2/4/09

Crossing The Border!

To A T: Gender Journeys is found the most incredible writings.

Involving, Insightful and passionate. Enjoy!

"Crossing The Border, Coming Home to One’s Self
By Radha"

"She sat in the compartment alone, stared from the window as the train flew through villages scattered across the Franconian hillsides like jacks tossed into a circle prior to the game. Grey stone walls, red-tiled roofs and always the spire of the town-church above everything else, cross shining across the fields and the roads where the occasional car wended its way between here and there."

"Her breath made fog on the glass as she leaned almost into the window, better able to see out or wishing in some way to melt through glass and become part of the landscape she passed through."

Draw a breath with Radha in Crossing The Border, Coming Home to One’s Self!

2/3/09

Understanding "FAGGOT" and "TRANNY" are Hate Words


Mutual respect begins with self respect or lack of therein is why many transgender people hate and distrust gays people. (ref to the transgender people's comments on Instant Tea)

Understanding that both words FAGGOT and TRANNY are hate inspiring slur is a no brainer for most of the good intentioned, highly intelligent and literate LGBT community. Allies within the LGBT community would not consider using these words in a antagonistic manner or even suggest that one or the others group be accepting of ether of these hate words.

I responded reluctantly, after may years of trying to keep this embarrassing situation "IN HOUSE" by emailing and talking with staff at the Dallas Voice and with local independent movie producer Israel Luna. Finally unable to turn another cheek I responded to this intolerable situation with a planetransgender blog post DEMAND the Dallas Voice stops using "TRANNY" . . In the first paragraph of this post is this article I acknowledged the diversity of our community with....

"....unless we are a entertainer with published articles which we identify ourselves individually as a "Drag Queen or Tranny" please do not call us by these names."

I Fully expected the Editorial Staff of the Dallas Voice and it's "Official Blog Instant Tea" to comprehend the indignities wrought by the context and frequency of their usage of the word "Tranny" Googled on 2/3/09 139,000 (resulted in) for "Dallas voice Tranny" and to implement a policy enabling good will between gay people and transgender people.

The transgender community was flabbergasted when the Dallas Voice Official Blog "Instant Tea" responded by attempting to justify using defamatory language by how many times transgender people have been humiliated, degraded and marginalized in other media sources. They went on to ignore the paragraph above and instead made the conversation two dimensional. Then they enlisted a well known self identified female impersonator as their spokes man. Then HE, a cisgender man in woman clothing who takes these clothes off after a night of paid drag work and dons men's clothing attempted to be a authority on being transgender. RuPaul is a female impersonator. This is his personal space. Finding ones identity is what we are all about.

Rupaul is NOT TRANSGENDER by his own definition. He capitalizes monetarily on his ability to entertain while personifying a very funny comical almost cartoon like caricature of womanhood. This Capitalization is added by commercialization and RuPual is thrilled to be once again the center of controversy.

The Boasting Edge brought it's full editorial might to remind GLAAD that it's previous efforts in maintaining civility resulted in people shouting so many slurs as to obscure the original transgression.

"Years ago, RuPaul was roped into another controversy because she’s been very supportive of Shirley Q. Liquor, a drag comedian and former Texan, who was condemned by GLAAD for promoting "ugly racial stereotypes." Not that Shirley defamed gays. GLAAD caved to pressure because "Grey’s Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington (a black dude) was being spanked for saying "faggot." In short, GLAAD agreed to a prisoner exchange."

"....unless we are a entertainer with published articles which we identify ourselves individually as a "Drag Queen or Tranny" please do not call us by these names."

Rupaul is comfortable with "owning Tranny". You are a "Tranny" Rupaul. You "own Tranny" by definition.

Transgender people who responded to this outrage clearly define ourselves in our lives as transgender.

The next insult was provided by Israel Luna who produces segment video for the Dallas Voice on DVTV, began promoting his new movie "TICKED-OFF TRANNIES WITH KNIVES" on the same Dallas Voice Instant Teas article that responded on the transgender and allies communities objection to the indiscriminate usage of "Tranny" by the Dallas Voice and the Dallas Voice's Blog "Instant Tea


So recapping so far. 3 men who wear male clothing and one who wears women's clothing after 6 hours of preparation for paid drag work, use hateful and degrading language in an antagonistic fashion over and over and over on the Dallas Voice's "Official Blog".

None are transgender. Some are closely connected to the "Gay and Lesbian" paper the Dallas Voice.

One is a drag queen spokesman who chooses to be identified as a "Tranny" and feels Transgender people should too.

This why I have used restraint for so many years and worked diligently as an ally threw thick and thin, hoping that my influence on gay transphobia would somehow make gay people just a little less hateful.


Tammye Nash Editor of the Dallas Voice stated she in a comment on the Instant Tea Blog post;

"I have my own personal opinion about using the word “tranny” to describe transgender men and women. I don’t like it. I find it, at the very least, a distasteful word."

And yet the Dallas Voice's Official Blog "Instant Tea" continues to defame transgender people. What is your responsibility Tammy as an editor? Do you take credit for your "official blog"? I'm not being sarcastic, just curious. What does a newspaper editor do?

What became of earlier responses of outrage by Tammye Nash and John Wright of the Dallas Voice when I suggested that your usage of the word "Tranny" is responsible for the perception that transgender people are less valuable?

In an earlier conversation Nash communicated to me that she was happy I am an transgender advocate because there had not been any for so long in the DFW. In a latter communication she hoped I would not hate her. That was curious to me. What could Nash do to make me hate her? I do not hate you Tammye.

To respond to Tammye's observation that there was a lack of transgender activists in the DFW. None any that you are aware of Tammye, in that context, and none to be sure lately that have attempted to have an respectful intelligent conversation with gay people about the abusiveness of the Dallas Voice.(Wondering why sarcastically)

But we are doing wonders avoiding you and your staff on any subject homosexual people would use as weapons against us by working with youth, religions, homeless, police, hospitals, city and state government actively making the lives of the entire GLBT community fulfilling and rewarding by enabling good will within a productive society.

A thankless task when your reward from gay people is hate, hate and hate.

Mutual respect begins with self respect, and lack of their in is why many transgender people hate and distrust gay people.

Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)

Glaad Publications and resources free download for the
GLAAD Media Reference Guide, 7th Edition defines,

"fag," "faggot," "dyke," "homo," "sodomite," "queen," "she-male," "he-she," "it," "tranny" and similar epithets.
The criteria for using these derogatory terms should be the same as those applied to hate words for other groups: they should not be used except in a direct quote that reveals the bias of the person quoted. So that such words are not given credibility in the media, it is preferred that reporters say, "The person used a derogatory word for a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender person."

I can not hate all peoples who loves their own sex. That makes no sense to me.
Personally I am a pansexual so gay people and I have a lot in common from the sexual orentation standpoint. Odd Bedfellows to be sure.

Mutual respect begins with self respect, and lack of their-in is why many transgender people hate and distrust gay people.

Kelli Busey
February 3, 2009
planetransgender


2/2/09

Tell Three Campaign California Equality


Last Saturday, nearly 400 activists and leaders gathered in Los Angeles at the Equality Summit to strategize our next steps to win marriage back in California.

Over the next two weeks we will ask you to join us in taking some of those next steps in a series of actions leading up the Love and Marriage Rally at the Capitol on February 16 and Equality California’s massive Lobby Day effort in Sacramento to pass resolutions in support of invalidating Prop 8 on Tuesday, February 17. Each of the five action emails we send will have two steps that you can take to help win back marriage.

Today, I’m asking you to take the first of those actions by joining the Tell 3 campaign. That is tell three people in your life about what marriage means to you.

Choose someone you know who might not be completely supportive. Tell Three is about engaging the people who we need to educate about the freedom to marry.

For helpful and easy-to-use resources, visit tell-three.org and letcaliforniaring.org. Find out who to talk to and get tips on how to start a conversation. Send an email, or connect on Facebook and MySpace.

EQCA teamed up with Join the Impact, American Civil Liberties Union, Equality California, the Equality Federation, Freedom to Marry, The National Lesbian and Gay Task Force, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays to launch this important, user-friendly site.

All the research we have done before and after Prop 8 has shown that it’s not just knowing someone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, it’s about making sure they know how important marriage—and nothing less—is to us and those who support us.

Please, take this opportunity to talk to three people you know today. This action could not be more important to gaining a groundswell of support for marriage



joining the Tell 3 campaign

Queer Liberaction's Queer love fest, women kissing women, men kissing men, free queer hugs


QUEER KISS-IN

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7

ROSS AND HARWOOD

NOON

Queer Liberaction's kiss-in is just around the corner. A week before Valentine's Day our Queer love fest is to include women kissing women, men kissing men, free queer hugs, signs, placards and even a Queer kissing booth (which can be seen on the cover of this week's Dallas Voice!

If you haven't met that special someone yet maybe lady luck will smile upon you when you win one of our fabulous prizes while playing our Queer kiss-in games! There will be something for everyone whether it's sporting the wonderful Queer kissing booth, smoochin' your honey or handing out flyers and Queer chocolate kisses to passers by.

So often our voices are silenced because of our sexuality. We are bullied and beaten into the closet. By holding a queer kiss-in we are asserting our right in a very celebratory and fun way to unabashedly love someone of the same gender.
Please join us at Buli (3908 Cedar Springs) this Wednesday at 6:00 PM to help hand out flyers.

QUEER LIBERACTION

2/1/09

Father Marty kurylowicz Protecting Children by Helping the Vatican to Renounce Antigay Teachings


Found on Father Marty kurylowicz blogspot a wonderfully enlightening conversation.

"Early Childhood Psychological Development Growing up Gay. Please Join Us Protecting Children by Helping the Vatican to Renounce All Their Antigay Teachings"

"A friend asked me to explain a little bit more about the group; I have posted my response, below."

"Knowledge is power. This whole project is about educating people about human sexuality."

"We want to base this project Protecting Children on Pope John Paul II’s approach that there are NO IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES between SCIENCE and RELIGION"

Please continue to Farher Kurylowicz Father Marty kurylowicz blogspot

NO IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES between SCIENCE and RELIGION

Russian Murdered Reporter's Co Writers : We can not fear "But you just have to write, write, write and keep writing. You have to."


Source Yahoo News article By Mike Eckel, Associated Press Writer In Russian Novaya Gazeta., English Version of Novaya Gazeta

"We are not afraid"

"The killers have no fear because they know they will not be punished. But neither are their victims afraid, because when you defend others you cease to fear."

Russia's sole surviving investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta. or New Newspaper, has lost 4 reporters of the 16 murdered execution style or who have died in suspicious circumstances, in a country where prosecutors refuse to present evidence, since 2000.

"In the latest killing, it appears lawyer Stanislav Markelov, who specialized in defending Chechens, environmentalists and human rights activists, was the primary target and Baburova may have been killed after she tried to intervene."
"That journalist was Anastasia Baburova, a 25-year-old cub reporter. She and a human rights lawyer were shot execution-style by a masked man with a silenced pistol as they walked together a few blocks from the Kremlin."

"Every two or three years, we lose someone," says Elena Kostyuchenko, a 21-year-old investigative writer for the paper. "But you just have to write, write, write and keep writing. You have to."
Novaya Gazeta.

Yahoo News Russian newspaper mourns another murdered reporter

English Version of Novaya Gazeta

By kelli Busey
Febuary 01, 2009
planetransgender