A baseball cap on his head, his hands tucked snugly in his front blue jean pockets, Ken Ballard stood in front of a room of onlookers, admittedly a little out of his element.But the issue at hand was so critical, Ballard said, he couldn't keep quiet.Ballard was speaking during Texas' 85th Legislative Session this past winter about his 14-year-old transgender son, Ashur, who attempted suicide twice.Ashur, like many trans people, had wrestled with his identity in a world where ignorance and irrational fear-mongering continue harming people like him."Was I going to be his bully?" an emotional Ballard said in response to his son's coming out. "Was I going to try and put him back into a box that fit the rules of my world at the time or wait it out and see if it would just pass and go back to the way it’d use to be?"Advocacy group Equality Texas, who's worked with Ballard in fighting for LGBTQ rights in the state, recently shared a video of him speaking during the session. Although it was captured on video several months ago, Ballard's emotional plea in front of his fellow Texans is just now making waves online.Since Equality Texas shared the video on Facebook, the comment section has filled with loving messages of support and admiration.The comments, although mostly positive, are a bit bittersweet to Ballard."I ... see comments that too many parents missed out on what could have been an amazing journey for them and their child by not accepting them," Ballard explains. "Be as excited about your kid's life as you were at the sonogram, when 'we are having a baby' was enough."The ongoing debate over trans rights isn't isolated in Ballard's home state. Legislatures at both the state and local level across the country are pushing forward with harmful bills this very moment.A recently proposed Texas "bathroom bill" — which would have forced trans Texans to use the restroom that corresponds with the sex they were assigned at birth (not the gender they identify) — was just rejected by House Speaker Joe Straus, which was great news for human rights groups like Equality Texas.But there's still much at stake in the Lone Star State and in jurisdictions from coast to coast.A handful of states, including Montana, Virginia, and Minnesota — as well as local school boards spanning the U.S. — deliberating similar bathroom bills. Research shows these laws leave trans people even more vulnerable to dangerous circumstances in their own communities — yet, their passing doesn't protect anyone.Chances are, equality — and trans lives — might be at stake in your own region of the country.As for Ballard and Ashur, they're living proof that acceptance and inclusion save lives. And, as Ballard's moving speech illustrates so well, it's important our laws reflect that critical reality."I've watched a kid go from someone who, 26 months ago, was in despair," Ballard says of his son's mental health. "Now, [he's] flourishing."This article originally appeared on 07.06.17

Summer is officially upon us. Which means that, even though sunscreen is recommended every season of the year, nearly everyone is being more mindful about slathering some on before heading outdoors—be it for vanity’s sake, or for cancer prevention. Honestly whatever motive ingrains the habit. But according to dermatologist Dr. Michael Park, there’s one key spot that most people tend to leave out of their sunscreen regimen, which could leave them susceptible.“I don’t know if you guessed it, but it’s the ears,” Dr. Park says in a video posted to TikTok. Park, who worked in a melanoma specialty clinic for over a year, recalls seeing multiple patients with melanoma, a common type of skin cancer, right behind the ear where the sun “beat down on their skin.” Park also notes the seriousness of melanoma. @michael.park.md #skincare ♬ original sound - Michael Park, MD “I don’t know where people got the idea of ‘oh it’s just skin cancer, it's not that big of a deal.’ Y’all, let me make something really clear: melanoma, if not caught early, will kill you. Aggressive squamous cell carcinoma on the head and neck will also kill you,” he says. Even basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of cancer which in most cases is not fatal, will have to be cut out…along with the skin surrounding it. Park quips that while no one would probably want large chunks cut out of them, “certain areas that would be way worse than others, and one of those places… is the ears.” Which is why he’s sending out a friendly PSA about the importance of sunscreen in every nook and cranny that might get some sun. “Unless you want to be a Vincent Van Gogh looking a**, make sure you put sunscreen on your ears,” his video concludes. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Current estimates are that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. So it’s important not to forget to defend any and all vulnerable areas with every UV blocking products available—from sunscreen every couple of hours to protective clothing, hats, sunglasses, etc. For more skin care tips from Dr. Park, find him on TikTok.

“I thought of Jim Morrison as my brother.” The post How Jim Morrison convinced Nico to become a musician: “I just started writing songs” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

There is a heartbreaking reason.

50 years later, we take a look back at some fun facts about the Oscar-winning film Chinatown.

from 21st Century Wire: Remember When the Deficit Mattered? The (more-or-less) nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) upwardly altered their projection for this year’s federal budget deficit by $400 billion on Tuesday. This brings the deficit forecast to $1.92 trillion for the year and marks a 27 percent increase compared to the CBO’s original estimate from the beginning […]

by Neenah Payne, Activist Post: Are Democrats Waging War on America Now? links to Tucker Carlson’s 6/11/24 interview with Steve Bannon, former White House Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor to President Trump. Bannon was sentenced to prison starting July 1 for four months. Bannon who hosts Bannon’s War Room podcast, discusses his sentence for his conviction on two counts of […]

from The People’s Voice: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/