Involved in the plan to improve services were representatives from the Indiana Transgender Rights Advocacy Alliance, Indiana Equality, and Ball Memorial Hospital. They made the announcement Tuesday. Vaught, who has not released what was wrong but is apparently doing fine, has stated “I’m happy with the outcome. I think that we reached a positive resolution.”

Vaught had several face-to-face meetings with hospital President and CEO Michael Haley and others at the hospital. She received an apology at the time. Haley stated

“Simply put, we failed to live up to our brand promise of care in regards to Erin and we apologize to her for . The majority of our outstanding team of health-care professionals is committed to providing every patient with excellent and respectful care. In the last month, I have heard from many team members who share my disappointment with Erin’s experience at BMH. Thankfully, her story has created the opportunity for us to provide additional support to our team members making sure that all LGBT community members receive expert, respectful and culturally competent care.”

BMH has also updated its non-discrimination and patient care policies to include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

Vaught has stated “My goal from the outset was to try to make sure that my experience wasn’t repeated. Ball Memorial’s commitment to updating their policies and training their staff demonstrates to me that this is their priority as well. I look forward to following the training process and to utilizing BMH’s services for myself and my family in the future.”

INTRAA President Vivian Benge stated about the changes that they “should serve as a model for how community organizations, community members, and community advocates can collaborate in a transparent manner to bring about positive change.”

Jon Keep, president of Indiana Equality, stated “INTRAA and IE are committed to using this collaboration as a starting point for work with health-care providers throughout Indiana. BMH has generously offered to share the materials and expertise we all develop in training their staff with any health-care intitution that shares their commitment to providing excellent and accessible care to all Hoosiers.”

Haley has committed to continuing to work with both groups. He stated “We will lead by example at BMH, and I want to make it perfectly clear that our partnership with IE and INTRAA won’t end here. It will endure through our commitment to uphold our brand promise with every patient who comes here for care.”

Source

According to one name police officer, “A 21-year-old female native of Kyrgyzstan came to police on Sunday. The woman claimed that she had been raped by two men. However, when the woman showed her passport, it turned out that she was actually a man.”

According to another official “According to preliminary information, the victim, a well-known stylist from Kyrgyzstan, arrived in Moscow for sex-change operation and met two of his country-fellows at a Moscow restaurant. . .One of the owners of the apartment committed an act of sexual intercourse with the stylist and gave his guest some cash for a cab afterwards.”

The transwoman, who has not been named, took the offered cash as an insult and went to the police to file criminal charges based on Article 131 of the Penal Code of the Russian Federation.  Article 131 covers rape.

The police reports repeatedly refer to this particular individual as a male despite her being post-op and transsexual.  It is unclear what the laws in her native Kyrgyzstan are regarding transsexuality and change of identity pre or post operation.

Source

The dispute took place on 1 August at an apartment in Woodlawn, which is located in an unincorporated area of Baltimore County. The assault appears to have occurred after the two began to undress and Majette stated that he was not interested in a “transvestite”. Antoinette Ford, a neighbor, has said that she overheard Majette and King arguing. Apparently King stated “Give me my money, give me my money. I want my money.” Another neighbor reported that King came to his door step bare-breasted and bleeding and seeking help.

According to Lt. Rob McCollough of the Baltimore County police stated “Mr. Majette had hit the other party in the head with a hammer and the other party also had taken a pair of scissors and tried to assault Mr. Majette.” Both have been charged with assault. According to King, she did openly state that she was transgender in her online posting. Majette was convicted of similar charges a decade ago after lesser charges, including assaut with intent to murder, were dropped.

The court date is set for 2 September.

Source

Nikki Araguz is the widow of a Wharton firefighter who was killed on the job.  She is transsexual, and began life as a male.  Since then, she has had a sex change operation and is considered female under Texas law.  A year ago, the Texas family code was amended to allow women just like Araguz to marry men.  According to Chris Tritico, a legal analyst for FOX 26, “Texas law now says you can get a marriage license after a sex change.”

Greg Abbot, the Texas Attorney General, has refused to issue an opinion on a different case which involves an El Paso couple, but this case is a bit different.  Sabrina Hill was born male and has since transitioned into a woman, but she is also married to a woman.  When the couple wanted to marry, El Paso County refused to give them a marriage license; however, Bexar county did so based on a 1999 court decision.

Many states refuse to acknowledge marriages between two women even if one of the couple was born male and they were married before that individual transitioned.  Some states, mostly in the North, continue to accept that marriage as being legally binding.  A couple who married and lived in, say, New York might find that their marriage post-transition is legal, but not if they move to, say, Georgia.  For states where same-sex marriage is legal or recognized, this issue is moot.

The lack of clarity regarding the law as it stands in Texas goes back to a 1999 case where a Texas court ruled that a person could not change their sex for the purposes of marriage.  Basically, if you were genetically male, you could marry a woman even if you were now, physically, a woman yourself.

Darrell Steidley, lead attorney for Araguz, stated that they are waiting for Greg Abbott to make some kind of decision on this issue.  He said “Yes, of course.  We were interested to see what the response would be.”  Tritico noted that part of the problem is that this is an election year.  According to Tritico, “I don’t think he wants to jump into this political hot bed in an election year, that’s what I think.  And that’s a shame because that’s why we elected him, to interpret and give us these rulings on these laws so we know how to operate.  I think he is shirking his responsibilities and it’s a shame.”

Regarding the court case and Texas law, Tritico stated “In other words, you are what you were born.  So what we have here is couples (for example) who started out a man. (That person) now looks and appears to be a woman, but under Texas law, (they’re) still a man, so (they) will marry this woman. So it appears we’re marrying a same sex couple.”

The confusion will continue for some time to come.  According to Tritico, “You have case law that says one thing, and family code says another thing, and Texas constitution says we don’t recognize same-sex marriages.”  However, Tritico states that the Texas constitution trumps all, but also believes someone will file suit in the end.  He said “Somebody is going to file suit over this issue somewhere, somehow.”

Source

The administrators and doctors of the hospital are involved in a discrimination complaint over the fact that the doctor finally turned Vaught away despite the fact that she was coughing up blood. The doctor said that they could do nothing until they had tests ordered by her primary care doctor. The doctor took two hours before refusing treatment for Vaught on grounds that she is transgender.

According to Haley, he is working with Indiana Equality and Indiana Transgender Rights Advocacy Alliance in order to review its policies, employee benefits and diversity training. The hospital will also work on implementing a diversity council to help engage the local community better. Hopefully, their work will also include reminding the doctors of their Hippocratic Oath and the fact that they need to make sure that they are helping an not hurting people in the future.

Source

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• Indiana Hospital Refuses To Treat Transwoman Who Was Coughing Up Blood (lezgetreal.com)

Jones told authorities that “I was trying to make him act like a boy instead of a little girl. I never struck that kid that hard before.”

Roy A. Jones was the grandson of Donna Collins Smith and Daniel Collins. His mother has not been named. According to Donna Collins Smith, she knew nothing about what had happened because she had only just found out about her grandson’s death. According to Daniel Collins, “[Jones] infiltrated my family through our trust, through the heart of my daughter, and then stole the life of her child. I hope the justice system turns around and steals his.” The current charges would not likely amount to the death sentence, but they could be added to or upgraded at a later date.

Jones has pled not guilty during his arraignment at Southampton Town Justice Court. He is being held without bail.

Jones’ actions are not entirely uncommon. Unfortunately, many parents and even boyfriends of mothers try to gender police their children, and while that is usually not accomplished through physical violence, it often can be. Pedro Jones, basically, appears to have killed a boy in an attempt to police his gender and enforce a patriarchal standard specific to how Jones wanted the young boy to behave.  There is also a strong probability that the behaviors that Jones hoped to prevent this boy from exhibiting would have gone away on their own.  Even if they had not, it would not be an excuse for beating an infant to death, or anyone for that matter, who is the least bit effeminate.  Hopefully, the police will include hate crime charges to the mix as this was an anti-transgender or anti-gay hate crime.

Source

It stated when the admitting nurse at the ER entered that Vaught was male into the computer despite the fact that her ID stated that she is female. Vaught stated “I pointed out that my ID says female. There were two ladies there, and one of them snickered a little bit and covered her mouth. The other got a very annoyed look on her face. Vaught was there with her wife and son.

When she went to the exa-room, she was met with stares and insults. She was referred to as a ‘he-she’, an ‘it’, and a ‘transvestite’. Vaught is a transsexual, or one who is physically undergoing the process of changing physical sex. Transvestites are people who often get sexually aroused while wearing the clothes of the opposite gender, but have no desire to change sexes.

The doctor arrives two hours later and said that she could not treat Vaught because of “her transgender condition”. According to Vaught “I was confused. I told them I didn’t know my condition, that’s why I was there. She said ‘No, the transvestite thing.’ She said I couldn’t see a doctor until I came back with test orders from my doctor in Indy.” What her exact condition is has not been released.

Ball Memorial Hopsital spokesman Will Henderson has said that the hospital only became aware of Vaught’s concerns on 19 July via a Google Alert. According to him, a patient representative is investigating the incident. Henderson has stated “We take our patients’ rights policy very seriously.” The policy does not mention transpeople specifically, according to Henderson, but it should apply. Hospital president Michael E. Haley has stated about this via Facebook “And, should there be any merit to the concerns expressed in the comments, the Hospital will respond in the appropriate manner. [The hospital is] committed to providing care with respect, dignity and courtesy.” The investigation was triggered by complaints from advocacy groups which stemmed from Vaught’s allegations.

Indiana Transgender Rights Advocacy Alliance president Vivian Benge stated “The irony here is that we spend so much time teaching about transgender issues at Ball State University, and yet there is Ball Memorial Hospital treading a transgender like this. It is so sad.” The reaction is not uncommon, according to Benge, but when Vaught and her suporters wrote about her experience on the hospital’s Facebook page, it attracted the attention of advocacy groups including Benge’s and Indiana Equality. The groups sent a letter to the hospital describing how Vaught was “inhumanely treated, dehumanized and disrespected.”

According to Benge, her group has arranged for Vaught to be treated at a hospital in Indianapolis. She stated “We are trying to help her to regain her dignity and humanity. This is a very difficult kind of thing to go through.”

Estrogen therapy carries certain risks, including the risks of blood clots. This is why doctors are suppose to be willing to treat transpeople with dignity. What this hospital did was put Vaught in mortal danger.

Source

Currently, less than one percent of Pakistan’s population pays its taxes. Many businesspeople and politicians do not according to officials. This is part of why they have so many government problems, and such instability. They also owe a lot of money to larger nations such as the United States.

Islam, by and large, looks down upon transsexuality and homosexuality. Different nations vary in how they approach it with some only imposing punishment if there is proof of anal penetration while others executing anyone caught engaging in any homosexual behavior.

The only oddity in all of this is Iran where transsexuality is viewed as a birth defect according to the teaching of Ayatollah Khomeini, and sex changes are legal and assisted but not completely accepted.

Source

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Melanie Nathan 7-9-10

Drafted by Karen Doering, an attorney who has been involved in some of the most important legal LGBT victories and controversies, the American Equality  Bill takes the approach that piecemeal bills for various areas of discrimination be supported through recognition of our civil rights, first and foremost and may serve to yield an omnibus bill that will in essence get rid of all discriminatory legislation.  This is the first  Publication of the Draft is forthcoming.

It also recognizes that creating separate bills in separate areas breaks the interests of those against discrimination into small, separate pieces that dilutes the strong force of the coalition necessary to pass any bill on the federal level.

This is a critical approach to win Equality. Equality cannot come to fruition without the Benchmark – something specific that carries forth a universal message.  Now that we have the wording and the Goal- we need the BILL.

Who ever says this is “Pie in the Sky or Bold” (Bilerco) – is marginalizing our entitlement and our rights.  To my way of thinking anyone who suggest we keep the backdoor approach as our only approach does not have our absolute interests at heart.  Selfless advocacy means going for the only benchmark that will bring full equality, and if we are going to have a movement then we need to have the movement regardless of how many votes we may or may not get in Congress.  They need to know that we are not fighting for legislation; we are fighting for our lives and to live our lives, happily,  like other Americans, and that means equally.    I for one, have a right to enter through the front door -  and that is why I have touted this plan for all this time.

Special Credit also goes to Todd Fernandez for pushing for this and for being one of the few who listened with open mind and heart.

http://lezgetreal.com/2010/07/the-launch-of-hope-finally-grassroots-find-feet-the-american-equality-bill/

THE AMERICAN EQUALITY BILL
(Draft July 4, 2010)

SUMMARY OF PROPOSED CHANGES TO EXISTING LEGISLATION
TO END LEGAL DISCRIMINATION IN AMERICA ON THE BASIS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY

A. EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION.

SECTION 1. Amends Title VII the Civil Rights Act of 1964, to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited bases for discrimination in employment.

SECTION 2. Amends the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, and 3 U.S.C. 411 (a)(1), to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited bases for discrimination in employment.

SECTION 3. Amends the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, 42 U.S.C. §2000e-16a et seq., to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited bases for discrimination in employment.

SECTION 4. Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to clarify the definitions of “parent” and “son or daughter.”

B. HOUSING DISCRIMINATION.

SECTION 5. Amends the Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act) to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited bases for discrimination in the sale or rental of housing, real estate related transactions, and the provision of brokerage services.

C. DISCRIMINATION IN PLACES OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION.

SECTION 6. Amends Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited bases for discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation.

D. DISCRIMINATION IN THE USE OF PUBLIC FACILITIES.

SECTION 7. Amends §2000b of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited bases for denial of equal use of public facilities.

E. DISCRIMINATION IN ACCESS TO CREDIT.

SECTION 8. Amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited basis for discrimination in any aspect of a credit transaction.

F. DISCRIMINATION IN FEDERALLY FUNDED PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES.

SECTION 9. Amends Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited bases for discrimination in federally funded programs or activities and adding an exemption for religious organizations.

G. DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.

SECTION 10. Amends the Americans with Disabilities Act to repeal discriminatory provisions.

THE AMERICAN EQUALITY BILL
(Scope and content only. This is not in filing format.)

SHORT TITLE.
Upon passage, this bill may be cited as the `The American Equality Act of 2010’.

PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to realize the American ideal of equal protection under the law by amending existing civil rights legislation to include protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

FINDINGS OF LEGISLATIVE FACT.
(This will be an elaborate section that details the discrimination against LGBT people. Content TBD.)

A. EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION.

SECTION. 1. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §2000e, is amended to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited bases for discrimination in employment, as follows:

a. The following definitions shall be added at the end of §2000e:

(o) The term “sexual orientation” means homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality.

(p) The term “gender identity” means the gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, with or without regard to the individual’s designated sex at birth.

b. Sections 2000e-2(a)-(d), §2000e-2(h), §2000e-2(j), §2000e-2(l), §2000e-2(m), §2000e-3(b), 2000e(g)(2)(A), §2000e-16(a), and §2000e-16(c), are amended every time the phrase “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin” appears to include after the word “sex” the following words:- “sexual orientation, gender identity,”

c. Dress and Grooming Standards. Nothing shall prohibit an employer from requiring an employee, during the employee’s hours at work, to adhere to reasonable dress or grooming standards not prohibited by other provisions of Federal, State, or local law, provided that the employer permits any employee who has undergone gender transition prior to the time of employment, and any employee who has notified the employer that the employee has undergone or is undergoing gender transition after the time of employment, to adhere to the same dress or grooming standards for the gender to which the employee has transitioned or is transitioning.

d. Certain Shared Facilities. Nothing shall be construed to establish an unlawful employment practice based on actual or perceived gender identity due to the denial of access to shared shower or dressing facilities in which being seen fully unclothed is unavoidable, provided that the employer provides reasonable access to adequate facilities that are not inconsistent with the employee’s gender identity as established with the employer at the time of employment or upon notification to the employer that the employee has undergone or is undergoing gender transition, whichever is later.

SECTION 2. The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, as amended, 5 U.S.C. §2302; Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, 42 U.S.C. 2000e-16a et seq.; Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, 2 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.; and Section 411(a) (1) of Title 3 of the United States Code are amended to specify that “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” are prohibited bases for discrimination, as follows:

a. The terms “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” are defined as in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §2000e.

b. 5 U.S.C. 2302(b)(1)(A) and 5 U.S.C. 2302(d)(1); 42 U.S.C. 2000e-16a and 42 U.S.C. 2000e-16b; 2 U.S.C. 1311(a)(1); and 3 U.S.C. 411(a)(1) are amended every time the phrase “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin” appear to add after the word “sex” the following words: “sexual orientation, gender identity”

c. 42 U.S.C. 2000e-16a(b) is amended every time the phrase “race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability” appear to add after the word “sex” the following words: “sexual orientation, gender identity”

d. Certain Shared Facilities. Nothing shall be construed to establish an unlawful employment practice based on actual or perceived gender identity due to the denial of access to shared shower or dressing facilities in which being seen fully unclothed is unavoidable, provided that the employer provides reasonable access to adequate facilities that are not inconsistent with the employee’s gender identity as established with the employer at the time of employment or upon notification to the employer that the employee has undergone or is undergoing gender transition, whichever is later.

SECTION 3. The Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, 42 U.S.C. §2000e-16a et seq., is amended to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited bases for discrimination, as follows:

a. The terms “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” are defined as in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §2000e.

b. Section 2000e-16a(b) is here by amended every time the phrase “race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability” occurs by inserting after the word “sex” the following words:- “sexual orientation, gender identity,”

c. Certain Shared Facilities. Nothing shall be construed to establish an unlawful employment practice based on actual or perceived gender identity due to the denial of access to shared shower or dressing facilities in which being seen fully unclothed is unavoidable, provided that the employer provides reasonable access to adequate facilities that are not inconsistent with the employee’s gender identity as established with the employer at the time of employment or upon notification to the employer that the employee has undergone or is undergoing gender transition, whichever is later.

SECTION 4. The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, as amended, 29 U.S.C. §2611, is amended to clarify the following definitions:

(7) Parent. The term “parent” means the biological parent of an employee or an individual who stood in loco parentis to an employee when the employee was a son or daughter. For purposes of this statute, the term “in loco parentis” includes but is not limited to an individual who is a defacto or psychological parent of the child.

(12) Son or daughter. The term “son or daughter” means a biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward, or a child of a person standing in loco parentis, a child registered as a “dependent” or similar classification under the employer’s domestic partnership policy, or a child designated by an employee and his or her domestic partner as a “dependent” or similar classification pursuant to a municipal, state or federal domestic partnership registry, who is—

(A) under 18 years of age; or

(B) 18 years of age or older and incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability.

(13) Spouse – The term “spouse” means a husband or wife, as the case may be. For purposes of this statute, the term “spouse” includes a person designated a domestic partner under the employer’s domestic partnership policy, an employee’s civil union partner, a spouse from a domestic or foreign marriage, and a domestic partner registered pursuant to a municipal, state or federal law.

B. HOUSING DISCRIMINATION.

SECTION. 5. The Fair Housing Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §3601 et seq., is amended to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited bases for discrimination in the sale or rental of housing, real-estate related transactions, and the provision of brokerage services.

a. The terms “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” are defined as in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §2000e.

b. Sections 3604(a)-(b) are amended every time the phrase “race, color, religion, sex, familial status, or national origin” appears by inserting after the word “sex” the following words: “sexual orientation, or gender identity,”

c. Sections 3604(c)-(e), 3605(a), and 3606 are amended every time the phrase “race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin” appears by inserting after the word “sex” the following words: “sexual orientation, or gender identity,”

d. Section 3605(c) is amended every time the phrase “race, color, religion, national origin, sex, handicap, or familial status” appears by inserting after the word “sex” the following words:- “sexual orientation, or gender identity,”

C. DISCRIMINATION IN PLACES OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION.

SECTION 6. Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §2000a et seq., is amended to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited bases for discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation.

a. The terms “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” are defined as in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §2000e.

b. Sections 2000a(a) and 2000a-1 are amended every time the phrase “race, color, religion or national origin” appears by inserting after the word “religion” the following words: “sexual orientation, or gender identity,”

c. Certain Shared Facilities. Nothing shall be construed to establish an unlawful practice based on actual or perceived gender identity due to the denial of access to shared shower or dressing facilities in which being seen fully unclothed is unavoidable, provided that the proprietor provides reasonable access to adequate facilities that are not inconsistent with the individual’s gender identity as established with the proprietor at the time the relationship first began or upon notification to the proprietor that the individual has undergone or is undergoing gender transition, whichever is later.

D. DISCRIMINATION IN THE USE OF PUBLIC FACILITIES.

SECTION 7. 42 U.S.C. §2000b, is amended to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited bases for denial of equal use of public facilities as follows:

a. The terms “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” are defined as in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §2000e.

b. Section 2000b(a) is amended every time the phrase “race, color, religion or national origin” occurs by inserting after the word “religion” the following words:- “sexual orientation, gender identity,”

c. Certain Shared Facilities. Nothing shall be construed to establish an unlawful practice based on actual or perceived gender identity due to the denial of access to shared shower or dressing facilities in which being seen fully unclothed is unavoidable, provided that the proprietor provides reasonable access to adequate facilities that are not inconsistent with the individual’s gender identity as established with the proprietor at the time of the relationship first began or upon notification to the proprietor that the individual has undergone or is undergoing gender transition, whichever is later.

E. DISCRIMINATION IN ACCESS TO CREDIT.

SECTION 8. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974, 15 U.S.C. §1691 et seq., is amended to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited bases for discrimination in any aspect of a credit transaction as follows:

a. The terms “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” are defined as in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §2000e.

b. Section 1691(a)(1) is amended every time the phrase “race, color, religion, national origin, sex or marital status, or age” occurs by inserting after the word “marital status” the following words:- “sexual orientation, gender identity”.

F. DISCRIMINATION IN FEDERALLY FUNDED PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES.

SECTION 9. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §2000d, is amended to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as prohibited bases for exclusion from participation in, denial of the benefits of, or being subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance, as follows:

a. The terms “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” are defined as in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §2000e.
b. Section 2000d is amended every time the phrase “race, color, or national origin” occurs by inserting after the word “color” the following words:- “sexual orientation, or gender identity,”

c. The provisions of this section regarding sexual orientation and gender identity shall not apply to any educational institution, as that term is defined in 20 U.S.C. 1681(c), which is controlled by a religious organization if the application of this subsection would not be consistent with the religious tenets of such organization as determined in its sole discretion.

G. DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.

SECTION 10. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§12101 et seq., and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §706, are amended to repeal discriminatory provisions, as follows:

a. 42 U.S.C. §12208 is repealed.

b. 42 U.S.C. §12211(b)(1) is amended to delete the words “transvestism” and “transsexualism” and the phrase “gender identity disorders not resulting from physical impairments,” from the definition of “Certain conditions” excluded from coverage under the Act.

c. 29 U.S.C. §705(8)(F)(i) is amended to delete the words “transvestism” and “transsexualism” and the phrase “gender identity disorders not resulting from physical impairments,” from the list excluding from protection an ‘individual with a disability’ for purposes of Section 501, 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

END.

How did this happen read

• The Launch of Hope – Finally Grassroots Find Feet – THE American Equality Bill (lezgetreal.com)
• The Launch of Hope – Finally Grassroots Find Feet – THE American Equality Bill (lezgetreal.com)

By Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com
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“DART will select employees strictly in accordance with the requirements of the job. DART is committed to hiring, promoting and retaining the best qualified persons in all positions and, to the extent permitted by federal and/or Texas law, DART will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation., gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law. Nothing in this paragraph extends any employee benefits to any individual who is ineligible for these benefits under any other provision of DART’s Administrative Employment Manual for Salaried.”

It is, alas, rather complexly put.  The  Transgender Education Network of Texas has expressed their concerns that it is unnecessarily complex, though their press release indicates that the DART board is open to simplifying the language in the future.  Kathryn Winters, Co-Chair of TENT stated in the release, “This is a very good first step.  I am thrilled with the work that Rafael McDonnell of the Resource Center, as well as local trans-activists, have done around this issue.  It gives me hope to know that something that started as a wrong has been turned around and created real positive change.”

According to the press release “Transgender Education Network of Texas is dedicated to furthering the cause of Gender Diverse people in Texas.  We accomplish this through education in both public and private forums.  Through our efforts we will strive to halt discrimination through social, legal, legislative and corporate education.”

6-23-2010- Written by Rachel Wahba

Lez Talk with Rachel-

Okay now I have seen it all: The infamous Lesbian Separatist Alix Dobkin loves boys! As long as they are her grandsons that is.  Singer songwriter Dobkin (‘Lavender Jane Loves Women,’) is quoted in the June issue of Curve magazine saying:

“I have two grandsons who I love more than anything in the world, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love women and put women first—I do.”

With her odd juxtaposition and outlandish caveat, I was transported back to one highly charged issue of the Dobkin driven magazine, known as “Dyke Quarterly,” published in the mid-seventies.

An entire issue was devoted to skewering Olivia Records for hiring (unknowingly I might add, because I was there) a pre-op male to female trans lesbian feminist —- imagine, that this inflexible perception, an ill conceived ideal in the first place, was devoted to ‘delegitimizing’ and attempting to destroy a groundbreaking lesbian feminist record company with it sole purpose of making lesbians visible in a fiercely male dominated industry.

This was especially hurtful and destructive coming from one of the founding mothers of womens’ music, famous for her “devotion” to women.  Yes that meant having to deny the sons of women; the banning of all Penis bearing infants, toddlers and children from festivals and the like was strictly enforced.

Instead of supporting one of her own, the hatred fueled by what I can only refer to as envy disguised as righteous indignation, was one of the many episodes in the history of Olivia Records and the times.

Now to see Alix ever so proudly loving her penis-endowed grandchildren is a cause to celebrate. Everything changes! Perhaps little boys will no longer be banished (if that is still the case) from the Michigan Womyns Music Festival.

I remember those days and my relief that because my baby girl was penis free we were not lesbian persona no grata, unless we risked shunning overalls for skirts and dresses.  Unfortunately I am not exaggerating. Boys were taboo. I admit there was a moment in history where separatism served its purpose for many of us for a moment in time— until we regained our sense of self as strong/liberated lesbians.

The actions waged by Dobkin and her cohorts traumatized anyone whom they pushed out of the way of their unlikely ideals.

Olivia Records, for example, with feminism as its guiding principle was suddenly made into the enemy. Under the guise of preserving Lesbian Feminism a barrage of rhetoric from Dobkin polarized the lesbian community and it took its toll.

It was demoralizing, invalidating, time consuming, and hurt the small collective of wholesome lesbians, nurtured by the of world validity and consciousness that Olivia Records opened,  while earning close to nothing simply for the love of women and commitment to providing women with unfettered voice; literally, and on vinyl.

So here we are today, Olivia has morphed into Olivia Travel, taking tens of  thousands of lesbians on vacations with week long lesbian entertainment of music and comedy. Lesbians are wined, dined, danced and entertained charming each other, all while enchanted by all that goes into the unique luxurious experience.

So Lavender Jane loves now loves HER boys. How sweet it is to see love transcend dogma. Too bad it took 36 years to get here.

By Rachel Wahba
Columnist for Lezgetreal

Additional Information: Refernces:

Read more about Alix Dobkins – There is a great deal more to her than her feeble attempts at invalidating OLIVIA…

In the 1970s Liza Cowan was the host of Electra Rewired, a late night talk show on WBAI-FM in New York City. She interviewed Maya Angelou, Yoko Ono, Germaine Greer, as well as local feminist and Lesbian activists. She also produced the live music series, The WBAI Free Music Store. While she was working as a radio producer she met and fell in love with Alix Dobkin, a folksinger who went on to produce the first all Lesbian record album, Lavender Jane Loves Women. Cowan and Dobkin were partners for six years.

While she and Dobkin were together, Cowan published and edited DYKE, A Quarterly, a cultural theory magazine. Her business and editorial partner was Penny House. DYKE lasted for three years, publishing two long issues per year. Considered both beautiful and contriversial, DYKE Magazine published articles on Lesbian Separatism, Lesbian Fashion, Dykes Behind Bars, as well as producing theme issues, like the Ethnic Dykes issue and the proposed but never realized issue on Lesbian Cartoons.

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• Alix Dobkin (lesbianlife.about.com)

ALIX NEEDED  to ADD a Page for Rumor Control to her website Quote:

Rumor Control

“Alix is a man-hater”

Nonsense! Some of my best friends are men. I certainly have strong opinions about men’s violence, men’s dominance, men’s politics, male institutions, male hierarchies and penis-centered culture (don’t you?), but man-hating is irrelevant in my life.

“Alix is against transexuals”

No way! I look to transexuals to break new ground and not to reinforce conventional gender stereotypes.

“Alix hurts little boys by excluding them from women-only space”

On the contrary, I treasure all children and hate to see any child spoiled by mistreatment and neglect, or misguided by ignorance and disrespect. Teaching little boys universal entitlement and teaching little girls that they have no right to privacy is ignorant and disrespectful.

“Alix believes that women-only space is sacred space”

True.

“Alix performs only for women”

False. I often appear before mixed audiences.

“Alix loves all Lesbians but doesn’t like some Lesbians”

True.

“Alix wants her work to have meaning for everyone”

True.

“Alix is ‘Politically Correct’”

I certainly hope so, and so should you hope to be politically enlightened and untrendy!

The press release is a little hard to fathom, but it is hopeful since many transpeople are discriminated against based upon their gender identity. Many states require some form of permanence to the transition before issuing things like new or amended birth certificates or driver’s licences.

Many transpeople do not opt to go for the complete surgery since it is often expensive and dangerous. There are transwomen who undergo orchiectomies, also known as surgical castration, either shortly before, long before or instead of complete genital reconstruction. There are also transmen who undergo top surgery or mastectomies, but do not undergo complete genital reconstruction either.

These changes will, hopefully, make it easier for many transpeople to move across borders on business and vacation. Hopefully, clearer information will be available soon. The changes go into effect on 10 June.

The White House has issued this statement:

Statement by the Press Secretary on Today’s Pardoning in Malawi

The White House is pleased to learn of President Bingu wa Mutharika’s pardon of Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza. These individuals were not criminals and their struggle is not unique. We must all recommit ourselves to ending the persecution and criminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity. We hope that President Mutharika’s pardon marks the beginning of a new dialogue which reflects the country’s history of tolerance and a new day for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights in Malawi and around the globe.

Monjeza and Chimbalanga are to be released on Monday. Currently, the United Nations is trying to put pressure on Malawi to reverse laws which date back to British rule of the nation. Those laws often date back to the Nineteenth Century and are not dissimilar to the ones currently in place in Uganda.

According to the Smoking Gun via Huffington Post:

“The X-ray revealed that [Negrin] has a small penis and co-workers made fun of him on a daily basis,” reported cops. Following his arrest, Negrin told police that he “could not take the jokes anymore and lost his mind.”

Negrin then assaulted Hugo Osorno with a police baton and demanded an appology.

Ok, so…what does this have to do with the LGBT Community?

Well, here is the problem. I am transsexual and these full body scanners will show that I am transsexual. Imagine if you will, having someone who is transphobic learn that I am transsexual. Imagine what they could decide to do in that case. They could, obviously, pat me down, order a strip search, or ridicule and humiliate me in front of the other passengers. They could even claim that they found something funny and make me out to be a possible terrorist. At this point, I’ll walk to Europe before I will fly there. Inside the US, I’ll take Amtrak instead of fly because I do not want to risk this very real outcome.

I know that many people might say ‘well, you are overreacting.’ I do not think so. There have been far too many horror stories in the past to really feel comfortable that, for someone who passes as well as I do, this secret could get exposed to people who I do not know and do not trust with my being transsexual.

Then there is the very real problem of breast cancer survivors. Many women who have had breast cancer have mastectomies. While the breast can be reconstructed, that reconstruction will show up on the scanners as well. At least one author has had to explain to her screeners why her left breast looked so odd. She had to have her breast removed and reconstructed.

While there has been a great deal made of the fact that these full body scanners could amount to child pornography, the bigger problem may lie in just ordinary privacy concerns and just how well the people at the Transportation Security Agency will handle them. A lot of us do not want the world to know that we had surgery on our breasts, or are transsexual. What is more, if these people cannot handle the issue in a meaningful and mature way amongst themselves, how are they going to handle it with total strangers? Could a transperson end up finding themselves assaulted somewhere in the terminal because the scanner picked up that they are transsexual?

3/29/10-by Paula Brooks
The Mississippi school district that canceled its prom to stop a lesbian couple attending has decide once again that civil rights are not something they worry about after they suspended transgender student Juin Baize was within hours of his first day at Itawamba Agricultural High School.

The school gained notoriety this year after it canceled their prom to exclude 18-year-old Constance McMillen attending with her girlfriend.

Baize, who  prefers male pronouns, moved to the town of Fulton with his mother and two sisters early this year to live with his grandmother. However on his first day at Itawamba, Baize was given a suspension note with no explanations as to why he was being kicked out.

The American Civil Liberties Union, who backed McMillen through her entire case, also sent a letter to the Itawamba school board asking them their reasons for suspending Baize, in order to challenge the suspension, but got no response.

After the story appeared in their local newspaper, Baize and his family were kicked out of his grandmother’s house, and moved to another friend’s home, only to be kicked out again. The 16-year-old Baize has since been sent him to Florida to live with a close family friend.

However, Kristy Bennet, legal director of the ACLU Mississippi, said the group would not be pursuing the case, “Juin not being in Fulton makes it difficult for us to pursue any kind of legal action here. And personally, I feel it may be a better decision for Juin to relocate and move on with his life.”

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• School nixes prom over lesbian student (cnn.com)

03/09/2010- by Natasia Langfelder

The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) has been passed by the Assembly, and the only remaining obstacle to the bill becoming law is the New York State Senate.  The time is NOW to take action and make our final push to get the Senate to vote to end discrimination against transgender New Yorkers. 
GENDA would amend the state’s human rights law to ban discrimination in housing, employment, credit and public accommodations. It also expands the state’s hate crimes law to explicitly include crimes against transgender people.

The Empire State Pride Agenda is organizing a massive call in to push GENDA through in the Senate. Please support the effort!

We need you to get on the phone and call your Senator and the lead Senate sponsor Tom Duane at their Albany offices to tell them that you want them to bring GENDA to the Senate floor and pass it.  We’re at a crucial moment and it is vital that they hear from you. 
 
Here’s how to make your calls:
 
1. You can find your State Senator’s Albany phone number here and you can reach Senator Tom Duane at (518) 455-2451.
 
2. Remember to tell your Senator the number of the GENDA bill (S.2406) and ask them to support GENDA and bring it to the floor for a vote.  
3. You can use these talking points about the urgent need for GENDA and the broad support it has:
Due to difficulty with job discrimination, one-fifth of transgender New Yorkers have incomes below $10,000 a year
28% of transgender New Yorkers have experienced a serious physical or sexual assault motivated by hate
78% of New York voters support GENDA
Unions representing 2.1 million working New Yorkers support GENDA
30 Fortune 500 companies based in cities like Rochester, Corning, New York City and White Plains already have non-discrimination policies that include gender identity and expression
547 clergy and lay leaders representing over 20 different denominations support GENDA
4. After your call, please report your results to the Pride Agenda. E-mail us at prideagenda@prideagenda.org and tell us which Senators you called, who you spoke to in their office, and what their response was. Your feedback will help us in our campaign to win GENDA in 2010!
 

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• Campaign to Win GENDA in New York State! (queersunited.blogspot.com)
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Last week, Ontario health officials expanded their H1N1 vaccination program to include elementary school children and adults over 65 with chronic health problems beginning Monday free of charge.

Sault Ste. Maries’ Algoma Public Health Unit, which issued the forms to the School District, indicated that the collection of information on other genders besides male and female in the Health Units jurisdiction was a requirement of the Ontario Ministry of Health.

However, Sault Ste. Marie Catholic School Trustee Kathleen Rosilius has taken issue with the consent forms and questioned the appropriateness of distributing the vaccination consent forms in Catholic schools, telling the conservative LifeSiteNews that the forms are, “agenda-driven, social-engineering.”

Unlike other health units in Canada that have experienced shortages of the H1N1 vaccine, a few small northern health units including Algoma, were initially provided proportionately more vaccine because of concerns about transportation and weather problems in that part of Canada, so the the rural Canadian health district decided to expand its vaccination program to other less than high risk groups.

On Wednesday however, the World Health Organization (WHO) and a pharmaceutical company warned the doctors in Canada not to use a batch of H1N1 swine flu vaccines after reports that the shots were leading to great number of severe allergic reactions…. There have been 24 confirmed cases of a type of severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis in Canadians who have received an H1N1 flu shot, including one person who died after getting vaccinated…

While elementary school students Canada have not been considered a high risk group, and it is not known if this Health District received the vaccines in question, children are highly susceptible to the H1N1 virus and it is well known that influenza will spread rapidly amongst elementary school students, then on to others including those who may be considered high risk, so vaccinating children contributes to reduce transmission to others….

So notwithstanding some Catholics getting their panties in a bunch over the consent form wording… all in all it is generally a pretty good idea to have your elementary school aged child vaccinated… at least it will be after the Canadian government health officials get it figured out why the vaccinations are killing people…

And as a gay mom… I would have to say that I would be far more concerned about the fact that vaccinations that are supposed to be keeping my children safe and well might not be doing that… instead of worrying the wording on a permission slip does not fit my view of the world.

Too bad doctors and scientist can’t come up way to make safe vaccines or a vaccination for bigotry and ignorance…

via Sault Ste. Marie Catholic School Board Using Gender-Confused H1N1 Vaccine Consent Form.

Photo via Kodomut on Flickr

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The day was first observed by Transgender communities in 1999, and is held on the anniversary of the death of Rita Hester, a transgender woman whose life was cut short in Boston just weeks following the gay-bashing death of Matthew Shepard. To date, her murder, like most anti-transgender murder cases, remains an unsolved crime.

Events are planned in many centers around the US, including Portland, New York, Richmond, San Francisco and many more, including abroad. 

This year’s commemoration also comes just weeks after President Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which added gender identity to the federal hate crimes law.  This year’s Day of Remembrance is especially poignant, coming on the heels of the one year anniversary of Lateisha Green’s shooting death in Syracuse, New York.  Her killing led to New York State’s first-ever hate crime conviction stemming from the death of a transgender person.  It was just the second such conviction in United States history.

Let us remember -
Angie Zapata, an 18-year old Latina transgender woman was found brutally murdered in her home in CO.
 2009:
Taysia Elzy, age 34  Indianapolis, Indiana USA;
Caprice Curry, age 31 San Francisco, California
Jimmy McCollough, drag performer, 34, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Foxy Ivy, under 35, Detroit, Michigan
Kelly (Frederick) Watson, age 32 , Albuquerque, New Mexico
Christopher Jermaine Scott, 30, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cesar Torres, 39,  El Paso, Texas
Beyonce (Eric) Lee,  21 New Orleans, Louisiana
Tyli’a Mack also known as NaNa Boo, 21, Washington, DC
Paulina Ibarra,  21 East Hollywood, California
JJDoe, Baltrimore  http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-stabbing1026,0,2707985.story
Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado,: Cayey, Peurto Rico,  decapitated,  November 14, 2009
Jorge was found on the site of an isolated road in the city of Cayey, he was partially burned, decapitated, and dismembered, both arms, both legs, and the torso. Jorge was 19 years old.
Sources: http://www.365gay.com/news/murder-suspect-thought-puerto-rico-gay-teen-was-a-woman/

Please feel free to list names in the comments section – with asmuch information as you would like to provide.

Posted and blogged by – Melanie Nathan. nathan@privatecourts.com

Jesus Christ: Queen of Heaven is part of the Glasgay!, a celebration of Scotland’s LGBT culture. Organizers of the festival have stated that they did not intend for this to be offensive or to cause controversy. Unfortunately, the play drew three hundred protesters who decried the play waving placards and singing hymns. Some of the placards could have been called incitement to homophobia and transphobia as well as being just plain provocative.

“”You can’t blaspheme God and use freedom of speech as an excuse for that. True biblical Christianity is becoming marginalised through political correctness,” said Pastor Jack Bell of Zion Baptist in Glasgow.

Of course, their decrying of freedom of speech should also be noted in that it is what allows them to both protest and use placards which equate transsexuality with perversion, and that being among the mildest of the signs, apparently. As the saying goes, what is good for the goose is good for the gander. As to Pastor Bell’s feelings about how, if this was about the Prophet Mohammed, it should be noted that Salman Rushdie was given a death sentence for blasphemy against Islam. Of course, if he and his church were to advocate that level of repression towards freedom of speech, then he would be rather rapidly rounded up as a terrorist.

In 1999, a gay bar was bombed in Soho, London, and it was deemed a terrorist act.

BBC News

In all likelihood, the money comes from the National Organization for Marriage out of New Jersey who are trying to buy- yes BUY- the election in Maine. If it does not come from NOM, then it may come from the Roman Catholic Church who are shuttering schools and churches in an attempt to stay solvent and running the risk of splitting their congregation at a time when the Catholic Church is already bruised from repeated scandals involving priests assaulting children.

The people of northern New England have always been proud of their independence. When outsiders have come to take our Senate seats, we have sent them packing. When the battle over marriage equality hit Vermont and New Hampshire, the outsiders were all but told to leave.

Tomorrow, Maine voters will go to the polls, and they will be offered their thirty pieces of silver by the potentates sitting in some exotic location like Atlanta, Salt Lake City, New Jersey, or even Rome. Tomorrow they will face the biggest decision of what it means to be a Mainer. Will they sell their votes to those who have provided all but nine percent of the funds for this No on 1 campaign and strip their fellow citizens of the rights that they worked so hard to obtain. Will they follow the nameless, faceless financiers of this campaign and condemn their fellow citizens to second class status?

Today, there were seven rallies in support of No on 1. At one rally, there were as many as two thousand people gathered. People of all faiths, all races, and all traditions gathered to state clearly that any nation that is willing to sell out the freedom of a few risks having freedom for none.

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.

In Georgia, I watched a political campaign in which a Mormon was smeared as being a non-Christian. His opponent said ‘vote for me, I’m a real Christian’. In Georgia, I watched as Catholics were discriminated against and called Papists and treated as if they were trying to take over the country. I listened to people talk as if Catholics liked to not only rape young children, but drank their blood and ate their flesh at Mass. In Georgia, I listened to people talk as if Jews were greedy, and that they too ate young children.

Bigotry does not stop simply because you say that you support their causes on one issue. The day will come when Catholics, Jews, Mormons, and others will be the next target. They do not want to hear that, but that is the reality.

This country was founded on the principles that all were created equal, and that freedom and liberty were for all people. In 1961, a war broke out to try and bring freedom and equality to all. That work is still not over.

But, tomorrow, Maine’s voters will go to the polls and they will find out whether or not their vote can be bought by a coalition of organizations who have made up, now, about ninety-two percent of the money used to fund the Yes on 1 campaign.

Only know this, if your vote can be bought, when they come for you, none of us will speak out for you.

In released statements following the signing, President Obama stated “This is the culmination of a struggle that has lasted more than a decade…But the cause endured and the struggle continued, waged by the family of Matthew Shepard, by the family of James Byrd, by folks who held vigils and led marches, by those who rallied and organized and refused to give up, by the late Senator Ted Kennedy who fought so hard for this legislation and all who toiled for years to reach this day.” The President ran down the statistics for the last decade. In that time, 12,000 known hate crimes have been perpetrated based upon the assaulted’s sexual orientation. Roughly 7,600 hate crimes of one form or another occur every year.

“At root, this isn’t just about our laws; this is about who we are as a people. This is about whether we value one another — whether we embrace our differences, rather than allowing them to become a source of animus…But we sense where such cruelty begins: the moment we fail to see in another our common humanity — the very moment when we fail to recognize in a person the same fears and hopes, the same passions and imperfections, the same dreams that we all share,” the President went on to say.

Said Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mother and the president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation Board of Directors. “The legislation went through so many versions and so many votes that we had to constantly keep our hopes in check to keep from getting discouraged,” she continued. “But with President Obama’s support and the continually growing bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate lining up behind the bill this year, it became clear that 2009 was the year it would finally happen.”

Shepard added, “We are incredibly grateful to Congress and the president for taking this step forward on behalf of hate crime victims and their families, especially given the continuing attacks on people simply for living their lives openly and honestly.”

At the signing was Representative Tammy Baldwin. Rep. Baldwin is openly lesbian, and one of the first openly gay or lesbian members of Congress to be elected. She and Jared Polis were both elected after coming out. Representative Barney Frank did not come out of the closet until after he had already won election. Baldwin is also the co-chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus. She said this about the death of Matthew Shepard on the day of the signing of the bill that, in part, bears his name, “I remember where I was and what was happening when the news of Matthew Shepard’s murder began to circulate. I remember how many people I encountered who felt scared and frightened themselves because such a heinous attack had been perpetrated against him because of his sexual orientation. It is high time that this Act become law. It has been an effort that I’ve worked on ever since I came to the Congress of the United States, and I think it will send a very powerful message.”

Below is a video from Rep. Baldwin regarding the passage of the Matthew Shepard Act.

Photo- Joe Fudge, Daily Press / October 24, 2009

Virginia’s William and Mary’s Jessee Vasold made history this weekend when she became that schools first transgender homecoming queen.

Vasold, a junior who identifies as “gender-queer,” took to the field to except the homecoming crown at halftime of the William and Mary’s game against James Madison wearing a red shirt, black pants and a small silver lip ring to applause from the crowd.

“I knew I was nominated, but I was just surprised, because there were a lot of other really good candidates on the ballot,” Vasold told the Williamsburg Daily Press. “I know all of the other girls, and they’re wonderful people, really friendly. So I was surprised.”

Gender-queer the term for those who identify with something other than traditional male or female gender roles.

“Normally, it really just depends on the day, how I dress,” said Vasold, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns – “ze” instead of he or she and “zir” instead of him or her. “I don’t identify as a woman. It really just depends on the day and the occasion.”

William and Mary president Taylor Reveley said he had no problem with Vasold’s selection, made in nominations and voting by students.

“I knew Jessee before,” Reveley said. “(It’s) a little more publicity than normal for a homecoming queen, but it’s just fine.”

Vasold, said family members were in town for homecoming, and while they have been “generally” supportive, some were unsure about Vasold’s decision to accept the homecoming title.

“They’re a little hesitant about this, but they realize that it’s my choice to accept,” Vasold said.

Vasold is the student assembly undersecretary of diversity initiatives for the college’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs.

Last year, Vasold was co-president of the Lamba Alliance, the school’s GLBT advocacy group.

Paula Brooks | Create Your Badge

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Council members made clear that the issue was strictly a dress code issue and was not a “personal vendetta.”

“The issue is not that the mayor dresses in women’s clothing. The issue is that the mayor dressed in inappropriate attire,” council member Randal Thomas said.

In his defense, Rasmussen said the dress was appropriate for the weather, which was nearly 100 degrees and humid.

As a note, Stu Rasmussen still identifies as male and all pronouns are apropreate.

The first and biggest news out of this paper is that gender identity is a fundamental right according to the Commissioner for Human Rights, which is currently Thomas Hammarberg. According to this paper, transpeople suffer from a great deal of discrimination, which in turn violates their fundamental rights “including the right to life, the right to physical integrity and the right to health.” The paper goes on to discuss in detail each of these issues.

The big news for the transgender community in Europe are the recommendations. The paper outlined twelve different areas that the EU nations needed to improve upon and address. The paper calls for the recognition of gender identity as a separate issue from sex or sexual orientation discrimination and it should be protected as such, and it calls upon member nations of the EU to enact specific hate crimes legislation to combat transphobia.

Additionally, it calls upon member nations to provide gender reassignment procedures including hormone replacement, surgery and psychological support accessible through the public health systems. For many transpeople, this would be a major boon since the cost of transitioning is often incredibly high. The paper also calls upon the member nations to not automatically revoke the marriages of anyone who transitions while married.

There are, of course, several other areas that they make recommendations upon. The biggest is that the nations should consult with transpeople and their organizations as to what needs to be done within their nation in order to protect the rights of transpeople. In some nations such as Great Briton and Spain, this is not necessarily a major issue. Both nations are already making some progress along these lines; however, nations such as Poland could pose greater issues with regards to the human rights of transpeople. Their track record for many gays and lesbians is not exactly stellar, and the notion that they might be willing to extend human rights to transpeople seems dubious.

The Commission’s papers are not binding law, but rather guidelines and recommendations to the EU member nations. The European Union is a conglomerate super-state which has twenty-seven members currently. They are the most unified of the various super-state organizations. Most organizations like this are loose confederations of states which meet every so often in order to hash out a unified front on particular issues such as the economy. The European Union is the only super-state organization which has its own elected governing body.

In theory, the EU is suppose to respect the tribal level differences of each member nation. It does not always work perfectly. There are also several issues with regards to the level of bureaucracy in the EU. The Human Rights Commission is suppose to guide the EU states on issues of human rights including the protection of linguistic, racial, ethnic, and other minorities. Linguistic minorities include any group that speaks a minority language within the borders of that nation. Great Britain has six minority languages- Cornish, Scots, Gaelic, Manx, Scots Gaelic and Welsh; Spain has three- Galician, Basque and Catalan.

Human Rights Commission Paper
European Union Homepage
Picture of the European Union Headquarters

DeLee was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter for the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Green outside a party in November because of anti-gay bias. He becomes just the second person in the U.S. convicted of a hate crime that involved the death of a transgender victim. The Onondaga County Court jury delivered its verdict after deliberating for about six hours over two days.

DeLee also faces additional prison time because he was convicted of a hate crime.

DeLee was initially charged with second-degree murder as a hate crime, however Judge William Walsh told the jury that it could also consider convicting DeLee of manslaughter as a hate crime, as well as murder or manslaughter without the hate crime element.

Green, who was born Moses Cannon, began living as a woman at age 16, and frequently dressed in women’s clothing but was wearing jeans and a T-shirt the night she was killed.

During three days of testimony, DeLee’s attorney, Clarence Johnson, had tried to refute prosecution assertions that his client hated homosexuals and tried to show that prosecutors had presented no evidence showing DeLee had a history of anti-gay bias before the shooting.

But several witnesses said they heard DeLee call Green a “faggot” just before Green was shot with a .22-caliber rifle while sitting in a parked car outside the party.

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Bono was confused initially since he got a rather teary call from his wife. According to Bono “She kept on repeating ‘It all makes sense’, but I thought she’d just finally understood why we made our Pop album. Turns out she thought I was a woman.” Bono even got grilled by his own U2 band mates. For some reason they thought he was a woman for the last thirty years.

“If one child in Africa was happier because I became a woman, I would go through with it. It doesn’t matter if I’m a man or a woman. The only reason I exist on this planet is to save it. And wear women’s sunglasses,” Bono said, getting back to the business of saving the world.

Thanks to Huffington Post for bringing this funny story to my attention.

Cher was accepting of Chastity’s lesbianism, and I, for one, am hopeful that she will be welcoming of her new son.

The CNN report states that Chaz Bono has already changed his name. Bono has been a major fixture of the LGBTI rights movement for some time now, and it is certainly my hope that he will continue to be a part of the movement moving forward.

Transsexuality is never something that is easy to deal with. The depression associated with the gender identity disorder that causes transsexuality can lead to over eating, self harm, substance abuse, and suicide. It is considered to be a separate issue from homosexuality and transgenderism. A small portion of transsexuals are also gay or lesbian.

It is never easy to face that long, difficult and often painful journey from one sex to another. As a transwoman, I know what it is like. The feelings of being in the wrong body, the shame, the isolation. It is never easy to walk forward. The ability to focus on the future is damped down by the horror of depression. The sadness and disappointment that one sometimes sees in family and friends. It is never easy to be transsexual. I wish Chaz the best.

http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2009/06/11/sonny-and-chers-daughter-to-become-man/

“The program was designed to help young people identify the subtle signals used to express gender and how not being aware of those signals can lower self esteem and possibly lead to an increase in at-risk activities like substance abuse or dropping out of school,” Christopher Neff of Outright Vermont said to the AP.

So far, neither Outright Vermont nor the Burlington School District have had any kind of adverse reaction to the program. Gendertopia focuses on the differences in which gender is expressed. They discuss popular culture as well as going around the city and look at the different ways in which gender is expressed around them.

Gender expression is an issue that has shown up in popular culture a great deal, especially for a younger generation. It is typically a surprise to find out that many of the people who play online video games engage in a form of cyber-cross dressing by playing characters opposite their own sex. And yet, many boys and men play female characters online and many girls and women play male characters.

Steve Cable of Vermont Renewal had not heard of the program, perhaps because he lives in Rutland, Vermont, but he stated that he feels that we should not be teaching children about the differences in gender expression implying that it could lead to confusion for individuals who have not yet figured out their life yet. He also talked about how Outright Vermont promotes all gender expressions no matter how weird. Mr. Cable, who has made grumbling about wanting to run against State Senator Kevin Mullin in 2010, has been the most vocal of the anti-LGBTI figures in Vermont. Senator Mullin voted for the recent marriage equality bill despite being a Republican. Cable and his Vermont Renewal, a group that sounds more like a pro-recycling organization than a pro-traditional values organization, were on the losing side of the same-sex marriage fight.

Gendertopia deals specifically with gender identity and gender expression and not with sexuality. Forty teens signed up for the program, and around a dozen showed up for the meetings. The school district would like to run it again in the fall.

Gender expression and gender identity are issues that are not often looked at head on, even for the gay and lesbian communities. There is often a perception that gay men are effeminate and lesbians are overly masculine; however, the gender expression and identity of gays and lesbians runs the entire gambit with some being what could be considered transgender.

Photo- Sun Through Clouds and Trees, Rutland, VT

This is what Latin gossip site Guanabee had to say about the video:

In this regional spot from Northern Mexico for a cell phone dealer called slur, a woman receives a call from someone asking to speak to her, ‘maricon,’ or faggot, son. To which she replies, ‘He’s no faggot!’ To which her son, who has popped out of the adjoining room in drag, applying blush, replies in his queeniest whine, ‘Yes I am, mah!’ Then the announcer says something about expecting the unexpected from Ahorro Cel. And then there’s a gay little person because all adds about Mexicans must feature a little person.

We suppose we shouldn’t be surprised, but we are taken aback by the fact that they could use the word “maricon” on television let alone that a brand would want to associate themselves with such bigotry. Even in Mexico. But, then again, this ad is from Sonora which is in the northern part of Mexico which is kind of like saying it’s in Alabama. (Or California.) It has a decidely machista/homophobic culture. So, if anyone in the world was going to get away with it, it was these people.

Here is the video for your viewing displeasure:

If interested, you can find the Ahorro Cel website HERE.

There are enough different forms of intersexuality that it would be close to impossible to list them all with any ease, and there is certainly a great deal of controversy over what exactly qualifies as intersexuality.

For many with an intersexual condition, life can be difficult. Not all intersexuals suffer from any form of gender identity conflict, but they often do have medical issues. Making matters worse, for those who had surgery at a young age to ‘correct’ their ‘deformities’, those medical issues can end up being life long problems. For instance, there is a high chance that a infant who is surgically modified will end up having sexual problems later in life whether or not they choose to remain in the gender they were assigned to by the doctor. While incidents do occur where a transperson loses sensation in their new sexual organs, it occurs at a much lower rate.

Should transsexuality be considered part of intersexuality? That is a good question to ask. Certainly a number of people with genetic disorders to not consider themselves to be intersexuals. A number of people with Klinefelters (those with XXY genetics) and Turner’s Syndrom (those with XO genetics) do not consider themselves to be intersexual. An Australian team back in 2008 discovered a genetic component to transsexuality. Part of the problem with the study is that it is fairly small. The study had only one hundred twelve individuals within it.
The study showed that transwomen had a higher instance of an elongated androgen receptor.

Another study showed how many transwomen had identical brain structures to cysgender women. However, I would have to wonder if that study is accurate. The problem with all of these studies are that they involve small numbers of people. Unfortunately, the rarity of transwomen (one in ten thousand) and transmen (one in thirty thousand) means that it is hard to find research subjects. Given the numbers who also do not wish to remain hidden means that many transpeople are unwilling to step forward to be involved with these studies.

Irregardless of the label, transsexuality does appear to be genetic and physical rather than mental. Whether or not one wants to label transsexuality as part of the intersexuality spectrum seems to be more about categorization and having neat little slots to fit people into. Transpeople and intersexuals have a difficult time because of the rigid definition of what is considered to be normal.

For further reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersexuality

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transsexuality#Prevalence

http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/85/5/2034

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7689007.stm

When I arrived in Florida at the tender age of eight, I had almost no prejudices when it came to race. I did not inform my parents that my fourth grade teacher was black. They found out during parent-teacher day. For me, even now, I do my best to look beyond race. I recently read an article where I actually had to ask what was so offensive about it because, quite simply, I had no references to the racial stereotypes being used.

While I was in the South, specifically in Georgia, I ran into an attitude which annoyed me greatly. Somehow because I am white, it was assumed that my ancestors were responsible for slavery. Never mind that only one fourth of my family, my German ancestors, had been in this country prior to 1865. In fact, my Spanish ancestors arrived in this country in 1910, and my French-Canadian ancestors in the late 1920’s. To make matters worse, my German ancestors were called up to fight for the Union in the Civil War. They were, after all, from Pennsylvania. After a while, I gave up trying to explain and just walked away and did my best to not let the acid of their accusations etch a racist attitude on my soul.

In the fight over who is responsible for Prop 8 passing, there was a lot of anger back and forth. Yes, many people attacked the black community for their support of Prop 8 based upon their erroneously reported support. Their support was in line with the Hispanic community with both being around sixty percent. It had been reported at eighty percent or there abouts because of exit polling. Never mind that exit polling is totally useless, at least according to Nate Silver.

In the wake of Prop 8, we also saw the backlash from the African-American and Gay/Lesbian community which basically accused the entirety of the white LGBT community of being racist. I was flabbergasted. I had pushed back against the racism and against these accusations concerning Prop 8 being the fault of what amounted to sixty percent of less than five percent of California’s population, and tried to explain why the African-American community had voted for Prop 8 (largely due to religion).

Now, I am more than well aware that life for many gays, lesbians and transpeople of color is very hard. Add in one part racism and two parts homo- and transphobia, and you get a very dangerous mix. It is not just black LGBT’s who suffer, however. It is all of our brothers and sisters of the varying minorities. A recent survey of gay, lesbian or transgender students A recent survey of gay, lesbian or transgender students found that nearly eighty percent of them were victims of verbal abuse due to their sexual orientation, and that half of those students had also been attacked for their race. Around a quarter of the students had missed or skipped school due to the threats they faced. For Native American students, it often got worse, with over half of them also reporting that they had been harassed over their religion.

While it is true that there have been strong racist tendencies in the gay and lesbian community up until fairly recently, it is also true that many gays and lesbians were transphobic. I have come to believe that my first endocrinologist was transphobic. She put up barriers to transpeople transitioning all the time according to information I learned after I stopped going to her. She is also lesbian. Rather than coming out and saying that she was uncomfortable treating transpeople and passing me along to another doctor, she kept me strung along for a long time.

Until recently, being transsexual or transgender as a whole was looked down upon by the other parts of the LGBT community. Transgenderism was stitched onto the LGB in order to lump all “gender abnormals” together. To many gay men, a straight transwoman was a traitor. To many lesbians, trans-lesbians were interlopers. They were men who wanted to get in on being lesbian and were not true lesbians. Never mind that the issue was far more complicated than that. We often saw LGBT groups pushing for gay and lesbian friendly legislation and not including protections for transpeople as well. Transpeople were almost never represented within the leadership of the LGBT movement, and their voices almost never heard and even sometimes suppressed. A decade ago, I had a lot of gay and lesbian friends. When I came out as transsexual to them, I became persona non grata to them. I was no longer their friend, and no longer welcome to eat lunch with them. By that point, the gender conflict within me was already tearing my sanity apart and I needed someone to help. I got none within the gay or lesbian communities.

But those attitudes have changed, and all it took now was for more transpeople, gay or straight, to step forward and help fight. To tell our stories and make those stories count. Tell people of the hurdles we faced as people who are part of this community, and to unify this community behind laws which would benefit us all. Reluctantly at first, I began to blog about my experiences without blaming anyone for what happened to me over the last decade. Yes, I had been excluded, but I chose to educate and inform rather than slip into hatred over the past. For many African-American gays and lesbians, we need to hear their stories and to rectify no only our attitudes, but the attitudes within the African-American community. But the first thing that has to happen is to put aside the hatred within that overlapping segment of the society. I have found that the fastest way to make someone racist or homophobic is often to constantly accuse them of being racist or homophobic. To respond to hatred with hatred. To verbally attack rather than educate.

Sei is a trans-lesbian who lives in Vermont and has a strong passion for LGBTI rights. She has a BA in History and her hobbies include sci-fi, anime, fantasy, action movies, video games, and more. You can visit her Blogger profile here.

WCAX News is an hour long local news on the Burlington CBS affiliate. The series was done in a manner which was not only positive, but also very understanding.

What follows is the third and final part of that series.

WCAX News is an hour long local news on the Burlington CBS affiliate. The series was done in a manner which was not only positive, but also very understanding.

What follows is the second part of that series.

Sei is a trans-lesbian who lives in Vermont and has a strong passion for LGBTI rights. She has a BA in History and her hobbies include sci-fi, anime, fantasy, action movies, video games, and more. You can visit her Blogger profile here.

WCAX News is an hour long local news on the Burlington CBS affiliate. The series was done in a manner which was not only positive, but also very understanding.

What follows is the first of the three segments.

Sei is a trans-lesbian who lives in Vermont and has a strong passion for LGBTI rights. She has a BA in History and her hobbies include sci-fi, anime, fantasy, action movies, video games, and more. You can visit her Blogger profile here.

While I have stated that I am lesbian, the reality is probably closer to that I was more bisexual than strictly lesbian. The reality is a lot more complex than it might seem.

For many years, I did have some attraction to men. I kept it buried largely due to my own self hatred of being born male coupled with the mental scaring of being molested at the age of eleven. This may or may not be relatively common in the transsexual community. I was told by one therapist that some transsexuals tended to be attracted to women in part because of personal hatreds within themselves. This is not, however, why they were transitioning.

I recently got an update from my doctor about my transitioning. I’ve fallen below the normal testosterone levels for a man. What is odd is that, since that began to happen several months ago, I’ve found my interest in men disappearing. I no longer find men appealing. It is not even that I find them disgusting, which I use to, but I look at a guy and feel, well, nothing. Conversely, my attraction to women seems to have solidified. I find my attraction to women ramping up.

This is not uncommon.

Many transsexuals find that they stop being attracted to one sex and start being attracted to the other as they transition. To start with, transsexuals cover all sexualities. There are straight transwomen and lesbian transwomen. There are straight transmen and gay transmen. Some estimates are that up to forty percent of all transsexuals are also homosexual. Unfortunately, those numbers can be very hard to pin down since many transsexuals choose not to talk about these issues and that the trans-homosexual community may be more willing to speak up and are, thus, over represented. And they are further muddled by the number of open transsexuals who have stayed married to their partner despite any shifts in sexual attraction.

There are, however, many anecdotes of transsexuals ‘switching’ sexualities. They’ve lived their lives attracted to women and, after transitioning, are now attracted to men, and vice versa. Occasionally, a story crops up of a transwoman who started out being attracted to men and now is exclusively attracted to women. The reality is more that the person is either hetero or homosexual and with the switching of their outward sex, they have kept to their sexuality, it is only that they have shifted in who they are attracted to.

Perhaps sexuality is more hardwired than people would like to believe. Certainly those who see them as being a choice would love to believe that, but in truth, they are fairly set.

For now, I’m glad that my sexuality has solidified in the way that I’ve always known it would.

Sei is a trans-lesbian who lives in Vermont and has a strong passion for LGBTI rights. She has a BA in History and her hobbies include sci-fi, anime, fantasy, action movies, video games, and more. You can visit her Blogger profile here.

At some point, a transsexual individual begins to live their life dressing, acting and being the person they wish to be. To the world at large, they begin to live their gender. This is called “living full time.” We live our lives being ourselves all day, every day for years. This often goes on at least for two years before the final surgeries are done.

Sei is a trans-lesbian who lives in Vermont and has a strong passion for LGBTI rights. She has a BA in History and her hobbies include sci-fi, anime, fantasy, action movies, video games, and more. You can visit her Blogger profile here.

I’m Sei. For those who read my coming out piece on this blog entitled The Longest Road, you know that I’m both transsexual and lesbian. Beginning this week and for as long as I can write them, I will be exploring and explaining the world of transsexuality here, and especially focusing in on that place where it intersects the lesbian world.

Estimates vary as to how many homosexual transsexuals there are in the world. There is even controversy as to whether or not we can be considered homosexual or heterosexual. Of course, actually talking to many of us might help alleviate much of the confusion. The majority of us identify ourselves as being homosexual because, like it or not, that is how we express our sexuality.

It is unfortunate that many trans-lesbians and gay transmen prefer to remain silent about their experiences. Being a transwoman and being lesbian means having some rather unique experiences. I hope to share those, and to answer any questions that anyone reading what I write have about either transsexuality or my experiences as a trans-lesbian. If I do not know the answer, I will certainly be willing to try and find out, or I will let you know if I do not know. Certainly, if something it off limits, I will also let you all know.

My experiences are often different from even other transsexuals in the world. I have a stable, loving, and accepting family, and what few friends I’ve had over the years have stood by me. I will do my best to help those who wish to know more, and to help any trans-lesbians out there.

Sei is a trans-lesbian who lives in Vermont and has a strong passion for LGBTI rights. She has a BA in History and her hobbies include sci-fi, anime, fantasy, action movies, video games, and more. You can visit her Blogger profile here.