Left I on the News 🇨🇺🇵🇸🏳️‍⚧️

I’m not actually a writer, but I have written a few things so here goes:

Lula's victory in Brazil means a lot to a ton of people in the country, including transgender people. So when Lula won, it was a major moment of celebration when he turned to kiss a popular transgender lawmaker on the cheek. Subscribe to support our journalism.

This Great Egret was no more than 5 feet from me as I ran by (ok, I stopped to take the picture 😜). I think he thought no one could see him behind the reeds. 😁 @skwinnicki.bsky.social @jordantyranny.bsky.social

The elections are on next Tuesday, and so much is at stake, including the soul of the Democratic Party when it comes to transgender people. I am asking you to leave a very small number of races blank in which a Democrat has embraced extreme anti-trans hate. I make my case here.

Many of you know I maintain a list of 32 Democrats who have embraced anti-trans policy or run ads against us. I am not even asking my readers to abstain from all 32. Some have improved, and some may not meet your line. But I ask my readers to draw a line and refuse to elect the worst among them.

Trump is such a very small man. People used to make fun of his allegedly small hands. I don’t care about that. But he’s small where it really counts — inside.

The continued subversion of democracy by big money. My friend Kathy Watanabe is running for Mayor of Santa Clara Clara, CA, pop. 135,000. Outside of a major city like NY, LA, or SF, have you ever seen a TV ad for a mayor on TV? I haven’t. But the 49’ers have the $ to spend to influence the election.

Bolsonaro calls for Brazil’s election to be annulled. A preview of what the US can expect in November.

A new survey of 1,000 American adults found that the strongest supporters of transgender sports bans are not the people who admire women most: they are the people who hold the most hostile views about women. www.helenwebberley.com/news/transge...

Donald Trump, relentlessly focused on the issues Americans are concerned about…like Bill Maher? 🤦🏼‍♀️

Lula pulls it off! Down with fascism!

As an Olympian who knows it’s important to have rules, Turek should know that (per @kirstimiller30.bsky.social) since the IOC created a rule for trans athletes to compete in 2003, over 81K people have been Olympians. Out of those 2 have been trans women; one finished last the other 37th of 42.

As an Olympian who knows it’s important to have rules, Turek should know that (per @kirstimiller30.bsky.social) since the IOC created a rule for trans athletes to compete in 2003, over 81K people have been Olympians. Out of those 2 have been trans women; one finished last the other 37th of 42.

#NotTheOnion

The NYT attempts to justify the original bullshit headline by claiming the US “has received intelligence”. No prize for guessing the source.

22% of Trump 2024 voters disapprove of his performance …which means 78% approve of his racism, his war-mongering, his price-increasing tariffs & wars, his ridiculous renaming of geography, his obvious incompetence, & his rampant narcissism.

Another evil layer to this ad from Josh Turek: When he turns to say "stop the nonsense from both extremes," he opens with a clip of Rep. Becca Balint, the first openly gay woman to represent Vermont in congress and one of the few openly gay members of congress.

Two good pictures (Northern Flicker) from a bird walk yesterday, & 2 fun ones — an out-of-focus Belted Kingfisher which Apple Photo ID had no trouble identifying, & a Say’s Phoebe fleeing the scene but not quickly enough! @jordantyranny.bsky.social @gregneise.bsky.social @skwinnicki.bsky.social

Good news, she’s not promoting an anti-trans agenda, just making a statement about the possibility of being a mother and an athlete.

Adult men in girls’ locker rooms? You mean like Trump walking into the dressing room at Miss Teen America?

The NYT attempts to justify the original bullshit headline by claiming the US “has received intelligence”. No prize for guessing the source.

#NotTheOnion

ICYMI — there’s now (finally!) an iPad-native version of Bluesky! Yay!

Ultra-reactionary Brice Tinsley attempting to shore up Trump by talking about “a sharp drop in jet fuel costs.” It is true that in the last two weeks, the price of jet fuel dropped 4.9%. That, however, comes after a *111%* 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 since the same time last year.

“They’re barely doing anything to protect women and girls, including survivors of sexual violence. They just don’t care about women and girls.” @shiwalipatel.bsky.social

Per a database of discrimination complaints obtained by @propublica.org , Trump's Department of Education is actively ignoring reports of rape and assault on campuses so they can instead focus on transgender athletes. Their obsession with trans people is actively putting women and girls in danger.

Zuckerberg says he’s leaving California if we pass the billionaire tax (Prop 40, and don’t forget you also have to vote NO on 41 & 42). One more reason to vote YES on 40! Send Zuckerberg packing!

Major win for trans rights from…SCOTUS! 🏳️‍⚧️

The fact that this ludicrous claim has to be taken seriously and investigated by reputable news outlets is a sad reflection on the state of discourse in this country. www.cnn.com/2026/10/20/p...

It wasn’t Haitians eating dogs and cats. What it really was, and is, is the Trump Administration eating the life out of a small community. wapo.st/4z1bS9l

The fact that this ludicrous claim has to be taken seriously and investigated by reputable news outlets is a sad reflection on the state of discourse in this country. www.cnn.com/2026/10/20/p...

😳😳😳

After Idaho banned abortion: “More than 1/3 of Idaho’s OB-GYNs stopped practicing obstetrics, left the state, closed their practices or retired…just 170 obstetricians for roughly 1M women — fewer than two doctors per 10,000. 1/2 of Idaho’s 44 counties no longer have a practicing obstetrician.”

2025 bill (sen. vote 85-14, signed by Biden) stripped trans healthcare from military families. 2026 bill (sen. vote 77-20) banned trans people from sports in military academies. average Dems might not see benefit in attacking us, but they aren’t willing to take political hits to defend us, either

Searching in vain for “Transgender for Everybody”. I know that’s what Republican politicians (& far too many Democratic ones) think is top of voters’ minds.

It’s not just the Valkyries who are the best. Their fans are too! #Ballhalla

What’s going on in the United Kingdom right now is unspeakable. And it’s Labour, the ostensibly left of center party that is doing it. Horrific.

It’s a miracle! 1/3 of Republicans aren’t completely brain-dead!

it is of course transphobic bigotry but it should be pointed out that the lie “people need the right healthcare for their biological sex” kills trans people. trans women get breast cancer at far higher rates than cis men. trans men get prostate cancer. hrt changes your sex.

Trump wants to eliminate the “A” from “AI”. I think it would be more appropriate to eliminate the “I”.

(Ralph Wiggum voice) I’m a class traitor!

A semi-Scaramucci!

Caitlin Clark shoes just had the largest launch in women’s basketball shoe history www.si.com/fannation/sn..., but her name isn’t mentioned until the 17th paragraph of this NYT article www.nytimes.com/athletic/767..., & then only at the end of a list of other stars.

$158 MILLION $ spent in one election by Elon Musk to try to elect a fellow reactionary. The greatest democracy money can buy (or try to), turning elections into a person on one side of the net with a tennis racket playing against someone with a ping-pong paddle.