#There's also letters between Rebecca and Phil

[yr-obedt-cicero]

The most torturous experience is knowing you have plenty of access to a good amount of the Hamilton's children correspondence through the Library of Congress, but their penmanship is such garbage and incomprehensible that I do not even want to try and transcribe half of it.

[savewritingnsw]

Save Writing NSW

An open letter to Create NSW and the NSW Minister for the Arts

We, as writers and active members of the literary community, were dismayed by Create NSW’s decision not to grant Writing NSW Multi-Year Organisations Funding in their latest round, despite the fact that Writing NSW was recommended for funding.

This decision demonstrates the ongoing devaluation of literature within the Australian arts funding landscape. We know literature is the most popular artform in the country, with 87% of Australian reading some form of literary work in any given year, yet in this round Create NSW offered only 5.7% of their ongoing funding to literature organisations.

The decision to defund Writing NSW carries a particular sting. Writing NSW is the leading organisation representing writers in a state with a long literary history and one that is home to many of Australia’s leading publishers, writers, literary agents and other core participants in the Australian literary industry.

Writing NSW is an important stepping-stone for writers at the beginning of their careers, providing high quality professional development programs, and it also employs emerging and established writers to deliver and lead these programs. For decades the organisation has provided high-quality courses, seminars, workshops, festivals, events, grants and literary prizes. In putting such programs at risk, Create NSW is jeopardising both an entry point and an ongoing support system for writers.

Macquarie University research shows that the average income of an Australian author from their practice is $12,900. The current economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic makes the situation of writers even more precarious. Writing NSW offers key employment opportunities to writers, through teaching, publication, speaking engagements and both curatorial and judging positions. The removal of these opportunities will mean many writers will not be able to maintain the other income streams that support their writing careers.

The removal of $175,000 from a single source would be catastrophic for any business – not-for-profit or otherwise. For a government funding body to enact such a blunt economic withdrawal in the midst of a global pandemic and without concern for the economic flow-on effect to hundreds of industry professionals is deeply distressing.

We call on Create NSW to reverse this decision and ask them to reveal their future strategies for arts funding and how they plan to rectify the disparity in funding between other funded artforms and literature.

As writers, we will never accept the loss of a vibrant, essential cultural network such as Writing NSW.

What you can do We invite anyone affected by Create NSW’s decision – writers, publishers, literary agents, illustrators, readers alike – to co-sign this letter. You can copy and customise this letter to draft a version from your own point of view on this matter to send to a Member of Parliament.

To co-sign this letter, add your name here: shorturl.at/dERX6

Signatories

Pip Smith, Writer, creative writing teacher Sam Twyford-Moore, Writer and arts administrator Fiona Wright, Writer, editor, critic, reader Gabrielle Tozer, Author, writer, editor Brigid Mullane, Editor Jules Faber, Author, Illustrator Dr Christopher Richardson, Author and academic Liz Ledden, Author, podcaster, book reviewer Kate Tracy Ashley Kalagian Blunt, Writer, reviewer, reader Julie Paine, Writer Nick Tapper, Editor Belinda Castles, Writer and academic Simon Veksner, Writer Amanda Ortlepp, Writer, reader, reviewer, High School English Teacher Bronwyn Birdsall, Writer, editor Robin Riedstra, Writer, reviewer, reader, English teacher Dr Delia Falconer, Writer, critic, academic Robert McDonald, Author, writer, creative writing teacher Dr Kathryn Heyman, Author Wai Chim, Author Kirsten Krauth, Writer, editor Tricia Dearborn, Poet, writer, editor Dr Mireille Juchau, Writer Gail Jones, Writer Dr Jeff Sparrow, Writer, editor, academic Linda Jaivin, Writer, editor, translator Adara Enthaler, Poet, editor, literary arts manager Keighley Bradford, Writer, editor, arts and festival administrator Nicole Priest, Reader and aspiring writer Shamin Fernando, Writer Andrew Pippos, Writer Bianca Nogrady, Writer and journalist James Bradley, Writer Ali Jane Smith, Writer Dr Eleanor Limprecht Idan Ben-Barak, Writer Jennifer Mills, Writer Nicole Hayes, Writer, podcaster Michelle Starr, Writer/journalist Phillipa McGuinness, Writer and publisher Vanessa Berry, Writer and academic Blake Ayshford, Screenwriter Emily Maguire, Writer Sarah Lambert, Screenwriter Anwen Crawford, Writer Sarah Bassiuoni, Screenwriter Jackson Ryan, Writer, journalist, academic Simon Thomsen, Journalist, editor, other wordy stuff Ivy Shih, Writer Miro Bilbrough, Writer, filmmaker, screenwriting teacher, script editor Graham Davidson, Writer, artist, festival director Christos Tsiolkas, Writer JZ Ting, Writer, lawyer Susan Francis, Writer, teacher Suneeta Peres da Costa, Writer Dr Harriet Cunningham, Writer, critic, journalist Adele Dumont, Writer, reader Sheree Strange, Writer, book reviewer, book seller Phil Robinson, Reader Ashleigh Meikle, Reader, writer, book blogger Naomi RIddle, Writer, editor Cathal Gwatkin-Higson, Writer, book seller Hannah Carroll Chapman, Screenwriter Angela Meyer, Writer, editor Steve Blunt, Reader, supporter Ambra Sancin, Writer, arts administrator Michelle Baddiley, Writer, reader, archive producer Dinuka McKenzie, Writer, reader Catherine C. Turner, Writer, reader, freelance editor and publisher, arts worker Hilary Davidson, Writer, poet, academic, reader Dr Eleanor Hogan, Writer Nicola Robinson, Commissioning Editor Kim Wilson, Screenwriter Jane Nicholls, Freelance writer and editor Lisa Kenway, Writer Virginia Peters, Writer Sarah Sasson, Physician-writer and reader Dr Joanna Nell, Writer Laura Clarke Author / Copywriter Nicole Reddy, Screenwriter Anna Downes, Writer Sharon Livingstone, Writer, editor, reader Lily Mulholland, Writer, screenwriter, technical editor Benjamin Dodds, Poet, reviewer, teacher Markus Zusak, Writer Alexandria Burnham, Writer, screenwriter Sam Coley, Writer Marian McGuinness, Writer Selina McGrath, Artist Adeline Teoh Natasha Rai, Writer Catherine Ferrari, Reader Jessica White, Writer & academic Zoe Downing, Writer, reader, creative writing student Amanda Tink, Writer, researcher, reader Lisa Nicol, Children's author, screenwriter, copywriter Aurora Scott, Writer Gillian Polack, Writer, academic Susan Lever, Critic and writer Denise Kirby, Writer Michele Seminara, Poet & editor Meredith Curnow, Publisher, Penguin Random House David Ryding, Arts Manager Catherine Hill Genevieve Buzo, Editor Hugo Wilcken DJ Daniels, Writer Linda Vergnani, Freelance journalist, writer and editor Tony Spencer-Smith, Author, writing trainer & editor Dr Viki Cramer, Freelance writer and editor Petronella McGovern, Author, freelance writer and editor Jacqui Stone, Writer and editor Talia Horwitz, Writer, reader & writing student Sophie Ambrose, Publisher, Penguin Random House Rebecca Starford, Publishing director, KYD; editor and writer David Blumenstein, Writer, artist Rashida Tayabali, Freelance writer Sheila Ngoc Pham, Writer, editor and producer Rosalind Gustafson, Writer Alan Vaarwerk, Editor, Kill Your Darlings Gillian Handley, Editor, journalist, writer Karina Machado Isabelle Yates, Commissioning Editor, Penguin Random House Michelle Barraclough, Writer Natalie Scerra, Writer Melanie Myers, Writer, editor and Creative Writing teacher Emily Lawrence, Aspiring Writer Nicola Aken, Screenwriter Jennifer Nash, Librarian, writer Clare Millar, Writer and editor Kathryn Knight, Editor, Penguin Random House Linda Funnell, Editor, reviewer, tutor, Newtown Review of Books Stacey Clair, Editor, writer, former events/projects producer at Queensland Writers Centre Virginia Muzik, Writer, copyeditor, proofreader, aspiring author Lisa Walker, Writer Sarah Morton, Copywriter, aspiring author, Member of Writing NSW Board Laura Russo, Writer and editor Vivienne Pearson, Freelance writer Justin Ractliffe, Publishing Director, Penguin Random House Australia James Ley, Contributing Editor, Sydney Review of Books Alison Urquhart, PublisherPenguin Random House Debra Adelaide, Author and associate professor of creative writing, University of Technology Sydney Magdalena Ball, Writer, Reviewer, Compulsive Reader Anna Spargo-Ryan, Writer, writing teacher, editor, reader Charlie Hester, Social media & project officer, Queensland Writers Centre Mandy Beaumont, Writer, researcher and reviewer Chloe Barber-Hancock, Writer, reader, pre-service teacher Dr Patrick Mullins, Academic and writer Wendy Hanna, Screenwriter Chloe Warren Dianne Masri, Social Media Consultant Jane Gibian, Writer, librarian, reader Dr Airlie Lawson, Academic and writer Karen Andrews, Writer, teacher, reader Tim Coronel, General manager, Small Press Network and Industry adjunct lecturer, University of Melbourne Tommy Murphy, Playwright and screenwriter Evlin DuBose, Editor, writer, screenwriter, director, poet, UTS's Vertigo Magazine Tony Maniaty, Writer Emma Ashmere, Writer, reader, teacher Alicia Gilmore, Writer Suzanne O'Sullivan, Publisher, Hachette Australia Jacqui DentWriter, Content Strategist Rachel Smith, Writer Intan Paramaditha, Writer Cassandra Wunsch, Director TasWriters (The Tasmanian Writers Centre) Meera Atkinson Eileen Chong, Poet, Writer, Educator Debra Tidball, Author, reviewer Beth Spencer, Author, poet, reader Lou Pollard, Comedy writer, blogger Bronwyn Stuart/Tilley, Author and program coordinator, Writers SA Gemma Patience, Writer, illustrator, reviewer Amarlie Foster, Writer, teacher Dr Felicity Plunkett, writer Angela Betzien Drew Rooke, Journalist and author Michael Mazengarb, Journalist RenewEconomy Katrina Roe, Children's author, broadcaster, audiobook narrator Liz Doran, Screenwriter Arnold Zable, Writer. Tom Langshaw, Editor, Penguin Random House Brooke Maddison Monica O'Brien, ProducerAmbience Entertainment Jacinta Dimase, Literary AgentJacinta Dimase Management Jane Novak, Literary AgentJane Novak Literary Agency Sarah Hollingsworth, Arts Organisation ManagerMarketing and Communications Manager, Writers Victoria Barbara Temperton, Writer Sandra van Doorn, Publisher Red Paper Kite Alex Eldridge, Writer Karen Beilharz, Writer, editor, comic creator Esther Rivers, Writer, editor, poet Jane Pochon, Board Member, lawyer and reader Zoe Walton, Publisher, Penguin Random House Eliza Twaddell Alison Green, CEO, Board Member, Pantera Press Emma Rafferty, Editor Sarah Swarbrick, Writer Dayne Kelly, Literary Agent, RGM Léa Antigny, Head of Publicity and Communications, Pantera Press Jenny Green, Finance, Pantera Press Sarah Begg, Writer Mark Harding, Writer, Brand Manager, Social Media and Content Specialist Shanulisa Prasad, Bookseller Katy McEwen, Rights Manager, Pantera Press Olivia Fricot, Content Writer/Bookseller, Booktopia Jack Peck, Writer, Open Genre Group Convenor, Writing NSW, Retired Kathy Skantzos, Writer, Editor Serene Conneeley, Author, Editor Kerry Littrich, Writer Merran Hughes, Creative Cassie Watson, Writer Lisa Seltzer, Copywriter, Social Media Manager and Marketing Consultant Gemma Noon, Writer and Librarian Tanya Tabone, Reader Laura Franks, Reader, Editor, Writer Dani Netherclift, Writer Who to contact We urge you to join us in advocating for Writing NSW and the state of funding for Australian literature, by contacting Create NSW, your NSW Member of Parliament, and the NSW Minister for the Arts.

Chris Keely Executive Director, Create NSW Email: chris.keely@create.nsw.gov.au

The Hon. Don Harwin, MLC Phone: (02) 8574 7200 Email: office@harwin.minister.nsw.gov.au

Who to else to contact

The Hon. (Walt) Walter Secord, MLC Shadow Minister for the Arts Phone: (02) 9230 2111 Email: walt.secord@parliament.nsw.gov.au Ms. Cate Faehrmann, MLC Greens representative for Arts, Music, Night-Time Economy and Culture Phone: (02) 9230 3771 Email: cate.faehrmann@parliament.nsw.gov.au A full list of names and contact details for NSW State MPs is available here.

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 18 March 2019

Quick Bits:

Aquaman #46 is the penultimate chapter of “Unspoken Water”, as “Andy” and Caille confront Namma. I love the world-building that Kelly Sue DeConnick is doing here, enriching DC’s godly pantheons greatly, and I swear that Robson Rocha, Daniel Henriques, and Sunny Gho are somehow getting better with each subsequent issue. Epic storytelling.

| Published by DC Comics

Avengers #17 concludes the war of the vampires from Jason Aaron, David Marquez, Erick Arciniega, and Cory Petit. It’s as gloriously over-the-top as the entire story-arc and it sets up a new status quo for the Winter Guard as well as a few other surprises. The art from Marquez and Arciniega is glorious.

| Published by Marvel

Avengers: No Road Home #6 gives an extra-sized issue for Conan and Scarlet Witch’s adventure from Jim Zub, Al Ewing, Mark Waid, Sean Izaakse, Jay David Ramos, Marcio Menyz, and Cory Petit. It works well as a Conan story with monsters and magic, while still giving a bit of insight as to what horrors are still occurring on the traditional 616-side.

| Published by Marvel

Batman #67 is almost dialogue-free, leaving the bulk of the storytelling up to the art and sound effects from Lee Weeks, Jorge Fornés, Lovern Kindzierski, and Clayton Cowles. It’s damn good.

| Published by DC Comics

Black Badge #8 gives some rare insight into who the kids really are as Matt Kindt, Tyler Jenkins, Hilary Jenkins, and Jim Campbell dive into observational reports from the White Badges. I absolutely love the layers to the characters, as the black ops, highly secretive world that they operate in reveals even more secrets.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

BPRD: The Devil You Know #14 is the penultimate chapter in the Hellboy saga that began 25 years ago. Like every issue of “Ragna Rok”, there are some goodbyes here, checking in on numerous characters throughout the story’s history, and the continued confrontation between Hellboy, Abe, & Liz and Rasputin. This one hurts, a lot. Beautifully depicted by Laurence Campbell and Dave Stewart.

| Published by Dark Horse

Captain Marvel #3 reveals Som’s secrets while Carol tries to build an army out of the survivors. This one’s definitely a bit of a breather as the team works out a plan to take on Nuclear Man. There’s some nice character building with Carol, Hazmat, She-Hulk, and Echo. Carmen Carnero, with colours from Tamra Bonvillain, also continues to impress.

| Published by Marvel

Criminal #3 concludes the two-part “Bad Weekend” arc. I’m really quite liking how Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Jacob Phillips are approaching this series, telling a variety of tale throughout time, building up existing and new characters, and really giving depth to the world.

| Published by Image

Dark Red #1 is a great debut from Tim Seeley, Corin Howell, Mark Englert, and Marshall Dillon exploring the concept of the American vampire, like True Blood, American Vampire, or Redneck. It goes a little bit simpler diving into the ordinary, rural, service sector life of Chip the vampire, which makes for the twist in the plot more intriguing.

| Published by AfterShock

Electric Warriors #5 pulls out some more surprises in this penultimate chapter. Steve Orlando, Travel Foreman, Javi Fernandez, Richard Friend, Hi-Fi, and Travis Lanham spark the rebellion here setting up a cliffhanger for a very interesting conclusion.

| Published by DC Comics

Farmhand #6 returns from its break, weirder than ever. Amidst the EPA crawling down Jed’s labs throat trying to figure out what happened with the weird side effects and bizarre spread, Jedediah, Zeke, Riley, and Mikhail go fishing. Odd, that. Wonderfully bizarre story and art as always from Rob Guillory, Taylor Wells, and Kody Chamberlain.

| Published by Image

Guardians of the Galaxy #3 advances “The Final Gauntlet” from Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, Marte Gracia, and Cory Petit as Starfox’s Dark Guardians continue to try to beat Gamora’s location out of people and the real Guardians try to convince Star-Lord to help protect her. Very nice bits of humour, phenomenal artwork, some interesting developments regarding Wraith and Knull, and I’m really getting the impression that the “new Thanos” is the scarred and broken Starfox.

| Published by Marvel

Immortal Hulk #15 is more brilliance from Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy José, Paul Mounts, and Cory Petit. This arc definitely seems to be focused on Hulk’s old friends and family, with this issue featuring Doc Samson, and it’s a wonderful exploration of how Samson is alive again and an analysis on who this Hulk happens to be.

| Published by Marvel

Incursion #2 feels even more epic than the first issue as Gilad turns to Doctor Mirage for assistance, then sets out on a quest through the Deadside. Andy Diggle, Alex Paknadel, Doug Braithwaite, Diego Rodriguez, and Marshall Dillon are crafting what feels like one of the next foundation stones for the future of the Valiant universe. With some of the best art I’ve seen from Braithwaite and Rodriguez.

| Published by Valiant

Infinity 8 #10 begins the fourth cycle, “Symbolic Guerrilla”, adding Kris and Martin Trystram to the creative mix, to introduce us to undercover agent Patty Stardust, stage manager to the Symbolic Guerrillas band, as she gets tapped to try to figure out what’s causing the ship’s destruction and try to stop it. Absolutely love the art from Trystram.

| Published by Lion Forge / Magnetic Collection

Invisible Kingdom #1 is gorgeous. I’m a huge fan of Christian Ward’s artwork and this is incredible. Beautiful use of colour, fascinating character and architecture designs, interesting layouts, delivering a sense of the alien and the familiar at the same time. Between Ward’s art and G. Willow Wilson’s concepts and character building, this feels like they’ve put a lot of thought into world building and it pays off in what feels like a living, breathing society and culture in this first issue. Also a nice mix of “futuristic” and normal lettering from Sal Cipriano that aids nicely in setting the tone and atmosphere for the story. This is an auspicious debut and looks like it should be another hit for Berger Books.

| Published by Dark Horse / Berger Books

Justice League #20 continues “The Sixth Dimension” from Scott Snyder, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sánchez, and Tom Napolitano. The artwork from Jimenez and Sánchez is worth the price of admission alone, this is an incredibly beautiful looking book.

| Published by DC Comics

Lazarus: Risen #1 is the very welcome return of the series from Greg Rucka, Michael Lark, Tyler Boss, Santi Arcas, and Simon Bowland in its new double-sized quarterly format, which also includes a short story from Lilah Sturges, some RPG content from Crystal Frasier, and other assorted backmatter. It’s good. Damn good. Easing us back into the conflict of the world as Johanna Carlyle starts taking care of the family’s problems as more conflict and complications begin to arise. Incredible artwork from Lark, Boss, and Arcas.

| Published by Image

Meet the Skrulls #2 continues to be highly entertaining as the family enacts some of their plans and Carl certainly isn’t going to win any father of the year awards. Niko Henrichon’s artwork is a huge plus for the story, nicely balancing the normal world, the alien nature of the Skrulls, and some neat monster designs to boot.

| Published by Marvel

Middlewest #5 gives us a bit of a look back at how much of an abusive asshole Abel’s father is, while in the present Abel makes an arrangement with the carnival folks. Jorge Corona and Jean-Francois Beaulieu continue to make this one of the most visually interesting series running.

| Published by Image

Naomi #3 presents a number of revelations about some of the characters, including Naomi’s mom acting like a savage mama bear, but not exactly the revelations you’d expect. Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker are still taking it a bit slow as to what exactly is going on with Naomi herself, instead building up the characters around her (part of me wonders if she’s actually a Monitor). Also, Jamal Campbell’s artwork remains stunning, truly beautiful work.

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Outpost Zero #8 takes us out onto the ice to show what happened when the drill team uncovered the dome, then spends the rest of the issue dealing with the ramifications of that, making the residents of Outpost Zero even more reluctant to go outside to do anything to protect themselves, and the kids still don’t know what to make of what they say. This is kind of a taking stock issue, with the characters trying to figure out next steps again.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Pearl #7 returns with a new arc from Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Gaydos, and Dave Sharpe, with Pearl “on the run” from Mr. Miike, the Endo Twins, and a new player in the FBI’s Yuko Masako. This is developing more of Bendis’ dialogue tics as time goes by, but they’re largely forgiven for just how incredible Gaydos’ artwork is.

| Published by DC Comics / Jinxworld

Sparrowhawk #5 concludes what has been an excellent fantasy adventure from Delilah S. Dawson, Matias Basla, Rebecca Nalty, and Jim Campbell with the confrontation between a fully-changed Artemisia and the faerie queen. It’s great, with some interesting ramifications in all of what Artemisia has lost in her quest to return home for revenge. Great artwork from Basla and Nalty.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Spider-Man: Life Story #1 is off to an interesting start from Chip Zdarsky, Mark Bagley, John Dell, Frank D’Armata, and Travis Lanham. It’s an introspective look at Peter Parker’s life, with some key moments, starting off in the ‘60s deeply tied to then-current events. Some of the best art from Bagley I’ve seen in a while, really nice stuff.

| Published by Marvel

Stronghold #2 continues the impressive world-building from Phil Hester, Ryan Kelly, Dee Cunniffe, and Simon Bowland. We’re introduced this issue to the opposite side in The Adversary and his minions, while the “good” of the Stronghold is put into question and Michael continues to wrestle with who and what he is. Great character work from Hester accompanied by some terrific art from Kelly and Cunniffe.

| Published by AfterShock

Teen Titans #28 is part one of the “Terminus Agenda” crossover with Deathstroke and it kicks off with a bang. Damian’s been travelling down a potentially dark and dangerous road for awhile and it looks like it may be coming to a head with this arc. Amazing action artwork from Bernard Chang and Marcelo Maiolo as the Teen Titans and Deathstroke clash.

| Published by DC Comics

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #92 delves into the negotiations of transfer of power of the Foot Clan to Karai in earnest, delivering some interesting complications to the story that look like they’re going to have significant ramifications. Michael Dialynas, with colours from Ronda Pattison, consistently provides some of the best depictions of the Turtles and the Mutanimals.

| Published by IDW

Thor #11 serves as a counterpoint to last issue���s conflict with Odin, as Thor is aided by his step-mother, Freyja, on the even of The War of the Realms. Beautiful guest art from Lee Garbett and Antonia Fabela.

| Published by Marvel

Venom #12 is another big issue. With art from Joshua Cassara and Rain Beredo, we get more insight into Eddie’s son and a startling development, even after last issue, regarding the symbiote. Donny Cates and the entire creative team are really going full-bore in developing compelling additions to Venom’s mythos.

| Published by Marvel

The Warning #5 feels like one of the first major payoffs for sticking with the story. Edward Laroche has been giving this a real slowburn, making it decidedly feel like chapters and snippets from a work that should probably be read at once. They've been good, but not always entirely satisfying as monthly comics. The set-up last issue and the incendiary contact this issue, though, have really lit a fire to the action.

| Published by Image

West Coast Avengers #9 is kind of bittersweet. It’s another fun issue, full of humour, great character development, and wonderful artwork--from Kelly Thompson, Gang Hyuk Lim, Tríona Farrell, and Joe Caramagna--but it’s the second-to-last issue. I feel like the industry needs more of these types of upbeat superhero series, not less. Especially for Jeff the Land Shark puppy.

| Published Marvel

X-O Manowar #25 is largely all-battle between the bounty hunters and Aric & Schon from Matt Kindt, Tomás Giorello, Diego Rodriguez, and Dave Sharpe. Kindt gets in some nice character moments between Aric and Schon, but you're going to be wanting to pick this up for more gorgeous artwork from Giorello and Rodriguez.

| Published by Valiant

Other Highlights: American Carnage #5, Archie #703, Aristophania - Volume 1: The Kingdom of Azur, Bitter Root #5, Bloodborne #10, Delver #2, Dungeons & Dragons: A Darkened Wish #1, Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror #6, Evolution #14, Firefly: Bad Company #1, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4, Grumble #5, Haphaven, High Level #2, James Bond 007 #5, Jessica Jones: Purple Daughter #3, JesusFreak, Kaijumax Season 4 #5, Lucifer #6, Lumberjanes #60, Marvel Action: Avengers #3, Miles Morales: Spider-Man #4, Monstress #21, Rainbow Brite #5, Savage Sword of Conan #3, Solo: A Star Wars Story #6, Spider-Man: City at War #1, Star Wars #63, Superb #18, Wizard Beach #4

Recommended Collections: Batman - Volume 9: The Tyrant Wing, Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs & Eldritch Men, Belzebubs, BPRD: Hell on Earth - Volume 5, Crowded - Volume 1, Encounter - Volume 2, Family Man, Harrow County Library Edition - Volume 2, Nancy Drew: Palace of Wonder, Polar - Volume 4: Kaiser Falls, Seven to Eternity - Volume 3

d. emerson eddy has been to Flavortown. It was an experience.

[hethak-blog]

Death of Rebecca Zahau (Article)

Rebecca Zahau's Sister Shares Her Theory on How Rebecca Died

The mysterious death of Rebecca Zahau: Where this bizarre case stands today as the civil suit goes before a jury

Nearly seven years after Rebecca Zahau's mysterious death, in which she was found naked and bound at a multimillion-dollar, historic mansion in Coronado, California, her family's wrongful-death lawsuit is now going before a jury in San Diego Superior Court.

San Diego authorities ruled the 32-year-old's July 2011 death a suicide, but her mother, Pari Zahau, and sister, Mary Zahau-Loehner, believe she was murdered and are seeking unspecified damages in a civil trial that began this week.

The wrongful-death lawsuit names Adam Shacknai, the brother of Rebecca Zahau's then-boyfriend, Jonah Shacknai, as the one responsible for her death.

"This is all about finding the truth," Zahau-Loehner told ABC News. "That people understand that my sister did not commit suicide."

A case of two mysterious deaths

On July 13, 2011, police responded to a call from Spreckels Mansion in Coronado, where the body of Rebecca Zahau was found naked with her feet bound, hands tied behind her back and a shirt stuffed in her mouth. Adam Shacknai told police that he'd found her with a rope around her neck, hanging from a balcony at the mansion, and that he'd cut her down.

At the time, Rebecca Zahau was dating his brother, Jonah Shacknai, a pharmaceutical tycoon who owned the mansion. Only she and Adam Shacknai were staying at the mansion the night she died.

The crime scene left both families in shock and the San Diego Sheriff's Department puzzled. One end of the rope Rebecca Zahau was hanging from was tied to her bed while the other led to the balcony where police found her toe and heel prints, along with a male bootprint.

Detectives also found a book on a shelf in Zahau’s room titled "Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft," which showed drawings of a rite -- a naked woman with her hands tied behind her back.

A cryptic message -- "She saved him, can you save her" -- was scrawled in black paint in block lettering on the door of Zahau’s room.

Three days later, Jonah Shacknai's 6-year-old son Max died in a hospital after sustaining injuries in a fall at the mansion.

Rebecca Zahau had been babysitting Max on July 11, 2011, when he somehow went over a second-floor railing and fell to the floor below. According to authorities, Zahau, who said she was in the bathroom when Max fell, was consumed with remorse over what had happened to the boy. Jonah Shacknai was at the hospital with Max two days later when his brother told him over the phone that Zahau had killed herself.

Seven weeks after the two deaths, Sheriff Bill Gore of San Diego County held a news conference stating that Max's death was accidental. When it came to Zahau’s death, investigators ruled it a suicide and said witchcraft had nothing to do with it. They say the autopsy and DNA and fingerprint analyses showed no signs that Rebecca had been attacked.

During the news conference, investigators showed a video of how a female officer was able to first tie herself up, then slip one hand out of a noose and put it back in with her hands behind her back. They concluded that Zahau did the exact same thing.

Investigators said the bootprint found was accidentally left behind by a police officer on the scene, and that only Zahau’s footprints were found on the balcony, confirming their suicide conclusion.

The Zahaus challenge suicide finding

Police closed the Zahau case, ruling it a suicide, but questions linger about the case.

Police questioned Adam Shacknai, who had flown in from Tennessee after hearing about his nephew's fall and was the only other person staying on the mansion grounds with Zahau at the time of her death. To remove suspicion, he agreed to take a police lie-detector test the same day he found her body, but the results were inconclusive.

Adam Shacknai was staying in the mansion's guest house the night before and said he didn't go into the main house until the next morning, on July 13, 2011, when he discovered Zahau's body. He cut her down from the rope and called 911.

Authorities determined that she had tied her own hands and feet, gagged herself, and committed suicide after listening to a voicemail from Jonah Shacknai informing her of how grave Max's condition was.

"All I can think of, is that Rebecca saw what happened, felt responsible in some way, not that she did anything, but she was entrusted with Max," Jonah Shacknai said in an exclusive interview with ABC News. "And that was too much to bear."

Authorities cleared Adam Shacknai of any involvement in Rebecca’s death.

The Zahaus, though, refused to accept the authorities' conclusion that Rebecca Zahau's death was a suicide.

"They treated my sister like garbage," Zahau-Loehner said, through tears. "I believe they came to a quick conclusion that Becky mostly, likely had something to do with Max's [death] -- and she deserved what she got."

Zahau-Loehner, who strongly believes that her sister did not have a suicidal personality, took the case to the media.

The Zahau family exhumed Rebecca’s remains and renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht performed a second autopsy. On "Dr. Phil," Wecht said he found there was enough evidence to suspect foul play.

The Zahaus petitioned the California Attorney General's Office to reopen the case. But, to their dismay, their petition was declined.

Zahaus file civil lawsuit

In July 2013, two years after Rebecca Zahau was found dead, her family filed a wrongful-death suit that named Adam Shacknai, along with Jonah Shacknai's ex-wife and Max’s mother, Dina Shacknai, and her twin sister, Nina Romano, as defendants. Jonah Shacknai was not named in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit claimed an eyewitness had alleged that a woman matching Dina Shacknai's description had approached the mansion on the night before Rebecca Zahau's death. Police interviewed a neighbor living two doors down from the mansion who claimed to have had heard a woman’s screams and cries for help that same night.

Zahau-Loehner claimed that the relationship between Dina Shacknai and Rebecca Zahau was not friendly. Jonah says at times, Dina made it a bit difficult for Rebecca. But Dina Shacknai told ABC News that while blended families are challenging, she wanted to have a good relationship with Rebecca Zahau for Max’s sake.

Mary also says that when Max fell, her sister told her, "She's like, 'Dina is going to kill me,' and I said, 'What do you mean?'" Zahau-Loehner said. "She said, 'She is going to kill me,' and she kind of repeated it several times."

Dina Shacknai called the allegations made against her in the lawsuit a "disgraceful abuse of the legal system."

"To create this fantastical story and insert us in something like this was beyond the pale of humane," she told ABC News

After hospital footage revealed that Dina was at the hospital the night of Rebecca's death, the attorney for the Zahau family dropped Dina and her sister from the lawsuit and publicly apologized. Police also discounted as unreliable the neighbor’s report about the cries for help. Adam Shacknai is the only defendant who remains named in the family’s lawsuit.

"I believe it has something to do with Max's death," Zahau-Loehner said. "It was almost like Max is hurt and Rebecca is responsible."

Adam Shacknai and the San Diego Sheriff’s Department declined ABC News' requests for interviews. But the sheriff’s department told us that it would investigate any new evidence in the case.

The Zahaus' lawyer presents his theories

In court filings, Keith Greer, the lawyer for the Zahaus, presented his own theories about what happened the night Rebecca Zahau died.

Greer said he believes that Rebecca Zahau and Adam Shacknai had a confrontation in the main house, things between them escalated and he killed her. Adam Shacknai's attorney says Adam had nothing to do with Zahau's death and called these claims “ever-evolving and baseless,” saying there is no evidence tying his client to her death.

On the night of Zahau's death, Adam Shacknai says he never left the guest house. Only Rebecca Zahau's fingerprints and DNA were found at the scene, according to authorities, even though Adam Shacknai told them he had cut Zahau down from the rope, then performed chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in an effort to revive her.

Greer also said that a handwriting expert, who had analyzed the strange message painted on the bedroom door, believes there are similarities between it and Adam’s handwriting.

Adam Shacknai's legal team, however, used its own expert who says handwriting on paper can’t be compared to painted block letters because of the differences in the surfaces, writing instruments and ink versus paint.

Jonah Shacknai believes that his brother is innocent of any wrongdoing and that the lawsuit is outrageous.

"To be the subject of a lawsuit with a lawyer saying anything that comes into his head -- he might as well be writing fiction stories," he said.

A jury will now be hearing the case, and a verdict is expected to be reached in a month.

Written By: Lynn Redmond, Joseph Rhee, Tami Sheheri and Pavni Mittal

Sources:

[suallenparker]

Philinda Fanfic: Behind the Scenes, Chapter 6

RATING: T

SPOILER: This is set in a Universe where Phil quit his Tony Stark babysitting duties after the first gig and returned to active field work. So, basically their backstories stay the same until after the first Iron Man Movie.

SUMMARY: After her former partner Phil Coulson almost got killed in action, the traumatized SHIELD agent Melinda May returns to duty. She and Phil  go undercover as contestants of the celebrated TV show “Forever Love” to catch a stalker and to trip a traitor.

NOTES: See Chapter 1. Again, I’m sorry this update took two weeks. Life’s still crazy and I don’t see it calm down soon, but i hope to get you the next update a bit quicker. But for now I hope you enjoy this! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT! You guys are just AMAZING!

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o0o

Chapter 6: Boundaries in which Maggie gets more chemistry

Another week, another group date  for Diane…

“Loyalty and friendship are at the base of every great love, it’ll be my pleasure to introduce you to some creatures who have mastered these qualities - Eric”

The invitation card had arrived this afternoon while Phil was on a date with Meredith, a graphic designer from Florida. When Meredith returned, she was all rosy cheeked and smily. She couldn’t stop talking about how perfect Eric was and how she could really see herself spending a life time with him.

Which was exactly why Melinda hated undercover missions. Innocent people always got hurt, were always left feeling betrayed and foolish. And they had to fool not only those people but the whole tv watching nation of America too.

In forty minutes Phil would pick her up for group date with Katherine, Audrey, Anisa, Shia and Kristin. At breakfast this morning they already had discussed outfit options at length.

Melinda had opted for some tight jeans and a loose red blouse that showed some cleavage. The look would be completed by red lipstick and nude high heels. The shoes already stood next to her bed and Melinda glared at them before she went into her bathroom. She had just enough time to make a call to Hill.

She retrieved the cell phone from it’s hiding place and dialed. Not five seconds later, Hill answered the call with a sharp “Yes?”

“It’s me.”

“Perfect timing!” Hill said, “I couldn’t get anything from the card and Skye hasn’t cracked the laptop yet, so I went back to Dickface’s apartment. I found a key hidden between his porn.”

Hill sighed.

Melinda could practically see her shake her head.

“I really should’ve gone through them last time,” Hill said. “But who hides keys in their hidden porn?”

“You expect me to answer that?”

Hill sighed again. “It’s a key for a safe deposit box. I’m working on finding the bank it belongs to.”

“That’s something.”

“I have high hopes to punch Dickface in the nuts soon.”

That was the optimism Melinda was looking for. “Anything else?”

“No.”

“Then I better go.” It was always a risk to talk on the phone. Best case scenario, one of the other women would hear her and doubt her mental state, worst case, they’d find out she had a cell.

“Need to get ready for a hot date, ugh?”

“Bye, Hill.”

“But May …”

“Maggie is still fine. Worried but strong. We keep an eye on her.”

“Thank you.”

o0o

Twenty minutes until he’d have to try his very best to please six different ladies on one date whilst also trying to not make anybody fall in love with him whilst on a tv show that wanted to watch him fall in love.

He already wore his date outfit, jeans and a crisp white shirt that he’d pair with a brown leather jacket. So far Maggie hadn’t urged him to change into something else. But then again, she had knocked on his door just three minutes prior, so he couldn’t be sure yet. Yesterday for his date with Meredith

He longed for days where he and May just had been in imminent danger to lose their lives.

But this was his assignment and as ridiculous as the setup might seem, the reasons behind it were as serious as ever.

He read the letter Maggie had given him again, “Despite my warnings you went forward with this fraud. Stop it now or Eric and his false new love will die.”

Same paper, same font as the others. This was the first one Maggie had gotten since they became involved with the case. And it was the first one that featured Eric by name. Unfortunately that wasn’t a real clue, it might just mean that whoever had sent the letter followed Forever Love on TV.

Ads for the new season were airing for two weeks now.

“Same old, same old …” Maggie said and crossed her arms.

“Maggie, this is serious.”

She snorted. “That’s the only reason I allowed my show to become an actual fraud.”

“We can still get you -”

“I don’t need a bodyguard. I’m not the one they’re threatening.”

“But they’re angry at you,” Phil said. They’ve had this talk like … twenty times now? And this letter made him even more concerned. “They’re writing to you,” he added. “This is personal for them and they might want to escalate. They might want to hurt you.”

She swallowed and stared at him.

“I’m not saying that just to scare you, I’m saying it because it’s a possibility.”

“I’m not scared.”

Liar. He tilted his head. “You’re not that foolish.”

“Fine, I’m a little scared.” She shrugged. “Mostly I’m just worried. Do you know how easily shows are cancelled these days? Do you know how many jobs depend on that show?”

Now she definitely sounded like her sister.

“We’re here to help,” he said.

“Know what would help me?” She raised a brow. He had seen that look on hill before. It meant nothing good for him. “Start paying attention to Diane. We’re trying to tell a love story here.”

Yeah no, he wouldn’t allow her to switch topic so easily. “Just one call and a bodyguard for you would be here within the hour, no problem.”

“Just give me my love story and don’t get shot.”

“Once was enough and don’t worry; Agent May and I will give you a show.”

“Remember these words because when this goes to the finale weeks.” She grinned. “I’m gonna need kisses with tongue.”

o0o

The loyal creature who had mastered friendship were dogs. At least to this part Phil had looked forward to. Together they went to a shelter to promote it and to hopefully get some of those cute critters adopted. A lovely side affect was that with the adorable dogs around, not all the women’s attention was constantly on him.

Now he and Melinda took two of the dogs for a walk in a close by park. Phil handled a black, old Labrador named Hades whilst Melinda handled tall, a white and grey great dane named Betty, who kept trying to lick her hand as they walked.

Maggie, Rebecca and her camera walked in front of them. Phil ignored them as told and smiled at Melinda. “Betty likes you.”

“I like her too.” Melinda petted the dog’s head.

Hades tried to pull Phil over to a garbage can and Phil had to shorten the leash. “Wold you ever get a dog?” Suddenly old Hades made a jump just to get to an old piece of hot dog on the ground and Phil almost tripped.

Melinda grinned. “I’m more of a goldfish person.”

“Commitment issues?”

“Only when it comes to animals.”

“Have been hurt by them before?”  He looked at her over his shoulder while he pulled Hades away from the gross piece of meat.

“No!” he told the dog. Hades gave him a heartbreaking look. Mentally cursing himself for being such a softie, Phil reached into his pocket and gave Hades a tiny treat.

Melinda stopped next to him. Betty sat down and leaned her head against Melinda’s upper leg. “My ex husband always wanted a dog but I never had that desire.” Melinda said and smiled as she scratched Betty’s head.

“You were married?” he asked - Eric asked. Phil already knew the answer. Hades sniffed at Phil’s hand and Phil rubbed his ear, which he seemed to enjoy almost as much as the treat.

Melinda nodded. “For four years.” Just as long as she had been married to Andrew. They had decided to stay as close to their real lives as possible. The more truth a lie had, the easier it was to uphold.

“What happened?” he asked. Hades lay down right on Phil’s feet.

She pulled up her shoulders and focused on petting Betty. “We weren’t a good idea from the start. He always saw me as someone as someone I eventually proved I could never be.”

Phil frowned at her. Was this Melinda talking or Diane? They had never talked about her divorce. They hadn’t talked much at all after Bahrain … And her private life had been off limits ever she had married Andrew. “I think you’re fantastic,” he said quietly. “I never met anybody like you.”

She smiled at him. “Let’s hope that the thrill of the new won’t wear off.”

“I don’t think it will.” It hadn’t in the decade he knew her. Not only did she still manage to surprise him, just getting to know her more made him fall deeper for her. “I can’t imagine it will.” Like he had told her last time, she was worth every wait. Not that he could ever tell her that as himself. She had set boundaries he couldn’t cross. “Any other serious relationship?”

She raised a brow. Betty lay down next to her. “One failed marriage isn’t enough for you?”

“I’m too noisy, aren’t I?” He snorted and shrugged. “Sorry, sometimes my interrogation training gets the better of me.”

“Have you ever been married?”

“No.”

“Ever been close?”

“No.” Maybe if things between Andrew and Melinda hadn’t worked out … but thoughts like that were fruitless. They had boundaries. They were partners. And he was just grateful she was here with him now.

“Commitment issues?” she asked.

“Just didn’t find the right one.”

She gave him the gentlest smile. “How about now?”

Damn his heart for skipping a beat. But other than that, this was exactly the set up he had been hoping for. “Could you wait one sec?” he asked her.

She frowned, but nodded. He handed her Hades’ leash. After he carefully retrieved his feet from between a now snoring Labrador, he walked towards the camera to get the rose Maggie had in a special flower case.

When he turned and brought the rose back to Melinda, she gasped in surprise and her cheeks flushed. Her eyes lid up.

“Diane, you amaze me,” he said and positioned himself in front of her so that Rebecca would get a good shot of the both of them. “I never met someone like you.” He smiled shyly. “I know I already said that but it’s true. Will you accept this rose and allow me to get to know you more?”

“Yes.” She beamed at him as she took the rose. Their fingers touched and he smiled right back.

o0o

Maggie got in the car with him when they left the shelter. Squinting at him, she fastened her seat belt. “You’re in love with her,” she said.

“Told you we’ll give you a show.”

“No, I mean you’re in love with your partner.”

He mentally want through all his eleven tells and tried to suppress all of them as he looked at Maggie. Thanks to years of training he managed to control his face and just raised a brow.

Still, Maggie kept squinting at him. “It was all over your face when you gave her that group date rose,” she said. “And I think she’s in love with you too, how about that?”

What was he supposed to say to that? Melinda had always been a gifted actress.

Maggie tilted her head. “Question is, what are you afraid of.”

He smiled at her. “If we even have you fooled, your show is in safe hands.”

o0o

MORE NOTES: I hope you enjoyed this! Please, if you have the time to comment, I ALWAYS love to read from you!

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[transgerndersupport-blog]

Inclusive Transgender Bathroom Policies Do Not Endanger Women

North Carolina  Republican legislators, most of whom voted to racially gerrymander their own districts, hold supermajorities in both the state House and Senate. But despite agreeing to repeal an anti-LGBT law that has been nationally condemned and has cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars and counting, Republicans failed to do so on Dec. 21 during a hastily arranged special session called specifically to repeal it.

Now Republicans in other states including Texas, Washington and Virginia are moving to consider similar legislation, undeterred by the North Carolina law’s failings.

North Carolina’s House Bill 2, known as the “bathroom bill,” prevents transgender people from using the restroom that matches their gender identity and bars local governments from enacting nondiscrimination laws that protect the LGBT community, among other provisions. After its passage last March, businesses, high-profile sporting events and film companies left the state, refusing to operate somewhere that openly discriminates against LGBT people. The GOP governor signed HB2 and vigorously supported it during his campaign, something that may have cost him reelection. He was the first North Carolina governor to lose reelection since 1892.

After months of intense national scrutiny and public outcry over the discriminatory law and its harmful economic effects, the GOP decided to convene its fifth and final special session of the year—fitting, as the first “emergency” special session, called on March 23 to prevent a transgender-inclusive bathroom ordinance passed by the Charlotte City Council from going into effect—to repeal its handiwork.

No intention of a full repeal

Reportedly, incoming Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper had brokered a deal between GOP leaders and the Charlotte City Council: Charlotte would repeal its bathroom ordinance and the General Assembly would repeal HB2. But it didn’t work: on the morning of Dec. 21, the Council fully repealed its bathroom ordinance. Later that day, after many hours of caucus meetings and a bit of political theater from Sen. Pro Tempore Phil Berger, a repeal didn’t pass. Republicans wouldn’t go for a clean repeal of HB2; they insisted on tacking on a moratorium on local nondiscrimination ordinances until next fall, allowing them ample time to concoct another, similar law to replace HB2 before then. Democrats didn’t take the bait.

Legislative leaders blamed everyone but themselves: The Charlotte City Council was untrustworthy. Democrats wanted to keep HB2 on the books for political gain. Cooper sabotaged the whole thing from the start.

But what these North Carolina Republicans—who’ve been ridiculed on the national stage numerous times over the past several years, including for their recent power grab stripping significant authority from the new governor—couldn’t admit was this: They consider transgender people undeserving of equal treatment under the law.

A myth to justify discrimination

Whether they believe it or not, North Carolina politicians, their Twitter minions and conservative Christian groups have consistently claimed that allowing transgender people to use the restroom that matches their gender identity puts women at a higher risk of sexual assault and endangers their privacy.

Right-wing websites such as The Daily Caller, Red State and Breitbart News—the racist “alt-right” hub known for its conspiracy theories, not to mention its sexist content—have posted anecdotes, mainly involving women being assaulted by men in restrooms, as proof that inclusive transgender bathroom laws put women at risk. Many of these accounts had problems: most couldn’t be verified by fact-checkers. Some attackers weren’t convicted. In many accounts, the attackers were not cisgender men (men whose gender is consistent with their gender assigned at birth) dressing up as women; they were cis men presenting as such who went into women’s restrooms with the intent to assault someone. And most of the stories took place in parts of the county without transgender bathroom laws. None of these articles appear to reference legitimate studies proving their point. Even if all were verified, anecdotes don’t make an argument.

But GOP Gov. Pat McCrory repeatedly talked about “boys” in the “girls’ locker rooms” and said that transgender bathroom ordinances could lead to “major public safety issues” and “deviant actions.” Dan Bishop, the state senator who was the prime architect of HB2, wrote, wildly erroneously, “Any biological man—regardless of whether he “identifies” or “expresses” himself as a man OR as a woman—now has the legal right under [Charlotte’s] amended ordinance to access the most intimate of women’s facilities.”

A man could dress as a woman and enter a women’s bathroom because he’s “a sex pervert,” right-wing Baptist pastor Ron Baity from Winston-Salem told NPR. “He could be there to bring damage to a young girl.”

By associating transgender people with sexual predators, a bigoted and incorrect assumption, people like McCrory, Bishop and Baity evoke the falsehood that gay men are pedophiles, which homophobes circulated not long ago.

“We are not the first people who have been called predators for political gain,” Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality and a transgender woman, told Time.

The real story

So should we believe conservative politicians and far-right websites, or have any sexual violence experts or university researchers spoken on the issue?

Hundreds of groups that work to reduce violence against women have stated that transgender bathroom laws do not endanger women in any way. These groups are staffed by people who spend their lives protecting women, unlike the mostly male Republican politicians who appear concerned about women when it comes to bathroom safety yet pass abortion restrictions, refuse to expand Medicaid — which would provide healthcare to hundreds of thousands of poor women and children in North Carolina — and supported Trump even after his infamous “pussy grabbing” comments became public.

In fact, the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit against North Carolina says that HB2 violates the Violence Against Women Act.

250 organizations working to reduce sexual assault and domestic violence — including the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Battered Women’s Justice Project and the National Organization for Women — signed a letter entitled “Full And Equal Access For The Transgender Community” last April, which reads:

“Those who are pushing these proposals have claimed that these proposals are necessary for public safety and to prevent sexual violence against women and children. As rape crisis centers, shelters, and other service providers who work each and every day to meet the needs of all survivors and reduce sexual assault and domestic violence throughout society, we speak from experience and expertise when we state that these claims are false.”

Seventeen states, Washington, D.C., and more than 200 municipalities have laws protecting transgender people’s access to facilities that align with their gender identity. Not one of these areas has reported increased sexual assaults under these nondiscrimination laws, according to the letter.

On April 1, Politifact North Carolina rated a statement that “there have not been any public safety issues in … communities” with trans-friendly bathroom ordinances “mostly true,” writing: “We haven’t found any instances of criminals convicted of using transgender protections as cover in the United States. Neither have any left-wing groups or right-wing groups.” One man in Toronto, which has a trans-inclusive ordinance, posed as a woman and attacked several at a shelter.

Numerous police spokespeople from states that prohibit discrimination against transgender people in public accommodations say that these policies have not increased sexual assault. For example, a Minneapolis Police Department spokesman told Media Matters that sexual assaults stemming from Minnesota’s anti-discrimination policy, which has been effect since 1993, have “not even remotely” been a problem. Police departments in major cities in at least seven states with trans-friendly accommodations policies told Media Matters they are unaware of a single complaint related to the issue.

Who is really at risk?

Meanwhile, transgender people are actually at risk in public bathrooms. Jody Herman of the Williams Institute, a research center on sexual orientation and gender identity that’s part of the UCLA School of Law, conducted a study of 93 transgender and gender nonconforming people in Washington, D.C. “About 70 percent of the sample reported experiencing being denied access to restrooms, being harassed while using restrooms and even experiencing some forms of physical assault,” she told NPR.

“Transgender people already experience unconscionably high rates of sexual assault,” says the letter from the sexual assault and domestic violence organizations, “and forcing them out of facilities consistent with the gender they live every day makes them vulnerable to assault.”

Many of the scholars who study transgender issues and are affiliated with the Williams Institute filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit challenging HB2, detailing the long history of abuse transgender people have endured. The brief cites a 2009 article by university professor Rebecca Stotzer, stating that “transgender individuals also suffer ‘a high prevalence of sexual assault and rape starting at a young age.’” One 2006 survey found that 59 percent of transgender respondents experienced forced sex or rape, and that most trans-sexual assault victims don’t report incidents to the police because of prior mistreatment by law enforcement.

Regarding the privacy claims, it’s obvious that the Republican legislators and their supporters don’t know a thing about transgender people, and it’s highly doubtful any of them knows one transgender individual personally. People who don’t understand transgender people have “probably been using bathrooms next to trans people for a long time,” Human Rights Campaign attorney Cathryn Oakley told Time.

This trans man from Georgia, where the governor vetoed an anti-LGBT bill last year, would have to use the women’s bathroom in North Carolina. How, exactly, does making him use the ladies’ room protect women’s privacy?

If they won’t listen to experts, these politicians, who think transgenderism is a mental defect or even that it simply doesn’t exist, should learn a thing or two. They should get to know trans people, who, they’ll find out, are actually human beings, too.

[yr-obedt-cicero]

Meanwhile two more of the McLane children had been married. Rebecca, the oldest, was twenty-nine when she was married in December, 1842, to Philip, the youngest and perhaps the least prepossessing of Alexander Hamilton's sons. For some reason, Louis McLane was unhappy about the possibility of any marital alliance between his children and the Hamiltons; he feared at one time that young Louis might fall in love with a Hamilton. But he approved Rebecca's marriage, again deciding he had no choice, gave sententious advice (Rebecca should devote herself to her husband's welfare and should not neglect her religious duties), and in due time anxiously awaited news of the children born to Rebecca and Philip, hoping they would name a child for Rebecca's grandfather, old Colonel McLane, whose favorite she had been. Faithful Rebecca named children for both her father and grandfather, and though Louis McLane Hamilton met an early death as a soldier in the Indian Wars Allan McLane Hamilton lived to win distinction as the leading psychiatrist, or “alienist,” as he was usually called, of his day. But when Kitty suggested to Louis that he give Rebecca's firstborn $250, Louis demurred: if he did this for one grandchild, he must do it for the others, and he simply could not afford to take $250 a year from the costs of his family and the interest on his debts; the time for the winding up of his affairs was closer, he was sure, than Kitty realized.

Munroe, John Andrew. Louis McLane: Federalist and Jacksonian. United States, Rutgers University Press, 1973.

Wether it's Munroe, or just the McLane's perspective, this book is quite critical of Phil II. But I'm curious as to why Louis would supposedly be unhappy about the match between between his daughter and a Hamilton. The Hamiltons' and McLanes' seemed to have been connected prior to the marriage, and most of the family was Jacksonians just like Louis McLane. Hamilton himself was even acquainted with Louis's father, [x] [x] and the marriage was praised as being a proper match by many (Even Eliza herself, you can find in the first link).

I have omitted love to the dear children & now add it—Not a word has been heard from Lizzie [Middleton]—Her mother is in a state of the most anxious expectation—I was forgetting a piece of good news—Rebecca McLane's engagement to Mr Hamilton of NY—the brother of John C. our acquaintance, & an excellent match for her I hear—

[Eliza Middleton Fisher to Mary Hering Middleton, 15 December 1842]

Fisher, Eliza Middleton, and Middleton, Mary Hering. Best companions : letters of Eliza Middleton Fisher and her mother, Mary Hering Middleton, from Charleston, Philadelphia, and Newport, 1839-1846. United States, University of South Carolina Press, 2001.

So, not completely sure where that lies on the accuracy scale, but I'm also not an expert on the McLanes'. And as a sidenote, I've theorized about Rebecca's religious beliefs here.