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Trans Woman Cannot Find Nursing Home in Iowa That Will Admit Her

May 18, 2016, 9:02 pm
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An interesting article was posted by the Des Moines Register tonight highlighting the difficulty that one 52-year-old trans woman is experiencing in her search for a nursing home here in Iowa. LeQuan Edwards experienced a stroke last August. She spent time in a Clarinda-based rehabilitation center before being admitted to Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines this past March due to severe wounds on her legs. Now the hospital is trying to discharge her, but cannot find a nursing home that will accept a trans woman:
She was scheduled to be discharged Tuesday. But a hospital social worker said hospital staff checked with roughly 90 nursing homes and rehab facilities and none — except one that was 2 1/2 hours away in Muscatine — would take her.

Edwards’ legs are wrapped in compresses. She has very limited use of her right arm and needs help getting to a bathroom. She also struggles with mental health issues, including bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorders.

But those conditions aren’t all that unusual in the general population.

Carter said a hospital social worker told him Monday one of the reasons they can’t find a nursing or rehabilitation facility near Des Moines is that Edwards is transgender. He said the social worker told him that facilities are accepting new residents say men don’t want to room with a person who is biologically male but identifies as a woman. Neither do their female residents.

And Medicaid, Edwards’ health care provider, won’t pay for private rooms, except on a temporary basis.
The article goes on to interview Donna Red Wing of One Iowa who discussed their recent effort to create a resource guide for LGBT seniors in Iowa. They sent out materials to 50 nursing homes in Iowa. Only three bothered to respond.

You can (and should) read the enter story here.
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Trailer Released for Andrew Marin's Latest Book: "Us Versus Us"

May 18, 2016, 9:26 pm
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It's been a while since I've written about Andrew Marin. He's been studying for a few years in Scotland and the Marin Foundation took a break last May due to some operational changes. I don't talk much these days with Andrew, though we see each other on Facebook pretty regularly. It was on Facebook earlier this week where I learned that Andrew has a new book out called "Us Versus Us."

This is what "Us Versus Us" is about:
For decades now, we have found ourselves caught up in a culture war; US VERSUS THEM. The good news: there is no them. Our culture war has been a civil war: US VERSUS US. This it the untold story of religion and the LGBT community. Thankfully, there is a path toward peace...
You can read about the book here or here. You can watch the official trailer here. And you can order the book here.

I ordered my book from Amazon yesterday. It arrived sometime today. I haven't read it yet, but it's on my summer reading list. I'll share my reactions once the book has been read!
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Carroll, IA: Naked Man Found Stuck in Chimney

May 19, 2016, 10:02 am
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Here's an odd story from the other side of Iowa. A 29-year-old man named Jordan Kajewski was discovered naked and covered with soot stuck in a chimney in Carroll, IA, earlier this week. He was naked and covered in soot.

According to witnesses, Kajewski claimed that he was playing a game of hide-and-seek with his cousin. He climbed from the roof of the Carroll Redemption Center and managed to get about 20 feet down into the chimney before getting stuck.

The Redemption Center's owner claimed that he'd been working late on the 17th when he heard a voice whisper "Get out of here." He apparently thought this was a ghost and left for home. His wife went to work the next day and heard somebody yell at her from within the chimney: "I’m in your chimney... I was playing hide-and-seek with my cousin. ... Don’t call the cops, I just need some help getting out."

The police and fire department were called to the Redemption Center that morning to help Kajewski out of the chimney. They tried pulling him out with a rope from the top, but ended up needed to smash a hole into the chimney to extract the naked man.

He was taken to jail and charged with trespass.
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Washington DC: Security Guard Charged with Assault Following Bathroom Confrontation with Trans Woman

May 19, 2016, 10:17 am
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There is a report coming out of Washington DC involving a security guard who's in trouble with the police for roughing up a trans woman who needed to use the public restroom:
D.C. police have charged a security guard at a Giant grocery store with simple assault after a transgender woman said the guard forced her out of the women's restroom. 

Ebony Belcher, 32, said she went to the Giant in northeast D.C. with a friend to pick up a delivery from the Western Union. While at the Giant, she asked a store employee to point her to the restroom and passed a female security officer standing in the hallway. The officer came into the restroom and told her to get out, according to Belcher. "She opened the door and came in and started calling me derogatory names," Belcher said. She said the officer put her hand on her shoulder and arm, grabbed her and pushed her out of the store. 

Belcher said the guard told her, "You guys cannot keep coming in here and using our women's restroom. They did not pass the law yet." She said she called police and reported the incident after she left the store. According to a police report, officers arrested the guard at the Giant after the confrontation.
The security guard has been charged with assault.

Washington DC has a trans-inclusive anti-discrimination statute. And even if it didn't, the guard created a hostile response where none was warranted. Assuming that the story described above is accurate. I'm sure we will find out if it's not.
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Welcome to the Family, Chevy!!

May 20, 2016, 7:49 pm
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You may remember that Ms. Lion, our pekepoo, died last September following a brief illness. We toyed with getting another dog, but decided to wait until after Christmas. Then we began looking at Iowa-based rescue groups for poodles and Pekingeses, but struggled to find any that seemed like good fits for our homes. So we took another break from our search. Then we noticed that Nero seemed droopy around the house and began thinking that he missed having another dog at home. So I put out a round of unsuccessful applications for dogs.

Then earlier this week, I noticed an image of a small poodle at a dog rescue called Second Chance Dog Rescue. I reached out and found that the dog was available for adoption. I submitted my application.

One day later, our application was approved. Then Husband Mark and I traveled to Prole, IA, earlier today and met our new family member: Chevy!

Chevy is 4-years-old and weighs about 9 pounds. He's shy, but increasingly curious about his new home and family. He must not have walked on a leash in the past, but he's getting pretty confident about walking with his new harness. Lastly, he and Nero have met and are cautiously getting to know each other. No fights yet!


Welcome to Iowa City, Chevy! We're excited to fold you into the family!
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Phoenix Goddess Temple Leader Convicted of 22 Charges Connected to Running a Brothel // Sentenced to 4.5 Years of Prison

May 22, 2016, 4:56 pm
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I've written a couple of times (here and here) about the Phoenix Goddess Temple, which was the subject of a 6-month undercover investigation for operating a secret brothel. Several male and female church practitioners were arrested and accused of performing sex acts in exchange for monetary donations. The Goddess Temple argued that their neo tantric healing therapists were not acts of prostitution, but instead religious acts.

I've vaguely followed this case since it went to trial. I don't know what happened to the various church practitioners, but I do know that Tracy Elise, the Phoenix Goddess Temple's leader, was found guilty last March of 22 criminal charges connected to running a brothel. Those charges include conspiracy to commit illegal enterprise, illegal control of an enterprise, operating or maintaining a house of prostitution, multiple counts of money laundering, and multiple counts of pandering.

Earlier this week, she was sentence to 4 1/2 years in prison for each of the 22 counts for which she was convicted. Seriously. Fortunately, the charges will be served concurrently. She will then be sentenced to four years of probation when she gets released from prison.

She will be given credit for the 305 days that she has been sitting in jail. Keep in mind that the trial began in November 2015. That means that she spent nearly a year in jail while waiting for her case to evolve.

She plans to appeal this verdict.

Let's set aside the question of religious liberty for a Pagan faith community that seems to have been trampled. Elise could have been sentenced to 99 years for prostitution. How sick is that?
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Iowa City: Tate High School Evacuated Due to Bomb Threat

May 24, 2016, 7:15 pm
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There were local news reports yesterday that schools in Altoona, Marion, and West Des Moines were evacuated due to bomb threats. It was reported that this also affected schools nationwide. We were told that it was an automated phone call threat. We were told that these calls affected high schools, junior high schools, and elementary schools.

For some reason, the local media failed to point out until earlier today that Tate High School of Iowa City was also evacuated yesterday due to a bomb threat. At least, Iowa City's bomb threat was buried among news reports.

According to the Press-Citizen...
Tate High School in Iowa City was evacuated after receiving a phone call about a bomb threat, Iowa City Police Sgt. Chris Akers and school staff confirmed...

A phone call of a bomb threat came to Tate Monday morning, Kristin Pedersen, the district's coordinator of community affairs, said via email. Iowa City police were notified, and students were sent home as the department assessed the threat, Pedersen said. The police department could not provide specific details. An email was sent to Tate parents at 12:30 p.m., Pedersen said.
My son isn't a student at Tate High School. But I usually receive email and phone alerts from the school when big things happen. Like a bomb threat that evacuated one of the district's high schools.
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KKK Litters Alabama Neighborhoods with Anti-Trans Leaflets

May 24, 2016, 8:19 pm
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Every so often, you hear reports of the Ku Klux Klan leaving fliers in neighborhoods (such as here or here or here). The fliers usually reach out to residents, suggesting that they will keep the neighborhood safe from unspecified threats.

Now residents of Dothan, Alabama, are reporting that KKK fliers have been left outside of roughly 75 house. Only difference is that the Klan moved from vague threats and named their targeted "threat": trans people:
Anti-transgender fliers claiming to be from a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan were distributed in at least one Dothan neighborhood.

"It is a free speech issue. There is no threat put in there, no call to arms. It looks like they are asking for donations and putting out a political agenda instead of a hate-based one," Dothan Police Capt. Will Benny said...

Police were notified of three fliers placed in an east Dothan neighborhood of about 75 houses...

Benny called the neighborhood in question quiet and "certainly not a hotbed for Klan activity..."

Dothan police said the dissemination of the fliers isn't necessarily illegal, but a resident could file a complaint for littering.
The flier reads:

TRANSGENDER
Is an abomination according to the Kings James Bible

Deuteronomy 22:5
"A woman shall not wear that pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: For all that do are an abomination unto the Lord Thy God.

These freaks are jeopardizing the safety of bathrooms all across the nation for our women and children. This needs to STOP

There is no confusion
If you have a PENIS -- Use the MENS ROOM
If you have a VAGINA -- Use the LADES ROOM

If your confused and don't know what sex you are today
USE A TREE OUT IN THE BACK YARD

JOIN AND HELP US STAND UP AND BOYCOTT THIS ABOMINATION

The Loyal White Knights of the KKK

According to the news article, a copy of this flier was sent by local police to the FBI.
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Marvel Comics to Fans: Didn't You Know that Captain America Is Totally Into Hydra??

May 25, 2016, 8:56 am
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So I was going to write last night about #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend, a goofy Twitter campaign that urged Marvel Comics to hook Steve Rogers (AKA Captain America) with longtime chum, Bucky Barnes (AKA Winter Solider). After all, "you don't oppose 117 nations just for 'a childhood friend.'" Unless you're Captain America!

But then I got busy and the whole campaign seemed silly, so I got distracted and let it drop.

All silliness aside, that Twitter campaign -- which got the anti-gay trolls and traditionalists all in an uproar for a short time -- was nothing compared to what Marvel Comics appears to have done this morning in STEVE ROGERS: CAPTAIN AMERICA #1.

Marvel Comics had Steve Rogers kill off fellow hero, Jack Flag, and reveal that he is a Hydra agent:
In recent months, Steve Rogers' body had been drained of the Super-Soldier Serum, leaving him old and weak. Now, he's back in action, young, and fit... and on the last page of today's issue, it's revealed that he's working with Hydra.

Through flashbacks, it's implied that Cap has been working with Hydra since he was a child and they helped protect his mother.
Fans don't believe it. I don't believe it. Husband Mark didn't believe it when I told him about it earlier today. Red Skull is currently telepathic and could easily have messed with Cap's brain, but Marvel Comics says otherwise:
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How long has this been in development? What inspired you to rethink such an iconic character in this way?...

WRITER NICK SPENCER: Rick Remender, who was the previous writer on Captain America, had been building towards this story of Hydra having infiltrated various institutions of government and various super teams. I thought that sounded like too big of a story. I drilled it down and thought, what if there’s just one very valuable Hydra plant? What if they’re looking for 100 people, but there’s just one? So I started asking, who’s the worst person it could possibly be? It was really obvious straight away that there’s nobody who could do more damage and nobody that could be a more valuable Hydra plant than Steve Rogers. That was really the genesis. It sprang pretty organically from story ideas that were already on the table.

Issue 1 lays the groundwork for the reveal with flashbacks to Steve’s childhood and his first contact with an operative of Hydra. Does this mean it’s been this way his whole life?... 

SPENCER: Issue 2 will lay a lot of our cards on the table in terms of what the new status quo is, but the one thing we can say unequivocally is: This is not a clone, not an imposter, not mind control, not someone else acting through Steve. This really is Steve Rogers, Captain America himself....

What kind of relationship will Cap have with this new generation of Hydra? 

SPENCER: It’s a big part of our story, what Steve’s beliefs are about what Hydra should be, where it should go, what it should focus on. To me, I always get really fascinated by this kind of thing. Any World War II history buff can talk your ear off about the internal power struggles of the Nazi Party. There were some fun parallels to play with here. There’s also a little bit of The Man in the High Castle here. It’s a difficult challenge to get people invested in Hydra characters because their ideology is so repugnant, but what The Man in the High Castle did so well was get you to pull for the lesser of the evils. You might be seeing some similar things here.
So there you go. Steve Rogers -- the man who fought Nazis since World War II as Captain America -- is now revealed after 75 years to be a Nazi and Hydra agent. I don't buy it at all.
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AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #9: All Kneel Before Hot Dog, King of the Dead!

May 25, 2016, 11:34 am
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It's been just over a year since the previous issue was published, but I'm currently holding a fresh copy of AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #9 in my hands! It's a great issue. I'm not sure that it's worth waiting a year between each issue, but it's still a great issue.

I have a new computer at my home. As a result, I haven't yet figured out how to get my printer to scan stuff and forward it to my new computer. As a result, I had to take a picture of one key page from AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #9.

Here's the set-up... Reggie is on his own and being approached by a horde of the undead. The strange thing is that none of them will touch him.

They instead passed by him until he reaches "ground-zero of the contagion." Reggie assumes that the King of the Zombies is Jughead.

But Jughead steps aside and reveals...
The Dog of Doom.

I kneel before it... Hot Dog, now Anubis, the Jackal, the God of Death...
I was right. 26 months ago, I was right.

I predicted back in March 2014 that Zombie Hot Dog is the King of the Dead.

Hot Dog was the first of the infected. He is the one who spawned the apocalypse (not Juggie). The zombies all make strange, gurgling noises. Just like a growl. And we saw a scene where Zombie Fred Andrews tracked Archie and his mother through his sense of smell.

I was right. Zombie Hot Dog is the King of the Dead and I'm pretty excited about that moment of insight!
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Shay from "My 600-lb Life" Comes Out as a Trans Woman

May 25, 2016, 8:03 pm
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I'm a fan of TLC's "My 600-lb Life." I often watch it or portions of it when I work out in the evenings. Recently, TLC has been airing new episodes of the program, titled "My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?" The latest update has been featuring a younger person named Chay Guillroy.

Chay is 23-years-old and spent of his original appearance on the program going through a very slow process of working to overcome his cycle of emotional eating. It wasn't until late within his first year of treatment with Dr. Nowzaradan that he finally underwent weight loss surgery. And much of what assisted him with getting to the point where he could go through the surgery was the support of his aunt and uncle, as well as a therapist to work on his psychological blocks. He managed to lose 120 pounds by the end of his first appearance on the program, placing him at about 450 pounds by the end of his first year of treatment. He was feeling good about his progress.

I haven't seen his "Where Are They Now?" program, but have seen a couple different clips on YouTube and I'm intrigued. Now that Shay is beginning to lose more weight and to work seriously on issues with his therapist, he has come out to his family and friends as a male-to-female trans person.

Unfortunately, the aunt and uncle who had been such strong advocates with Shay's weight loss goals haven't been as supporting of her gender transition. It's been a few weeks since she came out, but Shay was particularly upset by a video that her aunt had posted on Facebook about trans people in the restrooms.


I'm really curious about how Shay and her family will move forward. I'm hoping that her family is just needing time to process and progress.

Anyway, the episode was tonight and I was busy so I totally missed it. But I should eventually catch the episode during the reruns.

You can watch the two clips here and here.
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Utah Man Assaulted After Other Man Objected to Him Taking His 5-Year-Old Daughter into a Walmart Men's Restroom

May 27, 2016, 10:43 am
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Are you tired of the bathroom warriors yet?

A new story is making the rounds involving a Walmart in Clinton, UT. A man named Christopher Adams was shopping with his wife and two children (a 7-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter). The kids needed to relieve themselves, so he took them both to the men's restroom at the back of the store.

Another man came in to use the restroom and began freaking out that Adams' daughter was in there. It started out with yelling, but quickly escalated to violence in from of the two young children:
“This guy walks in and goes to the bathroom, the urinal,” Adams recalled Tuesday. “Then he just, like, turns to me and starts freaking out, dropping the ‘F-bomb,’ and what he was freaking out about was that my daughter was in the men’s bathroom.” Adams said the man told him it was “inappropriate,” and soon began to push him after Adams gave him a terse response. The father said he tried to usher his kids away from the man. “When I turned back around, I got sucker-punched right here,” Adams said, pointing to his left eye, which still was bruised. From there, Adams said he was punched in the face and kicked in the knee multiple times during the struggle in which the dad ultimately defended himself, forcing the man out of the restroom. “I just slammed him on the ground and just held him until associates from Walmart could get there,” Adams said. 
The other man was charged with disorderly conduct. The city attorney is reviewing the case and may end up charging him with assault.

Sadly (but predictably), way too many comments following this article are criticizing Adams for taking his 5-year-old daughter into the men's restroom. He should have left her unsupervised in the store. Or found a random woman and charged her with taking the girl into the women's restroom. Or something...
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Squirrel Girl Encounters a "Super Hero Truther" in UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #8!

May 29, 2016, 9:20 pm
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I finally got my scanner hooked up to my computer! It really wasn't that big of a deal. It was just a busy week. But the scanner is working and I got caught up on some of my latest comic books, including... THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #8!

This latest issue launches a new romance-oriented story. It seems that a threat is menacing New York City. Yet again. The New Avengers have stepped up to save humanity and Squirrel Girl has brought along her college friend -- and animal-powered super hero -- Chipmunk Hunk to join in the fun!

The threat is quickly neutralized -- due to Squirrel Girl's quick thinking and knowledge for trivia!

Flying high from their victory, she takes a chance and asks Chipmunk Hunk out on a date to Avengers Island -- only to discover the he already has a date.


Crushed, Doreen turns to her friends, Nancy Whitehead, Tippy Toe, and Koi Boi, to find a rebound boyfriend. And where else does a group of second year computer science students turn to look for a new boyfriend? Online, of course!

They quickly discover a big problem. Do they do a dating profile for Doreen Green or for Squirrel Girl? They compromise by creating separate profiles for each side of her personality. Which leads to a variety of poorly matched online dates!!


She eventually connects with a guy named Brad -- who she initially mistakes for Hawkeye due to his profile name "HawkJock." But this date starts going south after Doreen learns that Brad is a super hero truther. Seriously. That's apparently a thing in the Marvel Universe.

Of course, Doreen's truther date is interrupted by one of Marvel Comics' biggest menaces. I'm talking, of course, about Mole Man. He kidnaps her date and challenges her for reasons that have yet to be revealed.


Of course, Brad is convinced that this is all part of some sort of "super hero false flag operation." And maybe it is. In fact, it probably is. But we won't know for certain until next month!

UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #8 features story by Ryan North, art by Erica Henderson, 1918 sequence art by Andy Hirsch, trading card art by Chris Schweizer, colors by Rico Renzi, and letters by Travis Lanham.
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AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #9: The Gates of Hell Are Open Now...

May 30, 2016, 5:02 pm
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Archie Comics finally released AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #9 this past Wednesday, exactly one year since the previous issue was published. Once again, Archie Comics assures us that their best-selling comic book title will resume a regular publishing calendar and that the chronic delays will stop. Of course, they said that one year ago. So we shall see. But it's worth noting that I'm currently holding issue #9 of a "monthly" comic book series that made its debut way back in October 2013!

But before we get too far into this blog post...

This blog entry contains spoilers. If you don't want to know about what happens in AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #9, then stop reading now. You have been warned. 

Back to the show...

Riverdale's only know survivors, Archie, Betty, Veronica, Reggie, Mr. Lodge, Smithers, Mrs. Andrews, Kevin, Dilton, Nancy, Chuck, Ginger, and Blaze (FKA Cheryl Blossom), have been on the run for months, just one step ahead of Zombie Hot Dog, Jughead, and the rest of the undead masses. Last issue, they took refuge for Christmas in a spooky old hotel. The issue ended with Archie proposing to Betty... and she said YES!!

Did I mention that we are two chapters into a storyline called "Betty: R.I.P.?"

But this issue is all about Reggie Mantle. He is the person who started this apocalypse. I mean, Sabrina resurrected Hot Dog and Jughead was the first person to get bit by the undead canine, but Reggie was the person who accidentally hit Hot Dog with his car and left the dog to die on a curbside.

We found out the rest of Reggie's deep shame: He didn't accidentally hit Hot Dog with his car. He deliberately swerved to run into Jughead's dog.


We spent a lot of time exploring Reggie's pre-apocalyptic life. Stemming from an online personality test, Reggie began fixating on the question about whether or not he is a sociopath. The only thing that prevented him from accepting that he is a sociopath is that he is in love with Midge Klump.

We learn that Reggie and Midge shared a messed up codependent romance. She would publicly date her longtime boyfriend Moose Mason and then privately hook up with Reggie when nobody else was around. And then she would sit back when Moose would strike out at Reggie for paying too much attention to Midge.

By the way, AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #9 features the first depiction of masturbation in an Archie Comics comic book. In fact, this might be the first depiction of comic book masturbation that I've seen in any comic book! (Barring my "Dykes to Watch Out For" collection)


Remember when people were freaking out over the creating of Kevin Keller, Archie Comics' first gay comic book character? Or when they refused to let him kiss another boy for years? Or when Archie jumped in front of a bullet (at the end of LIFE WITH ARCHIE) to save Kevin's life? What do you want to bet that the anti-gay haters won't ever freak out about this panel? I'm just saying...

Back to AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #1 and the flashbacks within AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #9, we learned why Moose was beating up Reggie way back in issue #1 and why Reggie was so upset that he deliberately swerved to run into Hot Dog. Turns out that Midge was pregnant. Possibly by Moose, but probably by Reggie. And she wanted Reggie to give her $500 to get an abortion. Reggie ends up agreeing to give Midge the money for the abortion, but then gets beat up by Moose for spending time with his girlfriend.


Reggie ends up confessing to Kevin Keller that he went out of his way to kill Hot Dog and now the guilt of initiating the apocalypse is getting to him. He's convinced that the never-ending horde of zombies is following them because he killed Hot Dog.

So he tells Kevin that he is leaving the group to sacrifice himself to the Jughead and the rest of the zombies, including Hot Dog, King of the Dead!

Except that the zombies won't touch Reggie. Instead, he is contacted by Sabrina the Teenage Bride of Cthulhu. For his role in bringing about the apocalypse, Cthulhu considers Reggie to be a dark prince. Sabrina tells Reggie that he is to be rewarded with a gift: the return of his lover, Midge -- fully resurrected and recovered!


However, Midge will only be brought back if Reggie completes one final act of selfishness and destruction: Kill Betty Cooper! And sadly, Reggie agrees to Sabrina's demand!

Will Reggie successfully kill Betty? And will her death destroy the morale of Riverdale's survivors? We will need to wait until AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #10, which should hopefully get published before 2017!!

"The Trouble With Reggie" is written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa with artwork by Francesco Francavilla. It's also lettered by Jack Morelli.
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Mason City, Iowa: Man Accused Of Killing Kitten by Throwing It Against the Wall

May 31, 2016, 7:17 pm
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Jerrick Rinnels
A Mason City man decided to be a tough guy and threw a kitten against the wall, effectively killing the cat. Last Friday, 28-year-old Jerrick Rinnels was allegedly arguing with another person who was holding the cat. Rinnels is accused to taking the kitten from that person and slamming it against the wall. The kitten died before it could be taken to the veterinarian.

The police eventually arrested Rinnels the following day and charged him with one count of misdemeanor animal abuse.
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Iowa City: Cat Survives After Being Tossed Down Garbage Chute

June 1, 2016, 4:33 am
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Speaking of animal neglect, a maintenance worker at Hawks Ridge apartments here in Iowa City found what looked like a dead animal in one of their interior dumpsters last Thursday. It was buried under "bags and bags of trash." Turned out that the cat wasn't dead, but frightened and in shock.

The dumpster is in a locked room, which means that the cat could only have been dropped via the building's garbage chute. The garbage chutes are accessible to residents through doors, so it's unlikely that the cat went to the chute on its own and fell in.

Hawks Ridge's staff have given the cat's owner much more credit than I would have:
The maintenance supervisor has no clue if the cat was thrown in on purpose, or by accident. “I don't know, you know? Could have been in a box that somebody threw out,” said Warson. “He was sleeping, and they didn't know it. It's hard to tell how it happened."
The cat was eventually taken to the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center where it will eventually be adopted by somebody who won't drop it down a garbage chute.
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Christian Singer Trey Pearson of Everyday Sunday Comes Out as Gay Man (Which Tempted Me into an Online Facebook Fight over the Story of Sodom!!)

June 1, 2016, 10:43 am
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A story was released yesterday that Trey Pearson, the lead singer of a Christian rock band called Everyday Sunday, came out to his fans as a gay man. I don't know anything about Trey Pearson or Everyday Sunday. The group is apparently a big thing. They have sold roughly a quarter of a million albums since 2001. I'm sure that they are good musicians. My hunch (give what usually happens when Christian singers come out as gay or lesbian) is that the Christian music industry will drop him from circulation.

I read this article and then an updated edition of the "That God Show" podcast downloaded onto my iPad, which included an interview with Pearson. This is what I've learned about Pearson over the past 24 hours. He's 35. He became a born again Christian when he was really young. He recognized that he wasn't quite straight when he was young, but thought -- due to propaganda from his church community -- that marrying a woman would straighten him out. He didn't even kiss a girl until he got married. He continued to struggle internally. He and his wife had kids. He and his wife struggled with their mixed-orientation marriage. He eventually came out. Now they are separating and in the process of getting divorced.

Trey came out to his fans with the following letter:
To my fans and friends:

Most of us reach at least one pivotal moment in our lives that better defines who we are.

These last several months have been the hardest – but have also ended up being the most freeing months — of my life.

To make an extremely long story short, I have come to be able to admit to myself, and to my family, that I am gay.

I grew up in a very conservative Christian home where I was taught that my sexual orientation was a matter of choice, and had put all my faith into that. I had never before admitted to myself that I was gay, let alone to anyone else. I never wanted to be gay. I was scared of what God would think and what all of these people I loved would think about me; so it never was an option for me. I have been suppressing these attractions and feelings since adolescence.  I’ve tried my whole life to be straight. I married a girl, and I even have two beautiful little kids. My daughter, Liv, is six and my son, Beckham, is two.

I had always romanticized the idea of falling in love with a woman; and having a family had always been my dream. In many ways, that dream has come true. But I have also come to realize a lot of time has passed in my life pushing away, blocking out and not dealing with real feelings going on inside of me. I have tried not to be gay for more than 20 years of my life. I found so much comfort as a teen in 1 Samuel 18-20 and the intimacy of Jonathan and David. I thought and hoped that such male intimacy could fulfill that void I felt in my desire for male companionship. I always thought if I could find these intimate friendships, then that would be enough.

Then I thought everything would come naturally on my wedding night. I honestly had never even made out with a girl before I got married. Of course, it felt anything but natural for me. Trying not to be gay, has only led to a desire for intimacy in friendships which pushed friends away, and it has resulted in a marriage where I couldn’t love or satisfy my wife in a way that she needed. Still, I tried to convince myself that this was what God wanted and that this would work. I thought all of those other feelings would stay away if I could just do this right.

When Lauren and I got married, I committed to loving her to the best of my ability, and I had the full intention of spending the rest of my life with her. Despite our best efforts, however, I have come to accept that there is nothing that is going to change who I am.

I have intensely mixed feelings about the changes that have resulted in my life. While I regret the way I was taught to handle this growing up, how much it has hurt me and the unintentional pain I have brought Lauren, I wouldn’t have the friendship I now have with her, and we wouldn’t have our two amazing, beautiful children. But if I keep trying to push this down it will end up hurting her even more.

I am never going to be able to change how I am, and no matter how healthy our relationship becomes, it’s never going to change what I know deep down: that I am gay. Lauren has been the most supportive, understanding, loving and gracious person I could ever ask for, as I have come to face this. And now I am trying to figure out how to co-parent while being her friend, and how to raise our children.

I have progressed so much in my faith over these last several years. I think I needed to be able to affirm other gay people before I could ever accept it for myself. Likewise, I couldn’t expect others to accept me how I am until I could come to terms with it first.

I know I have a long way to go. But if this honesty with myself about who I am, and who I was made by God to be, doesn’t constitute as the peace that passes all understanding, then I don’t know what does. It is like this weight I have been carrying my whole life has been lifted from me, and I have never felt such freedom.

In sharing this publicly I’m taking another step into health and wholeness by accepting myself, and every part of me. It’s not only an idea for me that I’m gay; It’s my life. This is me being authentic and real with myself and other people. This is a part of who I am.

I hope people will hear my heart, and that I will still be loved. I’m still the same guy, with the same heart, who wants to love God and love people with everything I have. This is a part of me I have come to be able to accept, and now it is a part of me that you know as well. I trust God to help love do the rest.
So there's that.

By the way, did I mention that I discovered this story on the Gay Christian Network's Facebook page? Naturally, the FB post attracted a lot of comments from LGBT Christians and supporters. But it also attracted a group of anti-gay Christian trolls. Because they have nothing better to do than try chipping away at the faith of other Christians.

One particular troll went off on this rant about how God hates homosexuality and you can know because "he destroyed Sodom and Gohmorrah (sp) on account it." As she said, "homosexuality is the one and only reason God destroyed it (Sodom)."

So I commented with "Ezekiel 16:49: Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."

This troll then told me that I need to read the rest of the chapter. "It has nothing to do with feeding the poor."

So I posted a link to the entire Ezekiel 16, which had nothing to do with homosexuality. Though there were references to prostitution.

She then yelled at me: "Jon Trouten , YOU WILL FIND LOTS OF LIES OUT THERE TO SUPPORT YOUR SIN...BUT IT'S ABOUT Killing The Sin SON."

Which prompted me to shake my head and comment: "Whatever. Meanwhile, people like Trey Pearson on continuously pressured into believing that God will transform them into heterosexuals if they just try hard enough. And then they make heterosexual spouses part of their change effort and then they get kids and the change never happens and neither spouse is equally yoked or content within these marriages. It's nice for people like you to pile on against us. But we see the results of your lies. We've seen the lives and the families and their collective faith that's been poisoned because of your lies." I then remarked that she did a good job of telling us that Sodom is only concerned about Sodom and then ignoring scripture that directly contradicts her statement.

That went over like a lead balloon. "Jon Trouten , since you are so "BENT" on your sin of homosexuality, you just go ahead and live for your father Satan, he will make sure you are good and comfortable living in that sin, but like I said brother, I fear for your soul, may you decide to repent Before Jesus Christ before Satan drags you into hell."

I suggested that she fear for her own soul and then reminded her of 1 Timothy 2:12. That's the sexist verse that instructs women to remain silent and to certain not instruct men about Biblical matters. It was a low blow and I normally disagree with that instruction. But I was feeling feisty. Seriously. I'm terribly sorry...

Anyway, another troll joined in and told me that I need to read the King James Version of the Bible because there is so much meaning that I'm missing out on compared to the other liberal versions of the Bible. So I linked to the KJV of the Bible for Ezekiel chapter 16. Still no mentions of homosexuality.

The anti-gay troll then told me that I have no Biblical discernment, because if I did, "you would know that God sent in a messenger to warn that unless they (the homosexuals) repented of their sins, that he was going to destoy Sodom and Gohmorrah and they (just like you) would not listen, so he destroyed it."

Which made me scratch my head. "Your own discernment is shaky. An entire community was gay (except for the guy who got drunk and had sex with his daughters after his wife went all salty on him)? It seems to me that you are just trying to make it all about homosexuality based off that attempted gang rape scene right before everything went up in smoke so that you don't need to look inward at how you treat the poor and the needy in your circle of the world."

She then began citing John 7:7, but quoting from Romans 1. Repeatedly. Which made me laugh. But then made me remember that I'm dealing with someone who thinks that Christianity is all about kicking down the gays and less about connecting with Christ.

And that's how I wasted a portion of my evening yesterday. 

Happy Coming Out Day, Trey Pearson!
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Trek Fest 2016: "Fifty Years of Star Trek" -- June 24-25, 2016! Check Out This Year's Schedule!

June 3, 2016, 4:50 am
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The Riverside Area Community Club has announced the full itinerary of this month's Trek Fest XXXII, over in nearby Riverside, IA. Trek Fest is an annual celebration of the official future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk. In past years, they have pulled in actors from the original Star Trek television series, but most years it's an excuse to have a lot of fun with a bit of a small town science fiction flavor.

This year's TrekFest schedule is pretty similar to last year's events.

Saturday's parade will feature three Grand Marshalls: Robert Schneider Sr. (Riverside's Mayor during the first Trek Fest), Robert Schneider Jr. (Riverside Councilman), and Allen Schneider (Riverside's current Mayor) -- AKA "Three Generations of Service to Riverside!"

Here are the highlights:

Friday, June 24, 2016
5:00 PM -- Food Booth & Beer Gardens!

5:00 PM -- Carnival Rides!

6:30 PM -- Kids Parade! (Registration starts at 6:15 PM)

7:00 PM -- Pet Show! Big & Small Pets Welcome!

7:00 PM -- Trek Trivia Contest!! at the Railroad Park Pavilion

8:30 PM -- Movie in the Park! "Big Hero 6" at Hall Park

9:00 PM -- Sky-Watching with the Cedar Amateur Astronomers, Inc.

Saturday, June 25, 2016
8:00 AM -- 5 K Race!

8:00 AM -- 1 Mile Fun Run!

9:00 AM -- Volleyball Tournament!

10:00 AM -- Parade with the theme "Fifty Years of Star Trek"!

11:00 AM -- Sci-Fi Swap Meet!

11:00 AM -- Business Exhibition Booths!

11:00 AM -- Carnival Rides!

11:00 AM -- Kid's Face Painting!

12:00 PM -- Tom and the Tribbles! (Folk, Old Time, Bluegrass, Patriotic, & Pop Music)

12:00 PM -- Scholarship Awards!

12:00 PM -- Enterprise Mission! (Star Trek Scavenger Hunt)

12:00 PM -- Federation Games!

12:00 PM -- Videothon!

1:00 PM -- Costume Contest!

1:00 PM -- Skip Slaughter Weight Lifting Contest!

1:00 PM -- Bingo!

2:30 PM -- Kids Tractor Pull!

2:30 PM Bill Riley Talent Show!

3:00 PM -- Golf Cart Rodeo!

5:00 PM -- Demolition Derby! It's $10 for Adults to attend; $5 for children aged 6-12; and free for kids who are 5 & under.

8:00 PM -- Rider Company Band!

10:00 PM -- Stumptown Shooters Fireworks!

I found this year's schedule on the Riverside Area Community Club's Facebook page, as well as the 2016 Trek Fest Facebook event page. Their webpage has not yet been updated to include their schedule.
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Alexander Kozak Guilty of 1st Degree Murder in 2015 Mall Shooting // Updated 06/06/16: Kozak Sentenced to Life in Prison without Parole

June 6, 2016, 1:07 pm
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(Originally written on 04/25/16): There was a fatal mall shooting in nearby Coralville, IA. At 7:30 PM on 06/12/15, 22-year-old Alexander Kozak shot and killed 20-year-old Andrea Farrington in the Coral Ridge Mall. Kozak was arrested later that evening. He was charged with first-degree murder in connection to her death.

Both Kozak and Farrington had been employees at Coralridge Mall. The two had been friends for a while and shared a flirtatious relationship for a while. However, Farrington later felt unsafe within this relationship and began filing complaints of harassment and threats to their employer. Kozak was eventually fired on the evening of 06/12/15. He went home and returned with the weapon that he used to killed Farrington.

Kozak's trial was relocated to Story County, IA. The trial went from April 14th and lasted through today. There was no question about whether or not Kozak killed Farrington. He admitted as much. His defense team tried to mitigate the level of his responsibility by pointing out his diagnosis of intermittent explosive disorder and borderline personality disorder. (Jon's Note: I know way too many people with borderline personality disorder. This is a personality disorder that does not take away your ability to understand your actions. But the other diagnosis is an interesting defense, IMHO.)

His legal defense wasn't enough to protect Kozak from conviction. He was convicted of one count of first-degree murder earlier this afternoon. This carries a mandatory life sentence here in Iowa.

Updated on 06/06/16: Sentencing occurred today for convicted murderer Alexander Kozak. It was no surprise that Kozak was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole earlier today. Additionally, he will have to pay $150,000 in restitution to his victim's estate, as well as other costs incurred during the trial.

Given that he will be in prison for the rest of his life, I have no clue how Kozak will manage to pay off his restitution fees.
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My 2016 British Fest Experience!

June 6, 2016, 3:51 pm
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I just got back from the latest British Fest. British Fest is a convention for people who enjoy British television, movies, games, and book. I have attended British Fest twice before (written about here and here) and have enjoyed these cons so much that I decided to return for a third time -- and also to prepare two different panels.

Husband Mark and I both actually managed to spend the entire weekend at British Fest this summer. Our son didn't think that he would enjoy the event so decided to spend time with Grandma Trouten instead, so it was nice to have some alone time without children or pets or work to serve at distractions.

British Fest 2016 started out on a somber note. Bill Breuer was to be a featured guest this summer. He had attended both previous British Fests, dressed as the 2nd Doctor Who. Bill's appearance was uncannily similar to Patrick Troughton and he was a really nice man. Unfortunately, he suffered a severe stroke last weekend and passed away early last week.


As a result of Bill's death, the schedule was shuffled around a bit at the last minute and the show moved on!

First thing Friday afternoon, I watched "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Death Star," which was a musical retelling of the "Star Wars" trilogy using costumes and puppets. It was pretty humorous and a great way to kick things off.

I then rushed over to the small panel room to get ready for my first panel: "Survivors 101." You know that I love "Survivors" if you've read this blog for long and I thought that British Fest would be a great opportunity to highlight this great post-apocalyptic science fiction series. It was a small group that attended this panel (and one of those attendees is married to me!!), but it was a great opportunity to highlight the 1975 series, the 2008 series, and the more recent audio dramas currently being produced by Big Finish.


I then attended a panel featuring Michael Henbury, British Fest 2016's main guest. Mr. Henbury is Britain's smallest man. He has also been featured in a variety of popular films, including "Return of the Jedi,""Willow,""Labyrinth,""Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2," and "The Chronicles of Narnia" television series. This particular panel was a Q&A event. I asked him a question about whether or not he got to read much of the "Return of the Jedi" script outside of his particular scenes (Answer: No). I also asked him if he has much of a history with the UK's version of the Little Persons of America (Answer: Yes, but mostly when he was younger) and if he was familiar with the "Little People, Big World" reality TV series (Answer: Yes, but not sure how "real" it is).


We then took off to grab some grub before returning for a very good panel about "The British Side of Stargate." It's been so long since I'd watched these programs and I'd forgotten how good they were!!

We then decided to head to our room for some rest.

Saturday ended up being a really fun day! I attended a panel called "Golden Age of British Kaiju." Basically, monster movies produced in the UK! Keep in mind that there were really only two British Kaiju monster movies: "Gorgo" and "Konga!" Both of these movies have connections to Charlton Comics. I haven't seen either movie, but I've read the entire KONGA comic book series. I was assured that "Konga" the movie was wonderfully awful! Which doesn't surprise me. But "Gorgo" is supposedly very good as monster movies go. I definitely need to check out these movies! The guy who created this panel said that he was nervous, but really did a great job at creating a fairly original panel and demonstrated a lot of great knowledge.


Mark and I then took a break so that we could grab some lunch, check out the vendors tables, and watch an old episode of "Doctor Who" (from the Troughton period).

I then introduced Mark to the "Timey Wimey Puppet Show." This is a puppet show that performs comedy sketches featuring various "Doctor Who" characters. Check out this puppet show if you ever get the chance. You won't regret it!

I then attended the "Countdown Game Show" panel. Audience members where selected to compete in a series of letter and number quizzes for a British teapot -- including me! I was one of the four attendees selected to compete! I won the first competition, but bombed during the final event! Basically, my brain fizzled when it came to the final math quizzes. It was embarrassing, but fun!

Next, I watched the "Bad Wolf Belly Dancers" perform a variety of "Doctor Who"-inspired dances. They were all so good! I was terribly impressed!

After supper and a bit of a rest, I sat through a recording of the "Honey and the Nerd Podcast," which is a paranormal-themed podcast. Among the topics that we discussed included whether or not paranormal investigation groups should be bonded, which reality TV shows featuring ghost hunters are actually "real," and whether or not there is a government conspiracy involving UFOs. I liked this group and would enjoy listening to their podcast more in the future. However, I cannot find it. I've been told that they broadcast on YouTube, but I cannot find it. So if you have a link to their YouTube channel, please post a link to it in the comments section!

Mark and I then wrapped up the evening with a fun panel devoted to "Are You Being Served?" This is a great classic Britcom. If you've never seen "AYBS," then you are missing out on something very wonderful! This panel consisted of a variety of great 'AYBS" clips. It was nonstop laughing for the better part of an hour!

Mark and I then attended one final panel first thing Sunday morning. This was my second panel titled "Midsomer Murders." Roughly one dozen people attended this panel, including some "Midsomer" fans as well as people who weren't terribly familiar with the program. I started with a montage from "The Killings at Badger's Drift" at the beginning of the panel using screen-grads from that particular episode to highlight why people love this program. We then reviewed the characters and the communities where "Midsomer Murders" is typically filmed. We then reviewed my list of top 10 murders from "Midsomer Murders."


People were really interactive during this particular panel and I had so much fun putting it together and then presenting to this bunch! It was a great way to end my British Fest 2016 experience!

Unfortunately, we needed to leave after my 10 AM Sunday panel because we had to travel to the far corner of the state in order to pick up our son! But I would gladly have stayed for the rest of British Fest if I'd had the chance!

We will most likely attend British Fest 2017. I have a few more panel ideas, which I have stored away in my iPad so that I don't forget! Also, I keep saying that I'm going to cosplay. I really need to invest some time and money into creating one or two costumes for next summer.

As always, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who planned and organized this summer's British Fest. It takes a lot of time, energy, and commitment to pull things together -- and they did a good job of responding to some unexpected developments. Thanks again from Iowa City!
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