OUT Election Disaster
by Jim Becker As election night wore on and the deadline for this newspaper was approaching, it became clear that we were living our greatest nightmare! In spite of the comfort of the polls going into Election Day, Donald Trump bested Hillary Rodham Clinton and will be the next president of the United States. Trumps complete incompetence and unfitness for the job notwithstanding, he managed to ride a wave of white rage to victory. The announcement by FBI director James Comey, 11 days prior to the election, no doubt played a part in this frightening turn of events, as did Clinton’s high negatives, but the outcome goes much deeper. Trump and Bernie Sanders tapped into a growing resentment of the political elites and globalization, something we fully understand and share. Tragically, Trump is
not the tonic that will change this worldwide dynamic and his racist rhetoric and narcissistic personality disorder is downright scary. Trump’s election has laid bare the serious flaws in the American psyche. It has ripped off so many layers of veneer and myth. Make no mistake about it, Trump’s defeat of Clinton is an unmitigated disaster; this knownothing, misogynist, self-centered, pathological liar will lead the country into a hell of increased global warming, more tax breaks for the rich, a huge increase in the national debt, repeal of Obama care, more years of rightwing Supreme Court appointees that will threaten Roe vs. Wade, the constitutional right to same-sex marriage, the voting rights act among other very bad outcomes. And that is just on the domestic front. International relations are likely to be chaotic, utterly devoid of nuance. The world is very dangerous and there is noth-
By Bill Redmond-Palmer Sunday, November 20th will mark the eighteenth annual observance of the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), where, friends, loved ones and allies gather to remember all those who have died as a result of hate and violence directed at Transgender and other gender non-conforming people. The day will offer both opportunities to mourn and reflect upon the lives lost in the previous year, as well as to celebrate and honor the people who have been lost, and the lives they lived.
In November 1998, the murders of trans women Channelle Pickett and Rita Hester in Boston inspired a local candlelight vigil and the creation of the international TDoR, now observed in dozens of countries and hundreds of cities providing opportunities to share grief and anger, appreciate the lives and gifts of those lost, and commit to work towards trans-inclusive social justice. The second annual Transgender March
Perspectives on Trump’s win
November 11, 2016 | Volume XIV, Issue 14
ing in Trump’s statements and resume to suggest that he has the skill and temperament to navigate on the world stage. Because he lies nearly 80 percent of the time, who is going to believe him! On the bright side of this catastrophic election, Marylanders elected Chris Van Hollen over Republican Kathy Szeliga and Green Party nominee Margaret Flowers to replace iconic Senator Barbara Mikulski. And in Baltimore City, Catherine Pugh, the Democratic nominee, easily won over her Republican and Green rivals and last-minute write-in candidate, former mayor Sheila Dixon. The election of Chris Van Hollen is assurance that the LGBTQ communities will have two friends representing Maryland in the US Senate. Mayor-elect Catherine Pugh also has a solid record on LGBTQ issues. The 2016 presidential campaign has been pure torture and we will be living this tragedy for the foreseeable future. We must contemplate what we have done wrong as a nation to come to this point eight years after the uplifting election of
President Obama. The dark demons have won! Nearly a century after women were given the right to vote, we are still waiting for the country to embrace a woman as president. In the meanwhile, we will have at least four years of this mean-spirited man who brags of grouping women without asking! Really! How did this happen? t —continued on page 3
Remembering Those Lost to Anti-Trans Violence of Resilience (TMoR) is the first nationally organized day of protest led by trans people of color to promote justice and equality for all trans people in the face of daily discrimination and violence. The TMoR seeks to raise awareness of the anti-Transgender violence faced daily by gender variant people, and to provide solidarity with the resilience of trans people across the country. The march will begin at 4 p.m. at the Ynot Lot (4 West North Avenue, Baltimore). The march will be followed by a free community dinner with musical performances and
poetry. The event is sponsored by the Baltimore Transgender Alliance. For event updates and information on the TMoR, visit their Facebook event page by searching for “Bmore TMoR 2016: Baltimore’s Transgender March of Resilience.” The sixth annual Montgomery County TDoR event will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Montgomery County Executive Office Building (101 Monroe Street, Rockville). They especially remember Zella Ziona and Keyonna Blakeney, trans women of color —continued on page 4