Top Three Worst-Run US Cities Are Controlled By Democrats
A WalletHub survey of the largest U.S. cities discovered that the top three “worst-run” are primarily controlled by Democrats.
WalletHub examined the operating efficiency of 150 cities to determine which ones are managed best. They used a “Quality of Services” score of 38 metrics grouped into six service categories (financial stability, education, health, safety, economy, infrastructure, and pollution), which revealed Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and New York City are the worst three.
The cities that made the top worst spots come as no surprise. All three are under Democrat control and plagued with out-of-control violent crime and high taxes. San Francisco and NYC have experienced increasing outbound migrations post-COVID because failed leftist policies have transformed those metro areas into warzones.
Some of the top-ranked “best-run” cities were Republican-controlled, according to WalletHub.
Improving quality of life has been a primary focus among many Americans who have escaped liberal metro areas for more pleasant ones. The best protest one can make to defund Democrats is to move.
This is precisely what billionaire Ken Griffin did this month. He and Citadel Securities’ headquarters moved from Chicago (ranked top ten worst cities by WalletHub) to Miami (not as bad).
Griffin recently said, “Chicago is like Afghanistan, on a good day, and that’s a problem.” So it appears the move was based on improving quality of life (safety).
WalletHub’s findings allow those living in the worst cities to make better decisions about the health of their communities and understand if it’s time to move to a better-managed town to improve their quality of life. Griffin did it.
Beijing criticized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Thursday after the U.S.-led military alliance asserted that China poses “serious challenges” to global stability.
NATO listed China as one of its priorities in the so-called 2022 Strategic Concept that leaders approved Wednesday at a summit in Madrid. This marked a first, as the alliance’s previous blueprint, published in 2010, made no mention of the East Asian country. According to NATO, Beijing’s “coercive policies” threaten the Western bloc’s “interests, security, and values.”
Addressing the “systemic challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China to Euro-Atlantic security” and the “deepening strategic partnership” between China and Russia is now a NATO priority, the bloc declared.
Beijing responded with indignation. “Who’s challenging global security and undermining world peace?” China’s mission to the European Union asked Thursday in a statement. “Are there any wars or conflicts over the years where NATO is not involved?”
“NATO’s so-called Strategic Concept, filled with Cold War thinking and ideological bias, is maliciously attacking and smearing China. We firmly oppose it,” the statement said. “When it comes to acts that undermine China’s interests, we will make firm and strong responses.”
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China has been pointing its finger at the U.S. and NATO on multiple occasions. But NATO’s attention to the China-Russia partnership began even before Moscow’s military operations in its neighbor. It has also been openly talking about China for some time.
In its annual summit in Brussels last June, the traditionally Russia-focused military alliance asserted, for the first time, that it needed to respond to Beijing’s growing power. The language the bloc used at the time also echoed the E.U.’s phrase of “systemic rival,” and the U.K.’s “systemic competitor” when describing China.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Wednesday that “China is substantially building up its military forces, including nuclear weapons, bullying its neighbors, threatening Taiwan… monitoring and controlling its own citizens through advanced technology, and spreading Russian lies and disinformation.”
“China is not our adversary,” said Stoltenberg, “but we must be clear-eyed about the serious challenges it represents.” In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Thursday that NATO’s latest policy document “disregards facts, confuses black and white… [and] smears China’s foreign policy.”
China, Zhao added, does not pose “the systemic challenge imagined.” Instead, he argued, it is NATO that is a “systemic challenge to world peace and stability” and its “hands are stained with the blood of the world’s people.”
Xi’s visit to #HK serves as a warning to some external hostile forces as well as secessionists in the city that the country will never tolerate those who sabotage Hong Kong’s prosperity, or country’s security and sovereignty: observers https://t.co/PRQFPlETZwpic.twitter.com/RlCMBgMQZ4
While Stoltenberg claimed that NATO is still “open to constructive engagement” with Beijing, the trans-Atlantic military alliance is moving to expand its reach across the Pacific. This is due in part to fears that Russia’s military assault on Ukraine could embolden China to invade Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing considers its province, and concerns about possible military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing on Russia’s Pacific coast.
Highlighting NATO’s new focus on China, the gathering of world leaders in Madrid, both inside the bloc’s summit and on its sidelines, included many from Asian nations.
It was the first time that the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand were invited to a NATO summit. They participated in a NATO session on new global challenges after holding a side meeting outside of the summit.
On Wednesday, Zhao encouraged NATO to abandon its “zero-sum game and the practice of creating enemies, and not try to mess up Asia and the whole world after disrupting Europe.” Referring to NATO’s response to the war in Ukraine, Zhao said that “sanctions are not a way out of conflicts, and the continued delivery of weapons will not help realize peace.”
During this week’s summit, Stoltenberg announced that “thousands of new troops would be deployed in eight countries on NATO’s eastern flank,” the New York Timesreported Thursday. Biden, for his part, said that “Washington would deploy an Army garrison headquarters and a field support battalion in Poland, the first U.S. forces permanently located on NATO’s eastern flank.”
Just before issuing its strategic blueprint, NATO also extended formal membership invitations to Finland and Sweden. Peace advocates have warned that the incorporation of the two previously neutral Nordic countries, one of which shares an 830-mile border with Russia, into NATO increases the likelihood of a direct confrontation that could spiral into a nuclear war.
Coinbase Has Been Providing “Historical Geo Tracking” Information And Tracing Software To Government Agencies
So much for decentralized finance.
The largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., Coinbase, has been reportedly selling Immigrations and Customs Enforcement tools to track and identify cryptocurrency users, a stunning new report from The Intercept revealed this week.
The company “sold a single analytics software license to ICE for $29,000” back in August 2021 for $29,000, the report says. The next month, however, it sold software worth $1.36 million to the agency, the report says.
A contract involving the sales revealed that ICE “now has access to a variety of forensic features provided through Coinbase Tracer”, the company’s internal intelligence tool.
The tool allows people to trace transactions through the blockchain. Coinbase markets the software primarily for use in corporate compliance and law enforcement, the report says. It boasts that the tool has the ability to “investigate illicit activities including money laundering and terrorist financing” and “connect [cryptocurrency] addresses to real world entities.”
The contract revealed that ICE is now able to track transactions over a dozen digital currencies. The contract also revealed that “historical geo tracking data” was being provided to ICE, though The Intercept said details about what this data entails are fuzzy.
Coinbase spokesperson Natasha LaBranche, when asked about the contract, referenced The Intercept to the company’s disclaimer on its website, which says: “Coinbase Tracer sources its information from public sources and does not make use of Coinbase user data.”
The sale comes as part of a broader pitch to sell its intelligence services to agencies like the IRS and the Secret Service, the report reveals.
Coinbase vice president of global intelligence John Kothanek said earlier this month in front of Congress: “If you are a cyber criminal and you’re using crypto, you’re going to have a bad day. … We are going to track you down and we’re going to find that finance and we are going to hopefully help the government seize that crypto.”
“Sesame Street” is advertising COVID-19 vaccines to its youngest audiences after the federal government greenlighted the shots for children under the age of 5.
The 1-minute public service ad, released Tuesday by nonprofit educational organization Sesame Workshop, features the red Muppet monster Elmo and his Muppet dad Louie. It begins with Elmo showing a Band-Aid on his arm next to dad, saying, “Now Daddy has super-duper bandages just like Elmo!”
It’s okay to have questions about COVID-19 vaccines for children! Elmo’s dad Louie talked to their pediatrician, and learned that Elmo getting vaccinated is the best way to keep him and his whole neighborhood safe and healthy! #CaringForEachOtherpic.twitter.com/aWkCfysJPE
“You were super duper today, getting your COVID vaccine, Elmo,” replied a Louie who has three Band-Aids on his arm, indicating having received two vaccine shots and a booster.
“There was a little pinch, but it was OK,” Elmo added.
Louie then turned to the audience, saying that he had a conversation with their family pediatrician about whether it is safe to vaccinate 3-year-old Elmo.
“I had a lot of questions about Elmo getting the COVID vaccine. Was it safe? Was it the right decision?” Louie spoke to parents watching the ad. “I learned that Elmo getting vaccinated is the best way to keep himself, our friends, neighbors and everyone else healthy and enjoying the things they love.”
The ad, which is co-produced with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and New York-based media company Ad Council, ends by directing parents to go to GetVaccineAnswers.org if they have questions related to having their young children vaccinated. The website is created by Ad Council in partnership with the CDC.
Jeanette Betancourt, senior vice president of U.S. social impact at Sesame Workshop, said in a press release that parents will “understandably have questions about the COVID-19 vaccines for young children.
“With help from Elmo and his dad Louie, we want to model real conversations, encourage parents’ questions, and help children know what to expect,” Betancourt said. “We’re proud to continue our efforts with the Ad Council, COVID Collaborative, CDC, and AAP to help families get connected to information and keep their children, neighbors, and communities safe and healthy.”
I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it’ll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy.
Ms. @EricaRHill even said I’ve been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!
Sesame Workshop’s new ad is the continuation of a campaign it launched last year to promote COVID-19 vaccine to older children. In November, “Sesame Street” characters appeared on a CNN town hall titled “The ABCs of COVID Vaccines.” The program was hosted by CNN anchor Erica Hill and chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, who answered questions about the pediatric vaccine from the Muppets.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who last year took issue with using beloved children’s show to convince young children to take the jab and called it “government propaganda,” criticized the new ad for promoting something that is not at all backed by science.
“Thanks, [Sesame Street] for saying parents are allowed to have questions! You then have [Elmo] aggressively advocate for vaccinating children UNDER 5. But you cite ZERO scientific evidence for this,” the senator wrote on Twitter.
Cruz is one of the 18 Republican members of Congress who questioned the safety and necessity of the COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest Americans when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization (EUA) to the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech’s pediatric shots in early June.
“When will the FDA and CDC provide the public with more details on those children who have had the most serious adverse outcomes from COVID-19 infections?” the Republicans asked in a Jun. 7 letter (pdf) to the FDA. “What is the cardiac risk factor in administering these EUA COVID vaccines to children?”
“One of the most important things we know is that this virus poses minimal risk for children,” Cruz said in a press release. “Before the FDA approves an Emergency Use Authorization for a children’s vaccine, parents should be able to see the data and paperwork they would use to justify this decision. This is the least the FDA can do for families in Texas and across the country so parents can make the best decisions for their children.”
According to CDC, as of June 22, about 30 percent of children ages 5 to 11 and 60 percent of children ages 12 to 17 had been fully vaccinated.
“Simply Outrageous”: Ernst & Young Fined Record $100 Million After SEC Finds Auditors Cheating On CPA Exams For “Several Years”
Ernst & Young better have some “answers”…
It was reported this week that the massive audit firm was fined with a record $100 million fine after regulators found out that the company knew some of its auditors had been cheating on exams for “several years” – and did nothing to stop it.
This week, the Securities and Exchange Commission said that a “significant number” of candidates cheated on the Certified Public Accountant test. The kicker? Most of the cheating was on the “ethics” portion of the exam…
The SEC also said that Ernst & Young “made a submission” that it didn’t have “current issues with cheating when, in fact, the firm had been informed of potential cheating on a CPA ethics exam,” a new report from CNN revealed.
Gurbir Grewal, director of the SEC’s Enforcement Division, commented this week: “This action involves breaches of trust by gatekeepers within the gatekeeper entrusted to audit many of our nation’s public companies. It’s simply outrageous that the very professionals responsible for catching cheating by clients cheated on ethics exams of all things.”
He said it was “equally shocking” that the company didn’t fess up during the investigation.
Grewal continued: “This action should serve as a clear message that the SEC will not tolerate integrity failures by independent auditors who choose the easier wrong over the harder right.”
The SEC also ordered that Ernst & Young bring on two independent firms to “help remediate its deficiencies,” the report said.
“Nothing is more important than our integrity and our ethics,” the auditor responded by saying. “We have repeatedly and consistently taken steps to reinforce our culture of compliance, ethics, and integrity in the past. We will continue to take extensive actions, including disciplinary steps, training, monitoring, and communications that will further strengthen our commitment in the future.”
The Republican governor vetoed the bill on June 24, the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Some fellow Republicans questioned the timing.
“It certainly seemed like a convenient way to bury a veto of a bill that won support from the vast majority of Republicans in New Hampshire,” JR Hoell, co-founder of the conservative watchdog group RebuildNH, told The Epoch Times.
Hoell is a former four-term House Republican planning to seek re-election after a four-year hiatus from the the New Hampshire legislature.
Earlier this year, the New Hampshire Department of Children Youth and Family (DCYF) tried to take custody of Hoell’s 13-year old son after a nurse reported him for giving human-grade ivermectin to the teen months earlier.
Several states have introduced bills to make human-grade ivermectin available without a prescription at a brick and mortar store. Currently, it can be ordered online from another country. In April, Tennessee became the the first state to sign such a measure into law. New Hampshire lawmakers were first to introduce the idea.
Both chambers of the state’s Republican controlled legislature approved the bill.
In his statement explaining the veto, Sununu noted that there are only four other controlled medications available without a prescription in New Hampshire and that each were only made available after “rigorous reviews and vetting to ensure” before being dispensed.
“Patients should always consult their doctor before taking medications so that they are fully aware of treatment options and potential unintended consequences of taking a medication that may limit other treatment options in the future,” Sununu said in his statement.
Sununu’s statement is very similar to testimony given by Paula Minnehan, senior vice president of state government regulations for the New Hampshire Hospital Association, at hearings on the bill.
Minnehan too placed emphasis on the review that went into the four prescription medications the state made available under a standing order. They include naloxone, the generic name for Narcan, which is used to counter opioid overdoses, hormone replacement therapy drugs, and a prescription-version of the morning after pill.
It also includes a collection of smoking cessation therapy drugs like Chantix, which has been linked to suicide, depression, and other neuropsychiatric conditions. Last year, Pfizer, the leading maker of the FDA-approved drug, conducted a voluntarily recall of Chantix. Narcan has also been linked to deaths caused by severe withdrawals that have led to acute respiratory distress.
Rep. Melissa Blasek, a Republican co-sponsor of the New Hampshire ivermectin bill, told The Epoch Times, that one could veto any drug-related bill under the pretense of overdose concerns.
“The reality is you can overdose on Tylenol,” she said. “Ivermectin has one of the safest track records of any drug.”
The use of human-grade ivermectin became controversial when some doctors began promoting it for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19. Government agencies including the FDA and CDC issued warnings against its use while groups like Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) heavily promoted it.
Some doctors were disciplined for prescribing human-grade ivermectin for COVID-19 including a Maine doctor whose medical license was suspended by the state.
Chip Makers Stall On Building New Semiconductor Plants As Subsidies Bill Languishes
The Biden administration is laser-focused on sending Ukraine billions of dollars in weapons, including the latest round of anti-ship systems, artillery rockets, and rounds of 105 mm ammo for howitzer cannons that it has entirely lost focus on reshoring efforts to boost semiconductor production Stateside.
Multiple manufacturers of semiconductor wafers have announced plans for new multi-billion dollar factories across the U.S. but are contingent on Congress allocating funds to aid in building facilities under the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act.
Congress passed the CHIPS Act in January 2021 as part of last year’s National Defense Authorization Act, which proposed $52 billion in funding for increasing the domestic capacity of chip production, though the House and Senate have come to a standstill over disagreements on certain parts of the bill that have sparked so much uncertainty among companies set to build new factories.
In a letter on June 15, dozens of technology executives from IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Analog Devices, Micron, Amazon, and Alphabet called on Congress to move quickly on the CHIPS Act. They wrote, “the rest of the world is not waiting for the U.S. to act,” and funding for new chip factories must be achieved immediately.
The uncertainty around Congress not formally allocating any budget to finance the CHIPS Act is causing concern among top chipmakers planning to build massive factories that might have to delay expansion plans.
“Unfortunately, CHIPS Act funding has moved more slowly than we expected, and we still don’t know when it will get done. It is time for Congress to act so we can move forward at the speed and scale we have long envisioned for Ohio and our other projects to help restore U.S. semiconductor manufacturing leadership and build a more resilient semiconductor supply chain,” an Intel spokesperson recently said in a statement.
Taiwan’s GlobalWafers announced a new $5 billion factory in the U.S. on Monday, but contingent on subsidies from the federal government.
“This investment that they’re making is contingent upon Congress passing the CHIPS Act. The [GlobalWafers] CEO told me that herself, and they reiterated that today,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told CNBC, the same day GlobalWafers announced its development plan.
In 2020, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. announced a new $12 billion plant in Phoenix, Arizona, and said some of the building costs would have to be picked up by the U.S. and Taiwan.
The Biden administration has hailed the president’s efforts to increase chip manufacturing capacity, but Congress appears to be holding things up, which may result in delays for planned expansion projects this fall.
Currently, the U.S. only accounts for 12% of the world’s chip supplies, a 40% reduction since the 1990s. The CHIPS Act is supposed to restore America’s dominance in chipmaking — but expansion plans appear to be on hold as funding Ukraine seems to be the top priority in Washington.
A 17-year-old girl who regrets having both of her breasts removed as a result of so-called “gender-affirming care” testified before a California Assembly committee hearing June 28, urging state lawmakers to reject proposed legislation that would make California a transgender sanctuary state.
“I was medically transitioned from ages 13 and 16,” Chloe Cole from the Central Valley told the public safety committee, saying she suffered irreversible consequences from surgeries and hormone treatment.
The committee passed the controversial Senate Bill (SB) 107, which proponents say would “provide refuge” for trans youth, their parents, and those who advocate for and provide “gender-affirming health care ” for minors.
The bill would prohibit law enforcement agencies from arresting or extraditing parents charged in other states or nations for child abuse or other crimes related to allowing minor children to receive these medical treatments.
Cole said when she was younger, her parents took her to a therapist who “affirmed my male identity” and “brushed off” concerns about the efficacy of hormones, puberty blockers, and surgeries.
“My parents were given the threat of suicide as a reason to move me forward in my transition,” she said.
Cole said at age 15, she told her therapist she wanted to remove her breasts. She attended a top surgery class with a dozen other girls her age or younger.
“None of us were going to be men, we were fleeing from the uncomfortable feeling of becoming women,” Cole said.
She went through with the surgery and her endocrinologist put her on puberty blockers and injectable testosterone after two or three appointments, she said.
“Despite having a therapist and attending the top surgery class, I really didn’t understand all the ramifications of any of the medical decisions I was making. I was incapable of understanding, and it was downplayed consistently,” she said. “My parents, on the other hand, were pressured to continue my so-called ‘gender journey’ with the suicide threat.
“I will never be able to breastfeed a child. I have blood clots in my urine. I am unable to fully empty my bladder. I do not yet know if I am capable of carrying a child to full term. In fact, even the doctors who put me on puberty blockers and testosterone do not know.”
She urged the committee to reject the trans sanctuary state bill and put safeguards in place so that “painful” experiences like hers are not repeated.
“Children cannot consent,” she said.
Erin Friday, an attorney, argued against the bill, claiming it unconstitutional for California to disrespect the laws of other states.
She argued SB 107 would not just provide sanctuary for parents fleeing the law in other states, but would make California a refuge for all children who want to access transgender medicine and surgery.
“No questions asked. No real mental health assessment, no minimal diagnosis and no parental consent. So long as the minor child can get to California, she can order up any type of irreversible treatment,” she said.
Friday, a parent of a teen who once suffered from what’s called Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria, but no longer identifies as trans, has previously testified that SB 107 would be a big mistake that would only worsen the “largest medical scandal in history,” and spread transgender ideology, which she described as a “social contagion.”
State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who authored the bill, said it’s intended to protect families and trans youth and medical professionals from being prosecuted for child abuse in other states.
Texas, for example, is cracking down on the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones on minors, and—in some cases—gender surgery on minors.
“These parents, who are doing just trying to do right by their kids and accepting their kids for who they are and supporting them are being told ‘you’re a criminal for doing that,’” Wiener said. “It’s disgusting; it’s despicable, and California should have no part of that.”
Martin Campos of Trans Family Support Services said the group is currently working with out-of-state residents faced with the decision of whether or not “to uproot their family and livelihood to seek out refuge in an affirming state such as California” to flee “anti-trans legislation” at home.
“Parents should not be concerned about facing legal ramifications while seeking medically necessary gender-affirming services for their youth. Nor should youth have to endure the trauma that is created by having their parents face those ramifications,” Campos said. “… All this bill is seeking to do is allow transgender youth to thrive.”
Ebony Harper, the executive director of California Transcends, shared a personal story with the committee.
“I identify as the black trans woman,” Harper said. “… I was a trans youth at 13. I grew up in South Central California and at 13 I was kicked out of my house, which was the story for most transgender people from my era, if you were between the particular intersections of being black and transgender. And I spent many years on the streets, in jails institutions because it was the Dark Ages. Trans folks were considered mentally confused people that could not participate in society.”
In the ’90s, a lot of trans people died because they didn’t get the health cares they needed, but today the transgender community in California is thriving and prospering, Harper said.
“The 13-year-old me thought I was going to end up dead before I hit 21. And here I am advocating in my 40s and still going strong and having the fortitude of support with senators like Scott Wiener, the Lieutenant Governor and other folks in government,” Harper said.
“I think trans transcends politics,” Harper said. “…And so you have seen that our community recently has been politicized, which is causing a lot of trauma and pain in our community.”
A 17-year-old girl who regrets having both of her breasts removed as a result of so-called “gender-affirming care” testified before a California Assembly committee hearing June 28, urging state lawmakers to reject proposed legislation that would make California a transgender sanctuary state.
“I was medically transitioned from ages 13 and 16,” Chloe Cole from the Central Valley told the public safety committee, saying she suffered irreversible consequences from surgeries and hormone treatment.
The committee passed the controversial Senate Bill (SB) 107, which proponents say would “provide refuge” for trans youth, their parents, and those who advocate for and provide “gender-affirming health care ” for minors.
The bill would prohibit law enforcement agencies from arresting or extraditing parents charged in other states or nations for child abuse or other crimes related to allowing minor children to receive these medical treatments.
Cole said when she was younger, her parents took her to a therapist who “affirmed my male identity” and “brushed off” concerns about the efficacy of hormones, puberty blockers, and surgeries.
“My parents were given the threat of suicide as a reason to move me forward in my transition,” she said.
Cole said at age 15, she told her therapist she wanted to remove her breasts. She attended a top surgery class with a dozen other girls her age or younger.
“None of us were going to be men, we were fleeing from the uncomfortable feeling of becoming women,” Cole said.
She went through with the surgery and her endocrinologist put her on puberty blockers and injectable testosterone after two or three appointments, she said.
“Despite having a therapist and attending the top surgery class, I really didn’t understand all the ramifications of any of the medical decisions I was making. I was incapable of understanding, and it was downplayed consistently,” she said. “My parents, on the other hand, were pressured to continue my so-called ‘gender journey’ with the suicide threat.
“I will never be able to breastfeed a child. I have blood clots in my urine. I am unable to fully empty my bladder. I do not yet know if I am capable of carrying a child to full term. In fact, even the doctors who put me on puberty blockers and testosterone do not know.”
She urged the committee to reject the trans sanctuary state bill and put safeguards in place so that “painful” experiences like hers are not repeated.
“Children cannot consent,” she said.
Erin Friday, an attorney, argued against the bill, claiming it unconstitutional for California to disrespect the laws of other states.
She argued SB 107 would not just provide sanctuary for parents fleeing the law in other states, but would make California a refuge for all children who want to access transgender medicine and surgery.
“No questions asked. No real mental health assessment, no minimal diagnosis and no parental consent. So long as the minor child can get to California, she can order up any type of irreversible treatment,” she said.
Friday, a parent of a teen who once suffered from what’s called Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria, but no longer identifies as trans, has previously testified that SB 107 would be a big mistake that would only worsen the “largest medical scandal in history,” and spread transgender ideology, which she described as a “social contagion.”
State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who authored the bill, said it’s intended to protect families and trans youth and medical professionals from being prosecuted for child abuse in other states.
Texas, for example, is cracking down on the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones on minors, and—in some cases—gender surgery on minors.
“These parents, who are doing just trying to do right by their kids and accepting their kids for who they are and supporting them are being told ‘you’re a criminal for doing that,’” Wiener said. “It’s disgusting; it’s despicable, and California should have no part of that.”
Martin Campos of Trans Family Support Services said the group is currently working with out-of-state residents faced with the decision of whether or not “to uproot their family and livelihood to seek out refuge in an affirming state such as California” to flee “anti-trans legislation” at home.
“Parents should not be concerned about facing legal ramifications while seeking medically necessary gender-affirming services for their youth. Nor should youth have to endure the trauma that is created by having their parents face those ramifications,” Campos said. “… All this bill is seeking to do is allow transgender youth to thrive.”
Ebony Harper, the executive director of California Transcends, shared a personal story with the committee.
“I identify as the black trans woman,” Harper said. “… I was a trans youth at 13. I grew up in South Central California and at 13 I was kicked out of my house, which was the story for most transgender people from my era, if you were between the particular intersections of being black and transgender. And I spent many years on the streets, in jails institutions because it was the Dark Ages. Trans folks were considered mentally confused people that could not participate in society.”
In the ’90s, a lot of trans people died because they didn’t get the health cares they needed, but today the transgender community in California is thriving and prospering, Harper said.
“The 13-year-old me thought I was going to end up dead before I hit 21. And here I am advocating in my 40s and still going strong and having the fortitude of support with senators like Scott Wiener, the Lieutenant Governor and other folks in government,” Harper said.
“I think trans transcends politics,” Harper said. “…And so you have seen that our community recently has been politicized, which is causing a lot of trauma and pain in our community.”
