11/29/21

Transgender newscaster Tashnuva Anan Shishir featured among Time's top 100 photos for 2021

Time featured her, flanked by co-workers during the monumental moment. 

Tashnuva Anan Shishir made history as Bangladesh's first transgender television news anchor by reading a three-minute news segment in Dhaka on March 8, International Women’s Day




 


To give you an idea about the importance of the unranked photos...

The photo preceding Shishir's is of the Gold Spa near Acworth, Ga., where a gunman killed eight people—including six women of Asian descent. The photo after her's is of President Joe Biden at the White House during a celebration of his inauguration.

Tashnuva Anan Shishir, a rights activist who previously worked with NGOs supporting transgender people and migrants became Bangladesh's first transgender news anchor. She read her first daily news bulletin for a private television channel on International Women’s Day.

The government, in 2013, allowed trans people to be recognized as a separate gender. They were allowed to register to vote as a third gender five years later.

11/26/21

India removes critical Teacher-Training Manual On Transgender-Inclusive School Education From Website

Photo by NEOSiAM 2021 from Pexels

Of the 2 million students taking their high school finals in India, only 25 are transgender.

2,097,128 Indian sophomore students registered for end-of-year exams, called class X exams, and 112,896 for the senior exams, called class XII in India.

The 2011 census, the first that included a category for Male, Female, and Other, found that there should be approximately 54,854 transgender children attending school this year.

According to the wire.in., only 19 and six transgender students registered respectively for class X and class XII exams conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in 2020.

The 2011 Census also revealed that cisgender males had the highest literacy rate of 54%. Cisgender women had the lowest literacy rate at 25.5% and "others" (a broad swath of gender nonbinary people) was found to be at 34%.

Recognising the urgency to address gender disparities in education, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in Delhi released a new publication titled Inclusion of Transgender Children in School Education: Concerns and Roadmap. It was available for anyone to download freely from the NCERT website. The project was coordinated by Dr Poonam Agrawal, Professor and former Head, Department of Gender Studies, NCERT.

The training material explained concepts such as gender identity, gender incongruence, gender dysphoria, gender affirmation, gender expression, gender conformity, gender variance, heterosexuality, homosexuality, asexuality, bisexuality, transnegativity, among various others, through a detailed glossary. It also provides definitions of terms that people use to identify themselves; some of these are gender fluid, agender, transfeminine, and transmasculine, according to First Post.

Dr Agrawal said, “The inclusion of all children is part of our mandate as an institution, so we decided to prepare training material that would sensitise teachers and teacher educators about the lived experiences, achievements, struggles, and aspirations of transgender and gender-nonconforming children. To make this happen, it was important to partner with people who belong to these communities, and are in close contact with grassroot-level realities.”

A complaint from Sanjay Vinayak Joshi, a prominent right-wing Hindu nationalist alledged that that the manual was a “criminal conspiracy...to psychologically traumatise school students under the name of gender sensitisation”. This spawned multiple vitriolic social media comments which combined resulted in the removal of the all-important teachers manual.

As a result of the complaint, the open letter claims, two of the three senior-most faculty members from the NCERT’s Department of Gender Studies who helped design the first-of-its-kind manual were transferred to other departments.

Over 700 LGBT groups, teachers, and individuals have signed an open letter decrying the removal of the manual and in support of those who were transferred from positions of leadership following its publication.

The manual, titled ‘Inclusion of Transgender Children in School Education: Concerns and Roadmap’, was produced by a group involving Poonam Agrawal, professor and former Head of the NCERT’s Department of Gender Studies; Mona Yadav, professor and Head of the Department of Gender Studies; Mily Roy Anand, Professor in the Department of Gender Studies of the NCERT; Rajesh, who is a professor in the Department of Adult and Continuing Education and Extension at the University of Delhi; L. Ramakrishnan, Vice-President of Solidarity and Action Against the HIV Infection in India (SAATHII); Bittu Rajaraman-Kondaiah, Associate Professor of Biology and Psychology at Ashoka University; Manvi Arora, independent researcher; Priya Babu, Managing Trustee at Transgender Resource Centre, Madurai; Vikramaditya Sahai, Associate at the Centre for Law and Policy Research (CLPR), Bengaluru; Astha Priyadarshini, Junior Project Fellow; and Pawan Kumar, Desktop Publishing operator.

The document is the outcome of the NCERT’s engagement with gender and sexuality-related questions following the Supreme Court’s NALSA judgment in 2014. The manual, formulated by the Department of Gender Studies of the NCERT, was meant to sensitize teachers and teacher educators to the needs of transgender or gender non-conforming students in schools, focusing on helping them integrate so as to improve their access to education.

11/25/21

Dave Chappelle tells students "I'm better than all of you" during surprise visit to his old high school

 

Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle / Instagram


A NOT-SO WELCOME HOMECOMING — DAVE CHAPPELLE made a surprise stop by D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts on Tuesday in the latest chapter of the running saga with his alma mater.


A NOT-SO WELCOME HOMECOMING — DAVE CHAPPELLE made a surprise stop by D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts on Tuesday in the latest chapter of the running saga with his alma mater, as retold by Politico Playbook

But if the self-proclaimed GOAT hoped to smooth things over amid the backlash over his jokes about transgender people, he was in for a surprise of his own.

Some 580 students packed into an auditorium to hear their school’s most famous alumnus discuss the uproar triggered by his Netflix special “The Closer.” With a camera crew in tow, Chappelle took the stage to a raucous reception of cheers and some boos — and the hourlong session went south from there, we’re told.

During a Q&A session, one student stepped to the mic and called Chappelle a “bigot,” adding, “I’m 16 and I think you’re childish, you handled it like a child,” according to two students present. The comments were confirmed by Chappelle’s spokesperson CARLA SIMS.

NO APOLOGIES: Chappelle responded, as recalled the next day by the students, “My friend, with all due respect, I don’t believe you could make one of the decisions I have to make on a given day.” That peeved some students who were hoping for an apology or some semblance of one from Chappelle.

In response to another antagonistic question, Chappelle roughly told the student body of artists: “I’m better than every instrumentalist, artist, no matter what art you do in this school, right now, I’m better than all of you. I’m sure that will change. I’m sure you’ll be household names soon.”

The students recalled that another student in the audience shouted at him, “Your comedy kills,” and Chappelle shot back, “N------ are killed every day.” He then asked, “The media’s not here, right?”

ONE DISTURBED PARENT: The two students we spoke to declined to go on the record out of fear of retribution from the school. The father of one of the students, who also declined to speak publicly to protect the identity of his daughter, said, “As a parent, I have to say I have a real problem. … He was being dead serious and using the n-word on the record. What kind of judgment is the school showing to allow that?”

Sims, the Chappelle spokesperson, responded: “They are complaining that he talked and said the n-word. If anything, Dave is putting the school on the map.” Chappelle has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Duke Ellington and brought A-list celebrities such as BRADLEY COOPER and CHRIS TUCKER to its campus.

The two students who spoke to Playbook said they were afraid to speak up at the assembly because Chappelle often laughed at students’ questions or responded with jokes. At one point, after a student left the assembly room, Chappelle singled her out by saying, “Of course she left early.”

Sims said that person “couldn’t even entertain the idea of a conversation.”

Some students were equally put off by Chappelle.

“He could tell we were nervous,” said one of the students we spoke with. “It was a huge power imbalance of this grown man and his camera crew — and these 14- to 18 year-olds without their phones, just high school kids.” Students had to lock their phones in special pouches beforehand to prevent recordings.

A spokesperson for the school said that about eight students came forward to ask questions.

“During the conversation with students and staff, Chappelle specifically invited the voices of discontent to ask questions, however as a result, the supporters of Chappelle became the silent majority,” said Duke Ellington spokesperson SAVANNAH OVERTON.

“Our principal was approached by several students after the assembly who were disappointed that they were not able to voice their support for Chappelle in this forum.”

NO HARD FEELINGS: According to the students, Chappelle seemed to soften up as he wound down. Turning to the camera, he spoke out against death threats some students have received since protesting him. The school has responded by increasing security and barring students from leaving campus for lunch.

“His whole tone changed,” one of the students said. “He said, ‘This is my family and whether they know it or not I love these kids. … I don’t want to hear about any threats to these kids. These kids don’t deserve that.’”

“He was really kind,” the student added. “If [only] he [had] acted that way the whole time. … There was no reason to be mean to us. He was just laughing at kids.”

A PARTING GIFT: Sims said Chappelle was expecting forgiveness from students, not to offer an apology of his own. The school postponed an event to name its theater after him amid concern about student reactions to his special.

“He said these kids deserve an F for forgiveness,” Sims said. But, “Give them some space to grow. They are going to say things that are immature.”

On his way out, Chappelle gave three tickets to each of the students for the screening of his documentary “Untitled” at Capital One Arena that night and 600 Thanksgiving meals for students and staff.

Correction: This item has been updated to reflect new information regarding the status of an event for Duke Ellington with Chappelle to raise money and rename the school’s theater.

11/23/21

Eddie Redmayne regrets playing Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl

Lili Elbe in 1926. She was one of the first known people to have undergone gender alignment surgery. Lili died at the age of 49 after a failed uterus transplant.
 

Eddie Redmayne told the Sunday Times that taking the role of Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl was a "mistake".

In the interview (behind a paywall) he lamented:

“No, I wouldn’t take it on now. I made that film with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake."


 “The bigger discussion about the frustrations around casting is because many people don’t have a chair at the table. There must be a levelling, otherwise we are going to carry on having these debates.”

Not an apology. A personal regret.

Redmayne did not express regret for the unnecessary pain, frustration that he caused the transgender community.

He did not acknowledge the schism that he widened within the transgender community. Some trans people welcomed him playing a transgender character insisting that cultural acceptance is incremental and not a sprint.

Some like myself hate it when high-profile roles like that are doled out to sucessfull cisgender actors without so much as a casting call for transgender actors.

In my opinion, a transgender person can bring a tangible substance to the part because of their life experiences, where it was painfully obvious that Redmayne failed to do that in The Danish Girl. But in all honesty you need to be trans to notice that.

Trans lives matter and that is not up for debate. That being said we welcome him acknowledging that taking a transgender role, hopefully, any transgender part by a cisgender actor is a mistake.

Chile just elected its first transgender woman to Congress

Emilia Schneider
Emilia Schneider / Facebook

Transgender woman Emilia Schneider was elected on Sunday to the Chamber of Deputies making her the first trans person to hold office in the lower house of Chile's bicameral Congress.

Born in 1996 in Santiago de Chile, Emilia Schneider is the great-granddaughter of General René Schneider, who was Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army between 1969 and 1970, the year in which he was assassinated for his defense of the Constitution, known as the Schneider Doctrine

.

She completed her primary and secondary studies at the Latin American Integration College, an educational establishment close to the Chilean political left. Upon graduating from high school, she entered the Law degree at the University of Chile. She was a spokesperson for the Feminist Taking of the Faculty of Law during the feminist demonstrations in Chile in 2018, being the first trans woman to be a spokesperson for the 8M Feminist Assembly.

"This is a day of mixed feelings." Schneider tweeted, "On the one hand, hate advances On the other, there is hope. I want to thank you for all your support, and today I am humbled and honored to be the first trans deputy of Chile. This is a step thanks to years of feminist and dissident struggle"

The strongest finisher in the priliminary elections for president, José Antonio Kast, is a vocal opponent of the femimist movement and most importantly for the trans community, the gender idenity law which allows trans people 14 and older to change their identification documents without first undergoing surgery.

“Our dignity as women and as sexual diversities is at risk. Kast's program, even if he says otherwise, says to go back on issues such as the gender identity law, so that trans people stop having the rights to our identity and repeal the abortion law on three grounds ”, she added.

 

11/22/21

Denton Transgender storytime Book reading a huge success despite 6 protesters across the street

Having never gone to a children's storytime book reading I was curious as to why republican Texas Gov. Abbott, would be so offended by them.

The reading on Saturday took place at a local establishment instead of the library as they normally do three times a year. This came after the library staff said they noticed threats of violence posted in comments by out-of-state and local extremists.

Texas Republicans threatening violence forces the cancelation of "story time" a TDoR event at a Denton Library

About 150 people attended according to the facebook event page. I would estimate more that that since so many were children brought by their parents.

It was a simple joyous affair. I felt welcomed and safe as I entered the cafe, a feeling that has become very rare in Texas.

Outside a man holding a megaphone was blasting prerecorded random religious messages. And at the very end of that block far away from the the eyes and ears of the children, 3 people were holding signs accusing the Denton library of promoting pedophilia.

A huge thank you to the Denton Police Department. Officers outnumbered the right wing extremists 10 to 1 and allowed the book reading to be what it was meant to be, an event for children.

11/21/21

Meet Max Appenroth the first trans person to compete for the title of Mr Gay Germany

Mr. Gay Germany
Max Appenroth / Instagram

Meet Max Appenroth, they/them/theirs, the first trans person to successfully reach the preliminary round of the Mr. Gay Germany Competition.

Max Appenroth is a trans activist and diversity consultant from Berlin. They are currently enrolled in a doctorate program at the Institute for Public Health of the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

Last Sunday Max wrote on Facebook:

On Sunday, I want to share some good news with you: I made it the first trans person among the last 12 in the race to choose Mr Gay Germany! 🥳🏳️ ⚧️🌈👍🏽 It is a great honor for me to represent my community here at this contest. Mr Gay Germany is about way more than just looking good. All candidates need to start a community campaign and present it to a jury. The whole thing then falls down the biggest weight even when the decision at the end. With my #ProudToBeAlive campaign, I want to draw attention to the enormous high suicide rate among lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, inter & asexual (LSBTQIA+) youth and young adults. It makes me terribly sad to see how many LSBTQIA+ kids seem to see no other way out than death. I have concrete ideas on how to improve the situation here and support the next generations Queers. But please read more in my interview with queer.de 🥰

Max wrote on the Instgram below:  "In the year we remember the victims of violence in my community. 375 trans people died violently worldwide in the past year. The number has never been higher and most of the murdered were trans women of color. 
The actual number of murder cases is likely to be significantly higher, since many of the acts of violence are never discovered or adequately recorded. The violence against trans people must come to an end! 
We are people who deserve love, respect and recognition and have a right to our life in freedom. To experience love and protection is unfortunately not a matter of course for us trans people. That's why I'm so incredibly grateful for the support I have from my family, friends, community and my husband Idàn. They give me the strength to keep fighting for equality in my community every day."

Max understands from personal experience that their competing for the title of Mr. Gay German would be received well by most of the LGBTQI community, but would be seen as an affront by others.

Trans people overwhelmingly welcome their advocacy. We understand that sexual orientation and gender expression are two different things entirely.

queer.de spoke to Max about their participation, hostility in the scene, and his #ProudToBeAlive campaign.

As a trans applicant, did you experience hostility?

As a trans person, I experience discrimination every day. In fact, unfortunately, again and again from the (cis) gay community. To some, my identity doesn't seem entirely tangible. That is completely ok, but no reason to isolate myself, to hostile me or to threaten me with violence. Even if someone doesn't understand my identity, that doesn't make my feelings about it any less real. I don't always understand everything either, but I generally accept it as long as no one else is harmed. I would like that from society too, because through my being and my identity I simply do not take anything away from anyone.

Which community project are you going into the Mr. Gay Germany preliminary round from November 26th to 28th?
With my campaign #ProudToBeAlive I want to draw attention to the enormously high suicide rates among lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, inter and asexual adolescents and young adults. It makes me terribly sad to see how many LGBTQIA + kids seem to see no other way out than death. As some studies have already shown, suicidality is extremely high, especially in LGBTQIA + 13-17 year olds, and trans people are even more affected by it. Since I'm currently doing a trans-empowering children's book anywaypublish, on the one hand I would like to achieve more visibility of queer ways of life in books for children and young people, so that queer children and young people can find themselves there and simply see that they are not alone. On the other hand, I would like to do active suicide prevention work by creating a professional and continuous crisis hotline for LGBTQIA + adolescents and young adults in order to give the coming generations of our community support, strength and hope for a better future.

11/19/21

Watch as Transgender Woman Amy Schneider Becomes New ‘Jeopardy!’ Champion

Amy Schneider Becomes New ‘Jeopardy!’ Champion



Amy Schneider, a transgender woman from Oakland, California, has just become the new Jeopardy! champion — and by a landslide, too, UPROXX reveals. The engineering manager earned the title (and a whopping $31, 600 in winnings) on November 17, putting an end to five-time champion Andrew He’s winning streak.

Ultimately, Schneider secured her big win when she was the sole contestant to correctly answer the final Jeopardy! question (“A cemetery on this island has the graves of Robert Fulton and 2 of the first 4 treasury secretaries,” “Manhattan”), demolishing the lead He had on her going into the final round.

Schneider was quick to thank the “handful” of transgender contestants that came before her for “blazing the trail,” before also acknowledging the success of former champion Kate Freeman, who won the competition December 16, 2020 and subsequently became the first openly trans person to win the game.

YI, I am not the first out trans person to appear on Jeopardy (a few friends have asked). There have been a handful before, including one, Kate Freeman, who was the first out trans champion on 12/16/20. My thanks to all of them for blazing the trail!

11/17/21

Texas Republicans threatening violence forces the cancelation of "story time" a TDoR event at a Denton Library



Texas Gov. Greg Abbott taking a page from Fahrenheit 451 has encouraged local extremists to remove 850 books from libraries that mention race or have gay or transgender characters. Out of state anti-LGBTQ groups have weighed in inciting threats of violence against the Denton Library staff and those who planned to attend a reading on November 20, 2021.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has asked education leaders to investigate what pornography may be available in public schools. He didn’t clarify what he considers to be pornography. His ask comes just days after State Representative Matt Krause released a list of 850 books, hoping to find out if any of the 850 titles – mostly about race and sexuality -- are in Texas public schools.

Citing safety concerns for the staff at North Branch Library and patrons who planned to attend Rainbow Family StoryTime this Saturday, Denton officials announced Monday afternoon that the event — which was to fall on Transgender Day of Remembrance — was canceled. Director of Libraries Jennifer Bekker said in an interview Monday that critics from Denton and beyond mistakenly believed the program was intended to indoctrinate its young audience — ages 2 to 8 — about transgender issues.






 When Bekker and her staff noticed social media comments referring to violence over the weekend, she and city officials determined that canceling the event was in the best interest of patron and staff safety. 

  The three books that were to be read at the canceled storytime —

Red: A Crayon’s Story, by Michael Hall, "A blue crayon mistakenly labeled as "red" suffers an identity crisis. Red is a story about being true to your inner self and following your own path despite obstacles that may come your way.

  I’m a Girl by Yasmeen Ismail is about a little girl who's spontaneous, fast, and strong, and loves winning. Sometimes she's mistaken for a boy, but she definitely isn't one! When she meets a boy who likes wearing princess dresses and playing dolls, they quickly discover shared interests and a wonderful friendship. 

  What Riley Wore by Elana K. Arnold — is a charming picture book, a gentle exploration of self-expression, and a source of encouragement for being true to oneself despite the expectations of others. 

 None of the books directly reference or mention sexual orientation or gender. But each title explores the idea of difference, and together the books promote self-acceptance and accepting differences.

 “Denton’s not going to stand for bigotry and hate, plain and simple,” said Denton resident Amber Briggle, the mom of a transgender son and a prominent proponent of transgender equality in Texas. 

Mayor Pro Tem Paul Meltzer - Denton City Council, reads a "Red Crayon" and ads 'pro crayon' to his platform.

 According to the Facebook event page the reading has been moved to the Armadillo Ale Works, Denton Texas, beginning at 11:00 am Saturday, November 20, 2021.

 She said she changed the reading program a little. Attendees will still get to hear Red: A Crayon’s Story, but they’ll hear a brand-new book, Calvin, by JR and Vanessa Ford, based on the story of their transgender son.

11/16/21

How climbing helped this transgender athlete explore their identity

Lor Sabourin climbing Arizona's "Cousin of Death"



  Rock climbing is physically and mentally demanding, but for Lor Sabourin, it represents much more than just sport. Being a trans climber, Sabourin welcomes the vulnerability that climbing forces you to confront. #CNN #News


 

The CNN video on Youtube was downvoted by an overwhelming number of biggots and haters. They made it clear by their comments that they are cowards and afraid of trans people who are able to accomplish their goals.

The full version of the video below is well worth watching.

The approximate line of Cousin of Death (5.13+, 5 pitches) in northern Arizona. [Photo] Lor Sabourin

On Nov 29, 2020, Lor Sabourin made a no-falls free ascent of the trad-climbing testpiece, Cousin of Death—a five pitch, 5.13+ in northern Arizona (Apache, Hopi, Pueblo and Hohokam territory). Three of the route's five pitches are 5.13b or harder. Lor's climb was the first integral ascent of the route (the individual pitches were all freed last year by local climber, Joel Unema, who established the route with Blake McCord a few years ago).

11/15/21

Students enraged over proposed renaming of Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Chappelle's alma mater

Duke Ellington School of the Arts


Students from David Chappelle's high school alma mater, Duke Ellington School of the Arts are enraged that the school could be bought off by him, and have promised direct action should the school proceed as planned. 

 LGBTQI and allied students at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts have promised a walkout over a planned fundraiser and renaming of the school in light of Chappelle's last special 'the closer'.

They have ended, at least temporarily, the administration's plan to rename the school after Chappelle in exchange for his donations, which the school stated was in the millions of dollars.

According to The Washington Post the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, in Northwest D.C., will postpone renaming its theater after comedian Dave Chappelle, one of the school’s most famous graduates, amid concerns from students about his recent Netflix special, the school said in a statement Friday. 

A dedication was originally planned for Nov. 23. But the school said in a statement that “moving forward with the event … without first addressing questions and concerns from members of the Ellington Community would be a missed opportunity for a teachable moment.”

While LGBTQ organizations, Netflix employees and some Duke Ellington students have criticized Chappelle’s latest special, “The Closer,” for his comments about transgender people and the LGBTQ community, the renaming of the theater will go forward on April 22, the school said..

Teachable moment = Force art students to accept the administration's opinion or face expulsion. #MoneyMatters more than #BlackTransLivesMatter

TDoR 2021 the deadliest of years: The US has become a slaughterhouse for trans people

Chappelle speaking as if from personal experience skewered transgender vaginas as  'beyond pussy' and 'pussy 2.0' much to the delight of his audience.

Meet Daphne Dorman, The Trans woman who Killed Herself After Dave Chappelle Humiliated Her

A beautiful young transgender woman took her life shortly after Chappell befriended and had her open for him, then beat down on her in an earlier performance. 

National Black Justice Coalition Urge Netflix to Remove Dave Chappelle’s ‘The Closer’ Special 

Chappell self-identified in the closer as a member of 'Team TERF' which is an acronym for Transgender Exclusionary Radical Feminist. The irony of this is TERFs hate the name or being pigeonholed into an agenda. And by doing so while beating down on transgender people Chappelle was attacking the very base of his audience.

 Petition: Remove Dave Chappelle's special 'The Closer' from Netflix 

Later Chappelle crowed about his sell-out crowd during his first appearance following 'the closer'.

However, he shouldn't get too used to that since TERFs comprise a tiny minority of feminists and white supremacists who applaud his bashing of LGBT people on line, won't be buying tickets for future performances for obvious reasons.

11/13/21

TDoR 2021 the deadliest of years: The US has become a slaughterhouse for trans people

The 2020-2021 Transgender Europe TDoR list can be seen here on PDF

Transgender Europe the source for our Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) list announced yesterday that there were more trans murders this year than ever before.

The TDoR occurs on November 20 yearly which is the day when our community comes together to remember our murdered.

The US is a slaughterhouse for transgender and gender diverse people with last year's total of 36 nearly doubling to 54 violent murders for the 2021 TDoR and a mind-boggling total of 70 wrongful deaths that include suicide, medical, incarceration, and unreported.

The hardest part is that 89% of those murdered in the US were transgender women of color. And most of those murders were committed by people they knew while in their homes or on the street.
  • 375 trans and gender-diverse people were murdered, 7% more than in the TMM update 2020;
  • Cases from Greece, Kazakhstan, and Malawi were reported for the first time;
  • 96% of those murdered globally were trans women or transfeminine people;
  • 58% of murdered trans people whose occupation is known were sex workers;
  • Murders of trans people in the United States have doubled from last year; people of colour make up 89% of the 53 trans people murdered;
  • 43% of the trans people murdered in Europe were migrants;
  • 70% of all the murders registered happened in Central and South America; 33% in Brazil;
  • 36% of the murders took place on the street and 24% in their own residence;
  • The average age of those murdered is 30 years old; the youngest being 13 years old and the oldest 68 years old.

Data indicate a worrying trend when it comes to the intersections of misogyny, racism, xenophobia, and hate towards sex workers, with the majority of victims being Black and migrant trans women of colour, and trans sex workers. These numbers are just a small glimpse of the reality on the ground. The majority of the data was collected from countries with an established network of trans and LGBTIQ organisations that conduct the monitoring. In most countries, data is not systematically collected. Most cases continue to go unreported and, when reported, receive very little attention.

The TransLivesProject Remebering our Dead reports that three of the names are duplicated which is comendable gevin the task at hand.

Transgender protest of BBC London Set for Saturday January 8, 2022

Protest happening at this moment outside of BBC Sussex / Credit Trans Pride Brighton

The outrage over the BBC publishing a transphobic article promoting lies about us burns deeply within our souls. A number of spontaneous protests have popped up across the UK but for the most part, those actions have gone unreported.

Vice: LGBTQ Employees Are Quitting the BBC Because They Say It’s Transphobic. - VICE World News received a leaked recording of a heated “listening session” for LGBTQ BBC staff, and heard from ex-employees about why they have left the UK’s national broadcaster.

One thing we can all agree on is that we need a response that will be impossible to ignore. Historically Britain has spread hate for us through colonialism across the globe, causing untold misery and violence against our tiny and previously powerless minority.

We must make it clear to the BBC that we will stand for this no more.

A Transgender protest of the BBC has been Scheduled for Saturday, January 8th, 2022. This will allow for proper planning and media coverage. Will you join us?

11/12/21

Police seek information about the murder of Tampa trans woman Jenny De Leon

Jenny De Leon
Jenny De Leon / 

Officers found 25-year-old transgender woman Jenny De Leon, dead around 6am in the 8500 block of 9th Street, Tampa, Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021.

Police are treating her death as a homicide.

Detectives need tips to help bring the person or people responsible for her death to justice. If you know anything about Jenny’s death or have any information about suspicious circumstances in the early morning hours of November 2, 2021, please call Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay, Inc. at 1-800-873-8477. Case# 21-463329

Jenny, a homeless woman who was often seen in the Sulpher Springs area of Tampa had sought assistance from Tampa PFAG which posted about her on Facebook:

 "PFLAG Tampa is devastated to hear of the recent murder of Jenny De Leon,” the organization shared following the news. “Jenny, like many of the youth we encounter, attended our chapter meetings seeking support in the beginning of her transition, ultimately finding placement in a home through two PFLAG Tampa members. Jenny was an enigmatic, bright soul with enough energy to fill any room."

Viewing will be held on Saturday, November 13, by the family which is attempting to raise enough money to pay for it. So far the family has raised a small portion of the 13,000 dollar goal. Any assistance with this would be highly appreciated.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, November 13th 2021 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the Boza & Roel Funeral Hom (4730 N Armenia Ave, Tampa, FL 33603). A funeral service will be held on Saturday, November 13th 2021 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the same location.

Please consider donating to her sister's Facebook Fundraiser, and give Jenny and her family the help that they need. 

 R.I.P. Jenny De Leon

11/11/21

14-Year-Old Transgender Student Attacked in School Hallway left with a concussion

Armstrong High school Pa

A disturbing video has emerged showing transgender student Willow Andring being attacked from behind by a boy who then beat her in a hallway. The October 27 attack at Armstrong High school left her with a concussion and the nation in shock.

 

One person who identified as a parent with 5 children blamed the attack on Andring. Her Facebook profile also pushes the big lie and anti-vax propaganda. Donna Bates wrote:

"Im the parent of 3 boys and 2 girls and no I never made excuses for my kids,I made sure they took ownership of their actions . The problem is parents encourage their kids to do whatever it takes to be the victim and unfortunately that includes hormone therapy, race pity, and mental health. I don't agree with bullying or violence but it's not right to label one child as such along with saying he's abusive to girls while the other child is said to have been the bully and is not biologically a girl . It's a fantasy world that is discriminating against those who live in reality."

Following that attack Armstrong district school students grades 7-12 were banned from hocky games for the rest of the year after students chanted "she's a whore" at the opposing school female goaly during a game.


Armstrong's principal, Kirk Lorigan, said school officials were “appalled and embarrassed” and he was “disgusted” that parents and security guards did nothing to stop the chants. He apologized to the player, the team and the Mars community, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. 


 Lorigan said that officials were still investigating but that “appropriate school discipline has been used." The Post-Gazette reported that he declined to say Thursday night whether suspensions were imposed. 

The school board also didn't specify disciplinary measures. It was unclear whether discipline was imposed only on students.

Armstrong County commissioners, however, extended the ban on students in grades nine to 12 attending hockey games at the Belmont complex to include grades seven and eight, as well. In addition, high school administrators have demanded that the Armstrong hockey association hire two security guards for all future games. 

 High school hockey in western Pennsylvania is not a school-sponsored sport, but a club sport run by parents and boosters at each school.


11/8/21

First Out Australian Footballer Joshua Cavallo just scored against the LGB Alliance

Joshua Cavallo
Joshua Cavallo made history this year when he announced that he is gay, becoming the first major league Australian footballer to do so.



The LGB alliance, a motley group of TERFs sought to cement an alliance with Cavallo, but he would have none of that. Cavallo in a reply to the LGB alliance stated it quite succinctly: 

 

I learned about this because I follow Terra Field, the Netflix engineer who was briefly suspended for bringing attention to the oppressive and transphobic conditions at her workplace: re TERF Dave Chappelle 

 And to be honest as a member of the unwashed masses I had to look up praxis, which in this case means translating an idea into practice.

 Very nicely done all. #lgbwiththet #LGBT

11/7/21

Supreme Court Lets Stand a ruling Dignity Health Discriminated Against a Transgender Man

Evan Minton
Evan Minton / LGBTQ Nation

 

The Supreme Court declined to wade into a case involving transgender rights and leaving in place a lower court decision against a Catholic hospital that wouldn’t allow a transgender man to have a hysterectomy there AP Reports.
   


 Evan Minton’s doctor had scheduled the hysterectomy to be performed at Mercy San Juan Medical Center on August 30, 2016, as part of Minton’s gender transition GCN Repoers. Mercy San Juan is one of many hospitals owned by Dignity Health. When the hospital learned that the procedure was for purposes of gender transition, it canceled the procedure, informing the doctor that she would “never” be allowed to perform a hysterectomy on Minton at Mercy because “it was scheduled as part of a course of treatment for gender dysphoria, as opposed to any other medical diagnosis,” and this violated Catholic principles.

 The high court turned away the case Monday without comment, as is typical. Three conservative justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch — said they would have heard the case.

 Mercy San Juan Medical Center near Sacramento declined to allow the procedure to be performed at its facility saying it was an “elective sterilization” that violated the hospital’s ethical and religious obligations.

 Minton, got the surgery three days later at a different hospital. He sued under a California law that bars discrimination. A trial court agreed with the hospital that a three-day delay in the procedure did not involve a denial of “full and equal” access to health care under California law. An appeals court reversed that decision.

11/6/21

Three Men Arrested For the Beating of a Corvallis Transgender woman

(From left to right: Dylan Guido, Riley Westbrooks, Kyle Rackley)

 Three men have been arrested and charged with a hate crime for the October 24th beating of transgender woman Charlotte Osieczanek, an overnight 7-Eleven clerk in Corvallis Oregon.

  • Dylan Guido, 21, of Roseburg was charged with first-degree bias crime and third-degree assault.
  • Riley Westbrooks, 21, of Myrtle Creek was charged with first-degree bias crime and third-degree assault
  • Kyle Rackley, 22, of Sutherlin was charged with third-degree assault.

  • A bias crime in the first degree is a Class C felony. Third-degree assault in Oregon is a Class C felony that has consequences of up to 5 years of jail time and up to $125,000 in fines.

     Dylan Guido and Riley Westbrooks are charged with Bias Crime in the First Degree for "intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causing physical injury to another person because of the person’s perception of the other person’s race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or national origin."

     The transgender community was deeply concerned that Corvallis police were not pursuing the case as diligently as they would have if a cisgender person had been the victim.

    Two images of the assailants were widely disseminated on Twitter entering the 7-11 the day the crime occurred. The entire attack was well documented by the store's security cameras. And two of the suspects were named on Twitter leaving many to wonder why the men were not taken into custody immediately.

     Chief Nick Hurley thanked the public for their help and issued the following statement:

     "Corvallis PD takes all cases of hate and violence seriously and our Officers and Detectives have been working on this case since it was reported. CPD’s commitment to our community is to conduct professional and impartial investigations recognizing the community’s concern for safety and justice. We extend our thanks to the members of the community who stood up to hate and assisted us in identifying the individuals involved in this case." 

     Oregon State University confirmed on Twitter that one of the people arrested was a student there until May 2020.

    11/3/21

    Transgender woman's throat slashed in Tbilisi, Georgia, suspect arrested

    Photo / rustavi2.ge/ka/news

      On the night of November 1, 2021, a 38-year-old transwoman by the name of A.G. was murdered in a Thai massage salon in Tbilisi, Georgia. 

    The suspect stabbed her in her throat after she refused to provide services not offered by the business.

    Employees of the center recall the incident in detail. They recount that a confrontation took place between the massage specialist and the customer after the customer requested additional services in addition to the massage, which he was refused.

     "Everything happened very quickly, someone knocked, the girl opened it, then a man stabbed her in the throat. We did not know this man before, we had not seen him. It happened, we know nothing more. The dead girl had no problem with anyone, she was a very good person." - said one of the employees of the center.
    Photo / Front News 
    Front News reports that Georgian police have arrested 23-year-old man for stabbing a 38-year-old Thai transgender woman in one of the massage centres in central Tbilisi on Sunday and for injuring another transgender woman in the same centre. 

     The detainee, who is allegedly a citizen of Georgia, has been charged with premeditated murder and may face 7 to 15 years in prsion if found guilty.

    The massage centre employees say that the citizen of Thailand arrived in Georgia two weeks ago. They said that three individuals came to the centre on October 31 and left after some time. However, one of them, who allegedly was denied to receive a particular service, returned with a knife and stabbed two employees of the centre.

    The health condition of another injured transgender woman is stable.