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. 








 

Washington State Legislature Passes 'Nikki's Law'

The passage of the Nikki Kuhnhausen Act has the state of Washington poised to become the tenth one to ban the trans and gay panic defenses.

It was named for Nikki Kuhnhausen, the Vancouver, WA trans teen who was murdered after a June 6 date with David Bognadov,  but whose remains weren't  found until December 7. 

The 25 year old Bogdanovwas arrested on December 17, and is now awaiting trial for her murder.

Nikki's Law was originally introduced in 2019 by then state Rep. Derek Stanford (D-Bothell) , but stalled in the House Rules Committee that year.   After Kuhnhausen's disappearance and the finding of her remains, the bill was revived, with an amendment from Rep. Sharon Wylie (D-Vancouver) naming it for her.

Stanford is now a member of the Washington Senate.

“Just finding out someone’s gender or sexual orientation should never be a justification for attacking that person,” Stanford stated in a press release. “Sadly, this excuse is still used sometimes to try to justify violent assaults. This bill will make sure that it can’t be used by people who commit violent acts.”

Washington State Senator Annette Cleveland (D-Vancouver) noted that while Nikki's death was a catalyst for the bill passing, the tremendous need for this legislation predates Nikki's date.

“The terrible truth is that vicious assaults have been perpetrated against transgender people, as well as others in the LGBTQ community, for far too long,” Sen. Cleveland’s statement read. “This bill is a start. It is long overdue, and we must still do more.”

It passed out of the Democratically controlled Washington House on a 90-5 vote last month and just passed out of the Washington Senate by a 46-3 margin a few days ago.

The bill is now awaiting Gov Jay Inslee's (D) signature to become law.  . 

Number 23- Rest In Power Nikki Kuhnhausen

It turns out that the trans teen who went missing back in June is sadly now one of 23 trans people who we have lost in the US due to anti-trans violence.

17 year old Nikki Kuhnhausen went missing back on June 6 after setting up a meeting with 25 year old David Bogdanov.    She had conversing with him on Snapchat, and after setting up a June 5  meeting with him disappeared. 

Bogdanov was named as a person of interest in her disappearance, and admitted during an October interview with detectives that he and Nikki met, and during their conversation he discovered she was trans.   He said that was offensive to his culture and he asked her to get out of his van. 

Bogdanov claimed that Nikki walked away from his van and he never saw her again.

Nikki's remains were found on Larch Mountain in the remote northeastern part of Clark County, Washington on December 7. 

Bogdanov was arrested today by Vancouver police and charged with Kuhnhausen's murder, and his cell phone records according to detectives,  put him in the same remote area of northeastern Clark County on June 6 where Nikki's remains were found.

Bogdanov has been charged with second degree murder, and is being held without bail.   He will face his first appearance in Clark County Courthouse.

That makes Nikki the 23rd trans person we have lost to anti-trans violence, and the second trans teenager we've lost in 2019.  She is also the second White trans person who has been killed this year. .

Rest in power Nikki.  Your life was taken way too soon, and here's hoping that justice will be served in your case.

Anti-Trans I-1552 Initiative Fails!

Some great news out of Washington state for trans kind and all who treasure human rights.

For the second consecutive year, the Axis of Trans Intolerance has failed to gather enough signatures to put an initiative on the ballot designed to repeal the human rights of the transgender citizens of Washington state!

Last year they tried and failed to get I-1551 on the November 2016 ballot, and the Washington Secretary of State's office announced that the I-1552 campaign cancelled their 3 PM PDT appointment to turn in 259, 622 valid signatures to place their unjust initiative on the ballot.

Had they gotten those signatures and the initiative passed, it would have rolled back state and local protections against gender identity discrimination, required that public schools restrict access to  some facilities based on sex at birth, and allowed lawsuits against school districts over the issue.

Congratulations to all the people in Washington state who made this wonderful day happen with a bipartisan 'Decline to Sign 'campaign

And congrats to my Washington state trans fam for their hard work in getting the back to back wins.

Here's also hoping that the Axis of Trans Intolerance in Washington state finally gets the message that the people of the Evergreen State don't want the transphobic snake oil they're selling.

But somehow, I have the feeling they'l try to oppress the Washington trans community again.

Transphobes Fail To Get I-1515 On Washington Ballot

Wonderful news out of Washington state in that the transphobic backers of Initiative I-1515 canceled their appointment tomorrow to turn in signatures to Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman.

That means the Orwellian named Just Want Privacy haters failed in their attempt to get the unjust I-1515 on the November 8 ballot and the decline to sign campaign of the No on I-1515 coalition worked.

The Gender Justice League executive director Danni Askini commented in a message posted on their  website:

The anti-trans ballot initiative failed to get enough signatures to be on the ballot in November!

Washingtonians have sent a clear message—we won’t discriminate. Voters didn’t buy the pitch that repealing our state’s non-discrimination protections for transgender people would somehow make us safer. Washingtonians value fairness and equality and we believe that everyone in our state should be able to earn a living, frequent a business, earn an education, and raise a family free from the fear of discrimination.

The initiative would have rolled back a Washington Human Rights Commission ruling clarifying the public accommodations provisions of the 2006 Washington LGBT rights bill that apply to trans people that allow people to use locker rooms, bathrooms and other facilities that correspond with their gender presentation, and codified restrictions on the human rights of Washington state transgender citizens.

The Washington state Forces of Intolerance failed in their mission to mess with the human rights of trans Washingtonians, and that's something to celebrate.

But like the Terminator, the trans human rights oppressors who were part of the Just Want Privacy coalition will continue trying to accomplish their reprehensible mission of attacking the human rights of trans people in Washington state and suppressing their human rights.  We need to exhale, celebrate this win, and prepare for their next attempt to mess with us.

This was a huge win for the Washington Won't Discriminate coalition and for trans human rights in Washington state .

Danni Askini Suspends Washington State Legislative Campaign

I've been happy to hear about trans people stepping up to run for state legislative offices in this 2016 election cycle.  I consider trans people being in our state legislatures and eventually the US Congress to be the next vital step to pushing our civil rights movement to the next level.

I recently heard some disappointing news recently out of Washington state. Danni Askini is dropping out of the race for an open legislative seat in Washington's 43rd District to focus on her executive director duties at the Gender Justice League.

"I have been overwhelmed by the support our campaign has received since I filed in March," said Askini in a press statement. "This decision has weighed heavily on me, but I have come to the conclusion that I cannot run the campaign for State Representative this district and my community deserve while also fighting attacks both nationally and across our state on transgender rights."

The local attack on trans rights she's talking about is I-1515, an attempt by the haters to roll back the Washington's trans human rights protections that have been in effect for a decade and must be stopped.

The Washington Won't Discriminate coalition has been established to fight the unjust initiative and keep it off the November ballot   A decline to sign campaign is underway, and it will be determined in July if I-1515 has enough signatures to qualify.

"I think people understand that this is a unique challenge," Askini said about I-1515.  "It's new territory for the community and it is unfortunately an all hands on deck issue."

While I and her supporters understand why she's dropping out of the race, it's still disappointing news.

The $33,000 in surplus funds raised for Askini's run for office will be distributed to several organizations that include the Pride Foundation, Legal Voice and the Transgender Law Center.

Askini's withdrawal from the race she announced for back in March is additionally disappointing because she was considered the front runner in this crowded race.  Had she been successful in capturing the 43rd District seat, she would have become the first out trans person elected to the Washington State Legislature.  

It still leaves six people in a crowded field to fill the seat that opened up after state rep Brady Walkinshaw resigned to run for the 7th Congressional District being vacated by retiring Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA)

Danni Askini Running For Washington State Legislature Seat

The last time a trans woman was elected to a state legislature in the US was back in 1992 when Althea Garrison accomplished it during the legislative 'Year Of The Woman'.  She was nondisclosed when she was elected to a seat in the Massachusetts House, but only lasted one term as she was outed days after her win.

Over the last few election cycles several out trans women have attempted to get elected to state legislatures in Arizona (Amanda Simpson) Maryland (Dana Beyer), Nevada (Lauren Scott) and twice in Oklahoma (Brittany Novotny & Paula Sophia) all to fall just short of doing so.

Stacie Laughton was elected in New Hampshire in 2012, but never served because of undisclosed legal issues.

>With the exponential increase in anti-trans legislation pushed by our right wing enemies, the time has never been more imperative to have trans people in state legislatures helping to not only write good legislation, but be in the position to kill bad bills instead of begging for inclusion or to kill it from the outside.

And if we ever wish to see a trans person elected to the US Congress, viable congressional candidates come from big city councils, judicial benches and state legislatures, and we have to win some of those races to even get political party attention..

Yesterday Danni Askini announced she was going to run for an open Seattle seat in the Washington State legislature in its 43rd house district.   Current state rep Brady Walkinshaw is moving on to attempt a run for a US congressional seat

Danni has been and advocate for 15 years, and was busy in Olympia killing this year's unjust anti-trans bills in the GOP controlled Washington Senate.

Askini is vying to become the first out trans person in Washington state and nationally elected to a state legislative seat.

Hopefully, this will be the breakthrough year that happens, and if it does, it will be right on time for that piece of trans history to occur.

Best of luck to you Danni, and when November 8 comes, hope I'll be writing about a history making moment.

Down Goes The Unjust Washington Anti-Trans Bill!

Breaking news out of Washington state concerning the unjust SB 6443 bill sponsored by Sen. Doug Ericksen (R-Ferndale) specifically filed to overturn a Human Rights Commission ruling favorable to the Washington state trans community.

It unfortunately escaped the GOP controlled Commerce and Labor Committee on a party line 4-3 vote to the full GOP controlled Washington senate.

But thanks to your calls and protests, and the work of people walking the halls in Olympia  getting the word out about the unjust nature of SB 6443, the bill failed to pass on a 25-24 vote.

Three Republican King County senators were crucial in killing SB 6443, since Democratic senator Jim Hargrove voted for the bill.

The Gender Justice League's Danni Askini tweeted this moments after the bill died:

"We did it.  WE KILLED THE BILL.  Thank all D's except Sen. Hargrove and thank Sen. Hill, Sen. Litzow & Sen. Fain -- all R's who were with us"

Congrats Washington state trans community for your legislative win!  

Unjust Washington State Anti-Trans Bill Out Of Senate Committee

Some bad legislative news out of Washington state in which Senate Bill 6443 escaped the Republican controlled Commerce and Labor Committee on a party line 4-3 vote at a hearing in Olympia in front of an overflow crowd estimated at 300 people...

The unjust bill was sponsored by Senator Doug Ericksen (R-Ferndale) specifically to overturn a rule that allows trans people in Washington state to use gender segregated locker rooms and bathrooms in public buildings that correspond with their gender presentation.   Trans people have had their human rights covered in the state since 2006, and the December 26 ruling by the state's Human Rights Commission was simply a clarification of that anti-discrimination law.

But now that it's GOP policy to transphobically attack by legislative means the human rights of trans people, you could smell this legislative caca coming.

While this unjust bill may pass in the Republican controlled Senate, it is DOA when it arrives in the Democratically controlled House.   House Bill 2589, its companion bill and HB 2782, another transphobic bill that was filed to also attack the Human Rights Commission ruling, is bottled up in the House Judiciary Committee chaired by Rep Laurie Jinkins (D-Tacoma) and she has made it clear that neither unjust bill will get a hearing in her committee.

Even if by some miracle either did get out of committee and pass the House, Governor Jay Inslee (D) is waiting with his pen to veto it.

Don't panic yet Washington trans community. The haters won a battle.  They haven't won the war, and as long as y'all stay vigilant and handle your legislative business in Olympia they won't.

You may wish to get busy writing and calling your state senators and urging them to oppose Senate Bill 6443 and calling or e-mailing your House reps to urge them to do the same and kill House Bill 2782.

You may also wish to call or write Rep Jinkins, Sen Bob Hasegawa (D-Seattle), Sen. Steve Conway (D-Tacoma) and Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Kent) and thank them for standing up for your human rights.

And FYI, trans Washington, when these human rights heroes and sheroes run for reelection, kick them some T-bills and do whatever it takes to ensure they stay in Olympia defending your rights.

You also need to give Danni Askini of the Gender Justice League some love for also standing up to fight for the human rights of trans Washingtonians.

Then once the session is over y'all need to punish the haters and support your friends at the ballot box.