LET'S GET CRACKING FOR DEMOCRACY!

 

"If we have a democracy, everything is possible.  If we DON'T have a democracy, nothing is possible." Robert Reich Secretary of Labor under Clinton (Actually I know he said something almost exactly like this, but I have been unable to find the precise quote.) I know that "to get cracking'" is an awfully old-fashioned expression, but that's somehow how I'm feeling about it. I've been in a daze, followed by a malaise, which led to a slump. Then I moved on to drifting, depression, distraction... But now it's time to get cracking!!!  According to the internet: If you tell someone to get cracking,  you are telling them to start doing something immediately. So now I am telling myself and all the Bloggelinis: Let's do everything we can, starting from now, to influence the mid-term election.  If you have a special passion or connection with a local candidate or issue -- GO FOR IT!   And even if you don't -- and I don't this year although there are 56 things to vote for on the ballot (voting "yes" or "no" on a lot of judges makes the list extra long) --  This year, Democracy itself is up for a vote! For the first time, the Republicans have made it clear that, if democracy doesn't keep them in power, then the fault is with democracy, not the Republicans.  They are very open about wanting power in order change the rules to make it easy to sabotage the will of the majority. I met on Friday with my friend Kathy, to write postcards to registered Democrats in Georgia, urging them to vote.  Kathy is a deeply devoted local activist, but this time she's putting her energy into Georgia.

There are two important races in Georgia, one of them crucial: One.  Governor: The spectacular Stacy Abrams is running against the Republican incumbent.

And Two.  Senator:  One one side of the ring, we have the solid progressive Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock, who was the pastor at Martin Luther King's home church and a devoted social justice activist before he ran for office.

And on the other side of the ring, we have the pathetic, clueless, totally unqualified, totally dishonest former football hero specially anointed by Trump himself to represent the good people of Georgia in the Senate: Herschel Walker.

Walker seems to stumble from one horrible gaff to another. After declaring he was against abortion in ALL circumstances, even to save the life of the mother, a woman came forward who had had both an abortion paid for by Walker and a child out of wedlock by him. Walker's son, a Republican media influencer, ahs come out against his own father.  You would think all Republicans would be EMBARRASSED to vote for Walker. But as one of the faithful put it, “I don’t care if Herschel Walker paid to abort endangered baby eagles. I want control of the Senate.” You can click here to help Abrams & Warnock win. I myself have written some letters to Democrats in Arizona, urging them to vote, with the project VOTE FORWARD.  I wrote over 100 letters in 2020.  I've only written 20 so far, so I'm committing to write at least 100 this time. I JUST WANT TO FEEL I WAS PART OF THE VICTORY IF THINGS GO WELL.  EVEN MORE IMPORTANT, I DON'T WANT TO FEEL GUILTY IF THINGS DON'T GO WELL.   WHAT ARE OTHER BLOGGELLINIS DOING FOR DEMOCRACY THIS ELECTION CYCLE? Please write and tell me what projects you're working.  Do it ASAP, and I will send out a blog listing all the projects, so others can participate.  Terry

MULE for SALE + UDATES

 

Subscribe to My Blog! September 15, 2022 MULE for SALE plus UPDATES PREVIOUS BLOGS: TERRYBAUM.BLOGSPOT.COM PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED. PODCASTS, EVENTS, INFO, POSTERS: LilithTheater.com BLUENIE UPDATE: LATEST TO ARRIVE IN THE GARDEN I think this is Costa Rican Sage. I have a very soft spot for it, and not just because of the gorgeous deep blue blooms. I had a Costa Rican girlfriend who was a great love. I tracked her down on the itnernet and found some photos of her at a poetry festival in Madrid. She's better-looking now than she was 25 years ago. Not fair! TRASH CAN UPDATE I was very happy to see this "Soft Square" trash can downtown, cheerily decorated with lots of little bicyclers.  Actually, it looks a bit smearily decorated too.  But I say it's a fine attempt to bring more art to Market Street, which already has a lot and needs even more.  I certainly would never have noticed the foot pedal if I hadn't read about it, but I DID know and I used it to easily access the opening -- which was DISGUSTING -- see below.  To force all the garbage through such a narrow slot is obviously a giant engineering error.  Gross gross gross! Is there a truly clean city in this country?  I'm just wondering.  Yes, a city has to pay a lot of people to go around picking up and scrubbing and  wiping. That is certainly honorable work -- as honorable as cleaning someone else's house. I just looked up and notice part of my thumb in the bluenie photo. Who am I to judge a whole city? I cannot keep one blog tidy. MULE FOR SALE or THE ROAD NOT TAKEN  Yesterday I was burrowing through my photos and posters and paintings, doing some winnowing.  I came across the above piece of paper. I had made an enlarged photocopy of this ad because I was obsessed with the mule described therein. I am a long-time subscriber  to MAIZE, the Country Dyke's magazine. This classified ad appeared in its pages years ago -- 2008 or 2009. I just fell in love with Hansum the mule. (This is not a photo of Hansum but of an anonymous and beautiful sorrel mule from the internet.)  I dare you to read that ad and not fall in love with Hansum too!  Doesn't he sound like the most wonderful animal companion you could ever have? I showed the ad to Carolyn, told her I knew that my life would be transformed if I only had Hansum.  I dreamed of being the "mule-lovin, wimmin-lovin womoon/wimmin" that Kali, Hansum's owner, was seeking.   Could I buy Hansum, move to a farm where I could keep him and start a new life? Well, yes, in theory I COULD. But WOULD I? I'm a city girl from top to toes. Have been ever since I lived in Manhattan when I was 17.  I was in a quandary -- On the one hand, a daily cappuccino made by an expert, was necessary for my happiness. On the other hand, the most wonderful mule in the world was available -- and at a reduced price for a mule-lovin wimmin-lovin womoon/wimmin, which I actually was!  Although I'm not familiar with the mule market, I think we can all agree that $3500 is a bargain for such a magnificent and useful being. What to do, what do to?   Well, the truth is for me to have any chance at happiness, I have to live, not just near, but easy walking distance from a cafe -- 5 blocks max. Do you know of any farms with cafes within five blocks? I don't think so! So I settled for staying in San Francisco and babbling endlessly to Carolyn about Hansum.   HANSUM ADDENDUM 1: At the Michigan Women's Music Festival that year, I won a raffle prize, which was leather spats made by Pam, one of the craftswomen selling her wares there.  I went to be measured by her for the spats. Pam and I really hit it off, and had a great time talking. She was an actual country dyke. My main connection to the country was MAIZE Magazine, and I mentioned the ad about Hansum. And it turned out SHE had read the ad and was in love with Hansum too!   Can you believe it? What are the odds that I would ever run into another woman who had fallen for Hansum?  Even at the Michigan Women's Music Festival, there must have been very few. Shoemaker Pam and i were deeply bonding until her girlfriend showed up. My new soul sister said, "Honey, meet Terry! She fell in love with Hansum too!" Honey looked at both of us in disgust. "I can't believe you found another total fool for that animal. I told you we need that money for a tractor!" Pam and I felt rather sheepish as Honey glared at us. We'd lost that good mule-lovin feelin.   HANSUM ADDENDUM 2:When I found the ad yesterday, I phoned and emailed Hansum's Kali to get an update on what had happened to him. So far, I haven't heard anything. I debated tossing the paper with the ad, but I just could not bring myself to do it. I'll probably discover it again in a decade, and text Carolyn again, "Remember Hansum?" And she will.  Dear Bloggellinis:  So many incredibly important things are happening in the world every single day!  I am inundated with events and my opinions about these events!  But sometimes it's good to take a break from world-changing things and focus on blue flowers or mules gone by.  Love, Terry

PUBERTY BLOCKERS: MEDICINE or MALPRACTICE?

 

Subscribe to My Blog! September 5, 2022 PUBERTY SUPPRESSION: MEDICINE or MALPRACTICE? PREVIOUS BLOGS: TERRYBAUM.BLOGSPOT.COM PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED. PODCASTS, EVENTS, INFO, POSTERS: LilithTheater.com IT IS COMMON MEDICAL PRACTICE IN THE U.S. FOR CHILDREN TO RECEIVE POWERFUL HORMONES FOR WHAT IS CALLED "GENDER DYSPHORIA." Gender dysphoria is defined as "the condition of feeling one's emotional and psychological identity to be at variance with one's birth sex." That's a pretty broad definition, wouldn't you say? It would certainly include ME at various points in my childhood and probably would include the majority of people who grow up to be attracted to their own sex. I tried to find a narrower definition but could not.   I have been curious to know if there were scientific studies of the side effects of what is commonly known as the puberty blocker, GnRH Agonist. So I was very glad to read the review done by Lesbians United that summarizes the evidence in over 300 scientific studies of the side effects of GnRH agonists. The review was published on August 21 and is titled: PUBERTY SUPPRESSION: Medicine or Malpractice? First, the review describes the chemical process of normal puberty. WHAT HAPPENS NORMALLY IN CHILDREN -- THAT IS, WITHOUT PUBERTY-BLOCKERS? This is how the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) works normally in the body of someone coming into puberty: GnRH is produced by the hypothalamus in the brain. It is not produced steadily, but in pulses. GnRH is sent to the pituitary gland, which has receptors for it. The pituitary gland then produces lutenizing hormone, or LH, which it sends to the gonads. The gonads, upon receiving LH, produce estrogen (for girls) or testosterone (for boys). Quite roundabout, isn't it? I have no idea why the hypothalamus cannot send signals directly to the gonads. But this is the wisdom of evolution. This is Standard Operating Procedure for the human body.  Then the review describes how puberty blockers STOP normal puberty. WHAT HAPPENS WITH PUBERTY BLOCKERS? The child is given frequent injections of GnRH agonist, an artificial form of GnRH. GnRH agonist, unlike the natural GnRH, is not produced in pulses but signals the pituitary gland constantly. It overloads the pituitary receptors, which shut down. No LH or leutinizing hormone is produced. Nothing signals the gonads to produce estrogen or testosterone. Puberty is suppressed. Girls don't develop breasts or start to menstruate, boys don't get facial hair or lower voices. THE POINT OF SUPPRESSING PUBERTY IS TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR THESE CHILDREN, WHEN THEY BECOME ADULTS, TO LIVE MORE COMFORTABLY AS THE OPPOSITE SEX.   But these are children! Many of them, even if they think at this moment that they want to live as the opposite sex, will change their minds down the road!  Meanwhile, their bodies are being subjected to a powerful drug. GnRH AGONISTS WERE NOT DEVELOPED TO SUPPRESS PUBERTY. They were developed to treat men with advanced prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is a disease of older men. It's understandable that men in that situation would not be terribly concerned about the side effects of GnRH agonists. The drug gives them a chance for survival. Taking GnRH Agonist is a reasonable choice for men with advanced prostate cancer, no matter what the side effects.   TAKING GnRH AGONISTS HAS MANY SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS. According to the 300 scientific studies surveyed in PUBERTY SUPPRESSION: Medicine or Malpractice?, existing research shows: loss of bone mineral density Increased risk of fractures and osteoporosis periodontal disease increased risk of heart attack, heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes weight gain and increased percentage of body fat impaired thyroid function hot flashes & migraines lowered intelligence and IQ increased risk of dementia intracranial hypertension depression, anxiety, insomnia, and increased risk of suicide potentially irreversible infertility increased risk of autoimmune disease .... and more. Some of these side effects are reversible when the drug is stopped, but many are not. SAYS WHO, YOU MAY WELL ASK. As they say, there are lies, damned lies and statistics. Perhaps this report is based on studies done by people who started out being biased against transgender people, right? But these are peer-reviewed studies, mostly on adults, that have been published in places like the Journal of Endocrinology, the Journal of Urology, and Clinical Rheumatology.  And all 300 studies are meticulously listed, so you can actually check them out yourself.  PUBERTY SUPPRESSION: Medicine or Malpractice? is 19 pages long and is followed by a 12- page bibliography. CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE REPORT. If you're concerned that the researchers for Lesbians United were biased about which studies they chose to include, please watch this 17-minute introductory video that explains how they evaluated the studies. It's really very interesting to learn how to evaluate whether a scientific study is based solidly on evidence or not.  Click anywhere on the rectangle below to watch the video. MANY COUNTRIES ARE ALREADY BACKING AWAY FROM GnRH AGONISTS -- BUT NOT THE U.S. In 2020, Finland began recommending psychotherapy instead of GnRH agonists for children with "gender dysphoria." In 2021, Sweden issued new guidelines forbidding the use of GnRH agonists on children except in clinical trials with strict oversight. In 2022, France urged "great medical caution" in using GnRH agonists on children. When Alabama passed a law forcing sex offenders to take GnRH as a form of chemical castration, medical experts called the requirement "impermissibly cruel." And yet this same drug is given to children. WE DON'T NEED MORE STUDIES. LESBIANS UNITED CALLS FOR AN IMMEDIATE STOP TO THE USE IN THE U.S. OF PUBERTY-BLOCKING DRUGS ON CHILDREN.    I DO TOO. WANT TO DO SOMETHING? CLICK HERE FOR LESBIANS UNITED CALL TO ACTION. Bloggelinis: I believe that children are too young to make choices as life-altering as changing their sex. Who among us has NOT felt like a misfit while we were growing up? Not many, I'll bet.  And often it was because we did not fit the stereotype of what girls or boys are supposed to be.  The same parents who go out of their way to buy organic food to insure their children's health are are willing to subject their children to big doses of powerful hormones every day. This is incomprehensible to me. If you agree with me, please forward this blog to others. Terry

Lilith Women's Theater | 547 Douglass St., San Francisco, CA 94114 Unsubscribe terry@terrybaum.com Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by terryjoanbaum@gmail.com powered by Try email marketing for free today!

BLUE

 

Subscribe to My Blog! August 31, 2022 BLUE PREVIOUS BLOGS: TERRYBAUM.BLOGSPOT.COM PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED. PODCASTS, EVENTS, INFO, POSTERS: LilithTheater.com I am a blue freak.  I just love the color blue.  Blue-green is even better.  And of course AQUA is delicious!  My landscaper, Michele, has a great knowledge of many plants and therefore blessed me this year with many bluenies, as I like to call them, and I want to share them with you.  She told me the names of all of them, but damned if I can find that list.  Anyhow: BLUENIES IN ALL THEIR BLUENESS This one below left is aqua, which is very hard to find. Above is a ceanothus aka Callifornia lilac.  This is an actual tree.  I have two ceanothus trees and one shrub, which is below. My spectacular aqua hall, painted by the superlative Louise THAT'S ALL, BLOGGELLINIS! (P.S.  I just discovered I've been spelling Bloggellinis wrong all this time!  Two g's AND 2 l's.) I love me some lobelia, above, and an intensely blue house below, seen on a walk

DON'T MISS ELANA DYKEWOMON'S DEEPLY MOVING PLAY -- FREE UNTIL 8/25 @12PM!

 

Subscribe to My Blog! August 24, 2022 Don't Miss Elana Dykewomon's Deeply Moving Play -- for Free until 8/25 @ 12pm! PREVIOUS BLOGS: TERRYBAUM.BLOGSPOT.COM PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED. PODCASTS, EVENTS, INFO, POSTERS: LilithTheater.com Elana Dykewomon -- wonderful poet, novelist, teacher, editor of a literary journal, activist -- and finally PLAYWRIGHT! -- has been a pillar of the lesbian community for five decades.  Sadly, she died at the age of 72, on August 7, just 20 minutes before the premiere of her first play: HOW TO LET YOUR LOVER DIE Above is a photo of Elana and her wife Susan Levinkind, who died in 2016 of dementia.  The play is about Elana's journey with her beloved Susan, whose exuberance for life is made visible in this photo.   CLICK HERE to read Elana's Obituary in the New York Times.  I'm so happy The Paper of Record acknowledged the importance of Elana's life and work.   I hope you watch HOW TO LET YOUR LOVER DIE, a ZOOM production by the Bay Area Playwrights Foundation -- WHICH IS FREE BEFORE 12PM TOMORROW!  I was so moved by it. It's very much an autobiographical story of Elana's experience dealing with her beloved Susan's dementia and dying. Does that sound depressing? It wasn't to me. It was powerful, moving, and even informative. And I'm someone who was completely totally freaked out by the possibility of dealing with dementia in myself or a loved one.  But after watching the play I feel differently.  I see it as part of the human experience.  Elana, in her honesty and great detail, humanizes what must have been a terrifying experience. To view the play WHICH IS FREE BEFORE 12PM TOMORROW!, CLICK THIS LINK.   I'm hoping the link will work when you try it.  Right now, it isn't working. I got a little confused attempting to follow the trail to the actual recording of the play. So I'm going to include all the instructions below. Click "Buy. Then, using the arrows under "ON-DEMAND TICKET," or your keyboard, enter "1." After clicking "Add," use the "Next" button to get to the Checkout page. Ensure that "Email" is selected under "Select a delivery method,” then click "Next" to advance to the next screen. You will need to "Next" through two more screens before getting to the "Contact" page. Fill this out with valid information and a working email address, then scroll down to the bottom of the page and hit "Next." After "submitting" payment, check the email that was entered into the "Contact" form. At the bottom of an email by "boxoffice@playwrightsfoundation.org," there will be a teal box. Click this box to view a recording of How to Let Your Lover Die. The link sent by The Playwrights Foundation will only be viable until August 25, 12 pm PT. Elana was the editor of the lesbian literary quarterly, Sinister Wisdom, for seven years. Please CLICK HERE to join Sinister Wisdom for a celebration of the life and work of Elana Dykewomon on September 18. This link will also lead you to much more about Elana's life.  There's a list of the many obituaries.  There are also links to order her novels or books of poetry. This celebration of Elana's life  on September 18 will be cohosted with Elana's lesbian cousin, Jennie Brier. At the celebration, friends and members of Dykewomon’s beloved community will read from her work and speak about her life. The chat will be open for all to share stories and memories.  T All are invited to submit writing, art, and poetry that celebrates Elana. Send your tributes to Julie@SinisterWisdom Dear Bloggelinis:  I was privileged to know Elana Dykewomon.  I met with her about her play when she first started working on it.   I was on a ZOOM panel of lesbian writers that she organized through Old Lesbians Organizing for Change (OLOC).   That was Elana -- always writing, always organizing, always giving to the community.  Damn it!  I wish she was still here.  We still need her!  Terry

Lilith Women's Theater | 547 Douglass St., San Francisco, CA 94114 Unsubscribe terry@terrybaum.com Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by terryjoanbaum@gmail.com powered by Try email marketing for free today!