Transgender Mall Guard, Jo Acker Shot and Killed Protecting Others

26-year-old transgender woman Jo Acker was shot Monday morning at a Boise Idaho Mall where she worked when she ran towards a man shooting mall patrons. 

The mass shooting would have been worse according to her sister, who said protecting others came naturally to her. 

Acker’s sister tells 11 News she had an enormous heart of gold and would do anything for anybody no matter what. “Confronting someone whom she viewed to be a threat to others or a bully was entirely within her character even prior to enlisting,” said Tiffany Luna, Jo Acker’s oldest sister.

 Previously Jo Acker served as a forward observer in the US Army.

Boise Police responded Monday just after 2 p.m. to reports of gunfire and at least one person wounded at Boise Towne Square. When officers arrived, they encountered a person matching the description of the shooting suspect and an exchange of gunfire followed, according to Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee. 

The incident left three dead including the shooting suspect, Boise Police announced Tuesday. Five others were injured.

Luna says there has been an outpouring of support and messages the family has received about the impacts Acker had on them. 

 “We have had people messaging us to tell us how she helped them, how she saved them, and we are so thankful for the love and support we are receiving.” 

 Acker’s oldest sister says she would want everyone to remember to choose love and to not make this tragic incident about something else. She says Acker would want people to focus on telling those that you love how much you love and care about them because you never know if you will get another chance to do so.

 Acker has a 3-year-old daughter, 5 sisters, and a step-brother.

A verified GoFundMe has been set up by Karyn Kennedy, one of her older sisters to help with funeral expenses and to help set up a bright future for Everay, the daughter left behind.

 Rest In Peace Jo Acker.

Why is the Dallas LGBT resource center trying to get a sports championship moved to Texas?

The ink hasn't dried on the Texas Trans student Athlete Ban, the NCAA has ignored our demands that they stand behind their promises, and the Communication Director of the Dallas LGBT center is working to get a major league sporting championship moved to Texas.

Rafael McDonnell, Senior Advocacy, Policy, & Communications Manager at Resource Center located in Dallas Texas said on Facebook that he  "filled in for the boss at a reception to welcome an international soccer delegation scouting out North Texas as a potential 2026 World Cup site."

I asked him "How do you reconcile that with the legislature's trans student athletic ban?"

McDonnell answered quickly posting on Facebook:

 "I am hopeful that bans like the one here in Texas will be struck down in the courts. We've already seen challenges in other states with more favorable federal courts. If SCOTUS' reasoning in last years employment cases holds true, that is another hopeful sign. Four years is a long ways away, and it's by no means certain that North Texas will get any of these games," said McDonnell."

McDonnell continued "Several of the sites under consideration have also passed similar (and worse) legislation...Nashville and Miami jump to mind. Mexico is on thin ice about hosting games in the current three-nation bid because of team fans repeatedly using homophobic and transphobic chants. FIFA (the governing body of international soccer) Is has been criticized for giving next is giving next year's World Cup to Qatar because of that country's human rights record, so they are going to look closely at that before making final location choices."

Jesus Christ. All I see now is a gay man rationalizing backstabbing trans kids. That is deplorable. I mean, has Abbott even signed the bill into law yet? 

In response to the Texas Rangers once again omitting any reference to LGBT kids on MLB Spirit Day McDonnell told the Dallas Morning News “To me, the Rangers are a bunch of scrappy guys who play their hearts out every day and you love that,” he said. “But the more this keeps happening, it becomes more difficult to love something that doesn’t even acknowledge you exist.”

And yes the worse is yet to come. The floodgates have opened and Texas will be full-on attacking trans people in the next legislative session.

And to tell you the truth as a designated persona non grata it really has been hard to support the North Texas gay community or the scrappy crew from Equality Texas.

To quote Rafael McDonnell "...the more this keeps happening, it becomes more difficult to love something that doesn’t even acknowledge you exist.”

Dave Chappelle open to a conversation with "transgenders" about cancel culture

Chappell leaving the super-exclusive Annabel's nightclub Wednesday night ... partying at the members-only spot the day of the Netflix walkout

"No more jokes about transgenders until we can all laugh together," Dave Chappelle told TMZ via his rep.  

According to TMZ he is willing to talk to the Netflix employees if they invite him to converse about their "cancel culture" and hopefully to  "make some sense".

Chappelle's rep tells TMZ ... "Dave stands by his art: No more jokes about transgenders until we can all laugh together. The streets are talking and Dave is listening. At some point, when everyone is open, I’m sure the communities will come together."

Which 'communities' are Chappelle referring to? Transgender people for sure, he made fun of us during his special, but the other one? 

Chappelle got paid $5,000,000 for his last transphobic tirade. Millionaires perhaps?  

Who knows. He made divisiveness the center point of his comedy. 

He could start with telling his rep. that the word "Transgender" is an adjective, not a noun. That could be a start. 

 What did Chappelle say about transgender anatomy that is being talked about of the street?

 Sound on.

Sound On. https://t.co/EGptvi06ST

— planetransgender (@planetrans) October 20, 2021

“If your satire is punching down, you are being a bully. It’s not funny. So I’m standing in solidarity with the folks here at Netflix who are saying, ‘we ain’t having it.’ Not on our watch.#NetflixWalkout pic.twitter.com/UOyMCKTBDp

— Michael Edgecomb (@TheEdgePHX) October 20, 2021

“Gender is a fact. Every human being in this room, every human being on earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on earth. That is a fact," Chappelle says in the special. He defended Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who has faced allegations of transphobia for years. “They canceled J.K. Rowling — my God," he added. "Effectually she said gender was a fact. 

The trans community got mad as s***, they started calling her a TERF," Chappelle continued. (TERF means "trans-exclusionary radical feminists," whose views about feminism are seen as anti-trans.) "I'm team TERF," Chappelle said. "Gender is a fact."

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

As told by her best friend Mia Satya. #NetflixWalkout #RememberDaphneNov20https://t.co/jrzyQaKEr9 pic.twitter.com/qlkXHPyjWe

— planetransgender (@planetrans) October 20, 2021

Chappelle obviously did not realize how much pushback he would receive. He did not realize that Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) happens every November 20th.

On this day we remember the 408 transgender people who committed suicide, were shot, stabbed, burned alive just for living their truth during the previous reporting period.

No joke, Chappelle, this happens on every continent in hundreds, perhaps thousands of places. They even have TDoR's in Russia where Putin, Chappelle's only political ally similarly ridiculed transgender people in support of him. The only difference is Putin isn't hiding behind a veil of comedic inference. He just kills us.

Korean Military to appeal reinstatement of transgender soldier

Staff Sergeant Byun Hui-su seen performing her job as a tank driver wanted to show the world that transgender soldiers are equally capable of fulfilling their duties.

The Korean military plans to appeal a court ruling reinstating posthumously a transgender soldier who was discharged for having SRS last year. 

South Korean army Sergeant Byun Hui-su filed paperwork to change her gender marker then underwent sexual alignment surgery while on leave. 

She was discharged after returning to duty when she informed her superiors about her operation,

A district court ruled this month that the military unlawfully discriminated against the soldier by forcing her out last year for undergoing gender reassignment surgery. 

In its Oct. 7 ruling, the Daejeon District Court ruled against the discharge, saying that Byun had already informed the army that she had registered her request to change her legal status as a woman with another local court. Her request for a legal gender change was approved less than a month after her discharge. 

The military discharged her last year citing a law provision allowing it to dismiss personnel with physical or mental disabilities if those weren’t a result of combat or suffered in the line of duty, according to the AP. 

Speaking about her decision to undergo surgery, she stated, "I thought I would finish serving in the army and then go through the transition surgery and then reenter the army as a female soldier. But my depression got too severe.", "I want to show everyone that I can also be one of the great soldiers who protect this country

Byun Hui-su was found dead at her home in March at age 23.

Anti Transgender Student Sports Bill Heads to Governor's desk

The burden of hate will weigh heavy their hearts forever

 

It's with a heavy heart I have some sad news to relay. The right-wing extremist state government of Texas has finally forced an anti-trans bill through.

The cowardly insurrectionists started in 2017 with a statewide bathroom bill but that met unanimous opposition.

The bill that passed targets transgender children, the most vunerable of our community, a segment that is more easily attacked. For who lends much credence to what a child has to say?

The anti-trans legislation has been a high priority each session called by Governor Greg Abbott, and the Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) has proudly worked alongside community partners, children and their family members, advocates, and activists who have made thousands of phone calls and visits to the Capitol for the last 10 months. We want to remind our community and ally’s that even though it might not feel this way, we are on the right side of history when it comes to justice for trans people in Texas."

“We are disappointed and devastated that HB25 has passed in the House. Despite the overwhelming testimonies and facts presented to the legislature in opposition to the bill, proving how harmful this bill will be to trans children, their loved ones, and our LGBTQ community they treated our trans youth like political pawns. I want to remind people of Texas, our trans youth are not your political pawns.” said executive director of TENT, Emmett Schelling."

This is truly sickening as there was no need for it in 2017 and there is no need for it today

Last session Joe Stauss speaker of the house, a Republican from San Antonio stopped them at the last moment. Joe was immediately forced out of the legislator and we didn't have a savior this year.

“This cruel and grotesque ban puts a target on the backs of transgender children and adults, erases intersex people and sends a clear message that transgender and intersex people aren’t welcome or safe in Texas. Instead of heeding the community outcry against the bill and listening to the powerful testimony of trans kids and adults, families and advocates, Texas lawmakers willingly ignored the unequivocal evidence of the harm this bill (and bills like it) has already caused. Throughout four traumatizing legislative sessions, we’ve seen increased requests for help from families facing anti-LGBTQ+ threats as a result of this hostile climate. The ‘debate’ over this anti-transgender bill is already exacerbating intolerance, fueling discrimination, and solidifying Texas’ reputation as the leading state for violence against trans people. Lawmakers who supported this bill will have to live with its legacy and future impact on our communities,” said Ricardo Martinez (he/him), Chief Executive Officer of Equality Texas.

As HB 25 heads to Abbott's desk, it changes one cruicial rule. Previously schools accepted all birth certificates regardless of amendments. 

HB 25 will require schools to accept birth certificates that were issued 'at or near the time of birth'. This will keep any transgender students from playing who might have had the fortune to amend their birth certificates.

Actual policy, enforcement, and the cost of paying for it and any legal actions will be covered by cash-strapped schools. 

Kids. We did our best. And at best we have delayed more toxic bills from making it through.

Presidential candidate Joe Biden promised before being elected that he had our backs. If he doesn't take the lead forcefully he will have to get out of the way as we will squish him falling into our graves. Seriously President Biden, Don't waste this opportunity.

KP Deputy superintendent of police suspended for raiding Transgender Alliance Press Conference

Ihsan Shah, deputy superintendent of police, was suspended for a raid on a transgender press conference held at Peshawar Press Club on Oct. 12. 

The press club in Peshawar is the one place that transgender people in the conservative north state can report to media, and to the rest of the world, about the egregious conditions that they are forced to live in.

UCA News Reports that Farzana and her transgender sisters were holding a press conference when police raided the main hall of Peshawar Press Club. Ihsan Shah, deputy superintendent of police, and his guard were stopped by the cabinet members of the club. “Stop this event. You don’t know me. I will see you,” he threatened the resisting journalists. 

The club governing body later boycotted all police ceremonies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the most conservative province in Pakistan. Covering their faces in dupattas (long scarfs) and masks, Transgender Alliance KP later protested outside the press club on Oct. 12. More than 50 journalists demanded the resignation of Shah in a demonstration the next day.

"We face violence every day and demand our right to live and work. An organized group in Peshawar is making porn videos after kidnapping and raping transgenders"

Shah has been suspended but Transgender Alliance KP members continue to receive death threats. According to Farzana, the provincial president of the alliance, 80 transgender people have been murdered in the northern province since 2015. "Eunuchs were holding a press conference at the press club. Police raided the press club and said that they had come because the eunuchs were holding a press conference here"

پریس کلب میں خواجہ سراء پریس کانفرنس کررہے تھے۔ پولیس نے پریس کلب پر دھاوا بول دیا اور کہا کہ اسلیئے ائے ہیں کہ خواجہ سرا یہاں پریس کانفرنس کیوں کررہے ہیں ۔ @pressfreedompk @khattak63 @pressfreedom pic.twitter.com/zk2MrARpqP

— Anwar Zeb (@IMAnwarZeb) October 12, 2021

Father Nasir William, director of the commission for social communications in Islamabad-Rawalpindi Diocese, condemned the police raid on the press club.

 “This is the first time a police team has raided the press club, desecrated its sanctity and held the organizers of press conference hostage. We condemn this attitude and demand our freedom of speech and to protest. Transgenders openly perform at functions organized in Punjab province but remain hidden in Peshawar,” said the priest who has served in Peshawar for more than three years.

NetFlix reinstates engineer suspended for bringing attention to David Chappell's Transphobic Specials

Most of us, myself included, may never have known about the toxicity of the David Chappell Netflix specials.  I mean WGAF about David Chappell, we already knew he is an asshole.

We would have gone our way, blissfully watching our favorite Netflix shows if not for the certified badassery of one Netflix employee. 

There was no ignoring Terra Field's tweet that so rudely awoke the trans community. That one tweet struck us to the very core.

Terra Field became known as the Netflix engineer suspended for tweeting "we are not offended" listing many US trans women, most of whom were black, who were murdered so far this year. Click on her tweet to follow the thread.
 

I work at @netflix. Yesterday we launched another Chappelle special where he attacks the trans community, and the very validity of transness - all while trying to pit us against other marginalized groups. You're going to hear a lot of talk about "offense".

We are not offended 🧵

— Terra Field (@RainofTerra) October 7, 2021

Soon afterward Netflix suspended Terra but then rose to their defense stating that Feild wasn't suspended for the tweet. They said that they respected her right to speak freely. They said that Tara Feild was suspended for attending a Board Meeting implying that she broke a company policy. 

 But as it turns out Tara Field was invited by a board member who sent her a link inviting her to attend the virtual meeting. She shared this snip of a Netflix email stating that she has been fully reinstated.

Netflix has reinstated me after finding that there was no ill-intent in my attending the QBR meeting. I've included the statement I requested below.

I'm going to take a few days off to decompress and try to figure out where I'm at. At the very least, I feel vindicated. pic.twitter.com/lYxemYgRkJ

— Terra Field (@RainofTerra) October 13, 2021

This is obviously something Netflix would love to make go away.

But it won't.

Those of us who survived this past year remain deeply offended.

The trans employee resource group at Netflix is planning a company-wide walkout on October 20th to protest statements made by co-CEO Ted Sarandos regarding Dave Chappelle’s latest comedy special The Closer. - The Verge

Breaking: Netflix has reinstated sr. software engineer Terra Field. The trans ERG has also planned a company-wide walkout on October 20th to protest statements made by Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos. Organizers say Field's reinstatement doesn't solve the larger issues at play. https://t.co/OYrV89HVgA

— Zoë Schiffer (@ZoeSchiffer) October 13, 2021

  Column: Ted Sarandos’ Netflix memo on Dave Chappelle is a masterwork of gaslighting.

https://t.co/ib6Wvs5K55

— B. (@bpagelsminor) October 13, 2021

I decided to make an impact myself.

 I can not in good faith continue to support a corporation that so blatantly values profit over my life. Until I see a change I have canceled my Netflix subscription and implore others from the trans community and our allies to take similar action.

Netflix content isn't contained within the US border and neither is the transphobic message that is spread by it's co-CEO Ted Sarandos.

 There are at least 404 transgender people worldwide who aren't offended by David Chappell. They were all murdered. There will be hundreds of events worldwide as we mourn those 404 November 20th at our next Transgender Day of Remembrance.

It is my hope that NetFlix will be held accountable by everyone who mourns our fallen this November.

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

Mia Satya (L) and her bestie Daphne Dorman (R) in better days.

Transgender woman, aspiring comedian, and beloved human Daphne Dorman was tricked by Dave Chapelle into thinking he liked her style. 

After she opened for her newfound mentor Chapelle attacked her very being, destroying her confidence. She committed suicide a week afterward. 

But that's not the last of it. Dave Chapelle didn't respond to invitations to three memorials held on both the east and west coast, but he did use her posthumously as a transphobic prop in his last Netflix specials.

MP bizarre attempt to defend Gahanna's anti-gay bill ends with an attack on trans humanity

 

Ghana’s parliament is set to debate a bill that -- if passed -- would introduce one of the harshest anti-LGBTQ laws on the African continent.  

Sam Georgegh, the MP who introduced "The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill" at the behest of US evangelists could not defend this bill criminalizing LGBT people. Instead, he spent time gaslighting the United States, in an interview terminated with him questioning transgender Ghanaians humanity.

Reuters: UN Human Rights Experts- Ghana's anti-gay bill condemned as 'state-sponsored' violence 

 In 2019 a conference was hosted in Accra, Ghana by the World Congress of Families, which the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has identified as an international hate group, and HRC calls "one of the most influential American organizations involved in the export of hate." 

 One of the highlights of the conference, for attendees, was the presence of US ultra-conservative organizer Brian Brown, the president of the World Congress of Families (WCF). 

This is where the current push to criminalize LGBTQI people took shape. If the title of the Ghanaian bill sounds familiar, it should. The same wording has appeared in over 50 anti-LGBTQI bills in the US this year.

NAIROBI, Aug 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A Ghanaian bill criminalising LGBT+ people will establish “a system of state-sponsored discrimination and violence” against sexual minorities, U.N. human rights experts warned on Thursday, urging authorities to reject the proposed law.

Ghana’s parliament is set to debate a bill that -- if passed -- would introduce one of the harshest anti-LGBTQ laws on the African continent.

Watch this incredibly tense exchange between @LarryMadowo and Ghanaian MP @samgeorgegh. @CNNAfrica | #Ghana pic.twitter.com/NcNulfocVl

— One World CNN (@OneWorldCNN) October 8, 2021

Giving bigotry a platform in the name of dialogue or let's hear both sides, does more harm than any good.

My love to the LGBTQI community in Ghana. You deserve protection and care. Instead of your oppressors being amplified on international news platform https://t.co/l50amDj6W4

— Judicaelle Irakoze (@Judicaelle_) October 9, 2021

Arrest made for murder of transgender woman found by Seattle Jogger

Zoella "Zoey" Rose Martinez, 20 / Picture Family

A deceased woman found by a jogger on September 1, 2021, in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood of Seattle has been identified as a transgender woman by family.

The Diversity Alliance of the Puget Sound posted on Facebook  - "On September 1st Zoella "Zoey" Rose Martinez, 20, was found murdered in Seattle. Today the hunt for her killer ended in his arrest.".

 "Our community has lost a friend and loved one." 

"While no news reports revealed that she was a trans woman, we have been given permission by her family to reveal this. 

They proudly stood by their daughter through her transition and will continue to do so." . "Zoey was the 38th known trans or non binary individual lost to violence this year." .

"Picture used with permission by Sarita Martinez."

 
 

The original police report filed on September 1, while respectful didn't identify the victim as transgender - "At approximately 5 am, a jogger flagged down officers and said there was a person down in the alley near North 73rd Street and Greenwood Avenue North."

Jacaree Rashad Hardy / Seattle Police

Detectives with the SPD Homicide Unit, CRG Unit, and US Marshalls arrested Jacaree Hardy on September 6th, 2021 in the city of Renton without incident. Detectives are currently questioning him and will book him into King County Jail when they are done.

R.I.P Zoella "Zoey" Rose Martinez

Millen Cyrus wins Miss Queen Indonesia - now on to Miss Queen International

Millen Cyrus

Gorgeous transgender woman Millen Cyrus wins Miss Queen Indonesia held in Bali last month. Cyrus will now represent Indonesia at the 2022 Miss Queen International in Pattaya, Thailand. The winner of that contest is awarded THB 450,000 ($13,000 US) a sash, and crown along with a gift voucher from Pratunam Polyclinic by Dr. Thep Vejvisith.

"Thank you for everyone who supported me until I won miss queen 2021 @missqueen_indonesia, thank you Allah swt My parents, my beloved mother, my big family, my dear judges, designer @denny_opulence who made her very beautiful clothes, make-up artist @suryatan_makeup and hairdo @sagitarius_star89 who made me beautiful on miss queen night, and my friends and fans who have always supported me from the start, and my friends who are miss queen 2021 finalists who are always there and help each other during the quarantine period following miss queen 2021 Thanks all, love u"

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by VIRGO❤️‍🔥 (@millencyrus)

Millen Cyrus thanked the staff at a hospital saying "my grandmother was received and treated well by the health team and medical team and I only represented to register, and deliver. I'm very happy to have met and can make medical people happy, everyone is enthusiastic, take care of your health and progress, WE LOVE YOU"

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by VIRGO❤️‍🔥 (@millencyrus)

Of course religious people objected to her visibility to. which she responds quite elligantly

"I know who I am. I am not perfect. I'm not the most beautiful woman in the world. But I'm one of them."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by VIRGO❤️‍🔥 (@millencyrus)

Self funded Khawaja Sira Quran School Opens in Pakistan

 

A Quran school and religious learning community centre has just opened in the E-11section of Islamabad.

Khawaja Sira Quran School 

"The school for the transgender/Khawaja sira community has a full-time staff on site who assist those that come daily for classes and also for those that need temporary shelter."

"Khawaja Sira Quran School is now officially open, we have set up two of our 4 rooms, and our kitchen is now functional, ready to serve meals to our trans students and temporary shelter seekers. We are an entirely donation-reliant facility, and your generosity helps keep our doors open, to volunteer, donate or schedule a visit please contact us on our social media channels."

This is a step forward to better the lives of trans people as many religions oppose Khawaja Sira people's integration into society. Pakistan once again is on the leading edge by integrating Khawaja Sira people into law enforcement, the workplace, government, and religious organizations.

Transgender athlete Schuyler Bailar calls for trans inclusion in abortion rights

Schuyler Bailar

Schuyler Bailar, the first transgender athlete in history to compete on an NCAA Division 1 men's team spoke at the DC Woman's March Saturday. 

Bailar, a transman identified as female at birth spoke emphatically about the right of all humans, regardless of gender, to have access to safe abortions.

Since graduating from Harvard in 2019, Yahoo first reported, Bailar has used his platform to advocate for others in the LGBTQ community. He has taken aim at the numerous legislative propositions this year that sought to ban transgender athletes from playing on teams.

"This is a women's issue and it is also a transgender man's issue": Schuyler Bailar, the first transgender athlete to compete on an NCAA Division 1 men’s team, talks LGBTQ inclusion at Saturday's Women’s March rally for abortion justice pic.twitter.com/2nJzq3jgcN

— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 2, 2021

"I am a transgender man, which means that although I am a man, I was assigned female at birth, which means that I have a uterus. Which means that I could get pregnant. Which means that I could need an abortion," he said. "I am here to remind you to make it absolutely clear that people of all genders can have abortions, and people of all genders should have safe and legal access to abortions." "This is a women's issue and it is also a transgender man's issue": Schuyler Bailar, the first transgender athlete to compete on an NCAA Division 1 men’s team, talks LGBTQ inclusion at Saturday's Women’s March rally for abortion justice.

Trans Woman Tessa Ganserer nominated for the German LGBT+ Diversity Award

Tessa Ganserer

Tessa Ganserer, one of the two transgender members of the German Federal Parliament is asking you to vote for her again, this time for the German LGBT+ Diversity Award.

Ganserer, won the election and did it her way. She refused to pay the exorbitant fees and jump through the bureaucratic hoops to change her name that the law currently requires. She won despite being forced to out herself on every ballot of the Bundestag. And now as an experienced member of the Greens Party, she has been given a platform to change that law so she and others can self-identify.

Click here to cast your vote before October 10th and help her achieve her goal! It's easy! Scroll down to the LGBT+ category and click on it. You will see her picture and click on it. Below that you will see a tab "Abstimmung" or "Vote" and you are done!  

Tessa Ganserer (* 1977) is a member of the Bundestag. She is the queer political spokeswoman for the green parliamentary group and came out as trans * at the end of 2018. Ganserer is now finally living her true gender and is the woman she always was in public every day.

 In parliament, she campaigns for the rights of all queer people. But it also makes itself strong outside of parliamentary politics so that everyone can live their sexual orientation and gender affiliation freely and without fear.

As a voluntary trade unionist, Ganserer tirelessly promotes the acceptance and appreciation of sexual and gender diversity. Queer politics have gained visibility and relevance in Bavaria and far beyond thanks to Tessa Ganserer. Its declared aim is to replace the degrading and constitutionally unlawful “transsexual law” with a self-determination law.

Dallas Transgender woman murdered in Arlington Texas

Kier Lapice Solomon / Facebook

Arlington Texas - Kier Lapice Solomon, 21, was found unresponsive by police in a car in north Arlington at 9:30 pm Thursday evening.

UPDATE: A balloon release and vigil for Kier  Lapice Solomon will be held in Dallas on Sunday.
Where: 1500 St Augustine Rd Dallas, TX 75217
When:   Sunday, Oct. 3rd, 6:00 pm

A community Balloon Release hosted by friends to honor Kier Laprice Soloman is scheduled for tomorrow. https://t.co/ncGsEO3b1y pic.twitter.com/ezAVlmCbH8

— Nu Transgender Movement, Inc est. 2016 (FB/Insta) (@nutransmovement) October 3, 2021

  

Kier Lapice Solomon, a resident of Dallas, was taken to the Arlington Memorial Hospital where she died at 10:14 pm on September 30, 2021.

A resident reported finding an unresponsive person in a car that was parked at the complex, according to the Star Telegram.

 When they arrived, police found the victim with a gunshot wound. She was taken to a local hospital and was pronounced dead.

Detectives are canvassing the neighborhood seeking witnesses and surveillance video, and speaking to friends and family of the victim. Anyone with information should call Arlington police at 817-459-6466. Tipsters can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers of Tarrant County at 817-469-8477.

Reference Tarrant County ME Case Number 2119113

R.I.P. Kier Lapice Solomon

Board fires HRC president Alphonso David: he says without evidence

Alphonso David

Alphonso David was unceremoniously fired by the HRC and Equality Board of Directors over the September holiday weekend. David who previously was the lead lawyer for former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was accused by the Boards of acting improperly by helping Cuomo discredit one of the #MeToo accusers.

Guilty or not, David made a valid point by not going quietly into the night. I too am an Equality Federation and HRC persona non grata because, as a trans person who protested at the HRC fundraisers resulting in HRC reluctantly becoming slightly more transgender-inclusive.

I met David when he spoke in Austin in support of our fight against anti-LGBT legislation. He was well-spoken and had a wide-ranging welcoming and inclusive message. For those reasons, he will be missed and as an outlier in the equality battle, I wish him well.

Reuters: 

Alphonso David, the president of Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ advocacy group in the United States, was fired on Monday after a New York Attorney General report said he had advised former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on how to handle sexual harassment allegations, the organization's board said.

 His dismissal was announced by the co-chairs of HRC's board, Morgan Cox and Jodie Patterson, in a statement that said that his actions in assisting Cuomo's teams had violated the campaign's mission. It also accused David of making statements that included "significant untruths" about the investigation and his role in the organization. 

 "At HRC, we are fighting to bring full equality and liberation to LGBTQ+ People everywhere. That includes fighting on behalf of all victims of sexual harassment and assault," the statement said. David said the Human Rights Campaign board had "unjustly" terminated him.

"As a Black, gay man who has spent his whole life fighting for civil and human rights, they cannot shut me up. Expect a legal challenge," David said in a statement. According to David's LinkedIn profile, he was president of HRC for over two years, having spent over eight years prior to that working for Cuomo's office - first as counsel for civil rights and then as chief counsel. 

 The report by Letitia James, the New York State attorney general, described allegations of sexual harassment by Cuomo, and efforts by his aides to retaliate against the former governor's accusers. David was identified in the report as involved in efforts to undermine Cuomo's first accuser, Lindsey Boylan. 

 Andrew Cuomo, 63, stepped down as governor in August after a state investigation concluded that he sexually harassed women who worked for him. He said it was "unfair" that he had to resign. He at times expressed regret for making young women uncomfortable, but denied criminal wrongdoing.

The HRC board said that David's conduct had violated the group's "conflict of interest" policy and that it resulted in "material damage" to the reputations of David and of the group. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru and Sarah Morland in Gdansk; Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Simon Cameron-Moore and Tom Hogue)

.@AlphonsoDavid on his firing from the @HRC: “I was asked to resign without a shred of evidence. I was asked to resign without any findings. I was asked to resign without a report… They wanted this to go away.” #SundayShow pic.twitter.com/MuvBuJ2lZ8

— The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart (@TheSundayShow) September 12, 2021

Transgender woman murdered in Honduras

Tatiana García / 

Tatiana García, an active member of the LGBTQI community in Santa Rosa de Copán was stabbed to death in her home on Saturday, 25, 2021. 

She lived in the Díaz Valenzuela neighborhood of Santa Rosa de Copán in western Honduras.

On Sunday family members went to her home worried that she wasn't answering calls and found her dead. 

In social networks, many people expressed their regret and disgust at the atrocious death. “In this country, they kill people like nothing else and everything goes unpunished, they never solve it”, “Life is worth less and less in Honduras”, “May she rest in peace, I knew her, she was very helpful. God strengthen the soul of her mother”, were some comments. 

Trans lives Matter TDoR project reports that Tatiana García was the 5th transgender person murdered in Honduras and the 297th worldwide since November 20, 2020, the last TDoR.

The police authorities began the investigations, and are looking for the people with whom she last had contact with according to HCH TV

 R.I.P Tatiana García

Hundreds of Students Walkout of Texas High school in protest of anti-LGBTQI Administration

Irving Texas. - Hundreds of LGBTQI students and allies walked out of McArthur High School Wednesday after they learned teacher Rachel Stonecipher, a sponsor of the Gay Stright Alliance Club hadn't been to work in days.

Ms.Stonecipher, an out Lesbian, had handed out stickers to fellow staff for their claserooms indicating it was a safe space for LGBTQI students. Those stickers were 'scrached off with keys' last week according to students.

 Students said the stickers were put up on many teachers' doors last year and this school year. But last week, students said they began noticing the stickers were being removed from the classroom doors by the administration. 

 At least one of the teachers who helped spearhead the effort has also not been at school since last Thursday, Sept. 16, according to students.

 One of the teachers, Rachel Stonecipher, spoke to WFAA about Wednesday's walkout. “There’s a lot of hurt, confusion, and fear from students who feel like the administration has a problem with them for being LGBTQ+,” Stonecipher said. “It was emotionally terrible for them," she added. In a statement, Irving ISD said district policy does not allow teachers to use classrooms to "transmit personal beliefs regarding political or sectarian issues."

Kelli Busey, publisher of @Planetrans has been testifying against anti-LGBTQI legislation in Austin since 2017 had this to say about it. "I can't fathom how the school administration considers the stickers a 'sectarian issue', except perhaps our pride flag now has black and pink stripes to be inclusive of transgender and black LGBTQI people.

The school administration could have left those stickers in place and seriously lowered the suicidal ideation and self-harm that is beleaguering kids now in Texas.

Related: Gov. Abbott tries for the fourth time to pass anti-trans legislation, calling three special sessions this year alone. 

The Trevor Project received nearly 4,000 crisis contacts from transgender and nonbinary youth in Texas in 2021, reports the LA Blade, with many directly stating that they are feeling stressed and considering suicide due to anti-trans laws being debated in their state. This new data comes during a year when Texas lawmakers have proposed nearly 70 anti-LGBTQ bills, including more than 40 bills that specifically target transgender and nonbinary youth — far more than any other state. The Texas State Senate passed its anti-trans sports ban SB3 this week, and the companion bill HB10 is now moving forward in the Texas House.

Alarming numbers of Texas Trans kids in crisis over litany of anti-Trans bills - exactly what @loiskolkhorst and the rest of those evil sleezebags want. https://t.co/dqjfQyEuQP

— planetransgender (@planetrans) September 26, 2021

PLEASE sign and share widely! 🏳️‍🌈 Tell the Irving ISD school board in Texas that MacArthur High LGBTQ students have the right to feel safe at school. We need you 💪 https://t.co/1GRg6sGteq @HRC @GLSEN @ACLUTx

— Rachel Stonecipher (@r_stonecipher) September 27, 2021

Family sues Georgia Dept of Corrections over 2017 Transgender Suicide

 

The parents of Transgender woman Jenna Mitchell are suing the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) over their daughters suicide.  In the lawsuit, GDC says she hung herself while an inmate in a Valdosta State Prison (VSP) and died at the hospital a few days later.

 WALB News 10 reports that Jenna Mitchell was seen with a rope around her neck threatening to hang herself at 1:30 pm.

The guards then taunted her and walked away. When they returned they did not lift her up to stop her strangling and did not call an ambulance when it was determined that she was unconsious. An ambulance was called but not until a tower guard did so later. 

The four defendants in the lawsuit are GDC, the warden at the time, Don Blakely, a correctional officer at the time, James Igou, and the Georgia Board of Regents. The regents board is named because it manages Augusta University’s program called Georgia Correctional Healthcare, which provides health care for inmates, including mental health care. 

Court documents show Mitchell was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to robbery by intimidation in Union County in 2015.

In their lawsuit, Mitchell’s parents claim she died while in VSP because the prison and its employees failed to keep her safe.

 
They believe that violated her rights under the constitution and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The lawsuit said Mitchell was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and gender dysphoria and had a history of hurting herself.

Her parents said in the lawsuit they believe prison staff knew this and knew she intended to commit suicide on December 4, 2017.

The lawsuit focuses a lot on what happened between 1:30 and 2:00 p.m. that day.

Around 1:30 p.m., the suit says Mitchell asked an attendant to find corrections officer, James Igou, and a sergeant, Wallace Richardson.

The lawsuit said Igou went to Mitchell’s cell and saw a noose around her neck.

The suit accuses Igou of taunting her and encouraging her to commit suicide.

Around 1:35 p.m., they say Igou walked away, and at least one other inmate told him Mitchell was committing suicide.

They say he laughed and shouted that she should wait until he got back because he “wanted to see.”
Before he returned, the lawsuit says Mitchell hanged herself.

First Transgender Lutheran Bishop Sends Message of Love and Acceptance

Reverend Dr. Megan Rohrer, (they/them) the first transgender person to become a Bishop in a mainline religion says that the Bible never once said that we should debate how God loves us. "God never once said, 'Let's take a vote before deciding who God loves", said Bishop Rohrer

Reverend Dr. Megan Rohrer is the bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod, overseeing nearly 200 evangelical Lutheran congregations from Central California and Nevada up to Oregon. The bishop is making history, reports ABC 7. 

 “It made the history books because I'm the first openly transgender bishop in the Lutheran Church and maybe in all of the mainline churches across the world,” Rohrer said. Rohrer says becoming bishop as a transgender person was not something they anticipated so soon.

 “God and I are good," Rohrer said. "And so when someone wants to send me a Bible verse to tell me where I'm wrong, I want to send them some of my favorite Bible verses not to like, have a debate with them because, you know, God never once said, 'Let's take a vote before deciding who God loves.' But because like, that's exactly why I think the Bible is such an important book. Like because the people that are going to preach the opposite of me for the rest of my life are just as loved by God as I am. And the book that I think is sacred fills their heart just as much as it fills my heart.”