The bad weather has begun.. lightning show ⚡️⛈️
#NWIndiana 🙏🏻

Original post on hoosier.social

There's a severe thunderstorm warning for my area. The weather radio just sounded the alarm a few minutes ago. The weather is out to the west in NE Illinois in a line from Chicago southwest to the southern burbs and exurbs.

It seems like we are getting a lot more thunderstorms this season […]

### Get a fresh perspective on Gary Sign up and get our free newsletter every Wednesday. Sign up Indiana residents can no longer change the gender on their driver’s licenses under an executive order from Gov. Mike Braun that requires state-issued identification to reflect a person’s assigned sex at birth. The policy, which went into effect Feb. 12, applies to all gender changes on Indiana-issued credentials, ending a long-standing Bureau of Motor Vehicles process that allowed residents to update identification to align with their gender identity. The order is the latest in a series of efforts by Indiana Republicans to crack down on support for gender transitions, a policy that has divided voters in Indiana. It underscores how strong the backlash has been statewide against transgender rights in recent years. Gary has also faced division over transgender rights. In 2007, Kevin Logan, a gay and transgender student at West Side Senior High School, sued the Gary Community School Corporation, claiming his First and Fourth Amendment rights were violated when he was denied entry into the school’s 2006 prom for wearing a dress, according to the Post-Tribune. In 2011, the Gary Community School Corporation settled the lawsuit, issued an apology, and agreed to policies preventing future discrimination based on gender identity or expression. For decades, Hoosiers were able to update the gender on their licenses. The Braun administration, however, has stated its official position is that “gender ideology falsely asserts the false claim that men can identify as and thus become women and vice versa and it would require all institutions of society to regard this false claim as true.” He has declared that state funds shall not be used to support it. But at public hearings held at Bureau of Motor Vehicles locations across the state, speakers largely opposed the change. “The people of Indiana spoke clearly and repeatedly against this policy, and the BMV chose to ignore them,” said Chris Paulsen, CEO of Indiana Youth Group, an advocacy organization for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults, in a news release. “Quietly implementing a rule that puts transgender Hoosiers at risk is not governance. It’s cruelty.” Gary native Belinda Drake, the executive director of the Community Research and Resource Center in Indianapolis, which empowers disenfranchised communities by providing access to comprehensive health and social services, said identification that does not match a person’s gender identity can create daily risks. “What that means is that not allowing folks’ IDs to match their preferred gender puts them in harm’s way,” Drake said. “It allows them to be discriminated against. It allows them to be targeted, but it ultimately makes it hard for them to get access to vital resources.” “It creates unnecessary opportunities for transgender and gender-diverse people to be discriminated against and targeted,” she added.**** The Human Rights Campaign Foundation reported that 34 transgender and gender-nonconforming people were killed in the United States in 2022. Of those, 26 were people of color and 19 were Black, according to the group’s annual report. Drake said she saw Indiana residents rush to update their identification before the order took effect. “I saw community members literally scramble to hurry up and get their IDs updated before the law took place,” she said. “It was just fear; fear of feeling unsafe when your ID doesn’t match how you identify. That just creates all kinds of challenges for your mental health and access to vital resources.” The executive order comes amid a broader wave of state legislation cracking down on gender transitions. In 2023, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 480, prohibiting physicians from providing gender transition procedures to minors. Lawmakers also restricted the Department of Correction from using state or federally administered funds to provide sexual reassignment surgery for incarcerated individuals. At the state and federal levels, policymakers have also proposed eliminating Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care and cutting federal funding to hospitals and clinics that provide it. The proposal would apply not only to surgical procedures but also to hormone prescriptions such as testosterone and estrogen and to mental health services for transgender patients. Victoria Kirby York, director of public policy and programs at the National Black Justice Collective, said the potential loss of federal funding would have sweeping consequences. “These attacks have been incredibly harmful, especially to Black people and low‑income people,” she said. “One of the first things they’ve done is try to get rid of gender‑affirming care coverage under Medicaid.” Kirby said Black transgender residents are more likely to rely on Medicaid and safety-net clinics, meaning cuts to public coverage and hospital funding would hit them hardest. “Unfortunately, the people most impacted are Black folks, particularly Black trans folks, who are more likely to receive care from these kinds of clinics, and also Medicaid, which is also being targeted,” she said. Under the Biden administration, the U.S. Department of Justice and partner agencies hosted trainings for law enforcement on interacting appropriately with transgender people and identifying transgender victims and suspects. “In 2021, we saw 60 transgender people, mostly Black, murdered,” Kirby said. “After those trainings, we went from that high‑water mark of 60 … to last year, we were just under 30 murders. And so I took that as a sign that law enforcement had been doing better.” While national violence data and policy debates shape the broader climate, advocates say local leadership often determines what support looks like on the ground. In Gary and other majority-Black communities, LGBTQ residents remain present and active, but sustained and visible organizing has often struggled to take root. Gary has not held a Pride parade since 2008. The city’s first parade, held that year, marked a milestone moment for LGBTQ visibility, but large-scale celebrations have not returned in the years since. “Gary has the people. What it needs is sustained leadership, funding, and people willing to put ego aside to build year after year,” Kirby said. “The support is often there, but people are usually waiting for someone to make the first move.”

Indiana bans gender changes on driver's licenses. It continues a struggle that trans people have been fighting for decades.

gary.capitalbnews.org/indiana-driver-license-g...

#Indiana #uspol #nwindiana #trans #lgbtq #news

The sky is really bright tonight for being 9:39 pm
#NWIndiana

Join Well Suited Theater for fun & laughs on Fri, Apr 17th at Chicago Street Theatre! Experience Whose Line style interactive theater and comedy on stage. Get your tickets now at ChicagoStreet.org! Scenes will be made up on the spot! #nwindiana #nwi #valparaisoindiana

Join Well Suited Theater for laughs and improvised fun Friday, March 27th at Anderson's Winery in Valparaiso, Indiana! Get your tickets now on Eventbrite! #nwindiana #nwi #valparaisoindiana #valpo #michigancity

Search continues for HS senior missing after truck found in Lake Station, Indiana river, family says A search in northern Indiana grows more desperate by the day.

#Indiana #NWIndiana #missing

There is a Army helicopter flying over head right now

#NWIndiana 🥴🥴

Hey so many trumpers American flags have been taken down in my neighborhood..
#NWIndiana

Friday, March 27th 27th join us at @andersonswinery for fun and laughs! Get your tickets now on Eventbrite! #nwindiana #chestertonindiana #valparaisoindiana #portageindiana #nwi

A picture of a large ground beef burrito in a foil wrapper.

A picture of a food truck motif for a little restaurant in a truck stop. There is a quote that says, "A taco truck on every corner would be a dream come true." Another says Taco Truck. An electronic menu is next to the window into the kitchen area. There is an image of a man in a hat reading a taco.

I stopped by Ta Canijo (it's tiny) in the truck stop in Sauk Village on 394 on the way back from O'Hare to grab a huge burrito to bring back to share with my son.

This is the place I spotted the other day when I stopped in to get a fountain drink and a pizza […]

[Original post on hoosier.social]

This must be a ticket day in Indiana. I saw police out in force in Merrillville and Valparaiso today.

Here's a new Indiana State Police Mustang in Merrillville at a traffic stop.

#indiana #law #nwindiana

Bears entertain new tax victim if Illinois won’t pay for new stadium: Indiana This isn’t about football. It’s about whether we will keep letting corporate giants force the government to pay for their profits.

These multibillion dollar corporations strongarming taxpayers to build their stadiums when they can afford to do it themselves is vile. If Illinois refuses to be victims of it, Indiana is willing to be a victim, apparently

#bears #chicagobears #hammondindiana #nwindiana

Well Suited Theater is back in Chesterton Fri Feb 27th bringing improvised fun at Running Vines Winery! Get your tickets now on Eventbrite or at the link in the bio! #nwindiana #chestertonindiana #valparaisoindiana #portageindiana #michiana

Man with ‘Sieg Heil’ as nickname files to run for Congress in Northwest Indiana CROWN POINT, Ind. — A man with “Sieg Heil” written as his nickname is one of three Republican candidates vying to win Indiana’s 1st Congressional District. Richard Benedict Mayers, 54, filed with the Secretary of State’s Office Tuesday to run in the district that covers Northwest Indiana currently held by Frank Mrvan (D). In the […]

Why doesn't it surprise me that a GOP candidate for Indiana's first Congressional district is running with the nickname, "Seig Heil?"

#indiana #nwindiana #gop #uspol #fascism
#democracy #usa #fascists

👉 Vote 'em Out!

Well Suited Theater is back at Anderson's Winery and Vineyard Saturday, January 24th! Get your tickets now on Eventbrite. Here's some random photos from a different show. #nwindiana #improv #valparaisoindiana #portageindiana #chestertonindiana

Join Well Suited Theater for shenanigans at Andersons Winery Sat, Jan 24th. Great live Whose Line style scenes where get to help suggest things. Get your tickets now on Eventbrite or at the link in the bio. #nwindiana #valparaisoindiana #portageindiana #portercounty #southbend

The westbound lanes for I-94 near Gary are jammed with cars and trucks.

Head out to the highway for adventure and a huge traffic jam. A view of I-94 in Gary looking westbound showing heavy traffic heading to Chicago.

#nwindiana #snow #weather

A photo of a snow-covered road with the tracks leading to a curve. A minivan approaches in the opposite lane. A light post stands over the road. The yellow line is barely visible under a covering of snow.

Snowy day! Yay!

#photography #snow #weather #winter #nwindiana #indiana

'Let-kids-be-kids' bill clears Indiana House committee with bipartisan support • Indiana Capital Chronicle Indiana lawmakers advanced a bill to shield parents from child welfare investigations solely for allowing "age-appropriate independence."

Whaaaaaaaaaat!?? I don't hate something the Indiana General Assembly's considering? I'm shooketh #nwindiana #northwestindiana