Meet Polkadot - Olympia's Own Non-binary Gendered Trans Children's Book Character

Not only does Olympia's own Danger Dot Publishing have the corner on this particular niche market of kids books on a local level with this beautiful story in a burgeoning field of interest, but they've also successfully helped 17 LGBTQ Ugandans escape oppression via their own kind of 'underground railroad'. They get my 'this is fucking righteously awesome award so far this year. -skycosby

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Now available at Last Word Books, as well as at the publisher's website:

http://dangerdot.com/ordermeetpolkadot/

“Meet Polkadot,” is an accessible introduction to the main character in our series, Polkadot. Polkadot as well as Polkadot’s big sister Gladiola and best friend Norma Alicia, introduce our readers to the challenges and beauty that are experienced by Polkadot as a non-binary, trans kid. While Gladiola learns how to engage with information that she “didn’t know she didn’t know,” Norma Alicia provides Polkadot with a generous, additional perspective on how identities intersect and how allyship works. “Meet Polkadot,” tells Polkadot’s story from a transgender-liberation and feminist perspective and explores the complexity of identity in gentle and real terms. For ages 3-130!

Come Visit Our Book Dome at the Okanogan/Tonasket Barter Faire

We'll be on the North end of one of the aisles, as usual. Look for the Pirate Flag!

Should Kids Be Taught Safe Drug Use in Schools?

Food for thought: is “abstinence only” education as flawed in regard to drugs as it is in regards to sex? (I recommend re-appropriating the slogan “Stop, Drop, and Roll” for drug education.) This comes on the heels of NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s commendable decision to mandate sex ed in the city’s public school system. Via AlterNet:

I applaud the Mayor’s campaign to teach sex education in school. While many parents may hope that their teenagers won’t be sexually active, the reality is that most teenagers will have sex and it is important that they are educated about the risks.

The same principles and goals of sex education should be applied to drug education. While many schools already provide honest sex education that acknowledges the reality that some teens will have sex, our nation’s drug education programs treat abstinence as the sole measure of success and the only acceptable teaching option. This simplistic and unrealistic “education” does not acknowledge the reality that 75% of teens will try alcohol and 50% will try marijuana before they graduate. Instead of giving our teens honest information about drugs, we have police go into schools give them reefer madness...

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