“As the proud grandpa of a transgender grandchild, I hope she can feel safe at school without fear of being bullied.”
U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) with his granddaughter
— U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.),the founder and chairman of the Congressional Anti-Bullying Caucus and a founding member of the LGBT Equality Caucus, in a tweet posted to his official Twitter account. Honda, who represents the San Jose area in Congress, received an outpouring of support after tweeting a picture of himself with his granddaughter. According to the San Jose Mercury News, this is not the first time that Honda has acknowledged his granddaughter’s gender identity, as he made videotaped remarks mentioning his transgender grandchild that were aired at an anti-bullying conference held in Southern California. In response to a Huffington Post article written by a parent and transgender advocate who attended the conference, Honda issued a statement saying: “We need to ensure that our LGBTQ youth are never bullied because of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. These children need our protection and love.”
Image credit: Rep. Mike Honda’s Twitter account (@RepMikeHonda).
A transgender woman swimmer in the United Kingdom recently competed topless at a Masters event, protesting a policy that requires her to compete based on her assigned sex at birth.
Seeking to highlight flaws in the one-size-fits-all ban on transgender competitors, Anne Isabella Coombes, 67, of Reading, chose to wear a men’s swimsuit while competing -- exposing her breasts in the process.
Coombes, a member of the Reading Swimming Club for 30 years, transitioned five years ago, during the COVID-19 pandemic. When public swim meets resumed, she applied to Swim England -- the national governing body of aquatic sports -- asking to compete as a female, reports the Reading Chronicle.
Recently released data from a national survey of transgender and nonbinary individuals reveals that detransitioning is not as common as opponents of transgender rights assert, and that the overwhelming reason for detransitioning is rooted in social stigma and lack of support.
Recently released data from a national survey of transgender and nonbinary individuals finds that detransitioning is far less common than anti-trans activists claim. When it does happen, it’s largely due to external pressures like stigma and lack of support, not regret over transitioning.
When J. Ahmir "Ricky" Vines was in elementary school, growing up with a single mom, he would get in trouble with his teachers for scribbling lyrics during class. Eventually, realizing that his lyrical prowess could earn him some extra money, he began selling lyrics to local rappers in his town and stashing the extra cash in a shoebox.
"There's a big underground music culture in North Carolina," says the Winston-Salem native. "I would sell these lyrics to these older kids and these young rapper guys around the city."
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