CrossFit needs to change its policy that allows transgender athletes to compete under their consistent, lived gender identity. Last year, Chloie Jonnson registered to compete in the CrossFit Games, a contest aimed at determining the fittest man and woman. Chloie is a transgender woman, has been living as a woman since her teenage years, and registered as such. Chloie was then anonymously outed to CrossFit as a transgender woman. The response of CrossFit was to invalidate her registration and state that all athletes must register and compete under their birth gender. When pressed further, CrossFit issued a letter that said: "The fundamental, ineluctable fact is that a male competitor who has a sex reassignment procedure still has the genetic makeup that confers a physical and physiological advantage over women. That Chloie may have felt herself emotionally, and very conscientiously, to be a woman in her heart, and that she ultimately underwent the legal and other surgical procedures to carry that out, cannot change that reality. Further, the timing of her sex reassignment surgery (and any subsequent hormone therapy) does not change this discussion. … Our decision has nothing to do with ‘ignorance’ or being bigots — it has to do with a very real understanding of the human genome, of fundamental biology, that you are either intentionally ignoring or missed in high school." An organization cannot rightfully claim to "welcome trans* athletes with open arms" and then create conditions which prevent them from participating. As I have outlined on www.transathlete.com, many athletic governing bodies, including the International Olympic Committee, have created guidelines for allowing trans athletes to compete as their lived gender. It is ridiculous to think Chloie Jonsson would meet the standards for transgender women to compete at the highest level of sports but is not allowed to compete in CrossFit. The policies that CrossFit is employing regarding transgender athletes has damaged its reputation, hurt countless transgender athletes, and need to be replaced with an inclusive policy that allows transgender athletes to compete as their consistent and lived gender. -- Chris Mosier, www.transathlete.com

On June 5th, 2013 a whitehouse.gov petition was created asking the White House to weigh in on Tesla Motors' ability to sell innovative electric vehicles directly to consumer in all 50 states. It's been 9 months and there hasn't been a response despite the petition receiving over 130,000 signatures. The Obama administration owe's the public a response sharing their perspective on innovative green vehicles that the Dept. of Energy funded the development of and whether they think preventing direct sales of cars is or is not in the best interest of consumers. https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/allow-tesla-motors-sell-directly-consumers-all-50-states/bFN7NHQR

QUEST (Quality Education for Every Student) is a group of parents who have come together to fight for quality, equity and transparency in the Boston Public Schools. We can be found on facebook at facebook.com/questbps and can be reached at [email protected].

As Chairman of the Election Law Conference Committee, Rep. Jamie Murphy is a key decision maker in passing a comprehensive bill to reduce voter disenfranchisement. Please sign this petition now urging Chairman Murphy to support comprehensive reform. If Chairman Murphy doesn’t hear from constituents like you, he could favor modest reforms rather than a strong reform package passed by the Senate. We need a giant leap in election modernization, not mere baby steps. As the cradle of liberty, Massachusetts should be at the forefront of expanding voting rights. But right now we’re lagging behind a majority of other states in adopting proven strategies to make voting more convenient, efficient, and accessible to all. Take a stand today for one of the strongest voter rights bills in the country. Thank you for taking a stand for democracy!

Yes, I am personally a victim of this law. I am one of every person that has had medical mishaps who have no chance of compensation when an error occurs. Anyone in this state that goes under the knife has no recourse if an error occurs. I will have to go to another state when I need my next surgery for fear another mishap. I have two complete boxes of medical records to back me up but in NC it doesn't matter.

Lets all stand with the St Pat's Association and everything they have done over the past 47 years in St Paul has held the annual St Patrick's Day parade on the 17th of March (with the exception of Sunday when the parade is held on Saturday.) This is a tradition many families, have had for many of these years. More than not, turnout has been decreased for colder weather vs the day of the week the parade is held. It is always fun to see kids from the city schools taking a break to come out and watch, business people standing in the few skyways the parade route marches under and the same faces of those who just want to take part in the day's events. For the city to shut down the roads for maybe an hour or two max, mid day, could it possibly be that much of an inconvenience or more of the city's way to bring in more money? Due to the St Pat's Association footing the bill for the events and parade, they should have more of a voice in this as well but they need our help. Bottom line is there is far more need of events in St Paul versus our 1 day parade. Yes its great to have it on Saturdays, but its the nostalgia of being a kid and never having gone to school because your parents have pulled you out every year and then as an adult you have never been to work and start to pull your kids for that one special day. St Paul has always been a family city, lets keep those traditions alive and continue to hold our city's parade and those of family tradition to the 17th of March.

My little brother came out to our family as transgender and gay a couple of years ago, and with us living in ultraconservative Utah I am constantly disappointed at the capacity for ignorance and discrimination in our state. I hate to think that people elsewhere in the country suffer the same treatment. With so many states taking action recently to advance marriage equality, the Republican Party needs to make it clear that they can support causes that will eventually pull through, support the right of citizens to feel their identity and orientation are valid.

My little brother came out to our family as transgender and gay a couple of years ago, and with us living in ultraconservative Utah I am constantly disappointed at the capacity for ignorance and discrimination in our state. I hate to think that people all around our state, and all around the country, suffer the same treatment. With so many states taking action recently to advance marriage equality, the Democratic Party needs to make it clear that we support the right to marry in every state, support the right of citizens to feel their identity and orientation are valid.

My little brother came out to our family as transgender and gay a couple of years ago, and with us living in ultraconservative Utah I am constantly disappointed at the capacity for ignorance and discrimination in our state. I hate to think that people around the country, especially in also conservative places like Arkansas, suffer the same treatment. With so many states taking action recently to advance marriage equality, the Democratic Party needs to make it clear that we support the right to marry in every state, support the right of citizens to feel their identity and orientation are valid.

For years, The Salvation Army has operated discriminatory, homophobic, and abusive “Christian” addiction rehab facilities and slave labor work camps funded by State of Hawaii taxpayers through the Department of Human Services. The Federal 9th Circuit court decision in Inouye v. Kenma sent a clear message to our government that Twelve Step recovery programs contain religious content and are inappropriate for our government to force participation in them as a condition for receipt of benefits. Yet, the State of Hawaii Department of Human Services continues to require applicants for welfare benefits who have substance use problems to participate exclusively in Twelve Step-based inpatient or recovery groups such as those offered by The Salvation Army. Beyond that, contracted service providers like The Salvation Army discriminate against Buddhists, Muslims, agnostics, and atheist citizens, as well as those who otherwise refuse to participate in Twelve Step programs as an exercise of their Constitutional First Amendment rights. The Salvation Army further demeans and abuses gay, lesbian, and transgendered participants. They enslave impressionable and vulnerable persons into conscripted work programs for no pay, yet charge participants for their evening meals and sundries. State welfare applicants who “fail” to put up with these abuses are denied public welfare benefits and end up living on the streets.

TO GET JUSTICE FOR. OUR SON...

America’s elections are broken. Not only do people with the most money fund our system, but also the election process itself systematically raises barriers to participation. People of color, young people, and college students are less likely to be registered and therefore less likely to vote. That’s true here in Delaware just as it is in Georgia, Ohio, and North Carolina where burdensome ideological-driven restrictions are being implemented to prevent more people from voting. And the result is that our democratic system is more accountable to people with money than it is to the rest of us. Since last year, I’ve been working with a diverse and powerful coalition of community organizations, faith leaders, civil rights organizations, labor, and advocates in pushing for House Bill 105, Same Day Voter Registration (SDR) in Delaware. The key to taking back our system is to ensure that as many eligible voters as possible can access the polls. And one of the best ways to do that is through Same Day Registration. Same Day Registration allows individuals to register to vote and cast their ballot on the same day. Same Day Registration is one the most effective ways to increase participation in our democracy. States that allow SDR consistently lead the nation in voter turnout, which on average is between 10 and 12 percentage points higher than in non SDR states. The top five states in voter turnout during the 2012 General Election are ALL SDR states. Delaware ranked well below these top-performers. House Bill 105 can increase voter participation in Delaware, both overall and especially amongst voters of color, young voters, and voters who move either into or within the state and need to re register. Despite the obvious democratic benefits that Same Day Registration could bring to Delaware, a few self-interested politicians are pushing for an amendment that would exempt primaries from SDR implementation. In a state where 84% of primary winners go on to win the general election, such an amendment guts the bill of any true effectiveness. Instead of serving as a leader and champion on voting rights, Delaware stands in danger of setting an awful precedent that establishes a two-tier electoral system. Stand against selective democracy. Support this petition. Tell the Delaware Legislature that you support Same Day Registration for ALL elections. --Apryl Walker State Campaign Director Delaware Alliance for Community Advancement (DACA)