Five years ago, television network CBS rejected as too controversial an advertisement from the United Church of Christ (UCC) that suggested churches should be places free from discrimination, including discrimination based on age, gender, race, and sexual orientation. At the time, CBS told the UCC that the network had "a longstanding policy of not accepting advocacy advertising."
Fast forward five years, and now CBS is prepared to run an advertisement during the Super Bowl -- the largest watched television program in the entire country -- from vehemently anti-LGBT organization Focus on the Family. Focus on the Family has a long history of spouting anti-LGBT beliefs, from calling gay marriage perverted, to saying that homosexuals were a threat to civilization, to telling girls that sex education strips them of their modesty. On top of that, the advertisement that Focus on the Family plans to run during the Super Bowl will take an anti-choice viewpoint.
A history of anti-LGBT actions, coupled with tackling an issue like abortion -- and CBS doesn't think that counts as controversial?
Click here to tell CBS that they should reconsider their decision to run the Focus on the Family advertisement, or offer the UCC another chance to air their advertisement. Anything less sends the message that LGBT-friendly churches are controversial, while religious organizations that demonize LGBT people and women's rights are considered perfectly acceptable.
Former Nazi youth Pope Benedict XVI historic visit to a Synagogue in Italy was essentially a denial of the holocaust an effort to revise history and attempted assimilation of Jewish culture in a continuing effort to form a multi faith coalition to fight against transgender, gay and lesbian people's struggle for social, political and religious inclusion.
AP News regarding the objective of Benedict's visit "Under the leadership of John Paul and Benedict, the Vatican has been seeking common ground on such conservative agendas as traditional families while forging stronger relations with other religions, including Judaism and Islam."
Not lost on many is the likeness of the current Vatican's inaction regarding the proposed genocide of gay and lesbian people in Uganda and the Vatican's silence and collusion with the Nazi's when they attempted to annihilate the Jews during world war two.
UPDATE Jan 15 Facebook reevaluates decision to censor Dominic's profile picture!!Transgender people's VICTORY and EMPOWERMENT!!! *****Original post******** Pictured right is Dominic Scaia a transgender man from Canada who posted this profile picture of himself after top surgery on FaceBook. His account was then terminated and Dominic was unable to solicit a reply from FaceBook as to why.
Face Book reinstated Dominic's account only after xtra.ca contacted facebook. xtra.ca received this statement in a email.
"Photo content that you uploaded has been removed for violating Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. Photos containing nudity or other graphic or sexually suggestive content are not allowed. Unfortunately, for technical reasons, we are unable to provide further information about the removed content.
However, after reviewing your situation, we have reactivated your account, and you should now be able to log in. In order to prevent this from happening in the future, please refrain from posting photos of this kind and remove any that still exist on the site. For more information on conduct prohibited by Facebook, please read our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, which can be accessed by clicking on the "Terms" link at the bottom of any Facebook page."
Pictured left is a example of one of thousands of Facebook pictures that are of bare chested and sexually explicit cis men. Facebook's determination of acceptability is biased against trans men since these pictures and titles clearly are sexually suggestive. Hell, the word SEX is often used in the picture description! This is further illustrated since a cis woman who had the same type of surgery for the removal of a cyst was allowed to post like pictures.
Dominic talks his Facebook experience,
Dominic invites all to contact Face Book and express your opinion!
I contacted facebook using the press option and asked these questions on January 15, 2010 and stated I would like to have a answer by January 20th.
1.How does facebook determine acceptability of profile or other publicly view pictures? 2.Does facebook take into account the persons stated gender when determining if a naked chest picture is acceptable? 3.If facebook does not base it's decision to suspend a facebook account with a naked chest picture, on the stated gender of the account holder, who or what standards does facebook use to base this decision? 4.Why is contacting facebook difficult for suspended account holders?
It remains to be seen if facebook has the bravado to face these issues chest on or not.
Update January 15,2010 9:91pm CT
I received this email from Facebook in response to the above request for a interview with facebook;
Hi Kelli,
Thanks for your inquiry.
"We evaluate content on Facebook according to our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, the governing document for our site (http://www.facebook.com/terms.php?ref=pf). Photos containing nudity violate our policies, and we will remove these photos – and may disable the account of the person posting them – when they’re reported to us by our users.
When determining if a photo meets our standards around nudity, we do take into account the gender of the person depicted.
Our policies are designed to ensure Facebook remains a safe, secure and trusted environment for all users, including the many children (over the age of 13) who use the site. Users can always write to our appeals queue (using the contact form in the “Warnings” section of our Help Center) if they feel they’ve been treated unjustly. Our team will then investigate and reinstate the account if appropriate.Regarding our customer service practices, we are committed to serving our 350 million users the best we can and continue to explore new options and additional resources to accomplish this goal."
Best, Jackson Colaco Facebook Public Policy
I replied with this email.
Dear Jackson Colaco,
The Facebook policy is fair and well advised. It would be supported by most gender diverse if it was adhered to. However Facebook did not follow it's own guidelines.
If facebook followed it's stated policy of taking into the consideration the stated gender of the account holder when deciding if a profile picture meets criteria that requires a account to be suspended, Facebook would not have suspended Mr. Dominic Scaia's account.
I am asking Facebook to follow it's policy and allow Mr. Dominic Scaia to post pictures of his bare chest without fear of retribution from Facebook.
Thank You, kelli anne Busey planetransgender http://planetransgender.blogspot.com Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies http://dallastaa.ning.com
A proposed bill storming through Uganda's parliament is one of the most severe pieces of anti-homosexuality legislation in the entire world! If passed, it would establish an alarming precedent that would virtually annihilate the human rights of Uganda's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population. Stop Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill!
In October 2009, Parliamentarian David Bahati introduced draconian legislation in Uganda that would make "any form of sexual relations between persons of the same sex" punishable by prison or even death. The bill even takes aim at those offering protection or support to any lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) person by instituting harsh prison sentences of up to 7 years.
If the Ugandan Parliament chooses to endorse this hateful legislation, it would be responsible for depriving countless Ugandans of their human rights as well as placing LGBT people throughout the world at significantly greater risk.
The vote on this bill could happen as soon as the end of this month, so we've got to act fast.
Fortunately, momentum to fight Uganda's egregious bill has already started building in Washington. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is spearheading a joint Congressional letter that will be sent to Uganda's President urging him to put an end to this discrimination. We need all U.S. Representatives to unite in opposition to codify persecution and discrimination in Uganda. Urge your Representative to sign-on to stop Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill.We fear that the negative consequences sparked from the passage of such irresponsible legislation will not stop at Uganda's borders, but will reverberate throughout the rest of Africa and even the world. Make your voice heard and stand up for human rights in Uganda! Make your voice heard and stand up for human rights in Uganda!
Ted Olson and the 4 plaintiffs (Kris Perry & Sandy Stier and Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo) will be on the TODAY Show tomorrow morning between 7:00 AM and 7:30 AM ET/PT.
Ted Olson 42nd United States Solicitor General, serving from June 2001 to July 2004 during the Bush administration and a conservitive icon is now the star of liberial progressives. Olson is garnering praise as he briliantly leads a team in a federal lawsuit Perry v. Schwarzenegger in an attempt to overturn Proposition 8, a California state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. We will get a YouTube up as soon as it is available after the show and AFER is planning getting the video up on their website. It’s late notice, so help in spreading the word about their appearance would be great. The four plaintiffs were incredibly powerful today testifying and it’s important that as many people as possible get to watch them tomorrow.
Planetransgender will cover Prop 8 trial with a Live RSS feed from Courage Campaign as they attend the trial and a twitter feed from American Foundation for equal Rights. See right bar for feeds!
I think I inadvertently feminized my voice. One adorable older lady who was going threw my checkout line said "I don't want you to think I'm one of those funny girls but you have a incredibly dangerous sexy voice! OMG I got so flustered I didn't even think to tell her that I am one of those funny girls. Oh well, missed opportunity's:)
SEATTLE, Wash. -- "More than a hundred women punched and kicked off a self-defense workshop called "Fight The Fear," a campaign created in honor of a Seattle woman who lost her life last year."
"Bam! Right to the head," organizer Melinda Johnson showed as she demonstrated techniques with her elbow. Johnson, a martial arts instructor and one of the event organizers, also told participants to yell "No!" or "Stop!" or anything that came to mind."
"Whatever you want to say," she told the crowd. "The point is your bringing out your voice." Full story at King5.com
This video recorded during the intake of transgender woman Duanna Johnson clearly shows one officers restraining Ms.Johnson while former Memphis Police Officer Bridges McRae struck Ms. Johnson repeatedly with all his might. It was later revealed that McRae rapped his fist with metal to intensify the damage of the blows.
McRea's lawyer contends that his client was fighting for his life after being attacked by Ms. Johnson and used justifiable force in restraining Ms. Johnson.
Ms. Johnson was found shot to death shortly after being released from detention. That crime remains unsolved.
San Fransico, CA. Proponents of same sex marriage equality who recently asked for and were denied a request to open public records to reveal who and what institutions contributed to the vote passing prop 8 have been denied a simular request by the Supreme Court, until at least Wednesday to allow television cameras into the courtroom.
Proponents of marriage equality contend that video graphing of the upcoming court battle would insure freedom of speech by allowing public disclosure of who and what organizations opposed equality during the trial.
Opponents of marriage equality have a diametrically opposite conception of what constitutes freedom of speech in a democratic society.
The opponents of marriage equality beleive people and organizations will only be allowed to operate without fear of retribution if they are not legaly responsible to disclose who and what organizations provide funding and manpower to achieve their goals.
The opponents of marriage equality are petitioning the court to disallow televising or video recording that would be available to public viewing on closed circuits or domains such as You Tube.
The Republic of Iran recently enforced it's ability to censure it's population by electronically shutting down it's border in a attempt to isolate and stifle the voice of freedom. That attempt at silencing it's population's voice resulted in the world's condemnation and unification of political forces previously divided along ideological lines.
The right to publicly confront oppressors in the United States is likely to be ruled on by the Supreme court before marriage equality is ultimately decided.
From the US to Uganda: Stop the Hate. Protest America's Religious Right Inspired Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
Join the Impact MA and the Anti-Violence Project of Massachusetts are calling for a day of action on February 4, 2010 to protest the American-inspired Anti-Homosexuality Bill (“AHB”) pending in the Ugandan Parliament.
That day a politically-connected, far-right coalition known as “The Family,” linked to the Ugandan legislation, will be sponsoring the “National Prayer Breakfast” in Washington, D.C., their only annually publicized meeting. This secretive, yet powerful group of anti-gay extremists, which includes Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich), Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-Pa), Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), Sen. James DeMint (R-SC), and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), supports discriminatory policies at home and fuels hatred overseas.
Protest information Start Time: Thursday, February 4 at 5:30pm End Time: Thursday, February 4 at 7:00pm Where: JFK Federal Building 15 Sudbury St. at the corner of Cambridge St. Map here
I think all transgender people can relate to some of these experiences.
"A report on some of the youngest transgender kids, including a six-year-old girl who was born a boy, a 10-year-old boy who lives as a girl and a 16-year-old-boy who was born a girl. Barbara Walters talks to these transgender children, all diagnosed with gender identity disorder (GID), as well as to their parents, who are allowing their children to live in the gender they identify with in order to save them from a future of heartache and pain. They are sharing their personal stories to increase future understanding of transgender children."
As many of us now are begining to understand gender variance is not a disorder, but the natural state of being human.
Stephen Colbert, pictured right cross dressed in the very cheap camel hair blond wig, grilled former attorney general Alberto Gonzales on his own gender expression after learning the goverment was "unsure" if Amanda Simpson was in fact the first federal transgender appointee.
OK, this is funny. Colbert is a equal opportunity disrespecter. He equally disregards peoples dignity regardless of race, age, disability, ethnic background, sexual orientation and gender expression.
After experiencing frustration at not being allowed to adopt and the prohibitively expensive surrogate option a gay couple from Salt Lake City was offered by a friend to be their surrogate mother, at no cost other than those assoiated with child birth.
That this woman is part of the greater LGBT community warms my heart, but that she is a Legislator from Utah makes this story a heart warming testament to our humanity.
Source Salt Lake Tribune: "I can very much empathize with their desire to become parents and share their lives with and open their hearts to a child," Johnson says. "I'm immeasurably grateful to be a mother."
She also plans to be an "aunt" to her soon-to-be newborn, who will be her biological son or daughter. "The child will know I'm its mother," Johnson says, "and it was created with the intent of being loved by many people." Read the full story The Salt Lake Tribune
Today a one stop surgery can allow a transgender woman to physically become complete with the conversion of a penis to a vagina, well almost complete.
Sarah Luiz of the colony in north Texas is being considered among other woman to be the first human to receive a uterine transplant. Sarah, like many transgender woman, find there lives spiritually wanting for a child from their own womb.
Evidently this procedure is on the near horizon. There remains issues of organ rejection as in all transplants, but this operation would allow a person who was originally born with a penis to bear childern.
Join us! at our annual conference, this year in historic Albany, capital of New York State. The Empire Conference will run from Thursday through Saturday, May 20 – May 22, 2010. Three jam-packed days with speakers and workshops exploring the transgender experience in all its variety, from trans-theory to trans-practicalities. TransEvents usa.org
There will also be special evening entertainment, area outings, and pre-conference activities for those who can come early. Most of all, we'll experience the warmth our gatherings always generate, as we renew old friendships and form new ones. You asked for it .. You got it! A conference right in the center of a major city.
We'll be at the Crowne Plaza in the historic section of downtown Albany, where nightlife abounds! Save the cab fare — fabulous fine dining, local pubs, and entertainment clubs are all within easy walking distance. Historic landmarks, incredible architecture, numerous museums, shopping, and fabulous parks are all in the area; and the beautiful Hudson River is only two blocks from our door! Could there be better backgrounds for photo opportunities? Discover Albany! More reasons to come early to the Empire Conference. »
This year we are partnering with the Capital District LGBT Community Council, which celebrates its fortieth anniversary just two weeks after the conference. They are developing several programs, especially ones concerning trans-youth and Female to Male trans people; and are also organizing many social activities (think picnics, restaurant tours and club crawls...) for our enjoyment.
Come join us for this important, educational, and entertaining conference. Meet old friends and make some new ones. Mona Mason, Conference Coordinator monaraemason@yahoo.com TransEvents usa.org
Equality Florida Blog: Equality Florida Mourns the Loss of Denise King mother of murdered 17-year-old transgender teen Simmie Williams, died of a heart attack Thursday night.
"Since her son's death, Mrs. King "brought the conversation of love, acceptance and compassion into a community where black [gays and lesbians] are invisible," said Michael Emanuel Rajner, a co-founder of Transgender Equality Rights Initiatives, who became a family friend after the murder."
"The night of her son's viewing, she left early because she had gotten a call from someone that evening that there was a youth, about 16, thrown out of his home because he was openly gay," Rajner said.
"Denise, not even knowing the child's name, hit the streets with her car up and down Sistrunk looking for this child. She would take them in. Her home became this safe haven for people to run. In her pain she was moved to make certain no child was turned away."
“Late Show with David Letterman” Contributes to Problematic Reporting on Amanda Simpson
January 6, 2010 by Anna Wipfler, GLAAD's Transgender Advocacy Fellow
Yesterday we reported on President Obama’s appointment of Amanda Simpson as a senior technical advisor at the Commerce Department and some of the problematic news coverage about her becoming one of the first openly transgender presidential appointees.
Unfortunately, as coverage of her landmark appointment continues, so does the disrespectful treatment in the media. During last night’s “Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS, David Letterman announced Simpson’s appointment and reported that she is a transgender woman. He also showed a photo of her. The show’s announcer Alan Kalter then reacted to the news with disgust and mock horror, saying, “What? Amanda used to be a dude? My God!” He then hurried off stage to hearty laughter from the audience, apparently to go collect himself after the shock of this discovery.
Using this type of reaction to the discovery of a person’s transgender identity for comic effect appears to be a current trend in entertainment media. We’ve recently criticized similar instances of such defamation on FOX’s “The Cleveland Show.” Depicting people reacting in horror to transgender individuals is a dangerous stereotype for popular media to perpetuate because it contributes to the societal conception of transgender people as abnormal and deceptive, which all-too-often results in anti-transgender violence and/or discrimination when played out in reality.
Since this is a blog and I don't adhere to Maddow's high professional standards.....
Bob Hunter is a cockroach, and drawn out of the moist darkness of obscurity he is sent scurrying to distance himself from the family and attempts to obscure the relationships and influence he and national prayer breakfast family members have in the national politics in each others countries.
This interview should immediately motivate President Obama to issue presidential decrees to distance church and state.
Our transgender brethren in the United Kingdom are fighting for the right to be respected and treated with dignity, as we do here in the states. Our struggles are similar in that transmisogyny's roots are the same. Many gay and heterosexual's, religious or not, abhor us and attempt to shred our dignity by hijacking our identity.
Tranny is to a transgender person like Faggot to a gay man and Nigger is to a person of color.
Good God.Or maybe god is also one of the problems.
Its not improper touching! Its fucking rape!
But maybe good god's love is not to blame. Maybe its gods word being hijacked by the Catholic Church in its attempts to divert attention from seemingly endless disclosures of child rape and cover up? Possibly the catholics pressures it's media contacts to misdirect the public outrage that rightfully should be directed at the perpetrators of these heinous criminal acts of rape committed against children.
And who would draw that ire more than Keira McCormack, a transgender woman who counsels rape victims in Belfast Ireland? Keira McCormack filed a complaint over the use of tranny in the headlines of the largest paper in the UK and has won a victory for transgender people to own our identity. The UK's Press Complaints Commission said the use of the word [tranny] was pejorative and upheld the complaint.
It's time the catholic Church allowed children to own their own identity as well.
Emergency shelter addresses and contact numbers for agencies that will help in Dallas Texas. It's going to be really cold baby, so get your butts inside. Please. . Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance (located at The Bridge)http://www.mdhadallas.org/default.aspx1818 Corsicana, Dallas Texas 75201 . Tel: 214 670 1100
Reed Cowan, producer of the critically acclaimed Sundance entrant film "8: THE MORMON PROPOSITION" which exposes the Church of the Latter Day Saints (LDS) participation in the passage of Prop 8 in California and anti marriage equality elsewhere is entered in a poll in the paper Times and Seasons, to determine which people had the most impact on Mormons and Mormonism in 2008. It only takes a second and your participation will have far reaching effects in educating innocent LDS members and others. Please vote for Reed Cowan at times and seasons.org
It only takes a second and voting ends on January 7 at midnight ET. Please do this and pass it on to others: YOU ONLY HAVE A FEW MORE DAYS TO DO THIS. VOTE, THEN POST TO YOUR FACEBOOK, BLOGS, E MAIL LISTS, ETC. please.
Evangelical pastor Rick Warren's plea for donations to fill a $900,000 deficit at his Southern Californiamegachurch brought in $2.4 million, Warren announced to cheers during a sermon at the church on Saturday. Warren said the amount raised after the appeal was posted online Wednesday included only money parishioners brought in person to Saddleback Church by New Year's Eve. More was arriving by hand and by mail, he said.Ron Mills, Progressive News And Podcast, Jan 2010
Activists enraged with the defeat of marriage equality in the predominantly democratic NY Senate ruin Monserrate's Christmas party.
The poster to the right thanking Monserrate is from a previously unknown group "coalition for morality" has no known website and produces no google returns. It is speculated that Monserrate himself produced these posters.
In December 2008, NY State Senator Hiram Monserrate slashed his girlfriend now fiance's face with a broken glass. Hiram was convicted of the crime. This December woman abusing Hiram Monserrate voted AGAINST allowing loving committed NON-VIOLENT to marry. Sen. Monserrate believes his violent abusive relationship is superior to those of loving peaceful lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender New Yorkers. Angry LGBT activists crash Hiram's Christmas party on the anniversary of his slashing his fiance's face. Also on Huffington Post
God. The suffering and devastation of a child dieing untreated of asthma in your arms. Please donate as you are able. Doctors Without Borders 
