#Dominic DeStefano | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

unholyhelbig · 6 years

Note

Mitchsen Prompt: “I’m trying to make macaroni but I’ve burnt 3 pans and set off the fire alarm and I heard the lady above us say you were a chef please help” AU - where Aubrey can't cook

[A/N: Wow, I miss writing Mitchsen! Sorry this took so long.]

Beca didn’t’ want to open the door, she really didn’t’. Not with the way her body ached, and the taste of alcohol still stung on her lips. She hadn’t even gulped down half of her beer before there was a timid knock at her door. Too soft to be a late-night delivery boy with the veggie lover’s pizza she ordered.

And she smelt the burning pile of food before she even opened the door. The scent soaked through the hallway of their apartment building and made her wrinkle up her nose in some form of disgust. It brought her lungs back to her first week in culinary school. The way she had tried to melt chocolate chips into a fine sauce in the microwave instead of over a salted pot of boiling water.

So that’s why she opened the door. Because she was pretty sure the woman in the hallway was going to set off the fire alarms and the last thing she ever wanted was to be evacuated into the cold and snowy streets of New York in the dead of winter. She had barely let the snow melt from her jacket in the first place.

She looked disheveled, to say the least. Her hair was in a loose bun that allowed a few strands of straw hair to frame her face. There was an array of different stains against the purple fabric of her t-shirt, the color standing out against unripe eyes. She was out of breath and Beca couldn’t’ tell if she had walked far or if she had struggled against the pot of smoking food in her palm, being held with a holder that looked like it had little roosters on it. Endearing.

“Hi,” She panted “I’m so sorry to bother you. But the woman above us said that you were a chef and I have tried to make this pasta for three hours.”

Beca parted her lips and shifted to the side. She couldn’t’ say she wasn’t a chef, not with the way her unbuttoned coat that had an embroidered DeStefano’s on the right breast was left unbuttoned against a simple black shirt. The way the words Head Chef shown above that damned her even more. So Beca settled on the next best thing.

“That’s pasta?”

“I… Yes. Well, it’s supposed to be, you know? My boss is coming over in a few hours to discuss this stupid proposal and I said that I would cook dinner. But I can’t cook. Not in the slightest. Is there anyway can you help me salvage this?”

She looked at Beca with those eyes. The type that was past desperate and had gone straight into begging. She found it endearing, her neighbor clearly not a whizz in the kitchen, nor in the act of pretending that she was calm.

“Was it Kraft?”

“Mmhm”

“Oh, dear God.”

Beca widened her own eyes and stepped to the side to allow the woman into her apartment. It wasn’t much, barely decorated. She had been here for two and a half months and there were still boxes stacked against the hardwood floor. She had a single blanket over a leather couch and a television that was barely used. That was never a problem though, everything she needed was in the kitchen. The kitchen that had sold her on this place when she first got offered the job at the steak house in the center of the city.

“Your first mistake was making food from the same company who invented cheese in a can.” Beca closed the door behind them.

“Like you’ve never eaten craft Mac and Cheese?”

“Oh, I have, but like… when I was blackout drunk in college and only had access to a microwave. How big is this boss of yours? Is he sirloin level?”

Beca walked flicked the lights to the kitchen on. She never got tired of the way the granite bounced off the cherrywood cabinets. The way the flattop stove heated at the single flick of a nob. The way she admittedly never used this place as much as she wanted to. Not after spending her days in a bigger scale kitchen with ten cooks under her.

“He’s a lawyer, prosecution. The second best in the city.”

“Oh wow, so I’ll take that as a yes?” Beca let out a small laugh as she grasped the pan carefully from the woman who stood at the edge of her kitchen. She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, staring with heated cheeks down at the smoking lava rock. The chef placed the pan in the sink and turned on a cooling blast of water- quelling the heat. “And the first?”

“Me,” She lifted an eyebrow “Aubrey Posen, from Posen and Crawford.”

Beca made a little ‘O’ shape with her mouth. She hadn’t been here long, but both of those names sounded familiar to her. They didn’t have to call months ahead for reservations, and the man in charge would always choke on his ego the second they walked through the door. Now one of them, a spawn of one maybe, was standing in her kitchen with a fire hazard in a non-stick pot.

“Beca Mitchell, of… this apartment.” She shut the water off and reached for the nearest hand towel. “I’m not sure how much I have off hand. I could probably whip up some parmesan risotto if you’re willing to help out in the kitchen?”

“You could- I mean,” Aubrey stuttered, all but composed as she cupped the back of her neck “Yeah, yes. Anything you need.”

“Good,” Beca gave her a half smile and started to pull the ingredients from the shelves and the fridge. Aubrey watched her work like clock: the rice, the chicken stock, a dry wine that both of them could down in a fail swoop. Everything was suddenly in front of them and looked way more appealing than boxed macaroni.

Beca filled the cleaned pot with a layer of chicken stock and set it on a burner to boil before pulling out a wooden cutting board and a sharpened blade. She pulled an onion onto the surface, passing off the knife to Aubrey who stared at it silently with a raised brow.

“Have you ever chopped anything before?”

“Peppers, once.”

“Okay, that’s a start.” She moved out of the way softly, Aubrey falling into place next to her as she gripped the knife, holding it over the middle of the layered vegetable. “The easiest part is cutting off the ends.”

Aubrey nodded and performed the task easily, Beca instructing her to dice it up as best she could while she blocked a slab of butter into even spaces. Aubrey’s tongue poked out of the side of her mouth as she focused and Beca found herself wondering if she did the exact same thing in the courtroom. She furrowed her brow too, staring at the onion with intent.

“It’s uh,” Beca looked up “when you dice, you’re supposed to bring the blade all the way down. Don’t be afraid to really get in there- can I show you?”

“Sure,” Aubrey said in a bit of a whisper.

It was cliché, all terribly cliché, but Beca slid in behind the woman, adjusting her touch on the blade and her stance against the counter. Her front was placed so evenly against Aubrey’s back. It was warm and dominating and she smelled so clearly of vanilla that it made Beca’s mind swirl. All the while she guided the lawyer, taking a small step back once she got the hang of it.

“This isn’t so bad,” Aubrey smiled to herself and Beca thought it was brilliant.

She was usually thrust into a kitchen with people who thought they should have her position. She would puff up her chest and bare her teeth like a wolf on the hunt. Show them who was in charge before they got the upper hand. People who had all the experience in the world but none of the leadership. Aubrey had a wonder to her that made Beca’s heart swell as she took the freshly diced onions and put them in the pan, letting them sizzle with apt heat.

“Right, so, if you ever tell anyone that I’m about to put rice in the microwave I’ll hunt you down myself,” Bec said, not looking up as she tore a slit into the top of the bag of uncle bens. She was a victim of heating up a pouch every once in a while and eating it with a kitchen spoon straight from the package.

“Cross my heart. You know, I’m not usually this bad in the kitchen? I get nervous.”

“You’re a hotshot lawyer. I can’t imagine you giving into nerves.”

“It’s different there.” Aubrey let out a soft breath as Beca set the timer and finally turned to the woman. They had a few minutes to kill while the pouch heated up. They stood against the counter and Beca wished she had grabbed a few glasses for that cooking wine. Maybe the alcohol would make her feel less fuzzy in a more ironic way. “The courtroom is like an expertly crafted game. You can’t say or do anything that’s damming. I would hate to fall on my own sword, but it just comes naturally to me. Kind of like how cooking comes naturally to you…”

Beca didn’t’ want to bring up the fact that when she worked at Medieval times when she was a teenager she almost literally fell onto her sword. Or the way that she had burns littering her arms where oil splashed, or she got too close to a grill. Because Aubrey had this sparkle in her eyes, one that Beca understood wholly.

“I get that,” Beca said softly. “You just seem so confident when you’re there.”

Aubrey raised a slight eyebrow. “I didn’t take you as someone who would watch a murder trial on daytime television.”

“I’m full of surprises.”

Truthfully, she wasn’t one to do that at all, but she had flicked on the television for white noise the other week and had been enamored by the woman she saw in front of her. It took her a bit to notice with the smoke in the air and the way she had been wrapped up with cooking, but it was the same woman. The same person she found herself rooting for.

Aubrey’s emerald eyes flicked down to Beca’s lips and she prayed she wasn’t imagining it. The way her iris’s darkened tenfold. The way she leaned in slightly against the island and again, Beca was hit with that vanilla scent. It was so subtle and dizzying.

The tiny chef found herself leaning in, not far, but enough for Aubrey to give a timid smile and breath out. She could feel it against her cheek, crave that warmth even more as the two of them began to close the distance that could have been intensified by a magazine. A high school dance and a shop teacher with a god complex.

A sharp and cutting beep of the microwave jolted them back, Beca stumbling tactfully as she drew in a heaping of breath “The rice is-“

“Yeah, yup. Ricotta.”

“Risotto,” Beca snorted, shaking her head “Your boss is going to love it.”

#Beca Mitchell #Aubrey Posen #Mitchsen #pitch perfect #fanfiction #request

44 notes · View notes

esonetwork · 2 years

Text

Earth Station DCU Classics Episode 3: 1989 - Batman and Hero Hotline

New Post has been published on https://esonetwork.com/earth-station-dcu-classics-episode-3-1989-batman-and-hero-hotline/

Earth Station DCU Classics Episode 3: 1989 - Batman and Hero Hotline

For both DC Comics and the world at large, 1989 was the Year of the Bat. Tim Burton’s Batman movie dominated the box office, of course. And while Drew certainly enjoyed the movie (and even collected the bubble gum cards), his focus for this episode is Batman in the comic books. In fact, this was the year Drew became a regular DC Comics reader, starting with Batman 434 and the story “The Many Deaths of the Batman.” And that was just one of several major bat-storylines in the comics of 1989, which also brought us “Batman: Year Three” and “A Lonely Place of Dying.” Kevin’s 1989 pick, on the other hand, is much less dark than the Dark Knight. It’s the obscure six-part series Hero Hotline, about a team of D-list heroes dispatched to help anyone who called their toll-free number. Hero Hotline’s creators were Bob Rozakis and Stephen DeStefano, who had previously collaborated on the similarly lighthearted ‘Mazing Man’ series. We discuss Hero Hotline’s eclectic team roster (Stretch! Private Eyes! Microwavabelle!), its ties to other DC characters (Elongated Man! Mr. America! Calculator!), and the surprising history of perhaps its most important character… Zeep the Living Sponge. Available to all users of the ESO Network Patreon. Click here and join in all the fun and help support your friends at ESO!!

#Batman #Batman 1989 #dc comics #Drew Leitner #Earth Station DCU #Earth Station DCU Classics #Earth Station DCU Classics Ep 3 #ESO Network #Hero Hotline #Kevin Eldridge

0 notes

miiyazakisan · 5 years

Text

& * ` FRANK BELLUCCI !!

GENERAL !!

Name: Francesco Giovanni Bellucci Aliases: The Don, Frank Face Claim: Viggo Mortensen Age: 52 Gender: Male Sexuality: Bisexual Birth Info: Sicily, Italy / march 11, 1967 Location: New York City Ethnicity: Italian Occupation: Sicilian Mob Boss Build: Height - 6′2″ | Weight - 195 lbs | Body Type: Mesomorph Hair Colour: Black, Greying Eye Colour: Blue Marks: Roman Vatican tattoo on back

PERSONALITY !!

Virtues: Patient, Charismatic, Confident, Intelligent Vices: Manipulative, Ruthless, Pathological Liar, Sarcastic, Arrogant Personality Type: ESTJ Archetype: SADIST Dreams && Ambitions: To dominate the crime world in New York Fears: Betrayal

RELATIONSHIPS !!

Siblings: N/A Children: Andrei Dmitrievich Lavrov (bastard) Spouse: N/A Lovers: Anastasia Lavrovna Employer: N/A Associates: Joan Cho, Nikolay Mikhalev, Viktor Kazanov, Santiago Destefano && Mary St. Clair Friends: Mario Romano && Angelo Morello Enemies: Benicio Lozano, William Madden (Rivals)

ATTRIBUTES !!

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ STRENGTH ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ SPEED ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ ENDURANCE ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ FLEXIBILITY ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ AGILITY ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ ACCURACY

MANIPULATION: Like others, he also has great intelligence which makes him able to think quickly and read people and find a weakness in their demeanor and vulnerability to bend those to his will (case in point Setsuko)

WEAPONS: Frank is a MARKSMAN with firearms and he is also skilled in close combat with knives.

LANGUAGE: Benicio is fluent in Italian, English, German, Russian and Japanese.

#◤ file;┇ ㊚ frank bellucci ◢#character study;;#i think i'll pump out 2 of these per day 0u0

0 notes

krokodile · 6 years

Photo

henry “chess we can” haber -

house: slytherin (well duh)

wand: poplar, unicorn core, 10 in, hard

‘If you seek integrity, search first among the poplars,’ was a great maxim of my grandfather, Gerbold Ollivander, and my own experience of poplar wands and their owners tallies exactly with his. Here is a wand to rely upon, of consistency, strength and uniform power, always happiest when working with a witch or wizard of clear moral vision. There is a tired old joke among lesser wandmakers that no poplar wand has ever chosen a politician, but here they show their lamentable ignorance: two of the Ministry’s most accomplished Ministers for Magic, Eldritch Diggory and Evangeline Orpington, were the possessors of fine, Ollivander-made poplar wands.

Unicorn hair generally produces the most consistent magic, and is least subject to fluctuations and blockages. Wands with unicorn cores are generally the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts. They are the most faithful of all wands, and usually remain strongly attached to their first owner, irrespective of whether he or she was an accomplished witch or wizard.

Minor disadvantages of unicorn hair are that they do not make the most powerful wands (although the wand wood may compensate) and that they are prone to melancholy if seriously mishandled, meaning that the hair may ‘die’ and need replacing. - garrick ollivander

patronus: magpie (same as louise!) (not sure what i’d pick for him; probably a fox; but magpie works)

A relative of the crow, the magpie is considered to be one of the most intelligent animals in the world. Also like the crow, they have a bad reputation, but in fact, the magpie is seriously misunderstood. The magpie is very home-oriented. It will usually never venture farther than a six-mile radius of its birthplace. They are very curious creatures and will often fly off with something that they find interesting (any relation to the Niffler?). Magpies are able to sense approaching danger very quickly, making them the perfect Patronus! - mugglenet

Those with the Magpie patronus have an impressive mind. Although they may not see it, conjurers of the magpie are often very intelligent.

Perceptive, those with this patronus are often able to understand and process information exceedingly fast. Those with this patronus are the most intellectual of all. Another feature of those with this patronus is the ability to observe, this watchful nature allows people with the Magpie patronus to absorb information just by watching things happen around them.

The downfall of those who conjure this patronus is that they can sometimes be willful and will not change their mind easily, sometimes this leads to disputes.

However, this willful nature comes from the need to constantly be improving. Those with the magpie patronus strive for better.

This patronus is most commonly found in Ravenclaw and a close second is Slytherin. Although the magpie patronus can be found in other houses. - patronusmeaning.tumblr

wayne -

house: gryffindor

wand: rowan, unicorn core, 11 in, unbending

Rowan wood has always been much-favoured for wands, because it is reputed to be more protective than any other, and in my experience renders all manner of defensive charms especially strong and difficult to break. It is commonly stated that no dark witch or wizard ever owned a rowan wand, and I cannot recall a single instance where one of my own rowan wands has gone on to do evil in the world. Rowan is most happily placed with the clear-headed and the pure-hearted, but this reputation for virtue ought not to fool anyone – these wands are the equal of any, often the better, and frequently out-perform others in duels.

patronus: borzoi (obviously i’d pick a chinchilla for him, but i can see a hunting dog, since his episode was all about tracking a rodent...)

Also known as the Russian wolfhound, this is a quiet, yet independent, athletic dog. These are gentle and respectful dogs that are also extremely sensitive. Personal space is very important to the Borzoi. They aren’t normally aggressive or display their dominance but will become aggressive if they are handled roughly. Borzois are reserved around new people but are really loving around those they are comfortable with. - mugglenet

lenny destefano -

house: hufflepuff (well i didn’t see that coming but it works i guess)

wand: cedar, dragon core, 14 1/4 in, quite bendy

Whenever I meet one who carries a cedar wand, I find strength of character and unusual loyalty. My father, Gervaise Ollivander, used always to say, ‘you will never fool the cedar carrier,’ and I agree: the cedar wand finds its perfect home where there is perspicacity and perception. I would go further than my father, however, in saying that I have never yet met the owner of a cedar wand whom I would care to cross, especially if harm is done to those of whom they are fond. The witch or wizard who is well-matched with cedar carries the potential to be a frightening adversary, which often comes as a shock to those who have thoughtlessly challenged them.

As a rule, dragon heartstrings produce wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. Dragon wands tend to learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner.

The dragon wand tends to be easiest to turn to the Dark Arts, though it will not incline that way of its own accord. It is also the most prone of the three cores to accidents, being somewhat temperamental. - garrick ollivander

patronus: tiger

Male tigers are some of the most powerful cats in the feline family. Tigers are known to be highly protective and territorial, traveling great distances, including walking and swimming, to protect their homes. Dementors will not know what hit them from the back! - mugglenet

#krokodile's weird pottermore shit #Bob's Burgers #slytherin #hufflepuff #gryffindor #Harry Potter #fandom

0 notes

graphicpolicy · 7 years

Text

Martian Manhunter/Marvin the Martian Special #1

Written by: Frank Barbiere, Steve Orlando Art by: Jerome K. Moore, Aaron Lopresti Backup Art by: John Loter Backup Written by: Jim Fanning Cover by: Aaron Lopresti Variant cover by: Stephen DeStefano U.S. Price: $4.99 On Sale Date: June 14, 2017

Martian Manhunter tries to halt Marvin the Martian’s determination for world domination. J’onn is conflicted with his own Martian identity as he attempts to stop the hapless, determined Marvin from blowing Earth to bits in order to gain a clear view of Venus. And the bonus Looney Tunes backup story features DC characters written by Jim Fanning with art by John Loter!

#gallery-0-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 25%; } #gallery-0-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Martian Manhunter/Marvin the Martian Special #1 early preview. Martian tries to halt Martian #comics Martian Manhunter/Marvin the Martian Special #1 Written by: Frank Barbiere, Steve Orlando Art by: Jerome K. Moore, Aaron Lopresti…

#aaron lopresti #comic books #Comics #dc comics #frank barbiere #jerome k. moore #jim fanning #john loter #martian manhunter/marvin the martian special #stephen destefano #steve orlando

1 note · View note

biggoonie · 8 years

Photo

Martian Manhunter/Marvin The Martian Special #1 by Aaron Lopresti

MARTIAN MANHUNTER/ MARVIN THE MARTIAN SPECIAL #1

Written by STEVE ORLANDO and FRANK BARBERE • Art by AARON LOPRESTI and JEROME K. MOORE • Cover by AARON LOPRESTI • Backup story written by JIM FANNING • Backup story art by JOHN LOTER • Variant cover by STEPHEN DeSTEFANO Martian Manhunter tries to halt Marvin the Martian’s determination for world domination. J’onn is conflicted with his own Martian identity as he attempts to stop the hapless, determined Marvin from blowing Earth to bits in order to gain a clear view of Venus. And the bonus Looney Tunes backup story features DC characters written by Jim Fanning with art by John Loter! On sale JUNE 14 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T

#martian manhunter #marvin the martian #jonn jonzz #aaron lopresti #Looney Tunes

15 notes · View notes

lodelss · 4 years

Link

Trans People Belong

Across the country, politicians are attacking the fundamental rights of transgender and non-binary people — shutting people out of public spaces, basic services, educational institutions, and ultimately compromising the ability of trans people to survive. Trans people of all ages and backgrounds are targets, from kids in schools to incarcerated people to elderly patients in the health care system. But the weight of these attacks disproportionately falls on Black trans women and other trans people of color. Simply put, lawmakers want to stop people from being transgender — and they’re willing to put lives at risk to achieve their aims.

This year is an important one in the fight for trans rights. A record number of anti-trans bills are making their way through state legislatures, and the Supreme Court will issue a monumental decision on the civil rights of trans people in the coming months. Meanwhile, the federal government continues to find more ways to green-light discrimination against trans people.

Trans people have a right to live in safety, to thrive, and to be treated with dignity. A trans patient in need of care should receive it. A trans student should be able to play sports, use the restroom, and participate in activities alongside their peers. Trans people must have safe conditions in prison, jail, immigration detention and other sites of confinement, including shelters, and must be able to utilize facilities and services as their true selves.

Now is the time to raise our voices and remind lawmakers:

… in health care … in schools … in sports … in the military … in workplaces

Health Care

Transgender people should be able to access health care just like everybody else. Yet transition-related health care is explicitly excluded from many public health care programs and private insurance policies, and loopholes in anti-discrimination laws allow health care providers and insurance companies to discriminate against trans people.

In recent years, the Trump administration has put trans people’s health at even greater risk by proposing to gut nondiscrimination protections in the Health Care Rights Law, also known as Section 1557 in the Affordable Care Act, thereby removing vital protections against sex-based discrimination. The administration also wants to give health care providers a license to discriminate based on their religion. For example, a doctor or nurse could refuse to provide care for a transgender person, a same-sex couple, or a person seeking an abortion, saying it violates their religious beliefs. The goal of the administration is clear: to excise transgender people from the basic right to access health care.

The ACLU is fighting back in the courts as tens of thousands of activists are raising their voices in opposition to the proposed changes to the law. We must ensure that trans and non-binary people have meaningful, comprehensive access to care, just like all of us.

Stories

Oliver Knight: Catholic Bishops Stopped My Surgery Because I’m Transgender

Dashir Moore: Denied Health Care for Being Trans

Hilde Hall: My Pharmacist Humiliated Me When He Refused to Fill My Hormone Prescription

Resources and action

Menstrual Equity Toolkit

Tell Congress to pass the Equality Act

Schools

In 2016, lawmakers fixated on where transgender people go to the bathroom. This year, lawmakers have decided to prioritize barring trans and non-binary youth from accessing the same spaces and rights as their peers. That includes accessing restrooms, athletics, and documentation consistent with their gender identity.

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has rescinded key components of Title IX that allowed transgender students to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity. DeVos has also announced that the Department of Education will no longer investigate any complaints filed by transgender students who have been banned from restrooms that match their gender identity. At the same time, states across the country are proposing bans on restroom use, harming trans students.

Through various litigation and advocacy initiatives, the ACLU and partners are fighting back to ensure schools are a safe, inclusive space for transgender and non-binary students.

Resources and action

KYR guide for Trans and Gender Nonconforming Students

Stories

A Boy Named Gavin

Aidan DeStefano: My School Was Right to Let Me Use the Bathroom Consistent With Who I Am

Sports

Transgender people have the right to participate in sports consistent with who they are, just like anyone. Denying this right is pure discrimination.

However, states and schools across the country are trying to marginalize trans athletes by banning them from participating in sports like any other athlete. These measures would exclude transgender people from enjoying the benefits of sports on equal terms with their cisgender peers. Not only do these bills discriminate against trans youth in ways that compromise their health, social and emotional development, they also raise a host of privacy concerns.

The marginalization of trans student-athletes is rooted in the same kind of gender discrimination and stereotyping that has held back cisgender women athletes. Transgender girls are often told that they are not girls (and conversely transgender boys are told they are not really boys) based on inaccurate stereotypes about biology, athleticism, and gender. As a result, transgender athletes — particularly Black transgender women — face systemic barriers to participation in athletics and all aspects of public life. This exclusion contributes to the high rates of homelessness, suicidality, and violence that Black trans women and girls face.

Resources/action

Pledge to support trans student-athletes

Stories

Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood: Banning Trans Girls From School Sports Is Neither Feminist Nor Legal

The Military

For decades, transgender men and women have been barred from openly serving in the military, despite the fact that recent studies show that about one-fifth of all transgender adults are veterans, making transgender people approximately twice as likely as others to serve in the military.

In 2015, the Pentagon announced the military will work on a policy allowing transgender soldiers to serve openly — but those plans came to a halt when President Trump entered office and promptly signed an executive order banning transgender people from military service.

Though the ACLU, partners, and fellow advocates fought back, the trans military ban still stands. Current U.S. Department of Defense regulations bar transgender persons from military service. Requiring these brave Americans to continue to serve in silence is a profound injustice.

Stories

Brock Stone: Transgender Soldiers Are Equal to the Task. We Have Earned the Right to Serve Our Country

Noah Strangio: Veteran’s Day Reflections From a Civil Libertarian Former Soldier

We Support Our Trans Troops

Workplaces

Sexual orientation and gender identity have nothing to do with how well a person can do their job. Yet transgender workers are often rejected by employers, denied compensation and benefits, or even fired because of who they love or who they are. Nearly one in three transgender people has experienced discrimination in the workplace.

For the past two decades, anti-discrimination laws have protected trans people — and all LGBTQ people — from certain forms of discrimination in the workplace. But the Trump administration is trying to strip away these hard-fought rights. In 2019, the Department of Labor proposed a rule that would allow government-contracted employers to discriminate against trans employees.

Trans rights are at stake in the courts, too. This year, the Supreme Court will decide three cases in which the Trump administration is urging the court to rule that it’s legal to fire workers for being LGBTQ. These cases will affect more people than the 2015 ruling on marriage equality, and they potentially implicate a broader range of contexts in which LGBTQ people may face harm if the court green-lights discrimination.

Through advocacy and litigation, the ACLU is fighting for clear and explicit laws that protect trans people from discrimination on the job. All LGBTQ people are entitled to fair consideration based on their job qualifications alone, just like everyone else.

Stories

Aimee Stephens: My Boss Fired Me From My Funeral Home Job for Being Transgender

Jennifer Chavez: A Trans Woman Working in a Male-Dominated Industry

Resources and action

Take the Pledge for Aimee: Trans People Belong

Tell Congress to Pass the Equality Act

Trans People Belong Everywhere

Trans people belong in health care systems, in schools, in the military, in workplaces — everywhere. Trans people have the same civil rights and liberties as anybody else in this country.

The ACLU is fighting for transgender rights in the courts and in legislatures at both the state and federal level. Join our fight by telling Congress to pass the Equality Act and by looking up anti-trans legislation in your state.

Further action and resources

Know Your Rights: LGBTQ Rights

Transgender people and ID documentation

For more information, visit the Trans Women of Color Collective, National Center for Transgender Equality, and Transgender Law Center.

Published March 5, 2020 at 02:13AM via ACLU https://ift.tt/3akLSdk

#IFTTT #Blogger

0 notes

nancydhooper · 5 years

Text

Trans People Belong

Now is the time to raise our voices and remind lawmakers:

… in health care … in schools … in sports … in the military … in workplaces

Health Care

Stories

Oliver Knight: Catholic Bishops Stopped My Surgery Because I’m Transgender

Dashir Moore: Denied Health Care for Being Trans

Hilde Hall: My Pharmacist Humiliated Me When He Refused to Fill My Hormone Prescription

Resources and action

Menstrual Equity Toolkit

Tell Congress to pass the Equality Act

Schools

Through various litigation and advocacy initiatives, the ACLU and partners are fighting back to ensure schools are a safe, inclusive space for transgender and non-binary students.

Resources and action

KYR guide for Trans and Gender Nonconforming Students

Stories

A Boy Named Gavin

Aidan DeStefano: My School Was Right to Let Me Use the Bathroom Consistent With Who I Am

Sports

Transgender people have the right to participate in sports consistent with who they are, just like anyone. Denying this right is pure discrimination.

Resources/action

Pledge to support trans student-athletes

Stories

Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood: Banning Trans Girls From School Sports Is Neither Feminist Nor Legal

The Military

Stories

Brock Stone: Transgender Soldiers Are Equal to the Task. We Have Earned the Right to Serve Our Country

Noah Strangio: Veteran’s Day Reflections From a Civil Libertarian Former Soldier

We Support Our Trans Troops

Workplaces

Stories

Aimee Stephens: My Boss Fired Me From My Funeral Home Job for Being Transgender

Jennifer Chavez: A Trans Woman Working in a Male-Dominated Industry

Resources and action

Take the Pledge for Aimee: Trans People Belong

Tell Congress to Pass the Equality Act

Trans People Belong Everywhere

Trans people belong in health care systems, in schools, in the military, in workplaces — everywhere. Trans people have the same civil rights and liberties as anybody else in this country.

Further action and resources

Know Your Rights: LGBTQ Rights

Transgender people and ID documentation

For more information, visit the Trans Women of Color Collective, National Center for Transgender Equality, and Transgender Law Center.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8247012 https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbt-rights/trans-people-belong via http://www.rssmix.com/

0 notes

thisdaynews · 5 years

Text

Juul threw millions of dollars at Washington. It hasn’t bought much.

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/juul-threw-millions-of-dollars-at-washington-it-hasnt-bought-much/

Juul threw millions of dollars at Washington. It hasn’t bought much.

Juul shelled out nearly $240,000 on lobbying in California in the first half of the year, according to state disclosure filings. | Craig Mitchelldyer/AP Photo

Lobbying

Trump just delivered a big blow to the dominant vaping company.

Juul Labs has spent millions of dollars on lobbying, hired high-profile Trump administration officials, and blanketed Washington with ads touting its efforts against underage vaping.

None of that was enough to keep President Donald Trump from moving to ban flavored e-cigarettes on Wednesday, delivering a blow to the dominant vaping company and its rivals.

Story Continued Below

“Vaping has become a very big business as I understand it, a giant business in a very short period of time,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, sitting alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. “But we can’t allow people to get sick and we can’t have our youth be so affected.”

Neither Trump nor Azar mentioned Juul in their remarks. But Scott Gottlieb, who pressed for greater regulation of vaping as Trump’s Food and Drug Administration commissioner before stepping down earlier this year, said the move would have an outsize impact on the San Francisco-based company.

“This problem was largely created by the cartridge-based Juul products in my opinion,” Gottlieb said in a statement to POLITICO.

Juul didn’t respond to a request for comment. The company has said in the past that its e-cigarettes, including the flavored ones, are intended for adults, and it has lobbied to raise the age for purchasing tobacco products to 21.

But Juul has been girding for a major Washington battle ever since it was spun off from Pax Labs in 2017.

Juul hired its first Washington lobbyists in 2017 and rapidly ramped up its spending, flush with cash after the tobacco giant Altria spent $13 billion to acquire a 35 percent stake in the company last year.

The vaping company shelled out nearly $2 million on lobbying in Washington in the first half of this year alone, according to disclosure filings. Its two dozen lobbyists include former Sen. Don Nickles (R-Okla.) and former Democratic and Republican congressional staffers of both parties. The company’s PAC has also written nearly $200,000 in checks to candidates and PACs affiliated with both parties, according to campaign finance disclosures.

Juul brought on Tevi Troy, who worked with Azar in George W. Bush’s administration, last year as vice president of public policy, although he hasn’t registered as a lobbyist.

It’s also focused on hiring former Trump administration officials.

In the past few months, Juul brought on Vice President Mike Pence’s director of media affairs, Rebeccah Propp, as its communications director, and former White House aide Johnny DeStefano as an outside consultant. They joined Josh Raffel, a former White House spokesman who worked closely with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump and is now a Juul spokesman.

Matthew Myers, the president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said Trump’s crackdown announcement on Wednesday was notable because it came “despite an extraordinary amount of spending by Juul on hiring lobbyists and making political contributions.”

Juul has also orchestrated a massive lobbying effort in state capitals across the country, hiring Martha Coakley, a former Democratic Massachusetts attorney general, earlier this year to help with the effort.

Juul shelled out nearly $240,000 on lobbying in California in the first half of the year, according to state disclosure filings. The company’s lobbying in the state included a successful effort to beat back two proposed statewide bans on flavored e-cigarettes similar to the federal ban Trump endorsed on Wednesday.

And in San Francisco, Juul has spent more than $4.5 million to support its November initiative to overturn the city’s prohibition on e-cigarette sales in retail stores and online, and replace it with a set of sales restrictions the company supports. That’s more than all other city measures and candidates on the ballot combined.

Juul has hired lobbyists in at least 38 other states as well as New York City, Chicago and the District of Columbia, according to data compiled for POLITICO by Vigilant, a company that aggregates public records data.

But the lobbying campaign wasn’t enough to keep Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer from moving last week to bar the sale of flavored e-cigarettes in the state. Whitmer, a Democrat, said on Wednesday that Trump was “doing the right thing.”

“Right now, companies are getting our kids hooked on nicotine by marketing flavors like apple juice, bubble gum and candy,” she said in a statement. “Banning these flavors is a bold step that will keep our kids healthy and safe from the harmful efforts of vaping.”

Victoria Colliver and Sarah Owermohle contributed to this report.

#bought #Foreign #Politics #Washington

0 notes

edlehming · 7 years

Text

“Enter Autumn”

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” ― Lauren DeStefano The beginning of my “Golden Paths” series, is literally, a beginning. As I entered the trailhead, on a beautiful fall day, I was greeted by this scene, as I entered into autumn an a largely yellow and orange dominated…

View On WordPress

#autumn #bright #Golden Paths #hike #journey

0 notes

comicsxaminer · 7 years

Text

First Look At MARTIAN MANHUNTER/ MARVIN THE MARTIAN SPECIAL #1

Art by: Jerome K. Moore, Aaron Lopresti Backup Art by: John Loter Backup Written by: Jim Fanning Cover by: Aaron Lopresti Variant cover by: Stephen DeStefano Written by: Frank Barbiere, Steve Orlando Publisher: DC Comics U.S. Price: $4.99 On Sale Date: Wed. June 14th, 2017

Martian Manhunter tries to halt Marvin the Martian’s determination for world domination. J’onn is conflicted with his own…

View On WordPress

#Aaron Lopresti #dc comics #Jerome K. Moore #Jim Fanning #John Loter #justice league #looney tunes #martian manhunter #marvin the martian #Stephen DeStefano #Steve Orlando

0 notes

lodelss · 4 years

Link

Trans People Belong

Now is the time to raise our voices and remind lawmakers:

… in health care … in schools … in sports … in the military … in workplaces

Health Care

Stories

Oliver Knight: Catholic Bishops Stopped My Surgery Because I’m Transgender

Dashir Moore: Denied Health Care for Being Trans

Hilde Hall: My Pharmacist Humiliated Me When He Refused to Fill My Hormone Prescription

Resources and action

Menstrual Equity Toolkit

Tell Congress to pass the Equality Act

Schools

Through various litigation and advocacy initiatives, the ACLU and partners are fighting back to ensure schools are a safe, inclusive space for transgender and non-binary students.

Resources and action

KYR guide for Trans and Gender Nonconforming Students

Stories

A Boy Named Gavin

Aidan DeStefano: My School Was Right to Let Me Use the Bathroom Consistent With Who I Am

Sports

Transgender people have the right to participate in sports consistent with who they are, just like anyone. Denying this right is pure discrimination.

Resources/action

Pledge to support trans student-athletes

Stories

Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood: Banning Trans Girls From School Sports Is Neither Feminist Nor Legal

The Military

Stories

Brock Stone: Transgender Soldiers Are Equal to the Task. We Have Earned the Right to Serve Our Country

Noah Strangio: Veteran’s Day Reflections From a Civil Libertarian Former Soldier

We Support Our Trans Troops

Workplaces

Stories

Aimee Stephens: My Boss Fired Me From My Funeral Home Job for Being Transgender

Jennifer Chavez: A Trans Woman Working in a Male-Dominated Industry

Resources and action

Take the Pledge for Aimee: Trans People Belong

Tell Congress to Pass the Equality Act

Trans People Belong Everywhere

Trans people belong in health care systems, in schools, in the military, in workplaces — everywhere. Trans people have the same civil rights and liberties as anybody else in this country.

Further action and resources

Know Your Rights: LGBTQ Rights

Transgender people and ID documentation

For more information, visit the Trans Women of Color Collective, National Center for Transgender Equality, and Transgender Law Center.

Published March 4, 2020 at 08:43PM via ACLU https://ift.tt/3akLSdk

#IFTTT #Blogger

0 notes

lodelss · 5 years

Text

ACLU: Trans People Belong

Trans People Belong

Now is the time to raise our voices and remind lawmakers:

… in health care … in schools … in sports … in the military … in workplaces

Health Care

Stories

Oliver Knight: Catholic Bishops Stopped My Surgery Because I’m Transgender

Dashir Moore: Denied Health Care for Being Trans

Hilde Hall: My Pharmacist Humiliated Me When He Refused to Fill My Hormone Prescription

Resources and action

Menstrual Equity Toolkit

Tell Congress to pass the Equality Act

Schools

Through various litigation and advocacy initiatives, the ACLU and partners are fighting back to ensure schools are a safe, inclusive space for transgender and non-binary students.

Resources and action

KYR guide for Trans and Gender Nonconforming Students

Stories

A Boy Named Gavin

Aidan DeStefano: My School Was Right to Let Me Use the Bathroom Consistent With Who I Am

Sports

Transgender people have the right to participate in sports consistent with who they are, just like anyone. Denying this right is pure discrimination.

Resources/action

Pledge to support trans student-athletes

Stories

Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood: Banning Trans Girls From School Sports Is Neither Feminist Nor Legal

The Military

Stories

Brock Stone: Transgender Soldiers Are Equal to the Task. We Have Earned the Right to Serve Our Country

Noah Strangio: Veteran’s Day Reflections From a Civil Libertarian Former Soldier

We Support Our Trans Troops

Workplaces

Stories

Aimee Stephens: My Boss Fired Me From My Funeral Home Job for Being Transgender

Jennifer Chavez: A Trans Woman Working in a Male-Dominated Industry

Resources and action

Take the Pledge for Aimee: Trans People Belong

Tell Congress to Pass the Equality Act

Trans People Belong Everywhere

Trans people belong in health care systems, in schools, in the military, in workplaces — everywhere. Trans people have the same civil rights and liberties as anybody else in this country.

Further action and resources

Know Your Rights: LGBTQ Rights

Transgender people and ID documentation

For more information, visit the Trans Women of Color Collective, National Center for Transgender Equality, and Transgender Law Center.

Published March 5, 2020 at 02:13AM via ACLU https://ift.tt/3akLSdk from Blogger https://ift.tt/3czrk2v via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Blogger

0 notes

lodelss · 5 years

Text

ACLU: Trans People Belong

Trans People Belong

Now is the time to raise our voices and remind lawmakers:

… in health care … in schools … in sports … in the military … in workplaces

Health Care

Stories

Oliver Knight: Catholic Bishops Stopped My Surgery Because I’m Transgender

Dashir Moore: Denied Health Care for Being Trans

Hilde Hall: My Pharmacist Humiliated Me When He Refused to Fill My Hormone Prescription

Resources and action

Menstrual Equity Toolkit

Tell Congress to pass the Equality Act

Schools

Through various litigation and advocacy initiatives, the ACLU and partners are fighting back to ensure schools are a safe, inclusive space for transgender and non-binary students.

Resources and action

KYR guide for Trans and Gender Nonconforming Students

Stories

A Boy Named Gavin

Aidan DeStefano: My School Was Right to Let Me Use the Bathroom Consistent With Who I Am

Sports

Transgender people have the right to participate in sports consistent with who they are, just like anyone. Denying this right is pure discrimination.

Resources/action

Pledge to support trans student-athletes

Stories

Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood: Banning Trans Girls From School Sports Is Neither Feminist Nor Legal

The Military

Stories

Brock Stone: Transgender Soldiers Are Equal to the Task. We Have Earned the Right to Serve Our Country

Noah Strangio: Veteran’s Day Reflections From a Civil Libertarian Former Soldier

We Support Our Trans Troops

Workplaces

Stories

Aimee Stephens: My Boss Fired Me From My Funeral Home Job for Being Transgender

Jennifer Chavez: A Trans Woman Working in a Male-Dominated Industry

Resources and action

Take the Pledge for Aimee: Trans People Belong

Tell Congress to Pass the Equality Act

Trans People Belong Everywhere

Trans people belong in health care systems, in schools, in the military, in workplaces — everywhere. Trans people have the same civil rights and liberties as anybody else in this country.

Further action and resources

Know Your Rights: LGBTQ Rights

Transgender people and ID documentation

For more information, visit the Trans Women of Color Collective, National Center for Transgender Equality, and Transgender Law Center.

Published March 4, 2020 at 08:43PM via ACLU https://ift.tt/3akLSdk from Blogger https://ift.tt/2Im602Q via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Blogger

0 notes

thisdaynews · 5 years

Text

Inside Trump’s hunt to fill one of the worst jobs in Washington

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/inside-trumps-hunt-to-fill-one-of-the-worst-jobs-in-washington/

Inside Trump’s hunt to fill one of the worst jobs in Washington

President Donald Trump’s eventual pick for legislative affairs director will take on the hefty job of maintaining relationships with lawmakers even as the president alienates them. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

white house

The search is intensifying for the president’s new point person on Capitol Hill.

White House officials including acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney are pushing their favored candidates to become Donald Trump’s new point person on Capitol Hill — an unenviable job that has become even more challenging as the president’s relationship with Congress hits a new low.

The long-expected departure of Trump’s current legislative affairs director, Shahira Knight, immediately set off behind-the-scenes jockeying over her replacement. Trump, in turn, has been asking advisers who they think would be a good fit, but he hasn’t yet become deeply engaged in the search, according to two White House officials.

Story Continued Below

The president is expected to interview three or four candidates as soon as next week, when he returns from Japan, one White House official said. Aides added that it’s difficult to predict who Trump might choose because he does not have a close relationship with any of the candidates who have been recommended so far. One White House official said he’ll likely pick the person he clicks with most during the interview process.

Candidates who have been recommended to Trump include: Eric Ueland, deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and a former top Senate aide; Jonathan Slemrod, a former Office of Management and Budget official who now works downtown at Harbinger Strategies; Monica Popp, the former chief of staff to Texas Sen. John Cornyn; Ben Howard, the current deputy legislative affairs director and a former House staffer; and Tim Pataki, the current head of the White House Office of Public Liaison.

The potential candidates either declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment.

The eventual pick will take on the hefty job of maintaining relationships with lawmakers even as Trump alienates them. Trump vowed this week not to work with Democrats until they end the investigations encircling him, leaving the White House and Congress in a stalemate with few legislative prospects.

“It’s not an easy job,” a White House official said.

Further complicating the position is the fact that Trump often just speaks directly to Republican lawmakers, which means his own White House aides do not always know the details of the conversations he has in his off-hours. And much of the policy agenda in the coming months — trade and immigration — divide Republicans. Whoever takes the job often must convey news to the Hill that lawmakers do not always want to hear.

Filling Knight’s job with a legislative affairs guru has long been on the mind of Mulvaney, people close to him said, and Mulvaney will play a key role in hand-picking Knight’s successor. He has told allies he wants an aggressive person for the job. Mulvaney fashions himself as a shadow liaison to the Hill, thanks to his years spent in Congress.

Slemrod would bring to the job a close relationship with Mulvaney, for whom he worked at the budget agency for roughly two years. He has strong ties to the Senate and worked for Cornyn and former Sen. Jon Kyl on appropriations, budget, tax, and trade, issues that now dominate the congressional schedule. He now works downtown at Harbinger Strategies, but two senior administration aides downplayed him as the eventual pick despite his close Mulvaney ties.

Ueland brings even deeper expertise in both domestic policy and Senate machinations, having worked for the Senate Budget Committee and as chief of staff to former Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. He served as a top official on the Trump transition team. He was also nominated for a senior position at the State Department in 2017, but the nomination was withdrawn a year later.

As Cornyn’s chief of staff, Popp worked as liaison to the White House. She’s currently a partner at the lobbying firm Marshall and Popp, and was previously a staffer on the House Energy & Commerce Committee.

Howard has worked under Knight for the past five months. He did an earlier stint on Trump’s legislative affairs team at the beginning of the administration when he worked to help pass tax reform, but then left to work for Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.). He also previously worked for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Before taking over the Office of Public Liaison, Pataki too worked in the legislative affairs office.

“The Shahira sweepstakes has been going on for a while,” said one administration official, who noted that rumors of Knight’s departure have been pervasive since the winter, giving White House officials plenty of time to contemplate her replacement.

Already Mulvaney has two former aides inside the White House legislative affairs shop: AJ Sugarman, a former legislative analyst at the Office of Management and Budget, and Jeff Freeland, another budget agency alum.

Knight is expected to depart the White House in early June for a job in the private sector in Washington D.C. In the meantime, her predecessor Marc Short, now serving as chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, spent part of this week as the de facto public face of the legislative affairs team and did television appearances on everything from the disaster aid package to Trump’s reaction to congressional investigations.

Trump’s legislative options are slim, but White House aides believe they can still make progress on a series of more narrow issues, including lowering drug prices and winning congressional approval for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal. Aides privately acknowledged that the chances of passing a massive infrastructure bill are slim, especially after the president clashed with top Democrats over the matter this week.

The White House is not planning to formally replace another senior official who announced his departure this week: Johnny DeStefano. DeStefano oversaw a number of key White House offices, including the Presidential Personnel, Public Liaison and Political Affairs offices. Instead of hiring somebody to fill DeStefano’s role, the heads of those individual offices will likely now report directly to the chief of staff, a White House official said.

#Foreign #Politics #Washington #worst

0 notes