Podcasts about lgbtqi

We meet artist Jordan Eagles to mark World Aids Day 2023. For 25 years, Eagles (b. 1977) has been exploring the aesthetics and ethics of blood as an artistic medium since the late 1990s. He lives and works in New York City and we were lucky to visit his studio in Brooklyn and were lucky enough to have our portraits taken by Jordan, within one of his projections.Exploring the visual power, and cultural uses of blood, are the central tenets of Eagle's practice, which includes painting, sculpture, installation, photography and public programming. Created with animal blood from slaughterhouses, the work address themes of corporeality, spirituality, and regeneration. The preservation technique permanently retains the organic material's natural colors, patterns, and textures. When lit, the works become translucent and luminous, reflecting the many layers suspended throughout the resin, revealing the blood's visceral properties and energy. More politically motivated series, rendered from donated human blood—procured from the LGBTQI+ community—are utilized to advocate for fair blood donation policies, anti-stigma, and equality.We discuss his major museum solo show ONE BLOOD currently on display at Springfield Art Museum, Missouri until February 18, 2024. Blood is frequently associated with violence and death, yet it is a critical life-force universal to all humanity. In an era of mass shootings, war, disease, and the urgent struggle over body autonomy and LGBTQI+ rights, blood is a symbolic connective tissue – often sensationalized – its visceral power is undeniable. Over the past decade, Eagles has built an expansive body of work focused on challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) blood donation policy, which advocates suggest is biased, perpetuates stigma and homophobia, and is not in line with modern science. Eagles' sculptures, panels, screen-prints, photographic and video works are collaborations created with blood donated by members of the LGBTQI+ community, specifically for the purpose of making artworks and advocating for science and equality. Eagles utilizes a broad range of techniques in his work and his preservation process retains the natural patterns, colors, and textures of the organic material. Most of the blood in this exhibition is preserved, including sculptures and panels made with medical waste and archival material. The title of his solo exhibition, ONE BLOOD, references that despite the different backgrounds and serotypes of the blood donors, they are all united for blood equality. The exhibition features the work Blood Mirror, a large resin sculpture made with 59 individual human blood donations, that could have been used for life saving purposes if the FDA's policy was more fair. For the first time, key works from several of the artist's series that connect queer blood with American pop culture, comic books, military propaganda, and religious iconography are on view together. The exhibition also includes new works from Eagles' latest series utilizing Artificial Intelligence.Follow @JordanEagles and visit: https://jordaneagles.com/exhibitionsLearn about the Elton John AIDS Foundation's work. Since 1992, they are one of the leading independent AIDS organisations in the world helping to end the AIDS epidemic: https://www.eltonjohnaidsfoundation.org/Follow @theAIDSmemorial on Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Tuesday, November 28th, 2023. Kepler Education: Kepler is an online marketplace for Classical Christian education that assures parents maintain their agency without forfeiting the assistance and expertise of qualified conservative Christian teachers. Kepler offers university model courses in the classical tradition that fit your schedule and budget. Visit www.kepler.education and use our simple search tool to find the course and teacher that meets your child’s needs. Or simply ask for help to get assistance from a real human being. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/27/talks-under-way-to-extend-israel-hamas-ceasefire-as-return-to-fighting-looms Talks under way to extend Israel-Hamas ceasefire as return to fighting looms Talks are under way to extend the temporary ceasefire in Gaza, with Hamas and Israel both saying they would like to see further releases of hostages in return for freedom for more Palestinians held in Israeli jails. But the ceasefire is due to expire, threatening a return to the bloody fighting and bombardment that has devastated swaths of Gaza, killed many thousands of civilians and caused an acute humanitarian crisis. The third release of prisoners and of mostly Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas took place without major problems on Sunday night. Israel and Hamas have each raised concerns over the lists of hostages and Palestinian prisoners due to be released on Monday, which Qatari mediators are now working to resolve. “There is a slight issue with today’s lists. The Qataris are working with both sides to … avoid delays,” an official briefed on the matter said. Seventeen hostages were released by Hamas on Sunday, including a Russian national and three Thai nationals. The Israelis were all women or children. Thirty-nine Palestinian prisoners, mostly children, were freed from Israeli jails, authorities said. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has said he did not want to end the ceasefire but pledged that Israel would resume its military offensive in Gaza at the end of the truce. Netanyahu, who has promised Israelis he will “crush” Hamas, said he would welcome an extension to allow the release of 10 additional hostages every day in return for freedom for 30 Palestinian prisoners, as agreed under the original deal. Israeli officials insist they will not call off their offensive until they are certain that Hamas no longer poses a threat to Israel. Joe Biden said on Sunday that his administration would “continue to remain personally engaged to see that this deal is fully implemented and work to extend the deal as well”. Local media in Israel reported optimism among senior officials that the truce, which was the result of several weeks of complex indirect negotiations mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt, would be extended. Sixty-two of the more than 240 hostages held by Hamas since last month have been released, one hostage was freed by Israeli forces, and two were found dead inside Gaza. A total of 117 Palestinians have been freed since the truce began. Between 13,000 and 15,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli offensive launched after the Hamas attack, roughly two-thirds of them women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. More than 1 million people have been forced from their homes. The UN says the truce has made it possible to scale up the delivery of food, water and medicine to the largest volume since the start of the war. But the 160 to 200 trucks a day is still less than half what Gaza was importing before the fighting, while humanitarian needs have soared. Details have emerged of the conditions of the detention of some hostages. Local media has reported shortages of food and medicine, and cramped accommodation possibly underground, but no physical mistreatment. According to one report, a former hostage has told his friends that his captors had brought other children to play with him while he was in captivity. Some learned of the fate of relatives from Hebrew-language radio networks they could listen to. Two teenagers learned that their mother had been killed and their father remained missing only when released. Calls from the hostages’ families to prioritise their release have sharpened the dilemma facing Israel’s leaders as they seek to reconcile the military offensive with the goal of freeing all of the captives. https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/11/23/new-biden-rule-reveals-transgender-movements-endgame-no-dissenting-parents-allowed/ Lack of ‘Affirmation’ Is Child Abuse: New Biden Rule Applies Transgender Standard to Foster Care The transgender standard is set to become a litmus test for parenthood, according to the logic of a new policy working its way through the Department of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden. A new rule in HHS’ Administration for Children and Families would apply the idea that any lack of “affirmation” constitutes a form of child abuse to foster care placements. Once that idea takes root in foster care, child protective services agencies might start applying it more broadly. The rule would reinterpret the Social Security Act, which requires agencies to ensure that each child in foster care receives “safe and proper” care. The rule would lay out steps agencies must take to meet that requirement for “LGBTQI+ children,” defined as kids who “identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, as well as children who are non-binary, or have non-conforming gender identity or expression.” Before agencies place a child with a foster parent, known as a “provider,” that person must “establish an environment free of hostility, mistreatment, or abuse based on the child’s LGBTQI+ status;” receive training “to be prepared with the appropriate knowledge and skills to provide for the needs of the child related to the child’s self-identified sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression;” and must be able to “facilitate the child’s access to age-appropriate resources, services, and activities that support their health and well-being.” As the Ethics and Public Policy Center’s Rachel Morrison pointed out for The Federalist Society, the rule does not define “hostility,” “mistreatment,” or “abuse.” However, it does clarify that “a provider who attempted to undermine, suppress, or change the sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression of a child, including through the use of so-called ‘conversion therapy,’ would not be a safe and appropriate placement.” The proposed rule cites medical associations such as the American Psychological Association to claim that efforts to “undermine, suppress, or change” sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression “are not supported by evidence and have been rejected as harmful.” The rule does not acknowledge that gender ideology has infiltrated these medical associations and that many doctors—including those who once embraced gender ideology—have warned against confusing children on their gender and putting them on a path to mutilating their own bodies. Dr. Stephen B. Levine, a psychiatrist and early proponent of transgender medical interventions, joined and briefly helped lead the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association, which later became the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the central medical group that organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association rely upon. European countries, long considered more “progressive” than the U.S., have found a lack of evidence for medical interventions on children and are recommending a “watchful waiting” approach for minors. Yet Levine argues that “affirming” a transgender identity is a “powerful psychotherapeutic intervention” that will set kids on the path to mutilation and sterilization—long before they have any concept about what their own fertility means. Under Biden’s proposed new rule, any potential foster parent who aims to protect a child from this confusion and damage may soon face expulsion from the program. That means the process will be designed to weed out guardians who actually would take good care of the kids and enable guardians who would assist in harming them. California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, signed a bill turning California into a “sanctuary state” for “gender-affirming care,” which the law defines as an absolute right. The law gives California courts the ability to award custody over a child if someone removes the child from his or her parents in another state in order to obtain such “care” for that child despite the parents’ disagreement. https://dailycaller.com/2023/11/27/businesses-diversity-equity-inclusion-economic-uncertainty/ Businesses Ditch ‘Diversity’ Initiatives In Droves Amid Economic Uncertainty Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives lost steam in 2023 compared to previous years as companies increasingly shift resources due to tightening economic condition The total percentage of American organizations with a DEI budget dropped 4 percentage points, from 58% in 2022 to 54% in 2023, while the number of organizations with a DEI strategy fell 9 points in that same time frame, according to a report from a consulting firm. DEI initiatives in the workplace gained huge traction following the death of George Floyd, which encouraged companies to divert resources to the practice, but now “external forces,” including tightening economic conditions as well as public and judicial pressure, are pushing back on those efforts. “After two years of unprecedented investment sparked by 2020’s racial justice movement, this year, global momentum around DEI slowed,” according to the report from Paradigm. “There are a number of headwinds contributing to this shift: the first is economic uncertainty that not only led to reduced spending across the board, it also firmly shifted the power balance back to employers.” Despite the decline in funding, there was a 6-point increase in the number of companies that had a senior DEI leader and an 8-point increase in organizations that had goals related to representation for women in leadership from 2022 to 2023, according to Paradigm. A total of 20% of companies in 2023 had goals related to increasing employment related to race or ethnicity, which is a 4-point increase year-over-year. The shift follows concerns from companies that the Supreme Court could target DEI and race-based hiring in the workplace the same way it struck down race-based admissions at colleges and universities earlier this year. A pair of decisions by the Supreme Court in June involving Harvard and the University of North Carolina cumulatively ruled that using race as a factor in college admissions is not permissible under the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. “Over the past several months, we’ve heard from a number of HR leaders who are de-emphasizing data and analytics as a part of their DEI efforts, in response to the changing legal landscape and increased scrutiny on DEI efforts,” according to the report from Paradigm. Only 26% of companies examine the final results of hiring by race or ethnicity, while 33% analyze promotions in the same manner, according to Paradigm. Around 36% of organizations measured the attrition rate of their employees by race or ethnicity. Businesses pulled back from hiring in October, adding only 150,000 jobs for the month compared to 297,000 in September, while unemployment ticked up to 3.9% from 3.8%. The Leading Economic Index predicted that 2024 will only see 0.8% in the U.S. economy due to a possible recession. https://nypost.com/2023/11/26/business/ny-retailers-blast-hochul-over-theft-which-has-cost-stores-4-4-billion/ NY retailers lost $4.4 billion due to organized shoplifting rings in 2022: group Retailers across New York state say there’s no end in sight to the rising epidemic of organized shoplifting rings — and warn it could lead to more store closures, increased costs for consumers and threats of violence against store employees. Store owners said they lost $4.4 billion last year as a result of retail theft — which they say adds to the urgency for Gov. Kathy Hochul to crack down. However, Hochul vetoed a bipartisan bill last week — to the chagrin of store owners — that would have created a task force to combat organized theft. Hochul rejected a proposal that would have created a 15-member panel made up of experts appointed by the governor, Legislature and the state attorney general that would have put together a list of recommendations to respond to retail theft. The Retail Council of New York State, the Albany-based lobbying group which represents retailers statewide, said it was “extremely disappointed” by Hochul’s veto. Melissa O’Connor, the president and CEO of the group, released a statement saying that she urged the governor to take “immediate action” so as to formulate “an effective, collaborative response to this problem.” “She made it abundantly clear that retail theft prevention will be a priority for her administration, and we look forward to working with her to achieve results,” O’Connor said. A spokesperson for Hochul said that adopting the proposal would have cost the state $35 million — an expenditure that wasn’t allotted in the most recent budget. Law enforcement officials from New York City to Albany to Syracuse have reported increases in incidents of retail theft — blaming the spike on progressive prosecutors who encourages criminal behavior with lenient punishment for shoplifters. Last month, the chief of police in Syracuse said that the city has seen a 55% spike in shoplifting since 2021 — and that’s a conservative estimate. “That number is likely higher because businesses often don’t report it — but they do continue to express concerns,” Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile said. So far this year, the Albany Police Department has fielded 23 calls for larcenies at a single Stewart’s convenience store on Central Avenue — up from 14 at the same time in 2022. The rash of retail thefts at the location forced the owner to shut down. A New York Police Department spokesperson pointed to crime statistics showing that there were more than 93,000 incidents of petty larceny through the end of October — which is 29% higher compared to the same period two years ago but 5% lower compared to the same period last year. Around one-third of all shoplifting arrests in the five boroughs last year involved just 327 people who were collectively arrested and re-arrested a total of more than 6,000 times, according to the NYPD. These 327 alleged shoplifters targeted 18 department stores and seven chain pharmacy locations, which accounted for 20% of all complaints, the NYPD said.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Tuesday, November 28th, 2023. Kepler Education: Kepler is an online marketplace for Classical Christian education that assures parents maintain their agency without forfeiting the assistance and expertise of qualified conservative Christian teachers. Kepler offers university model courses in the classical tradition that fit your schedule and budget. Visit www.kepler.education and use our simple search tool to find the course and teacher that meets your child’s needs. Or simply ask for help to get assistance from a real human being. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/27/talks-under-way-to-extend-israel-hamas-ceasefire-as-return-to-fighting-looms Talks under way to extend Israel-Hamas ceasefire as return to fighting looms Talks are under way to extend the temporary ceasefire in Gaza, with Hamas and Israel both saying they would like to see further releases of hostages in return for freedom for more Palestinians held in Israeli jails. But the ceasefire is due to expire, threatening a return to the bloody fighting and bombardment that has devastated swaths of Gaza, killed many thousands of civilians and caused an acute humanitarian crisis. The third release of prisoners and of mostly Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas took place without major problems on Sunday night. Israel and Hamas have each raised concerns over the lists of hostages and Palestinian prisoners due to be released on Monday, which Qatari mediators are now working to resolve. “There is a slight issue with today’s lists. The Qataris are working with both sides to … avoid delays,” an official briefed on the matter said. Seventeen hostages were released by Hamas on Sunday, including a Russian national and three Thai nationals. The Israelis were all women or children. Thirty-nine Palestinian prisoners, mostly children, were freed from Israeli jails, authorities said. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has said he did not want to end the ceasefire but pledged that Israel would resume its military offensive in Gaza at the end of the truce. Netanyahu, who has promised Israelis he will “crush” Hamas, said he would welcome an extension to allow the release of 10 additional hostages every day in return for freedom for 30 Palestinian prisoners, as agreed under the original deal. Israeli officials insist they will not call off their offensive until they are certain that Hamas no longer poses a threat to Israel. Joe Biden said on Sunday that his administration would “continue to remain personally engaged to see that this deal is fully implemented and work to extend the deal as well”. Local media in Israel reported optimism among senior officials that the truce, which was the result of several weeks of complex indirect negotiations mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt, would be extended. Sixty-two of the more than 240 hostages held by Hamas since last month have been released, one hostage was freed by Israeli forces, and two were found dead inside Gaza. A total of 117 Palestinians have been freed since the truce began. Between 13,000 and 15,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli offensive launched after the Hamas attack, roughly two-thirds of them women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. More than 1 million people have been forced from their homes. The UN says the truce has made it possible to scale up the delivery of food, water and medicine to the largest volume since the start of the war. But the 160 to 200 trucks a day is still less than half what Gaza was importing before the fighting, while humanitarian needs have soared. Details have emerged of the conditions of the detention of some hostages. Local media has reported shortages of food and medicine, and cramped accommodation possibly underground, but no physical mistreatment. According to one report, a former hostage has told his friends that his captors had brought other children to play with him while he was in captivity. Some learned of the fate of relatives from Hebrew-language radio networks they could listen to. Two teenagers learned that their mother had been killed and their father remained missing only when released. Calls from the hostages’ families to prioritise their release have sharpened the dilemma facing Israel’s leaders as they seek to reconcile the military offensive with the goal of freeing all of the captives. https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/11/23/new-biden-rule-reveals-transgender-movements-endgame-no-dissenting-parents-allowed/ Lack of ‘Affirmation’ Is Child Abuse: New Biden Rule Applies Transgender Standard to Foster Care The transgender standard is set to become a litmus test for parenthood, according to the logic of a new policy working its way through the Department of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden. A new rule in HHS’ Administration for Children and Families would apply the idea that any lack of “affirmation” constitutes a form of child abuse to foster care placements. Once that idea takes root in foster care, child protective services agencies might start applying it more broadly. The rule would reinterpret the Social Security Act, which requires agencies to ensure that each child in foster care receives “safe and proper” care. The rule would lay out steps agencies must take to meet that requirement for “LGBTQI+ children,” defined as kids who “identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, as well as children who are non-binary, or have non-conforming gender identity or expression.” Before agencies place a child with a foster parent, known as a “provider,” that person must “establish an environment free of hostility, mistreatment, or abuse based on the child’s LGBTQI+ status;” receive training “to be prepared with the appropriate knowledge and skills to provide for the needs of the child related to the child’s self-identified sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression;” and must be able to “facilitate the child’s access to age-appropriate resources, services, and activities that support their health and well-being.” As the Ethics and Public Policy Center’s Rachel Morrison pointed out for The Federalist Society, the rule does not define “hostility,” “mistreatment,” or “abuse.” However, it does clarify that “a provider who attempted to undermine, suppress, or change the sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression of a child, including through the use of so-called ‘conversion therapy,’ would not be a safe and appropriate placement.” The proposed rule cites medical associations such as the American Psychological Association to claim that efforts to “undermine, suppress, or change” sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression “are not supported by evidence and have been rejected as harmful.” The rule does not acknowledge that gender ideology has infiltrated these medical associations and that many doctors—including those who once embraced gender ideology—have warned against confusing children on their gender and putting them on a path to mutilating their own bodies. Dr. Stephen B. Levine, a psychiatrist and early proponent of transgender medical interventions, joined and briefly helped lead the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association, which later became the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the central medical group that organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association rely upon. European countries, long considered more “progressive” than the U.S., have found a lack of evidence for medical interventions on children and are recommending a “watchful waiting” approach for minors. Yet Levine argues that “affirming” a transgender identity is a “powerful psychotherapeutic intervention” that will set kids on the path to mutilation and sterilization—long before they have any concept about what their own fertility means. Under Biden’s proposed new rule, any potential foster parent who aims to protect a child from this confusion and damage may soon face expulsion from the program. That means the process will be designed to weed out guardians who actually would take good care of the kids and enable guardians who would assist in harming them. California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, signed a bill turning California into a “sanctuary state” for “gender-affirming care,” which the law defines as an absolute right. The law gives California courts the ability to award custody over a child if someone removes the child from his or her parents in another state in order to obtain such “care” for that child despite the parents’ disagreement. https://dailycaller.com/2023/11/27/businesses-diversity-equity-inclusion-economic-uncertainty/ Businesses Ditch ‘Diversity’ Initiatives In Droves Amid Economic Uncertainty Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives lost steam in 2023 compared to previous years as companies increasingly shift resources due to tightening economic condition The total percentage of American organizations with a DEI budget dropped 4 percentage points, from 58% in 2022 to 54% in 2023, while the number of organizations with a DEI strategy fell 9 points in that same time frame, according to a report from a consulting firm. DEI initiatives in the workplace gained huge traction following the death of George Floyd, which encouraged companies to divert resources to the practice, but now “external forces,” including tightening economic conditions as well as public and judicial pressure, are pushing back on those efforts. “After two years of unprecedented investment sparked by 2020’s racial justice movement, this year, global momentum around DEI slowed,” according to the report from Paradigm. “There are a number of headwinds contributing to this shift: the first is economic uncertainty that not only led to reduced spending across the board, it also firmly shifted the power balance back to employers.” Despite the decline in funding, there was a 6-point increase in the number of companies that had a senior DEI leader and an 8-point increase in organizations that had goals related to representation for women in leadership from 2022 to 2023, according to Paradigm. A total of 20% of companies in 2023 had goals related to increasing employment related to race or ethnicity, which is a 4-point increase year-over-year. The shift follows concerns from companies that the Supreme Court could target DEI and race-based hiring in the workplace the same way it struck down race-based admissions at colleges and universities earlier this year. A pair of decisions by the Supreme Court in June involving Harvard and the University of North Carolina cumulatively ruled that using race as a factor in college admissions is not permissible under the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. “Over the past several months, we’ve heard from a number of HR leaders who are de-emphasizing data and analytics as a part of their DEI efforts, in response to the changing legal landscape and increased scrutiny on DEI efforts,” according to the report from Paradigm. Only 26% of companies examine the final results of hiring by race or ethnicity, while 33% analyze promotions in the same manner, according to Paradigm. Around 36% of organizations measured the attrition rate of their employees by race or ethnicity. Businesses pulled back from hiring in October, adding only 150,000 jobs for the month compared to 297,000 in September, while unemployment ticked up to 3.9% from 3.8%. The Leading Economic Index predicted that 2024 will only see 0.8% in the U.S. economy due to a possible recession. https://nypost.com/2023/11/26/business/ny-retailers-blast-hochul-over-theft-which-has-cost-stores-4-4-billion/ NY retailers lost $4.4 billion due to organized shoplifting rings in 2022: group Retailers across New York state say there’s no end in sight to the rising epidemic of organized shoplifting rings — and warn it could lead to more store closures, increased costs for consumers and threats of violence against store employees. Store owners said they lost $4.4 billion last year as a result of retail theft — which they say adds to the urgency for Gov. Kathy Hochul to crack down. However, Hochul vetoed a bipartisan bill last week — to the chagrin of store owners — that would have created a task force to combat organized theft. Hochul rejected a proposal that would have created a 15-member panel made up of experts appointed by the governor, Legislature and the state attorney general that would have put together a list of recommendations to respond to retail theft. The Retail Council of New York State, the Albany-based lobbying group which represents retailers statewide, said it was “extremely disappointed” by Hochul’s veto. Melissa O’Connor, the president and CEO of the group, released a statement saying that she urged the governor to take “immediate action” so as to formulate “an effective, collaborative response to this problem.” “She made it abundantly clear that retail theft prevention will be a priority for her administration, and we look forward to working with her to achieve results,” O’Connor said. A spokesperson for Hochul said that adopting the proposal would have cost the state $35 million — an expenditure that wasn’t allotted in the most recent budget. Law enforcement officials from New York City to Albany to Syracuse have reported increases in incidents of retail theft — blaming the spike on progressive prosecutors who encourages criminal behavior with lenient punishment for shoplifters. Last month, the chief of police in Syracuse said that the city has seen a 55% spike in shoplifting since 2021 — and that’s a conservative estimate. “That number is likely higher because businesses often don’t report it — but they do continue to express concerns,” Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile said. So far this year, the Albany Police Department has fielded 23 calls for larcenies at a single Stewart’s convenience store on Central Avenue — up from 14 at the same time in 2022. The rash of retail thefts at the location forced the owner to shut down. A New York Police Department spokesperson pointed to crime statistics showing that there were more than 93,000 incidents of petty larceny through the end of October — which is 29% higher compared to the same period two years ago but 5% lower compared to the same period last year. Around one-third of all shoplifting arrests in the five boroughs last year involved just 327 people who were collectively arrested and re-arrested a total of more than 6,000 times, according to the NYPD. These 327 alleged shoplifters targeted 18 department stores and seven chain pharmacy locations, which accounted for 20% of all complaints, the NYPD said.

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists.   DESCRIPTION: Sheenaz and Saba of Queer Crescent and Cynthia, Kaiyah, and A of Lavender Phoenix join Cheryl for this week's episode of APEX Express! This first half of the episode dives into the insincerity of pinkwashing and the ways it has been utilized by the Israeli government to exploit LGBTQIA+ rights to distract from their oppressive policies towards Palestinians, both queer and non-queer. Sheenaz and Saba brilliantly expose the ways pinkwashing perpetuates Islamophobia and racist tropes about Palestinians, along with Arab, Muslim, and SWANA communities and shed light on the long history of trans and queer organizing within Palestine, uplifting work of Al Qaws, an organization at the forefront of Palestinian cultural and social change that builds LGBTQ communities and promotes new ideas about the role of gender and sexual diversity in political activism, civil society institutions, media, and everyday life. Queer Crescent urges queer organizations and leaders to speak up, take action, and demand a ceasefire, writing that “As trans, queer and non-binary people we understand too well what is at stake when our self-determination and sovereignty are removed. Palestine is a queer issue, and it is our duty to listen and learn from queer Palestinians who are living under Israeli occupation, and in the imposed Diaspora”. You can sign on to Queer Crescent's ceasefire campaign at bit.ly/PalestineisaQueerIssue. In the second half of the show we are joined by Cynthia, Kaiyah, and A of Lavender Phoenix who emphasize the importance of care within the Palestine Liberation movement, urging our listeners to not fall into feelings of inaction. They highlight the importance of grief routines and using grief and rage as tools for momentum, and ask the provoking difficult question: What could it look like for people to feel as safe at a protest as they feel at home? We also gain intimate insight into the ways Lavender Phoenix has been organizing, as Cynthia, Kaiyah, and A emphasize the interconnectedness of all of our struggles and the interconnectedness of all of our freedoms. IMPORTANT LINKS + RESOURCES: Queer Crescent's website Queer Crescent's Call for Ceasefire Sign-On Queer Crescent's Pinkwashing Resources Al Qaws's website Lavender Phoenix's website SHOW TRANSCRIPT: Cheryl: Good evening. You are tuned into apex express. We are bringing you an Asian American and Pacific Islander point of view from the bay and around the world. I'm your host, Cheryl and tonight is an acre night, which is short for Asian Americans for civil rights and equality. Apex express is proud to be one of the 11 API social justice groups within the acre network, working to advance positive social change. Tonight, we have two very spectacular guests here with us, Shenaaz and Saba from Queer Crescent. It is such an honor to have you both here with us today. Do you mind introducing yourselves? Who are you and who are your people? Saba: Hi, I'm Saba Taj. I am the communications coordinator for Queer Crescent. And, who are my people? Oh gosh, this is a beautiful question, and I think one that, changes at different moments. In large part, I really feel like I am on the side of humanity and Global dignity. As a queer Muslim from the South that struggle for our collective dignity often centers folks whom I share identities with and just more broadly, really thinking about individuals who are marginalized on multiple fronts. And so, yeah, that's a really kind of vague answer. There's a lot of different folks that are included, but, I hope that answers it for you. Shenaaz: Yeah, thanks Cheryl for inviting Saba and I on the show. Hi folks, I'm Shenaaz Janmohamed. I'm the founder and executive director of Queer Crescent. I've been asked this question ” who are my people” at different times and in the past would have this litany of folks that come to mind: parents, queers, misfits, etc. And I think what I'm feeling now and what I've noticed is that litany of folks can sometimes make the world feel smaller. What I'm pushing and striving towards is feeling a sense of home with more and more folks where there's political alignment. There's values alignment. We're struggling together. So this notion of who are my people feels like it's more of a question than it's an answer. And it keeps me hungry for finding more and more.  Cheryl: Wow. Thank you both so much for your thoughtful answers and for setting the tone of our conversation in such a provocative and intentional way.. Do you mind telling us about Queer Crescent, the work that you do, and also about your current cease fire campaign? Shenaaz: Sure, yeah, I can kick us off and then Saba feel free to weigh in. So Queer Crescent, started really as a response to the ways in which many of us, I say queer Muslim and I really mean the range of LGBTQIA plus experiences, trans folks, non binary folks, intersex folks, et cetera. So Queer Crescent really started as a drop-in support group when the Muslim and African travel ban was imposed in 2017. At the time I was working as a mental health worker largely with high schoolers and I also had a private practice. As a queer Muslim recent parent at the time was really feeling like a sense of placelessness and lack of political home where all parts of me would be held whole. And so I put together a support group and it was an overwhelming response in the community. Over 30 people would show up every two weeks. I've lived in the bay for about eight nine years at the time and I was meeting so many different people. Really the seedling of that support group led to this more national organization stretching towards base building and power building with marginal Muslims, queer Muslims. It really was like trying to create a space where we could be held and seen and move from that place of the complexity and the entireties of our identities. In terms of the ceasefire campaign, I'll kind of foreground it and then kick it to Saba, over the last several years that Queer Crescent has grown we've been able to build really solid relationships with other movement partners and other queer organizations. And linking to Palestine solidarity around bodily autonomy has always been something that has been top of mind. The assaults on Gaza are consistent and they have been for many years so when October 7th happened and the assault on Gaza and this genocide has been so intense, it required all hands on deck. Many folks who are committed to the liberation of Palestine have been calling for ceasefire. And so I asked myself, what can Queer Crescent do to play a role in calling for ceasefire and what are the links that are possible to make. Pinkwashing was a natural connect because it is very much a queer issue. Queer organizations like Al Qaws in Palestine and so many others have been talking to us about pinkwashing and making those links. It felt like a good opportunity to call for ceasefire while also doing some political education around the importance of queer people understanding and interrupting and taking on pinkwashing as part of queer liberation. Saba: Shenaaz, I feel like you covered the grounding. That was, I think, perfect. But Cheryl, there's additional questions about the campaign.  Cheryl: Yes! I have many questions. For starters, what is pink washing and Saba I'm taking this line directly from Queer Crescent's ceasefire campaign description, which you wrote. How is pinkwashing used as a strategy to advance Zionist colonial violence? Saba: Yeah. So pinkwashing is a form of propaganda that's used by Israel. The aim of it is ultimately to dehumanize the Palestinian people and use this racist trope that Arabs and Muslims and Middle Eastern SWANA people are anti queer and trans and are ultimately homophobic and backwards. It's part of a larger narrative of these groups of people not being with the times and trying to create some sort of image. Not trying to, but very actively pushing a story that Israel is the place of progress, of freedom, when in fact they are using these stories of Palestinians, Muslims, et cetera, being homophobic as an excuse to dehumanize them as cover for their own violent actions. So it's a distraction from their racist and violent policies, projecting an image of freedom and safety for queer people in Israel that is not in fact true. You can't be for queer liberation while also bombing these people and oppressing this entire group. There's no way for those things to happen at the same time, and I think it's part of a larger strategy that we see also play out in terms of feminism. That story is very familiar, where after 9 11, we have to go save Muslim women from these evil, savage Muslim men, and to do so, we're going to bomb all of these communities.  It's a strategy you utilize to justify violence. It splits our communities in ways like a divide and conquer sort of tactic; this larger story of you can't be queer and Muslim at the same time, or you can't be a feminist and be Muslim at the same time. And that ultimately serves to split our movements and reinforce a racist stereotype that makes the larger public feel that it is justified to behave in violent and oppressive ways towards an entire people through some excuse that they actually don't care about one another. Shenaaz, if you want to jump in. Shenaaz: I appreciate the links you're making and ultimately I think pinkwashing strategies or the splitting that you're talking about requires a betrayal of the self. Only if you betray some part of yourself can you feel a sense of belonging. And as queer people in our queer bodies, we know that is just not the case.  When your experience is being exploited, it's very evident. The work ahead is both combating the colonial violence, making the violence stop, demanding ceasefire now, and the continuous work of continuing to show up in our full selves as queer people, and affirm our sense of belonging within our communities despite both the state violence and the ways in which our belonging is interrupted, both from external forces and internal.  Cheryl: Thank you both so much. I think that imagery of splitting. And the ways pink washing shows up, especially for queer Muslim people is really powerful, especially that line Shenaaz, pink washing requires a betrayal of the self. Could either of you talk a little bit more on the impact of this splitting internally within SWANA communities.  Shenaaz: Well, I don't think that Saba and I could speak to experiences of SWANA folk because neither Saba and I are SWANA, we're both South Asian. I think the ways in which we come into this conversation, as folks who are Muslim who grew up in Muslim community and that adjacent experience, where Queer Crescent's central project is to blow breath into what it means to be a Muslim. And so Muslim multiplicity, nuance, contradictions, self determination around what your relationship to Muslim is, and a self determined Muslim identity. One of the many functions of Islamophobia and anti Muslim racism as an outgrowth of white supremacy is to dehumanize people.  In the case of what Saba was saying earlier, it limits what can be possible of a people. There's this assertion that Muslim communities are inherently homophobic, inherently patriarchal. There were queer Muslim folks prior to colonization. It was the advent of colonization with it's imposed Christian, dogmatic, very strict notions of gender that actually interrupted what was otherwise a much more fluid sense of gender. So part of it is understanding those lineages and that history. And then it's also confronting the realities that are present today.  Saba: Yeah. I think it also really obscures a lot of reality as well.  One that there are queer Palestinians who are organizing and doing this work within their own communities, Al Qaws being folks that we really look to and want to amplify and follow their leadership. But even in the U. S., you can really see clearly this story of we are in the United States, the harbingers of progress, and yet anti trans laws and the oppression, the silencing of queer people and trans people in this country– we haven't solved these things. . It's a story that is used for a particular purpose and that purpose is just to justify war. That is the actual priority. It's not about queer liberation. It feels incredibly obvious that is not actually the priority of the United States or of Israel, especially when if they were actually to be for progress, for queer and trans liberation, by design, that means you would not be moving in these ways. Cheryl: That was perfectly said.  There is the strange dissonance going on with pink washing that, just as you said Saba, has nothing to do with trans and queer liberation at all. I know queer Crescent has compiled a thorough pink washing resource list. How can our listeners access that? Saba: We put out a call to queer orgs to sign on to a letter that outlines that Palestine is a queer issue and is naming pinkwashing in particular as a framework that we need to be very familiar with because it's a copy paste situation. This pinkwashing strategy is used really clearly and blatantly by Israel but also more broadly applied in other circumstances as well. So really calling on queer folks to understand that we have stakes in this and as Organizations as individuals who are committed to that liberation. We must recognize and move in a way that centers Palestine also as a queer issue, connect to it in that way. It is our responsibility. So the letter is online. It's bit.ly/PalestineisaQueerIssue. It can also be found via our Instagram. It's one of the links in our bio as well as the pinkwashing resources, which can be further accessed via that letter. That's a great way to get connected with us. We are also planning some pinkwashing teach ins, so that we can help further this political education and make those connections so folks feel empowered to speak on this issue and bring more folks into calling for a ceasefire, understanding that this is in our broad interest as a community of LGBTQI plus organizations and individuals. Shenaaz: Yeah. The only piece that I would add is this is a really horrific. moment of witnessing genocide and the fight for a free Palestine is a long fight. And so this is also a moment to shore up deeper solidarity. And part of solidarity is supporting people with learning the ways in which they, our struggles are connected.  And again really helping queer people understand pink washing, both as such a well oiled used tool of Israel and its settler colonial project and occupation of Palestine, but also the ways in which Israel is this. Model for other colonial powers to learn from through military, through cops and also pinkwashing.  We see, for example, India adopting pinkwashing strategies as well to again blur its power and its own project of ethnic cleansing of Muslims, Dalits, Christians, and anyone who doesn't subscribe to the Hindu fascist notion Modi and his government is trying to push. And so it's also really important for queer people to understand this strategy of pinkwashing, to interrupt the Israeli propaganda, but also to notice and be on alert for other colonial and state forces that also use pinkwashing to further other political gains that are in direct opposition to us having safety and bodily autonomy and freedoms. Cheryl: All of these amazing resources will also be linked within our show notes. For maybe one of the final questions do you mind expanding more about this interconnectedness between all of our movements, how to quote from the ceasefire campaign “as a queer Muslim org we recognize that there is no queer trans non binary and femme Muslim liberation without Palestine. Could you expand on this a little bit more? Saba: Yeah. the interconnectedness of our struggles is just such a critical piece, that shows up in this moment and so many others. And I can track that and name as a queer Muslim person, the Black Lives Matter movement was also integral. When we think about our freedom, we must always be looking towards how we can disrupt, dismantle systems of oppression, of policing, of dehumanization that are perpetuated across so many different lines. And that connection I think is really critical because it becomes so easy to think about safety on an individual level. How can I personally be comfortable? How can I personally be safe? But oftentimes what that requires within a capitalist framework is somebody else not being safe.  As long as our systems of safety are contingent on the oppression of one or many groups, none of us are actually safe. If you look deep into policy, just to further articulate this, the Patriot Act not only impacted Muslims in the U. S. and more broadly, but immigrants. We're not only Muslim, you see that police violence in the U. S. is not disconnected. Anti blackness that is so obvious and rife in our policing in the United States is also in relationship with Israel. Much of the police across the nation is trained by Israeli IDF. And if we're not actually seeing those connections, then ultimately we are not dismantling those larger systems that serve to direct their violence, their silencing towards different groups at different times, but ultimately all serve to uphold white supremacy.  I think it can be very tempting when it feels like the target is not specifically on our own back to feel like maybe we can find some safety by being close have some proximity to whiteness in different moments. And we really need to resist that urge. Even when they're not looking directly at us, if there is a group of people who are being named as enemy, who are being actively dehumanized whether that is subtle or blatant, that is all of our business, and those are strategies that will be certainly used against us at a different time when it's in the interest of consolidating white supremacy.  These strategies can be used to target so many of us. Also this notion that we are separate groups is also often not the case. There is overlap so we must, at all turns, be on the side of liberation, on the side of pushing for community care, as opposed to our money going towards violence, which is the root of so much of this. The interests of the  S. and Israel is power at the expense of people, not actually about how to care for their own people.  Shenaaz: Yeah, if I could just build on that as well. I think that's such an important point that you're making when there is one community that is facing assault in this case, Palestine and Palestinian liberation movement organizers. It also becomes a moment where harmful policies and decisions are made in rapid fire to your point around the Patriot Act. For example, right now there is the potential of a reauthorization of section 702, which is a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and Queer Crescent is a part of many other Muslim progressive organizations that are trying to resist this. But this moment of increased violence against Palestinians that is being met by mass mobilization in the form of protest, of shutting things down, deep solidarity is being met from the elected official side and the state side with more more strategies for repression. We're seeing much more police force at protest. And then we're seeing things like the reauthorization and the expansion of the surveillance apparatus and the surveillance state. And so while that is Popping up in response to the swell of solidarity with Palestine, everyone will suffer under more expansion of surveillance, not just Palestinians, not just Muslims, right. So it is then both our responsibility to be in solidarity as people who are committed to liberation for a free Palestine, but is also tactically and strategic for us to be stronger together. And those that are the most vulnerable under increased suppression and surveillance are those that the most on the margins, be it poor working class, disabled, queer, trans, sex workers, incarcerated, et cetera. There's always so many things happening simultaneously and we need each other, you know, in short. Cheryl: We do need each other. Well, Shenaaz, Saba, thank you both so, so much for being on tonight's show. For all of our listeners out there, to stay in contact and to keep up with Queer Crescent's work, Shenaaz, do you mind reminding us one last time how our listeners can keep up with Queer Crescent?  Shenaaz: Yeah you can follow us, our website is queercrescent.org. Thanks to Saba, we have a pretty active social media presence through Instagram, so it's @queercrescent. And then the amazing, resources and call for ceasefire, is at bit.ly/PalestineisaQueerIssue  Thank you so much for having us on, Cheryl, and I think it's really important before we end to give a strong solidarity and love to Al Qaws, the Palestinian queer organization in Palestine, who have been talking to many of us about pinkwashing, about resisting colonialism, and about really centering liberation and queerness as two things that are not mutually exclusive, but part of the same liberation project. They've got great resources, really encourage folks to support them, learn from them and follow their lead in the ways that we are trying to do with this campaign.  Cheryl: Thank you so much Shenaaz for ending us on such a great note, the link to Al Qaws' website and socials will be also linked in our show notes. Now before I introduced our next guests, we're going to do a quick music break. This song is “Anger (DPT)” by the Khamsa Music Project. Hope you enjoy.   PT2: LAVENDER PHOENIX   Welcome back to the show, everyone. You are tuned in to APEX Express on 94.1 KPFA and 89.3 KPFB in Berkeley and online at kpfa.org.. You were just listening to “Anger (H.T.P.)” by the Khamsa Music Project. We've reached the final half of our show where we're joined by Cynthia, Kaiyah, and A– three incredible organizers and members of Lavender Phoenix. Lavender Phoenix along with APEX Express are two of the eleven AAPI social justice groups within the AACRE network working to advance social change. It is such a great pleasure and honor to have the three of you here with us on the show. Do you mind introducing yourself for our listeners here tonight? Who are you and who are your people?  Cynthia: Of course, thanks Cheryl for having us. I'll get us started. My name is Cynthia. I use they/them pronouns. I am the lead organizer at Lavender Phoenix. I'll pass it to Kaiyah.  Kaiyah: Hello. Hello. I'm Kaiyah. I use they and he pronouns. I've been a Community Safety Committee member for a couple years and a volunteer for much longer. I'll pass it to A. A: Hi hi, my name is A. I use she/her pronouns, and I've been a Community Safety Committee member since 2021 and also a volunteer slash person who hung around before then. Cheryl: Thanks for indulging me in that quick Round Robin. Can you tell our listeners who is Lavender Phoenix, and what is the role that LavNix plays within the movement for Palestinian liberation?  Cynthia: Yeah, of course. Here at Lavender Phoenix, we organize with trans and queer Asians and Pacific Islanders here in the Bay Area. We build power through our organizing, inspire and train grassroots leaders, transform our values from scarcity to abundance, and we also build vibrant intersectional movements. We work with our youth, but we also have a community of elders and our history has been a lot of intergenerational work and oral histories. And as trans and queer Asians and Pacific Islanders, I think it's important for us to know how deep in our legacy our relationship with state violence is. We have lessons from the AIDS epidemic, and we also need to stand on the lessons that we experience from our homelands. From all of this, we know that organizing in solidarity right now with Palestinians is actually the best way to make that argument for true healing and safety. All the money that's going into this war, violence, and the prison industrial complex, those are resources that could actually go towards healing our earth, feeding our people, housing people. They actually call Palestine an open air prison, and we know that we have better ways to spend our money, better things to do with our time, than to incarcerate and murder people. We want to mourn for our dead, and we fight like hell for the living. And we know that right now, it is not just an actual war, but there's a war in ideology. Are we going to go for weapons and corporate greed, or are we going to fight for a new world? Kaiyah: Yeah, I was gonna kind of go off what Cynthia said about how our struggles are connected. The money that is going to weapons, going to fuel the military, to take people's lives in Palestine. That money could be used instead to uplift life all around the world and also here in the US where people are houseless. People don't have enough food. People don't have their basic needs met. Safety could be realized in a very practical way instead of using it to take people's lives. And for me, I was thinking about how to become more human is to be aware that we're all connected. And this isn't just like a pretty thing to say, cause literally we're seeing money being sent over there could be used differently. A lot of different cultures and different organizations I've been a part of really hold this value that we're all connected. You hear people say things about Ubuntu and Kapwa– that I am because of who we are and I guess I've developed this sense of connectedness to other people across the world and people in Palestine– many of whom I've never met. I was thinking about why I felt so connected to it. I definitely had this sense that like. I'm seeing my siblings across the world suffering and in pain. What else can I do but try to stop that pain? I see my siblings across the world in Israel are harming others and causing pain. What can I do except to ask them and demand of them to do differently to stop hurting others. We wrote in our organization's plan that to support Palestine is to support our own liberation as well.  Palestinian struggle is our struggle and Palestinian futures are our futures. So that's kind of how I've been thinking about it. I don't know if you want to add anything, A?  A: That's so beautiful Kaiyah.  Yeah, and absolutely resonate with all of that. I guess the last thing I'll add is that I think we also have a really unique opportunity as Asian Americans, as people living in the heart of empire. This is happening overseas, but it's very much a result of our government. The United States is ultimately the most culpable here. So I think as people living here, as people who are voting our representatives into office, who give that legitimacy to our government, I think we both have a responsibility, but also a unique power that most people in the world don't have. That is such a unique opportunity that we have as Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Yeah, we're a marginalized group here, but we're still, relatively speaking, have so much strength in both our position and privilege and also in the ways that we connect to each other. Cheryl: Thank you all so much for speaking to that. From Cynthia and Kaiyah, we're hearing the interconnectedness of all of our struggles to Palestine, and also from A, the positionality and as a result responsibility we have as people within the global north who are complicit within this genocide.  Before we continue this incredible conversation. We're going to take a short music break. Go ahead, grab some water and maybe a snack. And we'll be right back after we listened to “Power Struggle” by Kultural Worker  And we're back. You were tuned into apex express on 94.1 KPFA and 89.3 KPFB in Berkeley and online at kpfa.org.. I'm here in conversation with Cynthia, Kaiyah, and A from Lavender Phoenix, a grassroots organization, building trans and queer API power in the bay area. You were just listening to “Power Struggle” by Kultural Worker. Now let's get back to the show.  The next question I have for you all revolves around how a lot of Asian Americans, by way of class privilege or otherwise, are decidedly apolitical even though our existences themselves, as you all have been saying, are extremely political and are extremely interconnected within the Palestinian struggle for liberation. How do we get our communities thinking and taking action on this?  A: I can take a first pass, because this is something I truly think about all the time, you know, how do we collect our people? I feel like it really goes back to what Kaiyah was just saying about our humanity is all connected, and to care about other people is to also care about ourselves. It's really hard to do, but this key piece of how do you get people to see that systems of oppression, even if they ostensibly benefit you and guarantee you real material privilege, they also detract from your humanity, and they also make your lives actively materially worse in a lot of ways, or spiritually worse in a lot of ways. I really struggle with how to implement that. It's a hard thing to convey. In movement spaces, over time I, finally, like, you know, got it. But I think that is really what the work is, right? Even if you are not at the bottom of a hierarchy, even if you're at the top of a hierarchy, a system of oppression dehumanizes the oppressor too. Kaiyah: I really feel that. I, I really feel like in this time, there's been a lot of spiritual growth as people are seeing just what is truly important in life. I've been hearing so many people talk about how what's important has become crystal clear as they see people across the world having their lives taken and being like, wow, we really have to do something about this. I'm going to kind of take it a different direction. In general, I think something I often see is that people who care about what's happening to other people who are being oppressed become really overwhelmed with grief and the feelings that come with witnessing something terrible and either become stuck in that and become stuck in inaction because they're overwhelmed, or detach from it because they're not sure what else they can do. Maybe they attempt to take some action, but then it feels futile. Is this actually making an impact? I guess what I'm trying to talk about right now is what can give people hope so that they feel like mobilizing is worth it and mobilizing can be effective. How do we get to that and that? Those things I named around inaction definitely apply to me. In the past I would attempt to organize. I would be like, is this really working? How do I even know it's working? God. Or just feeling like I can't engage with this. I'm I'm going to cry my eyeballs out if I think about this for more than five seconds. So I want to share about two main things that have helped move me from hopelessness and overwhelm into action and to stay there. So the first one is a practice of welcoming and making space for grief in my life, grief and rage. Grief and rage is often trying to remind me of what I yearn for, what I'm missing, what I care for, and what I deeply love. People say grief is love with no place to go, right? So I try to spend time with this grief to give it a place to go and do things to help it flow through me. Not to distract from it, not to get rid of it, but to let it move; to let it be. So I might like scream in my car. I might say to myself okay I'm really feeling this grief and rage today, what do I want to do? Okay, maybe i'm gonna scream my car. I'm going to listen to loud music. I'm going to go by a walk by the water. I've also been making a lot of altars and just giving thanks in nature to feel connected to what's in the world and feel like nature's helping me hold all these feelings. I might go to the gym to run out my feelings or talk to a friend. And all these things help me feel the grief and rage and let it move through me instead of sitting there and overwhelming me and demobilizing me. So instead that grief and rage can take the form of love and the care that it's trying to express. It's like I'm able to take all this pain I feel for my siblings in Gaza so that it fuels me to act instead of preventing me from acting through that overwhelm. The second thing I want to share that kind of moves me from hopelessness into action is to hone my understanding of strategy. I feel like nothing feeds hopelessness for me like pointless action, or action where the outcome and purpose is so unclear or if I'm not sure how its impact is going to play out. So for my actions to feel purposeful, I need to know, one, what is the outcome of my action? And two, how does that outcome fit into a larger plan or strategy? How does it feed into an overall goal of Palestinian liberation, per se? For example, I might tell myself, okay, I know that some protests are meant to be a part of many protests internationally that together are meant to draw more media attention or put more pressure on representatives. Other protests might happen even when the goal seems futile because to stay silent and let it happen without a fight would be even more damaging to our spirits. Maybe it serves some other purposes. Some other protests might be to directly intervene on organizations that are sending weapons and supplies and resourcing oppressive systems across the globe. Some protests are meant to directly slow that down or grind that industry to a halt. There's much more, but those are just some examples of things I think about when I go to a protest to make it really clear to myself what the function is of each action I'm a part of so I'm clear about how my little bit adds to a much larger goal, and it doesn't feel futile. And I know what the risks are, what the outcomes could be and what I'm fighting for in really certain terms, so I can have faith in my own impact. So I just want to share that long chunk as a hope that it might give other people some insight of how they might want to move out of hopelessness and let that grief and rage take another form. Cheryl: Thank you so much, Kaiyah. I was giving myself a hug just listening to you speak. It's important that we feel more rather than just feel better. We can hold all of these nuances without looking away. Cynthia, is there anything you wanted to add to that? Cynthia: I think today we're recording the Trans Day of Remembrance, and I know that this week, there is a holiday. I would encourage us to actually be celebrating the Indigenous Peoples Day. This theme of grief, rage, what we do with it, how we not let it immobilize us. I think is so sharp. This question about strategy too, because it has been 75 years of occupation, I'm actually really grateful for the leadership of Palestinians in this moment. This question of what do we do with this energy and how I've seen them move hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people all across this world to stand in solidarity. That is because of that strategy. And really, let's just get sharp. It's not just the politicians, but the weapons; manufacturing; the tech. It's all connected. How do we put our pressure where power is and contest for that? .  Cheryl: As I'm listening to all of you speak, I'm hearing so much about the importance of taking care of our spirits as important and integral part of our strategy. I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about the importance of care and collectiveness within the Lavender Phoenix's organization and structure, and how it aligns itself with Palestinian liberation?  A: I think something that I noticed that was really interesting when this latest slate of intensified violence started is people in LavNix started with, I'm going to this protest, who's coming? Then, people were pulling together Signal chats, and we were all coming together, but it was, like everyone had this urge to do something, and LavNix provided that home to do that and resources to do that. I know if I go to a protest I will have a group of people to meet up with there, and be safe with there. LavNix provides this base that allows us to take strategic, powerful action, and that's only possible because of all of the building that we have been doing before this point, like the work of our Community Safety Committee training folks on de-escalation practice, and now that folks are trained, they can go volunteer as protest marshals and do community safety work in that way. Or our healing justice committee providing peer counseling support for folks and helping folks be emotionally grounded so then in a moment of really intense violence, there's like a higher baseline of stability that allows us to do more. I think it's especially helpful in this moment. because it creates an organized resource group of people that can then go take action that is risky and difficult sometimes.  Kaiyah: Yeah, I have been really appreciating how I have an organization to organize with. I have a group of people to organize with in this moment that is Lavender Phoenix, because I see so many people asking right now, Oh, I want to do something. How do I help? And while I believe that everyone can get involved and everyone can mobilize themselves if they would like to, it also is really helpful that we've already had that sense of trust built. We know each other so we can ask each other to join up on higher risk actions because we know how to work together already , whereas we wouldn't be able to ask that to a completely new stranger. Something else I was thinking about in terms of caring for each other at protests was actually a conversation I was having with another Lavender Phoenix member the other day, so I'm stealing this from them. They were asking, “What could it look like for people to feel as safe as a protest as they feel at home?” Not that we were thinking that we're ever going to get there per se, but it was just something we want to think about because I want people who join protests and actions to take really informed risks and be trained in what to expect and how they can maybe react in those situations, especially in escalated situations if that happens.  On a personal level, the way I feel healing and care is showing up is again, it's similar to those grief routines. I'll often set aside time to just be really silent after a protest and be by myself, make sure I have a meal prepped at home. Maybe take some time to listen to sad music, really do my thing to move through those feelings because I can often feel really disoriented and kind of discombobulated from all the adrenaline after a protest, or maybe even more sad because it's got me thinking about everything happening to my Palestinian siblings, so that's how healing and care is showing up. Did you want to add anything, Cynthia?  Cynthia: I would say it has been special to see how our membership has kind of snowballed into this collective action Started with a few of us. And then there were maybe 10 of us, 20 of us, and then at one point there were 50 of us, and it was I think a testament to trans and queer APIs just feeling that connection, feeling that love, wanting to put that love into action and do that with our community, because we know we keep us safe and we have something to contribute to the broader movement around us. Like we know we can bring that and where we organize, we contribute a lot. And so it's something to be really grateful for.  Kaiyah: Yes, I feel so grateful as well. Cheryl: I'm feeling so grateful for this conversation and I'm so grateful that organizations like Lavender Phoenix exist and can cultivate these strong senses of communities. And really y'all do such a great job. Cynthia, do you mind letting us know what are ways that people can follow and stay in touch with Lavender Phoenix and what y'all are up to?  Cynthia: Yeah, of course. We are celebrating a new graduating class of Rise Up members. Our organization, we're doing things externally, but also building internally. You can find us on Instagram @lavphoenix. You Google us, you'll find our website as well. Keep in touch. We'd love to see you around. Kaiyah: Trans and queer Asian and Pacific Islander people, come find us. .  Cheryl: And that's the end of our show. Please check out our website, kpfa.org to learn more about Queer Crescent and Lavender Phoenix.   We'd We'd like to thank all of our listeners out there. Keep dreaming folks. A better world is possible.   Apex express is produced by Miko Lee, Paige Chung, Jalena Keane-Lee, Preeti Mangala Shekar. Shekar, Anuj Vaidya, Kiki Rivera, Swati Rayasam, Nate Tan, Hien Nguyen, Nikki Chan, and Cheryl Truong   Tonight's show was produced by me, cheryl. Thanks to the team at KPFA for all of their support. And thank you for listening!    The post APEX Express – 11.23.23 Queers for a FREE PALESTINE appeared first on KPFA.

Are LGBTQI+ born this way or is it just a social construct restricting a path to holiness? In this episode of the Parousia Podcast, Charbel Raish talks to James Parker, facilitator of True Identity International, a network that supports those struggling with sexuality, gender and identity issues. James talks about his work and his inspiring faith journey from LGBTQI activist to Catholicism. True Identity Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/trueidentity... True Identity YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@trueidentity... ------------------------------ Join the Parousia mailing list at https://www.parousiamedia.com/mailing... Parousia is committed to proclaiming the fullness of truth! If you wish to help us in our mission with a donation please visit our website here ------------------------------ https://www.parousiamedia.com/donate/ to learn ways that you can contribute.

Hoevember, saamgestel deur die bekroonde kunstenaar La-Toya Mwoombola, beter bekend as Lioness, is 'n jaarlikse geleentheid wat daarop gemik is om die veiligheid van vroue en die LGBTQI+-gemeenskap in Namibië te vereer. Die dag is geskep om vroue en die gemeenskap 'n wêreldklas ervaring van lewendige vermaak, mode en kos te gee. Die vierde uitgawe vind eerskomende Saterdag by Palm Tree Park in die hoofstad plaas. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het met Lioness gepraat oor die belangrikheid van die geleentheid. Sy verduidelik dat dit 'n veilige ruimte vir vroue en lede van die LGBTQ+-gemeenskap wil skep.

Daniel recounts the meaningful form of lying.Daniel Lavery is the cofounder of The Toast, served as Slate's Dear Prudence from 2016–2021, and the author of Something That May Shock and Discredit You. He performed this story at Sydney Writers Festival.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au and follow Queerstories on Facebook.The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia.To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NSW주내에서 발생했던 다수의 미제 살인사건이 성소수자를 겨냥한 증오범죄였는지의 여부를 밝히기 위한 특별조사위원회의 재조사가 마무리됐다. 지난 18개월 동안 이어진 이번 조사의 결론은 무엇일까?

En México, asesinan a tiros a Carlos Manuel Flores Amezcua.Un ex delincuente ayuda a un oficial en medio del fuego cruzado y ahora es un héroe.Inmigrantes rechazan un refugio en  Nueva York.Trump sigue planificando la deportación de migrantes.Donald Trump Junior compareció nuevamente en la corte.Declarado estado de emergencia en L.A. por cierre en autopista tras incendio.Wegovy estaría reduciendo los riesgos de problemas cardiovasculares.La corte suprema de justicia aprobó su primer código de ética.Hamas dijo estar dispuesto a liberar hasta 70 rehenes.Escucha de lunes a viernes el ‘Noticiero Univision Edición Nocturna' con Maity Interiano y León Krauze. 

Bernie shares her experiences with the supernatural.Best known as a judge from The New Inventors and her many years with ABC Science, Bernie Hobbs is an award-winning science writer and broadcaster. She performed this story at the World Science Festival in Brisbane.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au and follow Queerstories on Facebook.The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia.To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I had a great conversation with Chris Cheers, a passionate psychologist and educator from Melbourne. He's dedicated to creating safe spaces for mental health and has expertise in serving artists, creatives, and the LGBTQI+ community. In our chat, we explored various aspects of life, psychology, and mental well-being, including self-care and caring for others (and how to do both simultaneously), identity, and creating a meaningful life. I admire Chris for his openness and insights both personally and professionally, which I bet is equally reflected in his newly released book 'The New Rulebook.' I dare say you might want to check it out after listening to our conversation! SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au CHRIS CHEERS Website: chrischeers.com TIFFANEE COOK Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches Website: rollwiththepunches.com.au LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiffaneecook/ Facebook: facebook.com/rollwiththepunchespodcast/ Instagram: instagram.com/rollwiththepunches_podcast/ Instagram: instagram.com/tiffaneeandcoSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter Pumpkinhead proclaims that "Any kind of love is alright" and gets nailed to a chunk of wood for saying so. What does that tell us about XTC's attitude to love and human relationships? In particular, how welcoming does this heterosexual band seem to those who aren't heterosexual themselves? This episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast looks at XTC from an LGBTQI+ perspective. Guest host Darryl Bullock is joined by Keeley Moss, Tim Kendrick and Soizic De St John Rosse to talk about everything from The Loving to Towers of London. Music by Tim Pike and Slowrush. Darryl Bullock Keeley 2025 XTC Fans Festival, Friday 20–Sunday 22 June 2025 Slowrush What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book available from www.xtclimelight.com If you've enjoyed What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, please show your support at https://www.patreon.com/markfisher Thanks to the Pink Things, Humble Daisies and Knights in Shining Karma who've done the same. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Embark on a journey with host Billy Hallowell exploring a deep friendship between two academics with wildly opposing views but who both attest to the boundless love of God on this week's podcast. This week's Unbelievable features an insightful discussion featuring two individuals with contrasting LGBTQI+ faith journeys as they delve into the intersection of faith, sexuality, and the Bible. The debate is between two gay Christians who have arrived at distinctly different interpretations of the Bible's teachings on sexual ethics, marriage, and human relationships. As a young man Dr. David Bennett perceived Christianity as an adversary to LGBTQI+ freedom. Shaped by early encounters with prejudice and homophobia, he embraced life as a gay activist. Opposite David is Dr. Taylor Telford, an academic theologian whose journey led her from an evangelical upbringing to a progressive perspective, especially concerning gay marriage. Taylor serves as the Associate Pastor for Imaginative Worship at a PC(USA) congregation in Spokane, WA, and as adjunct faculty at Whitworth University and The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. David Bennett's transformative conversion to Christianity, unfolded in a gay bar in his native Australia, and propelled him on a profound theological quest that ultimately led him to embrace an historically orthodox sexual ethic. Identifying as gay, a Christian, and living a celibate life, David is currently a postdoctoral research fellow and theologian at the University of Oxford, England. As the Anglican's General Synod meets this coming week and it appears gay and lesbian/ same-sex attracted Christians whatever their theological convictions are upset with the way Bishops have suggested implementing the Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF) in the Church of England, this is an unmissable episode of Premier Unbelievable. Read David's story https://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Loves-Bennett-David/dp/0310538106/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699556413&sr=8-1 • Subscribe to the Unbelievable? podcast: https://pod.link/267142101 • More shows, free eBook & newsletter: https://premierunbelievable.com • For live events: http://www.unbelievable.live • For online learning: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/training • Support us in the USA: http://www.premierinsight.org/unbelievableshow • Support us in the rest of the world: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/donate

Alison is plagued by indecision when choosing between two seemingly perfect job opportunities in Germany.Dr Alison Wright is a Scientist at Griffith University working in the Office for Research. Her research specialised in Spinal Cord Injury stem cell treatments, and chemical tissue clearing microscopy techniques. As a prominent transgender scientist, she has been involved in outreach and advocacy to highlight LGBT individuals in STEM.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au and follow Queerstories on Facebook.The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia.To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joni attempts to launch a rocket while discreetly transitioning; or she attempts to discreetly transition while launching a rocket.Dr Joni Sytsma is an aerospace engineer who began her career at the United States Air Force Research Laboratory before moving to Australia to join the Hypersonic International Flight Research Experiment program with Defence Science and Technology group. Today, Dr Sytsma is the Chief Technology Officer of the Innovative Launch, Automation, Novel Materials, Communications and Hypersonics program, a collaboration between Universities and Industry to develop Australia's sovereign space capability.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au and follow Queerstories on Facebook.The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia.To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

La gerente Laura LeCave nos visitó para darnos información de los muchos servicios que su organización no lucrativa “positive images” (imágenes positivas) ofrecen a la comunidad. Invitan a jóvenes y jovencitas que gusten apoyo o busquen un lugar donde se sientan bienvenidxs a visitar sus oficinas. Padres que necesiten apoyo para apoyar mejormente a sus jóvenes y jovencitas LGBTQI+ también pueden beneficiarse. Para más información pueden llamar 707 568-5830 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/rafael-vazquez7/support

"I suddenly felt that I don't belong, till then I felt that I was a part of this group. And at that moment, for me, it was like, no, I don't belong. I don't feel that I would want after the two got over to continue. You know, my friendship, you know,because very often people say that it's important to have discourse, have discussed with people. And then if you really think that I've spent my lifetime doing that, and at some point, you're exhausted in constantly trying to validate your identity. And now I'm at a point of life where I am like, it's your shortcoming. And it's not my job in life. It's not my duty, to spend my time energy effort to constantly educate people, about learning to respect someone else." Onir is an Indian filmmaker, producer, screenwriter and editor. Born as Anirban Dhar in Samchi, Bhutan, Onir spent much of his childhood going to the cinema. He received a scholarship to study film editing at SFB/TTC in Berlin but returned to India and worked as an editor, scriptwriter, art director, music album producer and song/music video director. In 1992,Onir directed and produced his first Documentary film on the painter Bijon Chaudhary, “Falling Hero”. He is best known for his film “My Brother...Nikhil”, based on the life of Dominic D'Souza, starring Sanjay Suri, Juhi Chawla and Purab Kohli. It was one of the first mainstream Hindi films to deal with AIDS and same-sex relationships. Onir won the Indian National Film awards for Best Film in Hindi for the anthology “I AM” in 2011. I AM is considered one of the first and largest crowd-funded and crowd-sourced film through social media in India. The film dealt with single motherhood, child sexual abuse, displacement and LGBTQI rights. Onir has also the received Likho Award (Trailblazer Award), the Diversity Award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in 2019 and in 2020 the Engendered Spirit of Independent Cinema Award at the Engendered Human Rights Film Festival in Delhi. In June 2022, Onir finished shooting, PINE CONE, a queer love story which is written by Ashwini Malik and Onir. It is currently in post-production. It is loosely based on Onir's memoir; I Am Onir and I Am Gay which he has co-written with his sister Irene Dhar Malik and published by Penguin Viking. In August 2023, PINE CONE, a queer love story which is written by Ashwini Malik and Onir received the "Rainbow Warrior Award” and the "Rainbow stories Award" given by the Minister of Equality, Australia at IffMelbourne. This was followed by Honorary mention Best Feature at the International South Asian Film festival, Canada. It premiered at The KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival in June 2023. To stay up to date, follow @SmitaTharoor on Smita Tharoor (@SmitaTharoor) / Twitter or Smita Tharoor (@smitatharoor) | Instagram and follow the podcast on your favorite streaming service.

*** Warning: This episode discusses sexuality, sexual health and sexual trauma and may not be appropriate for all audiences.*** This week we spoke to Dr. Alyse Bedell! Dr. Bedell specializes in  psychogastroenterology and is a certified sexual health counselor at the University of Chicago IBD Center. She has specialized training and knowledge in how stress, anxiety and depression can affect digestive health. Dr. Bedell works with patients struggling with a range of gastrointestinal conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease. and using her expertise to help her patients cope with their condition and improve their gastrointestinal symptoms. Dr. Bedell is able to assist patients in better understanding and managing their symptoms through a holistic approach that addresses both physical and emotional components. We spoke to her about sexual health and IBD including how sexuality can be affected by IBD and disease symptoms. We talked about intimacy and how people with IBD can increase their intimacy with their partners, working with people in the LGBTQI+ community, working with people who have experience sexual trauma and how to educate providers in responding empathetically to that experience, and so much more. This was such an interesting and educational conversation. Please keep in mind that the views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and should not be considered medical or legal advice. Please consult with your healthcare team on any changes to your disease, diet, or treatment. We want you to stay safe and healthy! ;) Links:  AASECT- American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists- find a sexual health therapist. Sex and Intimacy Fact Sheet- Crohn's & Colitis Foundation- USA Sex and Relationships- Crohn's & Colitis UKLet's get social!!Follow us on Instagram!Follow us on Facebook!Follow us on Twitter!

¿Cómo se ve la justicia? En este episodio exploramos por qué la justicia es un asunto que como sociedad nos afecta a todos. Lo hacemos con Denisse Rentería, abogada en el Colectivo Algaraza, donde desarrollan proyectos de base comunitaria desde un enfoque de reinserción social de adolescentes. Y con Betty Maldonado de Mujeres Unidas x la Libertad sobre la violación de los derechos humanos en el sistema penitenciario, en especial de mujeres y personas LGBTQI+. Sin duda, una charla muy interesante sobre la justicia y la reinserción social.

Jesse reflects on the way her activism has shifted over the years, and the people who were fundamental to her work and life.Dr Jesse Hooley is a 78er and was part of the Transgender Liberation Coalition in the 90s – a story she'll be sharing with you tonight. Jesse went on to an academic career, teaching sociology, and having retired recently, she has devoted her energies once more to trans activism, as well as watercolour painting.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au and follow Queerstories on Facebook.The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia.To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who would have guessed that a bet with friends would kick start a career as a female impersonator and have you performing before royalty?

David-Jack Fletcher is an award-winning Australian author, specialising in LGBTQI+ horror fiction. He dabbles in comedy-horror and dark fiction, but his true love is body horror. His debut novella, The Haunting of Harry Peck, is a 2022 Amazon international best-seller across several lists including Gay Fiction, Horror, and Two-Hour Literature. Raven's Creek (2023) won the Bookstagram Award for LGBTQ+ Novel of the Year, and is also a best-seller. He has also appeared in several anthologies across the US, Canada, and the UK. David-Jack's next novel is due for release in 2024, titled, The Count, which is a psychological body horror focusing on bloodlust and the looming certainty of death. He is also a qualified editor, operating a small online business, Chainsaw Editing, where he specialises in copyediting and developmental editing for horror/thriller, dark fiction, mystery/suspense, and the occasional historical romance. More recently, David-Jack co-founded Slashic Horror Press, which focuses on queer horror. When not writing and editing, David-Jack can be found on the couch with a book, cuddling his dogs and his husband.

In this stressful world, there are many things we can do to alleviate our suffering and the world's, but there's only so much we can change. That's when it becomes important to realize the ways in which we are powerless, and to take refuge from the resulting stress. In this talk, David Lewis shares that true refuge is not a place or a person, it is within us. We can find peace and serenity regardless of what is happening outside of us.David likens mindfulness practice to the 'Home' button on an iPad tablet. When we get confused or anxious, we can use it to return again to a familiar starting point. Just as in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy discovered that her red shoes were the key to returning home, when we pause for a moment, we will realize that we are always at home if we can only appreciate it. ______________David Lewis has been following the dharma path for 50 years and has a degree in comparative religious studies.  He teaches at several Buddhist sanghas around the Bay Area and offers a weekly meditation group for seniors (currently on Zoom) at OpenHouse, a nonprofit serving LGBTQI+ seniors.  He's always happy to return to the Gay Buddhist Fellowship, where he gave his first dharma talk in 2008. Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

Getting into a relationship is one thing, the dichotomy of being in one can be entirely different. After the honeymoon is over, the real work begins in a relationship. ”Relationship Dynamics” are the patterns of behavior that happen between couples in the way you relate, interact, and communicate with each other. Let's be honest, things change once you get into a relationship as you maneuver through the various stages of life. Being in different stages of life is taxing on a relationship – whether it's due to an age difference, time spent away from one another, or growing apart in terms of interest and life goals. We all know, when you don't feel connected to your partner, you will definitely feel the impact on your relationship. Let's have a conversation about what's on the inside…. Lamont White, The Gay Dating Coach, is a professional matchmaker, dating coach, and couples counselor for gay men in the United States.  Since 2014, he has matched hundreds of single guys and even helped a few guys get married – AND nationally recognized as a relationship expert helping gay men maintain healthy relationships. Scales-White was a cast member on Bravo TV's “Love Match Atlanta.” He is currently is the host of “Shoot Your Shot Wednesdays”, where LGBTQI+ singles answer insightful, funny, and spicy questions about being single live on Instagram: @thegaydatingcoach. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hesaidhesaidhesaidlive/message

Presenting the sound of work of a Slovak bellfounder who has been commisisoned also in abroad. Commemorating 1 year since the first ever terrorist attack in Slovakia leaving dead two members of the LGBTQI+ community, we get back to the interview with poet Michal Tallo. 12 October is the Day of samizdat.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Tuesday, October 10th, 2023. Gravity Jack: Gravity Jack is a full service digital agency specializing in the development of Virtual & Augmented Reality experiences, mobile apps, blockchain and Web3 projects. Founded in 2009 as the first American agency to offer augmented reality, they even patented it; Gravity Jack's digital experiences have been a source of innovation for small business, Fortune 500 Companies, and the US Military. Get your vision in motion at gravityjack.com https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2023/10/08/100000-israeli-troops-mobilized-for-first-declared-war-since-1973-n2629547 Israel Mobilizes 100,000 Troops for Gaza Incursion It might be the worst intelligence failure since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, a conflict that almost destroyed Israel after a surprise attack from Syria and Egypt. Israel was on the brink as Syrian forces reclaimed the Golan Heights, and it was by sheer luck that this invading force didn’t move further to capture the key bridges along the Jordan River. Israel’s heartland would’ve been wide open. The game could’ve been over, so Israel continues to respond forcefully against incursion by terrorists and its Arab neighbors since it’s a nation with no strategic depth. How Jerusalem was caught sleeping amid this latest assault by Hamas on October 7 must be investigated since Shin Bet and Mossad are some of the most capable agencies in the world. This attack occurred on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, and like that last war, the assault began during a Jewish holiday. Hamas launched thousands of rockets as cover for a land, sea, and air assault that could only have been made possible with outside help, considering its sophisticated nature. Iran has admitted they helped plan the assault. The death toll has risen to 700, with reports of kidnappings, rapes, and murder of Israeli citizens caught in the fighting. Hamas operatives paraglided into Southern Israel, with other terrorists attacking over two dozen areas along the Gaza border. Some Americans were also kidnapped and murdered by these terrorists. The footprint from Hamas was around 1,000 terrorists who stormed the infiltrated Israeli territory. Border Police and other forces are still fighting to restore order to the security situation in the area, but tanks and troops are being mobilized for a ground assault. Around 100,000 Israeli troops are ready to go into Gaza, with more reservists expected to be called up as Israel expects this to erupt into a multi-front war. Hezbollah has already launched rocket and mortar attacks in the northern Israel (via Associated Press): More than 24 hours after Hamas launched its unprecedented incursion out of Gaza, Israeli forces were still battling with militants holed up in several locations Monday morning. At least 700 people have reportedly been killed in Israel — a staggering toll on a scale the country has not experienced in decades — and more than 400 have been killed in Gaza. Israel said it brought in special forces to try to wrest control of four sites from Hamas fighters, including two points that militants entered earlier in their attacks. Meanwhile, Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group claimed to have taken captive more than 130 people from inside Israel and brought them into Gaza, saying they would be traded for the release of thousands of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The announcement, though unconfirmed, was the first sign of the scope of abductions. The captives are known to include soldiers and civilians, including women, children and older adults — mostly Israelis but also some people of other nationalities. The Israeli military said only that the number of captives is “significant.” As many as 1,000 Hamas fighters were involved in Saturday morning’s assault, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, speaking on ABC’s “This Week.” The high figure underscored the extent of planning by the militant group ruling Gaza, which has said it launched the attack in response to mounting Palestinian suffering under Israel’s occupation and blockade of Gaza. In northern Israel, a brief exchange of strikes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group fanned fears that the fighting could expand into a wider regional war. Hezbollah fired rockets and shells Sunday at Israeli positions in a disputed area along the border, and Israel fired back using armed drones. The Israeli military said the situation was calm after the exchange. Israelis were still reeling from the breadth, ferocity and surprise of the Hamas assault. The group’s fighters broke through Israel’s security fence surrounding the Gaza Strip early Saturday. Using motorcycles and pickup trucks, even paragliders and speedboats on the coast, they moved into nearby Israeli communities — as many as 22 locations. https://themessenger.com/news/hamas-threatens-to-start-executing-hostages-if-gaza-strikes-continue Hamas Threatens to Start Executing Hostages If Gaza Strikes Continue Hamas on Monday threatened to execute Israeli hostages being held in Gaza if Israel continues to conduct airstrikes without warning. “Any targeting of innocent civilians without warning will be met regretfully by executing one of the captives in our custody, and we will be forced to broadcast this execution,” Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas’ Qassam Brigades, said in a statement to Al Jazeera. Hamas has claimed to be holding more than 100 Israelis prisoner in the Gaza Strip, according to the Qatar-based network. The warning from Hamas came as Israeli Defense Forces intensified a bombardment of Gaza as dusk fell on Monday. Images shown live on CNN showed heavy rocket fire lighting up the sky above Gaza, a Palestinian enclave about the size of Omaha, Nebraska, that's home to some two million people and considered one of the most densely populated places in the world. There are reports that American citizens are among those being held captive in Gaza. The State Dept. said it was working to confirm those reports. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/christian-baker-faces-new-lawsuit-over-gender-transition-cake-after-supreme-court Christian baker faces new lawsuit over gender-transition cake after Supreme Court The Colorado Supreme Court agreed to hear the case against Christian cake baker Jack Phillips, which he says is the "light at the end of the tunnel" after more than 11 years in court. Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado, declined to create a custom cake for a same-sex wedding in a move that sparked a 2012 lawsuit that ultimately landed him at the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2018, the nine justices ruled that the state of Colorado was hostile to Phillip’s religious beliefs and that the government can’t force anyone to create custom works of art that communicate a message. But in 2018, Phillips faced a second lawsuit, this time from a transgender lawyer who requested a cake celebrating a gender transition. When Phillips declined, he was back in court on grounds that he discriminated against the lawyer. The Colorado Supreme Court just agreed to hear his case. "I hope it is the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m pretty excited about it," Phillips told Fox News Digital in an interview. "The state court turned us down in our first case, but I think they realize now that I serve everybody." "This case is not who I serve, but it’s always the what I’m going to create not the who that’s asking for it. And I hope they get that right this time," said Phillips. Jake Warner, attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) defending Phillips, said that the lawsuit from the beginning was "clearly a set-up" with the intent of "targeting" Phillips and his beliefs. In 2018, Autumn Scardina, who identifies as transgender, asked Phillips to make a cake celebrating a gender transition – pink on the inside, blue on the outside. When Phillips declined, Scardina asked for a cake depicting Satan smoking a marijuana joint – which Phillips also declined. During the trial phase, "Scardina promised Phillips that, were this suit dismissed, Scardina would call Phillips the next day to request another cake and start another lawsuit," legal documents state. Despite being in court for more than a decade, "numerous threatening emails" and death threats, Phillips says the case has helped to "strengthen" his faith. "We just celebrated our 30th anniversary of being in business Labor Day weekend. And so for 30 years we’ve served everybody who’s come into our shop," he said. "But this whole legal battle has helped strengthen my faith in Jesus Christ and strengthen our family, brought us all closer together. It’s brought together a lot of people who have helped support us in so many ways." Phillips mentioned that a gay man testified on his behalf in court "because he understood that I serve everybody, gladly served him, but he knows that I couldn’t create every cake that people would ask me for." "It’s been an encouraging time to see people stand beside us like that," he said. When it comes to this latest challenge, Phillips said Scardina is "not the enemy" and that he has "nothing to forgive." "This person isn’t fighting against me, this case is against the state and my right to express my religious freedom and do so without fear of punishment in the marketplace," said Phillips. Oral arguments for the case have yet to be set but likely will be scheduled for the springtime next year. ADF will argue that because of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Phillip’s previous case and the latest ruling in 303 Creative vs. Elenis involving a website designer, which determined that the government can’t compel an artist to speak a message with which they disagree, that the law is on Phillips’ side. "What's critical now after 303 is the fact that this cake actually does communicate a message. The trial court found that this cake symbolizes the transition from male to female and went into great detail about the symbolism of the cake. The court found that blue represents male and pink represents female and that this cake communicates a message given the context of how cake artists are often asked to create custom cakes," Warner said. "In light of 303 Creative, the Colorado Supreme Court should reverse the decision below and affirm Jack's right to speak consistently with his beliefs. He shouldn't be punished for declining to create a custom cake promoting a message that goes against his beliefs," Warner added. https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/in-depth-us-gives-more-than-4-1-billion-in-grants-for-lgbt-and-transgender-initiatives-worldwide-5498747?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=BonginoReport US Gives More Than $4.1 Billion in Grants for LGBT and Transgender Initiatives Worldwide During the past three fiscal years, $4.1 billion in federal money from taxpayers has been flowing to LGBT initiatives in the United States and around the world, an Epoch Times investigation has revealed. From Oct. 1, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2023, the U.S. government issued more than 1,100 grants to fund LGBT-promoting projects around the world, according to the Epoch Times review of a federal spending website. The scope of projects varies widely. Plans to create a "safe space for LGBTQ youth and adults to seek support and resources" earned a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. government in 2022 for the LGBT Life Center in Norfolk, Virginia. A proposal for encouraging "diversity, equity, and inclusion in Serbia's workplaces and business communities by promoting economic empowerment of and opportunity for LGBTQI+ people in Serbia" also was a winning plan. To fund it, the U.S. government awarded a Serbian activist group a grant of $500,000. An Armenian activist group, the Pink Human Rights Defender, received $1 million from the United States "to empower the LGBTI community" in Armenia, a tiny country next to Turkey. The federal spending website can be filtered to show entries that include specific keywords. A list of payouts filtered by using the keyword "LGBT" included 1,181 grants, 31 loans, and nine direct payments during the past three fiscal years. Overall, during the past fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the government issued 454,821 grants. Government grants provide free money for specific purposes. Federal loans can be repaid over long periods of time at low interest rates. Direct payments from the government give money to groups—they may be unrestricted, or for a specific use. Of grants connected to the keyword "LGBT," individual payouts of at least $1 million totaled more than $3.7 billion combined. Many additional smaller grants also were awarded for LGBT initiatives but were not reviewed. When the list was filtered for grants including the word "transgender," 574 were listed. In that category, grants that paid out at least $1 million totaled nearly $478 million. Seven direct payments and nine loans with the keyword "transgender" also were issued by the U.S. government. Yet money flows to these projects. The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) gave $1.2 million to "LGBTQIA+ pride centers" in the San Diego Community College District. Another DOE grant of almost $1.6 million was awarded for North Dakota's “indigenous, LGBTQIA+, rural and underserved school-based mental health needs.” A DOE grant gave $1.4 million to Boston College to study "mechanisms of health promotion in diverse youth through gay-straight alliances." In plain speak, the grant funded the promotion of gay-straight alliance clubs in Massachusetts middle and high schools. "The federal government thumbs their nose at the American people and continues to push this ideology into our schools," "They're doing it all over the world." And that - is your news for today… this has been your CrossPolitic Daily NewsBrief. Just so y’all are aware - this will be the only newsbrief for the next week or so, as I will be out of town for our Fight Laugh Feast Conference at the Ark Encounter - as well as visiting my brother in North Carolina after that… if you liked the show …..

Abortions later in pregnancy can occur for a variety of reasons, and the later in pregnancy an abortion is needed, the more barriers patients face in accessing care. Many people in the U.S. who are seeking an abortion are also struggling to piece together resources to pay for care which pushes the timeline for access back farther each week. Dr. Diane Horvath, OBGYN, and Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer at Partners in Abortion Care, sits down to talk with us about the truths and misconceptions about abortions later in pregnancy. Gestational bans and “exceptions” within abortion law are common barriers that prevent people who are early in their pregnancy from accessing care and increase stigma. These barriers disproportionately impact those who are already most marginalized in accessing abortion care—including BIPOC, LGBTQI+ folks, young people, people with disabilities, and more. No matter what, abortion is healthcare and should be accessible when it is required. No one other than the pregnant person should be able to make a decision about when they access an abortion, especially if external factors have proved difficult to hurdle.  LinksDr. Diane Horvath on TwitterPartners in Abortion CarePartners in Abortion Care Merchandise Brigid AllianceMidwest Access CoalitionWho Not When Take ActionFollow Dr. Horvath on Twitter and stay up-to-date on her work. Buy super cute swag that supports Partners in Abortion Care.  If you can, give money to abortion funds. They are facilitating not only abortion care, but support in accessing that care. You can also fundraise for your local funds, too! Hold your local elected officials accountable. Reproductive health, rights, and justice is directly intertwined with a plethora of issue areas, many of which elected officials vote on. Support the showFollow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

Assegnato a una donna per le donne: va all'americana Claudia Goldin il premio nobel per l'economia. A Nairobi protesta contro la comunità lgbtqi. Niente doccia e sudore, 25enne californiana allergica all'acqua. Grecia: il leader di Syriza dice che vorrebbe dei figli con maternità surrogata.https://www.radiobullets.com/notiziari/10-ottobre-2023-notizie-donne-lgbt-mondo-podcast/

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Tuesday, October 10th, 2023. Gravity Jack: Gravity Jack is a full service digital agency specializing in the development of Virtual & Augmented Reality experiences, mobile apps, blockchain and Web3 projects. Founded in 2009 as the first American agency to offer augmented reality, they even patented it; Gravity Jack's digital experiences have been a source of innovation for small business, Fortune 500 Companies, and the US Military. Get your vision in motion at gravityjack.com https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2023/10/08/100000-israeli-troops-mobilized-for-first-declared-war-since-1973-n2629547 Israel Mobilizes 100,000 Troops for Gaza Incursion It might be the worst intelligence failure since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, a conflict that almost destroyed Israel after a surprise attack from Syria and Egypt. Israel was on the brink as Syrian forces reclaimed the Golan Heights, and it was by sheer luck that this invading force didn’t move further to capture the key bridges along the Jordan River. Israel’s heartland would’ve been wide open. The game could’ve been over, so Israel continues to respond forcefully against incursion by terrorists and its Arab neighbors since it’s a nation with no strategic depth. How Jerusalem was caught sleeping amid this latest assault by Hamas on October 7 must be investigated since Shin Bet and Mossad are some of the most capable agencies in the world. This attack occurred on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, and like that last war, the assault began during a Jewish holiday. Hamas launched thousands of rockets as cover for a land, sea, and air assault that could only have been made possible with outside help, considering its sophisticated nature. Iran has admitted they helped plan the assault. The death toll has risen to 700, with reports of kidnappings, rapes, and murder of Israeli citizens caught in the fighting. Hamas operatives paraglided into Southern Israel, with other terrorists attacking over two dozen areas along the Gaza border. Some Americans were also kidnapped and murdered by these terrorists. The footprint from Hamas was around 1,000 terrorists who stormed the infiltrated Israeli territory. Border Police and other forces are still fighting to restore order to the security situation in the area, but tanks and troops are being mobilized for a ground assault. Around 100,000 Israeli troops are ready to go into Gaza, with more reservists expected to be called up as Israel expects this to erupt into a multi-front war. Hezbollah has already launched rocket and mortar attacks in the northern Israel (via Associated Press): More than 24 hours after Hamas launched its unprecedented incursion out of Gaza, Israeli forces were still battling with militants holed up in several locations Monday morning. At least 700 people have reportedly been killed in Israel — a staggering toll on a scale the country has not experienced in decades — and more than 400 have been killed in Gaza. Israel said it brought in special forces to try to wrest control of four sites from Hamas fighters, including two points that militants entered earlier in their attacks. Meanwhile, Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group claimed to have taken captive more than 130 people from inside Israel and brought them into Gaza, saying they would be traded for the release of thousands of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The announcement, though unconfirmed, was the first sign of the scope of abductions. The captives are known to include soldiers and civilians, including women, children and older adults — mostly Israelis but also some people of other nationalities. The Israeli military said only that the number of captives is “significant.” As many as 1,000 Hamas fighters were involved in Saturday morning’s assault, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, speaking on ABC’s “This Week.” The high figure underscored the extent of planning by the militant group ruling Gaza, which has said it launched the attack in response to mounting Palestinian suffering under Israel’s occupation and blockade of Gaza. In northern Israel, a brief exchange of strikes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group fanned fears that the fighting could expand into a wider regional war. Hezbollah fired rockets and shells Sunday at Israeli positions in a disputed area along the border, and Israel fired back using armed drones. The Israeli military said the situation was calm after the exchange. Israelis were still reeling from the breadth, ferocity and surprise of the Hamas assault. The group’s fighters broke through Israel’s security fence surrounding the Gaza Strip early Saturday. Using motorcycles and pickup trucks, even paragliders and speedboats on the coast, they moved into nearby Israeli communities — as many as 22 locations. https://themessenger.com/news/hamas-threatens-to-start-executing-hostages-if-gaza-strikes-continue Hamas Threatens to Start Executing Hostages If Gaza Strikes Continue Hamas on Monday threatened to execute Israeli hostages being held in Gaza if Israel continues to conduct airstrikes without warning. “Any targeting of innocent civilians without warning will be met regretfully by executing one of the captives in our custody, and we will be forced to broadcast this execution,” Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas’ Qassam Brigades, said in a statement to Al Jazeera. Hamas has claimed to be holding more than 100 Israelis prisoner in the Gaza Strip, according to the Qatar-based network. The warning from Hamas came as Israeli Defense Forces intensified a bombardment of Gaza as dusk fell on Monday. Images shown live on CNN showed heavy rocket fire lighting up the sky above Gaza, a Palestinian enclave about the size of Omaha, Nebraska, that's home to some two million people and considered one of the most densely populated places in the world. There are reports that American citizens are among those being held captive in Gaza. The State Dept. said it was working to confirm those reports. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/christian-baker-faces-new-lawsuit-over-gender-transition-cake-after-supreme-court Christian baker faces new lawsuit over gender-transition cake after Supreme Court The Colorado Supreme Court agreed to hear the case against Christian cake baker Jack Phillips, which he says is the "light at the end of the tunnel" after more than 11 years in court. Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado, declined to create a custom cake for a same-sex wedding in a move that sparked a 2012 lawsuit that ultimately landed him at the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2018, the nine justices ruled that the state of Colorado was hostile to Phillip’s religious beliefs and that the government can’t force anyone to create custom works of art that communicate a message. But in 2018, Phillips faced a second lawsuit, this time from a transgender lawyer who requested a cake celebrating a gender transition. When Phillips declined, he was back in court on grounds that he discriminated against the lawyer. The Colorado Supreme Court just agreed to hear his case. "I hope it is the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m pretty excited about it," Phillips told Fox News Digital in an interview. "The state court turned us down in our first case, but I think they realize now that I serve everybody." "This case is not who I serve, but it’s always the what I’m going to create not the who that’s asking for it. And I hope they get that right this time," said Phillips. Jake Warner, attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) defending Phillips, said that the lawsuit from the beginning was "clearly a set-up" with the intent of "targeting" Phillips and his beliefs. In 2018, Autumn Scardina, who identifies as transgender, asked Phillips to make a cake celebrating a gender transition – pink on the inside, blue on the outside. When Phillips declined, Scardina asked for a cake depicting Satan smoking a marijuana joint – which Phillips also declined. During the trial phase, "Scardina promised Phillips that, were this suit dismissed, Scardina would call Phillips the next day to request another cake and start another lawsuit," legal documents state. Despite being in court for more than a decade, "numerous threatening emails" and death threats, Phillips says the case has helped to "strengthen" his faith. "We just celebrated our 30th anniversary of being in business Labor Day weekend. And so for 30 years we’ve served everybody who’s come into our shop," he said. "But this whole legal battle has helped strengthen my faith in Jesus Christ and strengthen our family, brought us all closer together. It’s brought together a lot of people who have helped support us in so many ways." Phillips mentioned that a gay man testified on his behalf in court "because he understood that I serve everybody, gladly served him, but he knows that I couldn’t create every cake that people would ask me for." "It’s been an encouraging time to see people stand beside us like that," he said. When it comes to this latest challenge, Phillips said Scardina is "not the enemy" and that he has "nothing to forgive." "This person isn’t fighting against me, this case is against the state and my right to express my religious freedom and do so without fear of punishment in the marketplace," said Phillips. Oral arguments for the case have yet to be set but likely will be scheduled for the springtime next year. ADF will argue that because of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Phillip’s previous case and the latest ruling in 303 Creative vs. Elenis involving a website designer, which determined that the government can’t compel an artist to speak a message with which they disagree, that the law is on Phillips’ side. "What's critical now after 303 is the fact that this cake actually does communicate a message. The trial court found that this cake symbolizes the transition from male to female and went into great detail about the symbolism of the cake. The court found that blue represents male and pink represents female and that this cake communicates a message given the context of how cake artists are often asked to create custom cakes," Warner said. "In light of 303 Creative, the Colorado Supreme Court should reverse the decision below and affirm Jack's right to speak consistently with his beliefs. He shouldn't be punished for declining to create a custom cake promoting a message that goes against his beliefs," Warner added. https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/in-depth-us-gives-more-than-4-1-billion-in-grants-for-lgbt-and-transgender-initiatives-worldwide-5498747?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=BonginoReport US Gives More Than $4.1 Billion in Grants for LGBT and Transgender Initiatives Worldwide During the past three fiscal years, $4.1 billion in federal money from taxpayers has been flowing to LGBT initiatives in the United States and around the world, an Epoch Times investigation has revealed. From Oct. 1, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2023, the U.S. government issued more than 1,100 grants to fund LGBT-promoting projects around the world, according to the Epoch Times review of a federal spending website. The scope of projects varies widely. Plans to create a "safe space for LGBTQ youth and adults to seek support and resources" earned a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. government in 2022 for the LGBT Life Center in Norfolk, Virginia. A proposal for encouraging "diversity, equity, and inclusion in Serbia's workplaces and business communities by promoting economic empowerment of and opportunity for LGBTQI+ people in Serbia" also was a winning plan. To fund it, the U.S. government awarded a Serbian activist group a grant of $500,000. An Armenian activist group, the Pink Human Rights Defender, received $1 million from the United States "to empower the LGBTI community" in Armenia, a tiny country next to Turkey. The federal spending website can be filtered to show entries that include specific keywords. A list of payouts filtered by using the keyword "LGBT" included 1,181 grants, 31 loans, and nine direct payments during the past three fiscal years. Overall, during the past fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the government issued 454,821 grants. Government grants provide free money for specific purposes. Federal loans can be repaid over long periods of time at low interest rates. Direct payments from the government give money to groups—they may be unrestricted, or for a specific use. Of grants connected to the keyword "LGBT," individual payouts of at least $1 million totaled more than $3.7 billion combined. Many additional smaller grants also were awarded for LGBT initiatives but were not reviewed. When the list was filtered for grants including the word "transgender," 574 were listed. In that category, grants that paid out at least $1 million totaled nearly $478 million. Seven direct payments and nine loans with the keyword "transgender" also were issued by the U.S. government. Yet money flows to these projects. The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) gave $1.2 million to "LGBTQIA+ pride centers" in the San Diego Community College District. Another DOE grant of almost $1.6 million was awarded for North Dakota's “indigenous, LGBTQIA+, rural and underserved school-based mental health needs.” A DOE grant gave $1.4 million to Boston College to study "mechanisms of health promotion in diverse youth through gay-straight alliances." In plain speak, the grant funded the promotion of gay-straight alliance clubs in Massachusetts middle and high schools. "The federal government thumbs their nose at the American people and continues to push this ideology into our schools," "They're doing it all over the world." And that - is your news for today… this has been your CrossPolitic Daily NewsBrief. Just so y’all are aware - this will be the only newsbrief for the next week or so, as I will be out of town for our Fight Laugh Feast Conference at the Ark Encounter - as well as visiting my brother in North Carolina after that… if you liked the show …..

Our guest, Eric Zink, AKA Mr. Impulsive,  is not only an accomplished social media influencer, but they have also experienced firsthand the intense pressures and challenges of being at the top of the social media game. They have witnessed the rise and impact of cancel culture, and today, they're here to share their story and shed light on the darker side of fame.  But that's not all! We'll also touch on an essential social media topic that often gets overlooked – mental health. Together, we'll explore how the constant need for validation, the pressure to maintain a perfect online persona, and dealing with online criticism can affect one's mental well-being.  And if that's not enough, brace yourselves because we're taking a bold step further. Strap in as we open up a discussion about the swinging lifestyle and social media's role in this alternative realm of relationships. We'll challenge the norms, break down stigmas, and examine social media's impact on personal connections inside and outside the swinging community.  Prepare for an eye-opening conversation with insights, personal anecdotes, and thought-provoking discussions! We're going beyond the surface, addressing the issues that truly matter.Follow Eric:Twitter: @ebzinkInstagram: theprofessorpineapple1.0Snapchat: ebzinkWebsite: https://www.ericbzink.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EricBZinkASN Lifestyle Magazine Ask Stepahine a question about relationships, sex, kink, or fetishes and read about it in ASN. Evolve Your Intimacy LLC Guidance & Counseling services w/ Licensed & Certified Professionals for those seeking better sex. HEDONISM II Resort (Negril, Jamaica) Come live the life you've always wanted. Nudists, Hedonists, Swingers, LGBTQI+, and the most Daring!SDC Seek, Discover, & Connect with over 3 million singles and couples worldwide!Unicorn Landing Unicorn Landing Swinger Lifestyle App Designed Exclusively for Women! Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showEVOLVEYOURINTIMACY.COMSex Therapy |Travel | Retreats| Courses| Podcasts | Articles | Blogs, & VlogsAre you looking to enhance your sexual communication skills? Do you crave a safe space to explore your sexual desires with your partner but aren't sure where to start? Look no further than the Evolve Your Intimacy Podcast, hosted by the renowned Dr. Stephanie.Join Certified Sex Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor Dr. Stephanie Sigler as she interviews top experts in the field of clinical sexology, veterans in the lifestyle, and popular influencers, bringing you the most accurate information regarding your sexual health and pleasure. NEW SHOWS EVERY 1 & 3rd SATURDAY at 1pmHost: Dr. Stephanie Sigler CST, LPC, PhDIf you enjoy the content we produce, show your love by buying me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evolveyourintimacy

Malaika rides the rollercoaster of grief and new beginnings.Malaika Mfalme {Angel King} is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and event producer creating on Gadigal Land. Malaika is here to create a safe space focused on healing with a powerful message of kindness, acceptance and reflection vibrating through every one of their sonic outputs. They're a producer for community event Queers of Joy, and they produce the podcast Womb For Improvement with their twin sister.Queerstories an award-winning LGBTQI+ storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, with regular events around Australia. For more information, visit www.queerstories.com.au and follow Queerstories on Facebook.The Queerstories book is published by Hachette Australia, and can be purchased from your favourite independent bookseller or on Booktopia.To support Queerstories, become a patron at www.patreon.com/ladysingsitbetter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on KPFA Radio's Women's Magazine I will talk to Queer filmmaker Grace Anna Walcott, whose new documentary RIVER OF LIFE LGBTQI+ follows a 10-week drama therapy workshop, with 13 multigenerational queer participants, coming together to unpack internalized queerphobia and the evolution of the LGBTQ+ community and this will be shown locally at the Rialto Cinema in El Cerrito on October 15th as part of the Albany Film Fest . But first Preeti Shekar will talk to Kimberly Alvarenga, the executive director of the California Domestic Workers Coalition or the CDWC about a new domestic workers bill that the CDWC is trying to get passed in California The post Grace Anna Walcott- River of Life LGBTQI+ film, Kimberly Alvarenga from California Domestic Workers Coalition appeared first on KPFA.

**Originally released Dec 9, 2022**Have you ever pondered the courage it takes to truly embrace your identity, despite society's norms? Do you ever wonder what it feels like to experience the world through the lens of a queer individual? Join me for a heartfelt conversation with guests, Soda Canter and Justin Hentges, as we navigate through the intricacies of our queer lives. This episode unpacks various stages of our lives, inviting you to reflect on some key moments such as coming out, confronting societal prejudices, and finding self-acceptance. Justin shares his vulnerable journey of coming out and how it was crucial for him to survive into his 40s. We discuss the challenges faced by queer individuals in the military, scrutinizing Soda's experiences under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Soda and Justin bring a sprinkle of humor with a dash of reality.This isn't a conversation limited to personal anecdotes though. We tackle broader issues that touch the lives of queer individuals everywhere. Body positivity, self-acceptance, and societal expectations are some of the topics that we shine a light on. We wrap up the episode with a dose of nostalgia as we recall our childhood celebrity crushes and the music that marked our youth. So, get comfortable and join us on this exploration of queer life and the journey towards self-acceptance.Mentioned: Nellie's Sport Bar JRs Bar Tell Me Lies After the Ecstasy, the Laundry - Jack Kornfield The ExpanseMartina McBrideReba McEntireMatchbox TwentyFaith HillBobbie GentryAmy GrantRecommended:Morgantown Blues-------------------------Follow Deep Dive:InstagramPost.newsYouTube Email: deepdivewithshawn@gmail.com **Artwork: Dovi Design **Music: Joystock

As queer/non-conforming individuals, how do we claim our unique way of living, but also let go of our attachment to an identity? In this talk, JD Doyle explores how we can re-orient ourselves to our lives, and connect with the non-human aspects of our world, such as other life forms and the natural world.As we witness so many attacks on various categories of people, it's easy to begin thinking of our world as fragmented. Instead, we can re-member, or bring together, the various parts of our fractured selves AND the people in our lives, present and past. When we feel attacked, we long for security. This is when we must re-orient ourselves to what we actually need to be stable, vs. what we have come to believe we need to be safe. JD contrasts this with the Buddhist truth of impermanence and that letting go of these beliefs can reduce our suffering. JD goes on to quote a book, 'Hospicing Modernity' and speaks on how we can observe aspects of our world that are waning, or disappearing. ______________JD Doyle serves as a core teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) and has served as a board member and was the cofounder of the LGBTQI meditation group. JD is in the Spirit Rock Meditation Center teacher-training program and was in the Dedicated Practitioner Program (DPP2) and the Community Dharma Leader Program (CDL4). JD has practiced Buddhism since 1995 in the U.S., Thailand, and Burma. For over twenty-five years, they worked as a public school teacher focusing on issues of equity and access. JD holds a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies from Cornell University and a master's degree in Language and Literacy and Sociocultural Studies from the University of New Mexico. JD identifies as gender non-conforming. They are committed to celebrating the diversity of our human sangha, addressing the impact of racism on our communities, expanding concepts of gender, and living in ways that honor the sacredness of the Earth. Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter