This is my weekly roundup of the background radiation I am exposed to. It’s usually the bad and ugly of how the world treats LGBT folks, with a heavier emphasis on the T’s. I like to leave the full links exposed because then you can see where the article is.

I am a big news consumer, and here’s what got my drawers in a knot this week.

I’m late by a day this week because it’s deadline time at work, and things have been a bit nuts. It’s also the anniversary of my father in laws death, and he was more of a father to me than my own, so it’s been a bit up in the air the last few days.

Headline:Transgender 11-year-old shot at school, as mother says teachers are failing to combat bullying

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/02/09/transgender-11-year-old-shot-school-mother-says-teachers-failing/

Okay, this is horrific. It’s also not shocking that the school back burnered the abuse the girl was suffering until she was literally shot with a firearm. I always wonder in these kinds of cases if the school is doing something now because there is so much spotlight on them, and there really isn’t much you can do to justify not protecting an 11 year old.

Headline: Few transgender teens opt for fertility preservation

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2017/02/10/few-transgender-teens-opt-for-fertility-preservation.html

I found this interesting that they felt parenthood goals for teen transgender populations might be different, and that they mentioned that access to care was a concern in this. Ideally, we should be able to access fertility preservation options, if we choose, before we medically transition. However, we have a hard enough time just getting the basics.

Headline: The Justice Department Is Taking A Step Back From Efforts To Protect Transgender People Under Existing Law

https://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/justice-department-takes-a-step-back-from-effort-to-protect?utm_term=.jfxWpmNpQ#.ou5w86k8b

This is the big question. How is this going to effect us. Some of us will be effected more, some less, but this is big.

I just want to say having Obama even mention us, then go on to put in protections for us, was huge for me. To have the President care that we existed, and say we can’t be discriminated against was so legitimizing.

Now? Who knows. Trump is already dropping defense of school guidelines. All the well wishing I can muster to Gavin and his court case.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/11/us/politics/trump-transgender-students-injunction.html?_r=0

Headline: Ames man arrested for threatening to kill transgender student

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2017/02/15/ames-man-transgender-student/97967402/

This is horrific. A 65 year old man threatened to “kill, brand, and cause bodily harm” to a transgender child. These are the kinds of folks that crawl out from under rocks when they think they can get away with attacking a minority they hate. If they get a nod of approval from folks in positions of authority, they feel justified in literally attacking people. It’s like they are just looking for a reason to reach out and attack someone.

In this case the Police Chief came out very supportive, and so did the school.

Headline: Undocumented transgender woman filing domestic violence claim arrested at El Paso courthouse by ICE, official says

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/undocumented-transgender-woman-filing-domestic-violence-claim-arrested-at-el-paso-courthouse-by-ice-official-says/

This is horrible. The transgender community is also comprised of undocumented immigrants, and I would feel remiss in not boosting the signal of how awful ICE is, and how this attack on immigrants absolutely does effect us.