by Rayne Flutterby, Write W.A.V.E. Media Contributor & Advocate

Don't ever use the so-called wrong bathroom in Oxford, Alabama unless you have five-hundred bucks lying around, as well as up to six months time to sit in jail. A law was just passed there stating that anyone who uses a public restroom that doesn't match the gender on their birth certificate is subject to a fine of $500 and up to six months in jail. It's considered a criminal misdemeanor offense. What?

How stupid and completely inhumane is that? As Lyn Lomasi pointed out in the comment section of another post I wrote on this topic:

In that instance, a police officer asked a lesbian woman who "looked too boyish" for her ID to prove that she was a woman and when she didn't have one with her, she was made to leave the restroom.

Is this kind of thing going to become the new normal? If so, that is a sad state for our country to be in. I thought the whole point of this country was so that people could be free to be who they are and be treated equally. Laws that exclude certain people do just the opposite.

It's a good thing there are companies like Target, who stick up for people and allow them to use the restroom and fitting room according to how they identify.

But more people need to stand up for the rights for others if we ever want things to change. This law and other laws like it feel unconstitutional (I'm no legal expert) and at the very least extremely immoral.

Let's face it. If you're in the bathroom with me and you see what's under my clothing, you are the pervert, not me. Can't we all just go in there, close our own stall, mind our business, and do our own business? Seems pretty simple to me.

*above quote used with permission

Watch as late night comic Stephen Colbert hilariously destroys those who support laws against people using the public restroom they prefer.

Caitlyn Jenner (formerly known as Bruce Jenner) has her own reality show, which is chronicling her transition from a man into a woman. Caitlyn or Cait identifies herself as transgender, however she was able to transition so quickly in isolation and she didn’t learn all that she needed to. An interesting moment happened, when Scott (Kourtney K. Husband) came by to see Caitlyn. They both talked and Scott really seemed to understand that she was truly happy, even happier than in the past.

They discussed the famous Vanity Fair Article, where Scott explained why the family was angry. In the next few episodes, Kim K. West stopped by to talk to Cait about the article as well. She pointed out things she thought were unfair and asked Cait not to bash the family on her rise to fame. Additionally, Caitlyn visited Khloe K. at her house and she spoke with Caitlyn about the article. Basically, Khloe asked Cait not to bash her mother Kris and that she should explain herself better to Kylie and Kendall. 

Finally, Caitlyn musters up the strength to call Kris Jenner and he invites her to come over for a talk to her about the kids and other stuff. The next day, she showed up and was pleasantly surprised, by how she looks and how good she is doing. They begin talking and Kris admits she is having problems, because she is mourning the man he used to be for 25 years…Bruce Jenner! Thankfully, the talk allows them to start anew and they agree to talk more about the kids.

Caitlyn finally meets a group of women, who are transgender and accepting of Cait. Suddenly, Caitlyn feels ecstatic and elated to be in a group of women that understand how she is feeling. Caitlyn whisks the women on a road trip and they all enjoy themselves, while talking about how they felt during each of their transitions in to women hood. As Caitlyn, she is honest about how she feels and about things she doesn’t know.

The friendly group of women helped Cait to identify with the LGBT community in her city and state, which help her find a new purpose in life. She went to several places and listen to youth who transitioned young and parents that have been supporting their child’s choice. In addition, Caitlyn met other adult women who are transgender, but she learned that it is hard them to find job because they are transgender.

Caitlyn also created a naming ceremony to announce her new name, but it was also for the other women in her group as well. Boy George and Candis sang for the ceremony and it was absolutely nice and beautiful. The tabloids have said the Candis and Caitlyn are dating, but they are actually really good friends. They spend a lot of time together, because are both transgender and they enjoy each other’s company.

Amazingly Caitlyn’s mother had broken her hip, but that didn’t stop her from coming to visit her new daughter. Caitlyn’s sisters came with their mother and each accepted her for who she was, instead of putting her down. At the Espy Awards, Caitlyn shined as she received her award and gave her speech which was from her heart. Both Caitlyn’s family was there and her children were there, as each person cheered her on and the audience cheered her on as well.
 
Reference:
Personal Experience
Watched  Season 1- I am Cait

And so it begins, the beginning of the end, or the beginning of the beginning, at this point the world is just about to spin off its axis. The United States Of America is at odds with its past, and its future and it seems old wounds never really heal, they’re just scabbed over until somebody picks at it and the wound is once again opened. Right now the hardest pill to swallow is the pill of change and some people feel they are being dragged, kicking and screaming into the future when they feel the past is where they want to remain. Welcome to civilization.

The Supreme Court Of The United States has this country coming and going with it's popular and unpopular landmark decisions and it seems to me as though they’re playing both sides of the fence. The Republican Party was under the misguided impression, and so were we I might add, that they were in command of the high court when said court ruled that “money was speech”, along with the Hobby Lobby ruling and then ruling that rules for voting could be changed which effectively diminished the easy availability of some minority voters to cast their ballots via early voting and also put a strain on those needing identification to vote. And, now all of a sudden, just to keep us guessing, they’ve jumped to the other side of the fence and upheld the Affordable Care Act subsidies, and then really tipped the scales with the landmark ruling that same sex marriages are legal in all states and a constitutional right. The Republican Party says that this same-sex ruling, more than any other, will lead this country into ruins.You must remember that the Republicans claim to be big fans of Christian values and they say to allow gays and lesbians to marry and raise a family is the sign of a country gone morally corrupt thanks to that “man” in the White House and the unpredictable Supreme Court. Justice Anthony Scalia has reduced himself to the point of name-calling when it comes to talking about the decisions his colleagues made recently despite his best pre-paid efforts to sway them otherwise. 

The rainbow community has won a great victory based on the freedom of the right to choose.  The same reason we use to invade other countries calling ourselves great liberators of the world, cape flying and righting injustices everywhere when others “right to choose” is threatened. But following the advise of your own sermon can  be a monumental task. It is true that the Bible has defined a traditional marriage as one between a man and a woman for the last 6,000 years, and speaks of sodomy and lost morality, but it also speaks of love, forgiveness and helping the sick and the poor. Lawyers are fond of telling their clients that there is no way of knowing how a judge or jury will rule so who’s to say how God will rule on this latest evolution of mankind. When Adam bit into that apple despite being warned, God knew at that point that all bets were off as far as our evolution was concerned. We would all be naked if Adam hadn’t suddenly realized that he was feeling a draft in all the wrong places, and grabbed a fig leaf and invented shorts. And since then humans have steadily been evolving regardless of the blueprint laid out in the Bible.

This country is being torn apart by those who claim they are for human rights, but only the rights they find appropriate. Love does not discriminate and cupid’s arrow strikes were it’s aimed. There are those who will tell you that who you love makes a difference but there is two sides to this sword. Whether someone falls in love with a convicted killer,  a person of another race, or a person of the same gender, it is their right to choose and that right and their decisions should be respected, period! There is not one GOP politician who can talk about morality after doing nothing in memory of the slaughtered school children in Newtown, Conn. But stand by, they are about to move Heaven and Earth to stop same sex-couples from getting married. Even after the courts decision, there are some states that still refuse to comply and so the battles begin but I must admit, I feel kind of sorry for the Republicans, because it’s plain to see, like everyone else's, their money just doesn’t buy what it use to. Too bad.

DLTPONCHO33

In case you haven't heard the news, on June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court found bans on marriage to be unconstitutional. This finally makes marriage equality a reality in the United States.

Watch the emotional video below (ft The Rhodes Bros) to see the touching reactions as marriage equality is announced. I dare you not to cry. Nevermind. You won't win that dare. 

#LoveWins

 If you're among my circle of friends and family, you probably see me as a straight woman, correct? Well, you would be both right and wrong with this assumption. Why? Well, it's just not that simple, so let me break it down.

First, let's give credit where credit is due. My friend  San at Informed Sharing wrote a post called “I Like Girls” and it inspired me to give my thoughts as well. Incidentally, she also inspired me to do this “Pieces of Me” series, modeled after her own.

Most people who know me would call me straight because to their knowledge (and accurately), I have only been in relationships with men. Why then, do I identify more closely with the pansexual title (if I must have a label)? The answer is both simple and complex.

As another friend said in a related post, we're all a little more flexible than we care to admit. Though I have been with only men, I am attracted to souls, not genders. When I see a person, I see no gender , race , or other label . I see and feel what is on the inside of that person, that soul. That is the simple definition of pansexuality – as far as what it means to me.

But you see, there are so many variations of what each of these labels means to each individual person. That, and the fact that people are just people, is why labels suck. They really do. Can't we just treat each other like the precious individual human souls that we all are? Can't consenting adults simply love each other without everyone else butting in? But alas, people need definitions, so if there must be labels, now you have mine. I'm a pansexual. I love the human race. Pure and simple.

Think I would leave someone I'm into and go run off and fall in love with someone else, due to varying genders? Wrong. Think again. Did you not read the above clearly? I don't see genders. I see souls. Therefore, there's no reason to leave one for another based on genders. While I support various types of relationship roles, I'm not the type to leave for a reason like that. And there you have yet another problem with labels: judging . I know exactly who I love and who I am – and when I am in love, I am not afraid to say so.

I'll speak my mind clearly, no matter what. What about you?

*I originally published this on a since-closed venue.