email version of steping up

Bishop Robinson Stepping UP/an Invitation

Letters and petition were sent to the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Bishop, New Hampshire, the only openly gay Bishop in the Anglican communion, asking him to consider how his attendance at certain social organizations fund raiser might affect transgender people. It is the belief of many transgender people that the exclusion from the national human rights movement was inhumane and his attendance would validate a sense that Transgender people were somehow less than Gays and Lesbians.

Our petitions and protests are without constraint from political and religious influence.

The response we received from Bishop Robinson took us completely off guard. Bishop Robinson asked to meet us, anywhere anytime! Well, how dare he? A religious leader of the Anglican communion willingly stepping up and taking this risk to meet? I was astounded and had to rethink how could we best respond to such a offer.
I went back to my roots at the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN), and what I have learned of philosophy and faith. I considered what could be the most important out come of such a meeting?

In response to Bishops Robinson's invitation we formed the Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies from previously friendly but separate people.
We all realized our need to be cohesive yet diverse and to respect each other for our common goal of lifting up the Transgender, Queer, Intersexed, Asexual and Questioning people from the sense of despair, frustration and anger we have found ourselves in since our exclusion from the national Gay and Lesbian human rights movement.

Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies are now extending our hand in friendship and welcome to all. We are everything, from radical to conservative and there are no guarantees. It is a leap of faith.
Come and be part of the Conversation with Bishop Robinson on November 22 in Dallas Texas.

We are so different yet so much the same. This realization of our humanity is due to Bishop Robinson "Stepping Up"

By Kelli Busey
Nov. 3,2008
planetransgender

Petition to End Spiritual Violence
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Endspiritualviolence/

Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire
http://www.nhepiscopal.org/contact.html Rt.

Reconciling Ministries Network
http://www.rmnetwork.org/

Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies
http://dallastaa.ning.com/

Exclusion from the national Gay and Lesbian human rights movement.
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h3686/blogs

Conversation with Bishop Robinson
http://planetransgender.blogspot.com/2008/09/press-release-dallas-transgender_30.html

planetransgender Rambling to a Far Lef T/an Invitation
http://planetransgender.blogspot.com/2008/11/rambling-to-far-lef-t-invitation-to.html

Rambling to a Far Lef T/ Invitation to Step Up

Bishop Robinson Stepping UP/an Invitation

Letters and petitions were sent to the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Bishop, New Hampshire the only openly gay Bishop in the Anglican communion, asking him to consider how his attendance at certain social organizations fund raiser might affect transgender people. It is the belief of many transgender people that the exclusion from the national human rights movement was inhumane and his attendance would validate a sense that Transgender people were somehow less than Gays and Lesbians.

Our petitions and protests are without constraint from political and religious influence.

The response we received from Bishop Robinson took us completely off guard. Bishop Robinson asked to meet us, anywhere anytime! Well, how dare he? A religious leader of the Anglican communion willingly stepping up and taking this risk to meet? I was astounded and had to rethink how could we best respond to such a offer.

I went back to my roots at the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN), and what I have learned of philosophy and faith. I considered what could be the most important out come of such a meeting?

In response to Bishops Robinson's invitation we formed the Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies from previously friendly but separate people.

We all realized our need to be cohesive yet diverse and to respect each other for our common goal of lifting up the Transgender, Queer, Intersexed, Asexual and Questioning people from the sense of despair, frustration and anger we have found ourselves in since our exclusion from the national Gay and Lesbian human rights movement.

Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies are now extending our hand in friendship and welcome to all. We are everything, from radical to conservative and there are no guarantees. It is a leap of faith.

Come and be part of the Conversation with Bishop Robinson on November 22 in Dallas Texas.

We are so different yet so much the same. This realization of our humanity is due to Bishop Robinson "Stepping UP!"

By Kelli Busey
Nov. 3,2008
planetransgender

Georgia becoming transgender friendly (one municipality at a time)

By Kelli Busey
Nov. 2, 2008
planetransgender

The Southern Voice in a article by Matt Schafer reports that Doraville Georgia is taking steps to join Atlanta and Decatur in extending their non-discrimination statements to include transgender municipal employees.

According to the article both Cole Thaler, national transgender rights attorney for Lambda Legal and Jeff Graham, the executive director of Georgia Georgia Equality are instrumental in moving this forward.

Thou Shalt Not Lie: Tell Mormon Church President-Prophet Thomas Monson to stop funding Prop 8

Fight back against the lies and protect the fundamental rights of Californians
It's time for Californians to fight back against the dishonest attacks of the "Yes on 8" campaign funded by the Mormon Church.

'Zack and Miri make a porno' Banned in Utah (the worst porno I ever seen)

Jonathan Crow's humorous candid review appearing in Yahoo Movies of the latest production of Kevin Smith who brought us 'Clerks' and 'Dogma';

"If you're looking forward to seeing Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks in director Kevin Smith's new R-rated comedy "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" this weekend and you live in Salt Lake City, you might be out of luck. Utah Jazz and Megaplex Theaters owner Larry Miller has refused to book the film. The chain's spokesman Cal Gunderson expressed concerns about the film with The New York Post, citing the film's "graphic nudity and graphic sex" and that it was "too close to an NC-17."

"The company's standards seem a little odd considering that the chain had no problems screening ultra-violent fare like "Saw V," which features beheadings and explicit self-mutilation. When asked why Megaplex Theaters did not object to the gory horror sequel, Gunderson had no comment."

I loved this movie!! A lovely, sensual, offbeat, explicit, gratuitous nudity, very funny love story, but a really, really bad porno!!!

Riders Arrested Attempting to Attend Chapel at Southwestern Assemblies of God Univ.

By Kelli Busey
Tuesday October 30, 2008
planetransgender

The Dallas Voice reports that Three more Soulforce riders were arrested after attempting to attend a chapel service this time at the Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, TX.





It is unclear to this writer why these Christian Universities find it incumbent upon themselves to keep young Christians separated. Is it a fear that homosexuality is contagious or maybe that freedom of thought may induce enlightenment?




******************************************
SOULFORCE PRESS
RELEASE: October 29, 2008
For Immediate Release
Contact: Caitlin MacIntyre, Equality Ride Media Director
Cell: 612-715-6138
caitlin@equalityride.com
******************************************

(Waxahachie, TX) -- Today, Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) pressed trespassing charges against three young adults who entered the campus to begin a dialogue about faith and fairness for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. The young people were members of the Equality Ride, a national bus tour that promotes safety and inclusion for all students on faith-based campuses.

Upon arriving at SAGU, all 16 of the Equality Riders tried to attend chapel services on campus. However, they were stopped by security who told Riders that they would not be allowed to participate in worship. Riders were escorted by guards to a parking lot on the periphery of campus. As Riders got off the bus, they were promptly met by a campus spokesperson who provided an official warning not to come onto the campus property. Once more, Equality Riders expressed their desire to join students in chapel, and were told that was not possible. Three Equality Riders, all of whom identify as Christian, moved forward anyway and were summarily arrested. The three Riders arrested were Manny Lampon, 22, of New York, NY; Zak Rittenhouse, 21, of Frankfurt, OH; and Nicholas Rocco DeFinis, 22, of Philadelphia, PA.

Equality Riders remained at the edge of campus in silent vigil until the Dean of Students, Scott Camp, began to address them. He was soon joined by student leadership and some university staff. Camp led the group in prayer in which he expressed the hope that "the love of Christ would be felt in this circle." In actuality, Equality Riders were forced to remain standing along the boundary that administrators had created while members of the SAGU community gathered freely on the other side.

"It was important for us to acknowledge that there had been a clear line drawn, one that divided Riders from Southwestern representatives. Our hope was that for one day we could erase that line and come together for a genuine and transformational exchange," said Jarrett Lucas, Co-director of the Equality Ride.

Camp indicated that he could understand the feelings of exclusion experienced by Equality Riders, but insisted there was no alternative to the setup, repeatedly saying, "This is where we're at." Unfortunately, very soon after the conversation had begun Riders were told that it was time to wind down. Then, most of the people from SAGU walked away, leaving Riders outside.

Riders will stand vigil throughout the day on Sycamore Street in hopes of continuing dialogue with students. In addition, they are trying to organize an off-campus event where students can feel comfortable discussing issues that affect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

"It's sad to see that Southwestern Assemblies of God University did not welcome us as other schools here in Texas have. In our experience we've seen the value of open discourse and hope that in the future SAGU will embrace the opportunity to allow an affirming voice on campus," shared Katie Higgins, Co-director of the Equality Ride. The Riders recently met with faculty and students at Dallas Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

The Equality Ride bus is on the road through November 13, 2008. Future stops include:

Nov. 5 Ouachita Baptist University Arkadelphia, AR
Nov. 7 Central Baptist College Conway, AR
Nov. 10-11 Union University Jackson, TN
Nov. 13 Simmons College of Kentucky Louisville, KY

Soulforce Q is the young adult division of Soulforce, a social justice organization that works to end political and religious oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people through relentless nonviolent resistance. For more information, go to www.equalityride.org.