Posted on

LGBTQ Immigration Stories Needed

From NCTE:

The U.S. Senate is close to announcing its plan to reform our immigration system. But as we’ve learned from this Congress, we’ve got to build up our tools to fight against attempts to exclude LGBT people from immigration reform.

We can do that by sharing the stories of LGBT people whose lives have been affected by our dated immigration laws.

Share your immigration story here or post this on Facebook to encourage your friends to submit theirs.

It really matters that we all come out for immigration reform and the fact that there are transgender immigrants is just one reason to do so .

NCTE is prioritizing immigration reform because it’s a moral issue to address all of the indignities that every immigrant in our country faces, including everyone who is without documents, faces inhumane treatment in detention centers, or is in deportation proceedings because their relationship isn’t recognized by our government.

If we are able to collect the stories of LGBT immigrants, we can build the public education campaign we need to get real reforms that help real people.

Join us in collecting these stories now.

Posted on

Back in the NY Groove (While Still in WI)

It thrills me to no end that I am going to a retreat this weekend with a bunch of students from NYC. Why? Because I won’t have to talk so slow and constantly regulate my enthusiasm and keep myself from interrupting. I won’t have to count to three when someone is done speaking just to make sure I’m not interjecting too quickly. I’m not particularly good at doing those things, mind you: I’m still from New York and have all the speech patterns Deborah Tannen talks about in this article.

A Californian who visited New York once told me he’d found New Yorkers unfriendly when he’d tried to make casual conversation. I asked what he made conversation about. Well, for example, how nice the weather was. Of course! No New Yorker would start talking to a stranger about the weather—unless it was really bad. We find it most appropriate to make comments to strangers when there’s something to complain about—“Why don’t they do something about this garbage!” “Ever since they changed the schedules, you can’t get a bus!” Complaining gives us a sense of togetherness in adversity. The angry edge is aimed at the impersonal “they” who are always doing things wrong. The person is thus welcomed into a warm little group. Since Californians don’t pick up this distinction between “us” and “them,” they are put off by the hostility, which they feel could be turned on them at any moment.

But around other New Yorkers I can fucking relax and expect people to be a little louder, a little more dramatic, to clip my sentences and know, when I clip theirs, that I am only showing enthusiasm. Continue reading “Back in the NY Groove (While Still in WI)”

Posted on

Mara Keisling Comes to Appleton

She’ll be coming here to Lawrence University in 8 days, that is, & I’m very please that LU’s Gender Studies program and Government department, as well as the Fox Valley INCLUDE initiative AND the LU student group GLOW are all helping co-sponsor.

Mara is one of my favorite people, an amazing speaker, funny, wonky, and deeply compassionate.

Here’s the FB event page, and more info:

Thursday, April 11th
7PM

Changing Minds, Changing Policy: Lessons from a DC Activist – NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling will discuss creating alliances in order to achieve policy and legislative changes that benefit marginalized communities.

This event is free and open to the public, so please, invite anyone who may be interested.

Posted on

Fair Wisconsin Endorsements: Vote Today, WI!

Here’s Fair Wisconsin’s list of endorsements in tomorrow’s election. I am so pleased to see both my friends Sarah Garb and Teege Metille.

Wisconsin Supreme Court: Ed Fallone

Dane County Circuit Court Judge, Branch 16: Rhonda Lanford

Dane County Executive: Joe Parisi

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge, Branch 45: Janet Protasiewicz

Appleton Common Council
District 1: Teege Mettille
District 3: Curt Konetzke
District 5: Sarah Garb
District 13: Kyle Lobner

Appleton Area School District, Board of Directors: Jim Bowman and Elizabeth Panzer (at-large)

Beloit City Council: Mark Spreitzer (at-large)
Dane County Board of Supervisors, District 1 Special Election: Mary Kolar
Eau Claire City Council: Michael Turner (at-large)
Fitchburg Mayor: Shawn Pfaff
Fitchburg Common Council
District 4, Seat 7: Steve Arnold
Fond du Lac City Council: Dan Manning (at-large)
Janesville City Council: Sam Liebert (at-large)
La Crosse City Council
District 2: Dempsey Miller
District 3: Ryan Cornett

Madison Common Council
District 1: Lisa Subeck
District 2: Bryan Post and Ledell Zellers (dual endorsement)
District 3: Lauren Cnare
District 4: Mike Verveer
District 5: Shiva Bidar-Sielaff
District 6: Scott Thornton
District 7: Steve King
District 8: Scott Resnick
District 11: Chris Schmidt
District 12: Larry Palm
District 13: Sue Ellingson
District 14: John Strasser
District 15: David Ahrens and Hawk Sullivan (dual endorsement)
District 17: Joe Clausius
District 18: Anita Weier
District 19: Mark Clear
District 20: Matt Phair

Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education
Seat 3: Dean Loumos
Seat 4: James Howard
Seat 5: Sarah Manski, TJ Mertz, and Ananda Mirilli (all endorsed)

Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, District 2 Special Election: Khalif Rainey and Ravae Sinclair (dual endorsement)

Milwaukee Public Schools, Board of School Directors
District 6: Tatiana Joseph
District 7: Claire Zautke

Oregon School Board: Rae Vogeler (at-large)

Sun Prairie City Council
District 2: Andrea Gage
District 4: Dave Carlson and Trish Schaefer (dual endorsement)

Waunakee School Board: David Boetcher (at-large)