Cole Ayasse

Ohio Appeals Court Rules Trans Care Is Healthcare, Strikes Down Ban For Trans Youth The ruling was in part based on a 2011 Amendment in the state guaranteeing healthcare freedom, originally meant to challenge Obamacare.

1. Incredible ruling! An Ohio appeals court has ruled that trans care is healthcare, strikes down youth trans care ban!

It made the ruling using the Republican-passed "health care freedom amendment" meant to overturn Obamacare!

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You'll want to read this one.

Germany, InterPride Issue LGBTQ Travel Advisories About United States At least one foreign LGBTQ rights group has already pulled out of WorldPride to “safeguard our trans and nonbinary staff” from persecution by the U.S. government.

1. Germany has issued a travel advisory for trans and GNC people who wish to travel to the United States.

International Pride organization InterPride has done likewise.

Travel may be dangerous with visa restrictions.

The latest from S. Baum.

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More of this! We all know this won’t pass but this is a line in the sand and a great talking point.

/cc @shasti.bsky.social

Trans women transferred to men’s prisons despite rulings against Trump’s order Incarcerated trans women report being groped by male guards and suicidal thoughts: ‘I’m punished for existing’

The Guardian is reporting that Trump is openly violating a court order, and has transferred multiple transgender women to men's facilities.

We know in Florida, transgender women are having their hair shorn, feminine items confiscated, and pulled off medication.

This is inhumane and illegal.

BREAKING: In response to our lawsuit, the National Endowment for the Arts will no longer force grant applicants to certify that they won't promote "gender ideology."

This is a big step toward defeating the NEA's unconstitutional censorship.

These kind of votes are born out of trans representation in government.

Rep. Howell & I have built solid relationships with Republicans and those relationships change hearts, minds, and (eventually) votes.

It is painful, grueling work. But it makes a difference.

The New McCarthyism: LGBTQ+ Purges In Government Begin After Chris Rufo leaked LGBTQ+ chatlogs from the intelligence community, Gabbard has announced that all those who participated in the chats will be fired.

1. Today, the NYT has reported that 100 members of an ERG-adjacent LGBTQ+ chat in the intelligence community have been fired.

This is a new McCarthyism, a new lavender scare meant to remove LGBTQ+ in government, and the way this was done should shake us all.

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The Guardian US threatens permanent visa bans on trans athletes based on sex markers | Trump administration Exclusive: State department memo directs officers to bar those deemed to misrepresent birth sex on applications. .1 day ago The New York Times U.S. government orders visa bans for transgender athletes, targets 2028 Olympics The United States government has instructed its consular officials across the world to deny visa applications made by transgender athletes... .48 minutes ago The Economic Times US warns transgender athletes of permanent visa bans over birth sex misrepresentation The US has instructed officials to deny visas to transgender athletes and permanently bar those who misrepresent their birth sex on... .17 hours ago VisaGuide.World US Considers Permanent Visa Bans for Trans Athletes Based on Gender Markers The US authorities plan to impose permanent visa bans on trans athletes. Earlier this month, US President, Donald Trump, issued an executive... .9 hours ago

The reporting on the trans travel visa ban is criminal.

It does NOT only affect transgender athletes.

The cables CLEARLY say it affects all trans people. They can reject visas on point 6 of anyone who is requesting a visa that does not match their assigned sex at birth.

Marco Rubio May Have Just Banned Trans Foreigners Seeking Visas From US Entry A new state department cable, meant to target transgender athletes, indicates a potential broader application to all transgender visas, which it states must contain "sex at birth."

You can read my reporting on this here, where I actually show the cables.

www.erininthemorning.com/p/marco-rubi...

Senate sets up vote to restrict trans women from women's sports The House passed similar legislation in January.

ALERT! It just broke that tomorrow, the Senate will attempt a procedural vote on a transgender sports ban.

It will take 7 Democrats breaking rank in order to have enough votes to pass cloture.

Democrats held very strong in the House and only lost two votes.

CALL YOUR DEMS! (info in next post)

State Department visa policy could bar trans people from traveling to U.S. Violations could result in travel bans beyond just athletes

Finally.

A major media outlet has finally reported on Trump’s total travel ban for transgender visa applicants seeking the United States.

I had to scream for two days to get someone else to report on it.

It is NOT just for athletes.

www.the-independent.com/news/world/a...

There is no "waiver" to the trans military ban.

The only waiver is for people who have NEVER attempted to transition, who have remained closeted, and will continue to remain closeted.

That's not a waiver for trans people in the military. It's a waiver for people who are suspected of being trans.

Iowa Legislature Votes to Strip Trans People From Civil Rights Protections The bill will now go to the Governor for a final signature, and will mark the first state to strip any group from a civil rights act.

1. Today, the Iowa Legislature shamefully stripped transgender people from the State Civil Rights Act.

It becomes the first state to ever strip any group from a civil rights act.

There were powerful speeches, and huge protets.

The latest from Mira Lazine.

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Judge blocks Trump administration’s mass firings of federal workers A federal judge ruled that the terminations at several agencies, including the Department of Defense, were likely illegal.

A federal judge has ruled that terminations at several federal agencies were likely illegal.

Keep fighting back- it’s working.

www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

DOGE recommends cuts to the FAA.

Hundreds of workers get fired, including those tasked with producing air traffic navigation maps.

Now Starlink is reportedly in line to take over a $2 billion contract to upgrade the nation's air traffic control systems.

See how this works?

Trump 2.0: an assault on science anywhere is an assault on science everywhere US President Donald Trump is taking a wrecking ball to science and to international institutions. The global research community must take a stand against these attacks.

We are heartened by this call to action in Nature, one of the most respected journals in science. It urges the global scientific community to speak out on behalf of those being censored and support research as the US government shifts away from its historic leadership
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

A CHILD IS DEAD. Let that sink in. Dead from measles—a disease we can prevent with a simple vaccine. This tragedy represents the deadly consequence of misinformation. No, I don’t know if the child had underlying conditions—and even if they did, there is no rationalizing this death.

I have to take stuff back off to warm them then re-layer. I have circulation issues that are probably combo POTS + nerve stuff from TCS so I’m not sure if this will apply for other folks.

I agree about trying lighter compression. Another thought is to make sure your feet are warm enough before putting socks on. I find that my feet tend to have a hard time warming themselves, so if I put stuff on them (including insulated stuff) when they’re cold they just don’t warm up

THE ASK This week, between Monday and the vote on Vought, we're asking people from all over the country to plan a visit to Senate State Offices to demand Democrats fight and to hold Republicans accountable for their complicity. DEMOCRATS MUST USE EVERY PROCEDURAL TOOL TO SHUT DOWN TRUMP'S AGENDA Yes, we need Democrats to vote no on Vought's nomination, but no is not enough. Democrats have the power to grind Senate business to a halt and force Republicans to feel the political cost of backing Trump's extremist agenda. Here's how: 1. Deny a Quorum: If Republicans don't have 51 votes in the chamber, Democrats can walk out and shut down Senate business entirely. 2. Block Unanimous Consent: Object to every procedural shortcut, forcing Republicans to take the longest possible route for every step of the confirmation process. 3. Max Out Debate Time: Use all 30 hours of debate on Vought to expose Project 2025, Musk's Treasury takeover, and the funding freeze. 4. Delay and Disrupt: Force roll-call votes, quorum calls, and procedural delays to slow everything down. 5. Blanket Opposition: Democrats cannot continue to vote for Trump's other nominees, helping to install more MAGA loyalists into powerful positions in the federal government while this power grab continues. No Business as Usual: This is a constitutional crisis. Democrats must abandon the old rules and fight with everything they have. Bottom line: Senate Democrats must block, delay, and obstruct every step of this process-no cooperation, no easy votes, no fast-tracking Trump's takeover. To learn more about how Senate Democrats can shut down Trump's agenda with procedural hardball, check out our explainer here.

Indivisible is urging people to visit their senators' local offices between now and Thursday to demand that they use every tool—including denying a quorum and blocking unanimous consent—to fight the confirmation of Project 2025 architect Russell Vought for head of OMB docs.google.com/document/d/1...

www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/o...

Clearly illegal This isn't about cutting the size of government. It's about further concentrating power in Trump's hands.

Trump's pause on tens of billions of dollars in federal spending is plainly illegal.

But his real goal isn't to shrink government. It's to get the Supreme Court to concentrate even more power in his hands.

This bodes well for migraine research. /s

The most important protector of workers' rights you've never heard of Listen now | Why Jennifer Abruzzo is critical

For the last four years, Jennifer Abruzzo vigorously defended workers' rights and cracked down on union-busters as General Counsel at the National Labor Relations Board.

She was one of the strongest pro-worker voices in the federal government.

Trump just fired her.

NEW: President Trump announced an executive order targeting health care for trans people under 19 — a disturbing attempt to put the federal government between families and their doctors.

This is NOT implemented yet. We will provide updates and ways to fight back as we learn more: hrc.im/equalityhub

GOOD NEWS: A federal court temporarily halted President Trump's order to freeze all federal funding, including grants for public health, education, and safety.

Trump's order would have devastating consequences for communities in every corner of the nation. Our leaders must block it for good.

for me, sleeping/laying on my side or other positions that even slightly curved my torso to either side was the biggest exacerbation, and when I eventually trained myself to sleep on my back (still not easy) it improved a lot. But I think that is in part because of the cause for me.

Not sure if it ever made it into my chart but I have definitely dealt with it in the past. For me it was stemming from instability leading to chronic inflammation.

A view from north of the border Friends,

From time to time, I bring you views about what’s happening in the United States from writers and journalists in other countries.

This piece is from a columnist in Canada. Read it and let me know your thoughts.

I usually find there is an amount of sleep that makes me feel the best, and either more or less than that makes me feel worse. This can also be true, though to a lesser extent, about the time I go to bed or get up (where getting the same amount of sleep but at the wrong time doesn’t feel as good).