Speaking Out


"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I am not a socialist." 

I'm speaking out because I know how this poem ends.

This is a picture of Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina), who today introduced a resolution forbidding transgender women from using the women's restrooms at the United States Capitol. 

Notice, if you will, the immense crosses dangling from her earlobes. It appears she is a Conspicuous Christian.

And this is a picture of Sarah McBride, Democratic Representative-Elect from Delaware.

Rep. Mace admits boasts that her resolution is in response to Sarah McBride's election. She says, “[Ms. McBride] does not belong in women’s spaces, women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms, period, full stop.” 

I don't know about you, dear reader, but I personally have never been in a women's bathroom that did not have individual cubicles containing the toilets. So what's the worry? It would seem that Ms. Mace imagines that Ms. McBride might stand on a toilet and peer over the barrier, mouth agape, as she watches Ms. McBride insert a tampon?

Since the morning of November 6, 2024, my news sources, my Facebook feed, my conversations with friends have been filled with the multitude of horrors that  are believed to be facing the people of this country with the re-election of Donald Trump. Virtually every area of our lives is endangered: tariffs on imports, treatment of illegal immigrants, public education, NATO, climate change, National Parks, LGBTQ+ rights -- I could go on and on. It is all too much for me to comprehend.

So I decided that I could address just one issue and to address it earnestly. 

We have a much-loved family member who is transgender. And we have a close family member who is gay. There are transgender, gay and lesbian members at my church. My physical therapist is a delightful man who happens to be gay. Joe and I were privileged to attend the first same-sex wedding in Pennsylvania a dozen years ago. 

And, coincidentally, in the midst of all the brouhaha about what Trump may or may not do, there appeared on my FB feed -- quite out of the blue -- an advertisement for the Queer Candle Company. 

I perused the website. Then I opened my Christmas shopping list and filled in quite a few of the blank spaces.

It's a start.










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Comments

Bryn said…
I’m not a quilter but I lurk around a few quilt blogs because I enjoy the beauty and the process. I’ve particularly appreciated your commentary along with your quilts. Delurking today because I love this post and because we need to stand in community every way we can. It’s a start.
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 7:24:00 AM
Quiltdivajulie said…
Bravo for your post today - I think SO many of us are struggling with the predictions and to what he will or won't do that we're even more exhausted that we were by the multi-year campaign itself. For now I'm on an 85% news blackout in self defense. My issue to take a stand on will involve those with disabilities and when the time comes, I'll know what to say (I hope).
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 8:46:00 AM
Barbara Anne said…
Amen, sister!
"Love thy neighbor" doesn't have any "only ifs"!
I, too, avoid the news to save my sanity.

Hugs!
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 1:03:00 PM
Lori said…
I actually like that she is saying why she feels this way. Rather than a blanket statement. She mentioned she had been raped so I understand her point of view. She wasn't saying she was going to be raped in the bathroom, just that she feels vulnerable because of her past. I have to side with her on this. With the way our government is throwing money around a gender neutral bathroom would be a good option.
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 5:15:00 PM
Lori said…
PS It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol.
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 5:25:00 PM
Anonymous said…
I appreciate your phrase 'conspicuous Christian'. Really sums up the hypocracy.
Thursday, November 21, 2024 6:17:00 AM
patty a. said…
Mace is just trying to shove her beliefs down everyone's throat. Those big cross earrings shout I am doing this for Christians, when she is doing this to try and control others. She must live a sad life. I was going to retire, but I can't now because my SS and Medicare will be gone. To quote Bootsy Collins "if you want to be free, don't be dumb." There is a lot of dumb going around!
Thursday, November 21, 2024 8:08:00 AM
Nann said…
Dunno about you, but when I gotta go, I gotta go, and I don't look at other people in the restroom. But: my husband has dementia. When we go out I frequently have to help him use the restroom. Generally I push the wheelchair into the handicap stall in the ladies' room, but on occasion I have pushed the wheelchair into the men's room (all the while telling him to be discreet and to hurry). If there is no unisex or family restroom available what would Nancy Mace have me do? And I often see mothers taking their young sons into the ladies' room. Would Mace have those mothers send their 3- and 4-year-olds into the men's room on their own? The point is that by saying that restroom use MUST match the birth certificate--with no exception for age or physical condition--sets up an impossible situation.

If Mace is uncomfortable with using the restroom for fear of who else may be using it then maybe SHE should seek another restroom. And be sure the stall door is latched.
Thursday, November 21, 2024 11:27:00 AM
liferecipes said…
Aren'r these just the most complicated times now? I think lots of have family members with gay or transgender members. It has made us think far more deeply about these issues. I was a little started once when I saw a man coming out of the women's bathroom in a restaurant. That has happened one time in my life. For almost all of us, the danger or rape in a bathroom is so very rare. When we use a restroom, there are usually others in close proximity so I honestly don't think rape is a worry. Now that was a blunt statement for someone my advanced age. I think the largest worry I have is that we are not nearly as kind as we ought to be. Gentleness seems to be out of fashion for many people. The 'conspicuous Christian' maybe ought to be pushing kindness and gentleness first as that is the Number Two commandment that our Savior taught. No matter what religion one practices or chooses not to practice, we can all benefit from living lives of being kind and gentle to ourselves and each other.
Thursday, November 21, 2024 9:51:00 PM
dianne said…
my stand against Thing One, Thing Two and their followers emerged from grumbling to actively resisting when he threatened to make my state the first target with mass deportations ... if not me, then who?

as for Ms Mace - she has been playing the rape card for years - i used to empathize with her ... till she threw her enthusiastic support behind an adjudicated sexual abuser (and behind more and more abusers), along with remarks she made publicly about her fiancee's amorous desires making her run late for a PRAYER breakfast ... apparently she has some control over her fears and PTSD...

i have two brown (adult) grandchildren who are NOT illegal citizens, but they could be caught up in the "bloody" assaults on immigrants because of the color of their skin and their last name ... and i have a gay nephew who is married to a Jewish man - and their son ... there is no safe harbor for anyone in Thing One's America - we must stand against his agenda ... if not us, then who?
Sunday, November 24, 2024 12:49:00 PM
Nanci said…
Yes they are coming after everyone that doesn't look like them and I don't doubt that women are on that short list. It's just a matter of time before they try to take us back to the 1800's barefoot, pregnant and unable to vote. I was actually shocked at how many women actually supported the far right even as they work to take our rights away along with all the other minorities in this country. I pray everyday that God protects us.
Monday, November 25, 2024 7:05:00 PM
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