My recommendations for Trans Day of Visibility

Today you’re supposed to signal boost your favourite trans writers, artists, creators, etc. in celebration of Trans Day of Visibility. So here’s my list, and please feel free to add to it in the comments:

  • Life of Bria Comics: A serial with witticisms on current events.
  • Assigned Male Comics: A semi-serial cast of surprisingly cogent children navigate societal prejudice.
  • Katelyn Burns: Parent, writer, and professional shade-thrower at allegedly liberal transphobes.
  • Sam Hope: A transmasculine enby who is my portal to UK trans issues. Organizer and counselor.
  • Chase Ross: Transmasculine YouTuber who discusses the sociology of gender (albeit in an informal way)
  • Ania and Alyssa ‘Splain You a Thing: Joint blog by Alyssa and Ania, covers LGBT, immigrant, racial & oft-overlooked disability issues, as well as the intersections between any and all of these. Oh, and really tastey recipes.
  • Trans and Godless: Exactly what it says on the tin.
  • Safe Accommodations for Queer Edmonton Youth (SAFQEY): A queer/trans-specific youth homeless shelter on the cusp of launching. It needs donations. (hint hint)

Who would you like to signal boost?

-Shiv

Baptist schools told to stop being a dick; say “no”

The poor persecuted Christians are in the news again. After a lengthy investigation conducted against the two Baptist schools who refused to follow Bill 10, a Progressive Conservative law that obligated all schools to permit the formation of a gay-straight alliance should the students request one, the Education Minister has finally issued a “Ministerial Order” to comply with the law.

The schools, of course, said no.

Society chair Rev. Brian Coldwell admitted last year in an interview with a social conservative publication he had worked behind the scenes with representatives of both opposition parties. He is also member of the board of Parents for Choice in Education, a supposedly non-partisan group that advocates home schooling and private schools and enjoys loud support from the Opposition parties.

So it is hard to believe there is no political side to Rev. Coldwell’s insistence the schools will never comply with the law’s requirement students be allowed to form GSAs.

Determined to proceed cautiously, even at the risk of leaving LGBTQ students vulnerable, Eggen appointed Edmonton lawyer Dan Scott in September last year to inquire into the activities of the two schools. Mr. Scott handed his report to the government in November 2016 and nothing much happened until yesterday, when the report was released to the public and Mr. Eggen ordered the schools to comply with the law.

Now, this is a rural Baptist school with little political clout other than its convenience for conservative martyrdom. The bigger problem will be what we do about the constitutionally-protected Catholics (yes, we are talking about Canada) when they, too, disclose that they intend to inject psychological abuse and misinformation into their curriculum. Politically, it would be effective self-sabotage–and yet, the only Catholic school board to have met all human rights requirements was Red Deer.

Clearly it is possible for Albertan Catholics to enjoy their special snowflake status without violating human rights laws as a matter of policy. It’s just that most are choosing not to.

-Shiv

Yes. Please. Go.

For once, the Christians have produced an idea I can get behind.

Following my cover-to-cover read, my takeaway is that he wants Christians — by which he means only those who share his conservative sexual ethics (i.e. not you, you moralistic therapeutic deist, you) — to withdraw from society and form cult-like communes for the sole purpose of rejecting queer people and “the toxins of modern secularism” (i.e. me).

I don’t have much to add except a massive yes.

Fuck off already. Separate. Disappear into obscurity. Buy your own island and never build a port.

Read more about The Benedict Opinion here.

-Shiv

“In violation of duties as a Catholic School Trustee”

Patricia Grell, a board member of the Edmonton Catholic School Board, has been at the centre of every Catholic controversy concerning the civil and human rights of queer and trans Albertans. However, it’s for a more palatable reason than usual–she’s the trustee gunning for inclusion and equality. Amidst a climate where the ECSB is hitting the news every other week over spending scandals and self-incriminating lawsuits, Grell has disclosed at great risk to her career an email she received for supporting gay marriage.

Remember, as you read this, these are all employees of the Province’s public education.

Whether I seek re-election or not, I remain dedicated to standing up for social justice in Christ’s example and loving my gay and lesbian neighbours as myself. I am willing to leave other matters such as the superintendents contract or getting to the bottom of why the ACSTA and catholic superintendents are targeting an Academic at the U of A but I will never be silent when it comes to human rights and equal marriage and the love that we must model for our most vulnerable youth. My faith demands nothing less of me.

Here is an email that I received from one of my colleagues February 19th:

From: XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2017 7:28 PM

Subject: Retweet of support of gay marriage

Dear Trustee Grell,

As per our Organizational Bylaw 13.2(a) this is to notify you of “first contact.”   This pertains to the retweet of your support of gay marriage as attached.

It is my intent to bring this to the attention of the Board  Chair as per Organizational Bylaw  13.2(b) that you are in violation of duties as a Catholic School Trustee (public representative of the Catholic Church) as you are  openly defying teachings of The Catholic Church regarding gay marriage.  Therefore I will be asking the Chair to start the sanction and censure process.

Patricia, it goes without saying, that I am most disappointed in you.  I wish you would keep your personal opinions to yourself until you step down as Catholic school trustee or are removed as a Catholic school trustee.

I am open to discussing this with you.

Sincerely,

Trustee XXXXXXXXXXXX

It seems that ECSB’s management is not only incompetent and likely corrupt, but is actively working to undermine Alberta human rights laws.

The question remains, of course, whether the NDP will do something about it, or let non-government organizations and Patricia Grell take the heat for doing what they won’t.

-Shiv

We’re gonna talk about those missing black girls, right?

The mainstream media has either been silent or only mentioned it as an afterthought, but 14–fourteen–black girls went missing in a very short period of time in Washington D.C. Since the pastey-white-ass media and police seems to be sitting on its thumbs, the black community has been relying on almost entirely social media and smaller outlets. Protect and serve my ass.

So here’s my part: Ezinne Ukoha has summarized the situation. Your part: Signal boost and keep your ears to the ground. The police are apparently taking it easy over coffee, so twat at them, or call their feedback lines. If they don’t have feedback lines, join up with a local BLM. If you’re white, follow their direction.

The Root.

The Mary Sue.

TMZ.

-Shiv

“Yes, we are brainwashing you.”

Hey, remember the last time I posted about the “Troubled Teen” Industry? The Establishment just recently published some fantastic investigative journalism by Aaron Kappel over the Shepherd Hill Academy, another “Christian counselling” wilderness torture camp designed to obliterate the personality and well being of teens under the yoke of wealthy, shithole parents.

Check this out (or don’t, I don’t blame you):

The survivor also claims in his statement to have interrupted a Bible lesson taught by Embry. “[He] raised [his] hand and said, ‘You are brainwashing us.’ Embry smiled and replied, ‘Yes we are! We are brainwashing you in the blood of the lamb!’”

If you have the stomach, read the rest here and here, content warning all the things again. And try not to type anything into the comments that will get you on a watch list, no matter how badly Embry deserves it.

-Shiv

Silver-lining-in-genocide Senator Lynn Beyak strikes again

Apparently not satisfied with the concentration of garbage water that is her existence, Lynn Beyak decided to one-up her prior remarks about calling on the survivors of colonial genocide to seek out the silver lining from their circumstances, by insisting the LGBT Community wouldn’t have to suffer discrimination if only we stuffed ourselves back in the closet.

During a debate over a trans human rights law.

Last week, Beyak, during a debate on C-16, the transgender rights bill, went on a bizarre rant bemoaning that the radicals of the gay movement expect “all of Canada to be their closet.”

I–what? What? I can’t.

She continued to pine for a happier time when folks like her simply didn’t have to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that gay people exist because they weren’t flaunting their homosexuality in her face.

“By living in quiet dignity, they have never had to face any kind of discrimination or uncomfortable feelings,” she said, without a hint of irony. “I would assert that is how the vast majority of the LGBT community feels.”

“Quiet dignity.” That’s some real good Christian doublespeak you’ve got going there.

Fuck me. When did we start importing neanderthals from Texas? Get this lady all the chairs so she can sit the fuck down.

-Shiv