Page 6B East Oregonian PEANUTS COFFEE BREAK Tuesday, June 20, 2017 DEAR ABBY BY CHARLES M . SCHULZ Friend finds gender fluidity a hard concept to swallow FOR BETTER OR WORSE BY LYNN JOHNSTON B.C. BY JOHNNY HART PICKLES BY BRIAN CRANE Dear Abby: I have a longtime questions. Say, “I don’t know enough friend I see almost every day. She’s about this, but because I love you, I an awesome friend. Her children are need to learn more about it.” adults. One of them is gay; the other You can be a trans ally without is a transgender male. I respect her becoming an activist. PFLAG has for supporting her children, learning a user-friendly resource, “Guide to everything there is to know about the Being a Trans Ally,” that you may LGBT community and seeking social find interesting and helpful. Find it at change on their behalf. pflag.org/guidetobeingatransally. Jeanne The conflict lies in the fact that my Phillips Dear Abby: An 8-year-old boy in religious beliefs and personal feelings my daughter’s class recently passed Advice are at odds with the notion of gender away. She’s only in second grade, so fluidity. I think the concept is nuts. I I wouldn’t expect her to fully grasp have compassion, however, for people who the meaning of death, but she understands it suffer with their identity in any form. I also perfectly and is not upset one bit. Multiple believe in equal rights. times she has acknowledged the fact that her I do support my friend, who supports her classmate is no longer present, and is actually kids, but I feel like a fraud when she and somewhat cheerful about it. My husband and her friends talk about gender neutrality and I are very worried. Is this normal behavior? vent their indignation that someone called — Concerned Mother someone else by the wrong pronoun. I act Dear Concerned: Children are often more equally offended, but the truth is, I don’t resilient than they are given credit for. If your believe in these ideas or this cause. daughter wasn’t particularly close to the child I don’t want to lose an important friend. I who died, his death may not have affected her want her to feel supported — but I’m lying. deeply. Some children do not mourn the way Please help. My conscience is bothering me. adults do, and you should not expect her to. — Feeling Like A Phony Grief counselors may have spoken to the Dear “Phony”: Would you feel the students about it, or they may have been same way about a friend who is divorced, if given other opportunities to air their feelings. your religion didn’t sanction it? I’ll bet you Because you are concerned, discuss this wouldn’t. The same is true for this longtime with her teacher, but I don’t think you have friend. anything to be worried about. Gender fluidity may be a new concept Dear Abby: What do you make of a host for you, but it is very real. If you feel like a who issues a BYOB invitation to his party hypocrite faking indignation during some and then proceeds to drink the guests’ liquor? of these conversations, why not use them as — Appalled In Florida an opportunity to be educated? Listen. Ask Dear Appalled: I’d say he was thirsty. DAYS GONE BY BEETLE BAILEY GARFIELD BY MORT WALKER BY JIM DAVIS 100 Years Ago From the East Oregonian June 19-20, 1917 Umatilla County is the first county in the state to raise her full apportionment of Oregon’s $600,000 Red Cross contribution to the national $100,000,000 fund. When the general committee closed headquarters last evening at 6 o’clock the full $30,000 assigned to this county had been received in cash and checks. This county was the only county in the state to report its full amount raised on the opening day of the big drive. 50 Years Ago From the East Oregonian June 19-20, 1967 Hundreds of gallons of gasoline escaped Monday from a ruptured line atop the Standard Oil Co. bulk fuel plant about eight miles north of Pendleton on Highway 11. The gasoline spurted from the pipe for at least 20 minutes, but the exact quantity spilled was not known. Fire danger was extremely high. The fuel flowed from the bulk plant through a ditch into Wildhorse Creek, which empties into the Umatilla River here. The flow from the pipe was stopped about 11:15 a.m. State police received a call for help from the plant at 10:55 a.m. 25 Years Ago From the East Oregonian June 19-20, 1992 Researchers will be taking a “snapshot” of Hermiston groundwater quality beginning later this month when they sample 232 wells and other water sources, a state hydrogeol- ogist said. Jerry Grondin of the Department of Environmental Quality in Portland said the purpose of taking so many samples in a short time is to give a comprehensive look at water chemistry and quality throughout the 550-square-mile study area. Staff members from DEQ and other state agencies will be taking samples from 107 alluvial (shallow) wells previously sampled and four new allu- vial wells. In addition, samples will be taken from 23 basalt wells, 74 monitoring wells and 24 surface water sites. THIS DAY IN HISTORY BLONDIE DILBERT THE WIZARD OF ID LUANN ZITS BY DEAN YOUNG AND STAN DRAKE BY SCOTT ADAMS BY BRANT PARKER AND JOHNNY HART BY GREG EVANS BY JERRY SCOTT AND JIM BORGMAN Today is Tuesday, June 20, the 171st day of 2017. There are 194 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 20, 1967, boxer Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted and was sentenced to five years in prison. (Ali’s convic- tion was ultimately overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court). On this date: In 1782, Congress approved the Great Seal of the United States, featuring the emblem of the bald eagle. In 1791, King Louis XVI of France and his family attempted to flee in the so-called “Flight to Varennes,” but were caught. In 1837, Queen Victoria acceded to the British throne following the death of her uncle, King William IV. In 1863, West Virginia became the 35th state. In 1893, a jury in New Bedford, Massachusetts, found Lizzie Borden not guilty of the ax murders of her father and stepmother. In 1921, U.S. Rep. Alice Mary Robertson, R-Okla., became the first woman to preside over a session of the House of Representatives. In 1947, President Harry S. Truman vetoed the Taft- Hartley Act, which was designed to restrict the power of labor unions, but had his veto overridden by Congress. Gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was shot dead at the Beverly Hills, California, home of his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, apparently at the order of mob associates. In 1966, the Beatles album “Yesterday and Today” was released by Capitol Records, initially with its notorious “butcher” cover photo which ended up being replaced. In 1977, the first oil began flowing through the recently completed Trans-Alaska Pipeline. In 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld a New York City law making it illegal for private clubs with more than 400 members to exclude women and minori- ties. In 1990, South African black nationalist Nelson Mandela and his wife, Winnie, arrived in New York City for a ticker-tape parade in their honor as they began an eight-city U.S. tour. Today’s Birthdays: Actor Martin Landau is 89. Actress Bonnie Bartlett is 88. Actress Olympia Dukakis is 86. Actor James Tolkan is 86. Actor Danny Aiello is 84. Blues musician Lazy Lester is 84. Actor John Mahoney is 77. Movie director Stephen Frears is 76. Singer-song- writer Brian Wilson is 75. Actor John McCook is 73. Singer Anne Murray is 72. TV personality Bob Vila is 71. Musician Andre Watts is 71. Producer Tina Sinatra is 69. Rhythm-and-blues singer Lionel Richie is 68. Actor John Goodman is 65. Chris- tian rock musician Jerome Fontamillas (Switchfoot) is 50. Rock musician Murphy Karges (Sugar Ray) is 50. Actress Nicole Kidman is 50. Movie director Robert Rodriguez is 49. Rock singer Chino Moreno (Deftones) is 44. Country musician Chris Thompson (The Eli Young Band) is 37. Christian rock musician Chris Dudley (Underoath) is 34. Thought for Today: “Know how to ask. There is nothing more difficult for some people, nor for others, easier.” — Baltasar Gracian, Spanish philosopher (1601-1658). PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN BY DANA SIMPSON BIG NATE BY LINCOLN PEIRCE