#Sara Higdon

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Thank you, Mr Chairman, I’m Jeff Cleghorn, sixth generation Georgian, live in Butts County, army veteran, retired lawyer, and have been a gay rights activist for the last three decades.

I served on the board of directors of Georgia Equality and Lambda Legal,and am a past president of the Stonewall Bar Association. I have long advocated for the equal dignity of gay and lesbian Georgians and Americans.

SB88 is necessary because queer, gender identity transgender activism, and the transgender medical industry, are aggressively targeting children of all ages including inside school classrooms. This is a belief system that many people, me included, do not believe in.

The gay rights movement succeeded because we changed hearts and minds, and we did it the old-fashioned way: by telling the truth about our lives. And today, gays and lesbians live in every Georgia county happy and content to love our families and be good citizens. I have long known and worked with many transgender people, and I know that they only want to live their lives in peace, free from mistreatment by anyone. And I’m glad trans Americans and Georgians now have every legal right as the rest of us with the Supreme Court recently expanding Title VII to include workplace protections for transgender.

But, as a result of piggybacking transgender activism on the gay movement of yesterday, transgender activists never did the work. They skipped right over the changing hearts and mind part. Instead, they stridently declared the “LGBTQ+ is now a single identity," and that some people can be both sexes at the same time, while other people are neither male nor female, and some people are born in the wrong body, and some women have a penis. and there are 58 different genders, and as many pronouns.

SB88 is necessary because the former gay rights movement has been hijacked by those pushing this dishonest gender ideology on children. This is about much more than helping kids with gender dysphoria, most of whom will grow up to be gay or lesbian if left alone, according to every study ever conducted on the subject. This is about indoctrinating kids into a belief system that is not real.

Tens of millions of dollars are spent each year by groups like GLSEN and the Trevor project specifically targeting kids with this ideology. And queer activists push this belief system that gender and sex and sexuality can mean whatever someone says they mean, and there should be no boundaries.

Parents have every right to know if this stuff shows up in their child’s school. No one had ever heard of a transgender child until recently and today we see tens of thousands of young females soliciting GoFundMe donations online to amputate their healthy breasts or to have “gender affirming hysterectomies."

15 years ago, there were only two or three so-called gender clinics. Today there are hundreds, including more than 50 paediatric. The skyrocketing thousands of percent recent increase in kids claiming a trans identity is not by accident and children are being harmed.

There are more than 52,000 members of a Reddit transitional group, mostly young lesbians, and gay men with gutting stories of regret, sterility, loss of sexual function, early onset osteoporosis, and vaginal atrophy as the transgender medical industry is laughing all the way to the bank.

SB88 is needed because they are proselytizing this queer, sex, sexuality ideology to children. Activists and schools have no business interfering with the parent-child relationship.

Do not let schools teach kids to keep secrets from their parents. These are not Georgia values. Thank you.

[coochiequeens]

An organization called Men Having Babies boasted that the bill will "remove financial barriers" for gay men who wish to rent a woman's womb to have a child who has the DNA of one of the males in the relationship.” Leave it to California for trying to make it easier to exploit women sound progressive.

Co-author of the bill Senator Caroline Menjivar (D) said the bill "will ensure that queer couples no longer have to pay more out of pocket to start families than non-queer families."

California Bill SB 729 seeks to redefine "infertility" to be a status, as opposed to a medical condition. Changing the definition to "a person’s inability to reproduce either as an individual or with their partner without medical intervention" would classify gay men as infertile. 

The bill, which passed the Senate last month, would require insurance companies to cover in-vitrofertilization procedures. With the change in definition, this would also include forcing the firms to cover surrogacy for gay males. 

Co-author of the bill Sen. Caroline Menjivar (D) said the bill "will ensure that queer couples no longer have to pay more out of pocket to start families than non-queer families." She continued, "This bill is critical to achieving full-lived equality for LGBTQ+ people, as well as advancing well-rounded and comprehensive health care for all Californians."

An organization called Men Having Babies boasted that the bill will "remove financial barriers" for gay men who wish to rent a woman's womb to have a child who has the DNA of one of the males in the relationship. 

The group states on its website, "Central to our fight for more equitable access to parenting options is what we know from our combined experiences: The anguish and yearning that same-sex couples and singles feel due to their inability to reproduce without medical intervention is equal to the anguish of heterosexual couples who suffer from 'medical infertility.'" 

According to the Free Beacon, the opposition to SB 729 comes from California business and insurance groups who claim that it will raise insurance premiums by more than $330 million a year. Others point to the erosion of the traditional family structure. 

"Under this bill, most insurance plans would be required to provide in vitro fertilization services based on someone’s relationship status or sexual orientation," said Emma Waters with the Heritage Foundation. "For single men or male same-sex couples, this means they would need to access a surrogate to carry their child. So the bill is outlining what adults have the right to, but nowhere does it address the needs of the child or safety concerns regarding the child either in IVF or in gestational surrogacy."

"This bill seeks to further erode the father, mother, and child nuclear family and make everyone in society pay for it to further a make-believe cause named 'fertility equality,'" said Greg Burt, director of the California Family Council. "The reason healthy singles and same-sex couples can't reproduce has nothing to do with infertility; it has to do with biology."

SB 729 would not affect any "entity that enters into a contract with the State Department of Health Care Services for the delivery of health care services pursuant to specified provisions." By Sara Higdon

In the meantime California has 60,000 kids in foster care

[teemoonley]

Sara J. Higdon Free To Think Free To Speak Free To Move T-Shirt

Express your commitment to freedom with the Free To Think Free To Speak Free To Move Shirt. Worn by activist and speaker Sara J. Higdon, this shirt stands for the fundamental rights to freedom of thought, speech, and movement. It's perfect for anyone who values personal liberty and the right to express themselves freely in a world that often seeks to limit those freedoms.

Made from comfortable, high-quality fabric, this shirt is available in various styles, including tee shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies, ensuring that you can make a statement wherever you go. Whether you're attending a rally, participating in a discussion, or just going about your day, this Sara J. Higdon Free To Think Free To Speak Free To Move Shirt serves as a bold reminder of the freedoms that define us. Wear it to show your support for these essential rights and inspire others to stand up for their own.

[andronetalks]

New Mexico sheriff REFUSES to enforce governor's ban on carrying guns, says it’s unconstitutional

The Post Millenial By Sara Higdon September 9, 2023 On Friday, Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Sheriff John Allen announced that he has “reservations” regarding an order from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to suspend firearm laws for 30 days because it “challenges the foundation of our Constitution.” In a post on X, Allen acknowledged that “Every lost life is a tragedy, and the well-being of our…

[goodnessofclit]

Trans Woman reacts: Trans Swimmer shattering records “UPenn Transgender Swimmer has been breaking records left and right. I, a transexual woman, have a lot to say about that. As well as how the NCAA is behind the times on the rules for trans athletes, and how this is hurting biological women.”

[goodplace-janet]

1) Who would win in an arm-wrestling competition: Janine DeLuca or Steve the Builder? 2) Should I sign up for a half-marathon even though the only race I've ever run is a casual 5 k, and I don't know anyone who runs in my city? (For the reference, I CAN run 21 k, I just haven't except by myself.)

1) Janine De Luca, because she’s been working on her upper body strength ever since Sara Smith beat her at an arm-wrestling competition once, and she’s nothing if not single-mindedly dedicated to her goals. Also Steve annoys her, and spite is the best fuel, even though she would never admit that.

2) I would say yes.

For the record, I also do not have any local runner friends, so I always end up running races alone. Idk how uncomfortable that would be for someone who isn’t me and already used to that? (Is there a running group in your area you could join?)

If you already know you are capable of running the distance, then you’re ready to run a race at that distance, is my opinion. If the race you’re thinking of running is a few weeks/months out, even better, because then you have time to specifically train for a race that long, and you might have time to fit in a 10K race before then? Idk what the racing schedule is like where you are, but my area starts having a 5-10K almost every weekend as soon as the weather warms up.

For me, the race atmosphere of so many people! and spectators even!! pumps me up, and I run faster and better when I’m competing against random strangers. If that’s the case for you, it could work in your favor! OR it miiiight backfire, since a half marathon is a distance where pacing yourself is important, and burning out/hitting the wall really sucks. Idk what running a race is like for you, so idk if this paragraph is at all helpful.

My favorite thing about running races is the sense of achievement after completing one. The cool thing about running your first race in a particular distance is that no matter how you do, that’s your personal record! So don’t really worry about getting a good time, just focus on getting to the finish line and enjoying the experience.

I hope this has been helpful and not nonsense.

Also you’ve probably already seen me recommending this all over Rofflenet, but Hal Higdon’s training programs are full of useful information.

[bongaboi]

59th Annual Grammy Awards Winners Part 3

Notes

Best Album Notes

Sissle and Blake Sing Shuffle Along

The Complete Monument & Columbia Albums Collection

The Knoxville Sessions, 1929–1930: Knox County Stomp

Ork Records: New York, New York

Waxing The Gospel: Mass Evangelism & The Phonograph, 1890–1990

Ken Bloom & Richard Carlin, album notes writers (Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle)

Mikal Gilmore, album notes writer (Kris Kristofferson)

Ted Olson & Tony Russell, album notes writers (Various Artists)

Rob Sevier & Ken Shipley, album notes writers (Various Artists)

Richard Martin, album notes writer (Various Artists)

Historical

Best Historical Album

The Cutting Edge 1965–1966: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 12 (Collector's Edition)

Music of Morocco from the Library of Congress: Recorded By Paul Bowles, 1959

Ork Records: New York, New York

Vladimir Horowitz: The Unreleased Live Recordings 1966–1983

Waxing The Gospel: Mass Evangelism & the Phonograph, 1890–1990

Steve Berkowitz & Jeff Rosen, compilation producers; Mark Wilder, mastering engineer (Bob Dylan)

April G. Ledbetter, Steven Lance Ledbetter, Bill Nowlin & Philip D. Schuyler, compilation producers; Rick Fisher & Michael Graves, mastering engineers (Various Artists)

Rob Sevier & Ken Shipley, compilation producers; Jeff Lipton & Maria Rice, mastering engineers (Various Artists)

Bernard Horowitz, Andreas K. Meyer & Robert Russ, compilation producers; Andreas K. Meyer & Jeanne Montalvo, mastering engineers (Vladimir Horowitz)

Michael Devecka, Meagan Hennessey & Richard Martin, compilation producers; Michael Devecka, David Giovannoni, Michael Khanchalian & Richard Martin, mastering engineers (Various Artists)

Engineered Album

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

Blackstar

Are You Serious

Dig In Deep

Hit N Run Phase Two

Undercurrent

David Bowie, Tom Elmhirst, Kevin Killen & Tony Visconti, engineers; Joe LaPorta, mastering engineer (David Bowie)

Tchad Blake & David Boucher, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Andrew Bird)

Ryan Freeland, engineer; Kim Rosen, mastering engineer (Bonnie Raitt)

Booker T., Dylan Dresdow, Chris James, Prince & Justin Stanley, engineers; Dylan Dresdow, mastering engineer (Prince)

Shani Gandhi & Gary Paczosa, engineers; Paul Blakemore, mastering engineer (Sarah Jarosz)

Best Engineered Album, Classical

The Ghosts of Versailles

Dutilleux: Sur le même accord; Les Citations; Mystère de l'instant & Timbres, espace, mouvement

Reflections

Shadow of Sirius

Shostakovich: Under Stalin's Shadow – Symphonies Nos. 5, 8 & 9

Mark Donahue, Fred Vogler & David L Williams, engineers (James Conlon, Guanqun Yu, Joshua Guerrero, Patricia Racette, Christopher Maltman, Lucy Schaufer, Lucas Meachem, Los Angeles Opera Chorus and Orchestra)

Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, engineers (Ludovic Morlot & Seattle Symphony)

Morten Lindberg, engineer (Øyvind Gimse, Geir Inge Lotsberg & Trondheimsolistene)

Silas Brown & David Frost, engineers; Silas Brown

Shawn Murphy & Nick Squire, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer (Andris Nelsons & Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Producer

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Greg Kurstin

Benny Blanco

Max Martin

Nineteen85

Ricky Reed

"Cheap Thrills" (Sia featuring Sean Paul)

"Hello" (Adele)

Love You to Death (Tegan and Sara)

"Million Years Ago" (Adele)

"Something in the Way You Move" (Ellie Goulding)

"Water Under the Bridge" (Adele)

"Cold Water" (Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber & MØ)

"Friends" (Francis and the Lights featuring Bon Iver)

"Kill Em with Kindness" (Selena Gomez)

"Love Yourself" (Justin Bieber)

"Luv" (Tory Lanez)

"Wild Love" (Cashmere Cat featuring The Weeknd & Francis and the Lights)

"Can't Stop the Feeling!" (Justin Timberlake)

"Dangerous Woman" (Ariana Grande)

"Into You" (Ariana Grande)

"Just Like Fire" (P!nk)

"Rise" (Katy Perry)

"Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" (Adele)

"Side to Side" (Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj)

"For Free" (DJ Khaled featuring Drake)

"Hotline Bling" (Drake)

"Not Nice" (PartyNextDoor)

"One Dance" (Drake featuring Wizkid & Kyla)

"Rising Water" (James Vincent McMorrow)

Sept. 5th (dvsn)

"Too Good" (Drake featuring Rihanna)

We Move (James Vincent McMorrow)

"Better" (Meghan Trainor featuring Yo Gotti)

"Cruel World" (Phantogram)

"Girls Talk Boys" (5 Seconds of Summer)

"HandClap" (Fitz and The Tantrums)

"Me Too" (Meghan Trainor)

"No" (Meghan Trainor)

"Sober" (DJ Snake featuring JRY)

"You Don't Get Me High Anymore" (Phantogram)

Producer of the Year, Classical

David Frost

Blanton Alspaugh

Marina A. Ledin, Victor Ledin

Judith Sherman

Robina G. Young

Bach: The Cello Suites According to Anna Magdalena (Matt Haimovitz)

Bates: Anthology of Fantastic Zoology (Riccardo Muti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 5 (Jonathan Biss)

Brahms & Dvořák: Serenades (Boston Symphony Chamber Players)

Fitelberg: Chamber Works (ARC Ensemble)

Ispirare (Melia Watras)

Overtures To Bach (Matt Haimovitz)

Schoenberg: Kol Nidre; Shostakovich: Suite On Verses Of Michelangelo Buonarroti (Ildar Abdrazakov, Alberto Mizrahi, Riccardo Muti, Duain Wolfe, Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus)

Shadow Of Sirius (Jerry F. Junkin & The University Of Texas Wind Ensemble)

The Aeolian Organ At Duke University Chapel (Christopher Jacobson)

Bolcom: Canciones De Lorca & Prometheus (René Barbera, Jeffrey Biegel, Carl St. Clair, Pacific Chorale & Pacific Symphony)

Brahms: The Four Symphonies (Leonard Slatkin & Detroit Symphony Orchestra)

Copland: Appalachian Spring Complete Ballet; Hear Ye! Hear Ye! (Leonard Slatkin & Detroit Symphony Orchestra)

Corigliano: The Ghosts of Versailles (James Conlon, Guanqun Yu, Joshua Guerrero, Patricia Racette, Christopher Maltman, Lucy Schaufer, Lucas Meachem, Los Angeles Opera Chorus & Orchestra)

Dvořák: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8 (Andrés Orozco-Estrada & Houston Symphony)

Dvořák: Symphony No. 6; Slavonic Dances (Andrés Orozoco-Estrada & Houston Symphony)

Floyd: Wuthering Heights (Joseph Mechavich, Heather Buck, Vale Rideout, Susanne Mentzer, Kelly Markgraf, Georgia Jarman, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra & Florentine Opera Company)

Friedman: Original Piano Compositions (Joseph Banowetz)

Moszkowski: From Foreign Lands (Martin West & San Francisco Ballet Orchestra)

American First Sonatas (Cecile Licad)

Berlin: This Is The Life! (Rick Benjamin & Paragon Ragtime Orchestra)

Centennial Commissions, Vol. II (Charles Neidich & Pro Arte Quartet)

Gernsheim & Brahms: Piano Quintets (Reiko Uchida & Formosa Quartet)

Latin American & Spanish Masterpieces For Flute & Piano (Stephanie Jutt)

Similar Motion (Momenta Quartet)

Tchaikovsky: Complete Works For Violin & Orchestra (Jennifer Koh, Alexander Vedernikov & Odense Symphony Orchestra)

Tower: String Quartets Nos. 3-5 & Dumbarton Quintet (Miami String Quartet)

Johnson: Considering Matthew Shepard (Craig Hella Johnson & Conspirare)

Lutosławski: Concerto For Orchestra; Brahms: Piano Quartet (Miguel Harth-Bedoya & Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra)

Mozart: Keyboard Music, Vols. 8 & 9 (Kristian Bezuidenhout)

Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 (Vadym Kholodenko, Miguel Harth-Bedoya & Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra)

A Wondrous Mystery – Renaissance Choral Music for Christmas (Stile Antico)

Remixer

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical

"Tearing Me Up" (RAC Remix)

'"Cali Coast" (Psionics Remix)

"Heavy Star Movin'" (staRo Remix)

"Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" (Timo Maas & James Teej Remix)

"Only" (Kaskade × Lipless Remix)

"Wide Open" (Joe Goddard Remix)

André Allen Anjos, remixer (Bob Moses)

Josh Williams, remixer (Soul Pacific)

staRo, remixer (The Silver Lake Chorus)

Timo Maas & James Teej, remixers (Paul McCartney & Wings)

Kaskade & Lipless, remixer (Ry X)

Joe Goddard, remixer (The Chemical Brothers)

Surround Sound

Best Surround Sound Album

Dutilleux: Sur le même accord; Les Citations; Mystère de l'instant & Timbres, espace, mouvement

Johnson: Considering Matthew Shephard

Maja S.K. Ratkje: And Sing ...

Primus & The Chocolate Factory

Reflections

Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, surround mix engineers; Dmitriy Lipay, surround mastering engineer; Dmitriy Lipay, surround producer (Ludovic Morlot & Seattle Symphony)

Brad Michel, surround mix engineer; Brad Michel, surround mastering engineer; Robina G. Young, surround producer (Craig Hella Johnson & Conspirare)

Morten Lindberg, surround mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround producer (Maja S.K. Ratkje, Cikada & Oslo Sinfonietta)

Les Claypool, surround mix engineer; Stephen Marcussen, surround mastering engineer; Les Claypool, surround producer (Primus)

Morten Lindberg, surround mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround producer (Øyvind Gimse, Geir Inge Lotsberg & Trondheimsolistene)

Classical

Best Orchestral Performance

Shostakovich: Under Stalin's Shadow – Symphonies Nos. 5, 8 & 9

Bates: Works for Orchestra

Ibert: Orchestral Works

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 In B-flat major, Op. 100

Rouse: Odna Zhizn; Symphonies 3 & 4; Prospero's Rooms

Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)

Neeme Järvi, conductor (Orchestre de la Suisse Romande)

Mariss Jansons, conductor (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)

Alan Gilbert, conductor (New York Philharmonic)

Best Opera Recording

Corigliano: The Ghosts of Versailles

Handel: Giulio Cesare

Higdon: Cold Mountain

Mozart: Le Nozze De Figaro

Szymanowski: Król Roger

James Conlon, conductor; Joshua Guerrero, Christopher Maltman, Lucas Meachem, Patricia Racette, Lucy Schaufer & Guanqun Yu, soloists; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (Los Angeles Opera Orchestra and Chorus)

Giovanni Antonini, conductor; Cecilia Bartoli, Philippe Jaroussky, Andreas Scholl & Anne-Sofie von Otter, soloists; Samuel Theis, producer (Il Giardino Armonico)

Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor; Emily Fons, Nathan Gunn, Isabel Leonard & Jay Hunter Morris, soloists; Elizabeth Ostrow, producer (The Santa Fe Opera Orchestra; Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program for Singers)

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Thomas Hampson, Christiane Karg, Luca Pisaroni & Sonya Yoncheva, soloists; Daniel Zalay, producer (Chamber Orchestra of Europe; Vocalensemble Rastatt)

Antonio Pappano, conductor; Georgia Jarman, Mariusz Kwiecień & Saimir Pirgu, soloists; Jonathan Allen, producer (Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House; Royal Opera Chorus)

Best Choral Performance

Penderecki Conducts Penderecki, Volume 1

Himmelrand

Janáček: Glagolitic Mass

Lloyd: Bonhoeffer

Steinberg: Passion Week

Krzysztof Penderecki, conductor; Henryk Wojnarowski, choir director (Nikolay Didenko, Agnieszka Rehlis & Johanna Rusanen, soloists; Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, orchestra; Warsaw Philharmonic Choir, choir)

Elisabeth Holte, conductor (Marianne Reidarsdatter Eriksen, Ragnfrid Lie & Matilda Sterby, soloists; Inger-Lise Ulsrud, accompanist; Uranienborg Vokalensemble, choir)

Edward Gardner, conductor; Håkon Matti Skrede, chorus master (Susan Bickley, Gábor Bretz, Sara Jakubiak & Stuart Skelton, soloists; Thomas Trotter, accompanist; Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, orchestra; Bergen Cathedral Choir, Bergen Philharmonic Choir, Choir of Collegium Musicum & Edvard Grieg Kor, choirs)

Donald Nally, conductor (Malavika Godbole, John Grecia, Rebecca Harris & Thomas Mesa, soloists; The Crossing, ensemble)

Steven Fox, conductor (The Clarion Choir)

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance

Steve Reich

Fitelberg: Chamber Works

Reflections

Serious Business

Trios fom Our Homelands

Spektral Quartet

ARC Ensemble

Øyvind Gimse, Geir Inge Lotsberg & Trondheimsolistene

Third Coast Percussion

Lincoln Trio

Best Classical Instrumental Solo

Daugherty: Tales of Hemingway

Adams, J.: Scheherazade.2

Dvorák: Violin Concerto & Romance; Suk: Fantasy

Mozart: Keyboard Music, Vols. 8 & 9

1930's Violin Concertos, Vol. 2

Zuill Bailey; Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor (Nashville Symphony)

Leila Josefowicz; David Robertson, conductor (Chester Englander; St. Louis Symphony)

Christian Tetzlaff; John Storgårds, conductor (Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra)

Kristian Bezuidenhout

Gil Shaham; Stéphane Denève, conductor (The Knights & Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra)

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album

Schumann & Berg

Shakespeare Songs

Monteverdi

Mozart: The Weber Sisters

Verismo

Dorothea Röschmann; Mitsuko Uchida, accompanist

Ian Bostridge; Antonio Pappano, accompanist (Michael Collins, Elizabeth Kenny, Lawrence Power & Adam Walker)

Magdalena Kožená; Andrea Marcon, conductor (David Feldman, Michael Feyfar, Jakob Pilgram & Luca Tittoto; La Cetra Barockorchester Basel)

Sabine Devieilhe; Raphaël Pichon, conductor (Pygmalion)

Anna Netrebko; Antonio Pappano, conductor (Yusif Eyvazov; Coro Dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia; Orchestra Dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia)

Best Classical Compendium

Daugherty: Tales of Hemingway; American Gothic; Once Upon a Castle

Gesualdo

Vaughan Williams: Discoveries

Wolfgang: Passing Through

Zappa: 200 Motels

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Tim Handley, producer

Tõnu Kaljuste, conductor; Manfred Eicher, producer

Martyn Brabbins, conductor; Ann McKay, producer

Judith Farmer & Gernot Wolfgang, producers

The Suites – Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Frank Filipetti & Gail Zappa, producers

Best Contemporary Classical Composition

Daugherty: Tales of Hemingway

Bates: Anthology of Fantastic Zoology

Higdon: Cold Mountain

Theofanidis: Bassoon Concerto

Winger: Conversations with Nijinsky

Michael Daugherty, composer (Zuill Bailey, Giancarlo Guerrero & Nashville Symphony)

Mason Bates, composer (Riccardo Muti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

Jennifer Higdon, composer; Gene Scheer, librettist

Christopher Theofanidis, composer (Martin Kuuskmann, Barry Jekowsky & Northwest Sinfonia)

C. F. Kip Winger, composer (Martin West & San Francisco Ballet Orchestra)

Music Video/Film

Best Music Video

"Formation" – Beyoncé

"River" – Leon Bridges

"Up & Up" – Coldplay

"Gosh" – Jamie XX

"Upside Down & Inside Out" – OK Go

Melina Matsoukas, video director; Candice Dragonas, Juliette Larthe, Nathan Scherrer & Inga Veronique, video producers

Miles Jay, video director; Dennis Beier, Allison Kunzman & Saul Levitz, video producers

Vania Heymann & Gal Muggia, video directors; Candice Dragonas, Juliette Larthe, Nathan Scherrer & Natan Schottenfels, video producers

Romain Gavras, video director; Iconoclast, video producers

Damian Kulash Jr. & Trish Sie, video directors; Melissa Murphy & John O'Grady, video producers

Best Music Film

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week The Touring Years – (The Beatles)

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead – Steve Aoki

Lemonade – Beyoncé

The Music of Strangers – Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble

American Saturday Night: Live From The Grand Ole Opry – (Various Artists)

Ron Howard, video director; Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Scott Pascucci & Nigel Sinclair, video producers

Justin Krook, video director; Brent Almond, Matt Colon, David Gelb, Ryan Kavanaugh, Michael Theanne, Happy Walters & Matthew Weaver, video producers

Beyoncé Knowles Carter & Kahlil Joseph, video directors; Ed Burke, Steve Pamon, Todd Tourso, Dora Melissa Vargas, Erinn Williams & Beyoncé Knowles Carter, video producer

Morgan Neville, video director; Caitrin Rogers, video producer

George J. Flanigen IV, video director; Steve Buchanan, John Burke & Lindsey Clark, Robert Deaton, Pete Fisher & George J. Flanigen IV, video producers

[slopeeditions]

Terri Witek Wins Slope Editions' 16th Annual Book Contest, Selected By Dawn Lundy Martin

We are thrilled to announce the winner of our 16th Annual Book Prize: The Rape Kit by Terri Witek, selected by Dawn Lundy Martin for publication in 2018.

Of the winning manuscript, Martin writes, “Terri Witek’s The Rape Kit is a powerful procedural collection of poems that unearths the obstructionist nature of the bureaucratic apparatuses that proclaim to attend to the trauma of sexual violence. But that’s just the beginning. The range and depth of this book is astonishing in its precision, and in its probing. The Rape Kit manages an unrelenting force of return to languages of steely repression, thereby stealing power from the gaze of the apparatuses and those behind it. It is a miraculous accomplishment. Witek’s collection is rare and necessary and a fire in throat of a culture that has no appropriate language for rape and its aftermath. Her approximation here strokes the aura of a pain that cannot be spoken. It takes multiple approaches—renderings of interior architectures, absences, diagrams, historical overlay, erasures, and language repetition—but in the end, Witek’s The Rape Kit is a grand success, the best we’ll get. Fresh, relevant, and heartbreaking.

  We would also like to congratulate our finalists, listed below in no particular order:

Miracle Marks by Purvi Shah

Echo’s Errand by Keith Jones

What It Doesn’t Have to Do With by Lindsay Bernal

Hard Some by Hailey Higdon

The Feminology of Spirit by Lynarra Featherly

FIDELITORIA: fixed or fluxed by Candice Wuehle

Too Numerous by Kent Shaw

Quite Apart by Krystal Languell

Negotiations by Paul Hlava

After June by Sara Renberg

Solastalgia by JM Miller

A Paper Likeness by Heidi Reszies

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Sara Higdon

Published: Apr 8, 2023

We have seen an uptick in violent incidents from the “Trans” activist community. Kellie-Jay Keen was attacked by a mob in New Zealand, Billboard Chris was assaulted at a protest in Vancouver, Alex Stein had hot coffee poured on him in San Francisco, and most recently also in San Francisco, at San Francisco State University Riley Gaines was assaulted and essentially kidnaped by protestors.

This is on top of the number of state capitals that have been stormed in protest of trans related legislation. However, when I see these protests I am noticing that most of the activists don't appear to be trans themselves. They are using the Trans community as a vehicle to push their ideology with zero regard for the backlash that it brings upon actual trans people.

In the video of Riley Gaines' attack, it only appears that one in ten may have identified as such. We can tell this because progressive transgender people don’t try to fit in or blend in, they want you to know they are “trans.” Historically the “T” in LGBT stood for Transsexual. Which was used for those whose goal it is to “pass” and assimilate into society and not bring attention to the fact that we are the opposite sex as we present.

Progressives have been able to change the meaning of the “T”, to commandeer a community that just wants to live their lives in peace, to force their ideology on the world.

Around 2013, the “T” was changed to mean “Transgender.” With the change came a shift from the binary into the world of queer theory. Transexuals live in a binary world, they have gender dysphoria and take the steps to blend into the world as the opposite sex. Transgender is an “umbrella” term that ushered in the notion of non-binary and postmodern theory into an otherwise binary world. The postmodern aspect allowed progressives to then co-opt the “trans” moniker. They can now self-identify into an “oppressed” community, so that officials are afraid to do anything against it, for fear of being called bigots. 

Progressives tried to do the same thing with Black Lives Matter (BLM) in the summer of 2020. The issue was that this required convincing the black population to buy into their ideology and do their bidding. When you see the riot videos, a large portion of the assailants were white Antifa members. At the time, they were able to use the fight against Critical Race Theory (CRT) as their recruitment tool. They claimed it was “just teaching history.” The world woke up to their lies, and they had to go a different route; ushering in the push for Queer Theory. 

Queer theory and CRT are two sides of the same coin. Both are based in  postmodern neomarxist ideology and follow the same tenets. When the “Q” community was able to make “trans/non-binary” something that you can self-ID into, they were able to do the work themselves that they couldn’t convince the black community to do.

Progressives are able to push their ideology through violence, which then gets justified by politicians and mainstream media on the left. With headlines like "Anti-Lia Thomas activist escorted by police amid protest at SFSU," They have somehow convinced these people that it's ok for a male to hit a female as long as that male identifies as a woman, and blame the victim of the assault. They will continue with this strategy until it is no longer working, then they will move on to the next “oppressed minority” to destroy their standing in society.

Further proof that progressives don’t care about the “trans'' community is that they try to silence anyone that doesn't follow their ideology. I have had Antifa try to shut down three events I have taken part in. The last one was a few weeks ago in Pennsylvania. The venue that Chloe Cole (a detransitioner) and I (a transexual woman) were supposed to speak at got accidentally leaked the day prior, and immediately the hotel got phone calls and the local police said they didn’t have the manpower to be able to protect us if they showed up. The venue canceled, but thankfully a church 30 mins away stepped up and hosted with no issues.

Finally, everyone has the right to free speech, whether you disagree with that speech or not. Violence is never justified because you dislike what a person is saying. The only reason a person resorts to violence is because they have no meaningful counter argument.

I happen to agree with Riley Gaines on a lot of issues, and the areas we disagree, are areas where we can work together to come up with reasonable solutions. Violence shuts down the ability to create meaningful change, and only creates division. Prior to the progressive infiltration of the trans community, there were 1.4 million trans people in the United States. Demonizing this entire group because of the actions of the Marxist colonizers is playing into their hands. Those who physically assault others need to be charged. All of those who kidnapped Riley Gaines should be expelled and charged as well. Violence in the name of trans rights should never be tolerated—yet it is advocated for by the progressive left.

==

This is precisely the reason the canard "words are violence" was created. What it means is, I don't like what you have to say, so I'm entitled to physically assault you, and then we're even. Because your words and my violence are the same.

Personally, I'm not a fan of Sara's use of the word "progressive." I prefer the term "illiberal left."

It's not "progressive" to rehabilitate 1950s stereotypes as "gender identity," or invert MLK Jr's dream of a colorblind society into one that's color-conscious color-obsessed, or medicalize gay kids "straight," or deny both biology and evolution, or lie about the health impacts of obesity, or teaching people they're oppressed and everything is out to get you, or they're oppressors and the world is set up to benefit them at everyone else's expense, or reinstituting segregation, or manipulating words to try and engineer thought, or destroying people's lives for failing to conform to the sensibilities of the ruling class. It's mind-bogglingly regressive.

And it sure isn't "progressive" to abandon the most reliably disadvantaged people - those in abject poverty - in order to conduct identity politics which mostly benefit privileged elites, while looking down on their former base: the working class.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/gender-identity/sex-gender-identity

Gender is much more complex: It’s a social and legal status, and set of expectations from society, about behaviors, characteristics, and thoughts. Each culture has standards about the way that people should behave based on their gender. This is also generally male or female. But instead of being about body parts, it’s more about how you’re expected to act, because of your sex.

https://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/transgender.htm (Center for Disease Control)

Transgender is an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity or expression (masculine, feminine, other) is different from their sex (male, female) at birth.

https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms (Human Rights Campaign)

Transgender | An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth.

https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/102/11/3869/4157558?login=false (The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism)

Transgender: This is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from what is typically associated with their sex designated at birth.

https://www.apa.org/topics/lgbtq/transgender (American Psychological Association)

Transgender is an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth.

https://pedsendo.org/patient-resource/transgender-care/ (Pediatric Endocrine Society)

Transgender is umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0807758612

“Gender: The socially prescribed and enforced roles, behaviors, and expectations that are assigned to us at birth. These roles determine how you are ‘supposed’ to feel and act based on your body.”

-- Ozlem Sensoy and Robin DiAngelo, “Is Everyone Really Equal?”

All of these “expert” medical and LGBT advocacy organizations need you to know that if you don’t act according to “cultural expectations” they define you as “trans.” If anyone should know, it’s them, right?

Imagine a girl who likes football and trail bike riding being told this in school, learning that she thought she was a girl, but she’s really a boy and didn’t know it. Oh no, I’m in the wrong body.

Imagine a boy who likes making his own clothes and enjoys rom-coms, hearing about this for the first time. Apparently, he’s not really a boy, he’s a girl. Oh no, I’m in the wrong body.

[Note that none of the above definitions require or even refer to dysphoria in any way.” It’s not about helping people in distress; the Buck Angels, the Blaire Whites, the Sara Higdons, etc. All the above definitions rely on the concept of gender performativity, a ”stylized repetition of acts”; gender is “real only to the extent that it is performed.” That is, gender performativity asserts that gender is a performance that you do, not something you have, and neither innate nor a stable identity. The obvious next question is why we would endorse irreversible procedures for something that’s performative, socially constructed, and neither stable (”fluid”) nor innate (”social construct”).]

[andronetalks]

BREAKING: Biden drapes LGBTQ ‘progress’ flag over White House while claiming laws banning child sex changes target ‘trans kids’

The Post Millennial By Sara Higdon June 10, 2023 President Biden hosted the largest Pride event ever held at the White House on Saturday. With hundreds in attendance, he said, “I want to send a message to the entire community — especially to transgender children: You are loved. You are heard. You belong.” In a speech on the South Lawn, the president claimed that bills aimed to protect children…

[andronetalks]

School staffer, director of child development programs among 6 arrested in Portland-area child sex sting

The Post Millennial By Sara Higdon April 15, 2023 On Thursday, six people were arrested in Washington County Oregon for luring of a minor and online sexual corruption of a child in the first degree; both felony charges. According to the Sheriff’s office, two of the men had jobs working with children.  26-year old Te’Vari Jenkins, of Gresham, was the Director of Childhood Development Programs for…