"Laurence Anyways" : provocative, emotionally raw look at transgender issues and love

Source Desert Outlook: "When Fred (short for Frederique) meets Laurence at work in Montreal, she instinctively knows their relationship — whatever it becomes — will be powerfully transformative. She is intrigued by Laurence’s good looks, charm and directness, as anyone would be encountering a potential new love for the first time. But as the flashback scene near the end of “Laurence Anyways” shows, Fred has no idea the extent of how they and their lives will change during the next 10 years."

"It doesn’t even seem clear to Laurence (actor Melvil Poupaud) at the beginning of Xavier Dolan’s refreshingly frank, emotional and stylish film that he’s undergoing a transformation from man to woman. His transgenderism is gradually realized, seeping out during classroom lectures that define “normal” and gender identity and a covetous appreciation of the feminine power exhibited by his female students."

"The movie really takes off after its slow start when Laurence can no longer contain the truth of who he is. It comes rushing out like a waterfall while at a car wash with Fred (actress Suzanne Clement), though the audience doesn’t hear it then. Laurence exclaims, “I’m going to die.” (This is one of a couple times when Dolan–who wrote, directed and edited the film–artfully and unexpectedly uses a deluge to symbolize a torrent of emotion.)" Please read Wordsmith Will Dean's brilliant review of the transgender film "Laurence Anyways" found on the Desert OutLook article "Film fest presents provocative, emotionally raw look at transgender issues and love"

MTPC Back Tracking To Public Accommodations Protections

I have always opposed transgender 'equality' bills without public accommodation provisions. It's the single most important thing in our daily lives. Without it we are subject to arbitrarly being thrown off a plane, out of a restaurant or bathroom because of our gender expression. It follows that a potential employyer would take that into consideration.

I opposed the bill passed in Massachusetts for that reason. Gunner Scott and I have had some bad blood over  that bill and his accepting HRC's seed money post ENDA years ago. But thats history, HRC is changing.  So it's time to back track to public accommodations in Massachusetts, which of course I fully support.

Gov signs transgender rights bill: wwlp.com

More power to MTPC in convincing legislators that trans people are now worthy of the most basic of human rights when months ago we were not. The details of the action day can be found at Glaad  or the MTPC webpage.

Missourians for Equality Novel Approach: Please Vote On Our Rights

Referendum.  The word send chills up the backs of most traditional civil rights advocates. The threat of a popular vote is always a consideration when advancing LGBT rights. It's a tool occasionally used successfully by anti LGBT groups to defeat progress we achieve by city council and legislative means.

Voting on a minority's rights by the majority is problematic at best. If it were not for the discrimination faced by said minority the issue wouldn't have come up in the first place.

Or so we thought. The new kids on the block, Missourians for Equality have received State approval to begin collecting the 105,000 petition signatures needed for a state wide vote in 2014.

I asked Aaron Malin, executive director of Missourians for Equality this morning about this novel approach. Malin explained "We see this a viable method since millions of Missourians are already living under such protections the fear factor has disappeared for them. Our efforts will be much like the recent Maine Marriage vote. Addressing the more contentious subject of transgender protections Arron said "A recent poll indicates 64% favor same sex marriage and we think those same people will support gender identity protections as well."

As for religious organizations potential opposition Arron's group is taking a preemptive approach by asking for enhanced protections for religious freedom as well.

As far as the established Missouri group's non support of the ballot initiative Arron replied " Promo is using a different, incremental path towards equality. They have done much of the groundwork but we don't see this happening in the states legislature. We look to expound on Promo's work for a statewide vote. And if we fail, there is always the more traditional path. In any case we see the vote as a good thing."

Show me Show Me State!


On facebook Missourians for Equality

Video; Russian Duma LGBT Kiss in Met With Violence And Arrests

Гомофобы и полиция попытались сорвать флешмоб против принятия гомофобного закона у здания Государственной Думы. 19 декабря 2012, видео Дмитрия Зыкова для www.grani.ru

Police and homophobes tried to disrupt and FlashMob against homophobic law outside the State Duma. December 19, 2012, Dmitry Zykova for www.grani.ru videos

Arrested at the kiss in was one of my favorite journalists Elena Kostyuchenko who writes for Novaya Gazeta one of the last remaining free press outlets in Putin's Russia.



Read more at Gay Star News

NH AG Issues Opinion: Transwoman Stacie Laughton May Not Run For Office.

Laughton made a huge deal of resigning then stated she was running
again, to fill the seat she had just vacated.

An opinion from New Hampshire Attorney General Michael Delaney issued Monday states that Stacie Laughton may not run to fill the seat she vacated after her past criminal history was revealed earlier this year.

Is this finally over? Laughton says she is planning to remove her name from contention.

I couldn't believe it when Laughton said she was running to fill the seat she hadn't even officially taken. Well, she forced the hand and I just hope this is the end of this mess.
Read more at NPR A.G.: Criminal History Bars Nashua Transgender Woman From Holding Office

=================

Transgender Is No Longer A Disorder.

Trans Folk Don't believe the headlines. Transgender is still included in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

Nearly every day we see it "Transgender no longer a disorder". That headline has been repeated Ad nauseam in nearly every gay publication until even CNN http://fox8.com/2012/12/27/transgender-no-longer-a-mental-disorder/ is repeating the story, almost word for word.

I have begun to wonder if maybe the people who use our pathologization against us will begin to believe it too, if they read it enough. I'm here to say, we are still patholoigized and no they won't because unlike the trans people who want to believe things are better they want to. They know better than that . As long as we remain in the DSM we will have that chain around our collective necks.

It's a great headline for gay and mainstream media. Its sensational and it lifts the guilt tha gay and lesbians feel for sacrificing us.  We weren't added until homosexuality was removed. Gay people knew there was only one way to advance there agenda and they did it.

 Dysphoria. Granted there's is a slight difference in the dichotomy and if our diagnosis is focused on helping gender dysphoric individuals transition successfully, that an improvement too. But at what cost?

We remain patholigized despite massive protests in Europe and keyboard plunking in the States.

About a half of the 5,000 trans people on the https://www.facebook.com/events/131907566870401/?ref=ts&fref=ts facebook page I begun wanted our complete removal, many of them signing the petition. http://www.change.org/petitions/remove-transgender-from-the-dsm-5 

Many of the remaining folks were happy with the status quo hoping one day there insurance would better cover transition. Many couldn't care less because they self medicate and when and if they opt for SRS, they just get it.

Did those of us who wanted our removal succeed? No, most likely we failed despite my best efforts at getting local people out from behind their keyboards. That was somehow my fault. Not the gay communities. We didn't take to the street at key moments and gain the spotlight as they did twenty years ago.

The facts.

The December first 2012 press release from the APA announced the next bureaucratic step needed to publish the DSM-5 had been taken place by the board voting it's approval.

And the world fell over themselves to announce trans people were no longer listed as "disordered" by in the DSM.

Did I miss something in that press release?

The Message From APA President Dilip Jeste, M.D., on DSM-5 offers no specifics, only justifications and denials regarding the process.

So whats up?

The often quoted Med Page published in May following the last public meeting reports what may not up:

"Gender identity disorder. Individuals who believe their biological gender doesn't match their gender identification will no longer be labeled with a disorder. Instead, if they seek psychiatric treatment, they can be labeled with "gender dysphoria."

The workgroup responsible for dealing with the hot-button issue considered a variety of other approaches, addressed later in this article. Ultimately they settled on a formal diagnosis -- potentially qualifying a patient for insurance-paid treatment if they want it -- but with a less pejorative name than "disorder."

So the name might change but what is the difference between the two words and what does it mean to trans people? The free medical dictionary defines....

Gender Identity Disorder:

"The psychological diagnosis gender identity disorder (GID) is used to describe a male or female that feels a strong identification with the opposite sex and experiences considerable distress because of their actual sex."

Gender Dysphoria:

"unhappiness with one's biological sex or its usual gender role, with the desire for the body and role of the opposite sex.

Not much difference between the two words is there?

Please understand, this is just conjuncture since no further official information available until the DSM-5 is published in May 2013.

But given that one D word is being substituted for another what's the end result?

We remain pathologized by the APA

pa·thol·o·gize

/pəˈTHäləˌjīz/Verb

Regard or treat (someone or something) as psychologically abnormal or unhealthy

Which in my opinion denies us our rightful place among the worlds well adapted productive citizens.

So try as hard as I may I failed, kind of. Who knows. I did give space to those who wanted conversation. But most importantly, those who wanted our total removal from the DSM as well.

But now its just a waiting game. The APA has what it wants, our undivided attention, our money, the guidelines to normality, acceptability and our chances at success in life.