Prior to the confirmation hearing of Betsy DeVos, I contacted my state senator, Pat Toomey to express my extreme opposition to DeVos as Secretary of Education. After calling his office, leaving several messages, signing petitions in opposition to DeVos, and emailing his office, I finally got a response. I would say it is a little too late for a response at this point–20 some odd  days after my initial contacts–but I do appreciate that he responded to my outreach. However, I am not happy with his response. I feel that Senator Toomey attempted to provide “alternate facts” about DeVos in an attempt to make himself, #45, and DeVos appear to be doing myself and the American public a favor by the appointment of DeVos. I however have a lot of opposition to what he stated and I would like to provide some rebuttal to his letter.

I have provided a screenshot of the reply from Senator Toomey:

First I would like to state that I have several friends and colleagues who are PA residents that went the same route of contacting Senator Toomey–We all got the same response.

Think about that for a second. We all got the same response…..

Are you done thinking yet? I hope you are because I have a lot to say.

I hope this outrages you as much as it does me! I understand that Senator Toomey receives countless emails and calls but failing to address my individual concerns for the appointment of DeVos is unauthentic and disingenuous.

I would like to address this letter in parts because it is rather wordy and broad–I think taking the response, paragraph by paragraph will be easier to decipher and fact check.

Paragraph from Toomey: “As you know, on January 20, 2017, President Trump nominated Betsy DeVos to serve as the Secretary of Education. For 28 years, Secretary DeVos worked on behalf of children, parents, and teachers to ensure that all children, regardless of income level or zip code, are not trapped in low-performing or failing schools. Because of Secretary DeVos’s work to expand charter schools, virtual schools, school choice, tuition tax credits, and education savings accounts, hundreds of thousands of children that had been trapped in low-performing and failing schools have gained access to a quality education.”

My response: Who is DeVos? What has she done to qualify her as Secretary of Education? DeVos “is a former Republican Party chairwoman in Michigan and chair of the pro-school-choice advocacy group American Federation for Children” (Strauss, 2016). In these roles, DeVos has worked to create programs and pass laws that “require the use of public funds to pay for private school tuition in the form of vouchers and similar programs” (Strauss, 2016). In fact, “DeVos [has] promised time and again to shrink Uncle Sam’s impact on the nation’s schools—to devolve decisions back to states, communities, educators and parents” (Petrilli, 2017).

How has her charter system faired in Michigan? Michigan “has 300 charter schools, and more than 80 percent are run by for-profit companies — the highest rate in the nation” (Ali, 2017). In that respect, DeVos has done a great job of drumming up business and turning schools into for profit centers that are not concerned about students but the bottom line. DeVos has advocated for laws and policies that deregulate charter schools and allow the schools to run unchecked (Ali, 2017; Dixon, 2014). Just as DeVos has promised and shown through her past experiences, she is determined that the Federal Government will not regulate schools, under her regime, but states will allow those with access and privilege to benefit from these “options.”

According to Senator Toomey, DeVos has saved “hundreds of thousands of children that have been trapped in low performing and failing schools” but according to the Detroit Free Press, “38% of charter schools that received state academic rankings during the 2012-13 school year fell below the 25th percentile, meaning at least 75% of all schools in the state performed better” (Dixon, 2014). Further expanding the “success” of these schools though statistics that show “150 Michigan charter schools have been around for 10 years or more and 64 percent are in the bottom half of ranked schools” (Ali, 2017). Obviously, a deregulation of federal control is not working in Michigan so why would should she be put in the driver seat of Federal Regulations for education? I would argue to dismantle the establishment but I’ll get into that later.

Paragraph from Toomey: “Secretary DeVos understands the necessity of a high quality education for all Americans, including students with disabilities. Secretary DeVos is dedicated to enforcing the rights of students with disabilities and giving them the best education possible-including giving their parents the freedom to choose the best school or environment to help their children thrive. Secretary DeVos has also stated that she will direct the Department of Education to fund research on evidence-based practices that best aid in educating students with disabilities.”

My response: Senator Toomey is absolutely false in his statement that DeVos understands the rights of students with disabilities.  Need I remind everyone about the confirmation hearing and how DeVos couldn’t answer simple responses about the federal Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)—“which requires public schools to provide children with disabilities a “free appropriate public education” and governs how states and public agencies provide various services to millions of students (Strauss, 2016). When Senator Tim Kaine asked her if all schools that receive federal funding should be required to meet the requirements of IDEA, DeVos responded, “I think they already are.” Senator Kaine then responded with, “But I’m asking you a should question,” to which DeVos replied “I think that is a matter best left to the states.” Ultimately what Senator Kaine got from DeVos was an example that talked about “a Florida voucher program for students with disabilities that requires students to sign away their IDEA due process rights” (Strauss, 2016). Again, DeVos has stayed true to her word and opted and pushed for a deregulation of Federal Government requirements—what happens to those with disabilities that cannot afford the “better” schools.

                On a personal level, my biggest issue with DeVos was her stance and misunderstanding of IDEA. I have a sister with developmental disabilities who would have not received the support she needed had IDEA not existed. Growing up in West Virginia, a state with low high school and college graduation rates, I am not sure that my sister would have received any of the education she needed without policies in place like IDEA. In the example DeVos provided, families were required to sign away IDEA rights—what if the parents were unable to understand what that meant and this severely impacted their student? I cannot support her ideology behind what IDEA is not needed or should be waved—who is going to protect individuals with disabilities, certainly not her for-profit schools.

Paragraph from Toomey: “Like Secretary DeVos, I have long been a supporter of education reforms that allow parents to choose the schools their children attend. No one cares more about a child, or knows a child better, than the child’s parents. Giving parents the ability to choose the best school for their children can only help children achieve their potential. Many states and cities around the country have already implemented successful school choice programs, resulting in increased test scores, graduation rates, and a brighter future for children.”

My response: Senator Toomey has offered little legislation to support education reform or establish educational standards since being elected to Senate in 2011 (Gov Track US, 2017). I found though Gov Track US, that Senator Toomey has enacted keeping child predators from classrooms—I think this is great but this seems to be a Federal Government level mandate, which Senator Toomey opposes. What highlights are stated on Senator Toomey’s website are: “Empowering Parents to Obtain an Outstanding K-12 Education for Their Children,” “Keeping Child Predators Out of Our Classrooms,” and “Making College & Student Loans More Affordable” (Toomey, 2017).  Some of his initiatives at face value look good or helpful but reading his stance on each area becomes problematic.

Under his section titled, Empowering Parents to Obtain an Outstanding K-12 Education for Their Children,” you can read the following:

“Senator Toomey believes in more parental and local control over elementary and secondary schools. He is working to end years of Washington bureaucrats dictating local schools’ policies He has voted for the bipartisan Every Child Achieves Act, which provides that the federal government will no longer be able to coerce states into adopting Common Core-or any other standards, curriculum, or testing requirements. The bill also takes decisions regarding school accountability, school improvement, and teacher evaluations away from Washington and returns them to parents and the states. Second, Senator Toomey supports school choice and believes that parents should have the power to decide what is best for their children’s education. Pennsylvania is currently home to 162 charter schools, public schools that provide choices for parents seeking the best education for their kids. Senator Toomey voted for the bipartisan Every Child Achieves Act, which authorizes grants to open new charter schools, gives existing charter schools more flexibility in how they use federal funds, and authorizes grants to replicate and expand those charter schools with a record of success. These reforms will enable more Pennsylvania children to attend innovative, successful charter schools.”

I find this incredibly convenient that is so closely aligns with the stance and beliefs of DeVos—I would argue that his page was updated to support his reasons for supporting the nomination of DeVos. I personally disagree with Toomey’s entire stance—look at the “success” of DeVos’ initiatives in Michigan and tell me he is correct.

I also felt a strong sense of disbelief by Toomey’s section on titled “Making College & Student Loans More Affordable.” Toomey’s site states, “Families should not be expected to invest tens of thousands of dollars in a college education without knowing whether that education can lead to a good, high-paying job” (Toomey, 2017). My opinion is that Senator Toomey states that education serves no other purpose than employment and that education is not a way of creating a cultured society but rather a work or labor force. As an individual who works in higher education, I am constantly faced with students who think along this same mindset and I struggle to help them understand the value of holistic education. As a student, I faced some of the same concerns and questions, often wondering why I needed art appreciation or history courses if I was not interested in those fields of study. What I didn’t realize at the time, was that this curriculum was shaping me as a person and providing a new way to critically analyze the world around me. I would argue that instead of informing parents and students of the costs of college and making sure they want to invest their time and money, we should be looking at education as a whole to be more cost effective. College curriculums shouldn’t fall by the wayside so everyone can graduate with a work force ready degree—colleges should be made more affordable through federal government regulation.

Paragraph from Toomey: “On February 7, 2017, the Senate voted 50-50 on Mrs. DeVos’s nomination to be Secretary of Education, with Vice President Pence casting a tie-breaking vote to confirm her. I look forward to working with Secretary DeVos and the Department of Education to ensure that all children are able to attain a quality education.”

My response: Obviously, I’m going to disagree with Senator Toomey because I do not think that he will advocate for the needs of anyone but the 1% and through the provided examples, I have clearly stated that DeVos has been unsuccessful in her “career” of reforming education.

I’ll leave you with some last thoughts. First, Senator Toomey, I hope you get the chance to read this and know whole heartedly I will work to support whatever opponent is up against you in the next election—not because you voted and unqualified individual as our Secretary of Education but for two reasons: (1) You could not even give me the decency of responding to me as an individual but provided this stock response. (2) As I explored your stances and voting history, I was woefully unimpressed with you and realized more than ever you are not here to support me as a PA resident but are interested in your own special interest groups and personal interest. Secondly, I would like to note that DeVos supported Senator Toomey’s campaign with a contribution of $60,050 (Blumenthal, 2017). I do not believe for one second that you would have voted any other way after receiving financial support from DeVos—that being said, you are not able to be objective to her appointment and should have abstained from the vote. Lastly, I encourage all of you (regardless of what state you reside in) to become active and fight to change this system of money and corporations controlling the government. We have to stop believing the lies of the 1% and we have to stand and reclaim this country

References

Ali, S. S. (2017, February). Why DeVos is riling up education advocates. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/why-betsy-devos-riling-education-advocates-n716491

Blumenthal, P. (2017, February). Here’s how much Betsy DeVos and her family paid to back GOP senators who will support her. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/betsy-devos-donations_us_5893bd80e4b0c1284f251c5f

Dixon, J. (2014, June). Michigan spends $1B on charter schools but fails to hold them accountable. Retrieved from http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/06/22/michigan-spends-1b-on-charter-schools-but-fails-to-hold/77155074/

Gove Track US (N.D.). Sen. Patrick “Pat” Toomey: Senator from Pennsylvania, Republican. Retrieved from https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/patrick_toomey/400408

Petrilli, M. J. (2017, February).  Here’s why Betsy DeVos will be a great Education Secretary. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/02/07/heres-why-betsy-devos-will-be-great-education-secretary.html

Strauss, V. (2016, December). A sobering look at what Betsy DeVos did to education in Michigan — and what she might do as secretary of education. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/12/08/a-sobering-look-at-what-betsy-devos-did-to-education-in-michigan-and-what-she-might-do-as-secretary-of-education/?utm_term=.a596ab79268a

Toomey, P. (2017). Education. Retrieved from http://www.toomey.senate.gov/?p=issue&id=31

 

I am very excited to share that I wrote an article for the Mid-Atlantic Association of College and University Housing Officers (MACUHO) and it was selected for their edition of the “2017 Winter Magazine.”

Check me out on page 13 of the magazine here 

Foreword

The following post will contain information, pictures, and resources that may be uncomfortable to some. Please be aware this post talks about sexual assault. While I will provide my own thoughts, feelings, and understandings of sexual assault, please note that these are mine and mine alone. I have used several resources to aid in my discussion and help frame my work in a more scholarly format. Feel free to disagree or comment but do so in a constructive manner. I see my site and blog as a place for conversation and discussion—not a place to exchange in hostile discourse.

Introduction

Recently, a friend of mine shared an online post with me that necessitated my need to share some thoughts and feelings. As a result, I felt the need to address some concerns around sexual assault for men and share my own stance. I want to begin by stating that I have my own biases around the topic of sexual assault—as a result, I will explain some of my self-conscious biases with you. First, I will purposely exclude the words rape and victim for two main reasons: (1) I see rape as a pejorative, limiting, and exclusive term that does not encompass the wide range of behaviors that constitute assault. (2) I see the word “victim” to imply helplessness and pity, whereas I see “survivor” as the ability to gain control or having the will or desire to fight (Wu, 2016). Secondly, my educational background (B.S. in Sociology and minor in Psychology, 2010; M.A. in College Student Development and Administration; and MEd. in Human Sexuality Studies, Anticipated 2018) has shaped my understanding of what sexual assault means, it’s implications on survivors, and the affective and effective components of survivors and their loved ones. Lastly, as a survivor of sexual assault, I have my own lens that provides my views and stance on the issue.

To begin, the post that sparked my interest is, “10+ Male Sexual Assault Survivors Share Their Stories, and They’ll Break Your Heart” by Iveta, an author for a site called Boredpanda. Iveta’s post is a nod to “Project Unbreakable”—a website set up by Grace Brown, a NY photography student. Iveta goes on to state that, the “purpose of [Project Unbreakable] is to raise awareness about sexual assault by giving a voice to those who have been victims of it” (N.D.). I did some research into “Project Unbreakable” and found that the site is still accessible but the project since ended in 2015. The stories that were shared through these simple photos made me feel sadness, anger, joy, fear, hope, inspired, helpless, and a plethora of other emotions that I am not sure I can express in words. I think that we often underplay sexual assault in this country, look at all of the privileged, White, men that have been getting extremely reduced sentences (that is a completely different and need conversation). I think we pretend that sexual assault affects a rather small percentage of people so it is not important to think about, discuss, or be educated about. Ultimately, these were the reasons for my post—to highlight my concern over the disregard for the topic and the lack of public knowledge.

Defining Sexual Assault and the Relationship with Men

What is sexual assault? Lehmiller (2014) defines sexual assault as “any event in which a person is touched in a sexual way against the person’s will or made to perform a non-consensual act by one or more other persons” (p. 354). I personally am a fan of Lehimller’s definition because he intentionally leaves the definition broad to mean “any gender or sexuality can be assaulted and, further, that sexual assault can take any form” (p. 354). Maybe excited is the wrong word to describe my feelings toward this definition but that is generally what I feel. I want to see sexual assault shy away from being a woman’s issue and see that men are also facing the same issue. I would argue that this definition would even be useful in including other statuses, such as transgender, intersex, gender-non conforming, and other identities and statuses outside of the gender binary. Research has already begun to look at sexual assault with some of these non-binary communities and found some alarming results. Thus, we need this definition and I am appreciative that it was available.

What do the numbers look like? Between 7.9-10% of men reported being a survivor of sexual assault before the age of 18 (Lehmiller, 2014; Yarber, Sayad, & Strong, 2012). While 41% of men were under the age of 12 and 28% of men were between 12-17 years of age (Yarber, Sayad, & Strong, 2012). It is believed that these numbers vastly underrepresent the actual number of male survivors—due to a lack of tracking of sexual crimes against men and the societal attitudes that male sexual assault is not up for discussion (Yarber, Sayad, & Strong, 2012). I find that much literature around sexual assault excludes men—even the resources I had available, were limiting. I was able to identify a few reasons from my available resources as to the neglect of research and discussion regarding the sexual assault of men. Yarber, Sayad, & Strong (2012) stated two main concerns in their text: (1) One of the main reasons men do not come forward about their sexual assault, is due largely to the fact that they do not want to be perceived as homosexual. (2) Another major concern for men is that society believes that they should be able to take care of themselves so the sexual assault must be their fault. The two points that Yarber, Sayad, & Strong posit, make a great deal of sense.

First, in a society where we associate behavior with identity, I can totally understand why a heterosexual man would feel that he would be perceived as gay if he had engaged in a homosexual act. Whether or not this act was consensual, may never be understood or believed by others. When “pressure or force is used, the outcome is unwanted by the resisting partner” (Walder, 2011, p.51). Somehow, it is easy to forget that consent was missing because the thought is that an orgasm indicates pleasure, which is not true. Additionally, think about one’s own questioning of their bodily responses to the sexual assault.  What if the act had caused ejaculation or some sort of bodily pleasure? I think it would be easy to even question one’s own sexuality because it is hard to set aside the fact that the orgasm or ejaculation could have been a result of the physical activity not the want of the person to engage in the act.

Secondly, society feels that men cannot be sexually assaulted. I have come across this in my own experiences, literature, and media consumption. Men are viewed as the perpetrator in sexual assault and rarely seen as a survivor. As a result of societal expectations around gender and masculinity, it may be hard, if not impossible, for some men to come forward in the standardized reporting structures. When we constantly teach men to be strong, emotionless, and tough, we make it difficult for men to share their experience. We need to do better as a society and realize that we are humans that have shared experiences, feelings, and emotions—men and women should not be required to play out gender roles and we should stop teaching notions of masculinity and femininity. Whom are we helping?

A Guide to Helping

Yarber, Sayad, & Strong (2012) offer a guide for helping sexual assault survivors. I have modified some of the language and have excluded two of the steps but below is my modified version of helping survivors.

Helping Someone who has been Sexually Assaulted:

1. Believe the person—it is not your role to question whether a rape occurred, but to be there to ease the pain
2. Help the person explore their options—Don’t take charge of the situation and pressure the rape survivor to do what you think they should do. That’s what their attacker already did. Give them the freedom to choose a path of recovery that is comfortable for them, even if you’d do it differently. Remember, there is no one right way for a survivor to respond after being sexually assaulted.
3. Listen to the person—it is critical that you let survivors in your lives know that they can talk to you about their experience when they are ready. Some may not wish to speak with you immediately, but at some point during their healing process, they may want to come to you for support. When that happens, don’t interrupt, or yell, or inject your feelings. Your caring but silent attention will be invaluable.
4. Ask before you touch—Don’t assume that physical contact, even in a form of a gentle hug, will be comforting to a survivor. Many survivors, especially within in the first few weeks after their assault, prefer to avoid sex or simple touching even with those they love and trust. One way to signal to a survivor that you are ready to offer physical comfort is to sit with an open posture and a hand palm up nearby.
5. Never blame them for being assaulted—No one deserves to be sexually assaulted; no matter what they wore, how many times they had sex before, if they were walking alone at night, if they got drunk, if they were married, or they went into the perpetrator’s room. Even if survivors feels responsible, it is important to clearly and caringly tell them that being sexually assaulted was not their fault.

Additional Resources

1. Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)
   1. RAINN has a free, confidential, 24/7 sexual assault hotline:
   2. 800.656.HOPE(4673).
   3. RAINN also has an online hotline: https://ohl.rainn.org/online/
2. Women Organized Against Rape (WOAR)-Philadelphia, PA
   1. 24 hour Hotline: 215-985-3333
   2. Walk-in Appointment—Call WOAR’s Hotline (215-985-3333) to schedule a one-time crisis counseling appointment at our office. If it’s important for you to be seen right away, come to the WOAR office Monday – Friday 10-4pm.

Conclusion

            Thank you for taking the time to read my rather long post. I hope you have gained some valuable insight into sexual assault—particularly how we need to have a system that offers support to men. I hope that we can change the conversation and resources around sexual assault to encompass a more inclusive and affirming experience for all. I know we have a long way to go, but I hope through actions as small as this blog, that we can enact change.

To read the post by Iveta, click here

To read more about Project Unbreakable, click here

References

Yarber, W. L., Sayad, B. W., & Strong, B. (2012). Human sexuality: Diversity in contemporary America (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Waller, L. K. (2011). Sexual politics in intimate relationships: Sexual coercion and harassment. In Seidman, S., Fischer, N., & Meeks, C. (Eds.). Introducing the new sexuality studies (2^nd ed.) (pp. 49-56). New York, NY: Routledge.

Lehmiller, J.  (2014). Psychology of Human Sexuality.  New York:  John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Wu, G. (2016, March, 16). ‘Survivor’ versus ‘Victim’: Why choosing your words carefully is important. Retrieved from http://helloflo.com/survivor-vs-victim-why-choosing-your-words-carefully-is-important/

 

I am very pleasantly surprised and pleased. Pornhub is stepping up their game! Rather than porn being sex education, they have created the “Pornhub Sexual Wellness Center” (PSWC). PSWC offers a variety of topics from consent, to erotic positions for lesbian sex, to trans 101, and issues around intimacy. I hope that the site continue to grow and become a successful resource and tool for sexuality educators and professionals.

Click here to check out the article.

Click here to check out the site.

I found this BuzzFeed article to be a little sexist, but I think there are some good points that are brought up around a lack of knowledge. I think as a country we do a terrible job of educating our youth about anatomy–I would argue that most individuals are not taught about their own anatomy.

I would say this article highlights:

1. Confusion about female anatomy from males
2. Confusion about female anatomy from females
3. A great deal of misconceptions and stereotypes
4. How much others don’t know and what it’s taught at home or school

Check out the article for yourself.

Since the election of Trump, a number of people now feel justified to say or do anything to marginalized groups. I am concerned for the safety of so many people. I have friends of different ethnic backgrounds, races, countries of origin, religions, social class, gender identities, gender expressions, ability statuses, and a plethora of other identities, and I am so fearful of what is going to happen. In society, I mostly show up as a White, Cis-gender male, middle class, in this respect I am offered a great deal of privilege and safety–I however identify as a gay male. Over the course of my life, people have speculated that I am gay based on the way I speak or through my mannerisms and as a result I have experienced some uncomfortable situations–uncomfortable but never physically hurt or intimidated. I feel that this is largely due in part to my White, male status–this lens of privilege has protected me and as a result, I have lived a safe life as an openly gay male.

However, I am not sure I will continue to remain safe. I can’t speak for everyone, but I can say as a gay male, in an interracial relationship with a Chinese man, who is here in America on an F1 Visa, I am worried about the safety of my partner and myself. I worry about my partner who attends college in rural PA, where his community is basically homogeneously White–he sticks out because he is racially and ethnically different. While he has been safe from physical harm, he has had people scream racial slurs at him while walking in his local park. I very much worry that someone could physically hurt him–maybe even kill him because he is a “foreigner.” I worry that he may eventually find himself on a banned list of foreign countries and then will be denied access to the county. My worries reflect my lived experience but I am sure there are hundreds of thousands going through similar experiences.

You may ask yourself, “Why does any of this matter to me?” If you’ve read this far, I appreciate you devotion and hope that you are somewhat intrigued. I am going to segue into my main concerns, fears, and realities of #PostTrumpAmerica

Will this #PostTrumpAmerica make people feel they can do more? Will  #PostTrumpAmerica incite more hate? Will #PostTrumpAmerica allow people to justify their racism, bigotry, sexism, heterosexism, ableism, and ethnocentrism? All signs point to YES.

In #PostTrumpAmerica, people can:

1. Go to a restaurant and write on their waiter’s receipt, “Sorry I don’t tip f*ggots,’ and then said “#UNeedJesus”
2. A Muslim Mosque can be set on fire because of Muslim hate.
3. A car can be covered in graffiti with racial slurs

In #PostTrumpAmerica,  people feel that they are entitled to say/scream/write:

1. A US Soldier tweeted: “Y’all in Trump’s America now… Time to flick that chip off ya shoulder and quit being so offended. Gay jokes are back on ya bunch of homos.”
2. A North Texas high school chants “Build the wall.” during a volleyball meet.
3. A swastika is painted on the dugout of a baseball field in NY and reads: “Make America White Again”

In #PostTrumpAmerica things are being done to threaten/harm/hurt/intimidate others:

1. At a Canisus College, a black doll was discovered in an elevator on campus and found hanging from a curtain rod in a residence room hall.
2. A student at Shasta High School in Redding, California, posted a video on Twitter of himself handing letters with the word “deportation” written across the top to half a dozen students.
3. A San Diego State University student walking to her car was confronted by two men who made comments about Trump and Muslims

Is this the American I now live in? Yes…

Not to say that incidents of hate haven’t been happening but it’s becoming more wide spread and more publicized. In fact, there have been nearly 900 incidents of hate since Trump was elected (Check out those cool graphics at the top of this post).

A collective thought of “We can do this because Trump is President?,” has spread through certain groups of people–I would say a majority of these people are White, religious right, the disenfranchised poor individuals who felt  that, because we had President Barack Obama for the past eight years, that minorities gained too much ground. As a result, many individuals are experiencing extreme hate and bigotry.

Trump is doing much of what he said. We wanted to pretend that maybe he was saying these crazy things to gain supporters…but so far he has kept his word. We have seen a number of Executive Orders go out in the past week that support much of the examples I have provided above. If the President can do it, what stops anyone else?

#PostTrumpAmerica sucks; but we need to be the agents of change that are working to fight the Trump administration on every turn.

How can you help? Here a list of few agencies that need your support, financially and with manpower:

1. ACLU
2. HRC
3. Planned Parenthood
4.  Southern Poverty Law Center
5. Lambda Legal
6. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
7. Council on American-Islamic Relations
8. Rape Abuse & Incest National Network
9. Stand With Standing Rock
10. Americans for Immigrant Justice

Now more than ever, we must be vigilante, we must be active, and we must be aware. I hope that in four years, we can see #PostTrumpAmerica as the end to the problems of racism, sexism, classism, ableism, ethnocentrism, and so on. Where we see a change in our country for the better. I know that I can’t do it without all of you.

January 20, 2017, the Texas Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that would halt same-sex spousal benefits. I originally came across the story via Facebook but did some research and found a few different sources for the story. We are already seeing a resurgence in conservative values that are starting to infringe on basic human rights. Fox News even went on to quote one conservative saying:

“This court has the opportunity to diminish federal tyranny and re-establish Texas sovereignty.”

I hope that the United States Supreme Court will be able to overturn any unfavorable outcomes.

TowerLoad Article here

Fox News Article here

In his short five days in office, Trump has signed a number of Executive Orders (EO) and sources say he plans to sign many more. Part of his EOs aim at cutting programs that rely of public funding and your tax dollars. Here is the list of agencies effected:

• Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• National Endowment for the Arts
• National Endowment for the Humanities
• Minority Business Development Agency
• Economic Development Administration
• International Trade Administration
• Manufacturing Extension Partnership
• Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
• Office of Violence Against Women
• Legal Services Corporation
• Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department
• Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Justice Department
• Overseas Private Investment Corporation
• UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• Office of Electricity Deliverability and Energy Reliability
• Office of Fossil Energy

Read the article here for the full story.

I came across this article and was really upset for the author of this post. I have personally avoided gay themed excursions for the very same fears of body/fat shaming. I feel there are a lot of impossible body standards that are placed on men and just like the author of this post, they make a lot of men very uncomfortable. I’ll let you read the post for yourself. Feel free to share any thoughts you have. Click here to read the article.

I feel like the constantly battle for masculinity and femininity is getting a bit tiresome. I would like to see a society where we are focused less on someone’s gender expression as being too masculine or too feminine and we are more concerned for valuing the person’s choice of expression. I think the underlying problem with this particular case is that the system seems to be demonizing the child on the basis of a possible transgender identity. I find this alarming and very heteronormative. I personally do not believe that effeminate behavior denotes a “personality disorder” as the article states. I would like to find some more information on the case so I can be more u to date on the details. Click here for the full article.