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Girl Scout cookies: only for girls??

Girl Scout cookies. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of the Girl Scouts is the race that begins every January when the youth begin to sell their cookies and you literally cannot enter a grocery store without being asked to buy a box of the deliciously , now less trans-fat cookies. The last thing I would have thought was that members of this girl empowering, cookie driven organization would be so stringent in the guidelines regarding membership. I've been following the story as it has developed on CNN over the past month, regarding the boycott that Honestgirlscouts.com called for, in response to learning that a Colorado troop extended membership to a transgender child. Apparently, this does not provide a true all-girl experience for the members and therefore is not holding to the reasoning behind the formation of the Girl Scouts. However, what this group is either ignoring or forgetting to look at, is the sexual orientation of the transgender child. Even though a child may be born with certain genitalia which biologically determines the sex of a child, when a child is born with a mix of male and female genitalia therein lies the battle of discerning which gender the child will feel he/she is inside. Kudos to the Colorado troop, as they initially were going to reject the transgender child based solely on genitalia, but after further debate changed their mind. As stated inthe CNN article, "If a child identifies as a girl and the child's family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout," said the Colorado Girl Scouts. It's as simple as that. Some members of the other Girl Scout troops have tried to rally up other members by asking them not to sell cookies or buy until the Girl Scouts of the USA addresses this concern and takes a stand nationally on whether or not transgendered children should be considered for membership. In this girl's opinion, one of the parties to the Honestgirlscouts.com, it is unsafe for the other 'true' girls to interact with a transgender child when it is supposed to be girls only. Currently, the decision is left to each region and State to discuss. Which begs the question, why is a private institution allowing its troops to decide on such matters? This is a decision that should be made by the National office. Transgender is not regional, children are born around the world transgendered. It allows for these regional groups to create prejudice in these young girls, by allowing them to see that not all girls, whether born biologically or born only with the preference towards femininity, are truly female. They are creating a dreaded 'Other' where there shouldn't be one. Another question that comes to mind is, if these organizations, Boy and Girl Scouts, only allow 'true' boys or girls into their troops, what organizations does that leave for the transgendered to join? Are these groups not teaching morals such as respect, good manners, and equality? If so, what is their justification for allowing these anti-transgender troops to deny these children membership? Personally, I will not be buying Girl Scout cookies until the organization decides to make it a rule across the board that a child shall be considered for membership based on her gender or sexual identity. I believe it is unsafe not for the biologically female gendered members, but for those who are transgendered who are walking into a situation where beliefs on this matter vary. Especially when the Girl Scouts often meet up with regional troops, what type of courtesy, if any at all, will be shown to these children when they are face to face with another troop who had decided against allowing transgender members? Make a decision Girl Scouts of the USA. Get with the times. Until then you may keep my usual 2 boxes of Somoas and 3 boxes of Tagalongs.

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Taking a Stand in Texas

I found this post on Perez Hilton's gossip site about a Texas judge named Tonya Parker who is refusing to marry straight couples until she can also marry homosexual couples. She states, "I do not perform them because it is not an equal application of the law. Period." Texas is known as a conservative state, there has been no movement in the state regarding equal rights progress. Yet to have a judge stand up for those people who do not receive the full protection and benefits of the law due to their sexual orientation and preference, is incredible! It is the way she describes her reasoning, that had stirred my thoughts today. What law makers and protesters against equality seem to forget is the basic reason for the law, that it was established to protect all people and allow them to exercise their rights without fear of persecution. Of course this is taken by most citizens with a grain of salt, as we often come face to face with how much freedom we really have as individuals when we enter into a public forum. It is in that forum where we must look to find those who share our similar interests, so as not to lose hold of our beliefs to those who have dissenting opinions. The law is to be used equally by all people. By allowing the states to choose whether or not equal rights can be exercised by the LGBT community is an oxymoron. There should be no debate about this at all, the law is not supposed to discriminate based on race, gender or sexual orientation. So why does it? I believe it takes finding your liked minded people in the crowd; finding people who are in positions of great power such as Judge Tonya Parker, who are willing to stand up for what they know is right and defend it not because it is morally right in their opinion, but because in our country we hold to the notion that equality is for all citizens, as protected and stated by the law. We need to encourage our legislators, city council members and other important figures of our society to stand up as Judge Parker has, to show the dissenting voices that the LGBT community is not an Other. It is a community within the community of the citizens if the United States and deserves to receive the same protections and usage of the law in the same way that the heterosexual citizens enjoy it. So here is a positive stance in the direction of equal rights. Let's see if we can get more people to take a stand for equality and get the States moving in the progression direction!

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ROBOTS OR DINOSAURS?

Dinosaurs, I like it real :-D

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A great website to use as a resource for those of you looking for a forum for days you are feeling down. The Trevor Project works to prevent suicide amidst LGBT youth. They are a crisis center. Use them, get involved, spread the word. Let's get something like this started in Colorado!

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“I cannot prevent anyone from getting angry, or mad, or frustrated. I can only hope that they’ll turn that anger and frustration and madness into something positive, so that two, three, four, five hundred will step forward, so the gay doctors will come out, the gay lawyers, the gay judges, gay bankers, gay architects … I hope that every professional gay will say ‘enough’, come forward and tell everybody, wear a sign, let the world know. Maybe that will help.” Harvey Milk, 1978

Gayrightsmedia.org