Cyrsti's Condo

Jen Richards is a transgender activist, writer, actress, and producer. Richards was born in Mississippi and resides in North Carolina. She graduated from Shimer College with a BA in Philosophy, and studied at Oxford University .

RALEIGH, North Carolina -- Despite Republican assurances that North Carolina's "bathroom bill" isn't hurting the economy, the law limiting LGBT protections will cost the state more than $3.76 billion in lost business over a dozen years, according to an Associated Press analysis. Over the past year, North Carolina has suffered financial hits ranging from scuttled plans for a PayPal facility that would have added an estimated $2.66 billion to the state's economy to a canceled Ringo Starr concert that deprived a town's amphitheater of about $33,000 in revenue. The blows have landed in the state's biggest cities as well as towns surrounding its flagship university, and from the mountains to the coast. North Carolina could lose hundreds of millions more because the NCAA is avoiding the state, usually a favored host. The group is set to announce sites for various championships through 2022, and North Carolina won't be among them as long as the law is on

In another major slam to North Carolina's economy, the NCAA is pulling it's events from the state. Check this story from the News&Observer : "Since the North Carolina legislature last March passed House Bill 2, a controversial law restricting transgender bathroom access and limiting the civil rights and bathroom usage of the LGBT community, the state has lost the NBA All-Star Game, Bruce Springsteen and other concerts and conventions and millions of dollars in revenue. Now North Carolina is losing the NCAA tournament. The NCAA announced on Monday that the seven championships scheduled in the state during this academic year, including NCAA men’s basketball tournament games in Greensboro, would be relocated because of House Bill 2, better known as HB2." If you are not especially into sports, this list should give you a look at the economic impact this move should have: "The Greensboro Coliseum had been scheduled to host first- and second-round NCAA m

WYFF, SC, USA Conventions leaving Charlotte, citing House Bill 2 UPDATED 6:50 AM EDT Apr 09, 2016 CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) —Controversy over North Carolina's new law blocking anti-discrimination rules covering the LGBT community has made national headlines and now the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) says conventions are pulling out of Charlotte. The CRVA says four conventions that were booked in Charlotte have now canceled the event in the Queen City over House Bill 2. WBTV broke the story Friday afternoon after a source gave WBTV's Molly Grantham the information. The CRVA later confirmed the numbers. HB2 repealed Charlotte's non-discrimination ordinance, which was passed in February. The Charlotte City Council voted 7-4 to add sexual orientation, gender identity and marital status as attributes protected from discrimination when it comes to public accommodations including restaurants, retail stores and other businesses. Public schools would not have been affected

It seems to me every blog post I have done since the ones when I went through changing my legal gender markers have been really serious.  But then again, don't they have to be? Take the restroom issues for example. For once we "T's" in the LGBT family jumped the line from last to first mainly on the back of using the restroom of our chosen gender. All of the sudden discrimination became very real in this country to more than racial minorities. I believe what disturbs me (more than I already am) are in a couple Facebook groups I look at from time to time, the members are cluelessly going off on using the women's room at will. That's cool of course, but I wonder some day if they are not careful traveling in let's say North Carolina and they get busted. You see, I can only get some sort of attachment to my Ohio birth certificate saying my gender has been changed, The only other fool proof way around the rest room problem is to pass-well, which some of u

From the "EdgeMediaNetwork" in Boston: " It didn't take long for the folks at Funny or Die to skewer North Carolina's new anti-LGBT law. On Thursday, less than 24 hours after Republican Governor Pat McCrory signed the sweeping homophobic legislation into law, the comedy website published a faux commercial from North Carolina's tourism board that reminds potential travelers of "all the fun straight things you can do in their beautiful, intolerant state." "Now you can experience the beautiful outdoors, cityscapes and incredible ignorance by hang-gliding backwards in time, racing to the wrong side of history in a kayak, teaching your children to judge others while frolicking in the waves and enjoying our waterfalls without fear of gay people falling on you," says a voice over the requisite video montage of the Tar Heel state's natural landscapes. The video is on You Tube only. It's  been interesting to Liz and I since we WERE con

LEXIE CANNES STATE OF TRANS — I (Lexie) put together this list of major NC businesses and organizations for everyone to contact and voice your concern about yesterday’s sneak attack by the North Carolina legislature and governor banning trans people from using bathrooms. Urge them to press the NC state Republicans legislators into repealing their unjust law. Some companies make it harder to contact them than others. American Airlines (large presence in NC) 1- 877-390-3077  Email:  https://www.aa.com/contact/forms?topic=CR Bank of America —   1-800-432-1000 , 1-888-550-6433 Email: https://www.bankofamerica.com/contactus/contactus.go Carolina Panthers (NFL team) — 704-358-7000 Email:   feedback@panthers.nfl.com Carolina Hornets (NBA team owned by Michael Jordan) 1-704-688-8600 FAX: 1-704-973-9411 Email: info@hornets.com Charlotte Chamber of Commerce — 1-704-378-1300, Email: Staff directory (click on staff name to email) http://charlottechamber.com/about-the-chamber/staff-lis