Kentucky lawmaker Pam Stevenson delivers incredible speech as trans rights protesters storm hearing
Apr 01
Written by Maria Morava

Amid a chaotic debate in the Kentucky House of Representatives over Senate Bill 150 – one of the harshest anti-trans bills in the US – lawmaker Pam Stevenson delivered an impassioned speech on trans and human rights.

Representative Pamela Stevenson strongly reproached her colleagues on Wednesday (29 March) as trans rights protesters who had stormed the building were being arrested and escorted out.

https://twitter.com/ErinInTheMorn/status/1641445572581425153

“We have created an environment of hate and then we look at them like there’s something wrong with them,” Stevenson said. “First you hated Black people, then you hated Jews, now you’re hating everybody. So the question is, when it’s the only people left … will you hate yourself?”

Senate Bill 150 has been described by activists as the most oppressive anti-trans law in the country, banning all gender-affirming medical care for trans people under 18 and requiring doctors to detransition minors in current care.

This year has already seen over 470 anti-LGBTQ+ bills – the highest ever – introduced across the nation. The discriminatory bills include bathroom bans, sports bans, drag bans and ‘Don’t Say Gay or Trans’ bills.
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According to Acker’s Facebook page, She was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in both Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Boise. Acker had previously served in the U.S. Army as a forward observer.

Acker was one of the victims of a tragic shooting at Boise Towne Square mall, which also resulted in five people injured. She was working security at the mall at the time of the shooting, according to her friend Dominique Cairistiona. Her family said Acker ran toward the suspect to stop him, likely saving many lives. The other individual who was fatally injured in the shooting was 49-year-old Roberto Padilla Arguelles.

In a statement, the Boise Police Department said the following: “Evidence indicates the suspect was contacted by a security officer on the first floor of the building near a department store on the west side of the building. The suspect shot the security officer who died at the scene.”

Acker’s family told the media that she was “a hero” and “the type of person that always wanted to help people.” They added that she “will be greatly missed.” Another one of Acker’s friends, Shiloh Ren, told the media that Acker will be remembered as “a radiantly sweet person.” In a statement provided to a local news outlet, Acker’s older sister, Tiffany Luna, said “Confronting someone whom she viewed to be a threat to others or a bully was entirely within her character even prior to enlisting.”
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‘It is hurting us’: Trans kids and parents in Missouri speak out, and brace for bans
By Danny Wicentowski
Published March 23, 2023 at 5:47 PM CDT

As their health care is being debated in Missouri’s legislature, the lives of three young trans boys growing up in St. Louis County are, for now, largely unchanged.

Speaking to St. Louis on the Air’s Elaine Cha, they described attending school, playing in sports leagues and looking forward to summer camp — typical for a group of young friends between the ages of 9 and 11. With the consent of their parents, the three boys spoke to St. Louis Public Radio on the condition that they not be named.

“My coming out was very spontaneous,” said an 11-year-old trans boy. Accepted by his parents and friends after coming out, he has lived as a boy for more than five years, a substantial proportion of his young life.

“At some point, it was summer,” he continued, retelling his coming out story, “and I came back with a new haircut and a new set of clothes. I was just like a different person. And no one questioned that.”

It’s not always that simple. For a 9-year-old trans boy, his first day attending school under a new name took a turn when he realized that, due to an apparent miscommunication, his teachers and administrators had no idea of the change.

“I didn't think kids would believe me,” he said, recalling his worries from that day. “But I just told them my name and they were fine with it.”
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