Video: Anonymous Hacks US Gov't Websites In Retribution for Reddit co-founder Aaron Swartz's Suicide

Anonymous hackers deface the official website of U.S. Sentencing Commission website (ussc.gov) on Friday under a new campaign called "Operation Last Resort" in memory of Reddit co-founder Aaron Swartz and also threatening to release a massive WikiLeaks-style exposure of sensitive U.S. government secrets.

IKEA Apologizes To Thai Transgender Alliance For "Forgot To Deceive" Advert

The IKEA letter Apologizing to the Thai Transgender Alliance and the world's trans community for the offensive advertisement:

The universal condemnation from the world's trans community easily transcended language barriers. The momentum we created quickly propelled our concerns into mainstream media bringing this issue front and center to this massive corporation's attention.

I appreciate the apology from IKEA and I hope other corporations will also understand trans people will not abide being mocked.

The offending advertisement "Forgot to Deceive":

Huffpost Piece on Sadie's Dream Prefaced With Awesome Commentary

I loved both the video commentary and Sadie's letter to President Obama published on Huffington Post so much I posted both.

"Sadie's dream" written in response to President Obama not mentioning trans people in his 2013 Inaugural speech.

"The world would be a better place if everyone had the right to be themselves, including people who have a creative gender identity and expression. Transgender people are not allowed the freedom to do things everyone else does, like go to the doctor, go to school, get a job, and even make friends.

"Transgender kids like me are not allowed to go to most schools because the teachers think we are different from everyone else. The schools get afraid of how they will talk with the other kids' parents, and transgender kids are kept secret or told not to come there anymore. Kids are told not to be friends with transgender kids, which makes us very lonely and sad."

"When they grow up, transgender adults have a hard time getting a job because the boss thinks the customers will be scared away. Doctors are afraid of treating transgender patients because they don't know how to take care of them, and some doctors don't really want to help them. Transgender patients like me travel to other states to see a good doctor."

"It would be a better world if everyone knew that transgender people have the same hopes and dreams as everyone else. We like to make friends and want to go to school. Transgender people want to get good jobs and go to doctors like they are exactly the same. It really isn't that hard to like transgender people because we are like everyone else."

Five Charged In Connection With Gang Murder of Transgender Rapper Evon (Yung LT) Young

The criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee county charges Devin Lattrez Seaberry and Allen Ron Joseph with first degree criminal homicide punishable with life imprisonment.

CBS 58 Reports That three others, Victor L. Stewart, Ashanti M. Mcalister and Young's roommate Billy R. Griffin are all charged with substantial battery as party to a crime, and face up to three years in prison.

The criminal complaint goes on to say that Stewart believed Young assisted in the burglary of his and Griffin's residence. The complaint alleges all men in the apartment, Griffin included, began to beat Young in the kitchen. They allegedly got Young to confess to playing a part in the burglary of their apartment.

Stewart told police the group moved Young to the basement before killing him. We're told the gang members used bleach in an attempt to get of DNA evidence in the basement.

"The criminal complaint refers to Evon Young as Ebony Young, his given name. Evon was a woman living his life as a man. It does not appear that Young's sexuality gender expression played any part in the homicide."

IKEA Transphobic ไทยโฆษณาคือก้าวร้าว Trans ชุมชนโลก

The "Forget to Deceive" advertisement features a normal appearing couple strolling into a IKEA store. When the female spots a sale so spectacular she forgets to deceive and shouts out in her male voice much to the astonishment of her partner.

The advertisement goes down hill from there as she is then seen lifting up the sale items weighing perhaps much more than a cisgender woman could carry as her male companion obviously realizing she is "really a man" runs in the other direction.

The Thai Transgender Alliance has publicly denounced the advertisement that ran in sky trains saying in a open letter that 'The transgender content of the advertisement is negative and stereotypical in nature, perpetuating misunderstanding transgenderism as human sexuality for "deceitful and deviant lifestyle".'

Source - Thai Transgender Alliance: "A marketing official at IKEA Thailand, which opened its first store in the country in November 2011, said on Thursday it had talked with the group in response to its January 9 complaint."

"IKEA has spoken to the group over the telephone and the conversation went very smoothly. We are now drafting a letter in response," the official said, declining to be identified.



My personal reaction.

This nasty advertisement is so disgusting I don't know where to begin.

I work in a warehouse. When I began there I was scorned by my co workers because I was a over weight and out of shape trans woman.

In the year since I have seriously undertaken a work out regiment and have been able to maintain my HRT resulting in substantial changes.

Now when I lift heavy objects and work with gusto I am scorned for the differences that I DO NOT Hide. I am not deceiving. I am making the fullest use of this transgender body.

This advertisement invites cisgender people to hate us for who we are and whom we might become.

Read more at Gay Star News

Parkland Sidesteps Trans Bathroom Use OPENING the door To Further Arrests

Rafael McDonnell a LGBT advocate from Dallas Texas confirmed to me that as expected Parkland Hospital amended their personal policy to include gender expression and identity. What I didn't expect though was that those provisions are not extended to non employees i.e. you and me. Sick people. Visitors etc.

Trans Crow in the Dallas County Hospital.

Should we have a medical emergency or a need to visit Parkland trans people may find themselves being directed by police to a single stall bathroom or even arrested if your driver licence is not corrected to your proper gender. It all depends on whether someone complains.

The controversy began after a cisgender woman complained to the police about a transgender woman, Paula Witherspoon using the ladies room. Parkland police then gave Witherspoon a ticket for 'disorderly conduct' despite her presenting a 'carry letter".

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Dallas Morning News Reports: " Parkland’s new rules, however, do not protect transgender patients and visitors from certain discriminating behaviors. Top officials said Parkland would strive to become a “more welcoming” institution." "The hospital recently set up a task force to find ways to avoid confrontations with transgender patients or visitors. The task force may recommend that such visitors use designated “unisex” bathrooms on each floor of the hospital.

" “The main issue with transgender people is they don’t know which bathroom to use,” said Dr. Roberto DE la Cruz, a hospital board member. “Somebody might be upset in the bathroom with them and wondering, why you are there.”

" Dr. Roberto DE la Cruz's statement is so insulting! Transgender people KNOW which bathroom to use Dr DE la Cruz. What is problem is there are people who will use the opportunity you just created to complain about my using the bathroom. Although myself and many trans people 'pass' well there will always be tells that differentiate me from cisgender woman. " Dr. DE la Cruz an openly gay board member dismissed the trans issue saying he had been employed by Parkland for many years and "never had a problem there." " YOU ARE GAY Dr. DE la Cruz! You can put your sexual orientation into your pocket when you use the bathroom and seamless merge with the heteronormative world!"  " We are TRANSGENDER NOT GAY. Everywhere we go its obvious to some extent that we ARE TRANSGENDER including the bathroom and from MY PERSONAL experience at Parkland we are unwelcome, even despised by the staff and police."  " Parkland's new employee policy change is basically meaningless as transgender people will continue to avoid medical treatment for fear of being humiliated or even worst, arrest."  " Seems to me its just a feather in the cap for gay advocates and a disaster for trans people."