3/31/12

Supreme Court Strikes Down Wisconsin "Inmate Sex Change Prevention Act"


Wisconson prisons will no longer be allowed to refuse transsexual inmates transitional care on the grounds they consider it "bizarre taxpayer-funded sex change procedures" and "prison extreme makeovers".

From the ACLU blog:
"The law prevented prison doctors from ever prescribing transition-related medical treatment, including hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgery, to transgender prisoners. In May 2010, a federal district court struck the law down as unconstitutional and in August 2011, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed. The third and final act of this legal drama was the U.S. Supreme Court's denial of certiorari on Monday."

"At trial, Wisconsin made the disturbing argument that this law was really for the good of the transgender prisoners, since denying them hormone therapy prevented or reduced the feminizing affects of that medication thereby reducing the risk of their assault by the male prisoners with whom they were housed."


Read the whole article on the ACLU blog Victory at the End of a Six-Year Transgender Rights Struggle

3/24/12

Shrek The Musical Teaching Children To Its OK to Say "Tranny"?!


Is the stage adaptation of Shrek teaching children to say words that kill? According to Robert Cushman, theatre critic for the National that's exactly whats happening. Cushman reviewed it's Toronto opening saying;
"I did, though, warm to the eviction complaint of the Three Little Pigs that “zey blew our condos down.” On the other hand having the Big Bad Wolf lament that “they tore my cotton granny dress / and called me a hot ’n’ tranny mess” suggests that this supposed kids’ show may not be quite sure of its audience, and also that it doesn’t always know what a rhyme is."
And who would think that saying the 'T' word in its most dehumanizing sense is amusing, quaint and endearing? Cushman noted earlier in his review the scenario created by the little pigs/ big bad wolf was a amusing theatrical adaptation of right wing homophobia.

But in all likelihood it's a potentially deadly example of gay transphobia.

Read Cushman's review in full and if you think wrong to teach children to say words that kill send a email to the theatrical producers of Shrek, NETworks Presentations, Inc. and post a note on their Facebook wall.