Compassion

We start this month’s Compassion with this story of a Louisiana man whose bank card was rejected at the grocery checkout line; the person behind him said, “I got you man.” After that, the two—from totally different backgrounds—became fast friends. Remember, taking risks and becoming familiar with those who are “Other” is the only pathway through what divides us. See also this video of a man saving a baby deer from drowning. Here too is a touching story of a daughter who secretly arranged to donate one of her kidneys to her dying father—the video of the father’s reaction will touch your heart!

Mission

I recently interviewed writer Emily Strasser about her debut book, Half-Life of a Secret: Reckoning with a Hidden History, which chronicles her family's secrecy around her grandfather’s work in helping to build the atomic bomb in WWII. (Click here to access the interview.) See also this NPR piece about Poverty, By America, by Matthew Desmond, who argues that poverty exists in America largely to serve those who are financially better off. Finally, here is a list of my upcoming talks—April is a very busy month and has me twice speaking in Iowa (Des Moines and Cedar Rapids). That makes me happy! (Despite what’s happening in Iowa po;itically, I will always consider myself an Iowan...)

Pain

As you might expect, much of March’s pain is about the marginalization of transgender humans. For example, see this father’s letter about the effects of forcing his middle school-aged transgender daughter (who presents very female) to use the boy’s restroom in Iowa. There’s also this stat that 1 in 5 transgender youth ages 13-17 now lives in a state that has banned gender affirming care. And here is the incredibly sad, but real, story of how 23-year-old Eden Knight committed suicide after her Saudi Arabian parents forced her to detransition. Against that backdrop, a new study has found that depression and suicide attempts by trans/nonbinary youth decrease by 73% when those humans receive gender affirming care. (See also this second study which confirms a similar significant decrease.) There’s also this Washington Post survey that found that most transgender adults were satisfied with their lives post-gender transition. That, my friends, would certainly include me…notwithstanding all the marginalization. 

Relief

Check out this baby race in North Carolina—I just had to share it! There’s also this deer herd, and herd, and herd, crossing a road in the UK. Additionally, don’t miss this Florida gator that literally tore through a metal fence to get to the other side. Of course, I’m also going to direct you to the trail camera in the Voyageurs National Park in northern MN—this month, it’s a bear cub that decided to adjust the camera. Ha! Finally, for those fans of Edward Hopper like me, here's a wonderfiul article with numerous examples of his work to take in. Enjoy!

Support/

Allyship

Remember the saying that “not all heroes wear capes”? Well, look at this video of 100-year-old Grace Linn who spoke up against a book ban at a Martin County TN school board meeting. Another hero is NE state senator Michaela Cavanaugh, who has single-handedly brought the NE Legislature to a halt by filibustering a proposed bill to ban gender affirming care in that state. (See story here.) Moreover, courtesy of dedicated Ripple reader Bebo Andrews, see this story about a Utah Republican legislator who opposed that state’s efforts to pass a bill against gender affirming care (unfortunately, the bill did become law, making Utah one of nine states to enact a ban). 

Lastly, several of you have recently donated to Human Ripple Works, Inc., the nonprofit which makes it possible for me to do more work for organizations that lack budgets for training (like talking to Gender and Sexuality Alliances at various schools across the country). Thank you for that!! If you’d like to support this work, please click here on the HRW website.