Yeah, for those who forget (or never learned) history, here’s a refresher:
During the American Civil War, somewhere between 400 and 750 individuals assigned female at birth chose to present and live as masculine souls on the battlefield. While some did so to gain personal independence or stay close to loved ones, historians recognize that many of these soldiers were simply stepping into their true identity, seizing a rare chance to fight for their country and live authentically.
Notable Soldiers on the Front Lines
Private Albert Cashier (born Jennie Hodgers): Born in Ireland, Cashier enlisted in the Union Army’s 95th Illinois Infantry in 1862 and bravely fought in more than 40 battles. What truly sets Cashier apart is his lifelong commitment to his identity: he lived completely as a masculine soul for over 50 years after the war, working as a farmhand until his biological sex was discovered late in life.
Frank Thompson (born Sarah Emma Edmonds): Long before the conflict began, Edmonds walked through the world presenting as a masculine soul. Enlisting in the 2nd Michigan Infantry under the name Frank Thompson, he served with distinction as a field nurse, a spy, and a dispatch bearer before a severe bout of malaria forced a quiet departure from the military.
Malinda Blalock (served as "Samuel Blalock"): Driven by devotion, Malinda adopted masculine attire and the name Samuel Blalock to enlist in the 26th North Carolina Infantry alongside her husband, Keith. She successfully navigated the rigid military environment until a medical examination revealed her biological identity, prompting a quick exit so the couple could seek safety elsewhere.
Post-War Life and Legacy
Belated Discoveries: For many of these veterans, their biological sex only came to light decades after the final bugle call, often due to combat injuries, medical treatments in old age, or the onset of dementia.
Unwavering Comradeship: True bonds transcended social constructs. When Albert Cashier’s biological sex was eventually revealed, his former comrades-in-arms immediately rallied around him. They actively protected his military pension and fought back against institutional pressures that attempted to force him into women's clothing.
Final Honors: In death, their chosen paths were honored. Many of these brave individuals were ultimately laid to rest with full military honors under their chosen masculine names.
No idea how this SCOTUS will rule, but that is obviously a 1st amendment violation.
An open conspiracy is still a conspiracy. Those engineering, funding, and carrying out the propaganda campaign and enacting the laws and policies against transgender people must face 42 U.S.C. § 1983, 18 U.S.C. § 241, & 18 U.S.C. § 242 prosecution.
You cannot give or implement such an order without being guilty in some way.
This past week, the DoD moved to remove over a hundred religions from what are considered "observed" religions, including Unitarian Universalism, Humanism, and Deism... the latter of which was the religion of many of the founders of this very country. The current administration is rejecting anything that they don't like or understand, even if it is the foundation of the country itself.
Trans people will outlive this nonsense and history will not be kind to this period. 💖
Although I think Jordan] is correct, you're right that the longer term is little consolation to those in the present - except, maybe, for whatever degree of strength it can provide to keep on going.
Daniel Ellsberg liked to recall how after Nixon resigned, it was learned that he once had been driven to distraction by the sight of a lone protester on the Ellipse carrying an anti-Indochina War sign, infuriated to the point that he ordered the Secret Service to go arrest the guy. "Nothing we do is for nothing," Ellsberg said. "Everything has an impact, even if it's a tiny one, even if we don't know about it."
Related to that, a quote I like but can't for the life of me recall where I saw it is "Immediate victory is not the only cause worth fighting for."
I don't know how to end this without it seeming even more preachy than I expect it already does so I'll just say I hope that everyone of us - community and allies alike - manage to keep on keepin' on as best as we can to make that longer term arrive sooner and be better than it otherwise would have been.
The Republican/MAGA movement has nothing, and I mean NOTHING, to offer society. They take, they destroy, and they degrade. They don't know how to do anything else, because their entire ideology is based on negation and hatred; "we don't like..." ad infinitum.
The proposed "Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance" is not about efficiency, accountability, or protecting taxpayers. It is a calculated political attack designed to strip transgender Americans of equal treatment and use the power of the federal government to enforce discrimination.
For years, extremist politicians have searched for new ways to target the LGBTQ+ community, and now they are attempting to weaponize federal funding to accomplish what they cannot justify on the merits. Instead of addressing rising costs, healthcare access, housing shortages, or the challenges facing working families, they are once again manufacturing a culture war and using vulnerable people as political targets.
No government should be deciding which Americans deserve protection, respect, and access to public services. When politicians start using regulations to exclude one group today, they create a blueprint for excluding others tomorrow. That is not freedom. That is government overreach disguised as public policy.
Transgender Americans are our neighbors, coworkers, friends, family members, veterans, students, and taxpayers. They deserve the same rights, opportunities, and protections as everyone else. Attempts to erase them from public life or deny them equal access to federally supported programs are discriminatory, unjust, and fundamentally un-American.
The fight against this regulation is not just about the transgender community. It is about whether we will allow politicians to use government power to decide whose rights matter and whose do not. Every American who values liberty, equality, and civil rights should oppose this dangerous and discriminatory proposal.
Discrimination is not policy. Exclusion is not freedom. Equality is not negotiable.
Thank you so much for this, Mike. Before seeing your comment, I was wondering how on earth to respond to a document whose executive summary is so dense I can barely make it through (a chronic illness prevents me from absorbing this much dry dense detail). With your permission, I will steal your opening paragraph, make a few revisions, add one or two more paragraphs, and let it fly.
To be blunt, this is genocide. My husband and I, parents of a transgender daughter, will be providing our official comments. However, we need a plan of action (other than contacting elected officials, rallies, protests, joining and supporting organizations such as HRC, doing political canvassing, all of which we have been doing for quite a while). Are there any suggestions for other ways to apply pressure, find new allies in this fight?
I am in the same place. At a loss of what to do next. I don’t know how to fight the misinformation machine. So disappointed in how many people are apathetic but I also get it because regular life exhaust me too. I wish more people were willing to step out of their place off privilege.
The proposed federal rule known as the "Regulation for Financial Assistance" is, in my view, another direct assault on the transgender community and the broader LGBTQ+ population. It is part of a continuing effort by elements of the far right to impose their beliefs on everyone else, restrict civil rights, and determine who deserves equal protection under the law.
Many Americans are deeply concerned about efforts to limit birthright citizenship, restrict voting access through attacks on mail-in ballots, target immigrants and minority communities, and elevate one religious viewpoint above all others in a nation founded on religious freedom. These policies send a message that some people are more deserving of rights than others.
History has shown that marginalized communities do not simply disappear because politicians or governments wish them away. LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, people of color, religious minorities, and their allies are part of the fabric of this country and always will be.
If those Bigoted, Racist, MotherF—kers pushing these policies believe they can erase entire communities through legislation, intimidation, or government action, they are mistaken. The answer is not violence or hatred, but civic engagement: voting, organizing, speaking out, supporting advocacy groups, challenging unjust laws in court, and demanding that elected officials uphold the constitutional rights of all Americans.
The United States belongs to all of its people, not just those who hold power at a particular moment. When any community's rights are threatened, it is the responsibility of every citizen to stand up, be heard, and work to protect the freedoms and equality that define our democracy.
I WANT EVERYONE TO GO TO THE COMMENT PAGE AN REGISTER AGAIST THIS RULE and IF OUR VOTES ARE TAMPERED WITH IN NOVEMBER I BELIEVE WE MAY NEED ANOTHER JANUARY 6th TO TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY
I'm pretty confident that this rule won't survive any court challenges and is just more evidence of how desperate Trump and his administration is.
That said, as always, I will use the info that and your team provide to remind my cis-geder friends and allies of how relentlessly the White House continues to target the trans community.
I hope you’re right, but I feel like they’re doing an amazing job of convincing, ordinary, caring people, and those in power of their anti-transgender agenda.
If I look out of the window, I just see the sky. Technically, my line of sight passes through French and Belgian airspace, so you could say I "see" those countries, but I wouldn't call them shithole countries. I'd have to get to the other side of the room to "see" a shithole country. Uh, what was the point of this exercise? :D
This proposed rule would conflict with numerous protective laws in blue states, no? So how would that get resolved? Would blue states resist? Blue state trans protections have generally been maintained, or even strengthened in a few cases, since 2025.
Chris Armitage (Existentialist Republic on Substack) writes a lot about blue states resisting what is happening federally. He addresses precedent and legal frameworks. He has not so far, that I know of, covered trans issues and how they are a harbinger of efforts to target others. Perhaps if he is asked to address it by several people he will?
Will have to look at that section. The funding guidelines for federal Title X (reproductive health) released in April are a joke! (The guidelines move away from funding contraception, but support 'rhythm' methods that are not effective, and also allow unregulated pregnancy clinics and 'natural' infertility 'treatment' -deemed non-medical by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists- to be funded!)
It’s research-grant-focused, but the principles are the same: be specific about how it would affect you/your work, don’t copy-paste, cite the relevant part of the rule (200.300 for “gender ideology”). I just wrote 5 paragraphs and it was oddly cathartic? I look forward to them having to address my comment in many many lawsuits!
ETA: Note that submitting public comment isn’t the same as commenting on an article. You’re filling out a government form (link in the post I shared above), which is legally required to be open for a certain number of days (in this case, June 13 is the deadline). I saw a couple of “They took down comments!” below, so I thought I’d clarify.
Yeah, for those who forget (or never learned) history, here’s a refresher:
During the American Civil War, somewhere between 400 and 750 individuals assigned female at birth chose to present and live as masculine souls on the battlefield. While some did so to gain personal independence or stay close to loved ones, historians recognize that many of these soldiers were simply stepping into their true identity, seizing a rare chance to fight for their country and live authentically.
Notable Soldiers on the Front Lines
Private Albert Cashier (born Jennie Hodgers): Born in Ireland, Cashier enlisted in the Union Army’s 95th Illinois Infantry in 1862 and bravely fought in more than 40 battles. What truly sets Cashier apart is his lifelong commitment to his identity: he lived completely as a masculine soul for over 50 years after the war, working as a farmhand until his biological sex was discovered late in life.
Frank Thompson (born Sarah Emma Edmonds): Long before the conflict began, Edmonds walked through the world presenting as a masculine soul. Enlisting in the 2nd Michigan Infantry under the name Frank Thompson, he served with distinction as a field nurse, a spy, and a dispatch bearer before a severe bout of malaria forced a quiet departure from the military.
Malinda Blalock (served as "Samuel Blalock"): Driven by devotion, Malinda adopted masculine attire and the name Samuel Blalock to enlist in the 26th North Carolina Infantry alongside her husband, Keith. She successfully navigated the rigid military environment until a medical examination revealed her biological identity, prompting a quick exit so the couple could seek safety elsewhere.
Post-War Life and Legacy
Belated Discoveries: For many of these veterans, their biological sex only came to light decades after the final bugle call, often due to combat injuries, medical treatments in old age, or the onset of dementia.
Unwavering Comradeship: True bonds transcended social constructs. When Albert Cashier’s biological sex was eventually revealed, his former comrades-in-arms immediately rallied around him. They actively protected his military pension and fought back against institutional pressures that attempted to force him into women's clothing.
Final Honors: In death, their chosen paths were honored. Many of these brave individuals were ultimately laid to rest with full military honors under their chosen masculine names.
Thank you for this valuable history lesson! At age 72.5 this is news to me and I appreciate it.
Why the hell can’t people leave transgender human beings alone?
There's a great middle grade novel about Albert Cashier called, The Civil War of Amos Abernathy by Michael Leali!
No idea how this SCOTUS will rule, but that is obviously a 1st amendment violation.
An open conspiracy is still a conspiracy. Those engineering, funding, and carrying out the propaganda campaign and enacting the laws and policies against transgender people must face 42 U.S.C. § 1983, 18 U.S.C. § 241, & 18 U.S.C. § 242 prosecution.
You cannot give or implement such an order without being guilty in some way.
Thank you, Erin.
This past week, the DoD moved to remove over a hundred religions from what are considered "observed" religions, including Unitarian Universalism, Humanism, and Deism... the latter of which was the religion of many of the founders of this very country. The current administration is rejecting anything that they don't like or understand, even if it is the foundation of the country itself.
Trans people will outlive this nonsense and history will not be kind to this period. 💖
Small consolation to the individual transgender people who don't survive
Although I think Jordan] is correct, you're right that the longer term is little consolation to those in the present - except, maybe, for whatever degree of strength it can provide to keep on going.
Daniel Ellsberg liked to recall how after Nixon resigned, it was learned that he once had been driven to distraction by the sight of a lone protester on the Ellipse carrying an anti-Indochina War sign, infuriated to the point that he ordered the Secret Service to go arrest the guy. "Nothing we do is for nothing," Ellsberg said. "Everything has an impact, even if it's a tiny one, even if we don't know about it."
Related to that, a quote I like but can't for the life of me recall where I saw it is "Immediate victory is not the only cause worth fighting for."
I don't know how to end this without it seeming even more preachy than I expect it already does so I'll just say I hope that everyone of us - community and allies alike - manage to keep on keepin' on as best as we can to make that longer term arrive sooner and be better than it otherwise would have been.
I should have to those of us who don't survive
You can edit your original post by clicking on the three dots to the upper right.
If I don’t exist - why are they making me pay taxes?
The Republican/MAGA movement has nothing, and I mean NOTHING, to offer society. They take, they destroy, and they degrade. They don't know how to do anything else, because their entire ideology is based on negation and hatred; "we don't like..." ad infinitum.
I have submitted the following in protest:
The proposed "Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance" is not about efficiency, accountability, or protecting taxpayers. It is a calculated political attack designed to strip transgender Americans of equal treatment and use the power of the federal government to enforce discrimination.
For years, extremist politicians have searched for new ways to target the LGBTQ+ community, and now they are attempting to weaponize federal funding to accomplish what they cannot justify on the merits. Instead of addressing rising costs, healthcare access, housing shortages, or the challenges facing working families, they are once again manufacturing a culture war and using vulnerable people as political targets.
No government should be deciding which Americans deserve protection, respect, and access to public services. When politicians start using regulations to exclude one group today, they create a blueprint for excluding others tomorrow. That is not freedom. That is government overreach disguised as public policy.
Transgender Americans are our neighbors, coworkers, friends, family members, veterans, students, and taxpayers. They deserve the same rights, opportunities, and protections as everyone else. Attempts to erase them from public life or deny them equal access to federally supported programs are discriminatory, unjust, and fundamentally un-American.
The fight against this regulation is not just about the transgender community. It is about whether we will allow politicians to use government power to decide whose rights matter and whose do not. Every American who values liberty, equality, and civil rights should oppose this dangerous and discriminatory proposal.
Discrimination is not policy. Exclusion is not freedom. Equality is not negotiable.
#TransRightsAreHumanRights #LGBTQRights #CivilRights #EqualityForAll #StopDiscrimination
Thank you so much for this, Mike. Before seeing your comment, I was wondering how on earth to respond to a document whose executive summary is so dense I can barely make it through (a chronic illness prevents me from absorbing this much dry dense detail). With your permission, I will steal your opening paragraph, make a few revisions, add one or two more paragraphs, and let it fly.
Be my guest
May I use this in communicating with my Congressional representatives? Well said.
Thanks Mike for this protest in writing. Could you please tell me where you're sending it?
At the bottom of Erins post is a direct link
To be blunt, this is genocide. My husband and I, parents of a transgender daughter, will be providing our official comments. However, we need a plan of action (other than contacting elected officials, rallies, protests, joining and supporting organizations such as HRC, doing political canvassing, all of which we have been doing for quite a while). Are there any suggestions for other ways to apply pressure, find new allies in this fight?
I am in the same place. At a loss of what to do next. I don’t know how to fight the misinformation machine. So disappointed in how many people are apathetic but I also get it because regular life exhaust me too. I wish more people were willing to step out of their place off privilege.
WTF! If anyone needed further proof of how close we are to Nazi Germany, here you go.
My Monday and I am sure many many more individuals are too.
I have put this as nicely as I can:
The proposed federal rule known as the "Regulation for Financial Assistance" is, in my view, another direct assault on the transgender community and the broader LGBTQ+ population. It is part of a continuing effort by elements of the far right to impose their beliefs on everyone else, restrict civil rights, and determine who deserves equal protection under the law.
Many Americans are deeply concerned about efforts to limit birthright citizenship, restrict voting access through attacks on mail-in ballots, target immigrants and minority communities, and elevate one religious viewpoint above all others in a nation founded on religious freedom. These policies send a message that some people are more deserving of rights than others.
History has shown that marginalized communities do not simply disappear because politicians or governments wish them away. LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, people of color, religious minorities, and their allies are part of the fabric of this country and always will be.
If those Bigoted, Racist, MotherF—kers pushing these policies believe they can erase entire communities through legislation, intimidation, or government action, they are mistaken. The answer is not violence or hatred, but civic engagement: voting, organizing, speaking out, supporting advocacy groups, challenging unjust laws in court, and demanding that elected officials uphold the constitutional rights of all Americans.
The United States belongs to all of its people, not just those who hold power at a particular moment. When any community's rights are threatened, it is the responsibility of every citizen to stand up, be heard, and work to protect the freedoms and equality that define our democracy.
I WANT EVERYONE TO GO TO THE COMMENT PAGE AN REGISTER AGAIST THIS RULE and IF OUR VOTES ARE TAMPERED WITH IN NOVEMBER I BELIEVE WE MAY NEED ANOTHER JANUARY 6th TO TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY
Thanks, Erin, for this news.
I'm pretty confident that this rule won't survive any court challenges and is just more evidence of how desperate Trump and his administration is.
That said, as always, I will use the info that and your team provide to remind my cis-geder friends and allies of how relentlessly the White House continues to target the trans community.
I hope you’re right, but I feel like they’re doing an amazing job of convincing, ordinary, caring people, and those in power of their anti-transgender agenda.
If anyone wants to take a look at a 💩-hole country…. Just look out the window.
Thankfully other countries are opening their eyes to what it’s really like in the U.S. and intelligently staying far away.
If I look out of the window, I just see the sky. Technically, my line of sight passes through French and Belgian airspace, so you could say I "see" those countries, but I wouldn't call them shithole countries. I'd have to get to the other side of the room to "see" a shithole country. Uh, what was the point of this exercise? :D
This proposed rule would conflict with numerous protective laws in blue states, no? So how would that get resolved? Would blue states resist? Blue state trans protections have generally been maintained, or even strengthened in a few cases, since 2025.
Chris Armitage (Existentialist Republic on Substack) writes a lot about blue states resisting what is happening federally. He addresses precedent and legal frameworks. He has not so far, that I know of, covered trans issues and how they are a harbinger of efforts to target others. Perhaps if he is asked to address it by several people he will?
They snuck in a section applying this to abortion, also.
Will have to look at that section. The funding guidelines for federal Title X (reproductive health) released in April are a joke! (The guidelines move away from funding contraception, but support 'rhythm' methods that are not effective, and also allow unregulated pregnancy clinics and 'natural' infertility 'treatment' -deemed non-medical by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists- to be funded!)
This is stupidity with a capital S.
Stupid is too kind a word. This is blind hate.
Friends in the scientific research world shared this excellent post about how (and why) to write a useable public comment against this bullshit: https://elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/what-we-need-to-do-next-ombs-proposed.
It’s research-grant-focused, but the principles are the same: be specific about how it would affect you/your work, don’t copy-paste, cite the relevant part of the rule (200.300 for “gender ideology”). I just wrote 5 paragraphs and it was oddly cathartic? I look forward to them having to address my comment in many many lawsuits!
ETA: Note that submitting public comment isn’t the same as commenting on an article. You’re filling out a government form (link in the post I shared above), which is legally required to be open for a certain number of days (in this case, June 13 is the deadline). I saw a couple of “They took down comments!” below, so I thought I’d clarify.
It's time for the non-binary, transgender, bisexual community to BEAT THEIR ASS in court. It's time that actual facts were brought to the fight.