#know the history associated with San Francisco and why people regard it as being so fundamentally queer | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

solongbird · 5 years

Text

A Tiny Bit of History of The LGBT Rights Movement

So, last year in my history class we had to write a paper about something that's important to us, and I wrote about a tiny bit of the LGBT Rights Movement. And I’m quite proud of it... so enjoy.

-------------------------------------

In the morning of June 28, 1969, the police raided the Stonewall Inn. In retaliation, the patrons fought back against this injustice because the only reason the police had to raid the bar was that the patrons were gay. The riots lasted 6 days, this brought more attention to the LGBT rights movement, hence most people naming this a very influential moment in LGBT history. So big that June has become LGBT pride month. Then a year later after this event one of the first pride festivals was held on Christopher Street. Then on June 24, 2016, President Barack Obama made the Stonewall Inn and the surrounding area a national monument.

Before December 15, 1973, the American Psychiatric Association (ASA) regarded homosexuality as a mental illness, when in all actuality isn't if you did not know. So when they realized this amazing unknown detail sent out a resolution removing homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses. And do to this change many individuals views of homosexuality changed to a kinder light.

When the LGBT rights movement began many people used the pink triangle seeing as there was no other symbol to use. Sadly this pink triangle didn't have the best past, seeing as the pink triangle was used as a way for Nazis to identify gay individuals. So Harvey Milk unhappy with the symbol commissioned Gilbert Baker to make a new symbol. Gilbert happily accepted the proposition seeing as he had been fancying the idea for a while at this point. So with a few days before the San Francisco's Gay Freedom Day Parade himself and 30 volunteers coop themselves up in the attic of the Gay Community center. The original design consisted of 8 colors each representing something. Hot pink was for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow to represent sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony, and lastly violet for spirit. When June 25th, 1978 rolled around this flag was being flown throughout the parade and people fell in love with it, so much so that Gilbert decided to get it properly printed turning to Paramount Flag Company who decided to edit the flag for practicality reasons. They removed pink and turquoise for blue, and that is how we got our beautiful flag.

Harvey Milk was a politician who inspired many LGBT individuals. He helped create one of the first LGBT friendly communities, he helped unite communities and businesses, he stopped the Briggs Initiative and he did so much more. But sadly on November 27, 1978, Dan White entered into the basement of the San Francisco City Hall and assassinated the mayor and Harvey. This was sadly foreseen by Harvey so much so that he created wills, and in one of these wills, one of his most famous quotes was found, “If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door.” His death inspired many LGBT individuals to come out, one such individual was his nephew, Stuart Milk was very close to his uncle. And in honor of Milk, a statue was built of him was built.

In 2003 Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage, 34 states followed suit until finally on June 26, 2015, same-sex marriage was legalized across all 50 states.

But even though same-sex marriage was legalized the LGBT rights movement is far from over. In 30 states there are no anti-discriminatory laws for LGBT individuals, and if there is it is barely sufficient. Then in 73 countries, it is illegal to be LGBT and in 8 of said countries, you can be killed. And finally, only 26 countries (out of 195) is it legal to marry your same-sex spouse. So yeah we still got a big hill to climb. But am I saying that the progress we have made is bad? No! The progress we have made is outstanding, and I sadly couldn't cover every single event in all of LGBT history, hence why I suggest you should do your own research, it is seriously so much fun and a really informative, and also check out all the sites I used because I couldn't fit every tad bit of info on the sites. Thanks for reading.

Resources:

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/lgbti-rights-around-the-world-in-2018/

https://www.freedomforallamericans.org/states/

https://www.pewforum.org/2015/06/26/same-sex-marriage-state-by-state/

http://milkfoundation.org/about/harvey-milk-biography/

https://www.history.com/news/how-did-the-rainbow-flag-become-an-lgbt-symbol

https://www.hrc.org/blog/flashbackfriday-today-in-1973-the-apa-removed-homosexuality-from-list-of-me

https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/the-stonewall-riots

#lgbt #history #class project #lgbt history #harvey milk #stonewall #gay #rights movement

3 notes · View notes

keywestlou · 3 years

Text

SIZABLE PORTION OF BIG SUR WASHED AWAY

America has been blessed with many beautiful nature scenes. One is Big Sur in California. Officiously known as California Highway 1.

Many years ago, I was in the area of Big Sur to play golf at Pebble Beach. My tee time one of the days was in the afternoon. I decided to see the Big Sur I had heard so much about.

Rented a car and was on my way.

The coast of California near San Francisco and running through Carmel is one huge cliff. Not as high as those in Santorini. High enough, however. At least 1,500 to 2,000 feet up.

A highway was carved out which runs sometimes on top of the cliff and other times a road has been cut into the side of the cliff.

Below the Pacific Ocean! Majestic waves pounding the base of the cliff.

Majestic! Beautiful! The only way to describe Big Sur.

I was sorry I was alone. The drive is one to be shared with someone with whom you have a close attachment. Such is the mood!

This morning’s news carries the sad story that a significant portion of the highway has been washed away by a winter storm. Obviously that portion of the highway will be closed till repaired. Could take quite a while.

One last observation. There are very few homes along the way. Only nature in all its pristine glory.

Joe Manchin is Governor of West Virginia. A Democrat who seems over the years to have voted more Republican than Democrat.

Can’t blame him. West Virginia a deeply Republican state. Coal mining a major industry.

It was announced yesterday that West Virginia was a “vaccine success” story. Eighty five percent of its doses requirement received and used. Yes, 85 percent of West Virginia has been vaccinated.

Only North Dakota has done better.

Why West Virginia and North Dakota can do it and the other 48 states still struggling to get going, I do not understand.

The numbers reported were by the CDC and not West Virginia itself.

A civil servant in charge of the program said it was the result of “creativity” and “innovation.” West Virginia studied what was happening in the rest of the U.S. and came up with their own plan.

The State did not activate the federal partnership with CVS and Walgreens. Instead went it alone.

West Virginia is more rural than big city. The State went to the small independent drug stores. Many mom and pop operations. State officials thought such would prove productive. Obviously, they were correct.

The small drug stores went to the people’s homes and farms. They did not wait for them to come to town for a shot.

Many persons live 40-50 miles away from the big cities and chain drug stores.

One story told involves a mom and pop type operation with a couple of employees. They stored the vaccine in a special refrigerator in their home kitchen. Six every morning they were at their kitchen table figuring where to go that day and arranging the vaccines to be carried.

It all worked! God bless Joe Manchin and the people of West Virginia!

I would like Florida’s Governor DeSantis to plan better as Joe Manchin did. Every DeSantis planned program thus far has failed. Looks good up front and then peters out.

Going to run Day 6…..Greece the First Time at this point. Then return to some other news items I wish to share.

DAY 6…..Greece The First Time

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Key West Lou

Greece is a time bomb waiting to explode.

The people are unhappy. The financial crisis is choking them.

Economics is the topic of conversation everyday. Expressed with increased vehemence each day.

Riots around the corner. Protests already. The situation a tinderbox ready to ignite.

I was on my way to the Metro Underground beneath the plaza in front of Parliament yesterday. Thousands of people walk the plaza hourly. In one corner near the entrance to the Metro, several young people were carrying signs. One was talking into a loudspeaker.

Speaking Greek, of course. I neither speak nor understand the language.

About 50 persons milling about listening. I mingled in the crowd. I was able to pick up the gist of the protest from comments made by onlookers. Economics. The euro.

Listeners aroused. The name Merkle caused several to spit on the ground.

Recently, Greece had an election. Neither the left nor right obtained enough votes to control the government. So the Greek Parliament is floating along. The country in limbo.

A new election is scheduled some time in June.

Italy’s former Prime Minster Berlusconi announced yesterday that unless Germany backed off the euro, Italy should return to the lira. Germany appears the only European nation benefiting from the euro. The Greeks and Italians dislike the Germans. They feel Germany is being hard ass about doing something corrective regarding the economy. Whatever might be done would not be to the financial benefit of Germany.

Beware. I sense bad days ahead. Keep in mind that we live in a global world. Whatever happens in Greece and elsewhere affects us in the United States.

I spent 3 hours doing yesterday’s blog. I sat in one position and typed for the three hours. When I finished, my legs from my knees to my ankles were full of fluid. I went back to my room, took a fluid pill and lay on the bed three hours till the problem was relieved. Today I am getting up and moving about on occasion as I write.

I took the Metro Underground. It is a subway. I have not been on a subway since my senior year in college in New York City in 1957.

The purpose of taking the Metro was to visit Acropolis and the Parthenon. Way up a hill. Better to ride than to walk. One stop on the Metro.

A problem. The Metro Acropolis stop was still at least a mile from the entrance. An uphill walk. At a constant 30 degree angle. In the boiling sun.

Not my cup of tea. I had to stop not several times, but many times to sit and rest. As I sat, many passed me by going to the top. Many older than I. Some obviously infirmed. While Louis sat, they marched.

The first part of the return trip was a problem also. The initial path down was of marble. Huge irregular blocks. Slippery. Small cuts in the marble to minimize the sliding factor. I slid, did not fall. It was not easy.

The trip was worth it. I was a part of history during the time I was on top. Acropolis, the Parthenon and other smaller temples. The most stimulating factor for me was the realization that all I saw was constructed BEFORE Christ. Way before.

Acropolis a temple to the Gods. The most exciting feature of the Parthenon the columns.

The smaller temples had columns also. However, they were copies. Some time back, there was a violent earthquake. The columns could not handle the movement. To protect them from a future abuse by nature, they were removed and replaced. The originals sit in a museum at a point down the hill.

Two generationally different fat cats responsible for much of what has been done. Pericles back in the 400s BC. The Rockefeller Foundation in recent times.

All the buildings are fragile. Thousands of years old. Modern man is constantly working to preserve that which was. There are scaffolds and cranes every where.

There had to be a topping on the cake after such a glorious walk back in history. It came in the evening. Dinner at Dionysus Restaurant.

Dionysus sits at the foot of the historical mountain. About a mile away. It is a huge outdoor restaurant. Top self. Great lamb. Greater view. Expensive. Worth it.

There in front of my eyes on top of the hill sat the Acropolis and Parthenon. All brightly lite. Awe inspiring. The viewing emotional.

Traditionally Dionysus was the God of the grape harvest. He was also known as Bacchus. Party boy! Festivals galore!

Did I sleep last night? Finally! The first full night’s sleep since starting this trip. I hope the jet lag is behind me.

Today is my last in Athens. Tomorrow I leave for Santorini. I still have not danced nor thrown dishes around. Hopefully tonight. There is a little Zorba in each of us.

Yesterday was Ally’s birthday. Seven years old. I forgot. I will Skype her later and make up for it. I selected a birthday gift for her before I left and gave it to her. So I am only half bad in forgetting.

I know not what today holds. Whatever, it will be good. I am in a place where it cannot be bad. And tonight….hopefully dancing and dish breaking.

Enjoy your day!

Back to today’s news.

Trump continues to have lawyer problems. Big ones! No one wants to represent him in the Impeachment trial. First Giuliani and some others withdrew or could not accept the responsibility for various reasons. A new team of 5 came on board.

The five lawyers withdrew with the trial scheduled to begin 10 days from today. The reason was a difference of opinion as to how the trial should be handled.

Trump insisted election fraud be the top item. His attorney’s disagreed. The trial should surround impeachment issues and not whether Trump was elected. Sixty one courts had already shot Trump down on that issue.

I admire the attorneys for withdrawing. A doctor does not let the patient tell him how to do the brain surgery surgery he is facing. So too with the attorney-client situation. A competent attorney would do as the 5 attorneys did. My way or the highway.

L. Lin Wood is a Georgia attorney who brought several election fraud conspiracy cases to court. Each wherein he represented Trump in one fashion or another.

The Georgia Bar Association has now entered upon the scene.The Bar has asked Wood to undergo a mental health evaluation. Lin has refused. Refusal could mean suspension or disbarment.

Lin has opted to fight. He has taken the position he did nothing wrong, only exercised his Constitutional right to free speech.

Amazing isn’t it how many of those who have tried to help Trump eventually end up behind the eight ball.

What happened to the Republican House and Senate members who feared for their lives on January 6, who hid under tables and benches behind locked doors, etc.

With the Trump impeachment trial around the corner, their tune has changed. Poor Donald! He didn’t tell the demonstrators to do bad, etc.

Whores one and all!

January 6 reminds me of the Reichstag fire in Germany on February 27, 1933. Hitler inspired. The fire solidified the establishment of Nazi Germany. Hitler’s government became entrenched.

The U.S. is not yet entrenched in any movement opposite to what it has been for many years. However, it could be moving that way. People on both sides are aroused.

Sunday, oh Sunday! Will my home quarantine ever end? Some days I think it is getting to me.

Enjoy your Sunday!

SIZABLE PORTION OF BIG SUR WASHED AWAY was originally published on Key West Lou

0 notes

illionoisprelawland-blog · 4 years

Text

Modern Sports in Modern Politics

By Brian Uhler, University of Chicago Class of 2021

August 5, 2020

In recent years, many professional athletic associations have become increasingly involved in various political issues and certain players in particular have sparked this trend. From the NFL (National Football League) to the MLB (Major League Baseball), it seems to some that we are now living in an age in which everything can and must be politicized. So, what exactly has created this trend and why is it gaining such rapid popularity? Is it because these organizations genuinely care about the social issues plaguing the United States, is it because they think they can pick up some quick cash by pandering to the masses, or is it some of both?

Most recently, the MLB has jumped on this trend. Baseball has featured “BLM” on the pitcher’s mound, and while one might think that the person in charge of putting the “MLB” logo on the pitcher’s mound might have just made a disastrous spelling error, this was actually intentional – “BLM” stands for “Black Lives Matter”, a movement centered on protesting police violence against African-Americans. This happened almost instantaneously upon the start of the 2020 season; due to the current pandemic, the MLB had to adopt a shortened, 60-game schedule starting in late July. (1) The MLB has publicly stated that they stand firmly in solidarity with the BLM movement and will listen to the African-American community and enhance the voices of the African-American players in the league. (2) Interestingly enough, while baseball was one of the first sports to racially integrate, its past is remarkably checkered with racism. For many years, African-Americans were not allowed in the MLB, and even after integration many team owners colluded to prevent the signing of African-American players to their teams. However, there are numerous African-American players in the league today, and in support of those players and of the African-American community as a whole, both the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees knelt before the National Anthem in solidarity. However, while this action was widespread among the MLB teams on their respective opening days, Sam Coonrod, a pitcher on the San Francisco Giants, did not kneel. Coonrod says that he is a Christian, and as such, he ”can’t kneel for anything besides God.” (3)

However, while the MLB is the most recent professional sports organization with players that have chosen to adopt performative actions like this, it is far from the first. Of the recent uptick in political issues in sports, none is more recognizable than former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. In a 2016 game against the Chargers, Kaepernick knelt during the National Anthem as a way to protest wrongdoings against minorities. (5) This action sparked great controversy, with many asking if this action constituted a disrespect of the flag and the members of the United States military that have died for the freedoms of citizens across the country. Around the time of this incident, a photo of Kaepernick surfaced in which he wore socks that depicted police officers as literal pigs. Kaepernick said that he wore these socks because rogue cops are allowed to hold positions in the police departments, which puts communities in danger. However, during this time, Kaepernick was also battling for his job as the 49ers starting quarterback. Only months after the beginning of the controversial incident, Kaepernick was benched (removed from the game) during a game by the coaching staff due to a spectacularly poor performance against Chicago Bears. During the game, Kaepernick completed 1 of 5 passes (an absolutely horrible percentage) for a total of 4 (four) yards and was sacked (tackled in the backfield) 5 times, all within 3 quarters of playing. For those that do not know much about football, if your favorite team’s quarterback has thrown for four yards in a game, your team is most definitely getting destroyed. In fact, his performance in this game made Kaepernick the first quarterback in NFL history to be sacked 5 times and throw for fewer than 5 yards in the same game – quite the “accomplishment.” (4)Kaepernick said in a post-game interview that he was surprised that he was benched, and also mentioned that he believed that the cold and wet Chicago weather played a substantial role in his poor performance. After the 2016 season, Kaepernick decided to opt out of his contract with the 49ers and become a free agent, a player able to be signed by any team. However, the 49ers coaching staff made it clear that had Kaepernick not opted out of his contract, he would have been cut from the roster anyway due to his performance and disagreements with the coaching staff over how to run their offense. (6)

In addition to the MLB and NFL, the NBA (National Basketball Association) has also dipped its foot in the huge pond of politics and social issues. For its 2020 season, the NBA has decided to paint “Black Lives Matter” on many of its courts. Additionally, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that the league has created a foundation to “expand institutional and economic opportunities across the Black Community.” (7) However, this action is far from the first time that the NBA has been a notable part of a political discussion. The NBA has substantial popularity in China, and when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for the pro-democracy protests taking place in Hong Kong, the streaming companies that are responsible for streaming the games in China immediately stopped all NBA streams. This backlash was amplified when Adam Silver voiced his support for Morey’s right to his freedom of expression. However, it is estimated that the business there is worth around $4 billion. (9) Since then, the streaming companies have quietly begun streaming NBA games in China once more. There have not been many public statements regarding why this happened, but it can be inferred that some conversations regarding the issue took place. While the public may never know what happened in those conversations that resulted in the multi-billion-dollar industry being restored in China, it is rather interesting to note that when a person attempts to order a customized jersey from the NBA’s website, that person was at first unable to customize the back of a jersey to say “Free Hong Kong.” (8) After significant backlash, the NBA’s online store claimed that there was an error on the site. So, was this a situation in which the NBA backed down to China’s demands and attempted to censor people that disagreed with China’s stance on the pro-democracy protests of Hong Kong? Maybe.

In light of the recent trend of professional sports teams and organizations to get involved in political and social issues, we as a country can hope that this trend will result in increased justice and awareness in our country and that we continue to move in the right direction. At the same time, we also hope that these billion-dollar corporations truly have the best intentions in mind, and they are not simply pandering to people to make money.

_______________________________________________________________

(1) Anderson, R.J. Jun 24. “MLB Announces 60-Game Season for 2020; Opening Day Will Be July 23 or 24.” CBSSports.com, 24 June 2020, www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-announces-60-game-season-for-2020-opening-day-will-be-july-23-or-24/#:~:text=60%2Dgame%20schedule-,MLB%20announces%2060%2Dgame%20season%20for%202020%3B%20Opening%20Day%20will,be%20July%2023%20or%2024&text=Major%20League%20Baseball%20is%20set,a%2060%2Dgame%202020%20season.

(2)Murphy, Paul P. “Baseball Is Making Black Lives Matter Center Stage on Opening Day.”CNN, Cable News Network, 24 July 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/07/23/us/opening-day-baseball-mlb-black-lives-matter-trnd/index.html.

(3)Dedaj, Paulina. “Giants' Pitcher Sam Coonrod Refuses to Kneel During Black Lives Matter Moment Because of Faith: 'I'm a Christian'.” Fox News, FOX News Network, 25 July 2020, www.foxnews.com/sports/giants-sam-coonrod-kneel-black-lives-matter-faith-christian.

(4)Wagoner, Nick. “Colin Kaepernick Benched by 49ers After Dismal 3 Quarters vs. Bears.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 4 Dec. 2016, www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18202774/colin-kaepernick-benched-san-francisco-49ers-fourth-quarter-vs-chicago-bears.

(5)Krasovic, Tom. “Colin Kaepernick Takes a Knee During National Anthem in San Diego and Is Booed.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sept. 2016, www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-chargers-kaepernick-20160901-snap-story.html.

(6)Brinson May 31, Will. “The 49ers Would've Cut Colin Kaepernick If He Hadn't Opted Out of His Contract.” CBSSports.com, 1 June 2017, www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/the-49ers-wouldve-cut-colin-kaepernick-if-he-hadnt-opted-out-of-his-contract/.

(7)Medina, Mark, and Jeff Zillgitt. “'Black Lives Matter' to Be Painted on Courts at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex for NBA's Resumed 2020 Season.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 30 June 2020, www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2020/06/29/nba-paint-black-lives-matter-courts-season-restart-orlando/3282987001/.

(8)Heck, Jordan, et al. “NBA Store Says 'Free Hong Kong' Was 'Inadvertently Prohibited' from Jerseys.” Sporting News, (NBA Store), 14 July 2020, www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/nba-store-free-hong-kong-jerseys/vamfw17sza9f16m8iuo6la7wt.

(9)He, Laura. “China Suspended Ties with the NBA Last Week. Now It's Starting to Restore Them.” CNN, Cable News Network, 14 Oct. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/10/14/business/china-nba-dispute-tencent-livestream/index.html.

Photo Credit: Keith Allison

0 notes

pilgrimonpoint · 4 years

Text

“The Pattern Aggrandizment of Self-Delusion.”

Is There a Term for Convincing Those Around You of The Obvious, Then the Obvious Thing Doesn’t Happen?

Yes. It is called “The Pattern Aggrandizement of Self-Delusion.”

I have been in a near constant state of awakening and suicidal ideation, but really, who hasn't been?

Anyway, one of the realizations I had sprang from the analysis of my accrued data metrics that addressed “whether or not”, in aggregate, “listening to my ‘gut' had the generalized overall result being beneficial, certainly positive, and nice feeling upon post examinations of my necessarily subjective experience of the undocumented events as remembered after the fact".

What I learned was ‘jaw dropping.’

The unqualified result was that, astoundingly, I had never listened to my gut up until the age of 46, and my life had generally been a sucky experience, BUT, since then, while being in the most chaotic time in memory, it has also been the most mind-bogglingly creative and satisfying time I have ever lived!

The crises personally and country wide were seismic! In many, many ways I was the same me, but in a different place and time. The question then occurred to me, "what is the most consistent random thing to occur in my life?”

Without hesitation, the thought manifested within my expansive mind, “420”.

Now mind you, I am not a pot smoker. Sure, in the past I liked to “loosen the screws", but for me the experience was “losing the screws altogether. Has anyone seen my glasses? How about my keys?”

You feel me.

Since I was 16, you would not credit as believable how many times I have wondered,” what time is it?”

Looked at the clock, and, you guessed it, exactly 420.

It happened so much that I have been using it as a running joke for over 10 years now. Even going as far as to text my partner every time it happens to try and share the weirdness of it. It did not even occur to me to wonder, “I wonder what it could mean in relation to April 2020?” prior to last Nov.

When it did, the first thing I thought was, “I wonder if that is when I am going to die?” My ‘gut’ reacted when I considered it. So, I considered it more.

Now this is the part of the story where it REALLY starts to make sense. When I was 22, and just out of the Marines, Texas had just started the state lottery. Looking at the odds of winning, it occurred to me that the best random odds one could have would be to pick one set of numbers at 21, or 22, then play those numbers with odd regularity until I died at 127, and have a better chance of winning than any other strategy.

Let me tell you, I was SO impressed with myself. Especially when each number I chose had a special significance. OF COURSE, I told my family, my friends, strangers, little children, EVERYBODY about my brilliant plan. I talked about it so much, my friends and family knew my numbers without the need for hints.

After two weeks of being fully the most annoying pleasant intellectual in all West Texas, my roommate and I were parked in front of The Colonial at 9 pm. Terry was in the store, and my gut went crazy!

I had the darndest feeling that I should buy a ticket, BUT I only had 5 dollars and we were headed to the dollar theater to watch a movie. $1 to get in. $2 for a large soda, and $2 for a hotdog or nachos. So, in weighing my desires, I found getting a soda and hotdog outweighed my need to buy a lottery ticket, and realize again I was paying “the poor man's tax” as my father was want to call the lottery.

OK!

I had decided.

Shut UP gut!

Then Terry got into the vehicle.

“Aren’t you going get a lottery ticket??” He asked significantly, leaning over towards me and wagging his eyebrows to indicate he was only half mocking my intellectual prowess, which was profound, yet untested at such a young age. I then had to explain to him my well-reasoned excuse not to purchase a ticket, even repeating my father's moniker for the gambling game.

“Alright!” Terry said, and we went to the movies.

In those days, the theater would put up the numbers next to the movie screen on drawing nights. I was watching the trailers when Terry punched the holy living hell out of my shoulder.

“What the F Ter-,” Terry interrupted my indignant anger, “Look!” he said loudly, pointing. Following his pointer finger I saw at the end of it, my lottery numbers. Loud, recriminations ensued.

That was my first gut failure and will long live in the annals of family history of missed chances.

I have had many times from then to my present 47 years where, every time I ignored my gut, I later learned I should have listened to my gut. It was with this infallible information in hand last Dec, I decided TO follow my gut for ONCE in my life. Further, I decided to combine it with another observation regarding my life.

That observation was my life seemed to, without intent, be the most cliché life that I am aware of. So much so, that if I am in an unusual situation, or witness to one, and I can think of an absurd situational cliché similar to what I am witnessing, then further picture an even more absurd cliché that involves me, then it will probably happen, and then leave where ever I am because I am tired of experiencing absurd clichés in my life. Really.

As a brief example of what I mean, I have actually been in a situation where a hot, beautiful, younger woman was BEGGING me to be with her, and my response in that moment was, “No, not until you tell me something personal about you. It can be made up, I don’t care, but it has to sound personal.” To which she said, “Shut up and GIVE it to me!” I then responded with, and I am completely serious, I said, “But I want to get to know you as a person!”

Really? What!

And I meant it! I realized the irony of the situation as well as the cosmic humor of the organic interaction.

My friends said that I could get struck by lightning on a cloudless day. It was so ridiculous, even my friends and family could only agree with the sentiment.

Back to 420.

So I combined “Cliché” with “420” and came up with the conviction, not mere supposition, but conviction that the “Big One” was going to happen in the San Francisco Bay area on, you guessed it, 4/20/20.

For those too busy for historical references, “Big One” in this context refers to a geological tremor, of OMG proportions. If I had lost some of you to a more debauched definition for “Big One” when associated with San Francisco, no worries, I added some useless but fun filler for the rest of us to read until you came back from your “wonderings”. We are not judging.

Welcome back!

I further backed this up with a dream I had my first night in the area. I dreamt that I was on a roof with another guy and water was swiftly rising up and overtaking us, and I was yelling, “which way do we swim for the Berkeley Hills?!”. Not a normal dream, but one of those super lucid, real feeling ones.

I had had 5 of them in my life. One of THOSE 5 was a dream where I standing on a cliff on the west coast overlooking the ocean, and there were meteors, several of them trailing huge smoke trails behind them, and I said in the dream, "And behold, a mountain was cast down from the heavens, and this is the 6th seal”

I quietly began telling friends and family and those I like to go camping or be out of town on 4/20. Hell, I was so convincing, my sons and partner were trying to help pack so we could get on the road at 2 am on 420! It was such a mess despite all efforts, I took that as a sign I should just chill and not drive to the border of OR to wait. The border of Oregon, OF COURSE because, during our research, we discovered that our RV Trailer Park of extravagant plushness, was encircled on three sides by liquefaction zones. LIQUIFACTION ZONES! We were also within a 15-minute walk on our other side to the Hayward Faultline. As well as 5, not 4, not 6, but 5 volcanoes that had active within enough historical time, to add a nice hysterical flavor to our familial rash of survivalist instincts!

Did I really want to see if, in another cosmic cliché, I was a prophet?

“Oh man. Please no. Not in the middle of a pandemic with apocalypse feelings like this happening with everyone in twenty-seven social interactions I had been having lately. I even read a couple chapters of Revelations. The only thing more catastrophic than reading revelations with serious intent to understand is our local crazy on the street corner not carrying an “end is nigh” sign. OMG, he is carrying a sign! I will get burned at a stake for sure!”

I reasoned one of two things were going to happen come 4/20/20.

One, my talent for identifying unusual, but true patterns in meta social data was more that I wanted to actually have, or two, I had a lesson to learn and needed to reevaluate some of my life choices.

Not doing anything would be irresponsible, where doing something COULD save some lives. If nothing happened, no real trouble for anyone, and I didn’t broadcast across the internet, and set myself up for being an I-D-I-O-T publicly. Only privately, and within a small circle of people who would either need to be stopped from making more of my prophetic powers than is seemly, or hopefully, they could accept the above reasons as fair, and let me learn said lessons without too much joking about Nostradamus or even considering crossing a pandemic border to then go into a more serious lockdown for 14 days of shame, or anything. I mean, I DID tell them the same thing as in this paragraph BEFORE 420, so I have a very reasonable, and self-evaluating insanity.

YAY!

*my partner says I must inform y’all that we had actually been planning a trip to OR for many months before our invisible stalking COVID frenemy began crawling up both legs at the same time

It being June 8th now, you can figure that I learned the lesson of not associating entirely subjective experiences into any kind of designation of anything prophetic or inane. Trust me, I am not that guy, which is exactly why the whole collection of things felt MORE probable. People were like, “Man, Adrian is saying this. Shit! Maybe something IS going to happen!”

Yeah Something happened. I realized my hair was not on fire, and humans are silly as hell. Oh, I made up the term up top. Seemed in keeping with the tongue-in-cheek feel I was going for.

Pattern Aggrandizement of Self-Delusion in no way whatsoever, needs to be credited to me when bringing up who coined the phrase, but if absolutely necessary, you may use Sabrina Siebert, 42, from Troy Michigan. She IS the boss. I merely dictated this answer.

*OOOOwwwww

**she is giving the evil eye, but smiling, and denying, and now looking down at her phone. Mission accomplished.

Feedback in comments! THANKS!

Respectfully,

A. Yobi Blumberg

#veteranartist #voctrbe #veteranwriter #ptsdtherapy #thetruth #hmor

0 notes

thefemalehustler · 7 years

Photo

INTERVIEW: JACKY OH

Hi Jacky! Thanks for taking the time to speak with ‘The Female Hustler’ we look forward to learning more about your journey through the entertainment industry so far!

Where are you from originally and what or who was your inspiration to get into the entertainment industry?

I am actually originally from the San Francisco, Bay Area! The Bay is filled with so much culture and diversity – I have been inspired by the art, history and people I’ve encountered living there.

You lived in LA briefly, people associate Los Angeles with the glitz and glamour but experiencing living there first hand what challenges did you face on your journey to becoming successful within the entertainment business?

I lived in LA for a couple of years and I noticed that the main difference between LA and the SF Bay Area is that people are a lot more down to earth in the Bay. It had seemed to me that everyone was very interested in how they could further their careers and not very interested in helping others (unless it benefitted them in a way). Los Angeles is about who you know, so I definitely had to get out there and network and make people know that they needed to know me.

Have you always wanted to pursue a career within entertainment?

Growing up I actually always thought I would be an attorney. My Dad always gave me and my siblings the goal of being Lawyers so that was the original plan. I didn’t think about being in the entertainment industry until college.

What was your first job within the entertainment industry?

The first set I was on I was casted by my now friend, E. Mills, who is a popular casting director in LA. He casted me for Tyga & French Montana’s ‘Thrilla & Manilla” music video as one of three models.

You have been a well known model for some time now, what made you decide to get into modelling and what would you say has been your biggest job to date?

My biggest job to date has been being a model on MTV’s Wild N Out as one of the Wild ’n’ Out Girls.

It was also a pretty big deal to be in the Jodeci ‘Every Moment’ music video , which I was personally asked by Hype Williams to be in. We shot it in Aspen , which was absolutely breath-taking!

One of your biggest jobs to date as you mentioned has been securing the role as one of the main cast members on MTV's Wild N Out, how did that opportunity come about and what opportunities have come about from being on such a popular show?

I received a DM from Nick Cannon’s assistant in regards to coming in to do an interview for Wild N Out. I think they found me because of my large social media following on Instagram.

Wild N Out is known for having some amazing guests on the show, who have been some of your favourite guests so far?

I was so excited to be on the Kevin Hart episode, he is a FOOL! Comedy comes so naturally to him (duhh lol) so it was funny watching him keep all the cast on their toes. He had a comeback for anything thrown his way.

Your boyfriend DC Young Fly is also a main cast member on the show and famous comedian, did you guys meet on the show?

Yep! DC & I met on the first day of filming.

You guys not so long ago had your beautiful baby girl Nova, congratulations! She is super cute! How have you adjusted to being a first time mum?

It came very naturally to adjust as a first time mom. I think God gives you those 9 months of pregnancy to prepare your mind and your life to change forever. I used that time to ask questions, and prep for my baby girl.

You have a crazy work schedule, how have you found it juggling being a full time mother and having a full time career?

It honestly comes pretty easy to me. I make adjustments when needed, but, I love bringing my daughter everywhere with me. Some parents find it hard to bring their child along, but I enjoy having her by my side. I also time things out as well so that I may get work done during her nap times.

Do you have any tips for mums out there who still want to have a full time career but are maybe unsure on the best way to go about doing both?

Having family around helps a lot. If you have to get things done and the little one can’t come along it’s nice having family around whom you trust to babysit for a while. Also, as I mentioned before, timing is very important. Give yourself a timeline throughout the day so that you may maximize every minute & get sh*t done! Don’t let your child be an excuse to not be productive, let them be your motivation!

You recently launched your lip gloss / fashion collection 'J Nova', what was the inspiration behind the collection and what can people expect from a 'J Nova' product?

My boyfriend suggested that I start a makeup line because people were always asking me about my makeup- more specifically my lip gloss. And I was already doing Youtube videos about my makeup routines so I figured- why not sell my own?!

What marketing tips can you give to anyone launching a new company whether it be with a lip gloss collection like yourself or a clothing line, what are the main things to remember when it comes to successful marketing?

1) Give yourself deadlines. Or, if someone is doing something for you- make sure you give them an earlier deadline than the time you really need it. 2) Utilize your friends and family for marketing 3) DO YOUR RESEARCH! Don’t just dive into selling something, look at your competitors, look at the market , etc.

How essential do you think social media is these days for connecting with customers when launching new products?

Social media is a great marketing tool. We’re a generation of Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. It’s a great way to stay connected and in the loop on what your customers like and dislike.

As you know this site is called 'The Female Hustler' which we definitely think you are! What is the definition of a 'Female Hustler' to you?

The word hustler to me is someone who is a go getter. Not one who sits back and daydreams, but rather someone who turns those dreams into goals and goals into realities. Any woman who does that is a female hustler.

Finally what can we expect from Jacky Oh for the last half of 2017 and where can people buy your 'J Nova' products?

I am auditioning for TV/Movie roles so hopefully I’ll be landing a role very soon. For now, you may catch all of my fun vlogs on my Youtube channel, and shop my ULTRA GLOSSY lip glosses at jnovacollection.com

Social: Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat: @msjackyoh Vlogs & Beauty: Youtube.com/msjackyoh

2 notes · View notes

nothingman · 7 years

Link

Recently, Profound Lore Records announced a new 12-inch EP from Disma, an American death metal band that’s existed for well over a decade. The band’s frontman Craig Pillard is considered a pioneer of the genre due to his work in Incantation, one of the early innovators in New York City’s death metal scene. He is also considered a fucking Nazi.

Sturmführer’s Ich Kämpfe album cover

Outside of Pillard’s main gig, he has a solo project called Sturmführer, a name derived from the paramilitary rank within the Nazi army that best translates to “assault leader.” Under the Sturmführer name, Pillard has released records that feature swastikas in the artwork and are put out on labels like Satanic Skinhead Propaganda—an imprint that, before closing in 2013, handled records by other metal bands that traffic in overt racism. But by becoming part of the Profound Lore fold, Pillard is no longer just on the cultural fringes. And his involvement there says something striking about modern metal’s ongoing Nazi problem.

Profound Lore, along with labels like Southern Lord, specializes in some of the most progressive, interesting metal being made today. Glance over its discography and you’ll find releases that rarely adhere to one sound but often push boundaries—be it Full Of Hell’s abrasive noise-metal, Krallice’s experimental black metal, or even Dälek’s off-kilter hip-hop. Come March, you’ll also find the new album from Pallbearer, a Georgia metal band with potential to be a huge, Mastodon-style crossover act. If so, it could similarly bring more mainstream exposure to Profound Lore, which only makes the label’s seeming lack of an ethical line all the more troubling.

If Disma were an isolated incident, it’d be easy to chalk up its signing as an outlier. But Profound Lore has, time and again, supported artists lacking any moral compass. After Cobalt kicked out its vocalist, Phil McSorley, for making homophobic and sexist statements on the Facebook page of his other band Recluse, it then welcomed Lord Mantis’ Charlie Fell into the band. Unfortunately, Lord Mantis had released the infamous Death Mask, an album featuring controversial cover art (drawn by the similarly provocative Jef Whitehead) that was labeled as transphobic. When confronted about it in interviews, Fell shrugged it off by saying he sees all people as “laughing, eating, smoking, dick sucking, cum loving, piss-in-the-mouth monkeys.” It seemed Cobalt had merely swapped one ill for another.

Deathkey’s Hammer Of Aryan Terror album cover

But metal’s ongoing problem with bigotry extends well beyond Profound Lore and its roster. Black metal pioneers Mayhem spent this past winter touring with Inquisition, a critical darling who’s also been lumped in with the white power movement. Most of those accusations stem from frontman Jason “Dagon” Weirbach, whose side project, 88MM, boasts a name that alludes to the preferred artillery of Germans in World War II—and even more symbolically, evokes the “88” code employed by neo-Nazis, as a stand-in for “Heil Hitler” (“H” being the eighth letter of the alphabet). 88MM also once released a song titled “14 Showerheads, 1 Gas Tight Door” on the Satanic Skinhead compilation Declaration Of Anti-Semetic Terror, and it once released a split with Satanic Skinhead’s founder, “Antichrist Kramer,” who has a well-documented history of association with openly racist and anti-Semitic bands preaching fascism and ethnic cleansing. Put it all together, and you’d make a reasonable case that—at the very least—Weirbach has a real blind spot when it comes to cultural sensitivity. You might also accuse Weirbach of being a fucking Nazi himself.

Plenty of people did just that in 2014, after Decibel ran an interview with Daniel Gallant, a one-time Canadian skinhead who abandoned the movement and has since worked to expose the tactics used by white power groups. Gallant says that, while driving a tour bus for Inquisition, Weirbach and drummer Thomas “Incubus” Stevens both gushed over his swastika tattoo (which he’s since had removed), with Gallant claiming Stevens even talked about his own beliefs in white supremacy. In a separate interview with Decibel, Weirbach denied he had any Nazi associations—“I’m not a Nazi,” he said flatly—though he had a slightly more muddled response when asked how he would describe his reaction to seeing Gallant’s tattoo, as well as to what it represented:

I can honestly tell you that I never flat-out said I thought it was a horrible thing, or that I was against it, but never did I say I was with it and that I believed in it. What I have always told people is I understand it. I understand that when you look at history and what was happening at the time, whenever you put yourself in everybody else’s shoes—and if you’re smart enough, and you have... maybe common sense is not the word, but you have an understanding of why things happen in history and in humanity the way they do, it doesn’t matter how ugly it is to you or how great. It’s simple physics. It’s nature. Things happen. Earthquakes happen. You know? Bad, good—things happen.

Echoing this “hey, shit and Holocausts happen” attitude, Weirbach similarly shrugged off whether he might be attracting Nazi fans with his music (“[If] they like the music we’re doing, then they like it”), as well as any questions about Kramer:

If I knew he was a white supremacist, truly, would I work with him? Well, there’s a fine line, because even though Inquisition is not a white supremacist band, it gets into the area of, well, here’s a friend who may have evolved into something that is not my business, but now is working for the band. So, for the band, of course, I would not have worked with him. We would not have… it would have been very difficult. It would have affected maybe our friendship or something, because people don’t like being judged, even though ironically we’re talking about everybody judging each other.

Amid all this prevaricating, Weirbach said he also believed Kramer couldn’t be a white supremacist because he had a black friend, defended his signing with the German label No Colours because “it was the only reputable label in the underground willing to sign us,” and claimed that his sampling of Hitler speeches in his music was “neutral,” seeing as, come on, he’d also sampled the line “Hitler is dead.” The No Colours affiliation is notable given that it’s often regarded as a National Socialist black metal label (NSBM, for short), having released records by bands like Absurd, the band responsible for the murder of Sandro Beyer, later putting Beyer’s grave on an album cover and seeing member Hendrik Möbus describe Beyer as a “leftist faggot.” All told, despite his saying “I’m not a Nazi,” the interview did little to clear up the lingering question of whether Weirbach and Inquisition are, in fact, Nazis, or whether they merely flirt with Nazism for shock value like so many other assholes on the internet right now (and, in some cases, in the White House). Because you can say you’re not a Nazi all you like, but repeated actions to the contrary are far more indicative of the truth.

Weirbach’s tourmates in Mayhem have a similar history of harboring some disgusting views, though these have long been given a pass because of the band’s legendary status—and also because it is riddled with clearly insane people. Still, its almost cartoonish extremity doesn’t excuse stuff like drummer Jan Axel Blomberg, better known as Hellhammer, saying this in black metal history book Lords Of Chaos: “I’ll put it this way, we don’t like black people here. Black metal is for white people.” Nor does it give him a pass on his championing Emperor drummer, Bård Guldvik Eithun (known as “Faust”), in the documentary Until The Light Takes Us for killing “a fucking faggot.” Then there’s Varg Vikernes, the poster boy for racist metalheads, who played in Mayhem before he murdered its guitarist Euronymous, and a man who has openly propagated Nazi ideology—and has even been convicted of inciting racial hatred against Jews and Muslims.

Marduk’s Frontschwein album cover

While Vikernes is an extreme example, many of these black metal musicians—as well as their fans—tend to adopt Weirbach’s attitude that adopting Nazi imagery is purely an aesthetic choice, one that comes with the sort of implicit air quote that’s become all the more recognizable beyond the music scene. As Stereogum’s Doug Moore pointed out in a recent column, many of these attitudes read like the defenses of 4chan “edgelords,” whose own spreading of gas chamber and “greedy Jew” GIFs are just their way of being provocative—“shit-posting” the world, hoping to trigger a few normies. For some black metal fans, the offensiveness is just as easily dismissed as part of the package, and if you’re triggered by it, that just means it worked. Moore notes that a recent San Francisco show shut down by protests over Swedish black metal band Marduk—a group that’s demonstrated a two-decades-long fascination with Nazism—was just a blip in an otherwise-unimpeded tour in front of fans who, if they’re not embracing that, tend to rationalize it away. For the most part, those within the black metal community seem to shrug that it’s all just inherent to the art.

Granted, it’s already easy to regard black metal as being a purely fringe interest, appealing to just a select few anyway. It’s intense, jarring music that can also be totally goofy, and it doesn’t garner a quarter of the press that bands like Metallica and Mastodon pull. Still, black metal’s Nazi problems just represent the most radical, unabashed expression of a bigotry that bubbles under even crossover acts within the broader genre. Deafheaven guitarist Kerry McCoy used homophobic slurs on Twitter before his band enjoyed crossover success (which was all swept under the rug once the group became favorites of the press). Even Slayer’s Tom Araya recently went after “snowflakes” while offering up some gay slurs (the brief controversy over which hasn’t seemed to affect its booking a tour alongside the politically charged Lamb Of God).

And when metal musicians do get punished for saying and doing deplorable shit, it’s usually comparably light—and quickly forgotten. Pantera’s Phil Anselmo having a festival appearance by his band Down canceled after he yelled “White power!” and threw up a Nazi salute on stage led to a self-flagellating apology video and a Rolling Stone interview where he tried to refute decades worth of racism accusations, but ultimately did little to damage his current career. Disma was only kicked off the Maryland Deathfest and Chaos In Tejas line-ups after other bands threatened to drop out; meanwhile, it’s promised more live dates this year to back up its Profound Lore release. As for Inquisition, it seems posing next to a swastika flag and working with known white supremacists is fine so long as you give an interview where you say you’re just interested in, like, exploring all the world’s political philosophies.

But at a time when fascism and Nazism aren’t just things kids play with for shock value—when they are, hard as it is to believe, actual growing concerns here in America and abroad—metal bands should no longer get a pass on this stuff. Yes, Motorhead’s Lemmy collected Nazi memorabilia and even David Bowie flirted with fascist imagery. Yet neither of them were releasing songs called “Crush The Jewish Prophet,” nor were they commissioning album artwork from known white supremacists. There’s an important difference between extremism for art’s sake and art that actually promotes extremism. Metal’s tight-knit community would only be strengthened by kicking out those members who are hurting what has become such an increasingly progressive form of music with such ugly and regressive views. And wouldn’t it be nice if they could pick up a record about death, violence, and apocalyptic doom without also worrying they’re supporting a bunch of racists?

via A.V. Club

#IFTTT #Feedly #Nothingman uses feedly

2 notes · View notes

janekira2 · 4 years

Text

Want to help the homeless? Embrace Medicaid expansion.

Most mornings, I walk through the Pedway to the University of Chicago Urban Labs. If you know Chicago, the Pedway is an underground concourse that runs due west about a mile from Millennium Station all the way to City Hall.

The Pedway houses my favorite Dunkin’s and other fine cuisine. It also houses conspicuous numbers of men and women who are homeless. Just this morning, I rushed past a man curled on the floor holding his possessions, trying to stay warm. His dirty clothes were too thin for a tough Chicago winter. I doubt he has showered in days. Hundreds of busy commuters looked over, then looked past, as we walked on by. Big-city life makes us callous to everyday calamities we see before us. There’s really no way to avoid it. You occasionally hand over some pocket change or a dollar. There’s too much misery to engage everyone who desperately needs help.

The homeless you see – and more out of sight

An estimated 550,000 Americans are homeless on any given night; 1.4 million will spend at least some time in a shelter this year. These figures, bad as they are, understate the problem. The street and shelter homeless are merely the most visible group of our fellow citizens who lack stable housing. Millions of others are precariously housed, couch-surfing with friends and relatives. Others are one missed paycheck away from losing an apartment or a home. I’m not counting people who would have no place else to sleep if they were suddenly released from jails, prisons, and other institutional settings.

There’s no magic cure for homelessness or its sibling, extreme poverty. Both Blue states and Red states have made bone-headed mistakes that make these problems worse than they would otherwise be. Wealthy coastal states hinder development of affordable housing for people who need it the most. When I travel on business to San Francisco, I meet cabbies whose monthly rents on small apartments frequently exceed the mortgage payment on my four-bedroom house.

Red states mostly avoid that blunder. But the deepest Red areas make an even bigger one, hurting millions of people out of partisan spite by spurning Medicaid expansion. This leaves almost 3 million people vulnerable to medical bills, 90 percent in southern states, leaving safety net providers and rural hospitals holding the bag for uncompensated care.

Medicaid expansion is particularly important given the large proportion of homeless men and women who experience physical health challenges, psychiatric disorders, and substance use disorders, and who require Medicaid coverage to receive proper care.

Health issues: a symptom driving homelessness

Most adults who meet the definition of street or shelter homelessness have some history of serious mental illness, alcohol, or illicit drug use disorders. Rates are even higher among people who are homeless and require medical care. These disorders drive homelessness for many reasons – not least because these easily fray bonds with people close to you whom you might turn to for help. And the major and minor traumas of being homeless – among which I’d include watching comfortable coffee-drinking commuters like Harold Pollack walk past in your hour of need – aren’t great as you seek to manage whatever mental health challenges you may have.

Others who are homeless or precariously housed live with physical ailments that are scarcely less debilitating or dangerous. It’s hard to manage your hypertension or diabetes when you’re living out in the street. Untended and exposed to the elements, minor scratches and blisters easily become infected open sores. Three-quarters of people who are homeless smoke tobacco, with all-too-predictable consequences for their health and longevity.

If you regard Medicaid as the safety-net for the most vulnerable, you might have assumed that at least health coverage for the homeless was addressed even before the Affordable Care Act. Not so, not even in the most liberal states.

Low (or zero) income by itself does not qualify people for traditional Medicaid. Even when people experience physical or mental health disabilities that do entitle them to receive Medicaid, the bureaucratic process for is lengthy and daunting. People who are homeless can’t always produce the neat manila folders filled with the medical records, raised-seal birth certificates, and other documents required for the complicated paperwork, either. Since 1997, addiction has been specifically barred as a qualifying condition for federal disability programs that bring Medicaid eligibility.

How Medicaid expansion can impact the homeless …

For all of these reasons, fewer than 20 percent of homeless Californians were on Medicaid before the Affordable Care Act was passed. So the impact of Medicaid expansion for homeless people was almost immediate. Michael R. Cousineau describes innovative measures in many cities which used Medicaid funds to improve supportive housing and mental health services out in the community to serve men and women who otherwise avoid the mental heath system.

The experience of Baltimore nonprofit, Healthcare for the Homeless, exemplifies the pattern seen in many expansion states. Before ACA, only 30 percent of their patients were insured. Now, 90 percent are insured. Comparisons across states around ACA’s passage demonstrated much sharper coverage increases among the homeless in Medicaid expansion states. Moreover, homeless services providers used the resources available through Medicaid expansion to expand services, increase outreach, and to take other steps that improve care for people who live in shelters or the street, or who are in danger of losing a place to live.

… and millions on the verge of becoming homeless

Medicaid expansion probably matters even more to prevent people from becoming homelessness in the first place. An estimated 13.6 percent of those made newly eligible for Medicaid have been diagnosed with a current substance use disorder. An estimated 5.4 percent carry diagnoses of serious mental illness. Many more have some history of mental illness or addiction, or face less-severe mental health, alcohol, or drug-use-related challenges that merit appropriate intervention. These challenges are particularly acute surrounding the opioid epidemic – which is one reason why Ohio Gov. John Kasich and other Republican leaders in Red-leaning states have been important allies in the fight to expand Medicaid.

Medicaid expansion has helped states to provide better services for people who experience mental health and addiction disorders. A team led by Colleen Grogan, Amanda Abraham, Christina Andrews, Pete Friedmann, Cliff Bersamira (and one other guy) documents that addiction treatment is more expansive and more available in Medicaid expansion states. More services are covered. Waiting lines are shorter. Fewer people are turned away because they cannot pay.

Reduced healthcare debt can mean fewer evictions

Medicaid expansion also prevents homelessness in another way. Insurance and medical care are very expensive. So are private insurance deductibles and copays that are essentially absent from Medicaid. Medicaid protects people against severe financial hardships, and puts more money in the pockets of poor people who desperately need the help. Results from the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment (OHIE) and other studies demonstrate that Medicaid coverage significantly improved participants’ self-reported health status, and reduced the incidence of depression. In no small part, these benefits are linked to reducing stress and anxiety associated with unpaid bills.

Source: Zewde, et al. American Journal of Public Health, October 2019, p. 1381.

As the OHIE authors reported, Medicaid coverage “reduced medical debts sent to collection agencies, lowered the likelihood of borrowing money or skipping other bill payments to cover medical expenses, and virtually eliminated catastrophic out-of pocket medical expenditures.”

A Columbia University team led by Naomi Zewde recently compared patterns of rental housing evictions between expansion and non-expansion states. Given the financial realities of Medicaid, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Medicaid expansion was associated with a significant reduction in the rate of apartment renters evicted from their homes.

The authors provided a suitably professional statistical analysis. Their basic finding is clear in the simple graph shown above. Comparing the black and gray lines, one sees that eviction rates were broadly similar in expansion and non-expansion states before ACA was passed in 2010. Then the lines diverge. By 2016, evictions were notably less common in the expansion group.

No. Medicaid is not a miracle cure for homelessness.

I see every day in the Pedway that Medicaid expansion is no miracle cure for homelessness. But it helps.

Finding things that help. That’s the core mission of much of my work, and the work of my colleagues, too. It’s naïve to think that any single policy or intervention is the polio vaccine that ends homelessness, poverty, opioid addiction, or other daunting challenges. But we have reasons for realistic evidence-based optimism that feasible policies such as Medicaid expansion can be fielded at a large enough scale to matter, and that these genuinely help.

It’s easy to lose that optimism. It’s tempting to remain sad about daunting problems. We drop a few bucks into a Salvation Army bucket, but become pessimistic and therefore passive that much can be done that can really make a difference.

We can’t succumb to that temptation. Together, we all can protect each other from homelessness and other calamities that would crush any one of us, if we had to face it alone. People at risk of becoming homeless – everyone in America – deserves the basic protections Medicaid provides. This is not a partisan issue but a human one. This holiday season, it’s good to remember that we owe at least that to our fellow citizens.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8246807 https://www.healthinsurance.org/blog/2019/12/03/want-to-help-the-homeless-embrace-medicaid-expansion/

0 notes