News & Articles

Maxi Childs will be missed

Thank you for the review of Maxi Childs’ farewell party (October 2). Duluth loses a stylish, vocally versatile performer, and the rare woman musician to front her own group for decades. Through her long residency at the Black Water Lounge and at other venues, she helped keep jazz alive and consistently available to fans in the local music scene. Always beautifully coiffed and with a sleek evening gown wardrobe, she added a touch of glamour to the predominant flannel aesthetic in Duluth. She will be missed!
Gerri Williams
Duluth, Minnesota

Victimless crimes

Today much is being said about transgender people – are they sick, or do they just have sex genes half of which determine the gender of their bodies, and half that determine the gender of their brains? Both statements are true.

Firstly, transgender people don’t just decide to become another sex – to put it simply, transgender people are physically different than other males and females.

A transgender woman might develop lower than expected androgen in her genitals during brain development—while scientist know that 21 of our genes contain 19 variants that are critical in determining whether we are masculine or feminine, and how large parts of our physical sexuality are hard wired into our brains, while other aspects of sexuality are determined by the genes that influence our genitals.

For the religious right, its hard to imagine a genetic anomaly being the cause of gender dysphoria, but just as some genes create dark or blond hair, or athletic skills, everything in nature is influenced by genetics — however, please understand that transgender children must receive years of ongoing hormone treatments approved of by their parents, who in turn, must have their children’s permission to arrange for the surgeries that free them from hopelessness and suicidal thoughts—otherwise, they have no way to make their genitalia match their brain’s identity.

Many Christian people are skeptical of the fact that transgenders, and virtually everyone else, regard sex and love as sacred parts of any marriage. But Transgenders have the same ethical beliefs! Do you think that when two people legally vow to share the good and the bad, and promise to love and cherish each other, while remaining faithful (only to each other), somehow means that transgenders who make the same promises are incapable of loving each other?

We have found drugs to treat diabetes, drugs to treat epilepsy, drugs that help control mental illnesses, and we have created ingenious robotic limbs that can restore an amputee’s ability to walk and be self-sufficient. Then there are the many unfortunate children born with cleft palates and other conditions who become the targets of bullies, who might otherwise be their friends. However, (Operation smile, Doctors without borders, and charities that provide food and vaccines), can cure kids who look different than others, by providing surgical procedures and medications that make them well. Consider how many people have diseased hearts removed and replaced by the heart of another, due to the donors compassion! However, because people have many mistaken beliefs about the sexual identity of transgenders, people of faith often seek to prevent transgenders from receiving the transitioning surgery that in reality, is exactly what they need.

The use of such operations and medicines represent victimless crimes! Yet some authorities make up horror stories intended to demonize transitioning surgery by claiming that Doctors get their kicks out of disfiguring their patients, and by claiming that selfish parents might only give their consent because they’d rather have a boy than a girl, or visa versa? But If these claims are true, why is virtually every Doctor (never) imprisoned for doing such twisted things? But, lets not ignore these questions by concluding that Doctors who might have done these kinds of sick thing, have lucked out by never being caught? Do you really believe that Doctors who do perverse things aren’t witnessed by all the nurses and technicians who assist them—as they are during any surgical procedure? If so, why then hasn’t everyone who has witnessed their crimes, openly accused doctors of committing atrocities? And why is the internet not currently full of (factual) stories about their crimes? Does virtually every objective news outlet refuse to report perverse Doctors— who are commonly considered sick? Also why are all the Doctors who perform these surgeries, not immediately in litigation and publicly regarded with contempt? Have all their witnesses been told, or threatened, that if they talk, people like them might be locked them up for lying—or for merely discussing their Doctor’s crimes--while every perpetrator is never caught or punished for doing any of them?...never?...really?

Genetic anomalies are not evil parts of nature. In the U.S. only about 1 to 3% of us have natural red hair, and only 10% are left handed. And the data reports that, those who are naturally ambidextrous make between only 0.6% to 3% of all the people in the world, while only 1% of us are Transgenders who have female brains and male genitalia, or visa versa. So, why is such a tiny number – about 1%,-- viewed as objective proof that Transgenders are perverted or mentally ill--while the pillars of our usually tolerant civilization are crumbling (in part) from the ignorance of those who refuse to acknowledge their misunderstanding of transgenders. transgenders sexual uniqueness, and transgenders equal rights?
Peter W. Johnson
Superior, Wisconsin