Video: Issak Wolf Addresses The Red Lion School Board Meeting

Transgender senior Issak Wolfe stood up in front of the the Red Lion School Board June 16th reminding them "You are dealing with a flesh and blood human being not just a story in the paper, not just a thorn in your side."
Issak knows from experience how painful it is to be bullied by people in authority. His high school principal changed his campaign from prom king to queen without telling. If that wasn't bad enough the school board is persisting in lying to Issak and his supporters saying it would be against the the law for them to read his male name at graduation.

Issak drives the point home "Reading my male name at graduation wouldn't hurt anyone but reading my female name serves no purpose other than to hurt me more. Is it more important to push around a teenager than to make the school a safer place for all students?

PA Title 22 Education Code does not require schools to read a students legal name at graduation and the Red Lion School District has nothing in writing making that a requirement.

Issak isn't asking them to put his male name on his diploma or alter the official records. He's simply asking to be recognized on graduation for who he is.

CLICK HERE for video in new window

You can help take the sting out of Isaak's graduation by signing his Graduation card.

Kudos to WPMT FOX43. Every story this station has published about Issak has been presented in the highest tradition of journalism and amazingly they just keep getting better with each report. Thank you.

Read more at Red Lion transgender student wants male name read at graduation

Transgender Woman and Two Men Arrested For Norwalk CT Robbery and Beating

 

 

A trans woman and her boyfriend from Bridgeport CT were arrested for a February robbery according to the "Hour's" problematic headline "Warrant: Transvestite and boyfriend beat man until he was blind in one eye". It is not clear how the Hour ascertained with any degree of certainty that Karma is a 'transvestite'. The HOUR is the only news source I could find that is reporting on the arrests.

The Hour reports:

"Milton "Mel" Hudson, 53, of 36 Kossuth St., and Lucinda Karma, 35, of 554 Soundview Ave., Bridgeport, both face charges of first-degree assault, second-degree robbery, conspiracy to commit first-degree assault and conspiracy to commit second-degree robbery. Juan "Cody" Jimenez, 37, of 21 Taylor Ave., is charged with second-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit second-degree robbery."

"Hudson and Karma were arrested Sunday, and Jimenez was arrested Saturday. All three suspects were unable to make their bonds after their arraignment Monday at Norwalk Superior Court and are being held at the Bridgeport Correctional Center, a prison for men. Their next court date is June 6."

"Hudson told police that he assaulted the victim, because he was defending the honor of his transvestite girlfriend Karma, police said."

"Hudson claimed that the victim had touched Karma's buttocks, police said. Karma admitted to telling Hudson to assault the victim, stating that the victim had touched Karma inappropriately, according to police."

"Both Hudson and Karma said Jimenez went through the victim's pockets after Hudson knocked out the victim, police said. Court documents show that Karma positively identified Jimenez as the third suspect."

Read more at The Hour.

Why not just let a sleeping dog lie, after all the Hour mug shots of Karma doesn't portray her as female? There has already been confessions made and some degree of culpability established and as a community we have to confront the good, the bad and the ugly fearlessly or faux and others will do it for us.

South Carolina Sued over failed sex assignment surgery on 16 Month old Intersex Infant

A South Carolina Couple who's adopted intersex infant was operated on without their knowledge just three months before they took custody to 'correct' ambiguous genital are suing saying the gender that was assigned was wrong.

Pam and Mark Crawford's first of a kind lawsuit alleges the doctors couldn't have known which gender the 16 month old known only as "M.C.", would identify as later in life when they modified his genitalia to appear female. Now that M.C. is 8 years old and identifies as male his female genitalia is causing him great distress.

South Carolina does not change gender on Birth Certificates but it is not clear if that will be affected by this lawsuit.

The Crawford began raising M.C. as a female after adoption but as time went on they begun to notice he gravitated towards typically male toys and behaved as boy would be expected to. After consulting with a pediatrician and discovering M.C. had been operated on the couple facilitated their child's transition to male. The couple is pursing legal action in hopes of preventing this happening in the future.

"We feel very strongly that these decisions to permanently alter somebody's genitalia and their reproductive ability for no medical reason whatsoever is an abhorrent practice and can't be continued," Pam Crawford told Reuters in a phone interview.

"It is too late for our son," she added. "The damage has been done to him." “This case is about ensuring the safety of all children who do not have a voice,” said Alesdair H. Ittelson, SPLC staff attorney. “No one advocated for M.C.’s right to be free from unnecessary medical intervention at a time when the state was entrusted with his safety and well-being. It is high time all involved answer for the needless injury they inflicted on M.C.”

“By performing this needless surgery, the state and the doctors told M.C. that he was not acceptable or loveable the way he was born,” said Pam Crawford, M.C.’s adoptive mother. “They disfigured him because they could not accept him for who he was – not because he needed any surgery. M.C. is a charming, enchanting and resilient kid. We will not stop until we get justice for our son.”



Advocates for Informed Choice has partnered with the SPLC in this case and has initiated Project Integrity and invites you to add your name in support of M.C..

The lawsuit, M.C. v. Medical University of South Carolina, was filed in County of Richland Court of Common Pleas. M.C. v. Aaronson was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. Defendants include the South Carolina Department of Social Services, Greenville Hospital System, Medical University of South Carolina and individual employees.

SPLC co-counsel include Advocates for Informed Choice and pro bono counsel for the private law firms of Janet, Jenner & Suggs and Steptoe & Johnson LLP.

Nevada Legislature Passes Bill Adding Gender Identity To Hate Crime Laws

SB 139 was approved March 21st 2013 by the Senate with 20 ea, 1 nay and one abstaining.

The Nevada State Legislature approved the bill today 5/14/2013 with 30 yeas, 11 nay and one excused.

The bill authorizing additional sentences of up to 20 years for hate crimes motivated by the victim's gender identity or expression now goes to Governor Brian Sandoval who is expected to sign it into law.

Queensland Doctor Calls For A Gender Clinic: She's My Girl

THE leading Queensland psychiatric expert on children with gender identity disorder says the number of transgender children is increasing.
Dr Stephen Stathis said he expected parents of two children would apply to the Family Court for permission for them to be given feminine hormones within the next year and more would follow as others reached puberty.

But he said some desperate parents who were unaware of the professional help available for their anxious transgender children were getting unregulated, unregistered hormones from overseas via the internet.

Dr Stathis, Director of Child and Youth Mental Health Services at Brisbane's Royal Children's Hospital, has seen more than 20 children with GID in the last four years, including some as young as four.

"The numbers are rising and now we're looking at developing a gender clinic," Dr Stathis said. Half his gender identity patients are boys who identify as girls - the other half are girls who identify as boys.

More at couriermail.com.au

Hong Kong Court Rules Post-Op Transgender Woman May Marry Boyfriend: Video

The decision gives hope that other transgender people, both male-to-female and female-to-male, will be able to marry people of the opposite gender. Although it is only likely to affect post-operative transsexuals.

It is likely that, following the judges' recommendations, the government will amend the marriage law to clarify the position for transsexuals.

The team's argument, presented by Lord Pannick QC in the court of appeal last month, was that as the Hong Kong government recognizes W as a woman on her ID card they should accept she is a woman for marriage law as well. ~ Gay Star News



However same-sex marriage or civil unions are still not recognised in Hong Kong.

Read more at the Raw Story.

Study Finds Transmen Aspergers Syndrome Traits Second only to Those Diagnosed with AS

Disclaimer: I am a not endorsing or discrediting this study, only reporting on it hoping to enable a discussion.

The recent Time article titled "Study: Why Some Transgendered People Have Higher Levels of Autistic Traits" incorrectly frames this study as conclusive. It is not, nor is its methodology empirically sound. All of the subjects responded online to a questionnaire that is based on the "extreme male brain" theory. But the conclussions bear examination. Co-author, Emma Martin, herself a transwoman, said in a statement “This new research reminds us that gender incongruence is incredibly complex. Every possibility should be discussed with new clients, but should not delay what can be a painfully slow process for those affected.”

It's in that vein I will continue.

Abstract:

"The ‘extreme male brain’ theory suggests females with Autism Spectrum Conditions are hyper-masculinized in certain aspects of behavior. We predicted that females with Gender Identity Disorder (who are masculinized) would have elevated Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) scores. AQ scores from five groups were compared: (1) n = 61 transmen (female-to-male transsexual people); (2) n = 198 transwomen (male-to-female transsexual people); (3) n = 76 typical males; (4) n = 98 typical females; and (5) n = 125 individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS). Transmen had a higher mean AQ than typical females, typical males and transwomen, but lower than individuals with AS. Transmen have more autistic traits and may have had difficulty socializing with female peers and thus found it easier to identify with male peer groups."

"Baron-Cohen has long theorized that people with autism may have what he calls an “extreme male” brain — dominated by a style of thinking called “systemizing,” which focuses on predictable patterns like those found in mathematics or mechanical devices. He contrasts this with a cognitive style called “empathizing,” which allows for better understanding of the minds and emotions of others."

"Typically, women do better at empathizing and men at systemizing, but there is, of course, wide variability: some women outperform men at systemizing, and some men are better empathizers than women."

"Why the difference? Baron-Cohen and his colleagues recently found that giving testosterone to women decreases their ability to empathize, particularly among women whose bodies show evidence that they were exposed to higher levels of testosterone in utero. And previous research has linked high levels of testosterone in the womb to autistic traits. (Interestingly, in-utero exposure to testosterone can be estimated by looking at the ratio between the length of the ring finger and index finger.)"

It may seem that it's a no brainer stereotypically trans men trade a sense of heightened empathic sensitivity for masculinity while transitioning with testosterone. At first glance it would make sense to me because the opposite is true for me as I have realized increased empathic and cognitive skills since transitioning with estrogen.

But I have lived with a trans man who would contradict that theory. Quite the opposite, he delighted in the enlightenment his natal birth gave him and was empowered by his masculinity to merge the two traits together to become the highly successful therapist I knew him as.

Aspergers. It's a discussion trans people must not to be afraid to have.

Ontario Transman Sexually Assaulted. Police Seek Help.

ST. CATHARINES, ON (WKBW) - The Niagara Regional Police Service is investigating a sexual assault that occurred along the Twelve Mile Creek at Glendale Avenue, in the city of St. Catharines early Monday morning.

Police say around 2 a.m. a transgender male was walking along the east side of the creek when he was grabbed from behind by an unknown male.

According to police, the suspect put a knife to the victim’s neck and threatened to kill him if he did not comply. The suspect sexually assaulted the victim and left the scene on foot.

The suspect is described as male, white, 5’8” tall, thin build with short dark hair.

Anyone with any information is requested to contact the Sexual Assault Unit at 905-688-4111 ext 5131.

Please Sign Transman Issak Wolfe's Graduation Card

We could all but drown out Red Lion High School Principal Mr. Shue as he calls Issak by his birth name at graduation. Despite everything that was done to help him understand transgender people Mr. Shue refused to listen. Instead Mr. Shue attempted to keep Isaak from attending prom trying to bully him and his girl into silence.

Mr. Shue will be summoning him in front of all of his classmates to retrieve his diploma with the wrong name and will hand Issak a diploma, one with a females name inscribed upon it. Oh course Issak will still hear Shue call him but hopefully that won't be his lasting impression of the day. He will remember us for our support and caring.

Sign Issak's graduation card

From the card....

Imagine a graduation ceremony where your principal purposely reads the wrong name. Add your voice in support of trans equality activist and high school senior Isaak Wolfe.

Issak Wolfe is a senior at Red Lion Area Senior High School and will be graduating with the rest of the senior class on June 7th. Issak, who is a female to male transgender student, started his transition the summer before his Junior year and has been going by the name Issak for the past two years. Now, as graduation approaches, his school is refusing to read the name Issak Wolfe when he receives his diploma because it is not the name on his birth certificate. School administration reported that they would only read the name Issak if he got it legally changed but the process takes far longer than the one month before graduation day.

This is not the first time that Issak has run into conflicts of discrimination at his school. Earlier this year, Issak intended to run for Prom King of Red Lion High but school administration refused to put him on the list, instead telling him that he could only run for Prom Queen because they did not identify him as a male.

Despite these conflicts, Issak has been a stellar member of the Red Lion High community. He leads the Gay Straight Alliance group at school and loves taking art and ceramic classes. He also had his prom outfit (seen above) custom made for him and wants to pursue a career in business and fashion after graduation!

Please show your support for Issak by signing this card in celebration of his graduation!

Will Cemia Dove's Murder Be The First Time The Mathew Shepard Act Is Used To Prosecute A Hate Crime Against A Transgender Person?

Will the Mathew Shepard Hate Crimes law be used to prosecute Andrey Bridges? And if not, why not? No confession is needed that he committed this heinous act of violence because of transphobia. Cemia's body was found wearing a red Betty Boop belly tank top, three black bras on top of one another, and a light black-hooded jacket. She was naked from the waist down. The rope was tied from the back and also attached to a steel pipe and the concrete. It's more than obvious transphobia was the motivating factor that drove Bridges to murder her.

Andrey Bridges, the man accused of murdering Cemia Dove, a 20 year old transgender woman, appeared in court Friday. Bridges's is charged with aggravated murder, kidnapping, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse. His bond was set at 5 million dollars and his case is to have it's first hearing by a grand jury on May 16th.

But no mention of this being a hate crime has been made yet. Can Bridges be charged for a hate crime?
 
From the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act' text:

(A) IN GENERAL- Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law, in any circumstance described in subparagraph (B) or paragraph (3), willfully causes bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, a dangerous weapon, or an explosive or incendiary device, attempts to cause bodily injury to any person, because of the actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of any person--

`(i) shall be imprisoned not more than 10 years, fined in accordance with this title, or both; and

`(ii) shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life, fined in accordance with this title, or both, if--

`(I) death results from the offense; or

`(II) the offense includes kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill.

The transgender community should be afraid the Bridges a repeat offender might walk free. Most recently he beat a woman so badly she after he was released from prison on June 25, 2010 that she had to be admitted to the hospital with a collapsed lung, broken ribs and other injuries.

Bridges pleaded guilty in 2012 to aggravated assault in connection with the June 2010 incident and was sentenced to probation by Judge Hollie Gallagher.

Hildebrand, the Attorney that represented Bridges told the Plain Dealer "he believes the prosecuting attorney agreed to probation for Bridges because so much time had passed and because of concerns about whether his right to a speedy trial had been violated."

Requirement D, that a minority feels that justice will not be served is met. If Bridges had been held accountable under the law for the 2010 beating  he wouldn't have been free to murder our transgender sister.

1) IN GENERAL- No prosecution of any offense described in this subsection may be undertaken by the United States, except under the certification in writing of the Attorney General, or his designee, that--

`(A) the State does not have jurisdiction;

`(B) the State has requested that the Federal Government assume jurisdiction;

`(C) the verdict or sentence obtained pursuant to State charges left demonstratively unvindicated the Federal interest in eradicating bias-motivated violence; or

`(D) a prosecution by the United States is in the public interest and necessary to secure substantial justice.

There are a number of other conditions before charging Andrey Bridges with a hate crime but one that is painfully obvious to the transgender community. This act of violence was reported in such a way in the media that it will result in an increased bias against transgender people.

In Fact the last main stream article by Newsnet5 reporting the bond was the first article that was done in such a way as not to further bias against transgender people.

How would that be used by the prosecutor to convince a jury this was a hate crime? One of the reasons the Mathew Shepard Act was passed by the Senate was because...

"Members of targeted groups are prevented from purchasing goods and services, obtaining or sustaining employment, or participating in other commercial activity"

Nothing could be truer in this instance. The atrocious reporting by local media was amplified time and time again nationally and internationally as editors jumped at the chance to sensationalize and dehumanize Dove parroting the original reporting by the Plain Dealer resulting in the demoralization of our minority internationally.

This devalued sense of worth compounded with the knowledge people obsessed with harming us have been given a added boast to their prejudice makes us more fearful for our individual well being. This of course interferes with our ability to be hired, job performance and participation in the free market.

The transgender community has heard time and again that prosecutors refuse to persecute our murders as hate crimes for fear the jury will reject that charge and ruin there case against the accused.

It's time our transgender minority is protected under law as intended by the Mathew Shepard Hate Crimes Act. It's time transgender people are protected under law. It is time.

Blue Cross Anthem Now Covers Sexual Reassignment Surgery

Not sure if I'm the last to know about this but it's news to me. Since my company switched to a new unaffordable insurance plan that does not cover HRT all options are on the table. Why not try and upgrade if we can? Judging by the phrase "one option for extreme cases" it would appear Blue Cross has preempted the generally accepted diagnosis and will put the onus on the patient to prove their gender dysphoria is 'extreme' enough to warrant SRS. (jumping through cisnormative binary hoops)

Reading the Clinical UM Guideline it becomes apparent the devil is in the details so read it carefully and be fully aware of your options. But most importantly, since you are dealing with a commercial enterprise intent on giving you the least for your money, be beware.

Virtual Criminal Flash Mob Stole 45 Million From ATM's Worldwide in a Few Hours

In what may be the crime of the century cells of people called 'cashiers' used prepaid cards with limits removed to empty ATMs around the world in just hours of more than 45 million dollars.

The good news is that the stolen money did not belong to individual accounts so no one who has a prepaid card has to worry. It was stolen from two middle Eastern banks, Rakbank and Muscat Bank, both banks racked in millions in net profit in 2012. The demographic that uses prepaid bank cards, poor people,  includes trans folk who suffer incredible job discrimination.

Here's how it worked according to the associated press:

"Hackers got into bank databases, eliminated withdrawal limits on pre-paid debit cards and created access codes. Others loaded that data onto any plastic card with a magnetic stripe — an old hotel key card or an expired credit card worked fine as long as it carried the account data and correct access codes."

Source USA Today "After penetrating the processor's computer network, the hackers fraudulently manipulated the balances and withdrawal limits on Rakbank prepaid debit card accounts. Then, teams of so-called cashers allegedly launched carefully timed attacks that caused more than $5 million in criminal losses from more than 4,500 ATMs in about 20 countries."

"In just two hours and 25 minutes, the thieves allegedly conducted 750 fraudulent transactions that withdrew nearly $400,000 from approximately 140 New York City ATM locations, according to prosecutors and the indictment."

"The alleged second unlimited operation unfolded between the afternoon of Feb. 19 and the pre-dawn hours of the following day. This time, the gang's hackers allegedly compromised computers of the processor of prepaid debit cards for the Bank of Muscat, located in Oman."

"In approximately 10 hours, casher cells in 24 countries conducted approximately 36,000 ATM transactions worldwide, withdrawing an estimated $40 million, the indictment charged. The haul included $2.4 million withdrawn by the alleged New York crew."


Modern day Robin Hoods? Not. But at least they didn't steal from the poor. They stole from the filthy rich.

变性能见度开始与“兄弟”Chinese Transman Visibility begins with the "Brothers" Documentary

In 2012 a competition was held for fledgling Chinese directors who aspired to make documentaries about LGBT topics. Out of dozens of applicants two projects were chosen. One project about transmen was picked up because the subject has received so little attention. Chinese transgender men share a peculiar blessing universally with all queer comrades worldwide. Many meld seamlessly into society which is why so little is known of their lives, joys and struggles. We see transmen day to day like vague distorted images seen through a moving vehicle's window.

Yaoyao, one of the winners runs a photo studio for lesbians in Shandong province '... works in an organisation with quite a few transgender people and she already has the permission of one of them to film the whole process [from female to male],’ Stijn Deklerck of Queer Comrades told
Gay Star News in 2012 . ‘And that's a story that hasn't really been covered in China. There have been quite a few documentaries and films about male-to-female transgenders, but there's not been very much on female-to-male.

That's about to change. The Netherlands Embassy in Beijing, Queer Comrades, the Aibai Culture & Education Center, the Beijing Gender Health Education Institute and Common Language are holding an event in connection with the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) on Friday 17 May, 14.00 – 17.00 pm.



The event is hosted by and will take place at the Netherlands Embassy in Beijing. It will consist of the premiere of the documentary “Brothers” produced by the LGBT organization Queer Comrades (you can watch the trailer here), a panel discussion including Yaoyao (director of thedocumentary), Tony (transgender man, documentary main character), Joanne Leung (founder Transgender Resource Center Hong Kong), Zhen Hongli (psychologist Global Care Women & Children’s Hospital Beijing), and Guo Yanan (Aibai Transgender Program Assistant). This will be followed by an informal networking event where you are encouraged to get to know the Beijing LGBT organizations and their work on transgender issues. The documentary will be provided with Chinese -English subtitles, the panel discussion will take place in the Chinese language without translation.

As seating is limited, please confirm your attendance by writing an email to IDAHO2013@163.COM. We will give priority seating to members of the media, educational professionals and psychological counselors, so please specify your affiliation in this regard.

Address: Netherlands Embassy in Beijing, Liangmahe South Road #4, Chaoyang, Beijing

Tel. : (+86 10) 8532 0200

event information

National Institute of Mental Health Rocks the Mental Health World by Abandoning The DSM

Just weeks before the release of the DSM-5 National Institute of Mental Health Abandoning The DSM has they will be "Transforming Diagnosis" by initiating a completely separate system of Diagnosis.

It became immediately clear that we cannot design a system based on biomarkers or cognitive performance because we lack the data. In this sense, RDoC is a framework for collecting the data needed for a new nosology. But it is critical to realize that we cannot succeed if we use DSM categories as the “gold standard.

That is why NIMH will be re-orienting its research away from DSM categories. Going forward, we will be supporting research projects that look across current categories – or sub-divide current categories – to begin to develop a better system”

The NIMH understands this is an immense expensive proposition, one that will be fought by entrenched bureaucrates, but desperately needed as the diagnosis of transgender people by the APA has become disassociated with reality.

RDoC, for now, is a research framework, not a clinical tool. This is a decade-long project that is just beginning. Many NIMH researchers, already stressed by budget cuts and tough competition for research funding, will not welcome this change. Some will see RDoC as an academic exercise divorced from clinical practice. But patients and families should welcome this change as a first step towards "precision medicine,” the movement that has transformed cancer diagnosis and treatment. RDoC is nothing less than a plan to transform clinical practice by bringing a new generation of research to inform how we diagnose and treat mental disorders. As two eminent psychiatric geneticists recently concluded, “At the end of the 19th century, it was logical to use a simple diagnostic approach that offered reasonable prognostic validity. At the beginning of the 21st century, we must set our sights higher.”3

Read more at the National Institute of Mental Health Abandoning The DSM

ABC News Producer's Transition reveals the True Dawn

ABC News producer D. Ennis was to coworkers and friends just a very affordable and able person. The kind of person you want to share a beer with at joe's bar at the end of a day. By all outward appearances and old facebook profile pictures that what Ennis was. But much of that changed with the beginning of the new day.

As affable as Ennis was what people saw when the sun rose and a new workday began, to some extent, was a false false dawn. Ennis was keeping a secret from the world.

Dawn told the world about her coming out in a life event on facebook:

Today I begin anew. I arrived at work tonight in my LBD (little black dress, for you guys) and found on my desk a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my coworkers and a touching ...note from the president of the news division of ABC (I myself brought the cake -- and the glitter -- to thank my very accepting colleagues).

Please understand: this is not a game of dress-up, or make-believe... it is my affirmation of who I now am and what I must do to be happy, in response to a soul-crushing secret that my wife and I have been dealing with for more than seven years, mostly in secret.

I have a rare medical condition -- nothing deadly or infectious -- but it has resulted in an unusual hormonal imbalance, one so profound that I don't resemble the man you first met ten years ago. It's wrecked our marriage and changed me, both physically and in my personality; even my own way of thinking has been altered.

What I have done is to try to put together a life based on my new experience. I have spent years fighting this, trying through dozens of tests and sheer willpower to overcome what doctors cannot cure nor reverse, or even satisfactorily explain.

My beloved wife and I are separating after nearly 17 years of marriage because of this change in me; despite the heartbreak, she has encouraged me to start this new life that we both believe better fits who I now am. It's not something I've longed for or dreamed of, or discovered in my youth. It's not even something, frankly, that I wanted to do -- but I've realized, I needed to do it.

I am transgender, and identify as female. My legal name is now Dawn Stacey Ennis, and my government records now reflect that my gender is female. However, I have not had surgery of any kind, and the HRT I now take is merely to maintain a balance in what is already, mysteriously a more female than male body.

My bosses at ABC have been supportive beyond my hopes and encouraged me to be real, to be who I feel I am. Trust me, this is NOT the midlife crisis I was counting on -- I'd much prefer to have bought a sportscar. Even an affair, I think, would have been something we might have recovered from. But Wendy and I realize that with this, there is no going forward for us, and that is without doubt the saddest aspect of this change for me.

As you may know,we have three children and we are putting them first. I am moving out Saturday, to give my wife and our kids time and space to adjust to life with me on the outside. It's not what I want, but we agreed it's what she can handle. It's a small sacrifice to try to avoid ruining the end of their school year.

I know this is a lot to throw at you out of the blue, and I'm sure if you had to pick someone we know in common who might be transitioning from male to female, I'm guessing I would not even crack the top ten. But it's my reality. I hope you can understand.

I look forward to hopefully keeping you as my friend, and respect your choice to block or defriend me if that's how you feel. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Being a journalist, I've asked them all, and will share what I know.

Warmly,
Dawn

Department of Justice: Create a National Task Force to address the serial Killings of Black Trans Women

Three transgender woman of color have been murdered in April alone. "Enough is enough" says Sharon Lettman-Hicks, Executive Director and CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) in a joint press release with The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs:

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) is deeply concerned of three unsolved homicides of transgender women of color that occurred during the month of April in 2013, which continues a trend of murders of transgender and gender non-conforming women and people of color in the past few years. On Wednesday, April 3rd, Kelly Young, a 29-year-old black transgender woman, was found shot to death inside a home in Baltimore, Maryland. Then on Thursday, April 4th, 30-year-old Ashley Sinclair, a black transgender woman, was found shot to death in a wooded area in the Oak Ridge section of Orange County, Florida. And on April 30, another young black transgender woman, Cemia Dove, also known as Ci Ci was found on April 17 in a retention pond in Olmsted Township, Ohio. Dove, a 20-year-old woman, had multiple stab wounds, was tied to a concrete block, and was found naked from the waist down. As of April 30th, all three of these homicides remain unsolved.

At issue is also the media's horrific reporting of Ce ce Dove in Ohio and there dismissive attitude to local LGBT groups concerns:

The Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO), an NCAVP member organization that works to end LGBTQ-related violence and homicide, has issued a press release about Dove’s murder, but media failed to pick up the story. “BRAVO is saddened to learn of the most recent hate crime murder, and outraged at the media’s flagrant disregard for human dignity,” said Gloria McCauley, Executive Director of BRAVO, “Every homicide deserves to be investigated and all possible leads followed so that we can understand what the cause of the homicide was. This is particularly true when the homicide involves a community that we know is at a higher risk of bias-related homicides such as transgender women of color.”

Three unsolved homicides within one month should elicit a national outcry," said Sharon Lettman-Hicks, Executive Director and CEO at NBJC. "We need to hold our law enforcement officials accountable at every level--from local police departments that need to work tirelessly to find these killers and bring them to justice, to federal agencies such as the Department of Justice that should create a national task force to address the serial killings of Black trans women in this nation. How many more lives must be lost before we take serious action to stop this madness?"

H/T Pink News

Red Lion High School says Transman Issak Wolfe will be called by his Birth name at Graduation

The world first became aware of Issak Oliver Wolfe, a transgender senior attending Red Lion Area High School when his bid for prom king was unceremoniously changed to prom queen by the school's principal Mr. Shue. There wasn't much Issak could do about that because it was done without his knowledge at the last moment. He didn't learn of the change until he went to cast his ballot!

But it was just the beginning of Issak's battle for respect. The ACLU became involved at that time demanding that Issak be allowed to attend the prom in his authentic gender as a male with his supportive girl friend Taylor. Mr. Shue relented and allowed them to attend but there is one more critical unresolved issue.

Mr. Shue has said Issak's legal name will be read at graduation. Issak is in the process of changing his name now that he is 18, but that won't be completed until after graduation.

The PA code Title 22 Education does not require schools to read a students legal name at graduation and nether does the Red Lion School District.

Read Issack's authentic name. Soon after graduation it will become his for the rest of his life. It's just a simple request. Respect not bigotry.

From the ACLU May 6th press release

On April 25, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Pennsylvania sent a letter on behalf of Wolfe, asking among other things, that the school allow Wolfe to attend graduation wearing a black cap and gown for boys, as opposed to the yellow cap and gown mandated for girls, and have his male name read at the ceremony. The letter also asked that the school adopt a policy to allow students to run for prom court in accordance with their gender identity, as well as a broader nondiscrimination policy protecting transgender students in the district. In his response, the school district's solicitor agreed to allow Issak to wear a black cap and gown but denied the rest of his requests.

"I am really disappointed that the school district doesn't want to do anything to protect transgender students," said Wolfe, a senior at Red Lion Area High School. "I want to make sure that future transgender students are not humiliated and disrespected the way I was."

Wolfe plans to take his case to the RLASD school board at their next meeting on Thursday, May 16

You can keep up to date with Issak and his wonderful girlfriend Taylor by liking their facebook page and signing The ACLU petition "Issak's Simple Message: Respect, Not Bigotry".

The Plain Dealer Ignores their commitment to follow the AP Style Guide 8 HOURS latter

Eight hours after The Plain Dealer pledged to follow the AP Style guide following their horrendous reporting of transgender woman Cemia's murder they published this problematic article breaking there word.


The Plain Dealer, OH, USA

Olmsted Township police, FBI arrest Parma man in murder of Carl Edward Acoff, Jr.

By Mark Holan, Sun News

on May 04, 2013 at 8:39 PM, updated May 04, 2013 at 8:49 PM


OLMSTED TOWNSHIP -- A Parma man was arrested this morning for the murder of Carl Edward Acoff, Jr., the 20-year-old man whose body was found in a pond on Mackenzie Road April 17.

Andre L. Bridges, 36, is being held in Olmsted Township jail following his arrest by Olmsted Township police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Fugitive Task Force.

Acoff was reported missing by his family in late March, and his body was found by a resident who lives in the apartment next to the retention pond. There were multiple stab wounds in his body, and achain and a concrete block were attached to his waist.

There is still an active investigation going on with this case, according to Olmsted Township Police Chief John Minek.

© 2013 Cleveland Live LLC. All rights reserved

http://www.cleveland.com/olmsted/index.ssf/2013/05/olmsted_township_police_fbi_ar.html

The link no longer works but the damage is irrevocable, setting back coverage of transgender murders twenty years.

Multiple articles similar to this calling Cemia a man and ignoring she was transgender have appeared some word for word since the Plain Dealer published this article.

Five Texas LGBT GetEQUAL Activists Arrested Protesting Senate Stranglehold on Job Protections Bill

Published on May 5, 2013

In the state of Texas it is legal and common practice to fire, refuse to hire, or otherwise discriminate against someone in the workplace solely based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

Texas Senate Bill 237 "The Fair Employment Act" Seeks to create a workplace safe from these types of discrimination.


After numerous phone calls, petitions, and emails SB 237 still sits in committee. Fearing that the committee would not budge
GetEQUAL TX Activists payed a visit to the 4 senators who are holding it up.

5 of those activists were arrested for daring to speak truth to power. Join the movement for full equality in all matters governed by civil law.

Man Arrested For The Murder of Ohio Transgender Woman Cemia Acoff

Andre L. Bridges, 36 was arrested Saturday at his home in Parma, Ohio by police and the FBI.

Cemia Acoff, a transgender woman was found tied to a concrete block, underwater in a pond, her body badly decomposed on April 17th.

*Trigger Warning. The source used for this post, News net5, misgenders Cemia repeatedly using her birth name and making no mention that she was a transgender person undoubtedly parroting the atrocious original article published by the Plain Dealer.

You can read the News Net5 article "Arrest made in case where dead body was found in pond, tied to concrete block/steel pipe" here.

Plain Dealer is "Stunned" at "Unbelievably Vitriolic" response to Them Degrading Our Dead Sister

Ted Diadiun the Plain Dealer Reader Representative has been left wondering and stunned at the outcry over the trans toxicity of his papers three stories describing a murdered transgender woman as the "slaying of a oddly dressed man".

Diadiun wrote "The story was in the paper when they were made aware of the change in AP style, but editors hurriedly went back into the online version, taking the words "oddly dressed" out of the headline and making the references gender neutral. Along the way, in some references to the body, "he" became "it," until that was changed -- which only served to increase the ire of some readers."

Mr. Diadiun when you die do you have anything readied to identify your body? In case you don't I have prepared a stickum note for your forehead. No reason to thank me, "it" is the least I could do. The least you could have done was to call Cemia by her correct gender and name in her death.....

Why twist the dagger of transphobia Diadiun? You reposted a mug shot of Cemia despite knowing full well your readers objected to you doing that. Why? Don't you get it? There are pictures available for you to use that show Ce Ce as a happy human trans woman. That image like her authentic name is what she wanted people to know her when she was alive. Diadiun, the least you could do would be to honor that simple wish in her death.

If the articles were about a rich cisgender woman with a few minimal legal entanglements in her past that have nothing to do with the present situation, like driving without a license or skipping a bus fare, would you have posted those irrelevant mug shots of her in three consecutive articles about her murder? That's fucking bullshit, and now you know that too.

Diadiun writes:

When the story was published, Caniglia and his editors began to get emails from all over the country, objecting to the tone of the story, the use of male pronouns, the description of Acoff's clothing and the recounting of his criminal record.

Some were cordial. Some were profane. Some were threatening. Nearly all were angry.

Caniglia was stunned.

"I was trying to be as sensitive as possible," he said. "I never had a thought to be unfair or hurt somebody who was already brutally slain."

"SENSITIVE"! OMG don't even think about playing the victim card Diadiun. Caniglia wrote three articles each progressivly more transphobic. Writing those articles that way was all about getting the public's attention, pandering to transphobs and getting free plublicity angering trans people. I will call you out on that. Bullshit.

Diadiun continues:

"The AP style change is understandable, but perplexing."

"Where do we draw the line?" said Chris Quinn, the editor in charge of the paper's local coverage. "What's a cop to do when filling out the gender form of a police report? What's a census taker to write? What about a driver's license?"

Quinn said future stories will say something like, "Acoff self-identified as a transgender woman so, for the purposes of this story, will be identified with female pronouns."

I am relivied your editor read the style guide but I am appalled he hasn't bothered with it for so many years. I hope in the future your paper will respect transgender people in life and death.

In the meantime Mr Diaium you and Mr Quinn should pay attention to what the Columbia Journalism Review wrote about your paper. You will know where to "draw the line and maybe you won't be quite as 'perplexed' about angry virtiol you received about your trans toxic articles.

You can read the whole of Diadiun's post Story of Olmsted Towhship homicide victim riles transgender advocates: Ted Diadiun

Ted Diadiun

About Me (from his profile on the PD):
As the reader representative, I encourage comments, complaints, suggestions, compliments, debates, questions about fairness or anything else dealing with The Plain Dealer that a reader might want to talk about. I respond to calls and e-mails, and write a Sunday column about whatever strikes me as the most interesting or intriguing journalistic issue of the week. You can reach me through e-mail at tdiadiun@plaind.com or by phone at (216) 999-4408.

Landlord Asks LA Times Real estate If he has To Let Newly Transitioning "Freak" stay

Question found on the LA times Real Estate page:

I have been renting an apartment to a man named Michael, who recently asked me to start calling him Michelle because, he says, he now identifies as a woman. He has also started wearing makeup and women's clothing.

Both the name change and the change in dress make me uncomfortable, and I'm worried that it may make my other tenants want to leave. At least one of the other tenants has commented about the "freak" in Apartment 201 and has asked me if the "freak" has any plans to move out.

Michael has been an otherwise good tenant for several years. I don't really want to terminate his tenancy, but I don't think I should be forced to call him anything but the name he listed on his rental application. I also don't want him to stay if his behavior will provoke the other tenants. What am I allowed to do?

Continue reading the LA Times for the answer. The Times did not include the links to the laws below.

In California It shall be unlawful for the owner of any housing accommodation to discriminate against or harass any
person because of gender identity. Cal. Gov’t. Code Section 12955(a)

"Thirteen states (California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington) protect
transgender people from discrimination in housing. These laws require that a tenant or homebuyer’s transgender status not be used as a basis for refusing– or offering less favorable terms in – leases, mortgages, homeowner’s insurance, and home sales.
Many housing and real estate non-discrimination statutes prohibit landlords, sellers, and real estate brokers from requesting information about a tenant or homebuyer’s transgender status." ~ National Center for Lesbian Rights

.

Jennifer Boylan and Family Interview with Harry Smith's Rock Center

The Boylan family is redefining the new normal in America. Jennifer Boylan decided to transition to female from a male in the midst of her marriage and after fathering two sons. The family stayed together and says that their love for one another makes their modern family possible. Rock Center’s Harry Smith reports.

>>Harry: the children have grown since.... Zach is now a college sophomore. Sean is a junior in high school. Zach , do you feel like you live in a normal family?

>>Zach: If normal is a family that has a mom and a dad and two kids and a white picket fence, no. i don't live in a normal family. But if a normal family is one where everyone treats each other as equals and with love, then, yeah, i live in a normal family.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Stuck in middle with you on kindle or print.

Fallon Fox responds to Bigots: I don't want to fight people who are scared of me. What Kind of Fight would that be?

Fallon Fox: “I don’t believe that a transgender fighter should have to disclose her personal medical history to other female fighters before they fight. Simply for the reason that the medical community and the scientific community has come to the consensus that post-operative transsexual fighters who have been on hormone replacement therapy and testosterone suppression, when they’re going from male to female, don’t have or haven’t been found to have any physiological advantages over other women. So, why should we have to disclose our personal medical history? There’s a lot of pain involved in having to disclose your post-transgender history, a lot of things that you might not want to disclose… so, I say no, I don’t think that we should have to disclose our information.”



Fallon Fox:“I do believe that it may deter some fighters from fighting me in the future. Some fighters have already said that they would not want to fight me. I think that’s because they’re scared, number one because I’m pretty good and, um, or they might just have a bias or they just might be a hate-filled person who doesn't want to touch me or whatever but, um, I don’t want to fight those people anyways because they’re scared and what kind of fight would that be? I want to fight someone who’s going to come after me aggressively and who wants to fight me and I want a good fight. That’s what I’m looking for in the future.”

I posted this article on the subreddit for MMA. The post has been down voted out of sight by bigots who claim there are no studies substantiating the claims by the trans community HRT levels the playing field for Male to female transgender athletes.

Ironically one of the commenter's said 'everyone' should read those reddit comments. He said that before I posted these studies. I wonder if he still wants 'everyone' to read it.

The bigots said "show me studies."

**You want actual studies? You got actual studies.**

>The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the need to set up clear rules to determine the eligibility of female athletes with hyperandrogenism in female competitions, starting with the Olympic Games in London next year.

The IOC issued this press release IOC addresses eligibility of female athletes with hyperandrogenism

*hyperandrogenism* is a condition that produces abnormally high levels of testosterone in a cisgender woman resulting in what could be construed as 'unfair advantages". This condition is also associated with a transgender woman who has not undergone medical surgery and/or hormone replacement therapy(HRT).

>The International Olympic Committee (IOC) published the Stockholm Consensus Statement in 2003 (Appendix B) produced by a ad hoc (unbiased) committee. The requirement for transgender athletes to participate in the Olympics is that they have had "surgical anatomical change and hormone treatment for two years" as Fallon Fox has done.

AndNCAA policy the and studies supporting trans inclusive athletes

Yes you are a bigot is you summarily dismiss a transgender athlete claiming she has an 'unfair advantage' while purposefully ignoring scientific studies. That is an act based in bigotry.



Jones says she's going to win.

Not impressed with the transphobic announcer gleefully intentionally misgendering Fallon. Jones doesn't have the problem the idiot announcer has with understanding Fallon is a woman. Fallon, this sort of shit still happens to me at work after being their for two years if that's any consolation.

The last critical hours for Kickstarter "ASSIGNED SEX" and it's down to the wire.

ASSIGNED SEX: A DOCUMENTARY FILM by Shaun Dawson a Kickstarter documentary film, has JUST hours to go on kick Starter. As of this morning the movie needs just a few bucks to reach the $5000 goal and only a few hours left.

I am supporting this project because it will help to illuminate our wonderful transgender intercity youth's lives. You know them. The ones we read about almost daily. The ones being slaughtered by bigots, spawned by ignorance fueled hatred? It's a all or nothing with kick starter and it's all or nothing for these youth. Let them live. Please support!

Why Shaun needs our help:

Up until this point, we've funded this project completely out of our own pockets. We believe in this story that much. But, we've officially broken the bank. We need your help to raise the money necessary to keep the cameras rolling.

Here's exactly what your generous contributions will pay for:

•Sound design, sound editing, and mixing the sound
•Creating the musical score
•Procuring archival footage
•Polishing of the picture elements: color correction, titles
•Transfer to digital projection format
•Marketing and advertising for screenings in select cities
•Press and promotional materials

If you haven't been involved with something like this please give it a try. Those who have will tell you it's such a rush doing this. With your donation you become a integral part of a success when the film shows in your city. You can stand with pride. You will be able to pick us out at a screening. Many of us will be wearing an "assigned tee shirt". I will be. It is immensely rewarding supporting our community this way.



Columbia Journalism Review Slams Plain Dealer and FOX over Trans Womans Cemia Acoff Articles

The CJR headline "How not to report on a transgender victim" is spot on. The Plain Dealer's articles if let uncontested would have drop kicked journalistic standards on reporting transgender issues back twenty years.

Fox8 certainly jumped on that band wagon quick.

Fox8 in this painful exercise of transphobia revictimized Ce Ce by using male pronouns and her birth name despite being fully aware she was a transgender woman who went by the name Cemia.



However, I will have to come to defense of the Plain Dealer on one count. CJR criticized the Plain Dealer for using a mug shot of Ce Ce. I used the same picture on the planetransgender post "Plain Dealer reports the Murder of a Transgender Woman as A "Brutal Slaying" of a Oddly Dressed Man" because at that moment there were none better of her. I posted her mug shot because I wanted her murderers caught. As bad as that picture was it was all I had. I have since updated that post with a better photo of her.

I'm not implying the Plain Dealer had good intentions posting those mug shots only that they may not have had any options ether. The Plain Dealer has not updated their picture.

The rest of the CJR critique is on target particularly these paragraphs about the last article:

The second story, “Brutal slaying marks the end of Clevelander’s fight for acceptance,” at first seems like it might be better. Except that story, too, starts by identifying her as Carl, which means her fight is far from over. This is ironic, because at the end of the story an italicized note says, “This story has been edited since originally posted to bring it within the style recommended by the Associated Press involving transgender people.” I don’t know what the original said, but I do know what the AP Stylebook says, which is this:

Transgender: Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth. If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly.

Instead, the story drops all pronouns and refers to Cemia as Carl, which seems like a half-hearted effort to be consistent with the AP’s recommendations.

Thankfully these article will not be accepted as status Que. They were mean spirited, hateful, malicious attacks on transgender people. Thank you Columbia Journalism Review for making this clear.