Biologically Male Transgender Inmate Moved to Women’s Facility

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On Thursday, attorneys for 27-year-old Deon “Strawberry” Hampton announced that their client, a biological male who identifies as a female and is serving a ten-year prison sentence for residential burglary, would be transferred from a men’s correctional facility to a women’s correctional facility.

Hampton filed a lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) in late-November 2017, demanding to be moved to a women’s prison following 16 months of hormone therapy.

The lawsuit alleged that Hampton was the target of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of correctional officers at multiple facilities — first at Pinckneyville Correctional Center, then at Menard Correctional Center. The lawsuit also claimed that when Hampton “reported this abuse [at Pinckneyville], the officers retaliated” with beatings and “false disciplinary charges … that resulted in segregation time and [the] transfer to Menard.” . . .

As to the fact that Hampton still possesses male genitalia and might therefore pose a threat to biological female inmates, the lawsuit quoted a psychiatrist who is an alleged “expert in providing transgender healthcare.” He claimed that because of the ongoing hormone therapy, Hampton “is functionally chemically castrated.”

After further legal issuances and allegations of abuse, Hampton was transferred twice — first to Lawrence Correctional Center, then to Dixon Correctional Center, both of which are men’s facilities. (Read more from “Biologically Male Transgender Inmate Moved to Women’s Facility” HERE)

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Women’s March Rally Canceled for Being ‘Overwhelmingly White’

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Organizers of the Women’s March rally for Humboldt County in northern California canceled its January march over concerns that the participants would be “overwhelmingly white.”

The march was originally scheduled to take place on January 19 in Eureka but was canceled after “many conversations between local social-change organizers and supporters of the march,” one of the organizers said in a statement on the group’s Facebook page.

“The local organizers are continuing to meet and discuss how to broaden representation in the organizing committee to create an event that represents and supports peoples who live here in Humboldt,” the statement said. “Up to this point, the participants have been overwhelmingly white, lacking representation from several perspectives in our community.” . . .

“Instead of pushing forward with crucial voices absent, the organizing team will take time for more outreach,” the statement added. “ Our goal is that planning will continue and we will be successful in creating an event that will build power and community engagement through connection between women that seek to improve the lives of all in our community.” . . .

Chicago Women’s March organizers also canceled their planned January 19 march, citing high costs and limited volunteers. The Chicago Tribune also reported that the cancellation also involved “splintering within the national Women’s March leadership following accusations of anti-Semitism and scrutiny of its ties to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.” (Read more from “Women’s March Rally Canceled for Being ‘Overwhelmingly White'” HERE)

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Apple Removes Christian Ministry App Following Complaints by LGBT Group

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Apple removed a Christian ministry’s app from its store after an LGBT group claimed it implied being gay was a sickness, according to published reports.

A gay rights group, Truth Wins Out, got the so-called ex-gay app removed after it convinced the tech giant that the app was “dangerous,” “bigoted” and “hateful.” . . .

Living Hope Ministries of Arlington, Texas, told The Christian Post in an email that it was disappointed, but will continue its work.

“We are saddened by Apple’s and Microsoft’s removal of our app because of a single person’s false accusations. Regardless of their decision we will continue to make the app and our services available to those who seek them,” said Ricky Chalette, executive director of the ministry.

“We are a ministry that for nearly thirty years has helped individuals resolve their feelings they deem incongruent with their faith,” he continued. “We help people deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ through Bible study and accountability. We walk with them to align their lives with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Through support groups they realize they are not alone and are able to share honestly and openly in a non-condemning atmosphere about their struggles, passions, and victories. From chaos and confusion they often find peace, hope, and a deeper sense of personal wholeness. Our ministry is free and strictly voluntary.”

(Read more from “Apple Removes Christian Ministry App Following Complaints by LGBT Group” HERE)

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Franklin Graham Banned From Facebook

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Reverend Franklin Graham says that he was banned from Facebook pursuant to a more than two-year-old post in support of North Carolina’s House Bill 2, which mandated that citizens use the bathroom that corresponds with their biological sex.

The bill was signed into law in 2016 and was considered by many to be bigoted — and it provoked a wave of corporate boycotts targeting the state. It’s not clear which specific post got Graham banned, but the evangelist has been outspoken in support of that bill and of other similar pieces of legislation. . .

“Facebook is censoring free speech,” Graham said via his Twitter account. “They’re making & changing the rules. Truth is truth. God made the rules & His Word is truth. The free exchange of ideas is part of our country’s DNA. You can read the post that Facebook took down last week here.” (Read more from “Franklin Graham Banned From Facebook” HERE)

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SWAT Officer Ends Hours-Long Standoff by Singing ‘White Christmas’ to Suspect

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On Christmas day, Nathaniel Lewis, a 34-year-old member of the Pennsylvania National Guard, began behaving erratically after separating from his wife, authorities in the East Vincent Township in Pennsylvania said.

“An hours-long standoff ensued with Lewis firing at police officers from a second-story bedroom. Bullets struck the sides of an armored police vehicle, a civilian’s vehicle, and a nearby home,” the local CBS affiliate in Philadelphia reported. . . 

The local SWAT team was called in to handle the situation.

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan says police initially conducted a wellness check on Lewis after his wife asked for a separation. Lewis refused to come out of the house, and then took his rifle, firing some 20 shots at officers outside.

Nearly nine hours later, Lewis demanded a negotiator sing him “White Christmas.” Four verses later, Lewis came out.

(Read more from “SWAT Officer Ends Hours-Long Standoff by Singing ‘White Christmas’ to Suspect” HERE)

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Report: Video Exists of One of Kevin Spacey’s Inappropriate Advances

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Last year, Kevin Spacey became a target of the “Me Too” movement when actor Anthony Rapp accused him of luring him to his apartment when he was just 14. He was one of now over a dozen other young men to accuse Spacey of sexual assault. . .

This week, we learned of a new case. An 18-year-old says Spacey touched him inappropriately at a Massachusetts bar in July 2016. The Guardian has more details about the incident. . . 

According to the report, the young man did not initially report the incident because he was afraid of getting in trouble for underage drinking. He reportedly took a one-second Snapchat video of it, however, which is now in police possession. He and his girlfriend say the video shows Spacey touching the teenager, but Spacey’s attorneys argue that it only shows their client touching the shirt of another person.

With yet another allegation public this week, Spacey decided to release a strange video entitled, “Let Me Be Frank,” in which he played his old “House of Cards” character Frank Underwood to claim innocence. It was his first Twitter post since October 2017.
 
On Friday afternoon, Spacey’s legal team asked the judge if Spacey could skip his arraignment on Jan. 7 in Nantucket District Court. The reason was not disclosed. (Read more from “Report: Video Exists of One of Kevin Spacey’s Inappropriate Advances” HERE)
 
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Father Books Six Flights Over Christmas to Spend Time With Daughter, a Flight Attendant

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Lots of people travel to spend time with family over the holidays, but one man booked six flights, all over the country, to be with his daughter.

Ohio man Mike Levy wrote a Facebook post that has gone viral, telling the story of a man named Hal, whom he sat next to on a Christmas Eve flight from Fort Myers, Fla., to Detroit, Mich. Hal’s daughter, Pierce, is a flight attendant who was working over the holiday. According to Levy, Hal booked multiple flights on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to spend time with his daughter.

“What a fantastic father! Wish you both a very Merry Christmas!” Levy wrote.

On Christmas Day, Pierce T. Vaughn shared Levy’s Facebook post, writing “Look ma we made it.”

Pierce thanked “all of the patient, wonderful gate agents” who made Hal’s trip possible and gave a shoutout to Levy “for being a great first class passenger & helping us to understand how cool this actually is!”

What a terrific dad. (For more from the author of “Father Books Six Flights Over Christmas to Spend Time With Daughter, a Flight Attendant” please click HERE)

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Nation’s Oldest Military Veteran Dead at 112

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America’s oldest veteran, Richard Overton, who served in the Army during World War II and credited God, whiskey and cigars for his remarkable longevity, died Thursday in Texas at the age of 112, reports say.

He had been hospitalized for the last week with pneumonia, his family said.

Shirley Overton, whose husband was Richard’s cousin, said the vet died Thursday evening at a rehab facility in Austin.

Overton, who was also thought to be the oldest living American, was born in 1906 in Bastrop County, just outside Austin, Texas.

Overton was in his 30s when he volunteered for the Army, and was at Pearl Harbor just after the Japanese surprise attack in 1941. (Read more from “Nation’s Oldest Military Veteran Dead at 112” HERE)

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Former Walmart Santa Claus Charged After Two of His Children Found Buried in His Backyard

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By Daily Wire. A Georgia man who was formerly employed as a Walmart Santa Claus has been charged in connection to the discovery of his two teenaged children found buried in his backyard.

On December 19, authorities responded to a welfare check on 14-year-old Mary Crocker at the home of Elwyn Crocker Sr., her father. Mary had been missing since October, though no official missing person’s report was filed.

Information provided by Elwyn Sr. during an interview with officials eventually led officers to the bodies of Mary and her brother Elwyn Crocker, Jr., who was last seen some two years ago. Like Mary, no official missing person report was filed for the boy, either. . .

Elwyn Sr., who turned 50 on Christmas Day, was working in close proximity to area children until recently, working as a Santa Claus at a Walmart in Rincon. He’s been charged with cruelty to children in the first degree and concealing the death of another, according to the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office. (Read more from “Former Walmart Santa Claus Charged After Two of His Children Found Buried in His Backyard” HERE)

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Walmart Santa Elwyn Crocker Charged After Kids Are Found in His Yard

By NY Post. A Walmart Santa was busted in connection with the deaths of his two kids — who were recently discovered buried in his Georgia back yard.

The remains of Elwyn Crocker Jr., a 14-year-old who vanished two years ago, and his sister Mary, 14, who was last seen in October, were unearthed in the small farming town of Guyton last week, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Deputies searching the home on a tip were led to the graves by the kids’ dad, Elwyn Crocker Sr., who turned 50 on Christmas, and until recently worked as a Santa at a store in Rincon.

His wife and the kids’ stepmother, Candice Crocker, 33, her mother, Kim Wright, 50, and Wright’s boyfriend, Anthony Prater, 55, were also collared on charges of concealing a death and child cruelty. They remain in Effingham County jail without bond. (Read more from “Walmart Santa Elwyn Crocker Charged After Kids Are Found in His Yard” HERE)

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Internet Exploded at Trump for Christmas Eve Call to Young Child. But Her Parents Tell a Different Story.

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. . .Speaking with Collman Lloyd — a 7-year-old girl from Lexington, South Carolina — on Christmas Eve from the White House, a video, which quickly went viral, showed the president asking Collman if she still believes in Santa Claus — but it was his follow-up statement, which implied Santa is not real, that incited criticism and accusations that Trump had “ruined” Christmas. . .

Instead, Collman’s father — 40-year-old Donald J. Lloyd — told BuzzFeed News that he would use similar language to speak to his daughter about Santa Claus. He also said he believes Trump’s remarks have been “blown out of proportion and unfairly politicized,” according to BuzzFeed.

“I think it’s crazy it became a big deal. It’s Christmastime. I’d love to keep politics out of Christmas,” Donald said. “It didn’t bother me — I like to talk to my kids like adults.” . . .

In the end, both parents appreciated how Trump treated their daughter. At first, they thought she was speaking with a pre-recorded message, then they realized Collman was actually speaking with the president.

“He said, ‘Happy Christmas … It was great speaking to you, Collman … Please tell [your family] I wish them a happy Christmas,'” Erica explained. “It made her Christmas.” (Read more from “Internet Exploded at Trump for Christmas Eve Call to Young Child. But Her Parents Tell a Different Story.” HERE)

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