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Over 14,000 Sign Petition Asking High School To Not Deadname Trans Student At Graduation

Wyatt Thomas of Fort Wayne, Indiana

A high school in Fort Wayne, Indiana, that planned to deadname a transgender student at his upcoming graduation ceremony has reversed course thanks to an online petition signed by over 14,000 supporters.

Brian Thomas, the student’s father, launched his Change.org petition after learning that the powers that be at Homestead High School in Fort Wayne planned to use the teen’s old name at commencement.

The petition, addressed to principal Park Ginder, asked that the teen’s chosen and preferred name, Wyatt, be read aloud at graduation as opposed to his deadname, which he hasn’t used in years.

“My transgender child is a senior this year and will graduate in early June,” Thomas wrote. “He has been going by his preferred name since the summer between his freshman and sophomore year. Teachers, pastors, managers, family and friends know him as a boy named Wyatt.

“But at graduation, because of an unwritten standard the school administration is unwilling to change, he will be called by his dead name. What is meant to be a celebration will instead be yet another moment of humiliation and embarrassment.”

“As Wyatt’s parents, we ask that our wishes be honored on behalf of our precious child. Call the name he will bear legally once the lengthy process of a name change is complete. Call him what his future university calls him. Call him what we and many others call him every day. Call him Wyatt.”

For many transgender people, undergoing a name change can be a powerful affirmation in transitioning their gender.

Each time it’s spoken, it gives trans folks tangible validation as they move closer to the gender they know themselves to be.

But changing names, whether on a day-by-day basis, on government-issued ID or legal documents can be a glacially-slow process in some areas.

The good news is this past Friday the school informed Thomas that Wyatt’s name will be read at graduation, and there are efforts underway to have his name on his diploma as well.

In an update on Change.org, Thomas wrote, “According to Dr. Ginder, he has been called Wyatt for three years, so why not at graduation?”

“This has been a matter of purposeful discussion and careful consideration on the part of the school, and a procedural decision has been made that benefits Wyatt,” the father added. “We are grateful the school took this request seriously and gave it the attention it deserves.”

“Thank you to all who signed this petition,” Thomas said in conclusion. “The impact of your support, encouraging words and positive vibes has been felt and received with astounded gratitude. On to graduation!”

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Mayor Pete Buttigieg Rejects ‘Identity Politics,’ Urges Democrats To ‘Tear Down Walls’ That Divide Them

Mayor Pete Buttigieg addresses 14th annual Las Vegas HRC gala

Democratic presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg delivered the keynote address last night at the annual gala Human Rights Campaign dinner in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The 37-year-old from South Bend, Indiana, used the speech to address what some have viewed as a possible vulnerability as he competes for the Democratic nomination for president, and that’s being a white male from the Midwest when many in his party feel a woman or person of color would best represent today’s Democratic Party.

Buttigieg spoke of his own experiences as a gay man in a predominantly straight society. But he also pushed back on the idea that people of different marginalized groups share in “equivalencies” in how they have experienced discrimination.

“I may be part of the LGBTQ community, but being a gay man doesn’t even tell me what it’s like to be a trans woman of color in that same community, let alone an undocumented mother of four or a disabled veteran or a displaced autoworker,” he told the audience assembled at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip.

Mayor Pete warned of a “crisis of belonging in this country,” saying that “so-called identity politics” that underscore how one person hasn’t walked in another’s shoes only exacerbates our differences.

“Something that is true,” acknowledged the Harvard and Oxford grad. “But, it doesn’t get us very far.”

The mayor noted that identity politics often serve to divide folks who have more in common than less.

“The more you know about exclusion, the more you think about belonging”

Addressing “divisive lines of thinking” present in today’s American politics, Buttigieg spoke of being told “to choose between supporting an auto worker and a trans woman of color, without stopping to think about the fact that sometimes the auto worker is a trans woman of color, and she definitely needs all the security she can get.”

“The wall I worry about most isn’t the president’s fantasy wall on the Mexican border that will never get built anyway,” he said, referencing Donald Trump’s infamous border wall. “What I worry about are the very real walls being put up between us as we get divided and carved up.”

“And what every gay person has in common with every excluded person of every kind is knowing what it’s like to see a wall,” he continued. “I am ready to use my story, my energy, my alliances, and yes, my privilege, to throw myself into tearing down those walls.”

“Each of us has a story that can either separate us, or connect us to those around us,” he added. “Yes, I am gay, and I am the son of an immigrant, and an Army brat, and I’m a husband, and I am a musician, and I’m an Episcopalian. And I’m a Democrat.”

Along the way, the mayor also touched on a wide range of progressive policy positions, including cybersecurity, gerrymandering, LGBTQ rights, reproductive health, labor unions, climate change, and big money in politics.

“We can’t let this election be about the president,” he said. “Because if Americans see us spend all our time talking about him, they’ll be left with the question: ‘Who is talking about us?’”

Buttigieg urged Democrats to start talking not only about their policies, but the values behind those policies.

“It’s time for us to get comfortable once again talking about values … like freedom,” he said. “We have allowed conservatives to monopolize the language of freedom. But we know that freedom isn’t just about freedom from, it’s about freedom to. Not just freedom from regulation, but freedom to live a life of your choosing.”

The HRC appearance capped a west coast campaign swing that included fund-raisers at the home of Gwyneth Paltrow, and another at The Abbey, a popular West Hollywood gay bar.

Watch Buttigieg’s full speech at the 14th annual Human Rights Campaign dinner in Las Vegas below.

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News Round-Up: May 11, 2019

• I never get tired of the fun, whimsy and sexy diversity from graphic artist Silverjow (above). Happy Saturday!
(image via Silverjow)

Some news items you might have missed:

• I never get tired of the fun, whimsy and sexy diversity from graphic artist Silverjow (above). Happy Saturday!

• Over 11,000 people have signed a petition protesting an Indiana high school’s plan to deadname a student at his graduation ceremony.

• Trump cultist Brenden Dilley went after Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims after Sims confronted anti-abortion activists at a women’s health clinic. In a Twitter video, Dilley asserts that Sims isn’t really gay, and just pretending to up his liberal cred.

Dilley calls for Sims to “suck a dick” to prove he’s gay. Donald Trump, these are your people.

• An 11-year-old rape victim in northwestern Ohio is pregnant, and according to the state’s new, highly restrictive law on abortion, a girl in her position must carry and deliver her rapist’s baby. #Seriously

 • A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows support for launching impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump has moved up to 45% support.

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New Music: Netta “Nana Banana”

I always have an interesting reaction to new releases by Israeli recording artist Netta, who gained worldwide fame as the winner of the 2018 Eurovision Song contest. You'll recall her breakout hit "Toy," complete with chicken clucks and more, which continues to generate millions of views each month. Her latest release, "Nana Banana," seems like another kind of novelty song, but I watched the lyric video all the way to the end, so something drew me in.

I always have an interesting reaction to new releases by Israeli recording artist Netta, who gained worldwide fame as the winner of the 2018 Eurovision Song contest.

You’ll recall her breakout hit “Toy,” complete with chicken clucks and more, which continues to generate millions of views each month.

Her latest release, “Nana Banana,” seems like another kind of novelty song, but I watched the lyric video all the way to the end, so something drew me in.

According to press materials, the lyrics are represent Netta’s own “quest to find a safe place outside her comfort zone in the wake of the Eurovision win.”

Hit play below and see what you think.

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Buttigieg Claps Back At Trump’s ‘Alfred E. Neuman’ Nickname: “I Guess It’s A Generational Thing”

Donald Trump (L) and Mayor Pete Buttigieg (R)

Democratic presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg clapped back at Donald Trump after the president attempted a new nickname for the mayor.

In an interview with Politico, Trump dismissed the 37-year-old White House hopeful by referencing the freckled, gap-toothed Alfred E. Neuman character of Mad Magazine fame.

“Alfred E. Neuman cannot become president of the United States,” said the Trumpster.

When asked about the verbal slap, Buttigieg responded without a pause.

“I’ll be honest, I had to Google that, I guess it’s a generational thing,” said the mayor. “I didn’t get the reference. It’s kind of funny I guess, but he’s also the president of the United States and I’m surprised he’s not spending more time trying to salvage this deal with China.”

Meow!

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White House Asked Former Trump Lawyer Twice To Say He Didn’t Obstruct Justice

Donald Trump

The New York Times is reporting that Don McGahn, Donald Trump’s first White House counsel, was asked by Trump administration officials on two separate occasions to publicly say he didn’t believe Trump obstructed the Mueller investigation.

Mr. Trump asked White House officials to make the request to Mr. McGahn, who was the president’s first White House counsel, one of the people said. Mr. McGahn declined. His reluctance angered the president, who believed that Mr. McGahn showed disloyalty by telling investigators for the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, about Mr. Trump’s attempts to maintain control over the Russia investigation.

The White House made one of the requests to Mr. McGahn’s lawyer, William A. Burck, before the Mueller report was released publicly but after the Justice Department gave a copy to Mr. Trump’s lawyers in the preceding days. Reading the report, the president’s lawyers saw that Mr. Mueller left out that Mr. McGahn had told investigators that he believed the president never obstructed justice. Mr. Burck had told them months earlier about his client’s belief on the matter and that he had shared it with investigators.

Mr. McGahn initially entertained the White House request. “We did not perceive it as any kind of threat or something sinister,” Mr. Burck said in a statement. “It was a request, professionally and cordially made.”

A White House spokeswoman did not respond to a message seeking comment.

White House officials made a second request a few days after the release of the Mueller report. McGahn demurred again.

More from Trump World:

• Rudy Giuliani has called off his previously announced trip to Ukraine where he planned to encourage an investigation regarding former Vice President Joe Biden’s son. The move was seen as another attempt by the Trump campaign to seek help from a foreign country.

• The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Richard E. Neal, subpoenaed the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service for six years of Mr. Trump’s personal and business tax returns.

• Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are pursuing testimony from Special Counsel Robert Mueller, but an official date has not been agreed to.

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Judge Rules Florida Must Provide Voting Materials In Spanish

A judge has ruled Florida must provide election materials and assistance in Spanish in 32 of the state’s 67 counties.

Just in time for the 2020 election!

From Florida Politics:

A federal judge Friday required 32 counties to provide Spanish-language ballots and other assistance to Spanish-speaking voters in Florida’s March 2020 presidential primary election.

Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a preliminary injunction that follows a similar ruling in September.

In the earlier ruling, Walker required the 32 counties to provide Spanish-language sample ballots but did not require Spanish-language ballots and other assistance, saying there wasn’t enough time before the November 2018 elections. The ruling Friday goes further in requiring Spanish-language ballots.

The case has focused on Puerto Rican voters and part of the federal Voting Rights Act aimed at people who were educated in schools where the predominant language was not English. It seeks to ensure they are not denied the right to vote in Florida.

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Nearly Half Of Republicans Would Be Bothered Hearing Foreign Language Spoken In US

(stock image via Depositphotos)

From The Hill:

Close to half of white Republicans in the United States said they would be bothered if they heard someone speak a foreign language in public in a new survey released by the Pew Research Center on Wednesday.

According to the new survey, 47 percent of white respondents who identified as Republican or Republican-leaning said they would be bothered “some” or “a lot” by a person speaking a language in public that was not English.

By contrast, only 18 percent white respondents who identified as Democrat or Democrat-leaning said they would be bothered.

Fifty-eight percent of white Democrats said that they wouldn’t be bothered at all by hearing someone speak in a foreign language in a public. Twenty-six percent of white Republicans also answered the same.

Outside of political modifiers, the survey found that 34 percent of all white respondents said they would be bothered hearing people speak in a foreign language in public.

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House Committee Considers Fining Those Who Refuse Subpoenas $25K

Rep. Adam Schiff

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, says House Democrats may consider fining those individuals who refuse to comply with House subpoenas.

Via Talking Points Memo:

“Much as I like the visual of (throwing people in jail), I think it’s far more practical to consider levying individual fines on the person — not on the office — until they comply. Courts use that practice, I think it’s quite successful,” Schiff told Axios Mike Allen. “You could fine someone $25,000 a day until they comply and that will probably get their attention. … You can do that. We’re looking through the history and studying the law to make sure we’re on solid ground.”

The White House has effectively stonewalled House Democrats’ oversight subpoenas. According to Axios, Schiff said Democratic leadership might have to think outside the box and take “extraordinary” action to make sure Congress’ authority is upheld.

“At the end of the day this isn’t just about this president, this isn’t just about these documents, it is whether Congress is a co-equal branch, a co-equal power that can enforce oversight,” he said. “Because if we can’t, it means any future president can act as corruptly or malfeasant as they want. And there’s simply no accountability.”

The House Judiciary Committee voted on Wednesday to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress over his handling of the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested the House might vote to hold others in contempt as well.

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Repeat Offenders: Giuliani Heading to Ukraine To Dig Dirt On Biden For Trump

Rudy Giuliani

The New York Times is reporting that Donald Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, has announced plans to travel to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, in order to dig up dirt against former Vice President Joe Biden.

Yes, that would be encouraging and accepting help from a foreign nation for a U.S. election.

This sounds familiar…

Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, is encouraging Ukraine to wade further into sensitive political issues in the United States, seeking to push the incoming government in Kiev to press ahead with investigations that he hopes will benefit Mr. Trump.

Mr. Giuliani said he plans to travel to Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, in the coming days and wants to meet with the nation’s president-elect to urge him to pursue inquiries that allies of the White House contend could yield new information about two matters of intense interest to Mr. Trump.

One is the origin of the special counsel’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. The other is the involvement of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s son in a gas company owned by a Ukrainian oligarch.