Today's tonic: Poland frees itself from its neo-fascist, homophobic, anti-democratic government and embraces change

Donald Tusk, leader of the Civic Coalition

Amid the many horrors in Israel and Palestine this past week or so, this little bit of international good news is extremely welcome. 

Exit polls indicate that Polish voters this past weekend have given their progressive and centrist opposition parties enough seats in their next parliament to form a government, thus turfing out the far right neo-fascists of the Law and Justice Party, also known as PiS.   Now that's an appropriate term for these jerks.  

The neo-fascists greatly hurt many democratic ideals during their eight years of elected power in the country, including taking away women's rights over their own bodies by virtually outlawing abortion, threatening the independence of the judiciary and press freedom too by taking hold of the state broadcaster, and attacking LGBTQ rights.   

"The exit polls suggested that the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party received the most votes (about 36.6%), but that Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition together with two other opposition parties should have a route to a parliamentary majority.

Tusk, who was Polish prime minister between 2007 and 2014 and then became European Council president for five years, declared victory almost immediately after polls closed on Sunday, claiming there was no route for PiS to claim a third term in office.

“It’s the end of the evil times, it’s the end of the PiS rule. We made it,” Tusk said, speaking at a party event inside Warsaw’s ethnography museum to the sound of cheers from supporters. “We won democracy, we won freedom, we won our free, beloved Poland … this day will be remembered in history as a bright day, the rebirth of Poland.”

An updated exit poll released on Monday put PiS on 36.6% and Tusk’s Civic Coalition on 31%, with strong showings also for two groups that could form a coalition with Tusk: the centre-right Third Way (13.5%) and the leftwing Lewica (8.6%). The poll projects that the opposition coalition will win about 248 out of 460 seats.   

Final results are still coming in, but it seems clear change is coming for Poland. 

Wonderful news for democracy and freedoms for all.  

No one is imposing "gender ideology" on children in schools, decent folks are trying to save trans & queer kids' lives and anti-LGBTQ protesters today are simply trying to hurt or even kill them

Let's call a spade a spade.

Gender-non-conforming kids and queer kids in our schools are extremely vulnerable to bullying, discrimination, harassment, and violence. 

This was my experience as a gay youth in my high school.  Sadly, it's the experience of most queer youth. 

Kids who are questioning their identities aren't a new phenomenon.  

Kids who are today questioning their gender identities are simply authentically asking these questions because we live in an era when many correctly have come to understand that trans and non-binary people are, have always been, and always will be a small but very beautiful part of the human family.  This has to happen in safe spaces where such kids don't fear violence, harassment and ignorance.  

So-called One Million March for Children Canada protesters marching today to promote hatred, purportedly to defend children, are actually attacking children including their safety.  They are promoting an environment which promotes violence and intolerance of children.  They are making their lives more dangerous. Period. 

Sadly, these anti-gay protesters are, in truth, trying to hurt or even kill these vulnerable youth.  

If their rights are denied, if their lives are disregarded and negatively impacted by these ignorant crackdowns on rights, many of these vulnerable youth will suffer, choose suicide or self-harm.  

I'm thrilled many counter protesters, who seem to outnumber these bigots in many places, are out in full force today to communicate clearly the rights of these kids matter.   

This debate is simple: what's more important?  The best interests of children in our care?  Or parents who may be so ignorant about their children's identities they need schools to tell them these truths.  Those parents need to have better relationships with their kids.  Not strip all queer kids of their rights.   

The safety, security and best interests of children and youth in our care should always be the top priority of adults, parents, educators and all.  Everything else is secondary.  

Parents do not have the right to undermine children's safety.  

#NoSpaceForHate

ADDENDUM

I just want to add that I think our laws need no changes or inappropriate interventions from government.  Educators are already empowered to inform parents when concerns about a child or youth’s safety or security arise.  

I simply don’t agree schools should be legally compelled by government to inform parents if a youth decides to experiment with name changes or gender identities.  It’s one size fits all and inappropriate.  Instead, if there is an issue of safety or security for the youth, including if they are vulnerable to self harm, and educators believe the parents must know about the situation, then of course parents must be informed.  

I also don’t believe outing kids should be banned as there might be cases when that’s appropriate as it’s in the best interests of the children for their parents to know.  

I’m against banning outing and I’m against mandatory outing.  Every situation is different.

I compare it to a case of a Muslim or Christian student who decides at their school to explore a different religion.  Imagine if the government compelled schools then to inform parents of those choices.  It would be unconscionable. So why must gender identity be treated differently?

Today's tonic: "My question for Doug Ford: When it comes to gender who is indoctrinating whom?"

Today's tonic: "My question for Doug Ford: When it comes to gender who is indoctrinating whom?" by Toronto Star writer Emma Teitel.

"This entire gender identity freakout rests on the wildly idealistic belief that “woke-ism” has eviscerated age old gender norms. In truth, it’s hardly dented them. In order to genuinely believe gender norms are eroding one must live his entire life at the centre of a pride parade. Because to walk around mainstream society — and to raise a child in mainstream society — is to be hit over the head at every turn with the reminder that girls are girls and boys are boys, and don’t you forget it.

"After all, it isn’t baby boomers throwing gender reveal parties; the explosion of that trend occurred in recent years thanks to my generation, “woke” millennials who are supposed to have forgotten the meaning of tradition.

"However, it turns out we love tradition, especially if it involves cutting into a cake to reveal a baby pink interior (it’s a girl!), or in more devoted cases (as happened in Arizona in 2017 and California in 2020) detonating a pyrotechnic device that releases a plume of colourful gender-indicating smoke into the air, resulting in a wildfire that burns thousands of acres of land and in the latter case, kills a firefighter.

"Queer people are not erasing the gender binary. Straight, cisgender people are literally setting the world on fire to preserve it.

"...Ford has good reason to weigh in on trans kids: they’re a convenient scapegoat and distraction from the Greenbelt scandal. The federal Conservatives, on the other hand, have a far better chance at maintaining their lead among younger voters if they never talk about trans people again.

"But it seems Conservatives at all levels just can’t help themselves. Whether the root cause of their transgender fixation is opportunism or bigotry (or both), they’re not dropping the subject anytime soon. The so-called culture war has arrived in Canada. We were never better than the Americans. We’re just late to trends."

Today's tonic: "Why Does Flying Suck so Much?" by Robert Reich, in one of his best videos #airlines #rippingusoff #flying

Today's tonic: "Stephen Lecce’s stance on gender identity in schools is a recipe for more homeless youth"

Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce

Today's tonic: "Stephen Lecce’s stance on gender identity in schools is a recipe for more homeless youth", by writer Emma Teitel.  

Let's imagine young Stephen Lecce tells his teacher at his Ontario high school in the 1990s or 2000s that he's gay and suffering from discrimination and bullying.   His teacher suggests he tell his parents about it because they may be able to help.  But young Mr. Lecce tells the teacher his parents have been saying homophobic things his whole life, and he worries their conservative Catholic upbringing may lead them to reject him as a son. 

Young Mr. Lecce then joins his school's straight-gay alliance to find support.  But then, the government adopts a policy if teenagers join such clubs in high school, even private high schools, the high school is then legally obliged to inform Lecce's parents about it (unlike any other club the student may join in high school.)  The revelation leads to young Mr. Lecce getting into a major fight with his parents who contend he's humiliating their family.  The fight becomes violent and young Mr. Lecce is ordered to "straighten up or get out!"  The next day young Mr. Lecce leaves home and becomes homeless.  What kind of future will he have now? 

This scenario is fiction, but sadly rings true to the experiences of many queer youth.  Something like it could have even happened to Stephen Lecce, for all I know.  (Although Ontario's Catholic high schools including private schools like his St. Michael's College certainly didn't have any gay-straight alliances in the 1990s or 2000s, so not as written above.)

Even so, it's disappointing that Lecce isn't showing more expressed sympathy for the trans youth whose rights and basic safety he is now putting up for debate in Ontario.  All of his talk of late has been about parents' rights. 

He's wrong.  This debate should be about the best interests and safety of the children in our care.  Full stop. 

The hysteria that is being spread by the conservative right on this issue - like all hysteria spread by the right - is corrosive and will only lead to more pain and violence.  And in this case homelessness.  And is just being pushed to distract from other issues.  

It's shameful and gross.  It could lead to the destruction of young lives before they even have a chance to start or to find out who they truly are. 

Whatever happened to personal freedom and autonomy?  Erring on the side of personal freedom rather than government control?  Apparently for conservatives, that policy only applies when you are exactly like them, and the more different you are, the less freedom and autonomy you should have. 

Do you agree with them?  I sure don't.  I wish Stephen Lecce would provide something resembling leadership here rather than the usual, thoughtless, and in his case hypocritical, conservative ideology. 

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/stephen-lecce-s-stance-on-gender-identity-in-schools-is-a-recipe-for-more-homeless/article_5d8ddef1-a5f2-5df6-a139-4045f712329f.html

Conservatives circle their hateful wagons around trans people; Have any of you ever actually met and spoken with a trans person?

My dear late friend Kyle Scanlon

I've been heartbroken watching the repeated, nasty attempts south of the border and now in Canada to demonize transgendered people, all for political gain.   

Trans folks have become the latest targets of the hate-filled right in North America determined to distract the masses from the immense damage that conservative economic policies are actually doing to most people.  

Conservatives always hurt the "little guy" whether they are straight or queer, female or male or non-binary, white or POC.

But to distract the little guy from what they're really doing, conservatives often love to find some unpopular or misunderstood minority group and demonize it, claiming the minority group is the greatest threat to ordinary families.  Through shared hatred, the conservatives attempt to bond with ordinary people.  Donald Trump is an expert on this strategy. 

I've lost count of the number of anti-trans laws that are spreading throughout the U.S., all based on ignorance and fear.  In Canada, New Brunswick has also started playing politics with the lives and safety of young trans kids in their schools, forcing teachers to disrespect and ignore the chosen names and pronouns of young trans kids in the classroom.  The result is a school system in New Brunswick that will be more hostile and dangerous for trans kids, who are the most vulnerable of our children.   

Now Pierre Poilievre's party is threatening to take this hatred nationally.  And PP has already called out Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for daring to speak up for vulnerable kids in Canadian schools.  

While I abhor the disgusting opportunism that conservatives are practising both here and in the U.S. to make political gains at the expense of the most vulnerable, I do understand the hesitation of some parents to get their heads around this issue.  

I get that most people, at first, react with some repulsion, or confusion, or ignorance to the whole trans issue.  Our society's gender norms are quite entrenched and when someone dares to live outside of those norms, they tend to stand out and draw much attention and, sadly often, scorn and violence.   

For me, I ask that you please try to put aside any misgivings and actually speak with and get to know trans people.  To learn from them. 

I had very little understanding of the lives of trans people until the mid-2000s when a longtime friend I'd first met as Kelli told me one night over drinks that his real name was "Kyle" and that he was in the process of transitioning to becoming a man.  

Kyle opened up my mind to the realities of trans life.  He told me stories about his childhood growing up in Hamilton, Ontario when he was still somewhat happy.  It wasn't until puberty struck and breasts began to form on his body (as a biologically born female) that a deep depression took hold.  No more could he pretend to be a "boy" as the body he was born with clearly no longer conformed with how he felt in his heart and head.   

Years of struggle, depression and denial ensued.  But finally in his adulthood, several years after coming out as a lesbian, Kyle embraced his true identity as a trans man.  He began taking medications and prepared for surgery which would bring his body more in line with his identity.  

Kyle was a sweet, loving, kind, smart, friendly man.  His transition did bring great happiness to his life and I know he lived many of his dreams.    

Alas, depression is a terrible thing and not so easily overcome.  Sadly, Kyle took his own life in 2012.  

I mourned him along with all of his friends and some family.  I often wonder if there was anything I could've done to be a better friend to him.  To help convince him to ignore the demons in his head and live longer.  I'm sure all of those who loved him have asked themselves the same things.  

Nevertheless, Kyle's legacy in all of our lives was to enrich us with great friendship and love.  And also greater understanding of his experience as a trans man.  I'll never forget what he taught me.  

For me, it's simple.  How can we as a society support gay people who are sexually attracted to their own gender?  And make room for gay people and even let us marry?   But not have support or acceptance in our hearts for people who simply don't conform with traditional male-female identities we've all inherited?  Is it that big a stretch?  I don't think so.  

We know masculinity and femininity are fluid and beautiful aspects of human life.  There is nothing wrong with being a woman, and nothing wrong with being a man.  Most of us don't fit neatly within the cultural gender confines we've inherited.  It makes sense to me that some of us would be biologically born one gender, but biologically or psychologically also find ourselves more identifying as another.  I'm not threatened by this reality.    

I ask all of you reading this: please, before you judge trans people and go along with any nasty campaigns against them, please seek out opportunities to talk with or learn more about actual trans people to find out their sides of the story.  Personalize the experience by actually speaking to the people in question.  And then, having listened to both sides, come to your conclusions. 

Please don't support misguided school policies that target trans youth without first speaking to trans youth to understand their points of view and what impacts those policies will have on their young lives.    

The way forward is always openness, communication and inclusivity.   Life is too short to make it torturous for the most vulnerable among us.  

Today's tonic: "Michael Coren: My conversion on LGBTQ rights tells an important story"

Thank you, Michael Coren, for your advocacy and inspiration.  

"Jesus doesn’t mention the issue, and St. Paul’s comments, mainly in his letters to the Romans, are more about men using young male prostitutes in pagan initiation rites than about loving, consenting same-sex relationships. There is, however, one possible discussion in the New Testament. It’s when Jesus is approached by a centurion whose beloved male servant is dying. Will Jesus cure him? Of course, and Jesus then praises the Roman for his faith. The Greek word used to describe the relationship between the Roman and his “beloved” servant indicates something far deeper than mere platonic affection.

"Then there’s the love of David and Jonathan, Jesus refusing to judge and the pristine beauty of grace and justice that informs the Gospels. Most of all, there’s the permanent revolution of love that Jesus didn’t request but demand. His central teaching, remember, is to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. We’re told this in three of the four Gospels — Matthew (22:35-40), Mark (12:28-34) and Luke (10:27). It’s a transformational moment for Christians, to know that only by loving others can we properly know and love God." 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/12/opinions/priest-conversion-lgbt-rights-coren/index.html

Today's tonic: "Protests during Pride. Pushback against LGBTQ events. Inside the fight galvanizing some conservative Muslims in Canada"

Counter-demonstrators in Ottawa June 9

Today's tonic: "Protests during Pride. Pushback against LGBTQ events. Inside the fight galvanizing some conservative Muslims in Canada" by Toronto Star staff reporter Omar Mosleh.

This fair and thorough piece does a good job detailing the various sides of the ongoing debates in our societies.  It does an excellent job detailing how Christian fundamentalists, who used to demonize Muslims and do everything they could to exclude them from Western societies, are now using Muslim conservatives to try to bolster their hateful, anti-LGBTQ agenda.  

The most interesting points of the piece for me are made by Anver Emon and Junaid Jahangir about the nuances on the issue amongst more moderate Muslims:  

"While the Navigating Differences letter highlights a conventional Islamic view — that sexual relations are only permitted in a lawful marriage between a man and woman and that medical transitions are only allowed for people with “biological ambiguities” — there are also Islamic scholars who point out that there is precedent in the Islamic tradition for recognizing non-binary genders, such as the khuntha, or someone with both sex organs (or hermaphrodite)...

"There have been debates in Islamic jurisprudence on whether a khuntha could lead prayers, a role traditionally restricted to men, says Anver Emon, Canada Research Chair in Islamic Law and History and director of the Institute of Islamic Studies at the University of Toronto...

"...Junaid Jahangir, an economics professor at MacEwan University and co-author of “Islamic Law and Muslim Same-Sex Unions,” has written about how there is precedent of non-binary gender identities being recognized in Islamic societies, such as mukhannathun (effeminate men) and the khuntha.

"Jahangir, who is gay and Muslim,...told the Star in an email that mainstream Islamic discourse on LGBTQ issues doesn’t capture the full spectrum of views on the subject.

“Islamic texts offered such individuals prayer space between the rows of men and women. Even in recent times, there was a fatwa (religious edict) by a Sunni group of clerics in Pakistan permitting them to marry. This is apart from the permission on gender reassignment surgery from the highest bodies of both Sunni and Shia Islam,” he said.

“The Muslim position on gender and sexual variance is far more diverse than what the Christian right and the Muslim right would like us to believe.”

Today's tonic: "Canada’s conservative rage farmers get a taste of their own crop," by Max Fawcett

Today's tonic: "Canada’s conservative rage farmers get a taste of their own crop," by National Observer columnist Max Fawcett. 

"Farmers aren’t usually caught off guard when it comes time to harvest the crops they’ve dutifully planted and fertilized. But some of the prominent conservative pundits who have spent years farming rage against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seem genuinely surprised by the latest ugly outburst against him in Belleville, Ont., last week, one that included antisemitic slurs and accusations of pedophilia and treason. Who knew that reaping what you’ve sown could be so much trouble?"

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/07/26/opinion/canada-conservative-rage-farmers-trudeau-belleville

Today's tonic: "Trump is gearing up for his ‘final battle’. So should we," by Robert Reich

"Trump and the Republicans will lose this battle. Even if they win Republican primaries, they will lose the general election..." by former US Labour Secretary Robert Reich.

"...We want to live in a nation where no one is above the law. We want to be able to sleep at night without worrying that a president might unleash armed lackeys to drag us out of our homes because he considers us to be his enemy...

"...Folks, it is finally time to lance this boil. It is time to decidedly rescue democracy and the rule of law. It is time to defeat Trump and his enablers who are determined to defy the core values of America.

"Let the battle begin."

Today's tonic: "York’s Catholic school trustees are abusing their power by refusing to raise the Pride flag. Their day of reckoning is coming"

Today's tonic: "York’s Catholic school trustees are abusing their power by refusing to raise the Pride flag. Their day of reckoning is coming," by Martin Regg Cohn

I couldn't  agree more with the columnist on this.  

It's long past time for an Ontario leader to be brave enough to take on this sacred cow of a separate system just for Catholics and unite our public education systems to end this systemic discrimination based on religion.  No faith should have special rights in modern Ontario.  

 In 2007, the public made clear in that provincial election (with the crushing defeat of John Tory's PCs who advocated that year expanding funding to all religions) they certainly don't want to further silo off our public education system to create even more religious public schools.  

Instead, the solution to this discrimination is clear: one system for all. 

Today's tonic: "COVID-19 misinformation cost at least 2,800 lives and $300M, new report says"

Today's tonic: 

COVID-19 misinformation cost at least 2,800 lives and $300M, new report says

The report — released by the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA), an independent research organization that receives federal funding — examined how misinformation affected COVID infections, hospitalizations and deaths between March and November of 2021.

The authors suggest that misinformation contributed to vaccine hesitancy for 2.3 million Canadians. Had more people been willing to roll up their sleeves when a vaccine was first available to them, Canada could have seen roughly 200,000 fewer COVID cases and 13,000 fewer hospitalizations, the report says.

"In a democracy, the public should be able to understand the risks we're facing … and act on that basis," he said. "But if you're drenched in misinformation … then you're distorting the public's ability — and you're denying people the right — to be informed about the risks they're facing."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cost-of-covid-19-misinformation-study-1.6726356