A Shred of Decency
Grenoble, Ryan. "'Shred Of Decency' Campaign Turns Anti-Gay Pamphlets Int Confetti For Same-Sex Weddings". Huffington Post. April 9, 2015. Web. April 12, 2015.
In Ireland, a Dublin paper company by the name of Daintree has begun a hilariously ironic move to support gay marriage. In May of 2014 the paper company first started putting their new product out. Called “A Shred of Decency”, Daintree takes anti-gay pamphlets and other hateful propaganda, and turns it into heart-shaped confetti. The confetti is made to be used in gay weddings, and along with aesthetically supporting the marriage equality movement, all profits made off of the confetti is donated to Yes Equality, a supporting charity of gay rights. Daintree requests that their customers bring any hateful propaganda to their shop at 61 Camden Street, Dublin Ireland. The company also has a presence on social media, asking people to flag any hateful tweets as “#shredthistweet”, and Daintree will print out the anti-gay tweets to turn into confetti as well.
Aside from being one of the most ironic things I’ve ever seen, “A Shred of Decency” is an absolutely amazing program. Not only does it dissuade the creation of hateful propaganda, but it also supports pro-equality organizations directly. The achievement of marriage equality can not be gained by just tackling the larger issues like legality, gay marriage has to be accepted within all domains, such as representation in media, education on sexuality, and religious tolerance. Small companies like Daintree are helping to support the movement on the homefront. This display of associating gay marriage with positivity, the more impressionable kids of Dublin will learn to view homsexuality and LGBTQA rights as a normal thing, and not as a crime or a sin.
Refuge Restrooms
Nicholas, James Micheal. "refuge Restrooms Launches Mobile App To Help Users Locate Gender Neutral Bathrooms". Huffington Post. April 10, 2015. Web. April 12, 2015.
Harlan Kellaway is the creator of “Refuge Restrooms”, an app designed to help the transgender community. Public restrooms are one of the most common locations for hate crimes against transgender individuals, because it becomes much harder to conceal their gender assigned at birth. Many establishments have begun introducing neutral restrooms along with male and female, these restrooms are for transgender individuals who do not feel safe or comfortable using specific gendered restrooms. Refuge Restrooms displays these neutral restrooms on a map based on the user’s location, this allows transgender individuals to find a safe place to use the restroom. This app is potentially life-saving, and encourages the support of the transgender community.
This is a perfect demonstration of how modern technology is improving the quality of living. Helpful tools and resources such as Refuge Restrooms are extremely important to oppressed groups of people, to the point where it may be a necessity. This app represents the ingenuity and strength of the transgender community, a community that faces horrible crimes and injustices. I think this app is a fantastic step towards making the world a safer place for transgender people as well as promoting equality and freedom of expression. Neutral bathrooms are also a crucial way of representing the transgender community and normalizing the existence of transgender individuals, rather than alienating them from cisgendered individuals.
Cuba and the United States
"Raul Castro Says Cuba Blockade Not Obama's Fault". Huffington Post. April 11, 2015. Web. April 12, 2015.
Yesterday, Saturday the 11th, 2015, the President of the United States and Raul Castro made several remarks about the Cold War and the relationship between Cuba and the U.S.. Castro made several unexpected statements of positivity towards Obama and the United States. Castro and Obama shared a monumental handshake, nearly reversing the U.S. policy of isolation towards Cuba. Obama expressed his goals involved in this new chapter of U.S. and Cuban history, including providing more opportunities. Obama has stated his intent to remove Cuba from the list of nations accused of terrorism, and has stated that the Cold War is long over, and should be treated as a thing of the past.
I think that this is fantastic. America should be as friendly as possible during this nuclear era to avoid unnecessary war. This new relationship between America and Cuba has unimaginable potential, economically and culturally. Cuba is fairly close to the United States, being only 90 miles off the coast of Florida. These events show a promising new attitude toward foreign relations, and the forgiving of past skirmishes has the possibility of extending past Cuba. The tension between Cuba and the U.S. being relieved opens up countless opportunities for both Cuban and American peoples, and is a wonderful development in foreign policy.
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