Jon's Blog

Longtime readers know that I'm a fan of the Riverdale Podcast. This is the best (and the only!!) fan podcast for Archie Comics. Jonathan Merrifield has been producing this podcast week after week for the past four years -- and I've had the good fortune to appear as a guest on the Riverdale Podcast several times over the past (including last March when I co-hosted Jonathan's anniversary AMA episode).

I had the pleasure of appearing on the latest episode of the Riverdale Podcast. I'm talking about Riverdale Podcast Episode #225!

Episode #225 was the very first Bookclub episode, featuring Jonathan and Barbara Ann and myself. We spent an hour dissecting and talking about ARCHIE Vol. 1 -- which was a lot of fun! You owe it to yourself to listen to this program and hear us talking about Archie's new outlook, Mark Waid, Fiona Staples, Annie Wu, Veronica Fish... and "Degrassi!" You owe it to yourself to download this episode of the podcast!

By the way, the three of us are planning to do one or two more before the summer is finished! So keep your eyes peeled for on the Riverdale Podcast website!

I've been having one of those weeks where blogging is pretty much impossible to do. Not enough time for anything but work, errands, and special projects. One of the special projects that I worked on this week was worship service at Faith United Church of Christ in Iowa City. I've been a member of Faith UCC for nearly 20 years. At Faith UCC, we do something called "shared ministry." In part, it's a reminder that we are to minister to each other in all areas of the Church.

However, shared ministry also takes on a unique function at Faith UCC. Once every month, our pastor takes the week off and a member or a group of members plans and organizes Sunday worship. This Sunday was my shared ministry Sunday.

I had a much different plan originally for worship, but then last week I shifted gears and decided to do a special viewing of "A Position of Faith" (here and here) and talk a bit about Rev. William Johnson. Johnson was the first openly gay man to be ordained as a minister within a mainline Christian denomination. This was back in 1972 within the United Church of Christ. You can read more about Rev. Bill Johnson here.

My church has been an Open & Affirming Church for roughly 25 years. We welcome and affirm all members, regardless of sexual orientation. We have had LGBT members and leaders. LGBT members are allowed to join Council, to lead worship, to teach Sunday School, to do pretty much anything. We've had both gay and lesbian pastors in the past. The church performs wedding ceremonies for both opposite-sex and same-sex couples. The issue of LGBT inclusion is pretty much a non-issue for us.

But it was good for our church community to look back and see where we've come and to learn about our church heritage. And it was well-received by those in worship.

You can watch "A Position of Faith"here and here.

I had the opportunity to check out the Bring It On segment on today's episode of CBN's "The 700 Club."

A viewer named Sam posed the following question about adultery and polygamy, which prompted Pat Robertson to predict that it's just a matter of time before polygamy is legalized here in the USA: "In Exodus, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The seventh commandment is 'Thou shall not commit adultery' but men continued to have more than one wife until the end of the Old Testament. My question is: Would that still technically be adultery?"

Here is Pat's answer:

It wasn't. They were marrying these women. And they had multiple wives. The kings did and others did. David had several wives. So that was certainly after Moses and that wasn't considered adultery.

Which means one of these days -- trust me -- the laws concerning polygamy are going to be taken out because the only reason they have laws against polygamy is because it is said it is unbiblical and it is not Christian and therefore they shouldn't do it. And so if you can have all of the other things that the Supreme Court has ruled on, believe me they're going to say it's unconstitutional to forbid polygamy.

We look at the New Testament. It says "Man should have one wife and be content with one wife rather than multiple wives." It's in the New Testament. But it wasn't adultery! Because they were married! They got married! The man looked after the wives. They were his wives. He had a covenant relationship with all of them. That's in the Book!

Check out the bolded section of Pat's words. Are those truly the only reasons that we do not allow polygamy in this country? Truly?? If so, then I agree with him that there's really no basis for banning plural marriages in this country.

Of course, it's not that simple. There are many other reasons why we don't allow polygamy in this country. Much of it is based off the federal government's disdain for the Mormon polygamists. But there are also issues of polygamist cults that do plural marriages in the cloak of secrecy and who abuse young girls. And there are also legal nightmares centering around issues of consent and inheritance when it comes to plural marital partners.

That said, even if laws banning plural marriages get struck down someday, I really don't see this becoming a common type of relationship outside of conservative religious communities and poly groups. Beyond that, I really don't see too many people agreeing to opening their marriage up into plural marriages.

You can watch the whole segment here.

It's been a while since I've written about Alpha Flight. I'm a fan of the team, but not a fan of their current incarnation over in CAPTAIN MARVEL. They have gone from Canada's primary superhero team to Earth's space-based defenders. Plus, they got rid of most of my favorite members. So I'm curious, but not reading them.

There is a news story trending right now about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It appears that he will be appearing in a short story within CIVIL WAR II: CHOOSING SIDES #5. This is the comic event that pits Captain Marvel and her friends against Iron Man and his friends over a new Inhuman named Ulysses. Ulysses can predict the future. Captain Marvel and her friends want to use Ulysses' powers to profile future crimes before they occur. Iron Man and her friends believe that it's really not fair to punish people for crimes that they haven't committed yet.

(Of course, Iron Man didn't have a problem with this concept back in the mid-90s when Marvel Comics published FORCE WORKS. Just saying...)

Anyway, Alpha Flight has sided with Captain Marvel. But they want to consult with the new Prime Minister about this situation and this consultation will take place in CIVIL WAR II: CHOOSING SIDES #5:

Alpha Flight — formally the Canadian peacekeeping force — is supportive of using Ulysses to stop disasters and capture people, but there are also ethical conflicts within the group, (writer Chip) Zdarsky noted. Despite being part of an international agency, the team feels they're "Canadian first" and seek out Trudeau for advice, he added.

"I didn't want this to just be like a walk-on ... rescued by superheroes and he thanks them and that's the end of the story," Zdarsky said. "I think a lot of these real-life appearances in comics tend to go that way. I liked the idea of him actually engaging them in an ethical debate.

"It's a little tricky just because once you start to put words in the prime minister's mouth, we acknowledge that this is basically Trudeau fan fiction," he added.

"I had to kind of think about where he would stand on something like that and how he would handle it. Hopefully, I did a good job. Maybe I'll get a call from him saying: 'How could you have me saying that to ... Iron Man?'"

CIVIL WAR II: CHOOSING SIDES #5 is scheduled to be published in late August 2016.

Remember Meagan Taylor? She is a trans woman from Illinois who stopped at a hotel in West Des Moines, IA, last July while traveling to a funeral for a friend. Almost immediately, the hotel staff at the Drury Inn called the police to report Taylor and her friend because they were "men dressed like women." So they must be prostitutes.

Taylor was arrested and charged with possessing medicine without a prescription (i.e., her hormone treatment) and malicious prosecution. She spent the next eight days in solitary confinement (i.e., the jail's medical unit) until others were able to raise money to pay for bail, as well as an outstanding fine connected to an unrelated credit card fraud case. The charges that led to Taylor's arrest were eventually dropped by Polk County prosecutors.

Meagan Taylor -- with the assistance of the Iowa ACLU -- filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission against the Drury Inn on 11/09/15. We learned yesterday and Taylor and her attorneys successfully settled this case.

From the Des Moines Register:

“The ACLU of Iowa is pleased to report we have successfully settled Meagan Taylor’s case to the satisfaction of the parties involved,” the post read.

The ACLU declined to comment on the details of the settlement or whether or not the parties are bound by a confidentially agreement.“We can’t provide any more information or greater detail,” said Veronica Fowler, spokeswoman for the ACLU of Iowa.

From the ACLU of Iowa website:

When Meagan Taylor and her best friend — both young, Black, trans women — stopped at a hotel in Des Moines on the way to a funeral, they expected to check-in, spend the night, and be on their way.

What happened instead should be a chilling reminder of the deadly intersection of racism and transphobia that so many Black transgender people are forced to navigate...

There was no evidence of prostitution — just two Black trans women sleeping in a hotel room the morning before a funeral. Meagan was arrested for possessing hormone therapy pills without a copy of the prescription and spent eight days in the local jail before she was bailed out. All charges were eventually dropped, but the experience has left its mark on Meagan.

Like so many transgender people, Meagan has not had access to the medical and financial resources necessary to update the name and gender marker on her state identification. This meant that when she checked into the Drury Inn, even though she is a woman, the Illinois state identification that she presented listed her as male and under her birth name. The lack of congruent identification immediately outed Meagan as transgender to complete — and hateful — strangers...

Meagan was arrested not because there was any evidence that she was engaging in sex work but because she had hormone pills in her possession without a prescription.

You can read the rest of their statement here.

Very exciting news today!!

We learned that Netflix -- one of my favorite sources of televison watching these days -- has ordered one season of a new "Lost in Space" series!!:

The new incarnation of Irwin Allen’s ’60s sci-fi drama will be piloted by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless (Dracula Untold) and Prison Break’s Zack Estrin will serve as showrunner. This version once again follows the Robinson family, who are stranded light years from where they are supposed to be headed, and they find themselves battling a strange new alien environment and also their own personal demons.

“The original series so deftly captured both drama and comedy, and that made it very appealing to a broad audience. The current creative team’s reimagining of the series for Netflix is sure to appeal to both fans who fondly remember the original and to create a new generation of enthusiasts around the world,” Cindy Holland, Netflix’s vice president of original content, said in a statement...

The 10-episode first season will begin streaming in 2018.

I'm too young to have watched "Lost in Space" when it first broadcast, but binged on this program in syndication long before binge-watching was a recognized past-time! As you can tell, I'm very excited about this show!

I went to the gym this morning and watched an episode of "Justice for All with Judge Cristina Perez." This is a staged court show ("All characters displayed are fictional and any resemblance to actual persons is coincidental"). It's one of my least favorite court shows. But I like watching court shows when I'm at the gym -- unless "My 600-lb Life" is on!

Today's program featured a bogus court case involving a woman who took her kitten to her local vet clinic to have the animal declawed. According to the program, the woman left the kitten at the clinic and the clinic receptionist coded the procedure incorrectly. When she came to get her cat, she discovered that she had been neutered. The vet reimbursed the woman for the surgery and then declawed the cat at a later date at no charge.

The woman was suing the veterinary clinic for $800 -- the value of the cat. Because she had planned on breeding the cat and now couldn't do that. It wasn't spelled out, but it was implied that they got rid of the neutered cat.

Let's set aside the fact that it appears that this is a fake program (For example, this guy named Tavion was bragging to his friends that he landed a role as "Defendant Hank Johnson with Judge Cristina Perez" just a few months ago. And this woman played the roll of the nanny in another episode.) But I'm still wondering about the legal logic behind awarding the defendant $800 for the value of her cat.

She was made whole. The clinic refunded her for the incorrect surgery. And they performed the correct surgery at no charge. They didn't even balk at these payments, judging from the testimony.

But why pay for the value of the cat? The cat is still alive. The cat is property. Cats are not awarded awards for pain or suffering. And it's difficult to imagine that the plaintiff truly suffered any real emotional harm. And if she truly wants to teach her daughter about raising kittens, this world is full of kittens with no homes. Why not adopt or rescue one before its euthanized by some shelter?

Anyway, this is an example of why I dislike this court program.

I'm back! I spent the past few days at the family farm with the boys and the dogs to celebrate Independence Day. Of course, given that July 4th falls on a Monday and I need to be working first thing Tuesday evening, it was necessary for us to do our celebrating on the 2nd and the 3rd.

The boys and Grandma and I spent most of yesterday evening gathering materials needed to create a bonfire. Once the bonfire was created, we made up way too many s'mores.

The boys then played around with sparklers, smoke bombs, and black snakes once the daylight dimmed.

We then were pleasantly surprised to discover that we could see firework displays from three different faraway communities. Well... we could see the essence of fireworks displays from two different communities, but we had a great view of one particular community's fireworks last night!

Anyway, the country is 240-years-old. And we commemorated that birthday with some fun family time.

Happy July 4th!

It's been a while since I've written about IDW's JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS comic book. It's still a great comic book. It's just gotten away from me. The "Dark Jem" story line just wrapped up with Issue #16. Basically, Synergy got infected by some corrupted virus called Silica. Silica was able to brainwash and mind control people using the Holograms' music. Fortunately, the Holograms and the Misfits were able to set aside their differences and save the day!

Not only that, but Pizzazz is back in control of the Misfits!!

But that's not what got me excited about JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS #16! I am so excited because the Stingers were finally introduced to the comic book!!

The Stingers were a new band introduced to the "Jem & the Holograms" cartoon during its third season. Their membership consists of Riot (a sexually charged man who can win over most women), Minx (a flirtatious keyboardist who has a talent for causing trouble), and Rapture (a fantasy-obsessed guitarist who enjoys manipulating others).

Stingers

I enjoyed Jem and the Holograms. I loved to dislike the Misfits. But I absolutely adored the Stingers!! The Stingers have the Holograms' style and the Misfits' need for chaos -- but with much more finesse! They were the best thing to happen to the cartoon (IMHO), but they unfortunately only had one season to shine.

But it wasn't just the Stingers who made their comic book debuts in Issue #16. We also met Rayain this issue!! Raya was the fifth Hologram. She joined in the cartoon's second season. She was the winner of a talent search who joined the group as their new drummer after Shana decided to switch to guitars.

New Raya // Original Raya

We don't see much of either the Stingers or Maya in this issue. They appeared on the final page of this issue, watching the joint Hologram/Misfits concert. We also got profiles for the four characters towards the end of the issue. There was no actual reference to the Stingers band name. And it's pretty obvious to note that Raya does not look much like her cartoon version. And I can't help wondering about her connection to Rory, Rapture, and Minx.

I can't wait for Issue #17, where these four characters will give more away about their lives and motivations, as well as their relationship to each other!

Remember the Henrytown Lutheran Church of rural Canton, MN? It caught on fire on April 16, 2015, and burned to the ground. There were efforts to raise funds to rebuild the church. I donated $50 and promoted their GoFundMe page.

I learned today that the Henrytown Lutheran Church is being rebuilt:

Fourteen months after a devastating fire totally destroyed the Henrytown Lutheran Church of rural Canton, a new structure of worship is taking shape...

At a time when many small rural churches are closing their doors, due to lack of members, the resilient Henrytown congregation began making plans almost immediately to rebuild. And now all that planning is coming to fruition...

Shortly after the fire, a building committee was set up... Following copious hours spent on research, discussion and looking at recently constructed churches, the committee agreed on a plan.
The overall footprint of the new church is 110-feet by 70-feet. The total square footage of the building is 6,260 feet. According to general contractor Scott Campbell of Smidt Companies of Racine, the building is a “pre-engineered steel building with a 2,100-square foot sanctuary, a 2,400-square foot fellowship hall, with a kitchen, restrooms, an office, mechanical and storage areas. The exterior will be steel siding with stone veneer accents and a metal roof.”

Construction began on the church on 05/04/16. They hope to hold worship services at the new Henrytown church by Christmas 2016.

Fort Des Moines Church of Christ filed a lawsuit against the Iowa Civil Rights Commission yesterday. It's all about trans people and bathrooms:

A conservative church in Des Moines is suing the Iowa Civil Rights Commission in federal court, contending state officials are trying to censor the church's teachings on biblical sexuality and forcing the church to open its restrooms to members of the opposite sex.

The suit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Des Moines by the Fort Des Moines Church of Christ, which argues that all events held at a church on its property have a bona fide religious purpose. The petition also says the commission has no authority to violate the First Amendment's guarantees of freedom of religion and speech.

Basically, they are concerned that a trans person might use the restroom if they are ever in the church for something related to the daycare or some other non-explicit church activity.

Just in case a trans person, or a non-heterosexual person, or an LGBT ally was confused about whether or not they might be welcome to enter Fort Des Moines Church of Christ.

Life Site News reported earlier this week about a group of "gay zombies" that dressed in skintight green outfits and passed out "free condoms" (i.e., anti-gay literature) in the Toronto Gay Pride parade:

Half-a-dozen Christians led by activist Bill Whatcott paid the $100 fee to parade organizers to register "Gay Zombies Cannabis Consumers Association" so that they could move more easily along the parade route to deliver their message.

The group said their goal in participating in the event was twofold: First, to be a prophetic and unambiguous witness against the unfettered celebration of homosexuality, and second, to offer people caught up in the same-sex lifestyle a way out through a call to repent and to turn to Jesus Christ to be saved...

Whatcott said that as a street preacher in other Pride parades he seldom handed out more than a few dozen pamphlets. But this time, dressed as gay zombies, he and his crew managed to hand out thousands of pamphlets.

“I asked them if they wanted ‘Zombie safe sex.’ Everyone loved it. But, if you try to give out a Gospel pamphlet, they swear at you and throw slushies on your forehead. But, give them some wackadoddle thing that looks like a condom, and they really can’t grab it fast enough. I had three thousand out in 20 minutes,” he said.”

The Life Site News website has a link to Whatcott's blog, which links to the pamphlet. The front of the pamphlet features graphic images, including a picture of someone with a severe case of anal warts, a gruesome autopsy image of someone who died of AIDS, and the picture of someone who transitioned from male to female to male again. The back of the pamphlet attacks various Canadian politicians for their support of LGBT people and then wraps up with a Jesus pitch.

On the one hand, it's nice that they weren't screaming a parade-goers with a bullhorn. On the other hand, the pamphlets are nasty.

Ismael Alfaro has been in jail since May. The 34-year-old man from Hampton, IA, was arrested this spring after being accused of meeting a "younger than 18" girl online and then arranging a sexual liaison with her at a hotel in a nearby community. He has faces two felony charges: criminal transmission of HIV and third-degree sexual abuse.

He remained in jail after his bond was set at $50,000 cash only. A probation and parole officer with the Iowa Department of Correctional Services recommended that the courts do everything possible to keep Alfaro in jail until his trial, which is scheduled to begin on 07/27/16. He has been called a "danger to the community."

But the Assistant Fayette County Attorney petitioned the courts last month to waive forget about Alfaro's cash bond and to place the man under house arrest. Because Fayette County doesn't want to pay for Alfaro's HIV meds:

According to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Ismael Alfaro, 34, is under house arrest in Franklin County and wearing an ankle bracelet monitored by Fayette County Jail staff around the clock. He also receives periodic in-home and phone checks...

But Assistant Fayette County Attorney Nathan Lein about a month later asked the court to place Alfaro under house arrest.

According to Lein’s motion, Alfaro’s HIV medication costs $3,000 a month. Under home detention, Alfaro, not the county, will pay for his medication.

I don't know how much of a risk Alfaro truly is. I do know that he's innocent until proven guilty. But I think that it's sad that Fayette County made this decision to release him from jail in order to avoid paying for his HIV meds. And it makes me worry for his medical health if he ends up spending eventually spending time in prison.

Remember when Christian cake bakers were doing everything in their power to turn away money and refuse to make wedding cakes for same-sex couples? Now there's a story out of Toledo, OH, featuring Take the Cake Bakery that canceled one woman's cake order because it was for her wife's birthday cake:

It certainly wasn't the text message Candice Lowe was expecting to get on her honeymoon. She says it came from the owner of Take the Cake Bakery in Toledo, canceling the order for her wife's birthday cake. Lowe says, "after she saw my Facebook page, she found out that I was in a same-sex marriage and she could not do my cake.""She did all of their effort to get a cake and gets a text message and has to tell me her surprise, it kind of ruined our day," Amanda Lowe said of her wife... "It wasn't a wedding cake, it was just a birthday cake," Candice said. "A birthday cake has nothing to do with your sexual preference." The Lowes took their frustration to Facebook where they received overwhelming support.

It does seem kind of weird that this baker stalked Lowe's Facebook page to see if she was a lesbian or not. Presumably, she does this for all of her clients.

Toledo bars discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. However, Lowe hasn't decided if she will file a complaint a discrimination against Take the Cake Bakery. She's mainly disappointed in the bakery.

Earlier this week, Fort Des Moines Church of Christ of Des Moines, IA, filed a federal lawsuit against the Iowa Civil Rights Commission over concerns that they might be forced to allow a trans person to use their restroom someday. This concern comes from a 2008 brochure on Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity that read:

This led to concerns that pastors aren't able to preach against gay or trans people anymore. And Fort Des Moines Church of Christ apparently wants to preach against gay and trans people.

In response to the lawsuit and the concerns, the Iowa Civil Rights Commission updated the language to its brochure to clarify the law with regards to churches:

Director Kristin H. Johnson of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission clarified in an article today that they have never been asked to consider any complaints of discrimination against any church during the nine years that Iowa has barred discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity:

"The Iowa Civil Rights Commission has not done anything to suggest it would be enforcing these laws against ministers in the pulpit, and there has been no new publication or statement from the ICRC raising the issue," she said.

Of course, Alliance Defending Freedom, the Christian legal defense organization that is representing Fort Des Moines Church of Christ still isn't happy, despite these clarifications:

“Cosmetic changes to the alarming language in one brochure won’t fix the unconstitutionality of the Iowa Civil Rights Act,” read a statement from Christiana Holcomb, legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom.

“The change in the brochure doesn’t fix the inherent problem with the Civil Rights Act that forms the basis of the lawsuit — that the act gives the commission power to determine what parts of a church’s activities do not have a ‘bona fide religious purpose’ and are thereby subject to the act’s prohibitions.”

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Presumably, you have heard about the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, KY. It opened last week to the public. It is the creation of Ken Ham -- an Australian evangelical who is horribly anti-gay --, as well as Mark Looey and Answers in Genesis. They believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible. They also believe that the Earth is only 6,000 years old and that mankind lived alongside dinosaurs (and unicorns).

They spent $100 million to build their replica of Noah's Ark. It stands seven stories high and is the length of 1 1/2 football fields. They don't keep animals in the replica Ark, but there is a small zoo out back. And there are fake replicas of all of the animals and dinosaurs and unicorns that had rested in the Ark during God's 40-day flood.

The Ark Encounter has hired over 400 people. Those people must sign off on a very narrow Statement of Faith. Not only does it prevent non-Christians and LGBT people from obtaining employment in this small community. This faith statement is so narrow that it also prevents many Christians from being employed there.

The Kentucky legislature gave the Ark Encounter up to $18 million in tax breaks and incentives. Additionally, the land that it was built on was given to them for free and the town of Williamstown gave the project $62 million in bonds. Williamstown had to upgrade its electricity and build a new water treatment plant to accommodate the new ministry -- and those upgrades will be paid for by the community's local businesses and citizens, not the Ark Encounter.

A Facebook/GCN friend posted this comment earlier today:

I don't understand why folks are so negative on the ark encounter build. It's an amusement park, just like Disney, Dollywood, 6-flags ECT. Nobody criticized them for spending their money on amusement parks. It's just a religious themes amusement park. You don't have to go and spend your money if you don't want to. And I do believe this business should be taxed like any other business.

People kept saying that this is a nonprofit church group. So I posted this in response:

Let's set aside the fact that they will only hire Christians who affirm a narrow set of beliefs. They received $18 million in tax rebates and incentives. They will NEVER have to pay taxes. That's money that won't go to the state for school, roads, fire departments, etc. The local community had to totally upgrade its water systems to accommodate this park. And the local businesses and people will have to bankroll those upgrades. And please don't try telling me that this park is a nonprofit venture. Should I go on?

I did concede:

Granted, they'll pay payroll taxes. Because their employees won't get the same lifetime pass on paying taxes that their employer will get.

I've had more than a few people ask me why an atheist or someone else who doesn't share their belief system would even want to work for the Ark Encounter in the first place. This is my response today (here and here):

Maybe there's a recovering recession and they have bills to pay and a family to support. Just maybe...

And...

So a Methodist or Lutheran who doesn't believe everything on that list or who might be divorced can't even be a janitor at this place, which is now one of the biggest employers in their small community?

Someone then told me that the Ark Encounter is just a teaching tool exhibit, implying that it makes sense that those teaching would need to believe what they are teaching. I then replied:

They have over 400 jobs, including food service workers and janitors and animal handlers, etc. they all have to fit the narrow faith statement.

Anyway, I have no doubt that people will go to the Ark Encounter. I have seen many of my FB friends express excitement about going to see the unicorns. Never mind that their own lifestyles and beliefs would prevent them from earning money from the project -- but not from spending money at the project.

Personally, I'm as likely to check out the Ark Encounter as I was to go see the Creation Museum. In other words, you'll need to leave a comment and let me know what I'm missing! Have fun!

If you've read this blog enough, you will know that I watch reality TV shows frequently on TLC. One of the shows that I enjoy watching -- but don't get to watch very often -- is "My Big Fat Fabulous Life" featuring Whitney Thore. Thore has polycystic ovary syndrome, which has promoted severe weight gain. Thore is a fat acceptance movement activists and promotes positive body image. But the first season of her program also focused on her weight loss journey.

The third season premiered last month and -- judging from the commercials -- it seems that her weight loss has reversed and the people in her life are concerned because she's having more and more health complications as a result of this, including passing out during exercise and a back injury.

A promotional clip has been circulating this week on Facebook and YouTube featuring Thore at the St. Patrick's Day parade. As noted above, she hurt her back and is now forced to ride a mobility scooter in front of her Big Girl Dance Class group. This is upsetting and publicly humiliating for Thore, but it's made worse by the ridicule and fat-shaming that she encounters from the various parade-watchers.

The episode will air tomorrow. You can watch the clip here.

Remember back in March when Food Network did a special episode of "Cake Wars" that celebrated Archie Comics' 75th anniversary? The episode featured the company's co-CEO Jon Goldwater as a special judge. Contestants were challenged to design giants cakes that best illustrated the spirit of Archie Comics.

It looks like Archie Comics and Food Network are at it again! This time, they meet up on an episode of "Cupcake Wars" on Monday, July 25th at 7:00 PM CST! And it's a Josie and the Pussycats theme this time around!!

Check out this description:

Celebrities Adrienne Bailon and Julissa Bermudez, Charlie and Max Carver, Ron Funches, and Katherine McNamara and Emeraude Toubia fight to create show-stopping cupcakes for party celebrating comic book rock icons Josie and the Pussycats. If these stars are looking for VIP treatment, they've come to the wrong place, because they'll be eliminated one by one until the last celeb standing walks away with bragging rights and a donation to their favorite charity. Jesse Goldwater, creative consultant for Archie Comics, joins the panel as guest judge.

I'll admit that I'm only vaguely familiar with two of these seven celebrities. But that's because I'm middle aged and out of touch! But I love cupcakes and I love Archie Comics so I cannot wait to watch this program!!

You can guarantee that I will write up a summary and review of the program after the show premiers!

A 46-year-old trans woman named Shauna Patricia Smith (AKA Sean Patrick Smith) is in the news today after being arrested for video recording an 18-year-old woman in a women's fitting room. In a Target, no less.

It happened in Idaho Fall, ID, this past Monday. A woman called the police and reported that a "man, dressed in women's clothing, had entered a fitting room in the women's clothing section of the store" and "was seen taking photos of a woman in a stall next to him while she was changing." Smith was wearing a dress and a blonde wig. The victim's mother reportedly chased Smith from the store, trying to get her to erase any pictures or video.

The police were able to trace Smith's car to her home and confirmed Smith's identity through her roommate:

When an investigator arrived at Smith’s home, documents state “the defendant’s roommate told (the investigator) her roommate is a transgender male who identifies as a female, Shauna Smith.” The detective showed the roommate surveillance still photos of the suspect from Target and the roommate identified the suspect’s clothing as that of Smith’s, according to documents. Deputies interviewed Smith and “the defendant eventually admitted to me that she had made videos in the past of women undressing. The defendant told (the detective) that she makes these videos for the ‘same reason men go online to look at pornography,'” documents state. According to the affidavit, Smith told the detective “she finds the video sexually gratifying” and when the deputy looked at the camera roll on Smith’s iPhone, he “observed a video of a young adult female undressing in a changing room at what appear to be Target. The defendant admitted to me that this video was recorded at Target.”

Smith was booked as Sean Patrick Smith. She was charged with one felony count of video voyeurism. You can watch video of her first court appearance here.

Of course, this would involve a trans woman in a women's changing room. And it would have to happen at Target, which has been the focus of anti-trans culture warriors for months.

However, we've been told that "men in dresses" would use trans-inclusive policies to gain access to women and girls and that there would be nothing that the police could do about their bad behavior. Except that, assuming that Smith is actually guilty, she still managed to get arrested for bad behavior.

I'm not into Pokemon Go, but I know a lot of people who are. And I see a lot of people walking around Iowa City playing the game day and night. Now I'm learning that one group here in Iowa is combining this popular game with trans awareness:

One Iowa, an LGBT equality organization, is hoping to capitalize on the popularity of the app keeping people outside to inform players about the group's petition to have transgender protections under the state's legislation on hate crimes...

"Right now, people are protected by law based on their sexual orientation but not on their gender identity, so transgender people are currently vulnerable," Erica Barz, communication specialist with One Iowa said. "So we're trying to let people know that one, that is the case, and to have them sign our petition in support of that protection."

One Iowa's Pokemon gathering will happen next Wednesday, July 20th, from 6-7 PM at the Pappjohn Sculpture Park in Des Moines, IA.

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