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Author: Alex

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On Friday, February 14th, 2025, US Judge Lauren King issued from the bench a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) that blocks the EO banning affirming healthcare for trans youth and criminalizing parents and providers nationwide for fourteen days.

I was at the US Courthouse in Seattle (in the overflow room next to the courtroom) where a standing room only crowd listened to our checks and balances at work. The hearing lasted just under an hour, including a short recess for Judge King to consider the decision. Only Judge King and counsel for Plaintiffs, the States of Washington, Oregon, and Minnesota, and counsel for Defendants, the Department of Justice spoke. Judge King gave each side 20 minutes to present their arguments.

First, Plaintiffs counsel gave impassioned and detailed arguments on how the EO was unconstitutional twice over, discriminatory, and already causing harm. The arguments for the EO's unconstitutionality were that the President cannot condition or revoke funding that Congress has already authorized and cannot interfere in how States regulate healthcare for their citizens. As evidence of discrimination, the States submitted the last 10 years of congressional funding authorizations showing a complete absence of any conditions on funding for gender-affirming care. As evidence of harm, the States submitted declarations from 100 gender diverse youth, their parents/guardians, and healthcare providers. Counsel emphasized repeatedly how providers like Seattle Childrens Hospital had already cancelled scheduled appointments and procedures in its nationally recognized Gender Clinic in the two weeks since the EO was issued.

Then, Defendant's Counsel offered one thin argument that the EO was valid under the President's Article II Constitutional authority and repeatedly claimed "it's too soon to know how federal agencies will follow the EO" (paraphrase). Other than a single ~20-page brief on these two points, Counsel submitted no other evidence in support of the EO.

The judge dismantled the EO and the DOJ attorney with a series of basic Y/N questions she could not answer (both counsels and Judge are all women). Counsel sounded confused, stumbled verbally, paused for long periods, and offered up a variety of responses such as, "Could you repeat the question?", "I don't know", "I'm not prepared to answer that today" and "We only got the EO two weeks ago..."

The judge issued the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) from the bench on the same arguments Plaintiff's counsel offered: unconstitutional 2x, discriminatory, and current harm. The TRO blocks the EO in nationwide for 2 weeks. A follow-up hearing on the 28th will focus on extending the TRO or replacing it with a permanent injunction.

Outside after, WA AG Nick Brown expressed gratitude for his team and all plaintiffs, and said "healthcare providers should get back to work" with confidence. He also specifically expressed gratitude for the 100 youth, guardians, and providers who gave written declarations of harm. "Thank you for letting us tell your story." He added (paraphrased) "You're speaking up and showing up" referring to the crowd, "helps us advocate for everyone against this administration". 

My awkward photo of WA AG Nick Brown and team addressing the public after the hearing.

My key observation:

EOs get huge airplay on TV and online, and they're immediately awful and chilling. But in a court of law the DOJ attorney had nothing,  was literally speechless,  when the judge asked basic Y/N questions. Guy next to me checked his watch during one exchange and the silence was 16 seconds before the DOJ counsel said, "I'm not prepared to answer that question". Judge immediately replied "You should have prepared."

Seattle Times had the story online within the hour: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/judge-in-seattle-blocks-trump-order-on-youth-gender-affirming-care

I'll be at the follow up hearing on the 28th. Find me on @BlueSky: @alexmdunne.me. if you want to meet up for that.

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Last month seven #WA State Representatives sponsored House Bill #HB1038 to ban gender-affirming care for minors in the State. The bill has been moved to the Health and Wellness Committee. It's thin, only 1.5 pages long. Read it here: https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/1138.pdf

This bill endangers youth because it (1) seeks to ban existing hormone treatments proven safe and effective for decades, (2) blends the banning of common treatments with those that don't actually occur (gender surgery on youth) and (3) attempts to erase transgender Washingtonians completely by redefining 'sex' as permanently assigned at birth "without regard to an individual's psychological, chosen, or subjective experience of gender" You can't erase trans Washingtonians any more than one might redirected a hurricane with a Sharpie.

The seven sponsors, all Republicans, are listed below by District with links to their House web pages:

You can send comments to each Sponsor above via the phone number, email form, or mail address on their House web page. Be sure to contact your own elected Representatives, as I have here in District 43 (Seattle), to let them know your thoughts. You can find your District and reps on the WA House website: https://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder.

I encourage readers to comment on the bill directly I've done so, and you are welcome to re-use my remarks below for this purpose:

HB 1038 would endanger youth, not protect them:

I oppose this bill for the following reasons:

01 | Section 1.1.a and 1.1.b describe long-standing and medically approved care that aids dysphoric youth, is delivered with consent, guided by strict protocols, and always with other forms of care not mentioned in your bill (social, mental, behavioral). This integrated approach is the standard and has proven beneficial outcomes.

02 | Section 1.1.c, 1.1.d, and 1.1.e describe medical procedures that are not performed on minors. It may be that someone has scared you into believing otherwise. It's a shame this easily debunked misinformation has found its way into your legislative work.

03 | Section 1.3.c seeks to erase all transgender Washingtonians regardless of age by redefining 'sex' as permanently assigned at birth "without regard to an individual's psychological, chosen, or subjective experience of gender". You can't erase trans Washingtonians any more than one might redirect a hurricane with a Sharpie.

I encourage you to speak directly with providers experienced in delivering gender-affirming care to minors (care of all kinds: medical, behavioral, etc). There are many in the State of Washington, and likely some in your District. If not, my Representatives here in District 43 could surely connect you to some. They can inform you how such care improves lives, and often save them. If you wish also to speak to a civilian advocate and family member of such a patient, you are welcome to contact me anytime.

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Been playing the game almost one year, so still getting the hang of weapon/armor mods & loadouts. Mine left-to-right with what they're built for & shader used:

  • ARC - mobility, resilience, recovery + Mars Sunset
  • SOLAR - strength, recovery, resilience + Vanguard Unity
  • VOID - resilience, strength, recovery + Dreamtide Daybreak
  • STRAND - discipline, intellect, strength + Cerulean Divide
  • SEASON of the DEEP - variant of STRAND, power based on weapons used + Indigo Matrix
  • SEASON of the WITCH / WISH - variant of STRAND, power based on weapons used + Monochromatic

Adding gear list in the order of HELM, GAUNTLET, CHEST, GRIEVE, MARK:

  • ARC - Eternal Warrior, Noble Constant T2, Biosphere Explorer, Devastation Comples, Memory of Cayde
  • SOLOR - Mimetic Savior, Synthoceps, Retrograde TG2, Techeun's Ragalia, Memory of Cayde
  • VOID - Techeun's Regalia, Doom Fang Pauldron, Noble Constant T2, - Techeun's Ragalia, Memory of Cayde
  • Sot DEEP - Mask of the Quiet One, NPA Weir Walker for the rest
  • Sot WITCH / WISH - Khepri's Horn, Veiled Tithes for the rest.

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I asked #Microsoft's #BingGPT for 20 neologisms for 'one who dabbles in writing and art online'. This is the definition of 'digittante', the word I coined and trademarked for this site in 1998.

None of the suggested words are 'digittante', which perhaps means this site has not been used to train this language model. Yet. And as I've noted before, #LLMs surely seem to be good forms of #generativeAI, but not so as #creativeAI or #imaginativeAI...

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Just imagine:

A #duel #movie set in the 18th century #PiratesOfTheCaribbean universe about two #pirates at battle on the high seas who settle their difference via #guitarrock. The actors are the characters: Captain #JackBlack versus Captain #JackWhite. Also starring Captain Jack Sparrow (#JonnyDepp) and his dad (#KeithRichards).

#SchoolOfRock #TheWhiteStripes

#SchoolOfRock #TheWhiteStripes

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Based on recent events at a golf resort in #Florida, I was curious what #ChatGPT would advise. So I asked:

Seemed reasonable, but facts on the ground at #MarALago are a little more complicated. So:

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In 1987 I was sixteen and exploring the world of #alternative #British #NewWave music through the exquisite channel of the Long Island radio station known as #WLIR. Their weekly format often started with a late Sunday night broadcast of a recent overseas concert by an up-and-coming-to-the-US artist, followed by heavy rotation of their album Monday through Friday. I first heard O'Conner on my crappy all-in-one shelf system. She hooked me with "Jerusalem" and "I Want Your (Hands On Me)".

My home town had a Crazy Rhythms record store, and as soon it was available locally my older brother came home with O' Connor's debut vinyl album "The Lion and the Cobra". The cover image alone was arresting, long before her stoic arms-crossed posture was repurposed three decades later as the salute "Wakanda Forever!".

That first listening, on our parents' floor standing KLH speakers left me speechless. 'Ethereal' wasn't a word I knew, but was apt. In hindsight, the rhythms and guitar riffs were all 1980's, the power chords predictable now (albeit moving then), and the strings and other instruments identifiable in this tightly and powerfully put together album. But her voice. From the first line of the first track "Jackie" through the last of the last "Just Call Me Joe", there was nothing like it. She could sing like an angel, sneer like a teenager, and wail like a siren. I lay on the floor next to the speaker while Side A looped on the phonograph. "Your turn to flip it", my brother and I would bicker, not wanting to get up and break the spell. Her voice would be a problem for the navy.