Ally Blue's Blog, page 23
October 7, 2012
londonlife:
thedailywhat:
This Is All Kinds Of Wrong of the...
This Is All Kinds Of Wrong of the Day: Ryan Andresen has been a Boy Scout for 12 years. Even after coming out as gay at 16, he stayed with the Scouts.
But now he’s been denied the chance to rise rank to Eagle Scout.
The Boy Scouts of America says its decision reflects its “Youth Leadership” policy statement:
In the unlikely event that an older boy were to hold himself out as homosexual, he would not be able to continue in a youth leadership position.
Andresen is in shock, especially since he thought his Scoutmaster had his back:
He had been telling me all along that we’d get by the gay thing. It was by far the biggest goal of my life. It’s totally devastating.
Andresen and his mom have started an online petition to convince the Boy Scouts to change their mind. But it would need to happen quickly — he turns 18 in three days, which means his Eagle Scout eligibility is just about up.
I rarely reblog—but this makes me so angry. PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION AND REBLOG THIS LINK.
"An 8-year-old girl camper began swimming near the edge of the pool by me. She was a tiny girl with a..."
An 8-year-old girl camper began swimming near the edge of the pool by me. She was a tiny girl with a bubbly personality, and she was very attached to me. Upon seeing us talking, the boy swam over and started chasing her around the water. It was clear from the way she was trying to get away from him and her screeching that she wanted to be left alone — her body language and tense demeanor should have showed that she was uncomfortable — but if that wasn’t enough of a clue, the “stop” she yelled in protest should have been enough for him to go away.
That’s when it really hit me how serious the situation was. I could immediately picture it escalating. I didn’t see an 8-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy anymore; I saw the two of them as fully grown and matured adults. The girl was still small and skinny, and the boy was large enough to overpower her with little effort. I could see her running away from him, trying to push off his advances in a more sexual situation, but him refusing to believe that she really wanted him to stop. I saw him ignoring her physical protests right along with the verbal ones, convinced she wanted him there. It horrified me.
I reprimanded him immediately, insisting that when someone asks you to stop, it’s important to listen. Almost seconds later, a male counselor standing by the same section of the pool told him not to listen to me and to continue his pursuit of this little girl, despite her obvious protests. Here were two boys, roughly 10 years apart in age, but with the same views on women: that consent doesn’t matter. It’s not a generational thing: this mindset has clearly been ingrained into the public psyche from an early age. How often are we told not to take no for an answer? How often do we see children pestering their parents about getting a new toy until they eventually give in? How often do we hear about a woman’s whims coming with her menstrual cycle? How often do we see on television shows and in movies a woman “changing her mind” about a man who is persistent enough or who just proves himself worthy? The idea that a woman will change her mind is so ingrained that we can’t always recognize it at first.
”-
Jackie Klein, A Lesson In Consent For All Ages, (via feminspire)
Please teach your kids, especially your sons, from an early age to respect others space and bodies.
(via face-down-asgard-up)
sweetupndown9:
I know I’ve told this story before, but I want...
I know I’ve told this story before, but I want you all to know. I mean really really know.
In February of 2010, my younger sister (who was 14 at the time.) was in a really bad accident. She fractured her skull, broke her eye socket, and her brain started to swell rapidly. She was put into a medical coma to keep her brain safe from the swelling and after 36 hours she had to have brain surgery because she developed a blood clot. See that tube at the top of her head in the first picture? That’s going into her head..
She spent nearly 6 weeks in the hospital. She had to relearn a lot of basic functions like walking, and changing her clothes. But she trooped through and made it back home. For almost 2 weeks while they kept her sedated, we had no idea what we were going to do, how damaged her brain was. It was the most terrifying time in my life watching my little sister struggle to stay alive.
She was uninsured, but with the help of a great children’s hospital, and donations from all over the world (Hey! Thanks tumblr
My grandparents gained custody of my little sister, and they tried to get her put on my grandfather’s (private) insurance plan. She was denied because of her accident. Because she had a pre-existing condition. My family is lower middle class, and could not even consider affording the out of pocket costs of the therapy my sister needed
Within weeks of being denied, the Affordable Healthcare Act went into effect. I encouraged my grandmother to re-apply for my sister to be insured.
The insurance company had to cover my sister. Because of Obamacare, my little sister was able to go to her therapy. She was able to take the medications she needed, and go to the doctor for regular check ups. She was able to get the care that she needed, and she is now 17 years old, and has been medically cleared to participate in all the things a kid is supposed to do. She drives. She goes to the beach with her friends, she is going to start college soon.
I am terrified of how different things could be for my beautiful sister if she wasn’t covered under an insurance plan. I want Obamacare. I want other families standing terrified at the foot of a hospital bed to know the person they love is more than just a profit. More than a number. They are taken care of, and they have a President that is willing to really fight to make sure they can keep that coverage.
The bottom picture was taken in August of this year.
As an RN who worked trauma for a LONG time, I will tell you that this story is NOT unique. This is why we need the Affordable Care Act.
October 6, 2012
bobbyfinger:
That guy in the cap and glasses beat up Mike Soret...
That guy in the cap and glasses beat up Mike Soret and Andrew Oppleman in front of Roppolo’s Pizza during Pride Week in Austin. Andrew was thrown to the ground. Mike lost eight teeth. They “believe they were attacked because of their sexual orientation.”
Any of my Austin followers recognize that guy? If you do, let the APD know. Sure, it’s a long shot, but come on - how many slices of Roppolo’s flavorless, overpriced pizza did we eat during college? How many times did we all feel comfortable because a place was well-lit? Because we were in a crowd?
Oh Austin, you’re better than this.
October 5, 2012
October 4, 2012
October 2, 2012
married to trouble: Arizona Birth Control Bill Allows Employers To Fire Women On The Pill Based On Religious Beliefs
The current law states that birth control is covered under health insurance plans for women in Arizona for contraceptive purposes as well as health concerns. However, the new birth control bill, House Bill 2625, states that women who want their birth control pill to be covered…
THIS MAKES ME FUCKING FURIOUS.
September 26, 2012
YES. That. That right there.
YES. That. That right there.
