be found at www.culturalcognition.net Submit Papers to the Yale Undergraduate Journal of Economics and Politics The Yale Undergraduate Journal of Economics and Politics is currently in the process of soliciting pieces on economics and political science for its inaugural edition, to be released in November of this year. The journal accepts submissions of any length, as long as the subject matter is topical. Possible submissions could include research papers, essays, articles, and theses, written for either a class or an independent project. The deadline to submit a paper for our fall issue is October 14th, 2016. Submit your work via our website, YaleUJEP.com. SNaPP Lab Seeking Research Assistant Applications, Deadline 8/24/16 Are you interested in political behavior, the study of why people think, act, and feel the way they do about politics? Would you like to be involved in collaborative research with other students, working directly with a professor? Applications to become a research assistant in the Social Networks and Political Psychology (SNaPP) Lab are now being accepted. For more information on the SNaPP Lab, please visit our website: http://snapp-lab.wm. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, August 24th at 5:00 p.m. Please contact Professor Jaime Settle at firstname.lastname@example.org with any questions. Free Course in R Programming If you’re interested in learning programming for R, then check out “Programming in R for Data Science,” a free course offered by Microsoft and the Technical University of Denmark. In 4 weeks, you’ll learn R language fundamentals and how to read, write, and work with data in R. You’ll also learn how to perform predictive analytics and how to create visualizations using ggplot2 package. For information on the program, click here. Haven’t got four weeks to spend? Try the SSRMC’s own R module here. AlphaVu Looking for Junior Analyst If you’re interested in data-mining and social network analysis, check out the junior analyst position at AlphaVu, located in Washington, DC. They’re a fast-growing company that mines unstructured data to generate real-time market and political intelligence for a variety of fields. Ideal candidates for the junior analyst position should have experience with quantitative social network analysis, business writing, report generation, and presentation skills. To apply, send a resume and cover letter to email@example.com.

Some good news has just come out for many U.S. trans* folks: the U.S. State Department has decided that surgery is no longer a requirement for trans* individuals to change their gender markers on their passports. “Sexual reassignment surgery is no longer a prerequisite for passport issuance,” it said in a statement. From June 10, “when a passport applicant presents a certification from an attending medical physician that the applicant has undergone appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition, the passport will reflect the new gender,” the statement said. The new policy and procedures are based on standards and recommendations of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), recognized by the American Medical Association as the authority in this field, the department said. “As with all passport applicants, passport issuing officers at embassies and consulates abroad and domestic passport agencies and centers will only ask appropriate questions to obtain information necessary to determine citizenship and identity.” The State Department said the new rules mean “it is also possible to obtain a limited-validity passport if the physician’s statement shows the applicant is in the process of gender transition. No additional medical records are required.” This is great news for several reasons. First of all, it can be incredibly emotionally distressing and even traumatic to be forced to carry and present identification that does not actually match your identity — especially when you face a culture that is regularly and hugely hostile to the very idea of your identity, already. That alone — basic humanity and decency — should, of course, be more than enough reason for such a change to go into effect. But in addition to the emotional damage of not being able to have your passport accurately reflect your gender, the old rules also presented a very real risk of harassment and physical harm. Officials who see a passport where a gender does not match that of the person standing in front of them may accuse the person — a victim of cissexist policy — of terrorism or fraud and detain or threaten to detain hir. They may taunt the person with transphobic slurs, deny hir gender identity, and attempt to reduce hir as a person. If detained, the trans* person will face real physical danger both from officials and from fellow detainees, especially if placed in detention with those of a different gender (i.e. a trans woman detained with cis men). And as we’re talking about passports, it’s important to note that trans* people put in this position not only face these risks from U.S. officials, but also from officials in other countries, which may have different and potentially even more transphobic laws. The standards were also incredibly cissupremacist and objectifying towards trans* people, by reducing one’s gender identity to the genitalia between one’s legs. Only in a cissupremacist world is one required to have a certain, “expected” set of genitalia to have hir gender identity rightfully accepted. Only in a cissupremacist world does penis = man and vagina = woman. Only in a cissupremacist world must cis standards of sex and gender be satisfied — no matter how many years it takes and how little an individual person might actually desire to meet those standards — before one will be treated as fully human. Additionally, any standards requiring surgery for trans* people are outrageously classist. Surgery costs money — lots and lots of money. Many trans* folks who need or otherwise desire surgery as a part of their transitions cannot afford it, or must save for many, many years in order to be able to do so. Many trans* people don’t have regular access to health care. Even for those who do, health insurance plans don’t usually cover medical treatment specifically related to transition. As a result, any requirement that a trans* individual must undergo surgery places wealthy and middle-class trans* folks in a position of privilege over poor trans* people with regards to having their gender identities accepted. That cis folks make rules regarding trans* lives period is abhorrent, but even more so when such concerns are almost universally not taken into account. Of course, with the new rules, concerns regarding cissupremacy and classism are not wholly alleviated. As Helen G points out at Questioning Transphobia, what exactly constitutes “appropriate” medical treatment is currently unclear, as is what constitutes “appropriate questioning,” but definitions more likely reflect cissupremacist notions of gender identity than not. And while it’s positive that medical records are apparently not actually required, as referenced above, trans* people don’t all have access to the health care services that would grant them the required certificate. Further, not all want to undergo medical treatment, let alone any specific medical treatment. Yet, the new rules still require the corroboration of a (undoubtedly presumed to be cis) health care provider. Additionally, it’s important to note that while this is excellent news to a whole lot of trans* folks, others are still left out of reform. After all, the new rules don’t open up more gender indicators beyond male and female. Thus, the identities of people with a huge range of different genders — including some intersex individuals, as well as non-binary identifying trans* people — are still forced to use gender indicators that do not accurately reflect their identities, and are pushed into an essentialist box that does not fit them. But with these vital caveats in mind, the change in policy is absolutely a step forward, and will undoubtedly make many trans* people safer when traveling and interacting with authorities. It also reflects a far too slowly but still surely growing respect and regard for the identities of trans* folks by the U.S. government. There’s an incredibly long way to go towards eradicating cissexism in governmental policy and making sure that trans* people are even remotely safe in the U.S., but this is one more very tiny move in the right direction.

SS22: Collective Opulence Celebrating Kindred The Spring/Summer 22 Chromat x Tourmaline collection is here! Shop gender inclusive swimwear designed for #ChromatBABES embracing Collective Opulence Celebrating Kindred (COCK) now. Photos by Anastasia Garcia Swimwear for girls who don't tuck. This is swimwear for trans femmes, non-binary and trans masc people who pack, intersex people, women, men and everyone embracing Collective Opulence Celebrating Kindred (COCK). "Never before has there been a swimwear collection designed for trans, non binary and intersex bodies that places equal value on both comfort and aesthetics, pleasure and play. In a moment when so much in the world is showing us what we don’t want or need it’s more important than ever to have a swimwear collection that allows all of us to bring our full selves to the party." – Tourmaline "In less than 50 years, we have progressed from arresting transpeople for their sartorial expression to fashion explicitly made for those in the trans community. As the fight for trans rights is literally life-or-death for some people, it may seem trivial to attach such significance to fashion, but the ability to be seen, considered, and made comfortable in clothing is absolutely a part of that same fight." – Jess Sims, InStyle “When I nervously slipped on the one-piece, made with a pouch for people who have penises, I thought of all the times I had to hide and pretend that I had a body that wasn’t mine. This time, I was given permission to not only come as I am, but celebrate myself and those who share my experience. I was asked to let myself breathe and take pleasure in just being me, alongside my community.” – Xoài Pham, Elle “I’m untucked today,” model Jordyn Harper shares. “This is the first time I’ve ever been seen untucked. It’s liberating. I feel really connected to my body. I feel free. I couldn’t ask for anything more. I get to live life and be me.” – them

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris, was “stunned” by the results of a new survey on sexual assault in third level institutions. The survey – which was conducted by the Union of Students Ireland (USI) – showed that 35 % of female students, 28% of non-binary students and 10% of male students experienced non-consensual penetration. Harris met the National Advisory Committee on sexual harassment and violence yesterday and said he will tackle these high rates of rape. “A third of female students reported having been raped. Let that sink in. Two thirds had been sexually harassed. I didn’t think I lived under a rock but I was stunned by its findings,” Harris told ITV. Although thousands of students have experienced sexual assault, the USI survey showed that many of those attacks go unreported. Almost half of all male students who had experienced non-consensual penetration hadn’t told anyone before they completed the survey. 54% of females, 37% of males, and 33% of non-binary students said they didn’t disclose the incident because they thought it was not serious enough. Harris discussed how reports of sexual assault peak during freshers week and rag week. He added that: “We also need to challenge the perception of what sexual assault and harassment is. Not all cases involve violence. Not all leave visible marks.” “Consent is not an option,” he said. “It is a requirement. I don’t care what a victim was wearing. I don’t care how many drinks the perpetrator or the victim had. I don’t care if you believed he or she was ‘up for it’ or not. I don’t care if they came home with you.” “Sex without consent is assault and it is a crime.” Harris said he’ll work with Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to change sexual assault laws and that he is determined to deal with this “epidemic”. Anyone affected by issues raised in this article can contact The Samaritans on 116-123 or text 087-2-60-90-90. Alternatively, free text HELLO to 50808 to speak to a crisis volunteer. © 2020 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved. GCN has been a vital, free-of-charge information service for Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community since 1988. During this global COVID pandemic, we like many other organisations have been impacted greatly in the way we can do business and produce. This means a temporary pause to our print publication and live events and so now more than ever we need your help to continue providing this community resource digitally. GCN is a registered charity with a not-for-profit business model and we need your support. If you value having an independent LGBTQ+ media in Ireland, you can help from as little as €1.99 per month. Support Ireland’s free, independent LGBTQ+ media.

ABOUT THE PROJECT Promoting responsible communication of scientific research on sex/gender and the brain Our aim is to create a definitive reference guide for accurate, fair and balanced reporting on sex/gender difference research for all those involved in writing and reading about it, including journalists, journal editors, peer reviewers, as well as researchers themselves. We will also translate the guidelines into an engaging and accessible ‘user guide’ for the wider public, so that all of us can more easily identify and challenge unwarranted and damaging claims about sex/gender and the brain. Why this matters The Commission on Gender Stereotypes in Early Childhood found that gender stereotypes significantly limit children's potential, contributing to lower take-up of STEM subjects among girls, self esteem and body image problems, higher male suicide rates and violence against women and girls. Poor communication of research findings on sex/gender and the brain can serve to maintain or develop gender stereotypes, for example by overstating the case for average differences between women's and men's brains based on outdated or flawed research, or by misrepresenting the 'take-home message' of an observed statistical difference between groups. While there are already a number of research papers that have made recommendations for how these problems can be avoided (see for example, How hype and hyperbole distort the neuroscience of sex differences) there has not yet been a single, accessible and widely-endorsed good practice guide for journal editors, science writers, and members of the public to refer to. The guidelines will be developed by a panel led by Professor Gina Rippon, Professor Emeritus of cognitive neuroimaging at the Aston Brain Centre, working with the Royal Statistical Society and others. This project is focused on tackling problems that contribute to gender stereotyping. We expect that it could act as a model for future work to help tackle other stereotypes including those related to race and disability. We know that discussions about sex/gender and the brain can affect transgender and non-binary people particularly strongly. We are committed to protecting and supporting transgender and non-binary people's dignity through the way we frame and develop our guidelines, and welcome contributions and advice about how best to do so. We use the term ‘sex/gender’ to combine the terms 'sex' - used as referring to individual biological attributes including sex-related chromosomes, genitalia and hormones – and ‘gender’ - used as referring to social and cultural experiences associated with identifying as female, male or non-binary. This use recognises that publications in this area may use these terms separately, interchangeably or in combination, with or without definition.

Exploring the intersection between youth and Gender-based violence “How did you make sense of Bertha’s* death?” Immediately the atmosphere dropped, and we were knee-deep in a few moments of palpable tension. “How does one make sense of it? It’s not normal.” We were seated with approximately 30 young people from the Overberg region in the Western Cape. We asked them to interrogate and reflect on the gendered nature of violence and power within their respective spaces. The workshop itself took place in a small and semi-rural town whose name (omitted for the protection of participants) immediately conjures up instances of gender-based violence (GBV). A short distance from where we were situated stood the open field where Bertha Jansen’s* body was found – a simultaneously apt and unnerving space to host a dialogue aimed exploring the links between gender and violence. Throughout our conversation with participants we remained hopeful of the change that young people could and would activate within their communities, yet we were simultaneously concerned by the deeply problematic beliefs and ideas held by a few who were unwittingly upholding the violent status quo. During discussions on GBV, there were occurrences where victims of violence were blamed for the abuse inflicted on their bodies. A few older participants’ remarks centred survivors’ whereabouts, circle of friends, and parents’ influence and/or incompetence that ultimately served to relocate responsibility from the perpetrators of violence. It is this mentality that sustains rape culture and further inhibits us from collectively and impactfully acting against violence, or reengineering a society that is just and inclusive. Nationally, the discourse about and for social change and justice are dominated by the voices of those who hold social, economic and/or political power, and it is a power that is often acquired through advanced age. Throughout the day’s conversation about GBV in the town and its surrounding areas, older cis-het men’s voices dominated perceptions of gender, violence, and the impact these have on the lives of those living within the community. Interestingly, although older participants consumed less physical space, they dominated much of the conversation; the opinions they held sequentially set the tone for how younger people would engage the tabled issues. Older men, in particular, held strong views on gendered violence and voiced their ideas to the room with every opportunity whereas younger men, in contrast, were more reserved. While we recognise that it is imperative for cis-het men to be part of conversations about gender and violence, and actively mobilise against GBV, it is also imperative that conversations about the above do not centralise the ideas and experiences of these men. Men are victims of GBV, and the impact it has on them – their psyche, emotional state and physical being – does require deep interrogation and collective action. However, we must guard against the inclination of those who seek to weaponise the abuse of men to discredit, derail or confute dialogues about GBV and its effect on womxn, femmes and non-binary people. Too frequently, men who want to voice their gender story will confidently accuse womxn as master abusers, yet grudgingly confront their own toxic enactment of masculinity or the patriarchal structures that sanction it. It is possible for us to have a holistic conversation that engages all the nuances and intersections of gender and violence without reinforcing toxic attitudes or practices. So who should take up more space? Simply put, we need to centre and actively listen to the voices of the most marginalised and ignored members of our society. We must listen to the stories of the LGBTQIA+ community and how GBV affects them. We must listen to the Trans community and understand how transphobic violence has impacted them. We must include the narrative of sex workers and listen to the kinds of injustices they are subjected to. In addition, and overarching all the above, we need to centre the voices of youth who are part of these oppressed communities. For a change, we must surface and reflect on their experiences during our conversations. Throughout our time in the town, we observed a generational disjuncture between young and older people in how they understand gender, violence and the multi-layered power dynamics at play between the two. During the workshop, younger men and older men held divergent interpretations of violence and engaged the issues differently; older men unconsciously preserved the patriarchal script whereas younger men appeared more open to engineering a new one. This is not a foolhardy attempt to absolve younger men from their own complicity in perpetuating violence, but serves as an opportunity to reflect, understand and bridge those intergenerational gaps that inhibit us from dismantling oppressive and violent practices, not just in the town, but also across South Africa and the rest of the world. If we do not seize the opportunities presented to us during workshops like the above, we risk shallow and unsuccessful digs at tackling GBV. Moreover, we also risk leaving young men to replicate flawed mentors and perpetuate potentially toxic gender norms. Intergenerational and inter-sectoral conversations and action are needed to address GBV in South Africa. And this is long overdue. Conversations about GBV are taking place between young people on ground level and it is imperative that society begins to listen to our voices. Young people continue to offer fresh insight and creative solutions to some of society’s deep-rooted problems. The information age has influenced the way that we, as young people, see ourselves and relate to others. The easier flow of knowledge and ideas has made us more open and capable of engineering a new social script that centres the community rather than the self. This era has introduced us to new ways of being, and fostered a deep empathy and a new consciousness. There is much to learn from us. So listen. Danielle Hoffmeester and Jodi Williams are both project officers at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR). *Name changed to protect the integrity and identity of both participants and the deceased victim.

The riots at The Stonewall Inn in New York City 50 years ago marked an act of rebellion by members of the LGBTQ community. That history, until recently, has diminished the leadership of trans, non-binary and drag queens in Stonewall's legacy. We wanted to elevate the Queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race and solidify the monumental importance of the show in Queer Herstory while serving our fans content the entire community would find important, insightful and beautiful. What better way to connect the importance of the franchise to the constant march towards queer equality than by visiting the place where the original riots began? It was important for us to shoot at The Stonewall Inn to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the riots and the start of the modern LGBTQ+ movement. We gathered together eight legendary queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race, choosing those who best represented the meaning of each of the colors of the original pride flag. Each color symbolizes something integral to the community – sex, life, healing, sunlight, nature, magic/art, serenity and spirit – and we asked each queen to reflect on their color and to speak personally on the importance of it to the larger LGBTQ+ movement. The campaign revolved around the video we captured, which we housed on a microsite as a dedicated landing space to display it. The videos were also featured on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and VH1’s YouTube channel. Additionally, on Instagram we built out a cohesive grid featuring video, quote cards, and still images of each queen taken by fashion photographer Marco Ovando. Our execution strategy took the form of a “Beyonce drop” – all content was launched in real time. With nearly 3 million video views, 1.5 million engagements and almost universal positive sentiment, #DragRacePride was a great success. By placing the Queens at Stonewall, we connected where our community came from with where we are now in the march for equality, while at the same time delivering beautiful and inspiring content to our viewers. Fill out the form below and we'll work on connecting you to the entry creator!

One of the many things we can thank Alessandro Michele of Gucci for is the return of the sweater vest. Gucci singlehandedly brought about the rise of “grandma” chic which entire genre of fashion. This new genre embraces clever eccentricity with a lived-in vintage feel. As every fashion person knows, everything old is new again and this season it’s all about the sweater vest. Thanks to intricate patterns and oversized silhouettes, these luxe sweater vests feel especially modern yet vintage at the same time. The vests satisfy a trifecta of trends. Think winterizing a Cottagecore look or a sleek uptown vibe when worn with a button-down shirt. Rock it like an off duty model with nothing underneath or like a minimalist when styled in neutral hues with a turtleneck. Honestly you can toss them over almost anything and it works! They add serious style cred to non-binary looks and offer up a bevy of silhouettes from oversized and loose to cropped and boxy or fabulously fitted. If you’re considering adding one to your wardrobe arsenal, there are plenty of unique one-of-a-kind versions to be found in vintage shops, interesting designer interpretations and fun high street takes on the trend. Click to SHOP Sweater Vests:

In different cultures and countries around the world the transgender population faces varying degrees of acceptance and discrimination. In December of 2016 the polling firm Ipsos, Buzzfeed News and the Williams Institute at UCLA’s law school conducted a survey to rank countries on how accepting the public is towards transgender people and how supportive they are of their rights. Countries were placed in rank according to a point system from 1 to 100. Spain topped that list with a score of 81. Russia ranked last with a score of 44. In a small number of countries changing your legal name and gender is accomplished simply by filling out a form. Meanwhile, in Russia, a country that has been notoriously anti-LGBT, a member of Russian parliament proposed in 2017 that transgender foreigners be banned from entering the country if their passports don’t correspond with their gender assigned at birth. In countries like Spain lawmakers having been passing anti-discrimination laws that protect LGBT citizens, while Russia’s legal treatment of the LGBT population has been called one of the worst human rights violations in the post-Soviet era. In Iran, a country not included in the Buzzfeed News/Ipsos survey, same sex relationships are illegal. Gay men and lesbian women can face the death penalty. In contrast, Iran’s treatment of transgender people is markedly different. 30 years ago the religious government’s leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, an Islamic religious decree, that called for respect toward transgender people in Iran. This opened the way for the government’s support of transgender citizens and gender transition surgery. The Iranian government grants transgender individuals loans to go toward the cost of transition surgery and they are referred to Iran’s Health Ministry for procedures. The support the transgender community receives in Iran reflects that the government there has the most open mindset in the Middle East for transgender issues, yet the Islamic Republic’s policies do not affirm a broad spectrum of gender identity, such as genders other than male or female, and policies there clearly do not protect same sex couples. The government’s view on supporting gender transition surgery has the aim of fitting transgender people into a straight male, straight female binary system. Despite the 30 year old religious fatwa, transgender people in Iran still face discrimination and harassment from the culture, public community and often their own families. In America the road to transgender equality has now gained national attention, but that road has always had a lot of foot traffic and plenty of travellers. Transgender men and women continue to fight for equality and understanding here and abroad. Furthermore, the recognition of non-binary genders is an important subject that has gained some ground in the United States. In Oregon a resident became the first person to get a court’s approval to list their gender as non-binary. Recently, the Intersex and Genderqueer Recognition Project helped a Sara Kelly Kennan obtain an intersex birth certificate. There are only a handful of countries in the world that allow their citizens to list a gender other than male or female on official documents. Many countries are far ahead of the United States in their positive affirmation of the transgender population as well as LGBT rights. Many countries are far behind. But we believe the world is waking up.

Baltimore-based activist, feminist, and anti-fascist hardcore punk band War On Women released their latest album, Wonderful Hell, on October 30 digitally and will drop the physical format on November 13th via Bridge Nine. War On Women made their mark on the Baltimore punk scene starting in 2010 and their music and lyrics are even more essential these dark days with the malignant Trump in office where he’s spreading hate and fear like a virus, infecting the public with his lies, abuse, power-mad self-absorption, and destructive views and policies. Wonderful Hell is a battle cry against inequality, misogyny, racism, oppression, tyranny, fascism, and more – and a rallying call to do something out it. The LP is the perfect soundtrack for Election Day in the United States. Earlier this year War On Women was set to join the venerable punk band Bad Religion on tour, but the pandemic cancelled all that and gave the band members the chance to work on and finish up their album. When one door closes, another one opens… Shawn Potter, vocalist and lyricist of War On Women, kindly took part in our continuing Protest Interview series (that hopefully, in a future sooner than later, won’t be needed as much as now). Hello! Please introduce yourself/yourselves and give a description of your sound/musical vision. Hi, I'm Shawna, I front War On Women, and we're a feminist hardcore punk band. What is/are the main personal, national, and/or international issue(s) concerning you the most these days? There is too much to be concerned about to list it here! But we always think about how every important social justice issue will affect all women and girls, and gender non-comforming and non-binary folks. There is always a feminist angle. There is always a way that non-cis men are punished or left behind. With the election coming up, I'm thinking specifically about voter intimidation and suppression, and abolishing the electoral college. Also how people of color are disproportionately affected by this pandemic due to a purposeful lack of available and affordable health care. What song, video, or lyrics quote of yours best represents your current viewpoint on this/these important topic(s)? “There's got to be a better way than giving up or wallowing. Let's raise some wonderful, beautiful hell and make this world worth living in.” What other forms of protest, besides through your music, are you involved with to get your message across? Right now, not as much as I'd like. I don't personally feel safe gathering in public spaces, so protests are out for me. What I have done is hold virtual conversations with fellow white people to offer any suggestions or guidance on their journey to become better allies to BIPOC. I'm not an expert, and I'm not perfect. I'm just a white person doing their best who has taken courses and classes, collaborated with Black-led organizations, and done my own research. If I'm farther along on my journey than someone else, I'm happy to be of help in that way. It’s easy to judge and criticize others, especially in these unsettling times of overt intolerance, ignorance, and insults, but the fact remains that we need to work together to ensure that positive change occurs. Name an action to take, or a campaign/charity that would be worthwhile to contribute to, for your cause. Other than the orgs below, check out the Save Our Stages campaign to learn more about how you can help keep live music from disappearing. Black Lives Matter https://blacklivesmatter.com/ Planned Parenthood Action Fund https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/ LGBTQ Freedom Fund https://www.lgbtqfund.org/ What gives you hope for the future? Seeing how fucking fed up people are. Also, my newly adopted dog. Where can we purchase/stream your music and find out more about you? You can support a band like ours by buying our album or merch at http://www.b9store.com/products/678334-war-on-women-wonderful-hell. Or you can listen anywhere you stream music.

New Mexico, USA AT for the Queer, LGBTIA+, & Non-binary populations How does AT serve the queer and non-binary population? This is an era of deeply questioning our societal labels and roles. People are actively exploring the use of masculine/feminine/neutral pronouns and appearance, and re-thinking where they might fit on a scale of gender and sexual orientation, rather than the traditional binary categories. In this experiential workshop, we will explore specific tools for using AT to support people who identify as queer, LGBTIA+, and non-binary. This workshop is for anyone who is interested in exploring these themes personally and/or professionally. Perhaps you would like tools for exploring your own assumed gender expressions and definitions? Or perhaps you are interested in offering AT for the Queer community or for those who are actively exploring non-binary options, and you’d like some tools and a place to share experiences? Or maybe you’ve been serving this community and you have insight and experience to offer the group? Everyone is welcome. Let’s explore together. We will build our content based on the curiosity of this who attend. Topics we may consider include: - How to embody a range of gender expressions with ease and integrity - What ‘roles’ have you subliminally embodied, and how do you recognize and release patterns that are not in resonance with who you choose to be right now - AT for Drag Queens – sustaining both worlds in one body - Embodying the TRANS experience - ‘Dykes’ and ‘Faeries’ – Wearing the Stereotypes - How to ‘pass’, if and when necessary, without compromising your wholeness - Embodied ‘social location’ tools – how to be comfortable in mixed company! - Epigenitics of Gender Bring your questions – every topic is open for exploration! About Robyn Avalon Robyn has been studying Alexander’s Work since 1975, being first introduced to it as a young professional performing artist. She is the Founding Director of the Contemporary Alexander School, offering self-paced, non-residential teacher training programs in Santa Fe, NM, Portland, OR, & NYC, and in satellite cities throughout North America; as well as Co-Director of the Alexander Alliance International, offering workshops, teacher training, and post-graduate studies throughout Europe and Asia. Robyn is also the Creator of Living in a BodyTM, a Professional Body Mapping Certification Course translated into 6 languages and taught worldwide. Robyn’s primary studies were with Marjorie Barstow, Bruce Fertman, and the Alexander Alliance, and she now continues Marj’s lineage in her own training programs. In addition, Robyn has also had the pleasure of being mentored by numerous first and second generation teachers over the past 45 years, and enjoys exploring ways to bridge all styles. At this point in her teaching career, Robyn’s main interests include training Alexander Teachers in Group Teaching/Crafting of Alexander Games; teaching in real life Situations and Activities; incorporating Body Mapping (LIABTM), Bridging Classical and Contemporary styles of the Work; and helping bring more awareness to Equity and Diversity issues within our profession. Robyn lives in New Mexico & New York City, USA, shares her life with her wife of 30+ years, 2 adult sons, and 4 cats, and loves to tap dance. See also: Robyn Avalon – Presenter Detail Page Wednesday, 24 August 2022 10:30 h - 11:45 h Room not yet assigned Practical Teaching Skills||AT Games||DEI – Diversity/Equity/Inclusion

The role of gender has never been more front-of-mind than it is today, whether we’re challenging the long held beliefs about what gender is, or not letting ourselves be defined by gender expectations. Over a third of Gen-Z have a non-binary friend, some are genderfluid, and some are still exploring gender identities, which means that better understanding gender is becoming more and more important to our everyday lives. We’ve searched for some of the most inspirational people, who are not only redefining gender stereotypes, but are also leading the way when it comes to breaking down barriers to acceptance. Illustrations by Anshika Khullar @aorists As a model and activist, Munroe has gone above and beyond to provide solid representation for the trans community in the media. Through her modelling career she was able to break down the stereotype that ‘trans women are not real women’ by becoming the face of some of the biggest brands in the world, appearing on the catwalk at New York Fashion Week and featured in Vogue magazine. Not only is she redefining the strict and outdated version of beauty set out by the fashion industry, but she is also very outspoken and has taken on the likes of Piers Morgan regarding trans issues. Most recently, she founded the Goddess Platform which sets out to ‘[celebrate, empower and amplify global voices of womxn and non-binary and intersex people]’(https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxc5bCplFaD/). Back in 2010, Angelina was one of the first celebrities to speak openly about letting one of her children explore their gender from a young age. While the media went into a frenzy over an image of her child Shiloh dressed in a suit and with short hair, Jolie spoke candidly in an interview with Vanity Fair and simply explained, ‘she likes to dress like a boy. She wants to be a boy. So we had to cut her hair. She likes to wear boys’ everything. She thinks she’s one of the brothers.’ Instead of pandering to the views of the mainstream media, Jolie threw her weight behind letting people know that it was ok for children to explore their identity, and that includes gender. Since then, a number of well known figures, including the likes of Adele and Russell Brand, have used their platform and spoken up about raising their children gender-neutrally. Body positivity and social activist Harnaam Kaur has campaigned to change the rigid perceptions of what it meant to be a woman. Harnaam’s Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis at age 12 meant that she started to develop large amounts of facial hair. After years of trying to conform to the beauty standards set out for women, Harnaam decided to push self-doubt aside and embrace her body hair. Once she accepted herself as she was, she began setting Guinness World Records, appearing on the cover of magazines, and using her platform to speak up on these issues close to her heart. Harnaam proves that real women can have beards and that no one can put boundaries on what makes you a ‘real woman.’ If you want to see more from Harnaam check out Rewired:Ditch the Razor where we dig into the stigma around female body hair. As well as being a poet and performance artist, Alok is also a trans rights activist. Alok identifies as gender non-conforming, which means they reject the male/female binary. They regularly speak out on issues such as feminism, beauty standards and race and a lot of their poetry focuses on trans issues. Alok says "When we define things, we contain them. I am in a constant state of transformation. It depends a lot on who I'm with, where I'm at in my life and what I'm doing." They prove that it’s ok to for your identity to keep evolving, and that includes your gender. As one of the founding members of rap collective Brockhampton, Kevin Abstract continues to break down toxic stereotypes of manhood each day, especially within the hip hop community, which has been perceived by some to be synonymous with toxic hyper-masculinity over the years. Kevin came out as gay in 2016 and has been open about his sexuality in his music. His unapologetic attitude toward being himself goes to prove that there is no one way to be a man within the hip-hop community or, in fact, the wider world. He has said in the past that people like him 'have to exist in this homophobic space in order to make change' and by not pandering to the conventions of what makes a 'real man' he really shows that gender can't be limited to a set of archaic and harmful traits. Even more from UNiDAYS We bring the best discounts from the best brands to college and uni students, as well as exclusive videos, articles and loads of tips and advice to make your student life even better - all for free! - Join now or log in to start saving on everything from food comas and fashion to (finally) getting fitter. - Verify now to start saving on everything from food comas and fashion to (finally) getting fitter. - Got a lot to say? We're always looking for awesome guest bloggers. Get in touch with your ideas!

A Safe Space In light of the recent leaked SCOTUS draft, we will open our Cabaret space for people to gather, support, exhale and activate. We at Diversionary believe that every person has the right to decide what is best for their body, mind and soul – without the interference of anyone or anything. We invite all who wish to join to come and share space as we discuss how we can take care of each other and how we can all move forward together. While all are invited, this event is specifically for centering and lifting up the voices and needs of people of marginalized genders, including women, non-binary folks and trans men. This event will be hosted/facilitated by Diversionary’s own, Farah Dinga @farahdinga! Shoutout to @itsjackjupiter for the assist in making sure this space is truly safe for all folks who wish to partake. Thanks for being a friend! Please be sure to refer to our up-to-date covid-19 policy here.

Who would like to Vacation to “Planet Sex” With Cara Delevingne? Cara Delevingne for hosting Approaching Sexuality-Focused Documentary on Hulu LGBTQ+ advocate and all sorts of-around renaissance lady Cara Delevingne is adding a brand new admission to her ever-growing resumé as  host of the approaching documentary series on sexuality and relationships. Delevingne is presently within the final stages of securing an offer with Hulu and BBC Three which will see her bring us through a six-part documentary tentatively entitled "Planet Sex." Based on Deadline, our prime-finish docuseries will dive into an array of sex-based topics from relationships and pornography to sexual identity and attractiveness. Through the series, Delevingne can help viewers get a first-hands take a look at research in world-leading sex labs while journeying into communities where gender and sexuality are believed to be much differently compared to mainstream frequently expects. RELATED: These NSFW Movie Sex Scenes May as well Survive Pornhub The genderfluid actor, singer, model, and designer identifies as pansexual, making her an ideal choice for any reveal that promises to tackle the thought of sexuality and relationships all different angles. Delevingne continues to be quite candid about her sexual identity and preferences through the years, discussing much more about her private existence than normal after splitting with fellow actress and girlfriend of nearly 2 yrs, Ashley Benson. &ldquoI feel different constantly. At times, Personally i think more female. At times, Personally i think a lot more like a guy,&rdquo she described to Variety before delving into her romantic preferences. "I always will stay, I believe, pansexual. However one defines themselves, be it &lsquothey’ or &lsquohe’ or &lsquoshe,’ I adore the individual &mdash and that is that.&rdquo &ldquoPlanet Sex&rdquo began filming at the begining of 2020 prior to being placed on pause for a couple of several weeks because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but production has since kicked back again. There's no premiere date confirmed by yet, but we're wishing to can blast off in to the unknown with Delevingne prior to the year is thru. You Could Also Dig: What It Really Way to Be Pansexual The Very Best LGBTQ+ Internet Dating Sites, Revealed Options to consider About Dating a Non-Binary Person

For better or worse, technology has forever changed the landscape of human sexuality—from technologically advanced sex toys and VR to Amazon Dash-esque buttons that let your intimate partner know that you are DTF. But one crossroad of sex and tech that seemingly no one saw coming (pun intended), is that people would start boinking while listening to music with their wireless AirPods. The bizarre revelation comes to us from TickPick, a consumer ticket reseller marketplace, which recently published a study on Exploring the Intersection of Music and Sexual Preferences. The whole thing is pretty fascinating, even if some stats—such as that hip-hop and rap fans prefer doggy style while pop music fans are content with missionary—don’t come as a huge surprise. Also interesting is that partners with a similar taste in music supposedly experience more frequent and satisfying sex. But getting back to AirPods! Out of the survey of 1,010 sexually active people, TickPick found that 17 percent of respondents who own AirPods claim to have worn them during sex. For those who still care for their partner despite musical differences, modern technology may come in handy. Seventeen percent of Apple AirPod owners had sex while wearing them. The wireless earphones could offer simultaneous enjoyment of wildly different music tastes, although this is just one scenario. If this all sounds a little too Black Mirror-ey for your tastes, you’re probably not alone. In the event that a couple truly cannot perform the act of copulation without music—is there nothing worthy of a compromise? Not Marvin Gaye, Ginuwine, or even Justin Timberlake? Heck, whale songs?? For clues in context, TickPick notes that 54.6 percent of the participants polled were male, 45.0 percent female, and 0.4 percent identified non-binary or gender-queer. The study’s demographic also tended to skew younger, with 59.2 percent identifying as millennials, 28.8 percent Gen-X’ers, and 10.4 percent baby boomers. (A remaining 1.6 percent belonged to either Generation Z or the silent generation, born between 1925 and 1945.) What if it’s actually the baby boomers out here getting their swerve on with AirPods? Wouldn’t that be quite the development! Stranger things have certainly happened. - Over 200 scientists say AirPods could cause cancer - People are Photoshopping AirPods on works of art—and the results are stunning - Dudes swallow AirPods in YouTube Got five minutes? We’d love to hear from you. Help shape our journalism and be entered to win an Amazon gift card by filling out our 2019 reader survey.

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Hi! We're the editors of Sparkler Monthly Magazine. Thanks to your generous pledges to the Sparkler Year 4 Kickstarter last year, we've been able to keep bringing you women-targeted stories focused on complex characters, relationships of all kinds, and FEELS. We'd love to continue running the magazine and highlighting the great artists and writers we work with, so without further ado... Welcome to the Kickstarter for Sparkler Monthly Year 5! Sparkler Monthly is an independent fiction magazine publishing stories for women, men, and non-binary readers in a wide variety of genres, much of them LGBT+ (think of the shojo and josei genres in Japan). Most of our series are comics, but we also publish illustrated prose novels, audio dramas, and short stories - we've even put out a visual novel video game! Based off of Japanese comic magazines like Shonen Jump, our stories are published in a serialized format. Every month, we release an issue featuring new installments of five different series. When a series is complete, we then republish it as a digital ebook and/or physical paperback. We also run special features like podcasts with every issue to give our readers more bang for their buck. Between our social media, site comments, reader surveys, and contests, we regularly invite our audience members to become part of the Sparkler community - sometimes literally, through our periodic open submissions where we look for new fiction for the magazine! Since the start of the magazine, we've always made a point to pay our creators advances, give them veteran editors, and release their work in a number of formats, all while they still own the copyright to their stories. And although we hire all genders, the vast majority of the Sparkler family is female - from the owners to the editors to the creators to the staff - and we're proud that the female perspective is the norm here, rather the exception. Our stories run the gamut of genres and characters, but they all have one thing in common: FEELS. In addition to polishing stories from an editorial perspective, we also want them to make our readers laugh, cry, and/or scream! Old friends reunite to deal with a literal demon from their childhood in Yellow Hearts, the LGBT+ fantasy by Keezy Young. Kelly is the new boy in town who quickly befriends Grey, the boy next door, in Moosopp's charmingly comedic LGBT+ slice of life Sunshine Boy. Eli & Viv's gorgeous romantic mystery Heart of Gold will pull you into its dramatic exploration of faith, love, and lies. Readers of Eurika Yusin Gho's magical boy's love comedy Magical How? regularly (caps-lock) analyze the characters' questionable life choices. In Knights-Errant, the LGBT+ war drama by Jennifer Doyle, revenge is all fun and games until someone loses a limb(s). Heldrad's high school romantic comedy Orange Junk is a love letter to shojo about going from riches to rags and enemies to friends, all with lots of blushing and confused yelling. In Decoy and Retrofit, Bell and Hazel's sci-fi boy's love light novel, post-apocalyptic survival gets complicated with the arrival of a childhood friend, an ice cream truck, and a whole lot of guns. Denise Schroeder's Before You Go is a sweet, girl-meets-girl slice of life romance, and a long-time favorite of Sparkler readers! In KaiJu's Mahou Josei Chimaka, can cynical ex-magical woman Chimaka rediscover the magic in herself with the help of her best friend Pippa…and maybe finally save the world? Why commune with the deceased when you can commune with some coffee (or booze)? Unfortunately for Cailen, ghostly trouble finds her whether she likes it or not in the light novel series Dead Endings, written by Jessica Chavez and illustrated by Irene Flores. All of these series (and much more) are free to read online at sparklermonthly.com, so check them out! The vast majority of Sparkler’s series are free to read on our site, with new comic pages posted on a weekly update schedule. Paying Sparkler Members don’t need to wait for new pages, though - they get monthly DRM-free downloads of all new pages weeks or even months before they’re released online, as well as special bonuses to download to their computers and e-readers. With a paid membership, you help support the creators of our stories and get to keep your downloads forever. We have two types of memberships depending on the Sparkler experience you want: - Normal: Get DRM-free downloads of the current issue(s) a month or more before the pages are available online, all Member Exclusives (21 and counting!), and early releases of the Sparkler Podcast. See all downloads here! - VIP: Everything in the normal membership, plus series-specific ebooks of everything running in the magazine (so you don't miss a back chapter), plus our entire steamy Cherry Bomb line recommended for ages 17+. See all downloads here! We also started a Patreon due to popular demand! You get all the same perks that you would if you bought a membership directly on the Sparkler site, but through Patreon’s system, if that's more convenient for you. Our Cherry Bomb imprint is for our older readers (we recommend ages 17+), and features sexy side stories and art for a number of Sparkler serials. We're always adding new Cherry Bomb pieces, so VIP Members have unlimited downloads to the entire line, including anything we add during their membership! We have secret plans we’ve been saving for this Kickstarter. As this project runs over the next month, we'll update this space with announcements of more goodies! ;D Day #1 announcement: For this Kickstarter, Moosopp - creator of Sunshine Boy - will make a special short comic featuring grown-up Kelly and Grey! Beach trip, anyone? The comic will be released as a Member Exclusive download in the magazine in Year 5. You can pledge to any Year 5 magazine tier to get it - but only if this Kickstarter succeeds! Read more here. Day #8 announcement: We've added specialty commission tiers from six wonderful creators! (See them in the right sidebar and by scrolling down to the Rewards section below.) There are limited slots to all of these, so get them while you can! Day #16 announcement: A free Yellow Hearts mini artbook to all magazine subscribers! Like the Sunshine Boy bonus comic, if this Kickstarter succeeds, all Year 5 magazine subscribers will get a free digital download of the delightful little artbook Onaskellis: The Loneliest Demon. You can pledge to any Year 5 magazine tier to get it! Read more here. Day #25 announcement: We're teaming up with Paper Star Studios again to release our second video game about angsty BL pop idols in love! Out of Sync: Crescendo will be an epilogue game in our Cherry Bomb line, which means that all Year 5 VIP members will get a free download of this brand-new, mature BL mini game! Read more here. The goal of this Kickstarter is to release another 12 issues of the magazine, but here’s the best part - Sparkler stories come in a lot of different packages, depending on how you like to read. If you don't want to follow the serialized magazine chapters, we have complete ebooks! Hate reading on a screen? We also have paperbacks! Some of our fantastic readers and creators are even offering special Kickstarter-exclusive bonuses, original art, and commissioned illustrations on certain reward tiers! (Stay tuned, because we'll be adding more of those over the course of this Kickstarter.) But first, a few notes: If you want to subscribe to our magazine without paying for a year’s membership up-front, or you want to download content without waiting for this Kickstarter to end, you can just buy a monthly billed membership or shop for items on our site. Check those out for cheaper, quicker gratification that still helps fund the magazine! (But keep in mind, Year 5 of the magazine will only happen if this Kickstarter reaches its goal.) If you already have a Year's Membership to Sparkler but want to pledge here for Year 5, you’ll get credit for the overlapping months with a gift card to the Sparkler Shop once this Kickstarter ends. Contact us here or at firstname.lastname@example.org with any questions. And here’s a handy visual of all your options for the ebook and/or paperback tiers in this Kickstarter: And now, the rewards! If we successfully fund 12 new Sparkler issues before this Kickstarter ends, we'll be able to aim for even greater heights: like pay raises for our creators, or even running SIX series in each issue instead of five?! Watch this space to get news about Stretch Goals as they unlock! Risks and challenges Sparkler has run nine successful publishing Kickstarters in the past, and Liane and Rebecca have managed more as freelancers for other publishers. Sparkler's hands-on, enthusiastic staff has mostly stayed the same as Year 4. There are always risks when you're a small operation, but we're all ready to do this for another year, if you'll have us. (If a backer is concerned now or in the future and isn't satisfied with updates here or at sparklermonthly.com, our editors can be contacted directly at email@example.com.)Learn about accountability on Kickstarter - (34 days)

Sue Croweagle is from the Piikani First Nation in southern Alberta. She is a 2 spirit female who enjoys singing and dancing. She came to Toronto in 2010 and reestablished a female aboriginal drum group called the Eagle Woman Singerz. She has been facilitating drum circles thru out the GTA and has done many events. Dr. Alok Mukherjee Alok Mukherjee is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Ryerson University, Toronto. He served as Chair of the Toronto Police Services Board from 2005 to 2015. With his focus on promoting effective and affordable community-based policing under civilian oversight provincially and nationally, Dr. Mukherjee was actively involved in Ontario government’s Future of Policing Advisory Committee as well as in other police governance forums across Canada. He is frequently called upon to speak and write on policing issues for a variety of audiences. He brings a unique perspective to law enforcement issues from his experiences in a highly multicultural and multiracial environment. Dr. Mukherjee has worked as an educator and a consultant. He has written extensively in a variety of areas including diversity and inclusivity, employment equity for racially visible and aboriginal people, and anti-racist education. Dr. Mukherjee has held several public appointments, including membership on the Toronto District School Board Safe and Compassionate School Task force and the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services, and has served as Vice Chair and Acting Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Dr. Mukherjee has received several awards for his volunteer activities and for his outstanding work at a professional and social level. He is a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Government of Ontario. Ardath Whynacht is a Doctoral Candidate in the Interdisciplinary Humanities Program at Concordia University and a Lecturer in Sociology at Mount Allison University. As an artist-scholar, her research creatively explores notions of trauma, violence and healing through collaborative, community-based projects. She works with inmates in Federal prisons in Atlantic Canada, using poetry and performance to understand the ways in which institutionalization impacts our ability to heal from trauma. She is a founding member of Phin Performing Arts and is a poet and community organizer with the Word Iz Bond Collective in Halifax. Her work has been featured in festivals, (New Music West, Canada Dance Festival, Zebra Berlin, Canadian Festival of Spoken Word) in print (Understorey Magazine, Quattro Press, Girlhood Studies) and on film (Afcoop Cinepoetry Project, HUFF, Visible Verse). Young was born in South Korea and her family moved to Boston Massachusetts when she was 7-years- old. She began studying music (viola) at the age of ten, attending New England Conservatory Prep School and Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Music from Oberlin College, she pursued further studies at University of Michigan, receiving her Master’s degree, and co-founding SAFMOD (now based in Cleveland, OH), a multi-disciplinary performing arts group that focused on the creation of original pieces, integrating music and dance styles from different cultures. As Artistic Director of SAFMOD from 1993-2004, she created numerous original choreography, influenced by movement styles like Butoh, Contact Improv, capoeira and stilting. Since joining Raging Asian Women Taiko Drummers in 2007, Young has taken on a leadership role in the group. She was the project director of the Toronto Taiko Festival in 2012, and currently the managing director of RAW and lead coordinator for the group’s educational outreach programs. She has led RAW in producing 2 full length concerts (2013 & 2016) as the production director. Raging Asian Women Taiko Drummers (RAW) is a community arts collective of East and Southeast Asian Women in Toronto. We are a Taiko drumming group that exists as a critical response and challenge to both systemic and internalized oppressions. Through performance, education, and community outreach, we seek to challenge, redefine and represent ourselves, and to inspire ourselves and others. Through collective membership, artistic creation, and active development, we carve space for self-expression, authentic engagement, community, and healing. Dr. Peter Dawson Dr. Peter E. Dawson has taught at York University since acquiring his PhD in 2002. Dr Dawson is well known for his commitment to Experiential Education. Dr. Dawson has been involved in Human Rights activities since he was a child growing up in South Africa. Encouraged by late mother at the age of four to be an ally to people of color his life has revolved around human rights activism and advocacy. A strong proponent of non violent dispute resolution, anti-racist programs and activities Dr Dawson has been active with the American Indian Movement and the African National Congress. Dr. Dawson worked by the side of one of the founders of AIM, the late Russell Means on the protracted Yellow Thunder land dispute in the Black Hills of South Dakota . Dr. Dawson has been involved in fund raising for the Leonard Peltier defense fund. Dr Dawson assisted Reverend Alf Dlamini, a comrade of the late Nelson Mandela, in land disputes in Peddie and Mgwali and with Mr. Rommell Roberts in Brown’s Farm and Cross Roads South Africa. Dr. Dawson has been directly involved in land disputes with Indigenous peoples and NGOs in Honduras, Canada, the United States and South Africa. Dr. Dawson is an outspoken activist and advocate for survivors of childhood sexual abuse and is involved in combating violence against women and children in numerous countries. In the Residential Schools Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Montreal 2013 event, Dr. Dawson was officially recognized by the Commission for his efforts to educate the public about the tragic consequences of the Canadian Residential School’s role in the genocide of Indigenous population groups in Canada. Prior to working on his PhD Dr. Dawson held senior management positions in numerous well known companies in the Canadian food industry. He has considerable experience and knowledge of the socio/economic politics of food. He is active and involved in poverty-reduction work. Dean Barnes is the Principal of T.A. Blakelock High School in Oakville, Ontario. Dean has been a school administrator for 14 years and is a PhD graduate of the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. His thesis was entitled: “Restorative Peacemaking Circles and other Conflict Management Efforts in Three Ontario High Schools” explored implementation approaches of pro-active and post-incident restorative circles. Dean’s leadership focuses on promoting high student achievement through healthy school-wide and classroom initiatives, such as increased physical activity and wellness, mindfulness, co-curricular activities, restorative practices, school-community partnerships, and relationship building interventions. He will speak about the impact of restorative justice circles in the classroom and the positive impact they have on the wellness of students. Jeff was a computer engineer briefly, then a teacher of math, physics, computer science and communications technology longingly. Since 1999 he has supported a variety of areas at the district level as instructional program leader including assessment, eLearning, mathematics, technology in the classroom. He is currently supporting applied learning, with a passion for social-emotional learning and mindfulness, in the Halton District School Board. Melanie Panitch holds the John C. Eaton Chair in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Ryerson University. She first came to Ryerson in 1999 to develop the proposal and then to build the Disability Studies Program as its founding Director (1999 – 2011). During that time she was instrumental in attracting a $1.2 million corporate gift from RBC. The exhibit which she co-curated, “Out From Under: Disability History and Things to Remember” started as a class project and is now permanently in the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. She received (with a faculty team) the J W McConnell Curricular Innovation Award (2007). Throughout her career she has been an activist, advocate, researcher and educator, with strong roots in the disability rights movement and broad international experience.Much of her work before coming to Ryerson was rooted in community development and progressive social change. She initiated a unique program at Humber College for intellectually disabled students, which spread to other Ontario community colleges and for which she was awarded College Innovator of the Year (1989). Years of engagement in the Community Living Movement led her to recognize the devastating effects of exclusion and the impact of social policy on people’s everyday lives, a radicalizing exposure that informs her work and sense of urgency. Melanie holds a B.A. from the University of Manitoba, a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of London, and a Masters in Social Work from Carleton University. She completed her graduate work at the Hunter College School of Social Work, receiving her Doctorate in Social Welfare from the City University of New York Graduate Centre.. Melanie’s book/Disability, Mothers and Organization: Accidental Activists, /is a gendered history of activist mothering in the Canadian Association for Community Living (Routledge, 2008). Russ Ford has been the Executive Director of LAMP Community Health Centre for the last 15 years. Under his direction LAMP has dramatically expanded its programs and services in Toronto and Mississauga and has won a number of awards for its work with youth. Russ founded the Brendan Ford memorial scholarship which annually provides money to youth who are in financial need and have exhibited a commitment to social justice. Prior to working at LAMP, Russ founded the Stonegate Community Health Centre. He has also been involved in the founding of many other social agencies or advocacy organizations in the city. Russ has spoken at a number of provincial and national conferences on issues relating to poverty, social exclusion and health, and is a regular speaker for the United Way and has acted as a national policy advisory on community health. Internationally, Russ helped establish a health centre in Maroontown, Jamaica. In 2014 Russ ran for Toronto City Council. Though he was not elected, his social justice based campaign dramatically increased voter participation in low-income areas of the ward. Russ is a member of Humber’s advisory committee on its proposed Community Development degree program. He holds a Masters degree in social policy and Bachelor’s degrees in social work and journalism. Russ is a resident of Etobicoke where he lives with his wife Sheila and daughter Charlotte. Ahmeda Mansaray-Richardson, Youth Advocates of Ghana Ahmeda Mansaray-Richardson is a hope-filled voice that seeks the realization of human rights for every child. A fervent advocate of the sanctity of childhood and the“voice” of a child, she finds her purpose in serving initiatives that nurture disadvantaged children and youth. Something of a renaissance woman, Ahmeda is an accomplished academic, a volunteer Advanced Medical First Response team member with St. John’s Ambulance, an amateur obstacle race competitor, a pilot in training, and a proud wife and mother of four sons. Ahmeda funnels her various skills and experiences into her service as founder and leader of The VOICES (Voices Of Inspired Children Engaging Society) Global Collective, a rights-based youth empowerment organization. The VOICES Global Collective is a vehicle striving for a world where collaborative synergetic relationships exist between children and adults to create thriving inclusive communities. VOICES actively fosters conversations, research and workshops that lead to active social change. To date, the organization has housed initiatives that has changed the lives of over 500 participants on three continents. With a BSc. from McGill University and a Masters in Public Health from Lakehead University, alongside a postgraduate certificate from the Coady Institute, Ahmeda is consumed by her vision of a world where young people are valued participants in knowledge creation and not merely seen as consumers of research. Describing herself as a “bricoleur-researcher”, Ahmeda listens and records young people’s stories and weaves them into tapestries that form the basis of actionable development programs. Her research based approach fuel the programs that are used by VOICES in Ghana, France and Canada, to ignite community-wide change. She is humbled to note that her work has created opportunities for her own voice to be heard. Most recently, she held the position of advisor, volunteer researcher and co-moderator in the creation of the 2013 United Nations Youth World Report. Ahmeda believes the challenges and triumphs of her personal life to be the catalyst for her professional goals. Raised in West Africa at a time when political unrest was the order of the day, her own experience of trauma and healing and the journey in-between, is the chief cornerstone in her social innovation pursuits.In her present reality as mother of four young sons, she is pushed to explore what it truly means to value the inclusion of the child’s voice in everyday living, protecting its sanctity and strengthening its resilience. She credits her deep connection to the Divine, her supportive community, a strong marriage and her many but extremely valuable failures for the successes in her professional journey. Ahmeda Mansaray-Richardson is also co-founder and research analyst for the African-based global think tank, The Songai Institute, on the board of Directors for the advocacy organization, C4C Kaleidoscope and a volunteer facilitator at The Toronto-based organization The Gatehouse. An avid reader, dedicated writer, and lover of the many ways a sky shows up in each day, Ahmeda references her favorite quote from her favorite book as her personal and professional compass, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love”. Melisse Watson, the RAWHIDE project Artist & Founder – I am a Black, Cherokee, adopted mixed-settler, who occupies a non-binary gender identity and as such, face violence on a daily basis. I do have many privileges that have allowed me the opportunities, education and space that I occupy. I have not experienced the mental health or the criminal justice system as a participant. Through personal experience – one experience of many – unresolved interpersonal conflict has affected my confidence, self-esteem, safety and supportive resources. Isolation has hindered my ability to reach out and form meaningful, healthy relationships and has resulted in a difficulty to understand my personal value. My background in Restorative and Transformative Justice, knowledge of the Canadian Criminal Justice system and a passion for healing and building through creation and the arts has lead me to, and drives me through this work to create a new kind of less-violent, living reality for many. Harriet Badua-Baffoe, the RAWHIDE project Years ago, Harriet watched her parents be instrumental players in the opening of the Ghanaian Canadian Association of Montreal. This is where for the first time she saw what collective change looks like and the power a community can have. The association brought people together and help them with their conflict as well as their adjustment into Canadian society. From then she committed herself into helping members within her community and others to overcome their obstacles. Harriet is a graduate of the Community and justice Services at Humber College and hopes to help youth through programming find alternative ways to deal with their struggles. She is a former dancer that sees the arts a good way for youth to express themselves when words are too hard to find. “ I don’t believe in bad apples I believe she must help the crop grow better”. Tharshiga Elankeeran, ANBU – Abuse Never Becomes Us Tharshiga Elankeeran is a Registered Psychotherapist that holds a B.A. (Hons.) in Psychology from York University (Toronto, ON 2009) and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from McGill University (Montreal, QC 2013). Tharshiga is a Women’s Substance Abuse Counselor at Addiction Services for York Region where she works with pregnant and or parenting women who have suffered extensive trauma and are striving to heal themselves. She has facilitated trauma groups with survivors of childhood sexual abuse at the York Region Abuse Program and currently facilitating a trauma group at Black Creek Community Health Center. With a strong commitment for eternal learning, she continues to seek out opportunities for mental and experiential growth. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse herself, she believes in holistic healing. The body remembers trauma and she passionately seeks alternative forms of healing that incorporate the whole. She obtained Reiki training and aspires to continue practicing and mastering this form of cleansing and balancing of energy within the body. She is also a certified Acudetox Specialist with NADA that can provide Auricular acupuncture to reduce stress, anxiety, cravings and increase relaxation and cleansing. Jenny Starke, ANBU – Abuse Never Becomes Us Jenny Starke M.S.W., R.S.W. completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at York University (Toronto, ON 2009) and her Masters in Social Work at the University of Toronto (Toronto, ON 2012). She is a Registered Social Worker with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. Jenny is a German Tamil Canadian woman that allows her intuitions to guide her to live a life of purpose. Jenny is a woman of many identities that has and is embracing her personal struggles and sharing them to create awareness, challenge normative ideologies and inspire self and political transformation. She is a Geriatric Social Worker at Humber River Hospital and a Peer Group Facilitator for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse at The Gatehouse. Due to her own personal experiences of trauma within the Tamil community, her passion and what she truly believes is the purpose to her life has been to work with survivors of childhood sexual abuse. With A.N.B.U., she hopes to create a voice for survivors of childhood sexual abuse and shed light, build capacity, strengthen awareness and compassion within the Tamil community and across many communities. She is constantly growing and developing her knowledge and understanding of life with trauma through mindfulness and meditation practices. Her personal and professional journeys have enabled her to believe in living and serving within an anti-oppressive, strengths-based and feminist framework. Lacey Ford, Full Circle – Art Therapy Centre Lacey Ford was born 1989 in rural Prince Edward Island, Canada. Lacey is a self-taught artist and began showing an interest in art when she was only seven years old, and started out by doodling cartoon characters she saw in children books. However, due to financial constraints she was unable to fully explore her interest in art until high school, where free art classes were offered. During her adolescence, Lacey experienced a great deal of emotional distress caused by the negative effects of trauma, which she responded to by acting out. Fortunately, when she entered into high school and began taking art classes, she was able to express her feelings in a safe way and organize her thoughts, from this point visual arts became a regular therapeutic outlet for her. In 2012, Lacey obtained her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI). During the last year of her undergraduate at UPEI, Lacey randomly came across the definition for art therapy for the first time online, and realized this is what she had been practicing on herself, and decided then that she wanted to share the power of healing through art with other people in the world. Immediately after completing her undergraduate degree at UPEI, Lacey moved to Toronto in order to study art therapy at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute. Lacey has recently launched a grass roots non-profit organization with her friend and business partner Pearl Lee, called the ‘Full Circle-Art Therapy Centre’. The aim of the organization is to deliver art therapy services throughout Toronto and making mental health services more accessible to those who cannot afford private services. Pearl Lee, Full Circle – Art Therapy Centre I was brought up in Hong Kong and Malaysia. I never thought I had the ‘artistic skills’ or ‘techniques’ to make any kind of art. I always failed my art classes. During my high school years, I became more interested in graphic designing. I took Art as one out of the six subjects I have for my International Baccalaureate diploma. In the beginning, I measured every single angle in my art works. Until one day, I was given a 72” x 72” canvas to make a piece of art work. I no longer have that mathematical patience and just ran with it. That piece was the beginning of my therapeutic journey through art. From a young age, I have learned to put up a strong mask and conceal my emotions. My elder brother actually told me that he didn’t know I had emotions until he saw me crying one day when I was 21. During my International Baccalaureate course, I was supposed to make a series of painting circling one theme. Through that process, I was able to find the right expressions for my concealed emotions and begin to discover, explore, learn and heal. I took some time off art, because I was told that it is really hard to make a living through art. I moved to Toronto when I was 19, went to York University, obtained my B.A Honors in Psychology, took a year off to spend time with my father before he pass away. When my dad passed, I thought back about the times I used to spend in the art room, the effect it had on me. I decided to follow my gut and pursue a career as an art therapist, and applied to the Toronto Art Therapy Institute. Now, here I am, perusing the vision of free mental health services for all through the way I know how- Art Therapy, to promote the importance of mental health and self-awareness. Nga Dinh, Full Circle – Art Therapy Centre Nga Dinh, of Vietnamese descent was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada when she was only two years old. She was raised in low-income environments that fostered her resilience, determination and quest for knowledge. As a young child, she was able to hone her artistic skills and use them to portray the world around her. Her love and passion for sports and art became her allies that have enabled her to pursue a successful and happy life. She is also a free-lance artist and painter. She completed her B.A. in Kinesiology and B.F.A at Wilfrid Laurier University. Throughout her life, she has worked to provide assistance to anyone she could. A smile, a thank you, a little help goes a long way to help brighten someone else’s day. She has worked and volunteered at Street Haven Women’s Shelter, Meals on Wheels, Curated the student/staff show at Wilfrid Laurier University, WWF, Toronto Flying Tigers Volleyball Club, Toronto District School Board and has made appearances on several television and movie productions through BCAST. After working 6 years in broadcasting, she knew that it was time to use her skills to assist others towards a fulfilling emotionally healthy life. She enrolled and has completed her coursework at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute and is currently completing her thesis. Her goal in life is to use her skills and talents to assist others using Art Therapy as means to provide healthier mental states, positive enjoyment of life and easier means of communication and self-expression. Currently she is involved with the Blue Jays Care Foundation, volunteers at the Royal Ontario Museum, the Student Representative on the TATI Advisory Board and is the Director of Events for the National Association of Asian American Professionals Toronto Chapter. In my experience, recovery from child sex abuse is an inner/outer journey of re-relating to self and the world. My journey began in 2011 and was triggered by the arrest of my son’s teacher on child pornography charges. The greatest thing I have learned since, is that the stress and anxiety I had lived with for over 30 years was a predictable symptom…of a crime committed against my most vulnerable child self. I still have challenges, but now I have this information, I am emancipated. Voice and storytelling are at the heart of humanity. And that’s why I use my skills as a film making instructor to empower marginalized, oppressed and racialized people in using technology to tell their own stories. To keep things real, I’m also sharing my own story in a documentary film, Picking Trauma’s Pocket. To date I have filmed empowered survivors in Canada, the US, Guyana, Bolivia and Taiwan. My goal is to highlight the scale and impact of child sex abuse; the prevalence of it in local communities everywhere on the planet. Jessica Horak, is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, addiction and eating disorders, who has gone through the experience of navigating the social service system first hand. She knows the challenges and frustrations that can come with wanting to get help and having no idea where to find it. She is passionate about creating a better opportunity for others who come after her and support them in their journey of creating change in their lives and healing from their own adversities! Ubah Idle, #SaveOurSomaliYouth Ubah Idle is a 20-year-old Somali-Canadian who was born and raised in Toronto. She found her niche when she would post personal stories on social media as well as spoken word pieces and get a big response. She has been a very vocal person when it comes to social justice and has recently started a grassroots initiative called #SaveOurSomaliYouth.#SaveOurSomaliYouth sees its existence due to a pre-existing need to create a social platform for Somali youth. This grassroots collective uses social media to build support in the Somali community and spark social change and justice in young Somali community members. Her initiative went viral almost instantly. Ubah has been interviewed for Integration TV (a Somali-English TV network) as well as radio interviewed twice on AM530 Multicultural Radio. Her initiative movement has a sister-branch out in Ottawa, Canada, as well while also garnishing attention from other cities nationally. Currently, she is involved in creating summer programs catered to Somali youth in the city. She is working with other organizations and collectives of people to help bridge resources to these youth and their families. Marcia Brown founded Trust 15 Youth Community Support Organization in 2011. She started her career with the Toronto District School Board as an Educational Assistant in 2005. She has been working diligently to educate, mentor and inspire the young men and women in her community ever since. Marcia recognized that there was a significant need in her community for a place where youth could come and feel safe and accepted, and receive much needed support. So she decided to walk from door-to-door in the neighborhood asking parents if they would allow their children to participate in this enriching after-school program. “I live in this community and I realize there are a lot of issues and not enough positive programs to help young people.” Earning the trust from the community and the 15 girls that showed up on the first day the program started, led to the name, Trust 15. Marcia has started 4 amazing programs in Etobicoke, that has reach the potential of our youth. They are Ladies on the Rise, Men of Distinction, Girls on the Rise and Boys of Excellence. Marcia was awarded the Premier’s Award of Ontario for Teaching Excellence Support Staff (2011), Urban Hero Award for Education (2011), Aroni Award for Education (2011) The Women of Honour Award (BBPA) (2012), Rotary Club of Toronto-Youth Impact Award (Individual Category) (2015). Brilliant Minded Women Award- (2015), International Women Achievement Award (2016), Humber School of Social & Community Services for Trust 15 – Agency of Distinction (2016)

Paloma, Sage and Ama Elsesser in conversation with Angelo Baque The Elsessers discuss how their upbringing inspired each of their trailblazing careers, what it’s like navigating the fashion industry together, as siblings, and the legacy they hope to leave behind. Photography Rahim Fortune Paloma, Sage and Ama Elsesser’s story originally appeared in i-D's 40th Anniversary Issue, no. 361, Winter 2020. Order your copy here. When we think about legacy, we often think of those who’ve come before us, the older and wiser changemakers who have had a larger impact on our lives than we can ever imagine. But over the last few months, as young activists demand justice in the streets and at the polls, the one thing that’s become abundantly clear is that this awareness, this desire for change and the dedicated intention to see it through, will be our generation’s legacy. This isn’t to say that the knowledge and values passed down from generation to generation are any less significant. For Paloma, Sage and Ama Elsesser, this is what’s empowered each of them to go forth and pursue their own trailblazing careers in fashion, modelling, skateboarding and whatever they might choose to conquer next. Their parents, grandparents and chosen family encourage them to speak up, to take up space and most importantly, to carve out space for those that will come after them. Part of i-D’s own family for quite some time now, we’d say that Paloma, Sage and Ama are the faces of a new era in fashion, but we’ve known this all along. Here, the Elsessers sit down with another one of our own, Awake NY designer Angelo Baque, a friend through Supreme and New York’s downtown skate scene, to talk about how their upbringing inspired their individual sense of self, what it’s like navigating the fashion industry together, as siblings, and the legacy they hope to leave behind. Angelo: I’m really flattered to be a part of this because I feel like part of the Elsesser family. I’m super grateful to be a part of this process with you guys. Ama: We’re grateful for you. I remember meeting Sage through Supreme, and the minute I met him I had this big brotherly feeling, and in a way that has been the outline for my relationship with you all individually. Paloma: It was really comforting, really valuable and important for us that when Sage was working with Supreme you came into the fold as someone who could impart some male wisdom and safety to him in this new world that he was entering at such a young age. I know that we jam him up as sisters, so it was comforting to know that there was a Brown man in the company taking him under his wing; there’s someone I see, I understand and I respect, who has his back. Then, our relationship, it was so natural. I really see you as my brother, in all of the same ways that I see my own brother – your nuances, your strengths, your weakness and I love you for it. It’s been such an incredible journey, and I very much still feel like you are in our lives for a reason. I don’t feel like it’s a social, downtown thing. It’s like, ‘Oh, that’s my family’. Sage: I knew when I walked into the Supreme office and you welcomed me, it was an unspoken commitment that you made. I felt like I was then able to confide in you and talk with you about stuff outside of working for Supreme. We started going on lookbook trips and we started to bond more, it was just so many things that we shared and had in common. And then a lot of dear moments, taking me to go get my gold, my rings. I remember you telling me, ‘Oh, you should start wearing overcoats’, and that winter I went and I got a couple from the shop and of course, Paloma stole all of them. But you know, it’s the little things like that. One thing that I’ve noticed over the years is how outspoken all three of you are, and how you’re able to, as individuals, express yourselves. I’ve always really admired that. There’s a lot of intention. Where does that voice and that freedom come from? Sage: I think that our upbringing was very unique. It wasn’t easy but we had an amazing family dynamic that I’m very grateful for, a lot of knowledge that was bestowed upon us. We were privileged enough to live with our grandfather, Madison. A lot of people don’t get to see their grandparents, we saw them every morning because we lived above them. Ama: Our grandfather would drive us all to different schools, drive us all over town. Sage: He enjoyed it. It wasn’t a job. Our mother is Buddhist, so we grew up listening to the chanting. Our father was a multi-faceted artist and musician, both our parents were musicians, so they were always just putting us on to things that other kids weren’t really into. It makes me realise that when you become a father, you really begin to understand what it is to be a parent. My mom fully lives her life for us. At the same time, I recognise how much of my grandfather is within her and the way that she doesn’t do it as her job, but she enjoys it. I think that’s really where it comes from, our mother and our father, our very unique upbringing. Ama: All of us, obviously, we have different pieces of our parents in us in different ways. Paloma: I notice us being our parents and our grandparents’ children. I think that we really are our environment. We’re all intensely imperfect, but we are all individuals who have been given permission to think and to speak how we think. What comes with that is that we’re all really emotional, we are all really expansive and reactive. It’s not an accident that we all do different stuff but we’re all so deeply connected. It’s not an accident that we’d be covered together in this way, but we’re not just doing a cover together because we’re a family. It’s because we each have something to offer, and that definitely was the assumption in the environment that we grew up in. I see that. I see the beauty individually and being part of this Elsesser family upbringing. As a family navigating the fashion industry together, and the impact you’ve had on the fashion industry as a family, what does that mean to you? Paloma: I think, again, it’s a reflection of our environment. When I went out into the world or when I saw my peers at private schools, I felt imperfect, but at home, when it came to appearance or emotional wellbeing it was very affirming. So, when I stepped into the industry, I would be constantly asked about where I get my confidence from — which is low-key fatphobic and annoying to even ask — but in general, I felt like I had an armour around it, because both of my parents told me that I was beautiful and smart. I’ve been able to interlace who I am and what I think about my identity into this industry. I’m so proud of how Ama is using their body and their movement to really create space in it. Obviously, Sage is the face of an era — what the intersection of fashion, skating and culture is — and he’s only 23. Think about what Supreme looked like when the first lookbook he did came out and you see his trajectory, but you see what has changed — what Supreme is now and what skateboarding is now. He’s not just a skateboarder. He’s beautiful and that nasty ass sex symbol cover he just put out for i-D in the summer has me fucked up! But you know, as crazy as it is, it just makes sense. I can’t even describe how lucky I feel to move through this with them. We all get to be anchored and what we do is to make our grandfather proud, make our ancestors proud. Ama: I’m so thankful that we, personally, have things that we deal with and we’re so sensitive around, and we know that we have a safe space to talk about that within our tribe and our people. We don’t even need to speak on it. I wonder why I even do half the stuff that I do, and then I remember that I do it because I get seen by the people that love me and that is super-affirming for all of our different, separate lives. I feel like in the last couple of months, not just in America, but globally, socially and politically, we’ve seen a lot of changes in fashion. How do you see fashion changing right now? And how do you see it changing in the future? Sage: I just love seeing Black designers getting some shine because we weren’t really getting that before. I think as Black designers get more and more popular, you will begin to see that the cards that we are dealt are very different; we’re coming with a different intention and it hits people differently. When I first saw Pyer Moss, I was like, ‘Oh, this is cool’. I can see the nostalgia in it, whether the prints are reminiscent of your grandmother’s house or whatever. Paloma: I think the last six months have changed how we interact with clothes. In the last six months I’ve probably worn ten outfits and still felt fly, still felt like myself and still felt good. Personally, I love to shop. I love that new thing, but why do I want that new thing? I think we are now thinking about the why and the what. What do you want to hold onto? What statement? Fashion is so powerful because it’s the way in which you can armour yourself in the world. We all have very different experiences, especially as Black and Brown people, and that informs so much. It’s not just clothes. It’s survival, but what does that survival mean? It’s inspired me to look at what I want to line my closet with. Ama: Part of me is also at the very beginning of feeling like I have control with how I look, how I present myself and how I play with both sides of myself. It’s very important to me to be able to express both my femininity and my masculinity – clothes are a big part of that. As individuals we are investing when we buy a T-shirt — who is it that we want to invest in? As your careers grow, there’s going to be more companies wanting to align themselves with you. Who is it that you want to be working with and what are your deal breakers? Sage: That’s something that I value about Supreme. I grew up there. It holds a special place in my heart. But moving forward, it’s really just the people... anything Black-owned. Anything where there’s a creative Black mind involved. I’m not limiting my shit, just keeping an open mind. Paloma: I think it’s the intention. What’s hard about living in a white supremacy-driven world is that no entity, even Black or Brown entities, can escape it. I’ve worked with problematic brands, but by working with this problematic brand, do I get to buy a home that I can put my Black mother in and ensure that she’s going to be okay? Partnerships are really contingent on value. More recently, I’ve had to excavate and itemise my own personal values, like self-worth in reference to the gaze of whiteness, brands and fashion. Did I just make a bag or did I make a difference? I want to do both. My agents will ask who the other girls on a shoot are, and I’m like, ‘Why are there no other Black girls there?’ Or ‘Why am I the only Black girl?’ I’m very light-skinned. I’m a mixed Black woman who doesn’t even represent every spectrum of Blackness. But I do get to be like, ‘Why is this not happening?’ The fashion industry can be a really powerful platform and example of how to transform the way that people feel about themselves, and the way that people can live in this world. Ama: When I walk into a shoot, I ask myself, ‘Am I doing enough for my queer and trans Black friends?’ That’s the first thing I think about. I have to make space for other people. When I get hired for something and I’m the only Black person there it feels very watered down. Even choosing me as the non-binary person when I’m very femme presenting — not that that has anything to do with your gender — but it’s just the most digestible when everything is so complex. When I go and I do a job, I redistribute my money and donate to wherever I can with whatever I can. I think just your existence as individuals in each field that you’re in is creating the space for the next. Your very existence is trailblazing. One of the big themes for this anniversary issue is legacy. I hear a lot of talk about your ancestors and I see what’s been handed down to you individually. Sage, Ama and Paloma, what is it that you want to hand down as individuals? Ama: I think that the best legacy would be to live what dad and mom put in our head – that whatever we are, we’re good. Sage: I just want other kids to embrace who they are. If I can, I want to inspire a kid through my music or through skateboarding to embark on whatever journey they want to embark on in their life. Paloma: I hope my legacy is an affirmation of the fact that there’s no ceiling to what you think could happen, and what’s meant for you is for you. I would have never thought that this is what I would be doing, but this is what’s been provided for me and it’s a life beyond my wildest dreams. I think that if that is affirming or inspiring to anybody who never felt like they saw themselves, never thought it was possible, I hope that myself and my siblings get to be the example of that… We’re always evolving and always changing, and I feel really lucky to be on this journey with them. Photography Rahim Fortune Styling Alastair McKimm, Madison Matusich, Milton Dixon and Sydney Rose Thomas Hair Tashana Miles at The Chair Beauty Loft for The Chair Beauty Products. Make-up Kanako Takase at Streeters using Addiction Beauty. Photography assistance Michael W. Styling assistance Nuvany David. Hair Assistance Danyelle Osborne and Elizabeth Gibson. Make-up assistance Kuma. Production Nicole Van Straatum, Sara McDowell and Halle Chapman-Tayler. Casting director Samuel Ellis Scheinman for DMCASTING. Models Paloma Elsesser at IMG, Ama and Sage Elsesser.

All the places you can go to for help if you’re a student experiencing sexual or domestic violence A list of on-campus and off-campus services In light of the domestic violence case involving former University of Sussex senior lecturer Lee Salter, and former student Allison Smith, it is evident that help, advice and support to those who have experienced domestic or sexual abuse is vital. Here is a list of places on campus and in Brighton you can contact for support if you have experienced domestic or sexual violence. If you feel at risk, have recently been assaulted, need urgent medical attention or want to report an incident on campus you can call security on 3333 or 01273 873333 or go to the 24 hr Security service at York House. For off-campus help immediately call for an ambulance or police on 999. You can also report an incident on 101. Located on the Ground floor of Bramber House, the University of Sussex’s Student Life Centre offers help for a wide range of student problems, including personal issues. Students can attend short welfare drop-in sessions as well as make online bookings to speak to an advisor. Advisors may refer you to the university’s counselling services and can suggest other networks that can better support and meet your needs. Separate from the Student Life Centre, on-campus counselling provides many forms of therapy and workshops. To be offered counselling sessions you will be required to register with the service and attend an initial interview. You can attend an interview even if you are unsure if you want to start formal counselling but would like to speak to someone. Initial interviews can be booked online after signing up and appointments are released 24 hours in advance at midnight and at noon and can be accessed through Sussex Direct/Counselling. Sussex Students’ Union has a zero tolerance policy that supports anyone who has experienced or witnessed sexual harassment, discrimination or violence. All Union staff, officers, volunteers, members and visitors attending Union events, activities and affairs or on the university premises must follow the policy. Reports are protected and can be made via the reporting tool. A report can be made anonymously but this will mean that the Students’ Union will not be able to pursue formal complaints or disciplinary proceedings at this stage. This charity provides help and sanctuary for those who have experienced domestic abuse in Sussex and are available at 0300 323 9985 The National Stalking helpline is available at 0300 636 0300. The centre offers free and confidential support and practical help to anyone in Sussex who has experienced recent sexual abuse. The service is available 24/7 on 0800 033 7797. You can self-refer during weekday office hours for specialist medical and emotional help, forensics and referral to counselling. At night and during the weekends you can access the services of the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) through referral of the Police. Working alongside SARC, The Solar Clinic offer booked appointments providing support, advice, STI testing and medical treatment to those who have experienced sexual abuse. Call The Health Advisers on 01273 523388 (opt 2) from Monday to Friday 9am – 1pm and 2pm – 4:30pm to book an appointment or for more information. In partnership with Women’s Aid and Refuge, the confidential 24 Hour National Domestic Violence Helpline assists women experiencing domestic violence, and their family, friends, and people who call on their behalf on 0808 2000 247 The service is suitable for non-English speakers with a translation service and also for deaf users. The Survivors Network charity provide many forms of services for self-identifying women who have experienced sexual assault. The network has a helpline available from 7pm-9pmWeds on 01273 720110 and text service on 07717 999989, as well as drop-ins, independent sexual violence advisors and counselling services. Available at 0808 801 0327, the helpline provides support and advice to men who have experienced domestic violence and abuse. Based in Hove, Mankind provides support to self-identifying male survivors of sexual abuse and their partners, families and friends, offering 1:1, couple and group counselling. You can contact them at 01273 911680. Respect runs support programmes and other services to for male victims of domestic violence and to people who inflict violence in relationships. Call them via 0808 802 4040. The Survivors Network also run the first UK helpline for trans and non-binary survivors of sexual violence and abuse as well as family, friends and supporters of LGBT people. The helpline can be found on 01273 204050 and is staffed by trans volunteers. The National LGBT Domestic Abuse Helpline is available at 0800 999 5428 and gives emotional and practical support for LGBT people experiencing domestic abuse.

The sun streams in through the open windows of a corner house in Old Street, East London. Inside people are milling about, making coffee and tea, rifling though second-hand clothes – including an original Vivienne Westwood T-shirt. Buying hand-knitted bears, home-made cakes, and getting their nails done. Most are teenagers, a few are parents, some are volunteers. The teens chat about the usual things – music, social media, college courses. And puberty blockers, hormones and transitioning. ‘When did you start?’ ‘How is it going?’ One is impatient for results. Another tells them that it takes time. These are transgender – or trans – youth and the event is a fundraiser for a camping trip organized by Gendered Intelligence, a group set up to help youngsters navigate a world dominated by very fixed ideas about gender and also ‘to spread a bit more intelligence’ about it. In one part of the room, a screen is showing video blogs. Young trans people talk to camera about a range of issues that concern them – voice, language, make-up; the use of ‘they’ instead of the pronouns ‘he’ or ‘she’; the impact of austerity policies on health services. And they give advice. What I am witnessing here looks like a gently evolving social revolution. Some in this room are clearly trans boys, some trans girls, some it would be hard to place too precisely on the gender spectrum. But they are expressing themselves authentically, talking about future plans, making their own way in what is, in this space at least, a supportive environment. Jay Stewart, a founder of Gendered Intelligence, says: ‘We are on the cusp of a gender revolution.’ Judging by developments in the wider world as well, that does not seem an outlandish claim. A different lens Who is trans? Transgender or trans are umbrella terms that can include many different identities. More recently Trans* (read as trans-star) and TGNC (trans and gender non-conforming) are used. Trans can include a wide range of gender-variant people: some identify as MtF (male to fbale) or FtM (fbale to male), and/or transsexual (often associated with gender reassignment surgery), and/or as crossdressers, drag kings and queens. Younger trans people may describe thbselves as trans guys/boys or trans girls. People who identify as genderqueer may resist the gender binary in numerous ways. The distinction between various trans people is not so much whether they have had certain kinds of body modifications but how they identify. Intersex refers to people whose physical sex does not fit neatly into what we expect of male and fbale bodies. Some intersex people identify as trans, others do not. Cisgender refers to people whose sex and gender identity match (The Latin word cis means same side, trans, opposite side). A snapshot of recent global news through a trans lens would show: Tamara Adrian, a Venezuelan woman, presenting herself as the first ever trans candidate for her country’s Congress. Nepal issuing its first ‘Third Gender’ passport. AJ Kearns, an Australian trans man, taking a break in his hormone treatment and giving birth to a baby daughter. And one rolling story you just can’t get away from – Cait. Caitlin Jenner, former Olympic athlete, whose transitioning is followed like an addiction, her own TV show – I am Cait – provoking a social media snowstorm. But another item, also from the US, brings a different reality into focus. It’s about Tamara Dominguez, a Kansas trans woman who was seen getting out of a black SUV, which then ran her over, reversed, and ran over her again – making her the 17th trans person to be murdered in the US this year. All the data on trans people and their lives is relatively new and patchy. But what is available paints a shocking picture. Life expectancies that are half the national average in some countries of Latin America; unemployment and poverty rates that are way higher; public health services routinely denying trans people even basic medical care (see ‘The Facts’). Since 2009 the Trans Murder Monitoring project has been collecting international data. As the numbers have risen, the age of victims has declined. In 2014 the youngest was an eight-year-old trans girl in Rio de Janeiro, beaten to death by her father.1 The global suicide rates of trans people are reckoned to be 50 times higher than the average. When I ask Jay Stewart to identify the major issue facing the young people he is working with in Britain, he says: ‘Mental health. Some of our people are super shy and lack confidence. They have bad experiences with other young people who do not allow for gender variance.’ Out of the shadows At the same time, visibility is greater than ever. ‘Trans women, trans men, and non-binary trans people are suddenly everywhere, claiming our rights and claiming public spaces; even getting to play ourselves in television drama,’ says veteran British activist and writer Roz Kaveney.2 Gone are the days when people who wanted to transition believed medical experts who said that to do so successfully required cutting themselves off entirely from their former lives – family, friends, home, job – and starting afresh, alone. The internet has played a vital role in connecting trans people, supplementing the work of underfunded self-help groups. The meaning of what it is to be trans has expanded, along with strategies for dealing with ignorance, transphobia and their impacts. Nevertheless, trans people everywhere are still excluded and marginalized because of the way they express their gender identity. In much of Africa and the Middle East transgender is synonymous with homosexuality, which is a criminal offence, punishable by imprisonment and, in some countries, death. Social rejection can be intense. Transgender people are often publicly humiliated, stripped, harassed by the police and thrown out of their homes. ‘A transgender person should be a prostitute, should be used for sodomy – that is the general narrative,’ says Audrey Mbugua, a Kenyan activist and suicide survivor. Today she has become, in her own words, ‘a trans warrior’, setting up the Trans Education and Advocacy NGO. She is battling the Kenyan authorities to get her name on official documents changed and to obtain gender reassignment surgery, which is not allowed in her country although there are medical staff willing to perform it.3 International campaigning focuses heavily on legal gender recognition and citizen rights. Having official documents that reflect one’s gender expression is no trivial matter; it’s essential for navigating daily life – work, school, hospitals, police, travel – safely, without harassment and humiliation. Trans people face higher levels of violence, joblessness and poverty A flurry of gender recognition laws have come on to the statute books in Europe, North America and Australasia. In many cases, though, the laws have conditions and restrictions that actually violate the human rights of transgender people. More than 20 countries in Europe (including France, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, Ukraine and Russia) insist on the surgical removal of reproductive organs and sterilization before new documents can be issued.4 In Canada this requirement has been lifted following legal challenges. Forced or coerced sterilization is a violation of the UN Convention Against Torture, and the Special Rapporteur on Torture has called on all states to outlaw using it against their trans and intersex citizens. Another condition imposed by several European countries is that people seeking gender reassignment must be single or divorced. Some states insist they must be childless, too.5 5,000 ways of being Such restrictions show a fundamental lack of understanding not only of the diversity and complexity of transgender experience but of gender itself (see ‘Who is trans?’ above). US trans activist Jennifer Finney Boylan says: ‘If I’ve met over 5,000 trans people, I’ve probably heard 5,000 different explanations of what it means to be trans, and what our defining experiences are.’6 Some feel from an early age that they have been born ‘into the wrong body’ and only medical intervention – hormone treatment, surgery – will make life liveable. British writer Juliet Jacques describes it as ‘an overbearing visceral sense that I could not survive in a male body’. For others, it’s a gradual process, recognizing only in adulthood the source of their distress or ‘dysphoria’. Setting language free In English it is common to substitute a gender pronoun (such as he or she) instead of repeating someone’s name. But not all languages do this. Chinese, Finnish, Hungarian, Turkish, Farsi, Yoruba, Malay, Tagalog and Basque are among the many that do not have gender pronouns. In English some gender-neutral pronouns have been invented, such as zhe or ze (pronounced ‘zee’) to replace s/he, or hir (pronounced ‘here’) for him/her. Gender neutral titles include Mx (‘mix’) or Misc (‘misk’) or Mre (pronounced ‘mystery’). Alternatively, people may opt for they or them in the singular as well as the plural. The official dictionary of the Swedish language recently introduced a gender-neutral pronoun: hen. Germany, too, is gradually moving away from highly gendered language. The words used to describe trans people have changed. So ‘tranny’ and ‘transvestite’ are now considered pejorative in some countries and contexts. Trans or transgender person (but not ‘a transgender’); and crossdresser and/or drag king/queen, respectively, are considered more respectful. ‘Hermaphrodite’ is another old term to be avoided when referring to people who are intersex. Some go through gender reassignment treatment and assume a new identity in ‘stealth’ as they aim to mesh as seamlessly as possible with society post-transition. They may not even identify as ‘trans’. For others, ‘coming out’ as transgender is a personal and political liberation enabling them to express themselves anywhere along the spectrum of gender. And many more don’t fit any of the above descriptions. Lawmakers who impose inhumane conditions on gender recognition – such as having to go through unwanted surgery or divorce – appear determined to uphold binary gender conventions as far as possible; gender variance is something to be corrected not respected. But different people will need and want different kinds and levels of medical intervention, or none at all. And you cannot make any assumption about people’s sexuality or the nature of their family bonds, before or after transition. In fact, many couples who married pre-reassignment, given the choice, end up staying together after. Argentinean legislators took a different approach. They didn’t just consult with transgender groups, they took on board and incorporated all their key ideas, recalls activist Lohana Berkins. The result: the world’s most progressive legislation, which has helped shape legislation in Ireland and Denmark since. Argentina’s 2012 Gender Law was the first to allow people to self-define their gender without the need for medical ‘verification’. All documents – including birth certificates – can be reissued. Even children can self-define and this must be respected by official institutions, including schools. The 2012 law also entitles access to state healthcare for age-appropriate reassignment treatment; and it provides protection from discrimination. One result of the law, observed by Berkins, has been that trans youth today are confident about expressing their identity in diverse ways and less inclined towards medical intervention than the older generation was. For people who are born intersex, self-definition without medical intervention is even more critical. While many trans people struggle to obtain (and afford) treatment, for intersex children and teenagers the issue is how to prevent medically unnecessary ‘corrective’ surgery to make them conform to binary male or female norms before they are old enough to decide for themselves. In ‘License to be Yourself’, an Open Society Foundation report, New Zealand trans activist Jack Byrne outlines key features for progressive laws and policies. They will: Be based on self-defined gender identity rather than verification by others; include more than two sex/gender options for those who identify outside the binary characters of male and female; include intersex people; apply to all residents, including those born overseas; link to broader human rights, particularly access to health services that enable someone to medically transition if that is their choice. Equally important is what they will not require: A medical diagnosis of gender identity disorder, gender dysphoria, or transsexualism; transition-related medical treatment, such as hormonal therapy or gender affirming surgeries; sterilization, either explicitly or by requiring medical procedures that result in it; living continuously or permanently in one’s gender identity; divorce or dissolution of civil partnership. Nor will they prohibit parenting now or the intention to have children in the future.5 Trans communities everywhere face higher rates of unemployment, underemployment and poverty, but in the Global South this is made worse because trans people have limited access to education and many are rejected by biological families that would have otherwise provided an economic safety net. In Uganda, activists report that many intersex babies are killed soon after birth, while others are hidden out of shame and fear.7 Getting gender reassignment treatment is a complex and often costly process – even in rich countries. For trans people in the South it’s often just impossible – partly for economic reasons, but also due to the prejudice they face in healthcare settings. This has a serious effect on body image and self worth which is expressed in higher suicide rates. In Peru and Bolivia trans women prefer to treat themselves and organize silicone-injecting parties – a practice that can be deadly when industrial silicone is used. However, in recent times there has been an explosion of trans and intersex activism in the Global South, too.7 In April 2014 gender-variant hijras celebrated a historic victory when the Indian Supreme Court recognized their status as a ‘Third Gender’ and directed the government to provide them with medical and other facilities. The court also said there should be ‘reservations’ for education and public employment. But to date the government appears to be stalling and has yet to deliver rights to the three million-strong community. Along with kathoeys (or ladyboys) in Thailand and the fa’afafine in Samoa, the hijras of the Indian subcontinent have been cited as proof of cultural acceptance in non-Western cultures. But although they are a visible and sometimes noisy part of the culture, the vast majority survive on the margins of society, eking a living through sex work and begging. A few hijra individuals have, however, broken into mainstream politics and the media, including Madhu Bai Kinnar, who became India’s first hijra mayor earlier this year. Beyond the binary Trans and gender-variant people present a challenge and an opportunity for deepening equality and enlarging citizenship rights for us all. Often they strike at the root of a concept that sustains a much wider oppression: the tyranny of the binary. This tyranny serves many purposes – above all the maintenance of patriarchy. Male domination depends upon a constantly reinforced belief in the innate difference between women and men – and therefore their rights, roles and privileges. To the patriarchal mindset, the notion that gender might be more fluid, might not be a fact of nature but socially constructed, is as undesirable as it is inconceivable. Capitalism too profits from such thinking – whether in terms of lower-paid jobs for women and the billions worth of unpaid female domestic labour performed each year, or the ever-expanding markets for products with ‘his’ and ‘hers’ versions. Childhood is captured by marketing ‘girl’ or ‘boy’ toys, clothes, colours, activities, drumming the anxious dogma of fixed gender identity and division into the minds of children right from infancy. In fighting for their rights, trans and gender-variant people face resistance from several quarters: from traditionalists determined to obstruct or punish all who deviate from established norms; from sceptical gender conformists, clinging to a fixed idea of male and female as though their lives (and those of their children) depended on it; and even from essentialist radical feminists, wishing to exclude trans women from women’s spaces. What’s needed is an opening of minds, to let in what may seem like a big conceptual shift but actually is not that scary at all. The idea that sexuality is on a spectrum is pretty much accepted now. What gender-variant people demonstrate is that so is gender. Why turn away from a rainbow and insist on seeing the world only in black and white? As Jay Stewart says, ‘gender is not what you are, but what you do’. Once we let go of the fixity of the binary, life can actually be simpler and fairer. There is no need for different rights and laws for different categories of people. Persons can marry; persons can parent; persons can travel. You don’t have to specify gender as a qualification any more than you have to specify eye colour. And those of us who do not neatly fit the M box or the F box – or do not want to – can breathe more easily. Times are changing and some of the smaller players on the world stage are leading the way. New Zealand/Aotearoa, having defined marriage simply as the union between two people, regardless of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, is now allowing all citizens to have X-gendered passports if they please. Jay Stewart reports that a third of the young people he works with identify as neither male nor female but ‘something else’. He adds: ‘I think non-binary is the way forward. It’s going to be more prevalent. Legislation will need to change so that non-binary people can live and thrive and be equally validated as citizens.’ Finally, an anecdote, from Jennifer Finley Boylan. She recalls how, early on in her transition, she passed a woman and her young daughter while exiting a shop. She overheard the little girl, who had been staring at her, asking her mother: ‘What was that?’ ‘That, honey,’ the mother replied, ‘was a human being.’ - Transrespect vs Transphobia, nin.tl/trans-murder-2015. ↩ - Stonewall, Friends Magazine, ‘Stonewall and Trans’, Summer 2015.↩ - Voices of Africa, ‘Kenya’s transgender warrior’, 10 April 2015, nin.tl/transgender-warrior ↩ - TGEU, Trans Rights Europe Index 2015 nin.tl/trans-rights-in-europe ↩ - Open Society Foundations, ‘License to be Yourself’, 2014 nin.tl/trans-license-report ↩ - Laura Erickson-Schroth (ed), Trans Bodies, Trans Selves, Oxford University Press, 2014. ↩ - GATE/American Jewish World Service, ‘The state of trans and intersex organizing’, 2014 nin.tl/trans-intersex-actvism ↩