Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/category/news/genderglbt/page/18/)
Imagine a young girl standing patiently by as her father works on a car in their garage. She fetches any tool he needs and has memorized each one just to be a better helper. One day, she finally asks if he’ll teach her to work on cars and he says, “You’ll get dirty. Girls don’t work on cars.”
Hundreds of people rallied at the Capitol Monday (March 3) to urge lawmakers to pass the “Safe and Supportive Schools Act” — also known as the anti-bullying bill.Chief author of the bill, Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Minneapolis), says things are going well this year. A similar measure failed to pass in 2013. Dibble says this year’s version of the bill has some small “tweaks” and defines things better.“I’m interested in a bill that functions well so that young people can be safe and protected in their schools and I think we’re getting a really good bill together.”The School Board Association has not been supportive of the anti-bullying bill. Dibble didn’t say if the tweaks he’s made to the bill means they will support it. However, he says that some school organizations that were not in favor of the bill may support it now.Dibble said that after the rally, many of the young people who attended were planning on visiting lawmakers face-to-face “to tell their stories about what the reality and the truth is in their lives and why they need a change so they can be safe from bullying in their schools, so they don’t have to make that choice on a daily basis: ‘Do I be safe today, or do I go to school?’”In a press release, Dibble described why the legislation is needed:“Over 11 percent of all kids are bullied weekly; over 30 percent (say) they’re viewed as different. Continue Reading
Bitter, near zero weather couldn’t stop these single mothers and other low-wage workers from flooding a Walmart parking lot, calling on the store to raise wages. Many single mothers are working more than one low-wage job to support their families. In addition to urging Walmart to raise its wages, moms want the nation’s largest retailer to call on lawmakers to raise the minimum wage. It would not only help provide breathing room to pay for daily necessities, in some cases, it would give workers a chance to start saving money for the future.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Scarf was created and is run through the Brian Coyle Center by East African women between the ages of 14 and 23 who reside in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis.GRAND OPENING: Friday, February 28, 4-6:30 p.m. at African Development Center, 1931 South 5th Street, Minneapolis, MNThe planning process began more than a year ago when they girls decided that they wanted to build something positive in the neighborhood for other girls. The focus of this social enterprise on personal and professional development, women and youth empowerment, and business skills from customer service to event planning and more taught the girls skills they can use in the future. While the colorful variety of scarves, dresses, blouses, jackets, and accessories in various styles and sizes are meant to provide worthwhile affordable clothing options for the students and others in the neighborhood.The teenagers worked with Brian Coyle and Pillsbury United Communities staff as well as Mary True Laurel, Director of Community Engagement from Augsburg College, to develop their business plan. At every step of the way they were mentored by professionals in the field like Stella Richardson, co-founder of Express Yourself Second Hand Boutique, and supported by Augsburg MBAs and graphic design students.“We’re proud, and we believe in our work more than ever,” says Boutique worker Khadra Fiqi as the opening comes closer. “And we believe that it’s going to succeed.” Nikreet Adam explains that this is one way that she and her fellow teenagers in the Cedar-Riverside area can “make our community more helpful to others.” Continue Reading
While viewers across the United States watched the Olympic closing ceremonies, Jason Collins became the first publicly gay male athlete to compete in a major North American professional sports league as he took to the basketball court in Los Angeles. Continue Reading
Minnesota senators have introduced a bill that would prohibit those with professional licenses from engaging in “reparative therapy” in regard to sexual orientation and gender identity for those under the age of 18. If the bill passes, therapists who provide such therapies to youth risk losing their licenses to practice.
In Variety of topics expected during legislative session, Forum News Service political reporter Don Davis includes the following in a laundry list of potential bills: Continue Reading
On June 30, 2013, just four days after the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decisions in favor of marriage equality in Windsor and Perry, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law Federal Law 135, which bans propaganda to minors about “non-traditional sexual relations.” Continue Reading
Advocates for raising Minnesota’s minimum wage are sharpening their arguments as they await the start of next week’s legislative session, and some are now focusing on a pitch that so far hasn’t had a lot of attention: gender.
On February 14, 20% Theatre Company Twin Cities premiered The Naked I: Insides Out, the third iteration of performances focusing on trans* and queer experiences. In sum, the production features contributions by 81 LGBTQ artists and allies, including 15 directors and 35 performers from the Twin Cities area. The performance represented artists from across the age and gender-identity spectrum, showcased queer artists of color, and tackled issues such as gender stereotyping, transphobia, and the experiences of both transgender parents and the parents of transgender children.The first production in the series, The Naked I: Monologues from Beyond the Binary, was originally performed in 2009. Written by Tobias K. Davis, the production used an approach similar to Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues to explore the experiences of a wide range of gender-nonconforming people. The show was such a success that 20% Theatre went on to produce a second installment entitled The Naked I: Wide Open in 2012, which also met with great acclaim.“It should not be understated how important it is that these stories are getting told,” said Lee Conrads, who directed two pieces in The Naked I: Insides Out. Continue Reading