Transgenderism & LGBT: The New Civil Rights Frontier in America


 

 

            As young millennials, we are living in a very interesting time in America. In the month of June alone, there have been two watershed events. One we are still waiting on, which is the Supreme Court’s decision on whether same sex marriage is constitutional or unconstitutional, and the other is the fact that two major magazines in America have, for the first time, put transgender women on their covers.  As many are aware, Bruce Jenner made his official transformation from a man into a woman by debuting on Vanity Fair’s cover as Caitlyn Jenner, and Laverne Cox, also a transgender woman, debuted on Time’s cover, which was a first for a woman of color.



 
            Two transgendered women being able to grace the covers of two major popular magazines has brought to a climax what is going to be America’s newest chapter in the civil rights movement, which will be the fight for the acknowledgement and rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender--or LGBT--community.  Many people think that if we as a society acknowledge the LGBT community and give them the basic human rights that are given to them by the creator, that it will not only condone what many view as a sin, but it will also be vandalizing the Christian codex that many feel the founding fathers put into this country when they wrote the constitution.  But that is not the end of the story, for many people like Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox are making their voices heard, and many of the millennial generation are listening.  For many in my generation see that the philosophies of older generations, like our grandfathers’ or parents’, are not only outdated but also highly discriminative against a group of people who are not only citizens of this great country of ours, but also our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

            There are many who disagree with this viewpoint because they would say that any form of sexuality or sexually deviant lifestyle that is outside of what God has originally assigned to man is not only a sin, but also a form of active rebellion against God’s will. Representatives of God, such as the Southern Baptist Convention, believe that there is only one solution for people who belong to the transgender or LGBT community, which is the following:  

"God's design was the creation of two distinct and complementary sexes, male and female" and that "gender identity is determined by biological sex, not by one's self-perception".[55] Furthermore, the resolution opposes hormone therapy, transition-related care, and anything else that would "alter one's bodily identity", as well as opposing government efforts to "validate transgender identity as morally praiseworthy".[55] Instead, the resolution asks transgender people to "trust in Christ and to experience renewal in the Gospel".  Transgenderism and religion.” Wikipedia. (n.d.) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgenderism_and_religion>. [


            In essence, the church believes that people who are transgendered are in an active rebellious state against God’s will, and, therefore, the government can’t acknowledge nor give them basic human rights because they don’t meet the criteria that the church deems to be a healthy normal human being who is functioning within the will of God. This is a slap in every transgender and gay person’s face because the church is stating that they are willingly going through all of the humiliation--in some cases disownment from their families and friends and, in extreme cases, death--for publicity.  It is my generation understands that these people go to some extremes to become a man or woman, to get their marriage legally recognized by all states and not just a handful of states and territories, or to become fully recognized citizens of this country. To say that these people are willing to go through all of this for publicity not only cheapens us as a society but as a country as well! 
 
By  Nadia Johnson

 

Bladensburg anti-bullying workshop focuses on leadership


Anna Hornberger, 12, of Beltsville said classmates sometimes pick on her for being one of the few white students in the mostly-minority school she attends, but she has learned to tune out the bullies.

Anna said she didn’t realize how big a problem bullying is until she participated in a Saturday workshop organized by Clifford Thomas, her martial arts instructor at Tae Kwon Do Ramblers Self-Defense Systems in Bladensburg.

“It was just like an eye-opener,” Anna said Saturday at the Bladensburg Community Center, where the workshop was held and where she attends Tae Kwon Do classes every week.

After hearing stories about children who committed suicide as a result of being bullied, Anna said she learned that even “a single word can kill someone.”

Thomas of Suitland, has been teaching the self-defense classes in the Washington, D.C., area since 1980, said the idea behind Saturday’s workshop was to show children they shouldn’t be intimidated by a bully.

“There’s so many kids crying out for help,” Thomas said. “Kids are cruel. They pick on you ... I teach them how to deal with that problem and not be violent and continue to be a leader.”



>> Click here to read full article by Alice Popovici <<
Source: www.gazette.net


Senior Safety and Self-Defense Workshop

On Monday, June 8, a FREE Senior Safety and Self-Defense Workshop offering safety and practical self-defense methods for adults 55 and better. We become more vulnerable as we grow older and often face increasing difficulties relative to our age and decreasing physical abilities. Dr. Clifford Thomas is a world-renown safety and self-defense expert who takes these factors into account and works extensively with seniors to teach them street smarts so they will become more confident and feel more comfortable in their daily interactions and activities.

--
Susan R. McCutchen
We Lead By Example, Inc./Tae Kwon Do Ramblers Self-Defense Systems
website: www.ramblers-tkd.org
e-mail: tkdmccutch@yahoo.com

Black Hair is ME!



Woe! Wow!! Have you noticed. Black hair is making a comeback. To express black pride in heritage fosters pride in self. Pride in culture. Pride in community; Obviously, that's why black history and positive black images have been misplaced in the annals of American History books.

"If pride comes before the fall we as black people must erase the false~pride grounded within ourselves by the assimilated standards forced on 'we the black people' by oppressors committed to one cultural image according to their standards"

"We as elders must teach our children who they are"

To bring back black hair means bringing back black unity; bringing back positivity; and, bringing back love of self.

Think about it, "when children are taught their personal characteristics are inferior, ugly, and or substandard in the eyes of the dominators - - who once kidnapped, transported, raped their ancestors and prostituted their services in the name of humanity -- they begin to lose or modify black concepts of beauty by imitating the brainwashing standards not generally biologically inherent within the black race.

Oh yes, "Mama", black hair is making a comeback!

History tells us that during the initial kingdoms on earth African Kings, Queens and royal figures sported woven hair intertwined with strands of gold proudly expressing their royal status in society.

History tells us the assimilated style of processing (or Conking) the hair saw a time in history when black men altered their appearance to gain acceptance in a white dominated society while striving to succeed by any means necessary; even if it mean downplaying or selling out ones own people and or ones own culture.

History tells us that any young black person sporting an AFRO (and I happily did) during the 1960s and 1970s was viewed to be a militant, a revolutionary, and rebel bent-and-determined to undermine the power structure firmly entrenched by America's capitalist elite.

So, Shout out to my Father, my Grandmother, Mom and Dad for giving me nappy hair of various textures ranging from course to very course. from fine to very fine so I can tell the whole world "it's All Mine!"

If my hair makes a positive statement about my pride, and you don't like it,thennn, Step Aside; proud man walking.

Unisex Natural Hair Pride Big Hair Don't Care Tee on Etsy
If my course hair is contrary to YOUR biased standards derived from generations of racism and segregation, oh well - I give thanks to my God for My creation.

Smile! My hair says I am unique. It says I am special. It says "I" am ME!!

If the culturally oppressing assimilators wish to label me as rebel, brand me as an outcast, call me communist, traitor, or simply an undesirable human being because of my hair, I say "so be it" - you are not seeing what "I" am seeing -- and that's the true me.

"We as elders must teach our children that Black is indeed Beautiful"

Yep! Black hair is coming back, therefore, embrace it, wear it as a badge of honor and be you!

"Things get hot when black expression becomes obvious! "WHY"???



J. A. Dula PhD
"Essayist"
Entrepreneur-Educator
--Socratic Speaker--
(Ask WHY until YOU arrive at TRUTH; not speculation!



Eat Eatz: Berry Cherry Explosion smoothie


Berry Cherry Explosion smoothie.



The recipe is as follows:


1/4 cup frozen organic sweet cherries

1/4 cup frozen organic pomegranate seeds

1/2 cup frozen organic blueberries

1 tbsp organic soy yogurt

1/4 cup unsweetened original hemp milk

1/2 tbsp raw cashew butter

1/4 avocado

Follow @serenityandsmoothies on Instagram



WOMEN IN FILM: Tiana Glass


This next segment in Women in Film, is an interview with a superb collegiate student named Tiana Glass. I was able to catch up with Ms. Glass on a Sunday afternoon after a very tiring weekend (She had just participated in Vagina Monologues the evening before). Ms. Glass arrived with a faint smile on her face and a large backpack filled to the brim with books. As she sat down I offered her one of the coffees that I had picked up after realizing the cold was going to be harder to shake out of my bones then usual. After taking a few sips of coffee Ms. Glass, a natural storyteller, begin to tell me all about how she got her start, her insight, and her goals for the future. Ms. Glass started of sharing
about as a child she didn’t see who she was portrayed in the media.

“I saw the minimum of Black Women, “ she stated. “… that wasn’t shown on television because that wasn’t deemed as beautiful.”

 Ms. Glass shared with me, how this took such a toll on her self-esteem, and self image as a child and even into adulthood. She started out wanting to do magazine journalism for such magazines as Seventeen, and Cosmopolitan. One day Ms. Glass decided to read the mast heads of the magazines, and she realized that there were not a lot of women in color dictating what went into these articles, and spreads. This realization took place second semester of freshman year, and Ms. Glass said to herself, “ I wanna take that different approach and challenge notions of Black Folks in the media.” She feels this also stems from a, “ Lack of representation of women of color specially dark skinned Girls….” Ms. Glass has done just that and is enrolled in the University of Missouri Journalism Program with an emphasis in Film Studies.




Reported by Kelcea Barnes
W.O.W Radio Blogger


WOMEN IN FILM: Harleigh Wacker




Welcome to March the month of unpredictable, might be cold, but looks really warm outside weather, and WOMENS HISTORY MONTH! This year W.O.W Radio along with affiliate OG Media Productions are featuring Women in Film for this years acknowledgement of amazing women who are changing the world!!

We, as women, have had a strong presence in the film industry from its inception until now. The film industry plays quite a large role in the portrayal of women and everything that we are associated with. (click here check out a history of women in film) I had the privilege and opportunity to chat with two phenomenal women who as the future of film are already making big strides in film from their film to their visions.

The first women that I got in contact with was Harleigh Wacker. She has received acclaims at the Red Dirt Film Festival last year for the film she directed called, “The Last Zombie Standing”, and is well on her way to becoming a force in the film industry. Did I mention that she is only a senior in high school?! "The Last Zombie Standing” follows the start of the zombie apocalypse, Ted, his girlfriend Laura, and his stepsister Kate, fight to try to survive on their own. These teenagers took on the start of the apocalypse with a strong mind and a strong will, but once reality hit them they begin to crumble and fall. Will the three teenagers survive on their own?


Ms. Wacker had a bit of time outside of her busy schedule to chat with me about her experience in film. One of the first questions I asked her was: What part of the industry does she consider herself to be in, and how did she get her start? “I am in every part of the industry..” she wrote, “..if I can do it, if I can learn it, I want to do it.” Ms. Wacker got her start at around the age of 9. She explained, “ I loved making videos, like most young people, but I was really into editing and wanting to make it look nice.” This spark, and eventually an accidental appearance at the Red Dirt Film Festival and then a job offer as a Production Assistant on a movie, all led Ms. Wacker to where she finds herself now.

Her thoughts on Women in film and her membership in this industry were not only insightful, but overwhelmingly true. “I really want to show that women can be just as good as men in the roles of director and producer. Women are told to not be so demanding and keep quite, which is really hard to do when you are directing.” She went on to say, “The best thing that could happen is women empowering other women instead of envying them.” Ms. Wacker is one of the young faces that is going far in an industry, that is overwhelmingly due for a shake up.

Follow her on Instagram: @harleighblake

Stay tuned for my next women in film interview this month with, Tiana Glass!




Reported by Kelcea Barnes
W.O.W Radio Blogger


10 Health Benefits of Pineapple

10 Health Benefits of Pineapple and 10 Pineapple Smoothie Recipes while in Hawaii... go for the pine... - http://pinterest.com/pin/504614333224153823/?s=3&m=blogger