Nothing from Something

I recently wrote an entire journal entry talking about how I had nothing to talk about.

Today I have something to talk about, but can't talk about it.  Actually 2 somethings.  I won't mention the first one because I would hate to think someone found this and felt bad.  The second "something I can't talk about" concerns a message I received from Compassion today, discussing a "situation" with one of the countries in which I have sponsored children.  They gave an excellent overview of the problem, but requested that we not discuss it on social media.

So there you go--my two main topics of interest and you will never know what they are.

However there were a couple of other things to talk about.  First, I saw an office today that has the kind of L-shaped desk Ned wants to build for me and I can see it's going to work beautifully.

It's a bad pasting together of two photos, but you should be able to get the idea.  Mine will be bigger. We won't have the cabinetwork, of course, but if things look anywhere near this, I think I will be happy with it.

The other thing I wanted to talk about is Target stores.  For so long, I have been planning to shop at Target between 2 and 5 on June 4th, to counteract all those protesters who plan to walk out of the store in protest over Target's bathroom policy (i.e., not changing the rules so that you have to visit the bathroom that matches the gender your birth certificate says you are).

Now look, folks.  Christine Jorgensen came out as transgender in the early 60s and was the first person I ever heard about who was trans.  Until then I didn't know there were such things as transgender people. Surely she's not the first person in the history of the world.  But let's just take Christine for a starting point.  For more than 50 years at the very least, she and other trans people have been going into the bathrooms where they felt they belonged.

Now suddenly they are seen as predatory and a danger to our children.

This is Alexandra Billings, award winning actress (Transparent), wonderful cabaret singer, fanatical Judy Garland fan, and friend of Steve's.  She and I exchanged a few e-mails many years about about Judy Garland and the time I met her.

According to the laws of North Carolina, Alexandra, whose birth certificate says she is male, should pee in the men's room.  Imagine a men's room full of burly homophobic men and this gorgeous woman walks in.  Can you imagine what would happen to her?  Or how she would be made to feel, at the very least?

Do you remember ever reading about any issue where a transgender woman in a women's bathroom has attacked someone...of any age?  What's the big deal?

The duplicity of all of this is that nobody thinks a thing about boys in men's rooms.  If Alexandra were to enter the men's room, who do you think would be more in danger?  Alexandra or your young son?  The news is rife with stories of boys being attacked in men's room by pedophiles, but nobody sees that as worth protesting about. Transgendered people are not pedophiles.  They are just people who have to pee.

But this has become such a ridiculous cause célèbre for the far right again that it dominates the news, off and on, when there are days when Donald Trump hasn't done or said something stupid.  And so they will be out in force on June 4 doing whatever it is that they plan to do to let Target know their displeasure.  I wanted to join the throngs of people proud that Target has not buckled under to pressure on this ridiculous issue.

Sadly, however, June 4 from 2 to 5 is exactly when the beer fest that Walt is running is going to be and I won't have a car to get there.

BUT, tomorrow, June 1, is apparently set aside to be a day to shop at Target to express your positive feelings and support, so I will go to Target tomorrow and probably buy toilet paper, which somehow sounds appropriate.  

Walt says he needs the car tomorrow too, but I think I can fit a trip to Target in before he needs it.  I do want to be supportive and let Target know that not all of us are bigots, and some of us out here are proud of their stand.

Heck, I might even go to the bathroom while I'm there.