 Hi, I'm Linda Quinlan. I'm Keith Ghostland. I'm Ann Charles. Welcome to All Things LGBTQ. It's Tuesday, February 19th. We're going to be watching the Democratic debates later tonight, but the day will have passed by the time you see us. But anyway, we have a lot of headlines for you this evening, starting with Linda, with national headlines. Hello. Well, hi, Ann. That's you. Hi, Keith. Yeah. Well, speaking of politics, Roy Moore is back. Oh, good. Yes. Did he go away? No. Well, he lost the election. But let's hope they put him up again. The last time we saw him, he was riding his horse. Yes. Yeah, it didn't go far enough. Well, he blasted LGBTQ people during a 10 Commandments Party. Do you think he reads those 10 Commandments? 10 Commandments Party. There we go. OK. The Boy Scouts are filing for bankruptcy amid sexual abuse lawsuits. Right? And our own Christine Hallquist endorses Bernie Sanders. Hallquist ran against Scott in a gubernatorial race here in New Vermont. I think she's the first transparent transgender candidate for governor in the country. Yes. That's what she meant to say. Yes, that's what I was going to say to endorse him. Pete Buttigieg responds to Rush Limbaugh. Right-wing minister claims being trans is a Jewish plot. Lily Tomlin is leaving her prince on Hollywood Boulevard. The professor who said he had the right to misgender trans students loses his case in court. OAC dismisses complaints about her appearance. AOC. AOC. Yes. What's her first? Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Yes. About her appearance on RuPaul's Drag Race. In Iowa, conservative proposed adding sexual orientation to marriage licenses. That's a really interesting thing. On Ohio bill, we'll send doctors to jail for years for treating trans youth. Texas Demias and Supreme Court put an end to the pro-LGBT California law. And Ohio mega church has reached an undisclosed settlement with a former employee. Buttigieg fundraises disrupted by queers against Pete. A gay man is shot in Miami after kissing in his car. Lesbian feminists who helped coin the term identity politics back Saunders. Barbara Smith, a black lesbian feminist for social justice thinks Saunders is the best candidate. Trayvon Martin's killer, George Zimmerman, is suing Democratic presidential candidates be Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren. And in ancient mythology, Orpheus was a musician. Those beautiful folks and lyrical talent convinced the gods to return his dead wife. This is played by a gay singer. And we'll have a picture of him now. And so there'll be more stories. That's an opera, right? It's an opera, yeah. A drag opera? A drag opera. OK. And we're going to have a picture of him right now. OK. So, yeah. A lot of head lunch. I do. She's been busy. I know. And it's only been a week. Trivia. And apparently, you kind of have to be from Vermont and probably Central Vermont to get it. Out in the mountains, front page, February 1991. It talked about a 40th birthday party that was happening at Contoy's Auditorium in Burlington for a native-born feminist performance artist who may have written the song, don't drop your goddamn bombs on me. Who was it? And then events. One of the things that's happening is the Pride Center is putting out a comprehensive list. And they're truly trying to get things that are happening statewide. They still have some hiccups. But it's making it really difficult for me to be able to report on events because it came out Sunday for this week. So if I were to tell you everything, they'd be over by the time this is aired. But please look at their website on coming events and know that there is now a monthly drag show that's happening at Wonder Bar in Bellows Falls in addition to what's happening at Merchants Hall in Rotland. That's interesting. So it looks as though people around the state are trying to come up with ongoing events so that there are creating forums for our community to get together. So what we heard at those town hall forums of, where is my community? We're creating that space again. So I like it. And there's a coffee, but that'll be over too. Coffee and conversation will have occurred by the time we'll be aired. If you're watching this, you missed it because it was this morning. It was great too. I'm not too sure about the dark coffee. And then we're gonna talk a bit about the news. People know about the V2O, the paid family and medical leave. Well, there's a little update, minimum wage. And then I wanna talk a little bit about the census because people are gonna start getting notices right off and why the LGBTQ plus communities, we really need to participate in how we're gonna benefit from it. And then I wanna talk a little bit about DNA and transgender. So, did you see? I saw that, it's very interesting. Just a passing comment for people to think about. And are we gonna talk about the film? So no. No. Okay. I have a film to discuss, but these are my headlines. There will be a dad and mom Putin rules out Russia legalizing gay marriage. And that's it. I have a kind of a quaint quote from him. Russian police raid pussy riot video shoot. And I have a clip of that, rejected by its home country. And here's where the films come in. This Georgian dance film has become a surprise hit. And I have a clip for you later. Other headlines. Anti-LGBT incidents in Israel increased by 36% in 2019. South London now has a permanent rainbow pedestrian crossing. Trans woman makes history representing Pakistan at the United States. Sports Ambassador Aum Zid Laythi on how to improve Asian and LGBTQ representation in sport. And finally, four arrested over the murder of Northern Irish journalist Kira Lyra McKee. So I can get to all these stories, perhaps. At least I'll be able to touch on some of them later in the program. But now let's go back to Linda. Well, thank you, Anne. Pete Buttigieg responds to Rush Limbaugh's insults about him and his husband. Pete appeared on Fox News with Chris Wallace and responded to Rush's criticism of his homosexuality. Pete said, I'm not going to be lectured to by the likes of Rush Limbaugh or anybody who supports Donald Trump as the moral and well-being of our political leader in the United States. As to the moral well-being. America is ready, he said, to move on from this kind, from their values. Rush said that Pete loves to kiss his husband on the debate stage, and that would be difficult for children to see. I was gonna say my nieces and nephews grew up with my doing it repeatedly, and they seem to have turned out okay. And my children too, I mean, they seem to be fine, but, you know. So moving on. Right wing minister claims being trans is a Jewish plot to make humanity androgynous. Rick Wiles hosted and agreed with guests who somehow managed to combine trans-hatred with the anti-Semitism. Their claims is that transgender is a Zionist plot. Rick Wiles has a radio show where he showcased Jana and Steve Ben-Noon, Messianic Jews that believe that Jesus is the true Messiah. And that salvation only comes from accepting him as your savior. Now, how anybody could have hatched that plan is, you know. Lily Tomlin is leaving her prints on Hollywood Boulevard. Her career as an actor, comedian, and producer has stretched over 40 years. Turner Classic Movies will honor Tomlin with a hand and footprint at the world famous Tell Chinese Theater. She has eight Emmys, two Peabody Awards, and the Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. I saw Lily Tomlin in Iowa City in 1976. Oh, you're such a breaker. I saw her at the Flynn on tour doing Science of Intelligent Life in the Universe. And we had dinner together. Oh, you got me on that one. Yeah, there we are. I've never seen her. I have never seen her except on TV. AOC dismisses complaints about her parents on RuPaul's Drag Race. Conservative Charlie Kirk tweeted, I wonder why she never claims to be proud to pledge allegiance to the flag, time well spent in the Congress, he said, stochastically. Mike Dice called her a degenerate communist. Apparently, you know, like on, I haven't seen RuPaul's Drag Race as anybody, but anyway, they say I pledge allegiance to drag something, right? Or they make this statement. Well, it's just a humorous, yeah. Forever, I know, yeah. So that's what the context of this was, is like, well, she pledges allegiance to this drag show, but she doesn't pledge allegiance to the United States, which is totally ridiculous. But anyway, you're next. Oh, it's mine now? Yeah. Okay, so talking a little bit about legislation. In the House, in General Housing and Military Affairs, they're still talking about the resolution to issue the apology for eugenic-inspired sterilization. And this is essentially to Vermont's Abinac-y people. And Chief Stevens has already gone and testified, saying before there can be real healing to occur, there needs to be an apology made. So this looks as though it's moving through, it's gonna come out of committee and we'll be voted on this week. As people are aware, Governor Scott vetoed the legislator's version of the paid family and medical leave bill. And the Senate was able to override, the House was one vote short. Well, what he is now putting forward is the Sununu-Scott proposal, which has a wealth of benefits, but is a voluntary process. And in recent conversations between the LGBTQIA, Lyonson, Vermont and the administration, there has been a formal request to review the legislation to see their definition of family. Because what the legislature did was greatly expanded so that our relationships and how we form family are included and they have indicated a willingness to change their language to make the same inclusion. So that's happening. So what does volunteering mean? Is that like okay, people who wanna pay a can and those, how is that gonna work? I mean, it's business and employees would say, yes, indeed, we want to establish this process. It will happen if the business and the employees say, no, we don't wanna do it, it's not mandatory. What if the employees do, but the employer doesn't? I think that there is an RFP that has gone out to look at what would happen in those kinds of questions and how the funding matrix would be created because it may be that I as the employee pay into a bank that I can then draw from when I wanna use it, but there is not an employer matching donation or matching appropriation. Yeah, that doesn't seem very feasible to me, but. We'll see. Minimum wage, as people are aware, he vetoed this as well. The Senate has overridden it by a substantial margin, 24 to six, they only needed 20 votes. The House has yet to establish a time to take this up. The concern is that when the House voted on this and the compromise bill, they only had 93 votes supporting it. They need 100. I will tell you, it is a monumentous task to get seven votes, to get seven legislators to be willing to change their vote to override the veto. So we'll see what happens. Very discouraging, if I'm not mistaken. Exactly. So the other thing that people will know has happened as in Tuesday night was the public hearing on domestic violence and firearms H610 and the House Judiciary Committee has revised some of their language because they found where some of the language left it open for a challenge as to if it was or was not constitutional. They think they've corrected that. They're devoting this entire week to getting this bill out. Well, they should. So this is a priority for them. And that's because next week gets right into what's called crossover. If bills are not voted out of either chamber by the end of next week, the other chamber does not have to take it up during this session. So that means any bill that hasn't advanced that's ain't gonna happen. And one of my concerns is looking at House human services, the Older Vermonters Act, the committee hasn't voted on. And it wasn't on the committee schedule for this week. If it is a priority letting your legislator know that H611 Older Vermonters with the amended language which clearly includes us is a priority might be a well-placed phone call. I was gonna ask you, should we remind people about, I don't know, because we're not gonna take ear again for a little while about the event going on at the State House for LGBT visibility. That's March 31st. And we're gonna have another show between now and then. There's March 13th, though, which is a Friday, which is the coffee with the Lieutenant Governor. 830 to 10, which is earlier than some people may be up. I'm gonna try to make it. It'll be muffins and coffin and scintillating conversation. All right. All right. Let's go back to our friend, Putin, who said on Thursday that Russia would not legalize gay marriage as long as he was in the Kremlin. He made clear that he would not allow the traditional notion of mother and father to be subverted by what he called parent number one and parent number two. As far as parent number one and parent number two goes, I've already spoken publicly about this, and I'll not repeat it again. As long as I'm president, this will not happen. There will be dad and mom. Who knows what he would do with our parentage bill from last year with de facto parenting where they could be parent three and four. Well, this isn't much of a surprise. Yeah, and in that vein, Russian police raided a pussy riot shoot this weekend, last weekend. It's been eight years since all three members of Pussy Riot were sentenced to serve in a penal colony in Russia, charged with quote, premeditated hooliganism performed by an organized group of people motivated by religious hatred or hostility. Since then, not much seems to have changed. On Sunday, February 9th, the band were shooting a music video when Russian police broke into the location of the shoot and shut it down. Afterly, the song the video was for, the song the video was for Rage is dedicated to pain that we feminists and queer people feel being the enemies of the state according to the band. A police baton on my ribs. I'm singing with blood today are some of the lyrics. In Russia, spreading gay propaganda has been illegal since 2013. And it's supposed to prevent children from being exposed to information about homosexuality while protecting Russia's family values. In the years since queer clubs have been raided, gay films attemptedly banned or banned and trans people prevented from driving. According to Pussy Riot spokespeople, they were accused of gay propaganda, extremism and making an illegal video when the rage shoot was raided. We had a contact, contract with the location and paid for everything they said in a statement. It did not matter because the police's task was to prevent a video shoot. They continued the Russian political police commanded to the studio where we were shooting to cut off electricity in the whole building. When we rented an electric generator, the police who surrounded the building did not let us bring the generator in to be sure we couldn't film. Later, we were kicked out of the building with no legal explanations. We lost $15,000 on video production. The video features 150 activists, most female and queer. Pussy Riot says they're planning on finishing the video in a stand for freedom of speech and expression in Russia. In the meantime, they've released the preview clip from the video above. So now let's watch the clip. It shows the beginning of the video where they were shooting and then the police barging in. So let's take a look at that. I'm surprised they're still able to function at all in Russia. They're such heroines. Yeah, and heroes. Yes. Let's go on to a film, if we may, in the same part of the country. It was filmed in Georgia and director Levon Akin's new movie may have been rejected by the country where it was filmed but elsewhere in the world, moviegoers are embracing it. And then we danced, opens in nine more North American markets this weekend on the heels of successful openings in New York, Chicago and other cities and a slew of festival screenings around the globe. Just not in Georgia. The native country of Akin's grandparents where he filmed his low budget surprise hit dance film. The film was dropped from the Tbilisi Film Festival last fall and I think I probably reported on it after massive protests at the premier term violent. Police and riot gear separated filmgoers from far right activists and angry Orthodox priests all because the film depicts a same sex relationship between two dancers auditioning for Georgia's national dance company. Yet the movie earned a standing ovation last year at Cannes and Sweden, the country that welcomed Akin's parents as immigrants submitted and then we danced to the Oscars for its entry as best international feature. It wasn't nominated then, but. Akin had been working in Swedish film and television for about a decade when he saw footage of Tbilisi's 2013 Gay Pride Parade. The event drew far more protesters than participants and brave marchers were just kids, Akin said. He wanted to tell a story about growing up in Georgia today and decided that dance would provide the best lens. It's somewhat rare to see a dance film that takes folk dance seriously and examines how economic privilege too often determines who gets to be a dancer. It's the case in so many countries, including Georgia and England and the United States, to be able to pursue art, you have to come from a rich background, he says. It's a privilege to be able to say, I'm going to be an actor or I'm going to be a dancer. And although the movie has drawn comparisons to call me by your name, Akin maintains that this is a coming of age movie, not a coming out movie. As he depicts it, Georgia's national company is run by homophobic tyrants, especially the director of the Junior Ensemble. Georgian audiences are saying we could have exaggerated him even more. They really do rage and throw things at the dancers. So now let's look at a clip from, and then we danced. Hi, it's Matpela. How are you doing? I'm fine. How are you? I'm fine. Do you have a cigarette? I don't have a cigarette. I'm a pro-monitor. I'm sure you're going to be a good dancer. Samy, come here. How are you? I'm fine. How are you? I'm fine. How are you? I'm fine. How do you do it for a mother? If you want to look like a mother, you can do what you're told. How are you? I'm fine, I'm fine. So what if you want to get married then? Okay, I'll take it. I'm pregnant! I'm pregnant, when I have a baby. It looks good, and it's around. It's been released, and maybe we can get it. I know, I know. Do you want to hear more from me? No? Not at the moment. Okay. But we may get back to you. Good, I hope so, because I have a lot more to talk about. But maybe not. Apparently you're on probation. Well, this is really interesting because in Ohio, a conservative proposed adding sexual orientation to marriage licenses and punishing liars. Now this means a Republican lawmaker has proposed a law in Iowa Senate that would create a state record of people's sexual orientation on their marriage licenses. Now why they would want to do this is so it can be referred to during divorces. So if you put down that you're straight and then you come out later, as some of us have, you know, or in marriages, Dennis Galth would also make fraudulent concealment of sexual orientation grounds for a divorcing couple to lose custody of their children, the same as sexual abuse. I mean, who thinks this up? Apparently conservative Republicans with too much time on their hands. I mean, really. So if you've got to get over their obsession with their bedroom and our genitalia. Oh my God. So if you get married at 18 to a guy and you come out at 30 as a lesbian and you didn't put down sexual orientation, that would be grounds to lose your children in your whatever. Oh God. And Ohio Bill would send doctors to jail for years for treating trans youth. A new Ohio Bill would turn doctors into felons for treating trans children with medically approved standard procedures. Doctors would be charged with a third degree felon for providing therapeutic or surgical procedures intended to alter the gender of someone under 18. Texas to me as a Supreme Court put an end to pro-LGBT California law, which we know says that in 2016 California passed a law that prohibits any state employee from going to states that don't have Right. Non-discrimination policies. So he's suing. He can't use state money to finance the trip or the seminar. Yeah. And Ken Paxton, the person who brought this suit, says that Texas has every right to allow adoption agencies to be in gay and lesbian adoptions if they so choose. We'll see what the outcome is. Of course Texas is manned. So what? It's Texas. Okay. So then we have the Buttigieg fundraiser disrupted by queers against Pete. The event took place at the National LGBTQ Center. The entry fee was $250 and featured Pete answering questions. Queers against Buttigieg oppose him because his stand on Medicare for all. They say he represents a white upper class sensibility that is not representative of the LGBTQ community. May I speak? Yes. I just read an article this week by Masha Gessen, that wonderful lesbian writing for the New Yorker, who kind of clarifies that the reason a lot of LGBT people oppose Buttigieg isn't of course that he's gay but that he's so mainstream. So it's again the divide between the revolutionaries and the assimilationists. So I think that's part of the trouble there. Yeah. That's a good point. He's a clear example of how we in our communities have been co-opted. So I just have to editorialize that probably the queers against Pete could be, maybe queers against Trump might be a little more. Well they said they- On the money. When he, when it was referenced I think in that he, someone or he said they're homophobic, they said no, we're queer. Yeah. Oh. Oh. So they were definitely, you know- I get it. Sure. A gay man is shot in Miami after kissing in his car. One is in critical condition. A stray bullet also injured a woman trying to get into her car with her wife nearby. This was a drive by incident. The car, the guys who were kissing's car was surrounded by men on all terrain vehicles who just randomly started shooting at them. And so who were the women shot? They happened to be in the parking lot. And they were two kissing each other? No. The two men were kissing each other. They were attacked by this group of men on an all terrain. And the two women were just getting into their car and were getting a stray bullet. Yes. Huh. Coincidentally. How interesting. Yeah. I was going to ask if there was something unique about the area that they were to- Or some event that they were coming from. I don't think so. It was like a shopping mall or, I don't know, something. Okay. And then Trayvon Martin's killer, George Zimmerman, is suing Democratic President candidates Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren for malicious defamation. He claims the two have painted him as a white supremacist and racist. And then who became the face of racial profiling after killing, that spawned a nationwide protest, was acquittative charges when he argued that he killed Martin in self-defense in a decision widely criticized as racist. His attorney used racist tropes to win, painting the unarmed teenager as a threat. I hope that suit doesn't get very far. Yeah, we'll keep you informed if we hear more about that. And then we have in ancient mythology, Amplem, he knows all about this. Orpheus was a musician whose beautiful voice and lyrical talent convinced the gods to return his dead wife. Is it Eurindice? Euridice. Euridice. Euridice. Euridice. Euridice. To the world of the living. In Euridice, a new opera by composer Matthew Achin at the Los Angeles Opera. That voice belongs to a gay black singer, John Holliday. Holliday, a 35-year-old countertenor, the highest register for a male singer has an equal in the production of the music center's Dorothy Chandler's Pavilion. He portrays Orpheus's double, who sings on stage alongside the performer, cast as the mythical figure, Joshua Hopkins, in order to imbue his music with an ethereal element. One of Holliday's primary tasks in Euridice was diving into the nature of this role. The performer sees a dual role for his character. He is a supernatural being that speaks for Orpheus when Orpheus can't say something or when Orpheus wants to say something on a heightened level. Yet he is also an ally whose presence reminds Orpheus, I've got your back. You don't have to do it alone. I'll help you. So that sounds very interesting. I'm not a big opera fan. I haven't had a lot of exposure, I just want to say. But this sounds very interesting. Get tickets now. Fly out to L.A. So recent study that has been released, and it was looking at DNA and DNA markers, and they were specifically looking at people who identified as transgender. The sample size was large enough that it was a study of merit. It had scientific weight to it. They found, with the people who identified as being transgender, 21 different variants on their DNA. Now they're not ready to say they found a transgender gene, but as we continue to have this conversation, and as they continue to do research and response, they're coming up with more and more a physiological, biological support for people who identify as transgender or gender identity. And I remember that about a year ago, there was a study about brain patterning, you know, male versus female patterns, and they were able to clearly distinguish between the two, that those people who identified as transgender, their brain patterning followed that of their identified identity and not their biological gender at birth. So I'm continuously fascinated by, and we will tell you more. It's kind of a slippery slope though, isn't it? It's like as they find there is a gene, then people will want to correct the gene. It's a new frontier though. But at least we're starting to have the conversation, which is encouraging. The census is coming right up. Why we should participate is that there will be an option, if you are married, to identify that it is a same-gender marriage. You can also identify if it is a same-gender household who is not married. But it is not going to ask the question about sexual orientation and gender identity as had been proposed during the Obama administration. Why we in Vermont really need to participate is the estimate from the Census Commission of which I have been appointed, is they estimate approximately 4,000 federal dollars comes in for every person in Vermont that is included on the census. So if you have an interest in older Vermonters, we want to be included so that when they start talking about what are we going to do with the federal money coming in for elder services, we get a voice in that. So dates you should be aware of starting March 12th, you're going to start getting the invitation to participate and you're going to be able to do it either online or by phone. And they track it by, not by your name, but by your residence address so that if there is not a response back from your address, there will be two more notices that are sent to you asking you to participate. You're getting ahead of yourself. But yes, you can have tea and crumpets. You will get several more reminders. April 1st is when the real kickoff is they're really looking for participation. At the end of April, you'll get a final notice if there hasn't been a response from your residence address and then May 13th through July 31st, that's when they come knocking at your door. And by the way, as Governor Scott shared in his most recent press conference, they're still looking for a thousand workers to go out and do that door to door. If you're interested in part-time employment from May 13th to July 31st and you can pretty much set how many hours you're willing to work, they want to hear from you. U.S. Census, go online, register. All right. Okay. They pay pretty well, too, Eric. Yes, they do. Let's go to Israel where bad things are happening. Okay. An annual report by a nonprofit shows that 2,125 cases, mostly online but also by state officials, family members, and others of anti-LGBT incidents have occurred. 272 teens were forced to flee their homes. Anti-LGBT incidents in Israel increased by 36% in 2019. Israel's LGBT task force nonprofit reports. According to the annual report which was published for the seventh year, as I said, 2,125 cases were recorded last year, one or most or one almost every four hours. Most incidents happened online, primarily on social media according to the report. Online attacks spiked by 58% in August. A month after newly appointed Education Minister Rafi Parets backed gay conversion therapy and the fringe anti-gay Noam Party launched its election campaign. Now let's take a picture now. Let's look at a picture now of members of the LGBT community and activists protesting against this Education Minister in Tel Aviv on the 14th of July. The report added that 13% of the incidents of anti-gay bias came from state branches, particularly discrimination by employees of the administration of border crossings, population, and immigration. Dealing with marriage and parenthood records, requests to change one's gender and surrogacy abroad. 29% of the incidents happened within the family, the report said, adding that 272 teenagers were forced to leave their homes due to anti-LGBT harassment. About 8% of the cases happened in public spaces and 5% occurred in educational institutions. 3% of the incidents occurred in workplaces with about half the offenders being managers or bosses and half being colleagues. The vast majority of the cases, 60%, were recorded in the Tel Aviv area because a lot of LGBT people live there. And there are also many shelters and community centers there. 11% of the incidents were recorded in Haifa, 10% in Beersheba, and 9% in Jerusalem. This reality doesn't come out of nowhere. There are those who choose to feed it, this activist group added. It grows stronger when Israel's education minister wants to convert an entire part of society. We won't allow ourselves to be erased from the public sphere. We will protect the personal safety of the community members and we will continue taking action for equality and freedom, they said. So, trouble in Israel. What was that name of the movie we saw where the Israeli fell in love with the Palestinians? I know, I can't remember. It was really good. We'll have to look that up for next time. I can't remember the name of that, but that was really good. Let's look at the South London crosswalk now, if we could. Just because it's pretty. Where is it? Observe it on your screen. Although several temporary rainbows popped up around the capital during Pride Month, in Greenwich, Woolwich, Plumstead and Wimbledon, they all jazzed up the roads in a similar way. This is the first crossing in the UK to become a permanent fixture. It puts London in good company with Sydney, Paris and Vancouver, all cities with year-round rainbow crossings. What's the point of all this? Well, homophobic and transphobic hate crimes have doubled in the UK over the last five years, and according to figures released by Stonewall, more than a third of LGBTQ-plus people don't feel comfortable walking down the street holding a partner's hand. Herney Hill, where this crosswalk is, the gesture of solidarity comes after a succession of serious homophobic incidents in the capital. In May, a lesbian couple was attacked on a London bus. Remember, I showed you that. Both women were treated in the hospital. Still, the rainbow glow up might not solve a lot of problems, but it's still a nice nod to the LGBTQ-plus community at a time when that feels seriously needed in the capital. Do you think it's because of the conservative government thing? I do. I think a lot of same-sex couples don't feel comfortable holding hands in the US, either. No. May I continue? Good. I'd like to talk now. Apparently you passed probation. I know. I have a lot more to say, too. A trans woman makes history representing Pakistan at the United States, at the United Nations. Let's look at a picture of her. Her name is Aisha Mughal. She's way on the right at the United Nations Convention. She received this honor. She works with the Ministry of Human Rights in Pakistan and was one of the country's delegates at the UN Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The delegation was led by the Ministry's Minister of Human Rights. She's an expert on trans rights. Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the government was taking responsibility for trans people who say they are routinely denied treatment and can face harassment or ridicule from hospital staff and patients. It also plans to separate hospital wards for trans patients. If I just may... You lost your place. She praised her country's record on trans rights saying Pakistan has become an example for the entire world with all the support from the government. I feel proud to be a Pakistani transgender woman. And then, as I mentioned in a previous report, Pakistan extended free healthcare to trans people in a landmark move. All trans people will now be eligible for free medical treatment including transition related care. The government is giving trans people a special health card that will give them access to an existing government health insurance scheme which was introduced in 2015 to provide health cards for those earning less than $2 a day. Although trans people will not face that financial test. Is that considered high income? Now, if I have time, I'd like to at least show you two more pictures. This one first is of sports ambassador Amazon Le Thay on how to improve Asian representation in sports. There's an interview that I read with her. She's a sport ambassador for Stonewall. And not only is she an activist for LGBT rights, she's also an activist about HIV positive considerations, talks about depression. She grew up in Australia and was bullied severely. She participates in the Rainbow Laces campaign which is a movement, an LGBT movement in the premier league of the UK. And she talks about all the problems, like the bosses, the managers, but mostly the fan base. How can you guide a fan base not to yell homophobic and racial slurs and so forth? And then one more sad story I'd like to get to you. I'd like to present. Share with you. That's it. It's about Lyra McKee and we remember her. I have her picture there before you. She was 29. She was shot on April 18, 2019. An acclaimed journalist. She was killed in the Cregan area of Derry. In Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland. And four men aged 20, 27, 29 and 52 were arrested this morning under the terrorism act. After the new IRA claimed responsibility for the death. Her death sent shock waves through the UK and Northern Ireland. It was met with an outpouring of grief in media circles and in the LGBT community. And you may recall she was about to propose to her partner. She was planning to propose to her girlfriend at the time of her death. And they of course didn't get to marry in now Northern Ireland. Same sex marriages. Allowed. Allowed in Northern Ireland. But very tragic. So there she is. And the police still haven't solved the problem. They've arrested these four men but they're saying oh please if you know anything. Because they have footage of right before she was shot but it's not really very conclusive about who did it. So we don't know who they are but the police know who they are. Right. They've arrested these four people. But it's still pending and they're still issuing calls for the public to report. If you saw this please back up what we think we know. Right. Right. So that native born feminist performance artist. Yes. That escaped both of them. You know. Wrote. Don't drop your goddamn bombs on me. It may be Janice Perry who was born in Barry and is also known as Gal. And she had some sold out performances here in Vermont. And actually in Germany she has a large fan base. So. Is she still alive? Yeah. Oh yes. She's still performing. I wonder why she. I've never. You need to get out. How old is she? Well we all know. Yeah. She was 40 in 1991. Get out your calculator so please get back to us. And with that we say. 70. I would say she's in her 70s. It says smarty pants. Somewhere in her 70s. Alrighty then. And with that and the DOJ and everything that's happening with Barr and in these frightening times we live in I don't know if we'll recover ever. But we'll have each other. I have hope. And we'll try to have each other's backs. In the meantime please. Resist.