RadioACTive: April 22, 2019

  • April 22, 2019
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TEA of Utah panel talk about the Trump Administration’s ban on transgender service members, expanding federal compensation for downwinders across all of Utah, poetry from RJ Walker

Tonight’s lineup:

A bipartisan group is working on the biggest expansion of downwinder benefits in 50 years. Mary Dickson stopped in to talk about S.947 Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments (RECA) of 2019, which was introduced by U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) late last month.

  • RECA would expand coverage under RECA to include victims in all of Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, and Guam. The original bill covered primarily rural counties in southern Utah, eastern Nevada and northern Arizona even though fallout was far more widespread, affecting Americans as far away of upstate New York.
  • Currently, only downwinders living in 21 primarily rural counties in Utah, Nevada and Arizona are eligible to apply for RECA, which gives victims $50,000, a sum which Truman notes doesn’t even cover the cost of one chemo treatment.

It’s National Poetry Month. Tonight’s featured Utah poet: RJ Walker. He is a finalist in tonight’s SLC Slam Finals, 8:00-11:00 p.m. at Athena Coffee & Bistro, 111 W. 9000 S., Sandy. The top Slam Poets in Salt Lake City, including Walker, will compete for a chance to be on the 2019 Salt City Slam Team. See and hear the best of the best-spoken word artists in Utah. The top 5 from the competition will represent SLC as they compete internationally in regional tournaments and tour America.

Transgender Education Advocates of Utah was back to take over the mics and talk about the Trump Administration’s ban on transgender service members. Although four law suits are challenging the ban, the Supreme Court allowed it to go into effect as of April 12, 2019. Sharing their stories of military service and transition tonight were:

  • Sue Robbins, Army
  • Olivia Jaramillo, Air Force
  • Josie Jesse, Air Force
  • Tisha Olsen, Marine Corps

 

Founded in 2003, TEA of Utah works to ensure that all Utahns are afforded the same opportunity to live, work, and thrive regardless of their gender identity or expression. We do this through education, advocacy, and community building so that all Utahns can live safely, authentically, and free from discrimination regardless of their gender identity or expression.

RadioACTive is a production of Listeners' Community Radio of Utah. Tonight's team included:

  • Exec. Producer/Host: Lara Jones   
  • Assoc. Producer/Host: Billy Palmer
  • Volunteer: Tommy Sutter

 

 

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