 and Charles, I'm Linda Quinlan. I'm Keith Ghostland and welcome to All Things LGBTQ. We are taping on November 17th. We would, as always, like to acknowledge that Orca Media is based in Montpelier, which is unceded indigenous land. We also wanted to point out that this is Native American Heritage Month. This week is Transgender Awareness Week, and Friday, which, when you see this, would have been yesterday, is the Transgender Day of Remembrance. And with that, you've got some headlines. Yes, and, but before I get to my headlines, another grim anniversary is 28 years ago today, Audrey Lord died. But I have pertinent headlines involving the global rate 300, at least 350 transgender people have been killed globally in 2020. A study was done in honor of the Transgender Day of Remembrance Transgender Week. The EU launches LGBT protection strategy as homophobia rises in Eastern Europe. Norway, I've organized my headlines by continent again. This is Europe. Norway outlaws hate speech against trans and bisexual people. Activists hail a bill to make violence against LGBT people a hate crime in Italy. And I have a picture before you now of a placard, and it is in honor of this hate crime bill, and you may observe it before you. It's in Italian, and I will give you the translation momentarily. It's this placard reads only love can destroy homophobia. So the bill to make violence against LGBT people a hate crime in Italy is a great triumph. In the Netherlands, a young Dutch person has made a film and intersex child is on a mission to inform people about being intersex. And this person goes by she her pronouns has made a short film called Girls Boys Mix with the support of her parents. She tried to do a report in school and the teacher said, oh no, no, that's adult subject matter. So she feels totally erased and has made this short film. And while we're talking about it, I'd like to recommend a 14 minute clip that has been put together by, it's called I Am Normal, and it's organized, it's promoted by Women Make Movies, and the... That's a great site. Women Make Movies is fabulous. So anyway, I'd like to recommend I Am Normal, which covers the same topic from an adult perspective. Let's go to Latin America, where Jair Bolsonaro, what a guy, tells Brazil not to deal with the pandemic like fags. And that's a direct quote. I have... What a drama. I know, I know. I have his actual remarks. His actual remarks are, I regret the deaths, I really do, but we're all going to die someday. There's no use fleeing reality. We have to stop being a country of fags. We have to face up to it and fight. I hate this faggot stuff. So there's some remarks from Jair Bolsonaro. On a more positive note, I'd like to show you a picture now of Silvia Vasquez Lovato, who is a distinguished mountain climber. She's the only out woman to climb seven summits, the seven summits, which are the highest mountains on each continent. She's 46 years old. She lives in San Francisco. She's written a memoir called In the Shadow of the Mountain, and the singer and actor Selena Gomez is gonna star in it. That'd be fabulous. And again, the question arises about heterosexual people playing lesbian and gay. It's... Wentworth Miller is an out actor who says that he's not gonna be taking any more straight roles. On the other hand, Vigio Mortensen is being forced to defend his decision to play a gay man in his directorial debut, Falling. So that controversy rages, but this mountain climber is really noteworthy. In New Zealand, one more good thing. HIV tests to be dispensed through vending machines. It's a first for New Zealand. They go to cruising areas because a lot of men don't want to risk stigma, homophobia of testing themselves. It's a really easy test. Comes with a kit. So if you're positive, you know where to go. It's really a breakthrough test. It's an oral swab, and you get the results in 15 to 20 minutes. Exactly, exactly. It's like the pregnancy tests. It's an oral swab. But I mean, you get your results in about like five minutes. Thank you. Let's go to Australia where celebrities rally and demand the release of a detained gay refugee. And this is really a terrible story. He goes by Ali. He was detained in an immigration center in Australia for over eight years. He fled from the Middle East. He and his partner were, his partner's family stabbed him. His partner's male relatives stabbed him. The local militia threatened him and his family. So his sister lives in Australia. He went there. She said she can provide for him, but he's been in this detention center for the better part of a decade. According to his lawyers, the courts have refused to consider his plea. So now all these actors have gotten together and put together a clip. And I decided not to show it to you because it's kind of jarring all different actors, you know, enunciate part of his story, but they're trying to draw attention to this very pertinent occasion. Especially, you know, since he's got a sister who lives there. And I heard though that Australia was brutal around immigration. Well, he says that immigration centers are terrible for LGBT people too, so eight years of this. Let's go to Asia now. What going on there? Thai women and pride activists march for democracy and equality. They want to get rid of the, they want to improve democracy. They want the head of the government to resign. 1,500 people marched on Saturday. And the march covered a broad range of issues, including slut shaming, access to safe abortions and legalized sex work, while transgender activists had signs saying, I am not abnormal. So the LGBT community has been very visible at these protests. They want to reform the monarchy. They want a new constitution and they want Prayat Chan Ocha to resign as prime minister. All right. So I hate to do it, but we have to return to the Pope who's had an impact on the Philippines. We remember that muddled conversation last time about how he's four civil unions, but not, but anyway, a bill has been stalled in the Philippines supporting spousal and property rights. It's been in the House of Representatives for three years because the Catholics are opposing it, the Catholic Church, but after his endorsement now, it's going to move a little bit. And Duterte has supported same-sex marriage all along. So they're taking hope in the Philippines. And the Philippines Catholic, I thought they were talking about it. Yes, yes, yes, very, very, they're the biggest Catholic stronghold in Asia. And church leaders influence politics, policy and day-to-day life. The opposed same-sex marriage bills, anti-discrimination bills and pushed illegalized abortion, which can be punishable by jail time in the country. They also oppose the death penalty. So that's the only one I agree with. Religion is no damn good, if you ask me. Colonization. I'm going to the close of my Asian headlines. Here in Proud, Hong Kong pride parade celebrated online as fight for civil equal rights moves forward. They couldn't get a permit. They refused to. A permit was not issued. So there was no physical rally, but everyone got together online and it was very festive. The city's most recent progress came from the High Court's ruling that same-sex couples should enjoy the same rights under Hong Kong's inheritance law as opposite sex couples. The immigration department has also been forced to recognize same-sex couples who've been married abroad, but Hong Kong does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions and has yet to legislate against sexual orientation discrimination. So there's a ways to go and now they couldn't get the permit to march. And finally an upbeat story, A Beacon of Hope occurs in Bangladesh where the first school for transgender students has been opened. It's a charity that did it. They have 100 students and they're gonna, it's converted from, it's gonna be on the third story of a madrasa and they're gonna study the Koran and math and English and it's gonna be both religious and secular. And the government estimates there are about 10,000 transgender people in Bangladesh, but rights groups figure though, it may be as high as 1.5 million. Really? Mm-hmm. Just a slight difference there. And despite the government's landmark decision in 2013 to recognize transgender people as a third general gender, they remain marginalized in the country where same-sex activity is illegal. And it's, you know, I just cannot get out of my mind the LGBT newspaper people who were hacked to death in our office. But so that's good news. It's a beacon of hope. Pardon me? No polling. Oh, polling's coming up in my first segment. Found on that. You had to ask. I did. And Hungary. Hungary too? It's evil twin. Okay, so for headlines, we have Supreme Court Justice Alito on LGBTQ rights. The Queen's Gambit is Netflix's new series, which features several queer characters. Dashing in December is a gay cowboy Christmas romance. The year this year's holiday, holiday, Ron Combe is on MTV. It's Big City Life versus the draw of the wide open spaces. Jesse James Kittle makes non-binary TV history on Big Sky. The actor is set to become the first non-binary series in a lead role on primetime TV as Jerry in Big Sky. You can watch this on ABC drama and it's opening December 15th. West Virginian Sue overstates ban on gender affirmation health surgery. Biden-Harris team includes a trans veteran. Rich Crackers spreads some joy with LGBT inclusive ads. There has been an arrest made in the killing and mutilation of Philadelphia trans woman. Suspect Akination Jones was arrested in LA. Hate crimes including LGBT crimes rose in 2019. Legendary trans performer Bambi Lake dies at 70. Auntie Gay, Michelle Bachman, said that Joe Biden is not our president. We'll have more about that. Nevada is the first day to protect same sex marriage. The Washington rumor mill says Pete Buttigieg wants to be ambassador, but the position may already be Hillary's. So we'll see how that develops. Auntie Gay, televangelists who has blamed COVID on gay sex and non-virgin brides dies from COVID-19. The Reverend Ivan Baxter was the founder of N-Times, ministries which reached 100 million households in North America. Trump supporters wave banners against homosexuals and homosexual marriage. And his coming for blacks and Indian signs were seen at the mega-much. And the town of Taylor, Texas was seen was an LBGTQ marriage-a-thon, more about that. Angelica Rose, Transsex Summit, we'll talk about that. So those are my headlines, Keith. Alrighty. So first our trivia question. And this doesn't come from the front page of Out in the Mountains because it's from 1886, which predates it just a little bit. They taught weaving at the San Estonian and they met with then president Grover Cleveland as the ambassador from the Zuni Nation. Who were they? I also want to put a plug in for our interview show, which will be on November 28th. There will be an interview with the editors of WMN-Zine. And I'm told you're really gonna want to meet these women. An interview with author Preston Allen and an interview with representative Emily Kornheiser about a new social justice committee that's forming in the Vermont legislature. So Linda had made a reference to the FBI Hate Crime Statistics and this is the breakdown. And it's from 2019, there are always approximately a year behind because there were over 15,000 law enforcement agencies reporting in now, which is an increase. This is the highest year in over a decade. There were over 7,000 single bias incidents with over 8,500 victims identified. And there were over 211 multiple bias incidents with over 260 victims identified. This is nationwide. Vermont's numbers haven't come out yet. Usually Farron and partial policing release their data after the FBI has released theirs. So the breakdown was 57% was based on race, ethnicity and ancestry, thinking of the current federal administration that's not surprising, 20% based on religion. And again, that's not so Muslim, those A-hole countries, what does that create? 16% based on sexual orientation, about 3% based upon gender identity, 2% based upon disability and about 1% based on gender. So there was also a survey coming out of New York City that said 33% of the youth in foster care identified as LGBTQ plus. And it was predominantly being rejected by their families. And we are disproportionately represented within foster care in New York City. The Boy Scouts, their chapter 11 suit yesterday was your final day that you could become part of the suit. They had close to 82,000 complaints. Can you imagine? Litigants involved in this process. That's more than what's involved with the Catholic Church. However, looking at scouting, Beatrice Jackson of Austin, Texas, this is the part of the inaugural women to become Eagle Scouts. 2017, the Scouts made themselves gender inclusive. She is also transgender. Yep. So town hall forums, I had mentioned this before. They will be occurring within January and February. They will be a virtual event, be looking for information going out through social networks through some of the local organizations. Because it's a virtual event, the organizing committee is moving away from making them geographic-centric to making them issue-centric. So if you have an interest in health and wellness, which will include a conversation about the pandemic, its impact on the LGBTQ plus community, our ability to access healthcare, like transgender services, are they equally covered? That will be one of the discussions, rural queerness. What is it like to be LGBTQ and rural Vermont? And then talking about agriculture and farming. I wonder who might facilitate that one. Also looking at aging and then on youth, and one on racial justice, which we'll talk about prisons, policing, white supremacists, white supremacy. What is this we really need to be doing in Vermont? We put out a lot of rhetoric. Do we have the actions that really back it up? And then when we come around again to talk about issues in greater detail, I'm of course going to be talking about the elections. And HRC has issued what they consider their starting point with the new incoming Biden administration, saying these are the 85 actions that they could take immediately. And I have not read through all of them, but expected on the future show. Okay. Okay. What? Poland? Let's go to the European Union. And how they're trying to- I hope they're kicking ass there. Well, they're trying to respond. And I have a picture before you now of Commission, EU Commission Vice President Vera Girova and EU Commissioner for Equality Helena Dolly, who delivered a press conference in which they explained that they are finally putting forward their first strategy to protect the rights of LGBTQ people. This occurred on Thursday and it was a challenge to right wing governments in Poland and it's close follower Hungary now that have become increasingly homophobic in the past year. The commission said LGBT people were facing growing discrimination in Europe, even as most people in the block were becoming more accepting of gay rights. We will defend the rights of LGBT people against those who now have more and more appetite to attack them from this ideological point of view said Commission Vice President Vera Girova at a news conference. This belongs to the authoritarian playbook and it does not have a place in the EU. According to a survey figure cited by the commission, 43% of LGBT people last year said they felt discriminated against. Up to 37%, up from 37% in 2012, that increase came even though 76% of EU citizens say lesbian, gays and bisexual should have equal rights to heterosexuals up from 71% in 2015. It's 2020 and hate indiscrimination of people from sexual minorities really does not belong in Europe. She said, the new strategy comes as right wing governments in some former, this may not be a surprise, some former communist Eastern EU member states have made campaigning against gay rights a central part of their ruling ideology. We know all about Poland, but Hungary's right wing government this week proposed a constitutional amendment to require children to be brought up with a Christian interpretation of gender roles and a law that would effectively ban adoptions by same sex couples. It's that Catholic church again, isn't it? Well, it could be and also bigotry cells as we know in our country. Well, and they're watching that case before the US Supreme Court about a religious agency not having to place an LGBTQ foster care situation. I know and rumor is that the court is leaning toward favoring them. Earlier this year, you may recall the commission cut funding to some Polish towns that had declared themselves LGBT free zones, but then the Polish government compensated the towns. We can never accept LGBT free zones because they are actually humanity free zones, said EU commissioner of equality, Helena Dolly. They made the, both Shirova and Dolly made clear that the EU would not fund any projects that did not respect LGBTQ rights. The commission has also proposed, including homophobic hate crimes in a list of so-called Euro crimes, major offenses such as terrorism and human trafficking for which the EU can set minimum rules that would require unanimity among the EU members. And that's the problem with this strategy. It would also seek to ensure that the legal status of relationships and families that include LGBTQ people cannot be revoked when they cross borders. So if they get married somewhere else, they have to acknowledge their marriage. Why can't they just say, look, either do what you're told or get out? Well, Linda, the commission's intentions are hobbled somewhat because its recommendations are not finding on member countries. Any new legislation would need to be approved by the European Parliament and national governments before much pressure can be applied on nations who do not comply. Hungary and Poland may have been at loggerheads with the European Commission over an array of issues, mostly centering on abuses to the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the rights of minorities. Hungarian and Polish authorities have described those principles of governance as foreign ideology, but most other European countries and institutions consider them fundamental to the black's beliefs. With a little recourse, the commission has tried to shame or pressure the government politically, but so far has failed to force much change. But see, I thought they all signed agreements when they joined the EU, didn't they? It is like the UN, where you can vote against it. It is not consensus building. There are certain nations who have the right to block actions. Yeah. According to a survey, Poland now ranks as the most homophobic country in the European Union. Violence against the gay community in Poland has surged, and I've talked about that on previous shows. On Wednesday, this is a new awful thing. On Wednesday, during the annual Independence March, participants in the city shot flares into an apartment where rainbow flag was hanging, setting it on fire. In Hungary, as the health care following up, as the health care system and economy buckle under the weight of coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government proposed a set of bills reflecting its war on gender identity. On Tuesday, after the Hungarian parliament extended its use of emergency powers because of COVID for 90 days, the Orban government submitted a bill to amend the constitution to establish marriage as an institution exclusively between a man and a woman. Additional provisions include protections of the right to raise children in a Christian culture. Another bill introduced on Tuesday would allow only married couples to adopt children with exemptions granted only by the governor's minister for family policy. And in May, a law came into effect in Hungary that tied an individual's gender to their sex and chromosomes at birth, restricting later modifications on official documents and making gender reassignment illegal. Analysts say the culture of war, and this is what we all know, is a unifying element for Mr. Orban supporters. It appears they've seen the success of such campaigns in Poland, an activist said. This is a symbolic issue in their politics. It's a simple message. You can generate some hate with it and strengthen the base. Except in Poland, it was a very close election. So I mean, it was like 51, 49 or something. So I wouldn't call that a mandate necessarily. But, he won. I mean, everyone is in the streets, but he won. He won, yeah. But because it was so close, I mean, you could at some point, maybe it'll make a shift to the... That's very optimistic, I hope it happens. Well, we kind of made that shift here, I mean, you know. We'll see what happens in the future. Yes. So, are you done now? Well, I could be. Okay. Well, let's start with the lovely Supreme Court Justice Alito. And he begins his first court press on LBGTQ rights by claiming that marriage inequality censors people. This is a quote, you can't say that marriage is a union between a man and a woman anymore. He laments. Until recently, that's what the vast majority of Americans thought. Now it's considered bigotry. At the Federalist Society, he gave a speech in which he declared, great challenges are before us in the Supreme Court going forward. And we will have to protect freedom of speech because previous rulings by lawmakers have limited it. He specifically mentioned, is it Ogilfell? Ogilfell. Yeah. Versus Hodges. The 2015 ruling that cemented marriage equality and defended the 213 masterpiece cake shop in 2018 ruling that sided with religious liberty. He reaffirms hope that legal opinions will overturn. Ogilfell. A bourbonfell. In the future. That ruling. That ruling. West Virginians, Sue overstates ban on gender affirmation health coverage. West Virginia Medicaid program and its state employee health plans refuse to pay. So Christopher Fain, Zachary Martel and Brian McNamar, Sue. Lambda Legal has filed a class action suit challenging West Virginia's blanket exclusion of gender confirmation surgery. Biden and Harris team includes a trans veteran and an LGBTQ notables, some of which includes is a Chai Feldbaum, Sean Skelly and Dave Noble. Skelly served 20 years as a Navy flight officer. Chai Feldbaum, a lesbian and Pamela Carlin, a bisexual woman has been named to the Biden-Harris team. Feldman is a professor at Georgetown University Law Center and is a member of the Local Employment Opportunity Commission. Carlin is a professor of law at Stanford Law School. Some pretty good choices there. The anti-game Michelle Bachman says that Joe Biden is not her president or our president. The former congresswoman recorded a video. I saw this video, but I couldn't be able to put it up where she prayed to God to use his iron rod and smash the clay iron of deceit in America. There we go, yeah. Nevada is the first state to protect same-sex marriage in its constitution. In the Tuesday election, the nation's first state where voters repealed a 202 amendment that had defined marriage as between one man and one woman. 2002, proper. Yeah, marriage in the state of Nevada will be defined as couples, regardless of gender. I was gonna say that was the only LGBTQ-specific initiative on a national basis. Well, that's good. Rich, if we think of previous elections having only one. Yeah, that's good, progress. And this was a positive one. Yeah. In the town of Taylor, Texas, the scene was a marriage-a-thon, a non-binary fickle witch Reign Castaneda took a break from tarot card reading to help five couples get married. Whoa. It was a witch-a-thon. Angela Ross trans tech summit is building a transition, a transgender coalition of queer coders. The Poe's Star has a two-day summit, which is focused on helping queer and transgender people aspiring to work in the tech industry and learn new skills, foster community, and potentially connect with future employees before starring in Poe's, she did web development. And Andy Warhol has an unexpected romantic heart in a new book. Warhol's Love, Sex, and Desire drawings from 1950 to 1962 features over 300 drawings portraying young men, many who are nude, and some that are sexually charged. Whoa. I didn't think Andy had it in him. We know where to get you for Christmas. Damn. We have another Christmas idea for you. Victory Fund asked California Governor Newsom, Newsom, to appoint an algae BTQ replacement for Harris. That'd be great. I know, wouldn't it? And then for my last is the trans activist jailed, trans activist was jailed in New York City protest and is charged with bullhorn possession. I'm telling ya. Joel Rivera were shoved to the ground while wearing heels and a wall gown, so. Let's see, following up on California, they just elected their first LGBTQ Supreme Court Justice because in California, they're not, they are not appointed, they're elected. Really? And I wanna say it's a man of color, but I'm gonna need to go back and look at it. Okay. You can tell us next time. Stay tuned. So those elections and sort of looking at what we're all living through right now, some of the things to keep in mind. Each state has until December 8th to certify their election results. Now, most states it will be done prior to Thanksgiving. In Vermont, we certified hours on November 10th, the week after all the major parties got together, they agreed, they signed off on it. On Monday, December 14th, that's when all of the electors for the Electoral College meet in their state capitals and cast their ballots. And then it's on Wednesday, January 6th, that both the U.S. House and Senate confirm the vote of the electors. And then on Wednesday, January 20th, at 12 noon, we have a new administration coming in. Thank you. So let me ask you to speculate. Yes. Do you think he'll concede on January 6th? He does not have to concede at all. Oh, okay. He does not have to issue a statement, it's just a courtesy. However. But if he doesn't, that won't sound like it. Well, see, that's where I was going. Traditionally, the concession is what gives permission to the General Services Administration to release the transition funds. But that could happen when all of the states have certified their election results. So that would happen automatically on January 6th? On, no, on December 8th. December 8th is the deadline for which all the states have to have certified their election results. Okay. So do you think- So that's when you could really push General Services saying- It's over. But you've lost a month. Right. And one of the things that's being brought out now is particularly with all of the rapid advances that are coming relative to vaccines and COVID, you want to ensure that administrations are talking to each other. You were going to ask a question or make a comment? I was. Only, only, do you think that any of the states who are like Pennsylvania, they'll change delegates? You don't think so? There is actually a provision in law that if the electorate doesn't go along with the vote in their state, there's action that can be taken against them. Really? Legal action. Legal action. Where that provision about changing and not necessarily, that has to be embedded in your state law. And it has to be based upon some premise. It can't just be, well, I've decided this is how I'm gonna do it. I don't like camps, so I'm gonna vote for him. But because there were some states where you can split your electoral votes. There were two in particular, main being one of them. So you could vote three of your electoral votes for the Democrat and one for the Republican and Vestfine. So in Vermont, we had 15 out LGBT candidates running for both the House and the Senate. 13 got elected. I know, that's great. All of our incumbents were re-elected. We now have 11 out members of the House, two in the Senate. And of course, one of those being Taylor Small as Vermont's first transgender legislator. What has happened by a preliminary vote and then it will be formalized in January, Becca Ballant. I'm choking up. Becca Ballant will indeed be the first woman and lesbian president pro temp of the Vermont Senate. Very exciting. Woo-hoo. However, the House is now comprised of 99 Democrats, 46 Republicans and five progressives are independent. What that means is the Democrats don't have the supermajority that they would need to override a veto. You need a hundred votes. Even with the progressives? Yeah. The Democrats on their own. And also keep in mind that the term that's lovingly used as the blue dog Democrats, that sometimes they tend to drift more over to the Republican, the Democratic side. So it's not a slam dunk. Okay. So the Senate is now 23 Democrats, seven Republicans. The Republicans picked up some seats. One was because of Rogers not getting his filing in on time. And that what had been a Democratic seat got picked up by the Republicans. So, Winooski, not only did they give us Taylor, they passed a charter change to allow non-citizen voting. Oh, great. And it passed by a two-to-one ratio. Wow, good. So now we're gonna be watching to see if Mary Hooper and Warren Kittsmiller will reintroduce Montpelier's charter change. They got stalls in the Senate this past session, getting some momentum from Winooski. And I believe Burlington was also toying with the same. So there may be a push and we're gonna need to watch that. So some of the other highlights nationwide, Hamilton County, Ohio, remember that lesbian sheriff? Yeah. She won by a landslide. That's so good. So when you're driving through Hamilton County, wave, but don't speed. But in Hawaii, they have elected their first out LGBTQ Asian legislator, which was kind of surprising that they hadn't up until this point, San Diego now has a bisexual mayor. So looking in our backyard in Maine, Representative Ryan Fecto, remember that name? Isn't that a Vermont name? Fecto? Yeah, actually it is. They did have those, you know, modular homes. We're giving a plug to businesses. If we need a home, we're coming to you. Ryan is going to be the incoming speaker of the house. So it will be Maine's first out LGBTQ speaker, Sarah Gideon, who was the speaker of the houses who ran against Susan Collins. Lois Wreckett, which people in the Domestic and Sexual Violence Network will know well got re-elected out lesbian. She was also one of the first inductees into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame. What was she elected to? The house, to the Maine house. She is a formidable force with domestic and sexual violence issues. Laurie Archer, out lesbian, got elected to the Maine house as did Barbara Wood. In New Hampshire, and I had forgotten this, New Hampshire was one of the states that actually had two out transgender members of their house of representatives, Lisa Bunker and Jerry Cannon. And they both got re-elected. As well as Rebecca Perkins-Qua, who is the first LGBTQ plus voted to their Senate. And they have Joshua Querry, who is a member of the New Hampshire house, who is their first non-binary gender non-conforming representative. And this is, and they re-elected Chris Pappas to the U.S. House. And a little bit more about the U.S. House in the second. But this is the one that made me smile. Tony Lebranche, Amherst, New Hampshire. Now at first when I was reading, and I thought Amherst, Massachusetts. Amherst, New Hampshire, he was a high school senior and he got elected to the New Hampshire house as an out LGBTQ person. That's fabulous. Per the Victory Fund and Human Rights Campaign, they were tracking 313 LGBTQ plus candidates nationwide, all levels of government. 200 were elected. Nice. Not bad. I want you to keep in mind that QNAN were running 28 candidates nationwide. One got elected. Two. Two. Yeah. That crazy one in Alabama. Yeah. So 200 were elected, 84 weren't elected, but there were 29 races for which they haven't gotten the results back. So it may be that situation of less than 50% there needs to be a runoff or they just haven't followed up. Exit polling. Nationwide, 7% of voters polled identified as LGBTQ plus. But here's the piece that made my little P-brain go snap, crackle pop. I know. 61% voted for Biden. 28% voted for 45. I know it. It's disheartening, isn't it? So looking nationwide, there are now nine LGBTQ plus members of the U.S. House, all seven incumbents got re-elected and what kind of attitude are two people of color, gay men coming out of New York, Mondair Jones and Richie Torres. There were over 150 LGBTQ plus people elected to state legislators during this most recent election. There were 40 LGBTQ plus people of color elected to state legislators. Only Louisiana, Mississippi and Alaska have yet to elect an LGBTQ plus person to their legislature. Surprise, surprise. Six states elected eight transgender candidates to their legislatures. Of note is Stephanie Byers, who was elected to the Kansas House. She is the first transgender indigenous person of color. That is fabulous. And she is from the Chickasaw Nation, which was made. And the other sort of standout is Maureen Turner, Oklahoma House of Representative. She is the first non-binary, gender non-conforming person of color nationwide elected to a legislator. And Oklahoma too. And Oklahoma. Well, this is looking at all of the election results and thinking in terms of things that have been happening during the last four years. While there has been all of that hostile action happening within the federal administration, we've remembered what it's like to do grassroots organizing. What it's like, the political is personal. What can I do in my own state? What can I do in my own backyard to advance LGBTQ plus issues? So, and looking at some of the rhetoric on the federal level and the nationwide surveys that are being done, there is more support now for non-discrimination legislation based on sexual orientation and gender identity than we have ever seen before. And there's greater support for marriage equality. Enough has been done and people have looked around and said, oh, this isn't that big a deal. It's a cultural change. Yeah, exactly. From the bottom up, it sometimes pursues legislation. You know, I'm interested in this 28%. Like, I'd like to have a breakdown of who is it? You want gender, you want age, you want socioeconomic, you want to know, are these those college-educated versus non, where do they? Because we need to target these people. For what? In our LGBT community. For indoctrination, no. Yes, to not vote for Trump. I mean, it's not voting in your, you know, I mean. Hopefully this was the last opportunity they would have had to have done that, so. But no, it just shows how diverse we are. Well, I was gonna say, from having done political organizing here in Vermont. Yeah, but we shouldn't be. Well, there's always been that conservative portion of our community. Sure. And the challenge has always been, okay, how do we make room for all of us? Right. Without negating anyone else's voice, but also having a clear delineation of when anti-speech is hate speech and it is, I hate crime. So that's the... And I have another question. Yeah. Do you think that, do you think polling is over? Oh, polling is a terrible thing now. It's not working. This is two times two presidential seasons in a row that it's kind of falling short. There were some of the polls that were more accurate than others. And from the conversation with their shod, one of the challenges is always, who it is that you're asking the question? Right. To whom do you have access? And one of the theories about why on a national level, they were so far off. People why? Well, that people were not forthcoming. And there were people who chose not to participate. I mean, in 2016, some of it was because there was a whole portion of the electorate that was energized to become involved because I now finally have someone who is speaking my language. And they were a group that had not participated in the electoral process before. So when you go and you get the list of likely voters, they weren't gonna be on it because they hadn't voted in the last two elections. So they missed that entire segment. The industry needs to reassess how they do what it is they do and then how they take that information and share it with the public. I mean, there may be more qualifiers. So that trivia question. Yeah. Do you remember the answer? I don't think I ever had the answer. Yeah, you did. I did. In 1886, they taught weaving at the Smithsonian and met with then-president Grover Cleveland as the ambassador of the Zuni Nation. This was Huawei from the Zuni Nation, probably their most famous Aihamana, which is what we would now call to spirit. When Huawei went to Washington, DC, the Zuni princess totally charmed them all. And they had no idea that it was not a cisgendered woman. And Huawei continued to do diplomacy with the US government until the US government decided they really wanted the Zuni resources. And then they were jailed for witchcraft. Well, because within the Zuni culture, they were a healer. They were a shaman. They were a medicine person. So that's part of our Native American Indigenous People Heritage Month. Let's see what I can come up with for two weeks. That was my best one. That was pretty good. So with that, I think we should all take a deep breath and wait for the vaccine and resist.