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13th May 2019
Transgender National Lottery winner Melissa Ede dies at 58
A taxi driver who won £4 million on the National Lottery has died, her fiancee has said.
Melissa Ede, from Hull, died on Saturday evening according to Rachel Nason and plans are now being made for her funeral. Her death came a week after she showed ‘classic signs’ of a heart attack with crushing chest pains that left her unable to breathe. Speaking before her death she said ‘I really thought my time was up’. Melissa became a millionaire in January 2018 on a Blue Scratchcard. Melissa revealed that she had her lungs x-rayed, several blood tests and her heart monitored during a five-hour stay in hospital.
She said: ‘It does make you think. While I was laid on the bed with ambulance people around me, you do start to think “s**t what is this all about?. What am I doing, I have just won £4m and I’m going to peg it?”I need to be doing more in life.’ Melissa told the Hull Daily Mail said she thought the health scare may have been a wake-up call for her. She said: ‘I need to start doing some of the things I have never had chance to do while I can. ‘I am sat here now thinking how lucky I am. Maybe it is a wake-up call to take better care of myself.’ In December, Melissa spoke about plans to have a face lift and nose job along with dental work to fix her smile. Speaking about her win she said: ‘All those people who say money doesn’t buy you happiness are talking a load of rubbish’. She also spoke openly about being transgender. She said: ‘I’m not scared because my gender reassignment surgery absolutely terrified me but it is the best thing I ever did.’
May 20, 2019
Breaking: Men Can Have Babies
#Babies #Transgender
NBC News has some big news for all the young dudes out there. (It’s Monday. You can forgive me one Mott the Hoople reference.) If you’re a man, you can get pregnant and deliver a baby. But you’re facing some unfair challenges because the medical community isn’t really up to speed on the whole situation and they will probably make some mistakes in your prenatal care. Here’s part of the coverage in this breaking story.
The situation described in the article is a case of taking the whole transgender moment and spinning the dials up to eleven. The husband in this marries is a biological woman – or just a woman if you prefer – and the wife is a male. So when the husband went to the doctor to talk about conceiving, mistakes were made. And the couple feels that this is a sign of a lack of sensitivity, empathy or something else on the part of the medical community.
This has led to what the author describes as cases of “misinformation and discouragement ” in the transgender community. They blame it on a lack of research or the “inherent bias” of some doctors against them. While I’m neither a doctor nor an actor who plays one on TV, I have a third possibility I’d like to offer for consideration.
Perhaps some doctors are unsure about the prognosis or not up to date on all the latest research because you’re delving into areas that are very new and completely foreign to medical science. Stuffing women full of testosterone for years on end, so they can look like men, isn’t something the medical community has had to grapple with for very long. And we haven’t been doing it long enough or to a large enough sample of patients suffering from gender dysphoria to have a firm grasp on what all of the downstream effects might be.
Similarly, there are some doctors out there who are injecting prepubescent children with cocktails designed to stave off puberty, sometimes for years on end. (How these doctors are not in jail remains a mystery to me.) Yes, there is some data out there, but certainly not the volumes of medical information spanning decades and centuries that we rely on for more normal medical procedures.
We’re playing Dr. Frankenstein with human bodies in the name of supporting a politically correct theory of medicine while abandoning centuries of confirmable science. Mistakes will be made. And I don’t just mean the mistake of performing these procedures in the first place. If you want to volunteer to be a science experiment for this social reconstruction project, please give the doctors a little time to catch up in their mad scientist laboratories. As you’ll recall, things didn’t work out well for Frankenstein on the first go either.
27 May 2019
World Health Organization removes transgender from list of mental disorders
This will have a 'liberating' effect on trans people worldwide
The World Health Organization (WHO) has made history and removed transgender from its list of ‘mental disorders’.
The WHO approved the major change to its global manual of diagnoses on 25 May 25. It comes after WHO introduced it as a change last year in the latest. International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The ICD is described as ‘the international standard for reporting diseases and health conditions’. The latest revision is known as ICD-11.
On 25 May WHO’s World Health Assembly voted to make the revision. That revision no longer recognizes gender non-conformity and transgender as ‘mental disorder’.
Human rights and trans advocacy groups celebrated the move after years of campaigning for change.
‘The WHO’s removal of ‘gender identity disorder’ from its diagnostic manual will have a liberating effect on transgender people worldwide,’ said Graeme Reid, LGBT rights director at Human Rights Watch (HRW).
‘Governments should swiftly reform national medical systems and laws that require this now officially outdated diagnosis.’
Basic human rights
HRW pointed out that governments around the world had used the previous classification as the basis for discriminatory policies. Those policies require diagnosis and sometimes other medical procedures, such as sterilization, before transgender people are recognized before the law.
Governments often require a ‘gender disorder’ diagnosis as a precondition for changing transgender people’s names and gender markers on official documents. Advocates have argued that diagnoses imperils basic rights like work, education, and travel.
Dr Jack Drescher, a member of the ICD-11 working group, wrote: ‘there is substantial evidence that the stigma associated with the intersection of transgender status and mental disorders contributes to precarious legal status [and] human rights violations’.
The process for legal recognition of gender identity should be separate from any medical interventions, HRW argued.
‘Transgender people are fighting stigma and discrimination that can be traced in part to medical systems that have historically diagnosed expressions of gender non-conformity as a mental pathology,’ Reid said.
‘But it’s the stigma, discrimination, and bullying – and not anything inherent in gender nonconformity – that can inflict mental health problems in transgender people.’
Intersex
But in the same assembly, the WHO also managed to enrage the intersex community.
More than 50 intersex organizations released a joint letter condemning the (WHO) for classifying traits as ‘disorders of sex development’.
‘We urge WHO to open an immediate, public and transparent dialog with intersex advocates and experts, to work with us to dismantle decades of torture and ill treatment in medical settings,’ said Mauro Cabral Grinspan, executive director of GATE.
‘Intersex people around the world have the right not only to be protected from pathologization, but also to have full access to reparative justice and to universal health coverage.’
4th June 2019
Transgender woman's body pulled from Texas lake is latest in string of deaths
The Dallas police department asks FBI for help in multiple open investigations into attacks on transgender women
Police in Dallas have asked the FBI for help after the latest murder of a transgender woman in the city raised questions about the possibility of a serial attacker.
A game warden pulled the body of Chynal Lindsey from a lake last Saturday evening, two weeks after Muhlaysia Booker was fatally shot and found lying in a street.
The Dallas police chief, Reneé Hall, said that Lindsey’s body showed “obvious signs of homicidal violence” but did not reveal a cause of death during a press conference on Monday in which she urged the local transgender community to be vigilant.
“We are concerned, we are actively and aggressively investigating this case and we have reached out to our federal partners to assist us in the efforts,” Hall said.
An FBI spokeswoman said the agency was “prepared to assist” if evidence emerges of a potential civil rights violation.
At least eight transgender people have been reported killed in the US this year – all of them black women.
The Dallas police department has multiple open investigations into attacks on transgender women in addition to the deaths of Lindsey, 26, and Booker, 23, whose body was discovered on the morning of 18 May.
In April a woman was repeatedly stabbed and left for dead, police said, but survived; a 29-year woman, Brittany White, was fatally shot in a vehicle in October last year; and a victim’s remains were discovered in a field in July 2017, in an incident police classified as an unexplained death. The decomposed body of Shade Schuler was found in a field in July 2015. The case remains unsolved.
Asked if the string of deaths could be the work of a serial killer, Hall said: “Right now we don’t have the evidence to substantiate that.”
White Rock Lake in north-east Dallas, where Lindsey was found after being spotted by a passerby, is a short drive from the address where Booker was discovered.
Police in Dallas have asked the FBI for help after the latest murder of a transgender woman in the city raised questions about the possibility of a serial attacker.
Booker was beaten in a sustained attack in front of a mocking crowd about five weeks before her death. Cellphone footage of the assault, which happened after she was involved in a minor car accident at an apartment complex, went viral, and Mike Rawlings, the Dallas mayor, decried “what appears to be mob violence against this woman”.
A 29-year-old man, Edward Thomas, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault but police said there was no evidence connecting him with Booker’s death.
Lindsey’s cousin, Tamaya Seaphus, told WFAA local news that Lindsey had a gentle personality and grew up in the Chicago area before moving to Texas about six years ago. “This was a person that I had never seen mad,” she said. “Not aggressive, not violent.”
June 10, 2019
2 transgender groups clash in Meerut, police use baton charge
Two groups of transgenders clashed in Meerut city of Uttar Pradesh in country India on Monday over their area of operation, police said.
The incident occurred in the afternoon when a group entered an area to collect 'badhai', a tradition where they sing, dance and offered money, and a rival group intervened. There was an argument that was followed by a clash over their area of operation, the police said.
When the police reached the spot, there was a scuffle between the personnel and the transgenders. Police baton-charged the two groups to disperse them, an officer said.
Nine transgenders have been arrested, the officer said.
Dunno if you've seen this yet. Nobody seems to post here but smalltownguy, but maybe a few are listening in. Anyway, here's another one - Community Demands Answers After Trans Black Latinx Woman Died at Rikers
https://www.democracynow.org/2019/6/...6d35-190634001
June 14, 2019
The 9th Circuit’s Latest Trans Troops Ban Ruling Looks Like a Loss for Trans Rights, but It’s Actually a Win
President Donald Trump walks to the Rose Garden of the White House to speak at an event about health care on Friday.
On Friday, a federal appeals court overturned a lower court ruling declaring that Donald Trump’s ban on transgender military service is unconstitutional. Its decision might seem like a setback for the service members challenging the policy—but it’s actually a qualified victory for transgender rights with sweeping ramifications in other cases.
After Trump announced his ban on trans military service via tweet in July 2017, four federal judges issued injunctions prohibiting its implementation. All four courts found the policy to be an unjustified violation of transgender Americans’ equal protection rights. In January, however, the Supreme Court lifted two of those injunctions by a 5–4 vote while the government appeals the rulings. The other two injunctions were eventually lifted in light of SCOTUS’s order, allowing the Pentagon to implement the ban. Meanwhile, appeals courts have continued to mull the policy’s constitutionality.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals finally issued its decision on the matter Friday, vacating U.S. District Judge Marsha J. Pechman’s 2018 ruling against the ban. This outcome in Karnoski v. Trump is no surprise, since the Supreme Court already lifted Pechman’s injunction. The 9th Circuit found that Pechman hadn’t properly assessed whether former Defense Secretary James Mattis’ final implementation plan shored up the legality of the ban by providing the “considered military judgment” absent from Trump’s impromptu tweets and the resulting scramble to rationalize them. Its decision in Karnoski also found that Pechman had improperly applied strict scrutiny, thereby giving insufficient deference to the commander in chief.
But the 9th Circuit didn’t stop there. It went on to explain that the trans ban does discriminate against transgender people—a fact contested by the administration, which insists that the policy only discriminates against people with gender dysphoria. (This distinction makes no sense.) Moreover, the court found that discrimination on the basis of transgender status constitutes sex-based discrimination and is therefore subject to intermediate scrutiny. That means anti-trans policies must be supported by an “exceedingly persuasive justification,” one not “hypothesized or invented post hoc in response to litigation.” It directed Pechman to apply this test to the trans troops ban.
What “exceedingly persuasive justification” might lie behind this policy? The Trump administration asserts that transgender service members “undermine readiness,” “erode reasonable expectations of privacy,” and “impose disproportionate costs.” These claims are demonstrably false. We know that because trans troops could already serve openly when Trump announced his ban, and none of these problems arose. These excuses were cooked up by anti-LGBTQ advocates in response to litigation against the ban, precisely what intermediate scrutiny forbids. The Trump administration’s justifications cannot be “exceedingly persuasive” if they are ungrounded in reality, discredited by experts, and disproved by experience.
Thus, Pechman is almost certain to conclude that the ban remains unconstitutional. In the meantime, Karnoski establishes precedent in the 9th Circuit, confirming that transgender discrimination is subject to intermediate scrutiny. The court will now apply this test to other trans cases—including Arizona’s effort to exclude transition-related care from its state health plan. ACLU attorney Joshua Block noted on Friday that he’ll cite this development in his effort to block Arizona’s discriminatory exclusion in court. Karnoski may also compel the 9th Circuit to rule that prisons must provide transition-related care to inmates in a case currently pending before the court.
The 9th Circuit encompasses Alaska, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, and Washington. Following Karnoski, any anti-trans law passed by these states and territories must survive intermediate scrutiny. Few will be able to clear this high bar. Yes, the Supreme Court’s conservatives may ultimately issue a devastating decision writing transgender people out of the Constitution if and when these cases come back to SCOTUS. They could also undermine the logic of Karnoski in next term’s LGBTQ employment discrimination cases; anything is possible with this far-right bloc in control. But until then, trans people in a huge chunk of the country will enjoy heightened protections against unjust discrimination.
27 June 2019
Transgender hate crimes recorded by police go up 81%
The number of transgender hate crimes recorded by police forces in England, Scotland and Wales has risen by 81%, latest figures suggest.
Data obtained by the BBC showed there were 1,944 crimes across 36 forces in the last financial year compared with 1,073 in 2016-17.
The Stonewall charity said it showed the "consequences of a society where transphobia is everywhere".
The Home Office said it was largely due to better reporting and recording.
Some 36 out of 44 police forces in England, Scotland and Wales fully responded to a BBC freedom of information request for their most up to date figures. Eight forces did not provide the full data.
West Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Police saw reporting of transgender hate crimes more than treble over three years.
Suffolk Constabulary and Merseyside Police were the only forces which recorded fewer crimes in 2018-19 than in 2016-17.
In Wales there were 82 transgender hate crimes in 2018-19, up from 37 in 2016-17.
Police Scotland recorded 92 crimes in the year to March 2019, compared with 76 two years earlier.
Sue Pascoe, who lives near York, was flagged as a vulnerable person by North Yorkshire Police for the amount of transgender hate abuse and threats she had received.
"It's a sad fact of life that this abuse is going to happen and I'll challenge it whenever it does," she said.
"The trend for the last five years is nothing but going up and those divisions are in our society generally. For me it's one of the scariest times I've lived through and I'm 59 now."
Equal rights charity Stonewall estimated that two in five trans people had experienced a hate crime or incident in the past year.
Andi Woolford, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, works in social housing and was abused while she was sitting in her car.
"A guy came out of a block of flats, called me a paedophile, threatened to stab me, smashed my car up, held a dog chain up to my face, just really unbelievable."
"Given what's happening on the other side of the Atlantic and the divisions with Brexit, everything seems to be kind of tribal - oh you're not in my tribe so therefore I must hate you."
A hate crime is defined as "any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice" based on one of five categories: religion, faith or belief; race, ethnicity or nationality; sexual orientation; disability; or gender identity.
Section 146 of The Criminal Justice Act 2003, amended in 2012, says that if an offence is motivated by hostility towards persons who are transgender then prosecutors can apply to the court to increase the offender's sentence - called a sentence uplift.
As these latest hate crime figures show, transgender people in the UK currently have it harder than most.
Hearing people talk about being too scared to leave their homes in fear of being attacked does not sound like modern day Britain, but this is the sad reality for a lot of transgender men and women.
While the increased rates may be somewhat due to more people coming forward about their experiences, some may find it shocking that more is not being done to protect these clearly vulnerable individuals.
Many have described the current plight of transgender people as being similar to that of the gay rights movement in the 1980s and 1990s. Restricted, ridiculed and ignored.
Transgender people have their existence debated on a near daily basis across UK media, and several activists believe this negative attention reinforces the poor treatment they receive on our streets.
Whilst the gender debate rages on, many of those at the heart of it will have to continue living in fear.
Deputy Chief Constable Julie Cooke, from the National Police Chiefs' Council, said: "Traditionally, transphobic hate crimes have been significantly under-reported but we are working closely with trans groups to increase awareness and understanding of our staff; as well as to build confidence and trust in the police by the trans community.
"We believe some of the increase may be down to better reporting, however, there is always more that can be done."
Transgender no longer ranked as 'disorder'
Why do young people love to hate?
'How to be body positive as a trans person'
A Home Office spokesperson said: "Abuse or violence directed at someone on the basis of their transgender identity is never acceptable.
"That's why we are committed to tackling hate crime in all its forms, including abuse targeted at transgender people, through the government's hate crime action plan."
Hate crimes against transgender people
Figures from 36 police forces
Police force----2016-17----2017-18----2018-19
Avon and Somerset---- 47---- 71---- 57
Bedfordshire---- 13---- 11---- 19
Cambridgeshire---- 11---- 11---- 25
Cleveland---- 10---- 17---- 25
Derbyshire---- 10---- 10---- 26
Devon and Cornwall---- 30---- 50---- 78
Dorset---- 9---- 14---- 27
Durham---- 11---- 20---- 15
Dyfed-Powys---- 3---- 7---- 15
Essex---- 33---- 73---- 74
Gloucestershire---- 4---- 12---- 18
Greater Manchester---- 54---- 88---- 145
Gwent---- 10---- 11---- 19
Hampshire ---- 56 77 98
Hertfordshire---- 18---- 21---- 28
Kent ---- 36---- 60 ---- 93
Lancashire ---- 69---- 92 ---- 104
Leicestershire ---- 16 ----18---- 32
Merseyside ---- 47---- 66 ---- 44
Metropolitan ---- 201---- 173---- 235
Norfolk ---- 25---- 39 ---- 36
North Wales ---- 1---- 1---- 3
North Yorkshire ---- 4 ----7 ---- 10
Northumbria ---- 44 ----59---- 77
Nottinghamshire ---- 12---- 36 ---- 35
Scotland ---- 76---- 83---- 92
South Wales ---- 23---- 40 ---- 45
South Yorkshire ---- 26---- 69---- 87
Staffordshire ---- 24---- 33 ---- 36
Suffolk ---- 16---- 26 ---- 14
Surrey ---- 1---- 10 ---- 23
Warwickshire ---- 2---- 9 ---- 8
West Mercia ---- 23---- 36 ---- 26
West Midlands ---- 38---- 34 ---- 66
West Yorkshire ---- 59---- 107 ---- 181
Wiltshire ---- 11---- 21 ---- 28
JUL 23 2019
North Carolina ‘bathroom bill’ lawsuit settles, grants transgender people right to use chosen bathroom
Transgender people in North Carolina can use any public restroom in state-run buildings that conforms with their gender identity under a U.S. court settlement approved on Tuesday, in the latest turn of a long-running dispute that divided the state.
The settlement, which overturns part of a state law, ends a three-year legal fight by transgender people in North Carolina seeking the right to use the bathroom of their gender identity.
The Republican-controlled North Carolina General Assembly filed court papers opposing the settlement.
Transgender people in North Carolina can use any public restroom in state-run buildings that conforms with their gender identity under a U.S. court settlement approved on Tuesday, in the latest turn of a long-running dispute that divided the state.
The settlement, which overturns part of a state law, ends a three-year legal fight by transgender people in North Carolina seeking the right to use the bathroom of their gender identity.
A 2016 North Carolina law, known as House Bill 2, required transgender people in state-run buildings use the bathrooms, changing rooms and showers that corresponded to the sex on their birth certificates.
The American Civil Liberties Union represented transgender plaintiffs seeking to block the law in court, arguing it violated their rights to equal protection and privacy under the U.S. Constitution.
“While this part of the court fight may be ending, so much urgent work remains as long as people who are LGBTQ are denied basic protections from violence and discrimination simply because of who they are,” Irena Como, acting legal director of the ACLU of North Carolina, said in a statement.
Some businesses and sports leagues boycotted North Carolina after passage of the law, which they saw as discriminatory against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
Lawmakers in some other states had proposed similar legislation that failed to advance.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Schroeder ruled in 2016 that the state’s university system must allow transgender students to use bathrooms matching their gender identity.
Democratic former President Barack Obama’s administration also challenged the law in court.
Facing pressure in the courts, the North Carolina legislature in 2017 replaced House Bill 2 with House Bill 142.
The bill stated that the state legislature had the power to regulate bathroom access, but the legislature did not take action at that time to define access.
The new law left transgender people in limbo, according to the ACLU, which amended its lawsuit to challenge the new law.
The ACLU and the group Lambda Legal later reached a settlement with North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, the ACLU said in a statement. It went to Schroeder for final approval.
Schroeder, in an eight-page ruling on Tuesday, said the settlement bars state officials from using the legislation “to prevent transgender people from lawfully using public facilities in accordance with their gender identity.”
The Republican-controlled North Carolina General Assembly filed court papers opposing the settlement.
House Bill 142 continues to prohibit cities in North Carolina from creating their own ordinances protecting LGBT people from discrimination until December 2020, and that was not affected by the agreement, according to the ACLU.
July 23, 2019
50 Cent Torments Young Buck With Instagram Of Transgender Woman
NEW YORK, NY – After a few moments of respite, 50 Cent is back to harassing Young Buck over his alleged relationship with a transgender woman. On Tuesday (July 23), the relentless Instagram troll took the opportunity to clown his former G-Unit affiliate once again.
Alongside of a photo of woman wearing thigh-high black boots, Fiddy wrote, “Rare pic of Young bucks old lady LOL.”
Attachment 1175120
The latest 50 Cent and Young Buck rivalry has been ongoing for months. It’s become so frequent that fans of Fiddy are actually approaching Buck in public to confront him about his sexuality.
Last month, Buck appeared to have enough and came at the Power exec with a double dose of diss tracks — “The Story Of Foofy” and “Foofy Freestyle.” However, they’ve both mysteriously disappeared from YouTube since their release.
July 23, 2019
Virginia school's transgender bathroom ban is back in court
The hearing is the latest step in a yearslong legal battle that has come to embody the debate over transgender student rights.
Gavin Grimm, a young man who has become a national face for transgender student rights, returns to a Virginia courtroom Tuesday to continue fighting against his former high school's transgender bathroom policy.
A federal judge in Norfolk will hear arguments over whether the Gloucester County School Board violated Grimm's rights when it banned him from using boys' bathrooms.
The hearing is the latest step in a yearslong legal battle that has come to embody the debate over transgender student rights, an issue that is far from settled in school systems across the nation. Grimm, now 20, filed his lawsuit in 2015.
U.S. District Court Judge Arenda Wright Allen is unlikely to rule from the bench Tuesday. But her eventual decision could have an impact on schools in Virginia and reverberate further if the case reaches a federal appeals court that also oversees Maryland, West Virginia and the Carolinas.
Grimm and the American Civil Liberties Union say the school board violated his rights under the U.S. Constitution's equal protection clause as well as under Title IX, the federal policy that protects against gender-based discrimination.
The school board said it is protecting students' privacy and has discriminated against no one.
School systems have fallen on either side of this debate, leaving a patchwork of policies across the country.
"Whether it's the best of times or the worst of times for transgender students really can depend on where you live and who your principal is," said Harper Jean Tobin, policy director for the National Center for Transgender Equality.
Tobin said Grimm's case will likely join the "steady drum beat" of recent court rulings that have favored transgender students in states including Maryland , Pennsylvania and Wisconsin .
But Gary McCaleb, senior counsel for the conservative Christian group Alliance Defending Freedom, said the overall issue is far from resolved.
McCaleb cited a federal discrimination complaint filed by ADF in June that says a Connecticut policy on transgender athletes is unfair because it allows transgender girls to consistently win track and field events. He also said a pending U.S. Supreme Court case involving a transgender woman who was fired by a Michigan funeral home could impact school bathroom policies.
McCaleb said that "no student's right to privacy should be contingent on other students' beliefs about their gender."
Grimm had come out to his parents as a boy during his freshman year at Gloucester High School, which is about 60 miles east of Richmond and near the Chesapeake Bay.
He was initially allowed to use the boys' restroom. But after some parents complained, students were required to use the restroom that corresponds with their biological gender or a private restroom.
Grimm sued in 2015. A federal judge sided with the school board. But the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Grimm's favor. It cited a directive issued by the administration of then President Barack Obama that said students can choose bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity.
Grimm drew international attention when the U.S. Supreme Court scheduled a hearing for his case. But it was canceled after the Trump Administration rescinded the Obama-era directive on bathrooms.
Grimm graduated in 2017 and moved to California, where he's worked as an activist and educator and studied at a community college. But his case has continued in the lower courts.
In February, the school board appeared to consider settling the case and proposed ending its bathroom policy. But many residents spoke out against the suggested change. The board did not take a vote on it.
24 July 2019
50 Cent Harasses Young Buck With Insensitive Photo Of Transgender Woman On Instagram
New York rapper 50 Cent has taken to Instagram to tease Young Buck on Instagram, with an insensitive photo.
After taking a little short break, 50 Cent has began with his Young Buck trolling session. The 44 year-old rapper has dissed Buck over his alleged relationship with a transgender woman several times.
Ja Rule Accuses 50 Cent Of 'Snitching' After Exposing Court Documents In Trolling Post
On Tuesday (23rd Jul), the rapper-businessman trolled his former G-Unit associate on Instagram. 50 Cent posted a of transgender woman wearing thigh-high black boots.
The rapper captioned the post of a transgender woman seemingly peeing on the street “Rare pic of Young bucks old lady LOL”. The beef between 50 Cent and Young Buck has been ongoing for months.
Last month, Buck sent for the "In Da Club" rapper with two diss tracks — “The Story Of Foofy” and “Foofy Freestyle.” However, they’ve both disappeared from YouTube.
JULY 28, 2019
2 transgender women tortured, killed in Pakistan
MULTAN, Pakistan — Police in Pakistan say they have found the bodies of two transgender women who were tortured and beaten to death.
Senior officer Mohammad Ali Zia says the bodies were recovered late Saturday from a locked house in the Sahiwal district of the eastern Punjab province. He says it's unclear what motivated the killings, which appear to have taken place three days ago.
Transgender people are often subjected to abuse in conservative, Muslim-majority Pakistan. They are also among the victims of so-called honor killings carried out by relatives to punish perceived sexual transgressions.
Jul 29, 2019
Mexico Crowns Transgender Beauty Queen in Bid for Acceptance
Mexico City, Jul 29 (AP) The contestants in the beauty pageant sashayed in red bathing suits, paraded across the stage in evening gowns with plunging necklines and answered questions about climate change and human rights.
After four hours, and a brief protest onstage by a losing contestant, a brunette from the western Mexico state of Colima took the crown. Ivanna Cázares flashed a smile as the announcer declared her Miss Trans Beauty Mexico 2019.
It was the second edition of the pageant, which was begun as part of an effort to make transgender women more visible and accepted in Mexican society.
Mexico is one of the world's most dangerous countries for transgender people: 261 transgender women were killed from 2013 to 2018, according to a local LGBT rights group, Letra S.
The weekend event was full of glamour and glitz, with contestants sporting elaborate regional costumes and heavy makeup.
Miss Colima modelled an indigenous-themed costume with leopard print and feathers, while Miss Baja California's costume featured grapes, inspired by her state's wine vineyards.
In all, 21 transgender beauty queens representing different Mexican states participated in the three-part competition.
They were judged on bikini wear, regional dress and formal wear.
Cázares, 27, beat second-place Miss Baja California and third-place Miss Mexico City to win the crown.
Cázares said the most difficult part of her transition that began three years ago was gaining acceptance from others, although she always counted on support from her family.
She has a communications degree and owns a beauty salon.
Now, with the pageant title, she sees herself as a spokeswoman for the transgender community.
"We want to bring a message to society of respect for the trans girls of Mexico," Cázares told The Associated Press while struggling to keep the towering crown on her head.
What's in your wallet?
https://www.thepeoplesledger.com/tra...her-platforms/
AUGUST 1, 2019
NH law will let residents mark an ‘X’ for gender on licenses
New Hampshire next year will become the 12th state to allow residents to identify their gender with a neutral “X” on their driver’s licenses, the latest in the increasing public accommodations for LGTBQ rights at the state level.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, allowed House Bill 669 — which passed on a voice vote in the legislature — to become law without his signature.
The law will allow a transgender or nonbinary person to mark an “X” for gender on a driver’s license or identification card. Currently, the only available marks are “M” for male and “F” for female.
When a similar law in Hawaii goes into effect in the summer of 2020, 13 states and the District of Columbia will allow for a third designation for gender on state records.
Eighteen states require a court order to change a person’s gender marker on vital statistics, while two states — Tennessee and Ohio — ban altering gender marks altogether.
New Hampshire’s law was cheered by pro-LGBTQ rights groups and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat running for president.
“This is an important step to ensure that nonbinary Americans are seen and respected,” Ms. Warren tweeted Thursday.
But where many progressive groups see victory, wary social conservatives see more change on the horizon.
“On Governor Sununu’s watch, driver’s licenses state-issued IDs will become declarations of personal feelings,” said Shannon McGinley, executive director of the Granite State-based conservative group, Cornerstone Action. “That it no antidote to discrimination.”
A spokesperson for Cornerstone Action said New Hampshire could see in its future a ban on therapy for adults seeking help from gender dysphoria, mandatory reporting for parents who don’t affirm or grant permission for a child seeking a sex change surgery, and the addition of “neither male nor female” on birth certificates.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Campaign, a LGBTQ equality group, lists “identity documents” as one of six challenges to transgender people in its official materials, along with poverty and stigmatization.
“The widespread lack of accurate identity documents among transgender people can have an impact on every area of their lives, including access to emergency housing or other public services,” said materials posted to the group’s website.
Christopher Jay, who had served as attorney with Cornerstone Action, submitted written testimony to the New Hampshire Senate Transportation Committee opposing the gender-neutral designation on state ID cards. He asked if other attributes — such as race, hair, weight, height — might be subject to alteration next.
“We can make whatever claims we want about it, but at the end of the day, as a man, I will never be able to give birth to a child,” Mr. Jay said.
Public opinion polls show increasing acceptance for transgender persons in the U.S. More than six in 10 Americans say they’re generally “more supportive toward transgender rights” compared to their views five years ago, according to a June study from the Public Religion Research Institute.
About 25% said their views are more opposed to transgender rights than they were five years ago.
While transgender visibility increases, legal drawbacks remain to reaching the status of a protected class, along with race, sex, and religion. Nationwide, it is legal in more than 30 states for landlords to deny housing to a transgender person.
“States and localities should also ensure that all residents — including transgender, nonbinary and gender nonconforming individuals — are protected from discrimination in employment, housing and public spaces, which includes equal access to sex-segregated facilities,” said Xavier Persad, senior legislative counsel at the Human Rights Campaign.
Jul 30, 2019
Transgender hacker, 33, held in massive Capital One data breach which put critical info of over 100 million customers at risk
The FBI raided Paige A. Thompson's residence after he warned a customer of distributing personal data including names, birthdates, and social security numbers
SEATTLE: A transgender hacker gained access to personal information from more than 100 million Capital One credit applications, the bank said July 29 as federal authorities arrested the suspect in the case.
Paige A. Thompson, 33, — who also goes by the handle "erratic" — was charged with a single count of computer fraud and abuse in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Thompson, a former Amazon employee as per a Daily Mail report, made an initial appearance in court and was ordered to remain in custody pending a detention hearing on August 1. Court documents said the accused boasted of the data breach on an online forum.
The hacker got information including credit scores and balances plus the social security numbers of about 140,000 customers, the bank said. It will offer free credit monitoring services to those affected.
The FBI raided Thompson's residence on July 29 and seized digital devices. An initial search turned up files that referenced Capital One and other entities that may have been targets of attempted or actual network intrusions.
A public defender appointed to represent Thompson did not immediately return an email seeking comment. Capital One, based in McLean, Virginia, said it found out about the vulnerability in its system on July 19 and immediately sought help from law enforcement to catch the perpetrator.
According to the FBI complaint, someone emailed the bank two days before that notifying it of leaked data appearing on the code-hosting site GitHub, which is owned by Microsoft.
And a month before that, the FBI said, a Twitter user who went by "erratic" sent another user direct messages warning about distributing the bank's data, including names, birthdates and social security numbers. That user later reported the message to Capital One.
Capital One said it believes it is unlikely that the information was used for fraud, but it will continue to investigate. The data breach affected about 100 million people in the U.S. and 6 million in Canada.
The bank said the bulk of the hacked data consisted of information supplied by consumers and small businesses who applied for credit cards between 2005 and early 2019. In addition to data such as phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth and self-reported income, the hacker was also able to access credit scores, credit limits, and balances, as well as fragments of transaction information from a total of 23 days in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
"While I am grateful that the perpetrator has been caught, I am deeply sorry for what has happened", said Capital One CEO Richard D. Fairbank. "I sincerely apologize for the understandable worry this incident must be causing those affected and I am committed to making it right", he added. The accused faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Capital One Financial Corp., the nation's seventh-largest commercial bank with $373.6 billion in assets as of June 30, is the latest U.S. company to suffer a major data breach in recent years.
In 2017, a data breach at Equifax, one of the major credit reporting companies, exposed the Social Security numbers and other sensitive information of roughly half of the U.S. population. Last week, Equifax agreed to pay at least $700 million to settle lawsuits over the breach in a settlement with federal authorities and states. The agreement includes up to $425 million in monetary relief to consumers.
Many major banks have sought to stem the risk of data breaches in recent years. JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Citibank began replacing customers' debit cards several years ago with more secure chip-based cards. While the cards with chips are common these days, many merchants still rely on the older, less secure card-swiping equipment. Credit card companies have also beefed up fraud monitoring in the wake of high-profile data breaches that hit retailers such as Target and Home Depot.
The average cost of a data breach in the U.S. last year was just under $8 million, according to a study by IBM Security and Ponemon Institute.
July 30, 2019
Trans woman weightlifter stirs controversy after winning gold, is aiming for the 2020 Olympics
Laurel Hubbard won gold at the Pacific Games in Samoa but not without a firestorm of backlash.
Laurel Hubbard is the latest transgender athlete to be called out for making competitions "unfair."
The 41-year-old has reignited discussion about the divisions by sex and gender equality after her decisive victory.
After she secured two golds and a silver in the heavyweight lifting at the Pacific Games, women's rights groups like Speak Up For Women have pushed for sports being divided by sex, not gender identity.
Still, other organizations like the National Women's Law Center argue that inclusion for transgender people pushes women's rights forward.
For Hubbard, the focus of her backlash has now been shifted to the 2020 Olympics, since according to the IOC policy, she is eligible to compete.
Her critics have cited a new study that claims transwomen have an unfair advantage against biological women.
"We conclude that the advantage to transwomen afforded by the IOC guidelines is an intolerable unfairness," states the study.
While her supporters claim she should be able to follow her dreams like anyone else.
Others are in favor for transgender Olympics.
Even within sporting organizations, the division is evident.
The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) policy has no restrictions for trans-athletes, letting students compete under their gender identity.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) policy requires student-athletes to undergo hormonal treatment to compete in the gender of their choice.
The International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) policy requires transmen to get a legal sex change and transwomen to have a reassignment surgery.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) policy requires transwomen to have been declared female for a minimum of four years and be below certain testosterone levels.
Aug 2, 2019
Miami-Dade Police Looking for Shooter in Transgender Woman's Killing
Police are looking for a shooter after a transgender woman was killed earlier this week in Goulds.
The shooting happened at around 4:37 a.m. Wednesday in the area of SW 224th Street and SW 115th Court, according to the Miami-Dade Police Department.
Kiki Fantroy, who police identified as 21-year-old Marquis S. Fantroy, was returning home from a party with a group of people and was propositioned for sex, Fantroy's mother said.
Fantroy rejected the subject or subjects and was killed when they opened fire.
"That's my baby. That's my baby," said Fantroy's mother, Rhonda Comer. "Y'all seen it. I know the public knows something. He didn't deserve it. God knows he didn't deserve it. He wasn't doing nothing wrong. It's not right to go around killing people because of their sexuality."
August 5, 2019
Victoria's Secret just cast its first transgender model & she's a total babe
Valentina Sampaio confirms her Victoria's Secret casting, making her the first openly transgender model hired by the brand
The news comes less than year after Victoria Secret's chief marketing officer, Ed Razek made controversial comments about transgender models
Sampaio confirmed the news on Instagram, with the 23-year-old sharing behind-the-scenes pictures from her new VS Pink shoot
Less than a week after rumours started circulating that the 2019 Victoria's Secret show might be cancelled, the brand appears to have hired its first transgender model, Valentina Sampaio.
23-year-old Sampaio announced the news on Instagram by sharing a behind-the-scene picture of her shooting for VS Pink.
Less than a year ago, Victoria's Secret's chief marketing officer Ed Razek faced backlash for his comments about transgender models, specifying why they wouldn't be included in the show:
"Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy," he said.
Razek subsequently apologised for his remarks but, for many, the damage was already done.
"My remark regarding the inclusion of transgender models in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show came across as insensitive. I apologize," said Razek. "To be clear, we absolutely would cast a transgender model for the show. We've had transgender models come to castings... And like many others, they didn't make it... But it was never about gender. I admire and respect their journey to embrace who they really are."
The new recruit comes a week after VS model Shanina Shaik claimed the 2019 show is cancelled.
"Unfortunately the Victoria's Secret show won't be happening this year," Shanina told The Daily Telegraph. "It's something I'm not used to because every year around this time I'm training like an angel."
"But I'm sure in the future something will happen, which I'm pretty sure about," she continued. "I'm sure they're trying to work on branding and new ways to do the show because it's the best show in the world."
To be honest, we're not 100% sure what's going on with this year's show, but let's not allow all that noise get in the way of congratulating Valentina on her kickass gig - we're definitely looking forward to seeing more from this bombshell!
Aug 05, 2019
Lok Sabha passes Transgender persons protection of rights bill
TAGS # India
The bill was introduced on July 19
The Lok Sabha on August 5 passed a bill which provides a mechanism for social, economic and educational empowerment of transgenders.
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2019 was passed by a voice vote amid noisy protests by some opposition parties over Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury not being allowed to speak on his adjournment notice.
The bill was introduced on July 19.
Replying on the bill, Minister of State for Social Justice Rattan Lal Kataria said it makes provision for establishing a national authority for safeguarding rights of transgenders.
The minister said according to the 2011 census there are more than 4.80 lakh transgenders in the country.
He said in the bill there are provisions for penalty and punishment in cases of offences and sexual harassment against transgender persons.
A contentious provision that criminalised begging by transgender people has been removed from the bill. The provision was part of the bill when it was introduced by the previous government. The bill had lapsed.
According to the bill, a transgender is a person whose gender does not match with the gender assigned to that person at birth and includes trans-man or trans-woman (whether or not such person has undergone sex reassignment surgery or hormone therapy or laser therapy or such other therapy), person with inter-sex variations, gender-queer and person having such socio-cultural identities as 'kinner', 'hijra', 'aravani' and 'jogta'.
Going by the bill, a person would have the right to choose to be identified as a man, woman or transgender, irrespective of sex reassignment surgery and hormonal therapy.
It also requires transgender persons to go through a district magistrate and district screening committee to get certified as a trans person.
Earlier participating in the debate on the bill, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said transgenders are symbol of happiness. They visit homes of people during the time of celebrations and happiness and it is also important to save their culture and heritage.
Aug 08, 2019
Cricket Australia introduces new, inclusive rules for trans, gender-diverse players
SYDNEY: Cricket Australia unveiled new guidelines Thursday to ensure transgender players can take part in the game at the highest levels.
The policy sets out a testosterone limit for transgender and gender-diverse players who want to play for state and national women's teams.
"It doesn't make any sense that today, people are discriminated against, harassed or excluded, because of who they are," Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts said in a statement.
To be eligible for elite women's teams, the players must show a testosterone concentration of less than 10 nanomoles per litre over at least 12 months.
They must also be able to demonstrate their elected gender is consistent with how they are living their lives on a daily basis.
The move more closely aligns Australia to the International Cricket Council's (ICC) gender diversity guidelines.
Cricket Australia's policy also provides guidance to community clubs, supporting grassroots cricketers to compete as the gender with which they identify.
The guidelines cover everything from victimisation to privacy and providing suitable facilities, as well as the collection of personal information.
Transgender participation in sport has proved a thorny issue with some prominent stars, including tennis great Martina Navratilova, voicing disquiet.
Aug 8, 2019
Second transgender woman of color shot to death in SC in 15 days
After two black transgender women were killed in South Carolina in just over two weeks, Charleston and national LGBTQ groups say the situation is “an absolute state of emergency.”
The latest victim was identified as 24-year-old Dime Doe by family and the Alliance for Full Acceptance, a Charleston-based LGBTQ advocacy organization.
Doe was found Sunday by a passerby, slumped over the steering wheel of her car in the area of Concord Church and Barnwell roads in Allendale County, according to the State Law Enforcement Division. She had been shot.
“This disturbing rash of violence underscores how dangerous it is to simply exist as a transgender person in America, particularly for transgender women of color,” said Sarah McBride, national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ civil rights organization.
Little information on the circumstances surrounding Doe’s death was available as of Thursday, and Allendale County law enforcement agencies declined to release basic information about the case.
Repeated requests to the Allendale County Coroner’s Office for the victim’s name, age and cause and manner of death were denied.
When asked to explain why the information was being withheld, a Coroner’s Office representative said, “All I can say is I’m not releasing anything.”
The Allendale County Sheriff’s Office declined to release an incident report on Wednesday despite SLED clearing the report for release. A sheriff’s representative could not be reached Thursday.
Doe’s death comes about two weeks after Denali Stuckey, a 29-year-old transgender woman of color, was fatally shot July 20 in North Charleston.
Chase Glenn, AFFA’s executive director, said Doe’s death should be a wake-up call to the broader community.
“We are sounding the alarm,” Glenn said. “We are in an absolute state of emergency for black transgender women.”
The motives behind the homicide aren’t known but these kinds of crimes are often fueled by prejudice, racism and misogyny, he said.
“Black trans women live at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities, are too often treated as disposable and are experiencing epidemic levels of violence,” Glenn said.
Doe is the fourth transgender woman of color killed in South Carolina since 2018.
In 2018, at least 26 transgender people were killed in incidents of violence nationwide, according to the Human Rights Campaign. So far in 2019, 15 trans people have been killed.
August 07, 2019
Teen arrested in fatal shooting of transgender woman
William Watson faces charges of second-degree murder, attempted murder
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. - A teenager was arrested Monday in connection with the fatal shooting of a transgender woman in Miami-Dade County's Goulds neighborhood.
According to Miami-Dade police detectives, a witness identified William Watson as Marquis "Kiki" Fantroy's killer in a photo lineup. Records show Watson is in foster care.
The 21-year-old transgender woman died July 31 after an early morning shooting near her home.
According to the arrest report, Watson got upset during a conversation, shot at a person officers identified as "Victim Bell" and then started chasing and shooting at Fantroy.
Detectives said Watson ran after her and shot at her several times.
Fantroy was near a corner where Southwest 115th Court and Southwest 116th Avenue meet, north of Southwest 224th Street, when she collapsed, police said.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel took her to Jackson South Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Fantroy was the 13th transgender woman killed this year in the U.S. and all of them have been African-American, TransGriot reported. Advocates reported 26 transgender women were killed in the U.S. in 2018 and 29 were killed in 2017.
Watson faces a charge of second-degree murder and an attempted murder charge.
August 09, 2019
Judge: School District Violated Trans Student Gavin Grimm's Rights
The Gloucester County, Va., School Board violated transgender student Gavin Grimm’s constitutional rights by denying him use of the boys’ restroom while in high school, a federal judge ruled Friday.
The board violated Grimm’s equal protection rights under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as well as his right to be free of sex discrimination under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, a federal law, Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen of the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia ruled. She also ordered the school district to update the high school transcripts for Grimm, who graduated in 2017, to reflect his male gender and provide copies to him within 10 days.
The ruling is the latest chapter in a long legal saga that at one point appeared ready to go to the Supreme Court and perhaps still could. In 2014, at the beginning of his sophomore year, Grimm and his mother informed school administrators that the student, who was assigned female at birth, would express his male gender identity in all aspects of his life. Administrators agreed he could use the boys’ restroom at Gloucester High School, and he did so for two months without incident.
But in December of that year, the board adopted a policy forcing him to use a single-stall restroom, something he found stigmatizing and inconvenient to the point that he avoided consuming liquids during the school day. He filed suit in 2015 with representation by the American Civil Liberties Union and its Virginia affiliate.
Another judge in the Eastern District sided with the school board in a 2015 ruling, but the following year the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit overturned that decision, ruling that under Title IX and the Obama administration’s guidance on its application, Grimm had suffered unlawful discrimination. The Obama administration had held that discrimination based on gender identity was a form of sex discrimination, and it issued guidelines saying schools should allow transgender students access to restrooms and changing rooms consistent with their gender identity.
The Supreme Court was set to hear the school board’s appeal in 2017 but decided not to after the Trump administration revoked the Obama-era guidelines and adopted a more narrow interpretation of Title IX. It vacated the appeals court ruling and sent the case back to the district court for consideration in the absence of the guidance, meaning it had to be decided based only on the constitutional issues and Title IX, which courts are still free to interpret as they see fit.
Wright Allen last year denied the school district’s motion to dismiss the case, and Friday she granted Grimm’s motion for summary judgment, the legal term for a ruling that comes without a full trial but with consideration of the facts of the case. “This is a ruling that doesn’t just take our word for it,” ACLU attorney Joshua Block told The Advocate.
It’s unknown so far if the school district will appeal the ruling. The Advocate has requested comment but has not yet received a response. Virginia media outlets said the district is expected to appeal.
Grimm and his attorneys welcomed the ruling, which holds that the school district violated Grimm’s rights from the time it adopted the restrictive policy until his graduation.
“It is such a relief to achieve this closure and vindication from the court after four years of fighting not just for myself, but for trans youth across America,” Grimm said in an ACLU press release. “I promise to continue to advocate for as long as it takes for everyone to be able to live their authentic lives freely, in public, and without harassment and discrimination.”
The Human Rights Campaign also praised the ruling. “Every student should feel safe at school, regardless of gender identity. Transgender students are covered by Title IX and the United States Constitution and are entitled to the same rights and protections as every other student,” said Cathryn Oakley, HRC state legislative director and senior counsel, in a press release. “With the Trump-Pence administration’s barrage of attacks on LGBTQ people in this country, including against students, we are pleased that yet another federal court decision has reaffirmed legal rights and dignity of transgender people. Congratulations to Gavin Grimm and the American Civil Liberties Union on this milestone victory.”
August 14, 2019
Pennsylvania to become latest state offering gender-neutral IDs
Pennsylvania moves to offer a gender-neutral option on state IDs
Pennsylvania is among a handful of states driving the charge towards gender-inclusive licenses
PHILADELPHIA – Last spring, Dexter Rose walked into a Philadelphia Driver and Photo License Center with a “Request for Gender Change” form. Handwritten on the form was a box with the single letter “X” scribbled in under gender.
Rose, a social worker, identifies as a trans-non-binary individual and prefers gender-neutral pronouns like “they/them/their” — for years she felt uncomfortable choosing between the male and female option on the state ID form.
Dexter Rose, is a Gender Affirming Services Specialist with the Mazzoni Center.
“It didn’t feel very affirming to have to draw in the box, and then not know if PennDOT [Pennsylvania Department of Transportation] would honor the form,” said Rose. “The whole process was scary.”
Nearly one year later, the agency is expected to change its policy and drivers in the state will have three options when it comes to identifying themselves on their driver’s licenses and state IDs: male, female, and X.
Rose said the change is a big step forward and a victory for members of the LGBTQ community.
"This change will give people access, and that's important," said Rose.
According to Alexis Campbell, a spokesperson for PennDOT, the change comes in response to a growing number of residents asking for gender-neutral ID options and “national trends.”
"PennDOT is glad to offer a license that is inclusive of everybody and can accurately reflect who they are," said Campbell.
Pennsylvania is part of a growing number of states that are allowing ID holders to choose their gender, or no gender, no matter what their birth certificate says.
Three years ago, no one in the U.S. was legally recognized as neither male or female. Today, seven states and Washington D.C. allow people to change their gender without a doctor's signature, and 13 states have a policy in place allowing drivers to obtain a gender-neutral marker on their driver's licenses and identification cards.
Most recently, New Hampshire passed a law creating a gender-neutral option for driver’s licenses, which will take effect in January. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu allowed the bill to become law without his signature on July 10.
In Pennsylvania, the Department of Transportation believes it can make the change without action by the General Assembly, said Campbell.
But there has been pushback by some conservative groups that say the change is impractical and ripe for abuse.
In Pennsylvania, the socially conservative Pennsylvania Family Institute said identification documents are legal documents, which should reflect objective facts, like biological sex. The group also objected to the fact that no documentation would be needed to prove gender identity.
“Proponents of the legislation provide no answers to the many practical questions it raises,” said Michael Geer, president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute, in a statement. “If our state starts discarding biological sex from our identity documents, it will impact law enforcement, insurances, and medical care.”
Republican lawmakers echoed those concerns.
“It’s an unnecessary change,” said state Rep. Tedd Nesbit. He said removing a gender marker on IDs could make it more difficult for police to relay identifying information.
State Rep. Lynda Schlegel-Culver, also a Republican, said an immediate concern would be whether the change would create problems in complying with the federal REAL ID requirements.
But PennDOT officials insist this is a change that is long overdue.
A National Center for Transgender Equality survey released in 2016, which included 28,000 transgender respondents, found 69 percent of Pennsylvanians said their IDs listed a gender that did not reflect their gender identity.
Of the Pennsylvanians who participated in the survey, 30 percent said they’d been verbally harassed, denied service or assaulted after they provided an ID that did not reflect the gender with which they identified.
"Everyone deserves to have something in their pocket that accurately shows who they are," said Campbell.
Rose agreed.
"It feels good to have identification the reflects who really am," Rose said.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said that by spring 2020, motorists in the state who don’t want to disclose their gender will be able to place an “X” on their driver’s licenses instead of identifying themselves as male or female.
August 20, 2019
Trans Teens, Trailed by Homelessness
In California and other states, transgender and non-binary people are more likely to be unsheltered than any other unhoused population.
The decision to leave home wasn’t easy for Greyson. After his mother was deported to Mexico, he’d been almost single-handedly taking care of his two younger sisters and his father, who was addicted to drugs. When he was 15, the family made plans to move from California’s East Bay down to Mexico, too. As a trans person, Greyson was scared. He had heard horror stories of beatings and assaults of LGBTQ people.
“It’s dangerous existing [there],” said Greyson, who didn’t share his last name. “It was either get murdered, kill myself, or run away.” He chose the third option.
That landed him in a homeless shelter in West Oakland for the next four days. There, Greyson found something he’s never known: peers who welcomed him. “It was my first real taste of having queer family,” he said. “It was wild how many there were.”
From the shelter, Greyson went to two mental hospitals, and then a series of foster care group homes in the Bay Area. When he spoke to CityLab last month in Berkeley, he said he was about to be kicked out of the latest housing program in Walnut Creek. He hoped to find an apartment with his girlfriend. “I might actually end up homeless for a bit, which is going to suck,” he said. “It’s better than my family.”
Greyson’s story is just one in a chorus of many from trans and non-binary people who are unhoused, unsheltered, or unsure where they’ll find a place to sleep next. Though trans people only make up a fraction of a percentage of the entire population of people living in homelessness, a significant proportion of transgender Americans—about a third, according to a 2015 survey—become homeless at some point in their lives. National figures from the 2018 point-in-time (PIT) count reveal that they’re more likely to be unsheltered than other populations. And of all the trans and non-binary homeless people counted nationally, a 2018 National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) analysis found that California was home to half of them.
Nationally, an estimated 40 percent of unhoused youth in the U.S. identify as LGBTQ. In some California cities, that proportion is higher: According to San Francisco’s 2019 PIT count, 46 percent of all unhoused youth are LGBTQ, nearly a quarter of whom identify as transgender and non-binary. In Alameda County, where the latest available demographic data comes from 2017’s PIT count and where they do not specify how many youth respondents were also LGBTQ, about 0.7 percent of the total number of unhoused youth identified as transgender. Preliminary data from Alameda County’s 2019 PIT count reveals that homelessness has leaped 43 percent overall since then.
Greyson says that many queer youth, particularly those who have transitioned or plan to, become homeless the way he did—they’re either kicked out of their house, or they flee because they don’t feel safe there. “For younger people, there’s a lot of family rejection that leads to them being homeless,” said Nan Roman, president and CEO of NAEH.
But once trans and non-binary people become homeless, they’re also more likely to avoid the shelter system than cisgender peers: 48 percent of cisgender unhoused adults were counted as unsheltered in 2018, according to NAEH, compared to 56 percent of transgender unhoused adults, and more than 80 percent of non-binary unhoused adults.
“For some people, being homeless is the worst thing in the whole free world, so they think, ‘Why wouldn’t you stay in a shelter?’ But that’s a very privileged perspective,” said Christopher Rodriguez, the program manager at Castro Youth Housing Initiative with Larkin Street Youth Services, San Francisco’s organization for homeless youth. “You could be raped in a shelter.”
The connection between homelessness and sexual violence isn’t just a problem for LGBTQ people, nor is it a problem that’s less prevalent on the street: The National Runaway Switchboard estimates that within 48 hours of leaving home, a third of teens will be recruited into sex work. Rodriguez says that often, it takes just 72 hours for youth to be propositioned for sex. Many young people find life on the streets safer than shelters, and trans and non-binary people may avoid them because they’re often misgendered or forced to go to the shelter that matches their birth certificate. That can cause psychologically damaging feelings of gender dysphoria, and can compound the violence and threats from other shelter residents.
“They don’t feel like it’s clear what kind of facilities they should use, and they don’t think that the regular assessments that get used for everybody necessarily address what their problems are,” said Roman.
In 2012, the Department of Housing and Urban Development established the Equal Access rule, which was meant to stop shelters and support centers from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity. But in May, HUD published a proposed change to the rule, which would allow shelter providers to use an unhoused person’s sex to determine where to—or whether to—house them in certain sex-separated facilities, depending on each providers’ “privacy, safety, practical concerns, religious beliefs.” HUD insists that the rule would still bar discrimination based on sex or gender identity, but this could make shelter conditions a lot worse, said Roman, and push more trans and non-binary people onto the streets.
For trans people just as much as anyone else, Greyson says the core problem is intergenerational poverty and lack of affordable housing. Trans and non-binary people are particularly economically vulnerable: They’re three times more likely to make less than $10,000 per year, according to True Colors United, a national advocacy organization for LGBTQ unhoused youth; trans people of color are four times more likely to be unemployed. “Without [housing], you can’t get a job, you can’t get mail. You’re basically stuck if you’re homeless, and it’s that way on purpose,” he said. “The government and society doesn’t want people at the bottom to rise any more than they’re allowed to. I think a lot needs to change.”
How to make a safer shelter...
Bobbi, who is 23 and declined to share her last name, went up to San Francisco from San Jose last year, arriving with a few friends to visit the S.F. Art Institute. She fell in love with the city immediately—the energy, the hills, the beaches, the people, the neighborhood bars in the historic Castro neighborhood, which has long been a haven for the LGBTQ community. But outside one of those bars one night out, she and her friends were “confronted by this older white guy,” she said. There was an altercation; Bobbi defended herself, she says, and landed in jail for three months.
After her release, she turned to Larkin Street Youth Services, a San Francisco-based organization that runs housing programs and shelters for unhoused people ages 18 to 24.
For Bobbi, the shelter environment at Larkin Street’s 40-person “Lark-Inn” was just too hectic. She returned to San Jose for a time, couch-surfing and crashing where she could, as she had since she was 15. “Everything was just kind of bland there for me,” she said. “I kept thinking where was the last place where I was genuinely happy, and I kept thinking: San Francisco.” So she returned, and was re-admitted to the shelter.
For most of her life, she had identified as trans, though she kept that information mostly to herself. But when she confided in one of the shelter leaders, he told her about a new program Larkin Street was developing—a transitional house built specifically for trans homeless youth.
The Larkin Street house, a light-filled Victorian home in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, opened in March. Run by Larkin’s Castro Youth Housing Initiative, it’s the only program like it in the country, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Six trans youth ages 18 to 24 can live there at once, and can stay for up to two years, during which time they’re paired with case managers and connected with social services, job training, and education. They’re also given HIV prevention tools, supported if they choose to medically transition, and equipped with savings accounts managed by Larkin Street.
“It’s a client-led path, so the clients will tell us what they want, and we’ll help them work on it,” said Larkin Street’s Rodriguez, who is also the director of the house. “The ideal would be they go to a two-year college, work in a coffee shop in the weekends, save up some money, and at the end of two years, they’ll get their [associate] degree, we’ll give them back their savings account, they’ll move into a roommate situation with a friend that they met in our program … and just move on. And have only one experience of homelessness.”
By focusing on comprehensive support in this critical time in a young person’s life, Rodriguez says Larkin wants to reduce long-term homelessness. “Half of the chronically homeless adults were homeless when they were in the transitional age youth bracket,” he said.
Bobbi was wary of moving into such a brand-new program after the chaos of the shelter system—“I’m a bit of a control freak,” she says—but she says she feels safe there. A garden, tended to by local volunteers, blooms outside. There’s a large TV in the dining room, where Bobbi says she and her roommates gather to watch Netflix.
For those who can access it, the program could be transformative, but it has only six beds. (When CityLab visited in August, only four were taken.) In the East Bay, where Greyson lives, there are no shelters specially carved out for trans unhoused people. But even traditional shelters can retool their programming to be more inclusive of trans and non-binary people, says Roman. Along with the Equal Access Rule, HUD published guidance for shelter managers on how to use inclusive language, create appropriate facilities, and maintain confidentiality around what medication people are taking and what sex they were assigned at birth. Under the Trump administration, this guidance has been removed from HUD’s website, but it’s still up on the NAEH’s site.
More data on the magnitude of the problem is needed, Roman says, in order for there to be more resources dedicated. Point-in-time counts are infamous for undercounting all homeless populations, especially unhoused youth, who may be staying with a friend on the night the count is conducted but are still technically homeless. And trans and non-binary people are likely to be particularly wary of sharing personal information about themselves with people conducting the counts.
Roman says she was surprised that, based on NAEH’s analysis of the 2018 PIT count, transgender people were not technically disproportionately homeless: They make up 0.6 percent of the entire U.S. population, and 0.5 percent of the unhoused population. But Greyson and other trans homeless youth said that this reflects the flaws of reporting rather than the reality of the situation. “It’s wild recognizing how many people in my [trans] community are homeless, and also of color,” he said.
Transgender and non-binary people “were found in almost every state and two-thirds of the Continua of Care in the U.S,” NAEH’s analysis of 2018 PIT count data found. L.A. had the highest number of transgender people experiencing homelessness.
The concentration of unhoused LGBTQ people in California cities like L.A. and San Francisco can be explained in part by the historically welcoming nature of those places, says Rodriguez. “Everyone’s like, ‘I’m seeking safety and I came to San Francisco’ because that’s what we’re known for,” he said. “They’re often surprised that we’re in a housing crisis.”
The road to “normal”
Greyson spends a few afternoons a month at Youth Spirit Artworks, a Berkeley-based nonprofit jobs training program for homeless and low-income youth that uses art for skill-building. Warm and soft-spoken, he’s beloved there. A peer lit up when they saw him sitting at the table outside. “I love you, Greyson,” they said.
The community Greyson has found there, like the one he found in those first days at the West Oakland shelter, is another valuable source of support. It’s those kinds of connections that places like the Larkin Street transitional house want to foster, too.
“What we do here is provide mutual support from peers,” Rodriguez said. “Chosen families are very important … finding a group of friends that have something deeply in common that will come help you in the middle of the night.”
That chosen family—along with therapy—can help youth address the severe mental health issues that afflict the trans community: A 2018 American Academy of Pediatrics study found that 50 percent of adolescents (ages 11 to 19 years old) who had transitioned from male to female had attempted suicide. “Literally every trans and queer person I know has mental illness; most of it is PTSD,” said Greyson, who adds that more trans-centered housing options would help a lot. “If you’re trans you’re already turned away enough. You might as well be with people who understand the struggle you’re going through.”
After a few months in the house, Bobbi feels she’s on the right path to start a new life. “For the longest time, it was like, about surviving,” she said. “Just wondering where I was going to stay at night. This has been kind of the first time I’ve been super-stable and I feel like that’s something that’s given me the freedom to explore what I want.”
Growing up, Bobbi says, her parents were homeless; her aspirations always revolved around making a lot of money and having somewhere to stay. Now that she’s been saving up and has a roof over her head, she’s realized that “I could do so much more than that.” She’s getting her GED, and will use it to apply for a scholarship to the Arts Institute. There, Bobbi wants to study culinary arts, but she’s also exploring hair and makeup—she’s been practicing on her roommates.
“’Normal’ has such a negative connotation to it, but that’s my goal,” said Bobbi. “I want to come home after a 9-to-5 and just think about work. I want to have these things, and finally feel normal and complete.”
AUGUST 24, 2019
Transgender women, gay men aggressively removed from bar
LOS ANGELES -- A video posted online and viewed more than 36,000 times shows security guards forcibly removing a group of transgender women and gay men from a bar in downtown Los Angeles Friday, KTLA reported.
The guards at Las Perlas on 107 E. 6th St. are seen grabbing at the patrons and dragging them out of the door. At one point, a woman could be heard yelling, "don't touch me like that," as she struggled with the bouncer who was grabbing at her arms.
Another visibly distressed woman looks on at the camera as a man wraps his arm around her neck and drags her out, video shows.
The group was made up of staff and volunteers from Bienestar Human Services, a non-profit social services organization for Latino and LGBTQ groups. According to KTLA, they say they were unfairly treated because of their identity.
They were at the bar celebrating the first day of a local LGBTQ festival when they were approached by a man and a woman who "who began to aggressively misgender them, call them 'men' and shout transphobic slurs," Bienestar said in a news release.
"The group of trans women tried to de-escalate the situation, then the couple shouted and threatened the group by saying, 'We will come back and kill you,'" the non-profit said.
Police could be seen responding to the scene in another video.
The Los Angeles Police Department told KTLA that officers responded to a report of a hate crime at about 10 p.m. and took a statement from a person removed from the bar.
Las Perlas issued a statement after videos of the incident were shared online. The bar's spokesperson said that an escalated verbal altercation broke out among two groups of guests at Las Perlas.
"Our manager on duty asked both groups to leave as the safety and security of our patrons and employees is our top priority and we have zero tolerance for this type of behavior in our establishments," the statement read. "The guards removed the guests that were not compliant with the manager's request to leave and did so in accordance with company policy."
The spokesperson called the incident "rare" and "unfortunate" and said the bar has provided "an inclusive and welcoming environment."
The business said they will be donating all profits made during the LGBTQ festival to Bienestar Human Services.
The non-profit said that its members and volunteers were treated with much more aggression than the man and woman who they say started the altercation.
"While the heterosexual couple was asked to leave the establishment, the group of trans women were approached by bar security staff and eventually physically and aggressively removed from the bar," Bienestar said.
The videos shared online drew outrage from community members, some of whom said they plan to boycott Las Perlas .
“Our trans community does not feel safe, especially after our lives being threatened," said Bienestar Human Services program manager, Khloe Perez-Rios, who recorded the video of the incident. "Las Perlas must answer for how this situation was handled – and being next door to Redline, an LGBTQ-focused bar, this is unacceptable. Our community demands answers and action.”
Los Angeles saw an increase in hate crime reports last year, with members of the LGBTQ community being among the most frequently targeted groups, according to an Aug. 2018 report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.
The LAPD reported an almost 40% increase in hate incidents related to victims' sexual orientation between 2017 and 2018, according to the report.
For most of the shootings/news you guys post here, are you sure they happened because of their gender/sexual identity? A lot of people are shot and killed every day for so many reasons. I don't get it.
September 1, 2019
Truman VA leads the way in LGBTQ health care equality
Truman VA is one of merely 406 hospitals nationwide to earn the equality leader designation. The 2019 HEI evaluated more than 1,600 health care facilities in the United States, to include approximately 1,000 non-participating hospitals.
The HEI measures hospital policies and practices designed to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) inclusion, both for patients and employees. Participating facilities were evaluated in four areas: non-discrimination and staff training; services and support for LGBTQ patients; employee benefits and policies; and LGBTQ patient and community engagement. Facilities that scored the maximum of 100 points on the annual survey were designated leaders. Hospitals that scored between 80 and 95 points were named top performers.
“At Truman VA, we are committed to providing excellent health services for all our Veterans,” FACHE Director of Truman VA David Isaacks says. “I’m very proud that we have been designated an equality leader once again this year – not only for the Veterans we serve, but also for our staff. We want to ensure that Truman VA is a safe, welcoming and respectful place for everyone.”
The annual HEI survey, now in its 12th year, became more comprehensive in 2015 by scoring facilities on all their LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices. Implementing robust programming and increased training helped Truman VA meet the latest standards.
One of the health system’s most impactful equality initiatives is the Truman VA Safe Zone program. The Safe Zone program is a facility-wide initiative that promotes awareness, respect and support of LGBTQ Veteran patients and their families, hospital guests, and VA employees. To be active in the program, hospital employees must complete orientation and keep current with ongoing training. The program is led by Truman VA’s LGBTQ Veteran Care Coordinator, Beth Hager-Harrison-Prado, LCSW.
“An estimated one million Veterans who served our country with honor identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning,” said Hager-Harrison-Prado, who also is a Veteran of the U.S. Navy and served in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will. “I am proud that our leadership and our health system is committed to community equality. Being an HEI leader means that we provide the highest quality of care for LGBTQ Veterans, and we do that because it’s the right thing to do.”
Of those hospitals that did not participate in the 2019 HEI, only 67 percent had patient non-discrimination policies that include both sexual orientation and gender identity. Additionally, only 62 percent had an LGBTQ-inclusive employment non-discrimination policy.
Truman VA offers a full continuum of inpatient and outpatient health services to Veterans from 43 counties in Missouri, as well as Pike County, Illinois.
Approximately 40,000 Veterans receive health care at Truman VA each year from comprehensive services that include primary care, medical and surgical specialties, behavioral health, physical and occupational therapy, pharmacy services and more. As a referral center, Truman VA also provides cardiovascular care to include open heart surgery. Additionally, Truman VA outpatient clinic appointments exceed 400,000 visits annually.
September 03, 2019
New law requires Illinois schools teach contributions of gay, transgender people: ‘It is past time children know the names of LGBTQ+ pioneers’
When Lori Lightfoot was elected mayor of Chicago this spring, the city’s school district put together a lesson guide with ideas and resources for teaching about her inauguration — without explicitly referencing her sexual orientation.
“Chicago made history by electing our first African-American woman to serve as Mayor,” the document began.
Under a new Illinois law taking effect next year, similar guides might mention another way Chicago made history: by electing its first openly gay mayor.
The Inclusive Curriculum Law, signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Aug. 9, mandates that by the time students finish eighth grade, public schools must teach them about contributions to state and U.S. history made by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
“This law will give more young people the opportunity to see themselves in those who came before us and recognize they are not alone," Lightfoot said in a statement to the Tribune.
As students return for a new school year, new education-related laws hit the books »
That includes students like Michelle Vallet’s transgender son, who is now also more likely to learn about the civil rights struggles that led to milestones such as marriage equality and the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
Vallet, of Chicago, and other parents of LGBTQ students have pushed for curricula that show children like theirs the types of professionals they could become. To them, the law is a progressive, if vague, step forward. But some detractors see the state forcing local districts to promote an agenda that conflicts with their personal or religious beliefs.
Beyond including the contributions of LGBTQ people to arts, sciences and social movements — as some classes already do — it remains largely up to teachers and local school administrators to navigate when and how to bring up the gender identity or orientation of figures such as artist Frida Kahlo, astronaut Sally Ride and gay rights activist Marsha P. Johnson. At what age will kids understand the weight of the Stonewall riots? Is it enough to simply mention Lightfoot’s wife?
One of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Anna Moeller, an Elgin Democrat, said the mandate is “not prescriptive” and though various groups are working on guidance for how schools can start incorporating information into classrooms, the state does not plan to issue any more formal guidelines.
Helping compile resources for schools to draw from is Mark Klaisner, president of the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools. Klaisner said he wishes the requirement had more structure but hopes his office can be a conduit of information.
The law says merely that the teaching of U.S. and Illinois history in public schools “shall include a study of the roles and contributions of” LGBT people.
“Being that vague could mean a simple unit or a few lessons at one grade level in the school, which I think is insufficient,” Klaisner said. “On the other hand, we don’t want (state officials) to be too heavy-handed when they tell exactly what’s going to be said."
Though LGBTQ rights are often equated with other civil rights such as racial and gender equality, advocates still face opposition from conservative groups and in the state legislature, where the bill passed 60-42 in the House and 37-17 in the Senate.
Rep. Margo McDermed said she voted against the measure not because of its content but because it’s another state-imposed mandate on schools.
“It’s not ... that it’s not a good cause,” said McDermed, a Republican from Mokena. "It’s about our poor, beleaguered taxpayers.”
As far as McDermed is concerned, the state should erase all its mandates for schools and give districts “a clean slate,” with the possible exception of physical education requirements, she said.
Column: It’s the first day of school. Can I talk to your kids a second? I’m afraid we’re screwing this up. »
“As a matter of financial principle, I don’t think these mandates are useful or helpful to our schools,” McDermed said. “I vote against mandates no matter how worthy the topic may be, and of course this is a worthy topic, but how many mandates are there? ... There’s a list on the (Illinois State Board of Education) website. You, you just look at it and your eyes just roll back in your head.”
McDermed said more trust should go to teachers and school boards to teach children appropriately.
Moeller, however, said the mandate should not come at a cost to schools. Many advocacy and education groups already have relevant curriculum materials free online, and sponsors are trying to work with school districts and the State Board of Education on providing information, she said. A provision says that when schools spend money on new textbooks, they must be nondiscriminatory and include all people protected under the Illinois Human Rights Act.
“In the way schools have become required to teach about African Americans, Latinos, women, other marginalized communities, now they’ll also be required to include some mention, some discussion of LGBT,” Moeller said.
Lawmakers have tried before to enact similar legislation, and though passing the law reflects an advancement in civil rights, more still needs to be done, Moeller said. LGBTQ students are still more likely to be bullied, to report feeling isolated in schools and to attempt suicide, she said.
Less than a quarter of LGBTQ students in Illinois said they’d been taught positive lessons about LGBTQ people, according to the 2017 School Climate Survey by GLSEN, a national group that promotes inclusion in schools.
In some classrooms, nothing new
Illinois is the fifth state to pass this kind of measure, according to the advocacy group Equality Illinois. Colorado, New Jersey and Oregon passed similar laws this year, following the lead of California in 2011.
But LGBTQ contributions are already featured in Leslie Schock’s Advanced Placement U.S. history classes at Palatine High School, where she began her 17th year of teaching this month. It’s helped students make important connections, she said.
Inclusive curricula became more of a central focus in the past four years, after students started an equality club. The legalization of same-sex marriage, as well as the controversy over bathroom access for transgender students at Palatine High’s Township High School District 211 — the subject of a highly publicized ruling by the U.S. Department of Education and at least two lawsuits against the district — also accelerated the conversation, Schock said.
“I also work with a school that’s incredibly diverse and dedicated to making a place that’s inclusive so our students who have been marginalized can see themselves in the curriculum,” Schock said. “It’s important for students to find a connection with what they’re learning.”
In a unit called “Change Comes to America,” her class covers the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York, commonly heralded as the beginning of the gay rights movement. Students also learn about the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, and how the government responded.
“We cover a ton of ground,” Schock said. “I don’t know if we focus on the sexuality of every person involved in the movement, but more, everyone should have equal protection of law.”
Parents have been supportive, but resistance among less diverse communities wouldn’t surprise her, she said.
“That’s what happens whenever there is change or progress," she said. "But at the end of the day, the more comfortable students can feel in our classrooms who are not part of the white, straight narrative of history, the more included they feel in that discussion, the better it’s going to be for everybody.”
Teachers do tend to push back against the government determining what’s taught in classrooms, Schock said. She thinks more resources should be available, but not mandated.
Though the law mentions roles and contributions to history, it’s relevant to other subject areas, where such lessons have already found their way into schools. Bryan Meeker, who teaches biology at Garcia High School, a Chicago charter school, said he emphasizes female scientists and their discoveries and wants to include more LGBTQ contributions.
Along those lines, Meeker said he’d also love to see students in English classes reading works by Harvey Milk, a San Francisco politician and one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States before his assassination in 1978.
“I think anything that is going to include the achievements and work of LGBTQ individuals and women and minorities is a positive step for our schools,” Meeker said. “Students do better when they can see themselves, they can see this is something they can do. That representation is incredible. If you are a young gay kid and you learn about events in the civil rights movement that were led by gay folks, that’s huge."
He’s been trying to work in more people each year, such as Ride, the astronaut, who is often taught about without any mention that she was lesbian. “The work she did up in space, it had nothing to do with her sexuality, it was about her competency, her achievements,” Meeker said. But he does bring up sexual orientation, especially in units on gender and sexuality.
“I want to build this cultural competency in my students," Meeker said. "I feel like I have a responsibility to not just give them the narrative they’ve been taught.”
A year is a good amount of time to give educators to incorporate or add even more inclusive lessons, he said.
Age-appropriate
For younger students, it may make sense to introduce names and fewer details, and wait until around third grade to mention someone identified as gay or transgender, said Klaisner, of the regional superintendents group. Younger children tend to be more accepting but might not understand those labels, he said.
Because gender identity is separate from sexuality, Vallet said she doesn’t think it’s ever too early to bring up. The same way schools address race, they should talk about the LGBTQ experience, she said.
“The more we talk about what’s appropriate, the more we make these things shameful," Vallet said. “You can make everything age-appropriate. ... Normalizing these identities early is key, and I think the longer we wait, the more shame is attached."
Parents can always supplement classroom education with their own beliefs, Klaisner said.
“I think it’s important for children as they’re growing up to learn about diversity, complexity, but more importantly about compassion and about inclusion and empathy,” he said. "You don’t necessarily have to agree with somebody to still understand them.”
Klaisner also cautioned that it’s important to consider the pros and cons of using labels, which can sometimes lead to stereotyping.
“If we are going to use labels, we recognize those and find ways to (look) past those to the person, to the soul, to the identity of who that person is beyond the label," he said.
Two of Betsey Zemke’s children, an 11-year-old and a 14-year-old, identify as nonbinary and use they/them pronouns. One attends a private school in Chicago, while the other is in a public school in Skokie.
Zemke said she’s excited about the law, and for children to see a fuller picture of history.
Both Zemke and Vallet said they had become used to opposition.
“I think that a lot of parents and a lot of community members who haven’t considered the issue tend to overcomplicate it, and it really doesn’t take that much time to say, ‘This historical figure identified as gay ... or didn’t conform to gender norms,’” Zemke said. “I think people are afraid of answering the questions that come up as a result of that. ... I think they’re afraid of tackling that complexity and don’t want to explain that this person didn’t have what they would consider to be a normal, heterosexual life, and they have to give airtime to that.”
In Chicago, public school officials have already been addressing the issue in the Curriculum Equity Initiative, which will be implemented in phases starting this fall.
It calls for all curriculum to be “free from bias; fair across race, religion, ethnicity and gender; and culturally relevant with the mindful integration of diverse communities, cultures, histories and contributions. This includes attention to African-American, Latinx, Asian, indigenous people, women, LGBTQ, religious minorities (including Muslims), working class people and youth,” according to a presentation to the school board in May.
Lightfoot said she got where she is today because of others before her who fought to expand rights, opened doors and “refused to accept ‘no’ for an answer.”
“As mayor but also as a mother, I strongly support teaching LGBTQ+ history in classrooms," Lightfoot said. "Many notable figures who identified as LGBTQ+ have moved our society forward in countless ways, but our curriculums and textbooks failed to include their names and neglected their contributions. The LGBTQ+ movement strengthened social justice in America and contains countless stories of struggle and sacrifice. It is past time our children know the names of LGBTQ+ pioneers and learn how they shaped history.”
09 September 2019
‘Darling’ the Pakistani Film By Saim Sadiq Wins the Best Short Film Award At the Venice Film Festival
‘Darling’, the winner of Venice Film Festival, a Pakistani film directed by a 28-year-old filmmaker Saim Sadiq is the story of a young boy and a trans girl in Lahore.
‘Darling’ a Pakistani short film has won the best short film award at the Venice Film Festival which is one of the oldest film festivals in the world. Venice Film Festivals is also a part of the ‘Big Three’ film festivals in the worlds: Cannes, Berlin, and Venice. ‘Darling’ is also the first Pakistani film to be screened on one of the ‘Big Three’ film festivals. This film has been directed by a 28-year-old filmmaker Saim Sadiq from Lahore. The producers are Mahak Jiwani, Nadia Afgan, Fahad Nabi, and Jasmin Tennuci. Mo Azmi, who has produced the iconic films like Cake and Laal Kabootar, is the director of photography for ‘Darling.’
‘Darling’ is a homage to the transgender community in Pakistan
‘Darling’ is a story of a transgender girl Alina and a boy Abdullah from Lahore. Alina is a transgender in real life as well who made her acting debut through this film. ‘Darling’ also features the actors Meher Bano and Nadia Afgan. Nadia Afgan is also one of the producers and has a strong body of work in terms of acting and direction.
This is not Saim Sadiq’s first international recognition
According to Saim Sadiq, when he had sent the film for the submission, he had no expectations that it will be chosen for screening. The award came as a much bigger surprise. Saim Sadiq’s film ‘Nice Talking to You, was an official selection at South by Southwest 2019, Palm Springs International Shortfest 2019. He won Vimeo's Best Director award at Columbia University Film Festival 2018 hence it is not the first time Saim Sadiq has been recognized internationally.
SEP 19, 2019
Embattled Palatine high school district considers granting unrestricted locker room access for transgender students
Embattled by a four-year fight over transgender rights, a northwest suburban school district is proposing to grant transgender students unrestricted locker room access in alignment with their gender identity.
Palatine-based Township High School District 211 is scheduled to discuss the measure at a board of education meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Palatine High School, 1111 N. Rohlwing Road. No policy changes are expected to be made at the meeting.
“(In) those four years, understanding and acceptance of transgender identity have advanced — societally and in our immediate communities — for the better,” according to a statement from district Superintendent Daniel Cates.
The group D211 Parents for Privacy, which has opposed unrestricted locker room access, in a Facebook post called the proposed policy “pure insanity” and encouraged members of the community to “come out in droves” to the meeting.
“It violates the privacy and dignity and well-being of the students,” said group spokeswoman Vicki Wilson. “And rather than coming up with a solution and doing their jobs, (school district officials) have been shaming and bullying students and parents into silence for four years.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois praised the potential policy change.
“After years of resisting, we are pleased to see the district’s leadership has recognized that students who are transgender deserve to be treated fairly and equally in every way, and deserve dignity and respect in all aspects of their lives,” said a statement by ACLU attorney Ghirlandi Guidetti. “We look forward to District 211 joining the roster of schools across Illinois who provide this fair treatment for all of their students.”
The district made national headlines several years ago when a transgender teen identified as “Student A” filed a complaint against District 211 with federal authorities over locker room access; the landmark case marked the first time a school district was found to have violated Title IX based on gender identity.
Administrators agreed to let Student A use the girls locker room in accordance with her gender identity, and also installed privacy stalls.
“Our Board of Education adopted a compromise practice of granting access to the locker room of a student’s gender identity upon the student’s agreement to change clothes in a private area,” according to the superintendent’s statement. “The private changing areas would also be available to all students as desired.”
A group of parents and students filed a federal lawsuit against the school district in 2016, arguing transgender locker room access violated the rights of non-transgender students. That lawsuit was dropped in April.
In 2017, student Nova Maday filed a lawsuit claiming the district restricted her to an “unspecified private changing area within the locker room.” Maday, who graduated last year, told the Tribune in 2017 that the separate changing area singled her out and often made her late to class, impacting her grade.
“It felt humiliating,” she had said. “It really felt like they were making me stand out and pushing me off to the side, in a literal sense.”
Transgender student rights have become a flashpoint nationwide in recent years. The Obama administration in 2016 issued a controversial guidance that schools must accommodate transgender students, including permitting access to facilities based on gender identity. Then the Trump administration in 2017 rolled back those protections, saying decisions on access should be made at a local level.
District 211 serves nearly 12,000 students at five high schools and two alternative high schools, according to its website.
“In our district and countless others, students, families and staff honor, respect and celebrate all manifestations of unique differences characteristic of the human condition," the superintendent said in his statement. "Our proposed district policy reflects these advancements.”
September 24, 2019
First Transgender Library In India Opens In Madurai
As per the 2011 census, there are 4 lakh 90 thousand transgender people in India and about 21 thousand are in Tamil Nadu.
MADURAI: For the first time in India, a transgender library has been opened as part of the transgender resource centre in Viswanathapuram, Madurai, to increase awareness about ambisexual people in the country.
"Programs for alternate-sex children should be announced in the National Children''s Policy and transgender subjects should be included in the school education system," said Priya Babu, director of the transgender resource centre in Madurai.
Launched in 2016, the centre focuses on the promotion of transgender people and making people aware of the no-binary gender.
As per the 2011 census, there are 4 lakh 90 thousand transgender people in India and about 21 thousand are in Tamil Nadu.
SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
The world’s first transgender professional boxer is now the face of Everlast
Everlast, the leading brand in boxing, has chosen an unlikely athlete to be the new face of the brand.
The company picked Patricio Manuel for its “Be First” campaign. Manuel is the first transgender boxer to compete professionally.
As a woman, Manuel was a USA National Amateur Boxing Champion and was invited to compete in the 2012 Olympics trials.
However, a shoulder injury during Olympic qualifying changed everything, Everlast said in a news release.
While Manuel was recovering from the injury, he decided to transition from female to male. It proved to be the toughest fight of his life.
He was shunned and abandoned by his trainers and gym, and he had to fight the boxing commissions until they recognized regulations on transgender people in the sport, the news release said.
Against all odds, Manuel fought his way back into the sport and became the first person to compete in a professional boxing match as a transgender fighter. On December 8, 2018, Manuel climbed into the ring against Hugo Aguilar at the Fantasy Spring Resort Casino in Indio, California, and came out a winner.
The six-year journey proved to be worth the wait.
“I’m incredibly honored to have been selected to tell my story in Everlast’s Be First campaign,” Manuel tells CNN. “Everlast is such a fixture in the sport and to have such an iconic athletic company recognize me as I am — as a professional boxer who is transgender — is a dream come true.”
There may be no other fighter who embodies the campaign’s focus on challenging people to carve their own path to success better than Manuel, and he is paving the way for others to follow him.
“At a time when transgender people are being questioned whether we have a place in the sporting world or even being recognized by the world at large, for Everlast to endorse me is huge,” Manuel said. “It’s a bold statement and I think it personifies the saying ‘Be First.'”
“I really hope it pushes other companies to think outside the box. This world is so incredibly diverse, we all deserve to have our identities and stories highlighted.”
This is cool: https://www.autoweek.com/racing/a341...harlie-martin/
Transgender Racer Charlie Martin Making History
Set to race this weekend at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, Martin uses her motorsports and esports efforts as a platform to promote inclusivity.
Well, this was a no brainer:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/whi...y-ban-n1255522
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fitzcarraldo
Indeed, but it has been done -a small step forward, and one that recognizes that citizens have an equal right to serve. This was the easy one. The other aspects of transgenders and the law are more complex, I think -and this applies to the UK where I live as well as the US. But the tone is sometimes what matters, and at the top level of Goverment, you Americans are ahead of us right now.