And you need some love and care,
And nothing, nothing is going right...
...then I find myself looking for something...anything...to brighten up even the darkest night.
There is Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, who posted on Facebook about the anti-trans legislation the GOP is promoting in his state.
They are wrong on the issue and wrong on the morality of it in my opinion. I’ll veto it.
--Dayton
Louis Porter has an Ed. D., has been a teacher for a long time, and is executive director of the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage.
He is also the parent of a transgender child. And he fears for his black transgender child's life.
Even when my child was an infant, I had a premonition that our precious baby girl was going to throw some curveballs our way. Something in this long-awaited baby’s spirit let me know that a wild ride was ahead for my wife and me.
So, several years ago when my then-middle school child came out as queer, I was caught off guard, but it was news I could handle. “Your daddy’s love comes with a lifetime guarantee,” I said, paraphrasing a song by Sade, a generation-bridging family favorite. Then, as a native of the South steeped in black-middle-class tradition, I said: “I wonder if they’ll still let you be a debutante.” We both immediately laughed that hearty, authentic family chuckle that eases tensions.
--Porter
Brittany Tovar works as a nurse practitioner for Essentia Health at Essentia's hospital in Ada, MN. As such, she and her family are supposedly insured under Essentia's medical insurance provider, HealthPartners.
At least that's what she thought until she sought medical care for her transgender son, Reid Tovar Olson.
I was really disappointed with my employer. It's hard coming to work, and my employer considers my son a second-class citizen.
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Saturday January 1, 1916
From the International Socialist Review: Arthur Boose on Organizing Lumber Jacks
From this month's edition of the Review we offer an article by Arthur Boose who is currently engaged in the organizing effort of the Industrial Workers of the World amongst the Timber Workers of Northern Minnesota.
THE LUMBER JACK
By ARTHUR BOOSEI HAVE been asked to contribute an article on the lumber industry and the conditions which obtain in it. I have spent a good deal of my life in that industry and take pleasure in telling about the life of the men known as lumber jacks.
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Friday December 31, 1915
From the Archives of the Industrial Worker: The "Life" of the Migratory Timber Worker
As the Industrial Workers of the World begins a campaign to organize the timber workers of Northern Minnesota, Hellraisers offers this account of the life of a migratory timber worker from an anonymous logger, originally published in the Industrial Worker of July 2, 1910. The conditions under which the "timber beasts" live and work have not improved much, if at all.
WHO SAID A LOGGER LIVES?
The question has often been asked: "What constitutes living?" If it is the mere fact that we have life in our bodies and are plodding along in search of a job with our blankets on our back, then we are all living.
If "living" means to have all the good things of life, all the comforts of a home, and a life guarantee that such comforts shall continue as long as we are willing to do our share of the work, then we are not living, but simply saving funeral expenses.
It is estimated that there are 50,000 loggers along the Pacific coast, and it is a conservative statement to make that not one percent of them can say that their home consists of anything better than a dirty bunk furnished by the boss and a roll of blankets that they are compelled to tote about from pillar to post, many times only to make room for another toiler who has left $2 for the job in the tender care of the fat Employment Hog, who will divvy up with the foreman or superintendent. This is incentive enough to soon discharge him, so that a new recruit can be divorced from his $2, and so this endless chain of men tramping to and from the employment shark and the job.
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Thursday December 30, 1915
From The Labor World: I. W. W. to Begin Organizing Drive Among Timber Workers
The Labor World of Duluth, Minnesota, recently warned the American Federation of Labor that the Industrial Workers of the World intends to begin organizing the Timber Workers of Northern Minnesota. We would note that no great concern has, of yet, been demonstrated by the A. F. of L. for these underpaid and overworked migratory workers, that is, not until the I. W. W. arrived upon the scene.
From The Labor World of December 25, 1915:
I. W. W. ISSUES APPEAL TO TIMBER WORKERS
OF NORTHERN MINNESOTA TO ORGANIZE;
A. F. OF L. SHOULD GET BUSY WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY
The American Federation of Labor should pay some attention to the appeal of The Labor World to organize the timber workers of Northern Minnesota, before it is too late. Already the I. W. W. is making a strenuous effort to organize these men. Headquarters have been opened at 907 West Michigan street. They are in charge of Arthur Boose. A strong appeal has been issued to the timber workers to organize under the I. W. W. by J. A. McDonald of Virginia [a city on the Minnesota Iron Range].
The appeal is in printed form and states that the timber barons are employing young men and are discarding all of the old men to become "hobos, vagrants and bums."
[The appeal continued:]
The boss has thrown them to one side to starve, as they may, to die as they can. Those worn out timber beasts are pictures of their future.
Liv Hnilicka is a Minneapolis waitress. She shared a story on Facebook on Sunday that has gone viral.
This afternoon I was at my waitressing job on a beautiful early fall afternoon. Two parents and their young daughter came in; the tall burly dad adorably scratching his back on the door as they walked in. As I was filling the water station, he came up to me and said, "My daughter just asked if you were a boy or a girl. I didn't want to speak for you so would you like to talk to her?" I nervously said yes and walked to their table. "Hi, I like your hair ribbon," I said. "I heard you asked if I was a boy or girl. I think the important thing to remember is that everyone can be anything they want to be in this world. And it's also important to try to be the best selves we can be for our family and friends. And even to strangers. So to answer your question, I was told that I was a boy when I was little and now I live my adult life as a girl. It sounds complicated but it's actually pretty simple. Do you have any questions for me?" She looked at me smiling and simply said, "Nope!"
I walked away from the table feeling really good about parents intentionally engaging their children about possibly difficult topics. And showing that giving people the power to voice their truths in this complicated world is beautiful and healing.
Way to go, mom and dads out there making space for transfolks/gnc people like me. ❤
(Also I made this post public in case you want to share it with parents you may know.)
--Liv Hnilicka
Minnesota resident Nova Bradford, 21, had a chemical dependency problem, which she wanted to get help with, so she tried to gain admission to the University of Minnesota Medical Center's Lodging Plus substance abuse treatment program.
You can recover from chemical addiction and live a fuller life. To do so, you most likely will need support or assistance. Our services include assessment, medically supervised detoxification, inpatient and outpatient evaluation and referral, inpatient-to-outpatient treatment, family counseling and aftercare. Working with us, you’ll recover physically, psychologically, interpersonally and spiritually.
As it turns out the use of the word "you" in the above was overly broad.
Nova was refused admission because she is a transgender woman. Fairview Health Services, which operates UMMC informed her that it would be inappropriate to accept her into the program because there were separate floors for male and female residents and "because they have open showers."
