Idaho Governor Signs Trans Oppressive Bills Into Law

The Republican controlled Idaho Legislature hasn't addressed the COVID-19 crisis, but had time to shepherd two bills through their legislature aimed at oppressing trans people.

On the eve of the Transgender Day of Visibility,  Idaho's Gov Brad Little (R) signed two unjust bills designed to oppress trans people in that state.

And consistent with the pattern in other parts of the country when it comes to the anti-trans bills, they used Republican women legislators as the front people to do their transphobic dirty work.

House Bill 500, sponsored by Rep Barbara Ehardt (R) forbids transgender girls from competing in sports against cisgender girls, and applies to all teams at the high school, public college and university level.

It also contains a provision in which if  a high school or college female competitor is suspected of being trans, the school is allowed to conduct a physical genital exam on that person in addition to doing blood and chromosomal testing.

Even the International Olympic Committee (IOC) doesn't go there now after doing something similar since the 1964 Tokyo Games.   The sex tests the IOC administered until 2000 were often inconclusive in addition to being invasive and  dehumanizing.

Then again, since when did the Republican Party at any level of government ever miss an opportunity to gleefully legislate oppressive laws against women, be they cis or transgender?

The other bill Little signed into law. House Bill 509, prevents trans people from changing the gender marker listed on their birth certificates. 

That one is probably headed to court, because in 2018 Idaho lost a court case in which they were ordered to allow Idaho trans people to change the gender marker on their birth certificates.

The Idaho ACLU was quick to condemn Little's actions.

"The ACLU of Idaho condemns Gov Brad Little's decision to sign discriminatory, unconstitutional, and deeply hurtful anti-transgender bills into law. 

"Leaders from the business, faith, medical, education and athletics communities will not forget this decision or what it says about the governor's priorities during a global pandemic," said the ACLU in a statement. "The ACLU will see the governor in court. We encourage all Idahoans to email, call, and tweet Gov. Little to express outrage and disappointment at wasting precious taxpayer resources on blatantly anti-transgender bills at a time when we should be coming together for the health and wellbeing of our people." 

The ACLU encourages Idahoans to email the governor at governor@gov.idaho.gov and call him at 208-334-2100 and tweet him @GovernorLittle to express their disappointment. 

All trans people want to do is be able to compete in sports, and using BS excuses dating back to the Jim Crow sports segregation days repurposed to discriminate against trans feminine athletes will not be tolerated by our community. 

We'll see you in court on both of these unjust bills.

Biden Blows Out Bernie Again!

Another Tuesday, another Biden blowout of Bernie Sanders as six more states held their Democratic Party primary elections. 

Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington were the six states participating in what was dubbed Super Tuesday II, with the biggest prize of the night being Michigan and its 125 delegates. 

Sanders now finds himself in a familiar position of trailing after getting his butt whipped during Super Tuesday, and was desperate to stop the slide in a state he surprisingly won four years ago. 

But just like in 2016, Sanders was ice skating uphill because once again, Black Democratic voters aren't Feeling The Bern and are making it loud and clear since the South Carolina primary they aren't.

Biden shattered and splatted that comeback trail political pipe dream by not only winning Michigan, Mississippi and Missouri by 'YUGE' margins,  Sanders failed to win a single county in all three of those states. 

Those huge wins in the 'Three M states' were once again powered by Black voters.  If you're wondering what the Black population percentages were in those three states, in Michigan, it's 13.7%.  In Missouri, it's 11%, and in Mississippi, where he was endorsed by Jackson mayor Chokwe Lumumba but still lost Hinds County and every other one in the Magnolia State, it was 37%.

Biden also captured Idaho to add to his big night and expand his overall lead in the race to 1991 pledged delegates to clinch the nomination, while Sanders is leading in Washington and won North Dakota 

Next up on the Biden Beats Down Bernie tour are the states of Arizona, Illinois, Florida and Ohio, who will all vote on St Patrick's Day.

While Arizona's Black population is only 4.1%,  in Illinois it's 14%, Florida it's 16% and Ohio it's 14.3%.   Not surprisingly, the polling is not looking good for Team Sanders in any of those March 17 primary states as Election Day rapidly approaches. 

Sanders' comments praising Fidel Castro also aren't going to help him in a state with a large Cuban population.   Florida is also the biggest prize delegate wise, with 219 pledged delegates.  Arizona has 67, Illinois 155 and Ohio 136.

Will Biden get closer to getting the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, or will Sanders spring an upset along the way?   Not likely because he's losing more diverse states while winning overwhelmingly white ones. 

Sanders is also pinning his barely got a pulse comeback hopes on this Sunday's debate which has now been moved to Washington DC because of coronavirus concerns.

But the only polls that count in any election are the voters actually casting ballots. 

We'll see what happens next Tuesday. 








 

Paulette Jordan Wins Idaho Democratic Governor's Race Primary

We have never had in the history of the United States a Native American governor of a state.

38 year old Paulette Jordan is seeking to change that.   She's a member of Idaho's Coeur d'Alene people, a member of its Tribal Council and an Idaho state representative.    You can also call her a trailblazer. 

Jordan beat in a landslide the candidate much of the Idaho business community and the Idaho Democratic Party backed in A.J. Balukoff, who had previously run for Idaho governor in 2014. 

While Balukoff was campaigning as a pro-business candidate, he was also dogged by his controversial donations to Mitt Romney's 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns and ties to business groups. 

Jordan was the favorite candidate of progressive groups, ran a populist campaign and called out his and the Idaho Republican Party's ties to big business groups. 

She blew out Balukoff by nearly 20 points on May 15 to become the Democratic nominee for governor, but now faces the task of winning in a deep red state that Dolt 45 won by 30 points two years ago as she challenges Idaho Lt. Governor Brad Little (R) to replace the retiring Gov. Brad Otter (R). 

If a Medicaid expansion gets placed on the ballot, it might help Jordan's chances of pulling off that upset.

 If she does, she would become not only the first ever Native American governor of any US state, she would also become the first female governor of Idaho.

Another interesting race that will be on my radar this November 6, and definitely hope it goes Jordan's way. 

Clinton Wins AZ In A Blowout

Three Western states were on the election agenda in last night's Democratic Party presidential primary contest slates in Arizona, Idaho and Utah.    Idaho has 27 delegates available and Utah offers 37 delegates in its caucuses while the big prize of Arizona was a primary election state with 85 delegates available..  

Both sides spent a lot of time and money in the Grand Canyon State courting voters, and when the votes were counted, while Sanders continued his pattern of winning states with overwhelmingly white populations like Utah and Idaho, but failing in a more diverse population state like Arizona.

And once again, the big diverse state prize eluded them as Hillary Clinton won Arizona in a blowout, thus negating the two Sanders caucus wins in Idaho and Utah and and once again to their frustration, not even making a dent in Clinton's 300+ delegate lead be`cause of the YUGE win in Arizona that offsets Sanders twin caucus wins..

Next up on Saturday are three caucuses in Alaska (20 delegates) Hawaii (35 delegates) and Washington with 118 delegates before the primary calendar flips to April and the critical April 5 primary in Wisconsin

But Sec.Clinton to the chagrin of Sanders supporters is getting closer to securing the Democratic nomination that eluded her in 2008, and is doing unto Sanders what was done to her by now President Obama...      

Three More 2016 Dem Primary Contests Today

After a Clinton sweep of five primary contests that included blowout wins in Florida, North Carolina and Ohio and narrow wins in her home state of Illinois and Missouri, the 2016 Democratic nomination contest head to the western part of the country with caucuses in Idaho and Utah and a primary election in Arizona.

As a result of that five state sweep last week, the Clinton delegate lead swelled to a 300+ one not factoring in the superdelegates that are still overwhelmingly supporting Sec. Clinton over Sen. Sanders and keeps picking up endorsements like Oregon Governor Kate Brown.

But back to today's primary contest news.

The Utah caucus has 37 delegates up for grabs and Idaho offers up another 27 delegates with the big prize tonight being Arizona with 85 delegates.

bad news for you Sanders folks in that it not only is a closed primary, but also in terms of the demographics of the state that skew more toward seniors and more Latino.  It's also an early voting state, and there have been over 300,000 ballots cast in advance of Election Day.

The attention of both campaigns have been focused in the Grand Canyon State in the runup to today.  And yes, may I remind you it's proportional splitting of those available delegates.

The Sanders folks are confident they will do well out there, but we heard that last week, too..All I have to say is the only poll that counts is the one at the ballot box.

We'll see what happens when the polls start closing at 8 PM CDT.  But if you live in those states, hope you vote today and make your voice heard.

D.W. Just Needs To Pee In Peace

Another day, another transphobe tripping because a transperson is living their life.

Meet 13 year old DW Trantham.   Because the Office Of Civil rights has informed school districts that they must provide access to the bathroom of the trans students' choice,  and DW is obviously trans feminine, two parents at South Junior High in Boise pulled their kids out of the school.

Gee, that bigotry sounds familiar.



And here's DW's and her family's response to their transphobic ignorance




The bottom line is that transpeople need to pee, poop and wash our hands when we're done.  We are facing more danger from you haters than you are from us, and no, sending trans masculine and trans feminine people to bathrooms that don't match our gender presentation doesn't solve the problem, it exacerbates it.

All  DW and other transpeople want to do is pee in peace.and have you cis people stop demonizing us for it.