Alright. I didn’t write anything up last week because I got a bit overwhelmed. With my impending surgery coming up, and the sheer volume of crap coming out of the political sector these days, I just hid from it all. It’s called self care y’all!

Background Radiation is my weekly round up of the terrible news that exists like a toxic static noise in the background of LGBT people’s lives. I call it Background Radiation, because while playing Fallout, you have to watch for your radiation levels. Some areas just have a lot of background radiation, and it impacts your characters survival.

For LGBT folks, these kinds of events illuminated in these news stories are just like that background radiation. It’s a constant level of background hate that permeates through our existence.

Here is this weeks list of bigotry, hate, and legislative attacks.

Headline: Why Straight Men Kill The Trans Women They Love
http://www.newnownext.com/why-straight-men-kill-the-trans-women-they-love/05/2017/

This is an op ed by Jen Richards discussing what it’s like to date while being a transgender women in the context of the “gay panic” defense situation. She points out that 49 states still allow this defense of murder of transgender women because straight men are allowed to murder if they even think of a penis as having been attached to their partner.

It’s a good write up. I highly recommend it.

Headline: Police arrest suspect in murder of trans man beaten with pipe on NYC sidewalk
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/05/transgender-woman-dies-9-days-found-unconscious-nyc-sidewalk/

Another transgender woman has been murdered. The heartbreaking predictability of it all continues. My thoughts are with her, and her loved ones.

Headline: It’s still illegal to be gay in 72 countries, new human rights report finds
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/05/15/still-illegal-to-be-gay-in-72-countries-new-human-rights-report-finds/

This is a write up of the ILGA Report on State Sponsored Homophobia where it outlines the legality of homosexuality across the world. Pink News has a habit of not linking back, but they are usually pretty accurate. Here’s the link for the report: http://ilga.org/what-we-do/state-sponsored-homophobia-report/

This year it’s 72 countries, but it’s down from 96 in 2002. That is progress. However, with what’s going on in Chechnya, Indonesia, Nigeria, and such, with the brutalization of gay men, things seem to be escalating. There are still 8 countries that carry the death penalty for being gay.

Headline: A horrible end for the transgender wife of a troubled chef
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/05/horrible-end-transgender-wife-troubled-chef/

Australia has been running this sensationalistic story about the murder of this transgender women. Their media have been pretty awful, and the story includes cooking pots, so it’s been everywhere. Again, my thoughts are with her and her family.

Headline: United Airlines apologizes to dad after detaining him for ‘touching’ son’s lap
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/united-airlines-apologizes-gay-dad-inappropriate-touching-son-lap/

Seriously, fuck you United Airlines.

I’m not sure there will be a Background Radiation next week because I’m flying down to Arizona to get surgery 1 of 2, for my bottom surgery. Wish me luck, and I’ll write up more of these round ups when I’m up and running again.