When Things need to get done, it’s people like Ellen Daehnick who do them. Daehnick recently retired from her high-powered career to become a full-time “Unpaid Gender Crank”, focusing on legislation. She describes her first time testifying to the Colorado state legislature against CO House Bill 1071, which welcomes felons to change their legal names as long as they claim a trans identity. More of this remarkable hearing, described as “bananas” by audio editor Lisa Jones, can be found here. We discuss how to prepare for effective testimony, why female politicians support policies that harm women, selective empathy, toxic femininity, class, chiggers, and appeals to emotion vs facts. “Deadnaming,” “misgendering” and “mentioning the criminal record of an individual” may be verboten in the Colorado Statehouse, but the real genocide is the friends we made along the way. 

Ellen Daehnick on twitter: https://twitter.com/edaehnick

Daehnick’s email: genderwatchco@gmail.com

Audio Recap of CO HB 24-1071 "The Felon Name-Change Bill" by Lisa Jones: https://www.thatlisajones.com/new-kinda-colorado-crazy/

Colorado House Bill 24-1071: https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb24-1071

Christina Goeke kicked out of Colorado Statehouse: https://twitter.com/goeke_christina/status/1752490704020881694

Tiara/Duane Kelley: https://www.thepublica.com/transgender-drag-queen-who-inspired-bill-to-make-name-changes-easier-for-trans-felons-in-colorado-has-lengthy-criminal-record/

DIAG: Democrats for an Informed Approach to Gender: https://www.di-ag.org/

Corinna’s talk “Political Organizing in America” at Genspect Denver 2023: https://youtu.be/5VpOhM7PXco?si=gTOu9FtmarVgKLLF

Nina’s Quilt Suite: https://www.airbnb.com/h/quiltsuite

Illinois HB 4876: https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=4876&GAID=17&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=152735&SessionID=112&GA=103