Confronting the Storms: Oct. 10th-22nd 2018

Hello Teen Resisters! This week has been chock full of important and complex news. We're here to unpack it all and give you some guidance. 
We've included a briefing and action at the beginning about the recent news of the Trump admin's new anti-trans efforts. In addition to sending these resources your way, we are sending love and support to our trans and gnc family. We hope that you are taking care of yourself and doing ok in the face of all of this media, both the bigoted parts and the performative ones.
So let's jump in:
*The briefing on the trans memo was written by Kai Franks. They are not a staff writer and therefore do not have their name on the website, so this is to give them credit where (brilliant) credit is due.*

What Went Down:

Anti-Trans Memo: On Sunday, The New York Times reported on a memo circulating through the Trump administration, which would strictly interpret Title IX’s prohibition on gender discrimination in education to exclude transgender and gender non-conforming people. As The Times reports, the “proposed definition would define sex as either male or female, unchangeable, and determined by the genitals that a person is born with." Nothing has happened yet, but the Department of Health and Human Services, which is spearheading the effort, has called on numerous other federal agencies to adopt its interpretation of Title IX.
Historically, the purpose of federal civil rights law has been to offer federal protection to marginalized groups in places where they might otherwise be persecuted. So, for example, while Jim Crow laws did not exist in the North, there was no way Southern legislatures would ever overturn them: hence federal protection. Likewise, while transgender and gender non-conforming people might be protected in states like California, the Obama administration recognized that without federal protection they were being discriminated against in much of the country. They understood that federal civil rights law could not be static, and so interpreted Title IX to include gender identity, acknowledging what medical professionals know: that being transgender is not simply a choice.
While the Trump administration may promulgate its own interpretation of the law, it is ultimately the courts that will determine what it means. But as civil rights groups have pointed out, “The overwhelming majority of courts to address the question since the most relevant Supreme Court precedent in 1998 have held that anti-transgender bias constitutes sex discrimination under federal laws like Title IX.”

What you can do:
Because this is only a memo, there is little we can do to directly halt it right now. Stay tuned for updates if it becomes a rule. 
For now, focus on helping trans and gender non-conforming people in your own communities and circles, especially if you’re cisgender.

• Always ask people’s pronouns and apologize if you mess them up.
  
• Make sure that if you’re planning events that you’re accommodating of people’s gender identities.
  
• Even if you think your own pronouns are obvious, include them on your name tags or bios. Correct people when they misgender someone. Start conversations with other cis people about this and reflect on your own behavior. There are lots of ways to be a good ally.
• Support trans law centers such as the Audre Lord Project, The Sylvia Rivera Law Project, and Lambda Legal.
  
• Study up! Check out this list of ways to help. Read the original article. 
  
• Go to this thread for a list of GoFundMes of trans people to donate to.
  

A person holds a trans pride flag at NYC's Hell No To The Memo rally on Sunday night. Image from Them.

Midterms Update & Georgia Voter Suppression: The midterms are closer than ever… and it’s more important than ever to be working hard to get out the vote for progressive candidates. This week we’re highlighting the voter-suppression controversy in the governor’s race in Georgia.
The race for governor in Georgia is hotly contested between Teens Resist favorite Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp, an ardent Trump supporter and currently Georgia’s Secretary of State. Kemp, who has already been accused of voter suppression before the current election cycle, put the registrations of 53,000 voters on hold as an execution of the state’s recent “exact-match” policy. The law, which requires voter registration materials to match records from the Social Security Administration or the Department of Driver Services, letter for letter, hyphen for hyphen, is claimed to be an attempt at curbing voter fraud. But the scarcity of actual incidents of voter fraud, coupled with the fact that the policy disproportionately affects minority voters (70% of the voters with registrations on hold are African American) reveals the policy’s true nature: an attempt to disenfranchise minority voters, who tend to lean Democratic in elections for both governor and other offices.
Abrams’ campaign, and politicians like Joe Biden, have decried the policy as a clear effort at voter suppression in Kemp’s favor. Despite the fact that on-hold voters can still vote if they come to the polls with photo ID, the policy will likely cause confusion among poll employees about how to deal with these voters, could convince certain voters that they won’t be able to vote, and could deter others from coming to the polls as well. The confusions in the process echo the racist voter suppression that went on in Georgia in the 1960s.
Read this article for a more complete explanation of the whole controversy.

What you can do:

• Start calling voters in Georgia. If you already are, keep calling. Voters who have had their registration put on hold need to be reminded that they can still vote if they come to the polls with a valid photo ID. Plus, one of the biggest concerns about the effect of voter suppression tactics like the ones at play in Georgia is that they not only restrict certain people from voting but scare off or discourage the rest. That means we need to double down on our efforts to get out the vote for Stacey Abrams. Check out this list to learn how to help her out!
• If you live in Georgia, or know people who live in Georgia, spread the word: you can still vote, and you should! Post on social media, text friends and family, and do all you can to encourage voters to cast their ballots for Abrams. (For that matter, remind everyone you know to vote, from everywhere).

Don’t stop at helping out Stacey Abrams; extend your efforts to other candidates as well. Check out this list to remind yourself of Teens Resist’s six highlighted candidates and ways to help; also head here to sign up for a phonebanking shift this week with Indivisible! ​

Stacey Abrams (<3)

Brian Kemp

Saudi Arabian Journalist Killed: Earlier this month, on October 2nd, Saudi Arabian progressive journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed by hitmen from the Saudi government. He entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey to obtain documents officializing his marriage, his fiancé waiting outside, but according to video surveillance, never left. During the following investigations by both Turkish and Saudi Arabian officials, Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammad bin Salman, of whom Khashoggi had been sharply critical, denied any involvement in the disappearance. But on October 20th, as evidence continued to mount against them, the Saudi Arabian government admitted that they were responsible for the abduction and eventual killing of Khashoggi.

According to police reports, Khashoggi was abducted, murdered, dismembered, and hidden in his fifteen killers’ briefcases. His murderers had been flown in the night before and left immediately following the killing, leaving behind a body double whom they dressed in Khashoggi’s clothing and sent out in an attempt to fool any surveillance.

Although it is overwhelmingly clear that the Saudi Arabian government perpetrated this brutal killing and coverup, President Trump has refused to push sanctions against Saudi Arabia, citing the economic importance of the country to the United States. This is still a highly partisan issue; Democrats and Republican senators are divided on whether to level sanctions on Saudi Arabia, economic or otherwise.

What you can do:

• Inform yourself! 
• If this is something you are passionate about, call your representatives and tell them to push for sanctions against Saudi Arabia.  Use this script:

Number: 202-224-3121
Hi, I’m [your name] and I’m calling today because I believe that sanctions against Saudi Arabia as punishment for the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi are a real and pressing issue. I believe that [rep name] should do everything in their power to push for sanctions. Saudi Arabia's actions are anti-freedom and anti-American. Thank you.

Khashoggi. Image from Metafora Productions.

Hurricane Michael: Hurricane Michael hit Florida last week and the outcome has been detrimental. At least 36 people have died, according to officials from all four states the hurricane has hit (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia), reports CNN. Hurricane Michael hit the US with 155-mile-per-hour winds and a barometric pressure of 919 millibars, making it the third-strongest hurricane to ever hit the continental US, according to Wired.

Michael started as simply a tropical storm, but quickly became a category 4 hurricane, increasing intensity more rapidly than most hurricanes do, making it all the more dangerous. Scientists blame global warming on the recent plethora of intense hurricanes. “Human beings pump more greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the air, and the air changes. The planet’s overall temperature goes up, and that means, in part, more energy in the top of the oceans. That’s a hurricane’s engine,” reports Wired.
Floods and infrastructural destruction are among the many horrific outcomes of Hurricane Michael, and The Washington Post reports that even storm chasers were horrified by the amount of destruction Florida, specifically, is facing.

What you can do:

• Raise money to send to the victims of Hurricane Michael–– any organization will tell you that the best thing you can do is donate money. Organizations can buy things in bulk for a lower price than you can, and you’re making sure what you’re donating will actually be useful!
  • Click here to donate to the Habitat for Humanity relief effort.
  • Do something in your school:
    • Bakesale
    • Sell tickets to a student-run concert
    • Sell t-shirts/pins/postcards/etc.
  • Donate with Google
• If you don’t want to donate money, make sure you’re not sending unsolicited goods–– Donating something organizations don’t need does more harm than good.
  • Use this link to register your donation with National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster and see if what you’re looking to donate will be helpful
  • If you live near/are willing to travel to the affected areas, consult this link on how to get involved with volunteering.
  • If you’re eligible, donate blood. The Red Cross and other aid organizations are always looking for blood donations, but especially in times of crisis. Click here to find a location near you and make an appointment to donate blood.
• Open your home
  • Sign up with Airbnb here to allow displaces victims of Hurricane Michael to stay with you until they can get back up on their feet.
• Help the animals–– many animals were also displaced by the hurricane, and organizations like the Florida State Animal Response Coalition are raising money for medical care and housing.
  • Click here to donate to the FSARC’s animal relief effort.

Go to last week’s list to read our update and action on the troubling news about climate change that arrived last week (12 years to prevent environmental collapse anyone?). ​

Photo from Business Insider.

Don't forget to take care of yourself after all this unfortunate news! Sending love and light.
PUPPY VIDEO!