kengr

Herein I shall annotate an Executive Order. my comments will be in italics

DEFENDING WOMEN FROM GENDER IDEOLOGY EXTREMISM AND RESTORING BIOLOGICAL TRUTH TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Quite a claim, and as we examine the order we'll see that there's an ideology at work, but not the one they claim

EXECUTIVE ORDER

January 20, 2025
( The executive order )

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tulsi-gabbard-anti-transgender-bill-title-ix_n_5fd2de33c5b66a75841389b5

This is wrong-headed on so many levels.

First of all, it's pushing the idea that sex is binary, and strictly determined by external genetalia.

Second it assumes that "sex" is always determined correctly at birth.

Both of these points ignore the existence of intersex conditions.

Third, they claim (or at least strongly imply) without proof that that these trans girls have an unfair advantage over other girls.

This displays ignorance of the treatment protocols for trans kids. Standard recommended treatment for trans kids is to put them on puberty blockers until they are both determined to "actually" be trans (by the shrinks) and until they are old enough to be administered hormones (determined by the legislature and lawyers).

Before puberty, the supposed sexual differences in performance aren't as martked (and it's not uncommon for the *girls* to be bigger/stronger.

After puberty the girls are going to have the advantage over the trans girls because then trans girls aren't going to go thru puberty until they get approval. And when they do go thru puberty, it'll be a female one because of the hormones.

An important fourth point is that one of the most common reasons TERFs give for excluding trans women from "women's spaces" is that they didn't grow up as girls, that they don't have the experiences.

Well, this would turn that into a self-fulfilling prophecy by *denying* trans girls the experiences of other girls.

I also suspect that this law would be interpreted by the courts as forbidding girls on boys teams. Otherwise it is discriminating on the basis of "sex" (which it is anyway, but...).

That'll set up howls.

It'll also prevent boys from playing on girls teams even where that is allowed (for example, it could probably be used to keep boys off cheerleading squads).

I know there are rules in sports states that that allow girls to play on boys teams if there isn't a girls team. And I believe the opposite is sometimes true as well (but not often as just how many sports will have a girls team but not a boys one?)

This law would throw that out the window as well.

Have you ever encountered a mirror, especially a full length one, unexpectedly and *really* seen yourself?

Most of the time when we look at a mirror, we are checking details and ignore the "overall" picture.

But when you have that unexpected encounter, you see things without the usual filters. It can be a bit of a shock.

First time it happened to me was in my first apartment. There was a full length mirror in the bathroom and one day after a shower I turned just the right way and saw myself in it. Suddenly, I realized that I wasn't a scrawny kid anymore.

Many years later after a dom friend encouraged me to try cross-dressing, I had it happen a number of times while working for a friend fixing computers. The mens room there had a full length mirror inside the door. You opened the door and there you were. If the lights weren't on, the shadows made it easier to miss that it was a mirror.

One day, I opened that door and saw myself as a woman (in spite of wearing men's clothing at the time). That was another shock/surprise. Had that sort of thing happen several times. Sometimes I saw a guy, sometimes I saw a gal.

So if you ever have one of those moments, go with it.

ps. I understand that some folks with various kinds of dysphoria have something that's pretty much the opposite occur. They look in a mirror and see something that isn't reality but instead something very negative. More or less *all* filter, and bad filters at that.

While not having experienced that, I suspect the way to tell the difference is how you feel about what you see. If it's a surprise, but just "different", it's probably the reality view.

If it makes you feel bad, it's more likely the filters getting carried away.

I slept thru much of Coming Out day. But here's a quick sketch...

Bi (ever since I knew about sex).

Somewhat poly.

Switch (but prefer sub though I can be a "service top" for many things and a real top for a few.

Bi-gendered or genderfluid. I present male most of the time just because it's less effort (fewer spoons). Would like to present female more but after all these decades of having to present male for protective coloration, there are so many things to unlearn as well as things to learn.

But ever since I knew the anatomical differences I wanted to switch back and forth. Had some rather detailed fantasies about different sorts of "cycles". Also tried the tape bit when I was in my early teens but couldn't get it to work. :-)

Probably neurovariant, possibly Aspergers or the like.

PTSD, social phobia social anxiety disordedr, all going back to when I was a kid, but getting worse in my later teens.

Hopefully, I'm a lovable mess.

... you know who you are.

Ok, as some folks know, someone here in Oregon sued for the right to list their gender on their ID as "other". and they won.

Back in May or June it was announced that Oregon DMV was going to change the process and forms to allow anyone to do that.

I grabbed a copy of the "Change your Gender Designation" form back in June, but it hadn't been updated. eventually I'm going to upload it to my website as historical document.



It's got two parts. The first is filled out by the person requesting the change. It has the usual "I'm not doing this to commit fraud, blah,blah" stuff.

The second part had to be filled out by a shrink, social worker or the like and they had to attest that in *their* opinion, the change was necessary.

Fairly normal for such stuff.

Here's the new page:
http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/Pages/driverid/chg_gender_designation.aspx

Yep, it links to the same application you fill out to renew or replace your drivers license or state ID. Only change from the old form for *that* is changing the option in the "sex" box from M & F to M, F, and X.

No more gate keeping, just fill out the same form everyone else does and pay your money.

Since I've never been fond of my middle name (don't ask), I'm thinking of changing it to Brooke, the name I use when I'm presenting en femme. That way I can get some debit cards as Brooke [last name] as well as ones in my current name.

I'd looked into doing it using a DBA (doing business as), but you have to refile that every so often. Getting one with my middle name shouldn't require anything but a bit of talking.

I'll probably wait until I do that to change the gender marker on my ID.

This is going to be lots of fun though. Everyone in Oregon is going to have to change their databases to add that X. Ditto for lots of businesses and agencies outside Oregon. Which will provide some much needed shaking up.

Why do I say they'll have to? Because while *I* wouldn't spend the money on suing them if they don't, other people *will*.

Also, I can't wait for the "head explodes" incidents as folks with a X marker present their *legal* IDs to various inflexible folks in Oregon and nearby states, to say nothing of states far away.

First few Federal applications for things are gonna be fun too.

Do note that several other countries allow an "other" marker already, up to and including their passports. so it's not like it wasn't going to become a problem anyway.

(I discovered that I'd actually never posted part 1, just an excerpt)

I took a deep breath before walking into the locker room. I was nervous, but I could do it. I hoped...

I'd actually gotten about a dozen feet inside before the yells started. I ignored them and headed on over to the cage to get a basket.

I'd almost made it when this huge guy blocked my path.

"Aren't you a little confused girlie? This is the boys locker room."

I looked up at him and said "Yeah, I know."

( Read more... )

Someone mentioned Benson in a post I was reading somewhere the other day. So I went digging.

At first I thought that show was a spinoff from Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, but digging further got the right show, Soap.

So I added that to the rotation of what Fay and I watch when we've run out of current episodes of things.

It worked great too. Benson was being Benson within the first five minutes of the first episode. As I expected, Fay loved it.

We wound up watching a second episode, and I'd forgotten that Jodi Dallas (Billy Crystal's character) was not only gay, but trans (at least a crossdresser if not TS). Heck, they even refferred to him as a TS.

Considering that it was a 40 year old comedy program, they actually handled it well.

About that Mississippi "religious protection" bill. This section is going to give some lawyers *lots* of fun.

that “male” and “female” refer to someone’s “immutable biological sex as objectively determined by anatomy and genetics at time of birth.

Ah yes, ignorance of biology strikes again.

Sex is *subjectively* determined by doctors at time of birth. There are "standards" for making the determination, but they aren't always followed.

And even when they are followed they are pretty damned arbitrary. Stuff like length of penis/clitoris.

Genetic testing is rarely done on newborns. When it is, it's because genetic problems are suspected *or* because doctors are having trouble figuring out what sex the baby is.

So a lot of intersex babies *don't* get IDed at birth. Anybody with AIS/CAIS for example. Or guevedoces.

There aren't just two sexes even if the public (and most doctors) would like to believe there are.

And gender is even *more* complicated.

Some day we are going to have to get laws put in place recognizing the *spectrums* of sex & gender. Because that's what it's going to take to end this sort of nonsense.

The Pope's comments about public officials having the right to be conscientious objectors on religious grounds has been used to defend Kim Davis and others (though not by him).

People seem to forget something. Conscientious objectors to military service have a choice of going to jail, or being put in a job that doesn't have them doing the things they object to.

It does *not* get the rules of the military or their job changed to suit them.

Kim Davis claims that status, but doesn't think she should go to jail, and she wants the duties of her job changed.

Sorry, those aren't the choices.

The ones she *actually* has, under the law are:

1. let her office issue licenses that use the same *unaltered* form as the rest of Kentucky, with her name in the blanks where it belongs.
2. step down from her office, she can go back to just being one of the deputy clerks (with the cut in pay and authority) and she can then not issue licenses as long as she doesn't stop the *other* clerks from issuing them.
3. quit
4. go to jail (again) for contempt of court.

My stance on religious freedom is that you have an absolute right to practice your faith. Right up to the point where you are trying to make *others* behave the way your faith dictates. At that point you are violating *their* religious freedom.

I can only hope that some day the Supreme Court can declare something similar rather than dancing around the issue. Hobby Lobby was a bad decision.

BTW, they are in trouble again...

Trans woman wins decision against Hobby Lobby

They haven't complied with the decision yet, either.