#The Kansas City Star

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MO Republican pushing trans care ban suggests 12-year-olds should be allowed to marry | THE KANSAS CITY STAR

BY KACEN BAYLESS

A Missouri Republican state senator this week suggested that children as young as 12 should be able to get married as he pushes legislation that would ban gender-affirming care for minors.

“Do you know any kids who have been married at age 12? I do. And guess what? They’re still married,” state Sen. Mike Moon, an Ash Grove Republican, said Tuesday evening in response to questioning by state Rep. Peter Merideth, a St. Louis Democrat.

Moon made the comment during testimony in the House General Laws Committee over his bill that would ban all “gender transition procedures” for people under 18, which passed the Missouri Senate last month. Moon has attempted to frame his legislation as a way to protect kids as LGBTQ rights advocates call the bill an attack on the transgender community.

The Republican state senator has been lambasted on social media for his comment, with many pointing out the inconsistencies between his views on child marriage and his legislation targeting transgender kids.

“The fact that Missouri Senator Mike Moon said that 12 year olds can be married off to adults just sickens me,” Jess Piper, executive director of Blue Missouri, a group that fundraises for Democrats, wrote on Twitter. “My daughter is nearly 11 and still plays with Barbies and her baby dolls. We are living in a hellscape in Missouri under a GOP supermajority.”

Missouri in 2018 passed a law setting the state’s minimum marriage age at 16, with the approval of one parent or guardian. The law’s passage came after The Star revealed that Missouri had the nation’s most lenient marriage law for 15-year-olds. It previously allowed children even younger to marry with a judge’s approval.

Activists have argued that the Missouri law still doesn’t go far enough, leaving thousands of 16- and 17-year-olds open to the kind of abuse, poverty, helplessness, lack of education and exploitation that often accompany child marriage.

Moon, a hard-right member of the state Senate known for his extreme views and comments, voted against the marriage bill when he was a member of the House.

Merideth on Tuesday had pointed out Moon’s vote against the marriage bill, saying it was inconsistent with his claim of protecting kids through legislation that would ban gender-affirming care.

“You voted no on making it illegal for kids to be married to adults at the age of 12 if their parents consented to it. You said, actually, that should be the law because it’s the parents right and the kid’s right to decide what’s best for them — to be raped by an adult,” Merideth told Moon.

[coochiequeens]

TRAs "We're so oppressed!" The media and the court systems....

By Reduxx Team May 6, 2024

The Kansas City Star has published a glowing profile on a transgender inmate convicted of operating a multi-state sex trafficking ring, praising his “fight for rights” while incarcerated at a Kansas prison. Ayana Satyagrahi, formerly known as Marcus Choice Williams, is serving 30 years in a federal institution for his crimes against women.

Written by journalist Katie Pierce, the piece opens by describing Satyagrahi’s childhood fascination with his sister’s clothing.

“Ayana Satyagrahi was five when she found herself playing in her bedroom closet and putting on her younger sister’s yellow sundress. Now 49, she lives in a cell at the men’s prison in Leavenworth not much larger than that closet,” the article begins, noting that “Satyagrahi is one of an estimated 2,170 transgender people under the supervision of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.”

The vast majority of the article is dedicated to Satyagrahi’s claimed struggles as he is incarcerated in a men’s prison, with Satyagrahi claiming that that the Bureau of Prisons is “hostile” towards transgender inmates.

See rest of article

By Natasha Biase May 4, 2024

The long-awaited trial of a Canadian man accused of murder is facing setbacks after he filed to change his name in the indictment due to his transgender status. Gabriella Sears, born Dereck Donald Sears, has been in prison since 2021 for brutally murdering and dismembering a man in Kelowna, British Columbia.

As previously reported by Reduxx, Sears was arrested in 2021 and charged with second-degree murder and interference with human remains in the death of 49-year-old Darren Middleton, who had employed Sears to do occasional work for him.

Middleton’s body was first discovered on June 16, 2021, by his partner at the time, Brenda Adams, who went looking for him at Sears’ home after he failed to return from work that evening. Middleton was found in Sears’ bathroom partially clothed next to a bathtub with the water running.

Although Middleton reportedly died after receiving a blow to the head, the Crown prosecutors revealed he received several other disturbing injuries post-mortem, including the partial removal of his penis and testicles, a gash to his throat that “was so deep Adams could see right inside,” and other stab wounds. Additionally, Adams noted that Middleton was wearing someone else’s clothing.

After seeing the dismembered corpse of her common-law partner, Adams fled the crime scene, screaming. As she ran from the house, she saw Sears dancing in the middle of the road “with his eyes closed and his arms in the air” to no music.

While Sears, who had a full beard at the time of the arrest, did tell Adams and Middleton he was a woman two days before committing his heinous crimes, he was identified by police as a man.

The trial was underway last fall but was put on pause after Sears terminated his attorneys, Jordan Watt and Tom Forss, 18 days in. Despite successfully having his confessions excluded as evidence during the trial, Sears accused them of “gaslighting [him] and colluding with the Crown.” Watt and Forss also argued that because Sears was allegedly sexually abused by Middleton, the routine strip search and swabbing conducted by police “was traumatic and insensitive.”

See rest of article

[rockabillyfootnotes]

red-hot record coupon

the kansas city star kansas city, missouri friday, november 8, 1957

columbia records "ain't i'm a dog" by ronnie self

reg. 85¢

59¢ price good with this coupon

limit 2 good nov. 8-9-10

[friendlessghoul]

"Hello, Dough"--"Greetings, John!" John Phillip Sousa, famous bandmaster, on the boardwalk of Atlantic City, is seen here apparently shaking hands with Douglas Fairbanks, with Buster Keaton watching the procedure. The two figures of the movie stars are wax models.

The Kansas City Star - August 17, 1930

[spiritofthemeadow]

ig - afternoondreams

[nwslfacts]

Leaked 2024 NWSL kits!

[adastra-sf]

To the Moon... and Home

A few pages from the Kansas City Star special edition paper commemorating landing on the Moon (from the Ad Astra Institute's archives).

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[daily-celeb-photos]

Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce

[odinsblog]

Racists be like, “Please stop singing the non-racist anthem! Can’t we just go back to the quietly racist anthem?”

Although “The Star-Spangled Banner” and all of its verses were immediately famous, Key’s overt racism prevented it from becoming the national anthem while he was alive, Morley wrote. There was no official anthem, and many people chose to sing other songs, like “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.”


Key’s anthem gained popularity over time, particularly among post-Reconstruction White Southerners and the military. In the early 20th Century, all but the first verse were cut — not for their racism, but for their anti-British bent. The United Kingdom was by then an ally.

After the misery of World War I, the lyrics were again controversial for their violence. But groups like the United Daughters of the Confederacy fought back, pushing for the song to be made the official national anthem. In 1931, President Herbert Hoover made it so.


“The elevation of the banner from popular song to official national anthem was a neo-Confederate political victory, and it was celebrated as such,” Morley wrote. “When supporters threw a victory parade in Baltimore in June 1931, the march was led by a color guard hoisting the Confederate flag.”

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Missouri House advances bill allowing guns on buses, inside churches and synagogues

By Kacen Bayless and Maia Bond

Missourians would be allowed to carry guns on public buses and inside churches and other places of worship under a bill advanced by the Missouri House Thursday.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Adam Schnelting, a St. Charles Republican, would allow people with concealed carry permits to carry guns on public transit in the state.

“We all have the potential of running into situations where we have to utilize self defense to protect ourselves and those we love,” Schnelting said on the floor Thursday. “This legislation will discourage criminal activity on our public transportation systems, but most importantly, it will ensure that we maintain our constitutional right to self defense.”

An amendment successfully added by state Rep. Ben Baker, a Neosho Republican, would also strike down the current rule banning concealed guns in places of worship without the permission of the religious leader of the congregation.

The Missouri House gave the bill initial approval on a voice vote Thursday. It will need one more vote before it heads to the Missouri Senate, which could come next week.

Democrats on Thursday criticized the legislation, saying it would broaden Missouri’s already loose gun laws as the state sees high rates of gun violence in the state’s urban areas.

“What kind of world are we creating with these kinds of laws? It’s absolute insanity, and it’s morally corrupt,” state Rep. Barbara Phifer, a St. Louis Democrat, said on the floor Thursday, referring to the amendment that allowed guns in churches.

The legislation comes amid instances of gun violence on Kansas City buses in recent years. In 2021, three people, including a police officer and a bus driver, were wounded in a shooting on a RideKC bus by a suspect in an alleged robbery. In 2017, another man was shot on a RideKC bus in downtown Kansas City after an altercation.

Kansas City saw its second-deadliest year in history in 2022 with 171 killings, marking the third year in a row with high reports of violence.

More than 150 people submitted testimony in favor of the bill when it was in the House Emerging Issues Committee earlier this month. Most supporters cited the need to protect themselves from potential criminals on buses.

Representatives and lobbyists from organizations and transit associations in the major cities in Missouri – Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield and Jefferson City – all testified against the bill.

Jennifer Harris Dault, a St. Louis Mennonite pastor, told The Star Thursday she was disappointed that Republicans were trying to allow guns in churches while ignoring calls to enact gun regulations. Mennonites are historically peaceful and her congregation would not believe in bringing guns for personal protection.

“The idea that someone could legally bring a gun into our worship space, I don’t even want to think about it,” she said. “That’s so foreign to who we are. It would be basically an attack on our religious liberty.”

The bill does include a provision that would still allow places of worship to prohibit firearms if they post signage that they’re not allowed on the property.

William Bland, a member of the Western Missouri Shooters Alliance, previously wrote to Missouri lawmakers in favor of the bill, saying that current law prevents Missourians from exercising their constitutional right to carry.

“This is especially dangerous late at night. CCW permit holders are not the problem. They have been photographed, fingerprinted, investigated, and vetted. They have to demonstrate competency with a firearm,” he wrote. Bland did not return a call for comment Thursday.

Kimberly Cella, the executive director of the Missouri Public Transit Association, told The Star that allowing guns on public transit would seriously jeopardize federal funding.

Cella said transit providers like OATS Transit and SMTS, Inc., which are both non-profit transit providers for most rural areas of the state, would likely face issues with gathering funding.

Those providers, Cella said, have private contracts and receive federal funding, and there are requirements in those contracts that prohibit guns on transit. The bill would jeopardize those contracts and the matched federal funding, Cella said.

Both St. Louis and Kansas City’s transit systems are bi-state operations governed by a federal compact that prohibits guns on public transit, and Cella said it is her understanding that that compact would supersede the bill and not apply to transit in those cities.

Cella said there is no proof that more guns make transit safer, and she said it puts staff members like bus drivers in more danger.

“What we’re saying is if we impair the ability of transit providers to deliver service by passage of CCW in transit, we’re really going to impact the state’s bottom line as well,” Cella said.

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I love the NWSL

[allpromarlo]

chiefs fell tf off after pollution master swift got on the train i know who i'm blaming

[seeminglyranch87]

Taylor & Travis Timeline

December 2023 - part 2

December 10 - Chiefs v Buffalo Bills, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City.

Travis Kelce arriving ahead of game

Taylor flies into Kansas City to attend the Chiefs game with her cousins, Travis' cousins & friends at Arrowhead Stadium

Travis made a brilliant play contributing to a touch down but was denied due to a team mates penalty.

During the game, NFL announcer and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo referred to her as "Travis' wife" while on the air with announcing partner Jim Nantz.

"As you see, Kelce's wife, Taylor Swift, in the audience," Romo pointed out, quickly correcting himself and saying, "I'm sorry -- girlfriend."

"Not yet," Nantz said in response.

Chiefs were defeated 17 - 20.

Taylor and Travis leave the stadium together

Taylor and Travis together with team mates, coaches friends and family gather at Miracle Pop Up Bar

Travis' barber shares a photo of Taylor and Travis (x)

Lots of photos emerge from the party with Taylor and travis taking photos with friends - these have been cropped...

December 11 - Taylor is nominated for a Golden Globe for The Eras tour movie.

USA Today reports that Taylor has donated $1 million to a Tennessee tornado relief Fund (x) after a Tornado ravaged the state on Saturday 9 Dec.

ET article (x)

According to Cheterah Jackson, a Columbus, Ohio-based real estate agent and friend of Travis', the couple rented a luxury bus to transport their group and reserved the Christmas bar in downtown Kansas City for friends and family. 

Jackson tells ET, "My boyfriend Calvin Locke... is Travis' friend and has known him since the 7th grade. We were in the suite at the game, which was filled with family and friends."

"Taylor is an absolute sweetheart. She is very down-to-earth and kind." 

"Taylor and Travis are so in love. It was so cute seeing them together and I can see them getting married"  

December 12 - Taylor returns to NYC. Pictured with Miles & Keleigh Teller

December 13 - New Heights Ep. 68 airs (x 5:05)

Jason and Travis limit talking about Taylor although when the brothers chat about the No.1 & No.2 sales of NFL jerseys in the UK, they give credit to Swifties for helping with the success of topping the sales and Travis gives a "shout out to Kylie and Taylor." Travis suggests that perhaps they could "find our way over there this off season and say hello to everyone in person" and record a live show in the UK. Jason replies "we also got an opportunity to do one in Australia - we could make it a world tour"

Any one know of an international pop star who may be touring in the UK and Australia in 2024 that coincides with the NFL off season? Are the Kelce brothers hinting that Travis and perhaps Jason will join Taylor on tour next year? It should be noted that Patrick Mahomes has also raised the idea of possibly catching the Era's Tour in Europe in the off season too...

The boys answer "No Dumb Questions" from handle "metal-as-hell", a reference to Taylor's TIME article calling Travis "metal as hell" when he publicly declared his interest in dating Taylor.

Taylor Swift's 34th Birthday - Taylor heads to Banzarbar, NYC with friends to celebrate her birthday into the early hours of the morning - Happy Birthday Taylor! The paps even broke out into song to sing Taylor "Happy Birthday". Note Travis remained in KC with commitments to the Chiefs. This was expected.

December 14 - Taylor and friends share photos from the birthday celebration the evening before (x)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

December 15 - Taylor is named Billboard's No.1 Greatest Pop Star (x)

It didn’t seem possible that anyone could have a year this dominant: not this deep into the streaming era, not this long after the oft-proclaimed death of the monoculture, not when the entire industry seems to be in crisis over how to capture and hold onto listener attention. It was a year not to be judged against Swift’s 2023 peers, but against the entirety of modern pop history. 

There is no wasted potential with Taylor Swift, no what ifs – the chance was there for her to have one of the greatest years any pop star has ever had, and you know that she grabbed it. Taylor was here. No one who was around for her 2023 will ever forget it.

With reference to Taylor's relationship with Travis, Billboard's Andrew Unterberger says:

... rumors were beginning to swirl about her and Kelce. The Chiefs star had become increasingly coy in his comments about the pop icon, saying he’d invited her to come see him play a home game (after he’d seen her Eras show in Kansas City that July). She did indeed do just that on the September 24th, with her presence at Arrowhead sending both the worlds of sports and pop culture into a frenzy, and leading to numerous posts and videos of non-football-conversant Swifties sharing the sport’s rules with one another, so they could better understand what was happening in between the shots of their hero in a private box with Kelce’s mom Donna.  From then on, every Sunday (and a couple Mondays and Thursdays) of 2023 was overtaken with Taylor talk: Would she be showing up at the Chiefs’ next game? What other celebrities would she be attending with? What kind of Kelce swag would she be wearing, and what would that mean about their relationship? What do you mean Kansas City is on a bye week?While Swift’s short relationship with Healy was extremely controversial to Swifties and her long relationship with Alwyn was largely uninteresting to everyone else, her love story with Kelce – a well-liked, unproblematic figure, a Super Bowl-winning superstar as an athlete with enough of a Q rating as a celebrity to host SNL – was universally accessible, and found near-100% public approval. You didn’t need deep grounding in Swift Lore to understand the relationship, because it just felt right: the All-American athlete dating the All-American pop star. 

Go to part 1 of December 2023

Go to part 3 of December 2023

Return to the timeline

[spiritofthemeadow]

ig - afternoondreams

[shatnerihardlyknowher]

YALL IS ANYONE GOING TO KC COMICON IM GOING AS CHEKOV IF SO WHAT ARE YALL DOIN?????