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OUR LITTLE BILL WAS VOTED IN AT 45-0 IN THE SENATE!!!! It was literally UNANIMOUS. In OKLAHOMA!
Thank you so much to everyone who made a phone call, everyone who posted their support, everyone to shared April’s episode… We got this done together. And now, the bill will head to the House for a committee hearing. So, you might be wondering, what exactly goes on in a “committee hearing”? Well, essentially, it is where the ins and outs of a bill will be discussed and examined on a closer level. It’s a chance for lawmakers to ask questions, make changes, and ultimately, decide on how exactly a bill will be worded. They’re basically “kicking the tires,” so to speak. Then they take a vote to pass it OUT of committee, and send it to the floor. Or to not do so. It can go either way, depending on how lawmakers are feeling about the bill and its specific language.
In the originally iteration of this bill, it was GUTTED in Senate Committee. Meaning… they took out a lot of the most impactful pieces in committee. Most importantly, they took out what’s called “retroactivity.” Retroactivity means that the law would apply to previous cases that have already gone through the court system. Appleseed, the group I am partnering with in this bill, walked. They wanted a bill that makes things fair for EVERYONE. So they re-introduced the bill with new authors, and that is how SB1470 was born. So committee can be a very intensive part of passing a bill… And that’s why I wanted to take you guys along for this journey. At the end of all of this, I hope you guys will feel like you have a better understanding of how our laws are made… And maybe one or two of you will go on to get laws of your own made or positive changes made to the law… Lord knows this world needs it.
Onward and upward!
- A Tragic Nex Benedict Update
So the medical examiner’s results came back this week and the tragic update, is that Nex Benedict died by suicide. If you remember, Nex was the nonbinary high school student who was beaten up in a school bathroom, and died the following day. It had been widely assumed that Nex died of their injuries, but upon the medical examiner’s findings, Nex had both allergy meds and anti-depressants in their system, and ultimately that’s what killed them. I know that medical examiners offices do not rule suicide lightly… And especially in such a high-profile case as this.
Since Nex’s death, students in the Owasso school district have been taking to the streets to protest what many students have proclaimed a toxic culture of bullying, in their schools. They are also bearing signings, reminding LGBTQIA+ students that they are not only welcome, but celebrated…
That said, we KNOW suicide rates are much higher for that of trans or nonbinary people compared to their cisgender counterparts… The Medical Journal The Lancet has done studies finding that the risk of a successful suicide for transgender people is twice as high as those of cisgender people… and in case you are new to this language, someone who is cis-gendered is someone who feels they fit simply into the categories of male and female. MANY people in this world do NOT feel that way, and they deserve just as much love and acceptance as the rest of us do.
Many cultures around the world have actually celebrated gay, trans, and non-binary people going back millennia… we see gay couples in the animal world and honestly, nothing could be more natural than loving who you genuinely love, and being who you genuinely are.
President Biden put out the following statement in the wake of the announcement about Nex: QUOTE
END QUOTE.
And genuinely guys, never be afraid to use that number. It’s there for a reason – because LOTS of people struggle with mental health. 988 is a resource for all Americans.
- Senator Chuck Schumer urges elections in Israel
Senator Chuck Schumer was the first Jewish Majority Leader in the Senate and he is currently the highest ranking Jewish official in America. He came out in a speech yesterday, openly criticizing Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, and calling for an election in the country to replace Netanyahu. Specifically, in a 40 minute long speech, Chuck said that Netanyahu had quote unquote “lost his way.”
Schumer began by acknowledging his name’s Hebrew origin from the word Scho-Mer or Guardian. And as the highest ranking Jewish official in America, he wants to try to live up to his name. He went on to say QUOTE “Palestinian civilians do not deserve to suffer for the sins of Hamas. And Israel has a MORAL obligation to do BETTER. The United States has a moral obligation to do better.” END QUOTE.
It will be interesting to see if Schumers impassioned speech makes any kind of a difference over in Israel. We will certainly keep you guys posted.
And that, is the News Du Jour!
Today, I wanted to leave you guys with the quote:
“If someone is waving a red flag, they’re doing you a favor.”