Uma transgênero irmã assassinada perto Clube Parque das Águas Brasil

Trans woman Fernanda Carrico da Silva was shot dead January 9th in broad daylight while riding her bicycle on ERS-118 near the Parque das Águas, (pictured left) Viamão, Brazil.

The police saw this happen yet the murderers still managed to escape.

Source Homofobia Mata (Grupo Gay da Bahia), Brazil: [Bing translate]

"The death of a parent heterosexual family gives news. If the death of a rich guy, gives up rally. If the dead person is gay, but has money or is the "high society", do demonstration, reporting on homophobia, no noise, posters, weeping and gnashing of teeth."

"But the death of a transvestite, a hustler, it seems that it is notmore important than the death of a cockroach."

"The event happened in daylight in a busy place, and there was just some media coverage. Alias, no, no. Had yes: I want to compliment, really compliment and congratulate, Radio Guaiba, who did a story about the crime. The mainstream press, only Guaíba did it. The rest gave no note, nor how peal."

Read more at homofobia mata.

Transitioning At the Inauguration

Will Obama's inauguration be the queerest ever now that he has chosen a transgender and gay affirming Latino priest for the Benediction?

Nope. Not unless President Barack Hussein Obama II uses the occasion to come out as gender gifted.

There was a gay president.

Although James Buchanan never came out he was in a long term relationship with another man.

Then there's GW Bush who reached out to the same LGBT affirming priest for his inauguration but I don't thing W will ever come out.

Personally I think Michelle Obama would rule if she stood in support alongside the 45th president during her announcement she is transitioning starting at the inauguration.

Fox Nation Uses "Mrs. Doubtfire" Image to Mock Trans Healthcare Needs

Media Matters Reports: "On January 13, Fox Nation posted a Newsmax.com article describing new regulations in California and Oregon that require insurance companies to cover medically necessary treatments for transgender patients if they also cover those treatments for patients who aren't transgender."

The Fox Nation website has since removed this picture of Mrs. Doubtfire holding two pans to her chest to belittle trans health care needs but the damage has already been done.

Take action!

Basic Rights Oregon the organization which championed the health care improvements has a petition demanding Fox News Stop Dehumanizing Transgender People

Dallas TransWoman's Need of Police Protection To Use Hospital Restroom May End

May 2012 transgender woman Paula Witherspoon received a ticket for using the ladies room at Parkland Hospital Dallas Texas.

The hospital said at the time the ticket she received was 'under review' casting doubt on the validity of the charge and the Parkland police actions.

In the meantime Paula Witherspoon must call for police protection before she uses the bathroom at the Hospital.

But this may change as Parkland Hospital announced they are reviewing there personal policies with the intention" to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity, gender expression and genetic information."

I spoke with Rafael McDonnell Communications and Advocacy Manager Resource Center Dallas who said "Next Tuesday 1/22, the board of managers for Parkland Hospital are expected to add transgender protections to their nondiscrimination policy. The hospital has more than 8,200 employees, and is the largest public hospital in North Texas. The Dallas Business Journal broke the story but incorrectly stated that the policy will come up next month."

"Parkland has also agreed to take part in HRC's Healthcare Equality Index survey for 2013. They would be the first hospital in DFW to do so, and only the second in the entire state of Texas. With the policy addition, Parkland will become the only hospital in Texas to have a fully inclusive nondiscrimination policy and offer domestic partner benefits."

Rafael the driving force behind most of the DFW's incredible LGBT progress will be speaking at the January board of managers meeting.

Trigger warning: Outing and misgendering. The interviewer accusingly asks Paula 'Are you sure you didn't do anything wrong in that bathroom?"

PCC To Investigate Observer over Julie BurChill's Hate Speech

Hundreds of trans people and allies gathered outside the Guardian office in London protesting the publishing of Jule Burchill's hate speech 'Transsexuals should cut it out'. The article was taken down after it became apparent to the Guardian publishers there were enough complaints about it that they might be investigated.

The Guardian/Observer disagrees with the popular belief that left to run amok Bruchill's hate speech would have remained on there website. Today The Observer's readers' editor, Stephen Pritchard announced he will conduct a 'internal investigation' and will publish commentary about that later today.

The Guardian will have to convince the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) that they did not intentionally publish hate speech.

Lost Girl Producers Apologize for Unintentionally Perpetuating The TransPanic Meme

An outraged trans community made our concerns be heard and Lost Girl producers listened.

Yesterday I published guest blogger Diana O'Brien's article Thought SyFy Channel’s Lost Girl [Caged Fae] Was LGBT Friendly? Think Again!. Diana was incensed a show that portrays lesbians in a positive light would base it's season opener plot around what boils down to be transpanic.

Essentially it's about a female warden in a women's prison who turns out to be a man who is using his position to rape woman and sell the babies into slavery. Nice huh? Well its all cloaked in science fiction and sexualized lesbian domination fantasy so the producers reasoned is it wasn't overtly offensive.

 It wasn't offensive in that context if a person isn't a transgender/transsexual and isn't deathly afraid of dating for fear of someone murdering you after sex to massage their ego/silence you/is a gang member who doesn't want his homies to find out. As happens nearly every other day.

I couldn't find Prodigy's apology on their Facebook page or their twitter timeline. The only place I saw it was on Glaad's blog. So for the record here it is:

"We want to let you know that the Lost Girl writers base all episodic characters off of researched folklore, and that the character of The Warden in the premiere of Season 3 is a character based off the mythological shapeshifter known as the Liderc. The Warden was only intended to represent this mythic being. We did not intend this character to be seen as a transgender person, we apologize if the character was seen as such. We do hope that you accept that no comparison or discrimination toward the transgender community was intended by the depiction of this mythological character.

Lost Girl prides itself on being open and accepting to everyone, and are enthusiastic supporters of the GLBT community. We want to encourage a society in which everyone can feel comfortable to express and be who they are without judgment. Equality and a world without labels is important to all of us at the series. We strive to create three dimensional characters, who empower all viewers regardless of sexuality or gender."

Sincerely,
The Producers of LOST GIRL

A nice apology and explanation but it would have been a lot better if it had appeared somewhere else in addition to the Glaad Blog.

Now here's where we get real messy.

There is a disturbing amount of push back from this advocacy from some gay and lesbian cis people in the GLAAD article's comments. They are really upset we have criticized a show that portrays LGBT Bisexual and lesbians in a favorable light.

Not just upset, they are incensed that we are 'making a mountain out of a molehill"

Got a memo for them. We are trans. We have a voice and we are here. Respect us.

Atlanta Queer Bashing Victim Luke O'Donovan To Be Released on $35K Bail Jan 17

19 year old Luke O'Donovan was the sole person arrested after 5 men attacked him for dancing and kissing another man at a news year party. Luke has been held without bail since January 1st.

The mainstream media jumped at the chance to portray Luke as the aggressor when in truth he was the victim of an attemped queer bashing. Luke choose to fight back.

Video of 'friends gathered in support of Luke' has no start screen due to my disabling of the annoying 'autostart' function.

Read more at The GA Voice and East Atlanta Patch.

If you are able please help with Lukes defense fund. As of this post $3,700 has been raised. Donate at Luke O'Donovan Support Fund.

Thought SyFy Channel’s Lost Girl [Caged Fae] Was LGBT Friendly? Think Again!

Guest blogger Diana O'Brien is a transgender advocate, writer and licensed esthetician & electrologist in Wilton Manors, FL. She current writes a guest column for the South Florida Gay News.

The third season premiere of Lost Girl just demonstrated the well-worn path for advancing gay/lesbian/bisexual themes in the media. That path continues to be walking over the crushed public image of transgender people.

Lost Girl has received a lot of attention for its sexually charged plot lines and positive portrayal of lesbian and bisexual female characters. Even GLAAD has taken notice of the show, promoting it in The GLAAD Wrap and What to Watch.

Season 3 Episode 1 titled Caged Fae brings transphobia and trans panic back into the mix It depicts this week’s villain as a man impersonating a female prison warden so he can impregnate the all-female inmate population and sell their babies. After “outing” the corset-clad warden with a telling kiss, the show’s heroine Bo leaves justice in the hands (and riot sticks) of the female prison guards. The men-hating prison guards do a hands-on package check, and haul the warden away for some off-screen punishment. This whole scenario sets up the moment when Bo and her female love interest decide to make their lesbian relationship status official.

So here we have it – the whole reason our opponents say trans people (specifically trans women) should not have rights.

We are just a bunch of men that want into women-only facilities so we can “trap” them and violate them. We deserve whatever severe punishment our discoverers decide to meet out. We are the villains. Again.


It is particularly offensive that SyFy Channel takes a page out of the defense playbook of Angia Zapata’s murderer. Trans panic was the supposed justification for beating Angie to death in 2008, after her boyfriend “found out” she was trans. A jury saw through this defense and found her murderer guilt of first degree murder and a bias-based hate crime. This episode shamefully exploits trans panic violence as justified.

This kind of defamation has to stop. The media needs to take responsibility for its continued promotion of transphobic stereotypes and justification of trans panic violence. NBC Universal and the SyFy Channel need to be held accountable and take corrective action. We need GLAAD to take direct action on this now, and stop promoting Lost Girl until its content is friendly towards the whole LGBT community!

Guardian apologizes and Deletes Julie Burchill's Screed 'Transsexuals should cut it out'

 

The highly toxic Observer article 'Transsexuals should cut it out' was deleted but there was no mention Burchill's employment status or even an apology from her.

The following statement is from John Mulholland, editor of the Observer:

We have decided to withdraw from publication the Julie Burchill comment piece 'Transsexuals should cut it out'. The piece was an attempt to explore contentious issues within what had become a highly-charged debate. The Observer is a paper which prides itself on ventilating difficult debates and airing challenging views. On this occasion we got it wrong and in light of the hurt and offence caused I apologise and have made the decision to withdraw the piece. The Observer Readers' Editor will report on these issues at greater length.

The comments posted beneath the article have also been removed in line with our deletion process and as a result these comments will no longer appear in individual users' profiles.

Being a relative novice to British media treatment of transgender people I observed earlier that the brouhaha over 'Seeing Red: the power of female anger' was little more than a Tempest in a teapot. But then I started to learn about the atrocious treatment UK trans people receive by the mainstream media the angst over Moore's article began to make sense.

According to Gay Star News Moore returned to Tweeter and offered an apology for her comment about Brazilian transsexuals:

'I did not set out to offend and the murder of all women trans or not is clearly something I DO care about,' Moore said, adding that there had been 'much bridge building' between her and 'several trans people who I deeply respect' and she is meeting with more trans people.'

(Note I could not verify that she returned to tweeter or said this)


Even though some within the UK community would perceive this as just another episode of transphobia I would like to remind you of this.

We stand with you, planet wide. We are one, planetransgender and our collective voices can't be denied. Even though there has been no word of Burchill's employment status I venture you won't see her hateful writing being framed as an 'exploration of a contentious' subject again, in the Observer anyways.

So I think we can see this as a victory none the less.

Vicco: Smallest City In America To Pass LGBT Protections

Usually its the big cities that make big news when they institute LGBT protections but this time the big news is how small the city is and how big their hearts are.

Vico Kentucky is located in the southern tip of Perry County, 12 miles from the county seat of Hazard in rural Appalachia has 318 residents covering only .08 square miles.

Source Fairness Campaign: Vicco, KY) Today the Fairness Coalition joined the Appalachian town of Vicco, Kentucky as they approved the state's first lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) anti-discrimination Fairness ordinance in a decade. The measure, which prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations based upon a person's actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity, received support from three of the city's four-member commission and mayor.

Vicco becomes the smallest municipality in America with such anti-discrimination protections and joins three other cities in the commonwealth with Fairness laws--Covington, which passed an ordinance in 2003, Lexington, and Louisville, which both approved laws in 1999.

"Vicco is a community that believes all folks should be treated fairly," shared Vicco City Attorney Eric Ashley. "We believe everyone deserves the opportunity for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Fairness is a Kentucky value, a Vicco value, and one of our most American values."

"Seeing Red" A tempest in a teapot. Now Sack Julie Burchill

A lot of trans people were upset by a Suzanne Moore piece in the New Statesman tittled 'Seeing Red: the power of female anger'. In all honesty I didn't find it offensive.

But then the piece didn't have the paragraph that angered so many people stereotyping Brazilian transsexuals when I read it. For the record Moore wrote:

" [Women] are angry with ourselves for not being happier, not being loved properly and not having the ideal body shape – that of a Brazilian transsexual.”

All and all not that offensive but that's just me. I have watched in utter amazement  trans Brazilian pageant contestants. So in a way its a complement as they have raised the bar so frustratingly high that many, both cis and trans people might see as unattainable. 

But reading into the comments I do find reasons the UK trans community would be offended since between 126 and 200 trans murders were reported in Brazil at the 2012 TDOR especially since the ink hasn't even dried and yet another Brazilian trans woman has been reported  brutally murdered today.

In that context Moore's comment is an offensive stereotyping of  a particular ethnicity of the trans community. The 126 who were murdered probably weren't drop dead gorgeous and didn't have wide hips or big breasts. They were most likely like me in appearance.  It then becomes obvious the Moore used that comparison as backhanded slap at trans peoples as she refused to become educated about that indiscretion.

Moore's true colors came out as she responded to trans people's indignation by tweeting

" “People can just fuck off really. Cut their dicks off and be more feminist than me. Good for them.”

So good riddance to Moore but that was nothing in comparison to what followed ber departure.

Columnist Militant Feminist Julie Burchill responded to Moore's leaving twitter on the Guardian with "Transsexuals should cut it out" saying it's a shame she' should be driven from her chosen mode of time-wasting by a bunch of dicks in chicks' clothing.

Burchill didn't limit her disrespect to trans people she obviously abhors other minorities as well.

"The reaction of the trans lobby reminded me very much of those wretched inner-city kids who shoot another inner-city kid dead in a fast-food shop for not showing them enough "respect"

That shouldn't be too surprising since in 2002 she narrowly escaped prosecution for incitement to racial hatred, "following a Guardian column where she described Ireland as being synonymous with child molestation, Nazi-sympathising, and the oppression of women. Source: Wikipedia

Burchill was just getting warmed up and refocused her hated on trans people cavalierly using the reviled word 'trannies' and threatening "these bed-wetters in bad wigs are "lucky I'm not calling them shemales. Or shims."

As you can guess the trans community is up in arms about this outrage. Many have already emailed complaints about Bruchill's article to Stephen Pritchard president of the Organization of News Ombudsmen  but don't let that stop you. Email him at reader@observer.co.uk

The Independent is running a poll to get a idea of how society in general feels about Julie Burchill's article.

This poll was shared 500+ times and of those shares I assume most responded to the poll to. Click Here to take the poll.

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Personally, I don't want the article removed from the Guardian. I want Burchill fired. I want a full retraction and apology from the Guardian addressing each instance of Burchill's hate.

Bill O'Reilly Bashes Trans Prisoner Michelle Kosilek

Fox News sinks to its lowest point by allowing this sad excuse for a human mock a minority prisoner for of all things, how she looks. Just when you thought you couldn't think less of faux news along come something like this diatribe...

O'REILLY: My question is, in the promo, couldn't they do a better job for a million bucks than this guy? Look, there he is. For a million you figure he might look like Annette Funicello or somebody. I don't know.

A couple of comments from the Media Matters article that has the rest of the story:

Two In Custody For Transgender Shooting, Ignorant Reporters Still At Large

With a sigh of relief I can report that the police have the two suspects in custody however two reporters from ABC and The Sarasota Patch remain at large. These two reporters are armed with laptops and should be considered extremely ignorant/transphobic.

A cascade of ignorance/transphobia? A possible second hate crime?

The waterfall of ignorance about transgender people began with the WWSB Sun coast article which stated the police transported whom they assumed to be a man and a woman to the hospital but later discovered it was a man in women's clothing. The article stated that one of the men had female on his drivers license but hadn't yet undergone the surgery to make him a woman.

The ABC article is so bad I wonder if it wasn't written by a transphobe with a axe to grind. That was the first crime against literacy.

Transgender people are looking into a second possible hate crime after the Sarasota Patch parroted the gawd awful ABC piece and the reporters? They remain at large and should be avoided at all costs.

Trans Woman Kylan Arianna Wenzel Competing For Miss California Today

Transgender beauty Kylan Arianna Wenzel is in the preliminary round competing with 229 other woman For Miss California Today.

Source LGBT POV: "Wenzel is among 229 contestants participating in the preliminary Miss California show on Saturday, Jan. 12, at the Pasadena Convention Center. The 20 contestants left will then go on to compete in the final show on Sunday, Jan. 13, at 4 p.m."

"Miss California pageant producer Keith Lewis finds Wenzel inspiring. “I so admire what Kylan’s doing, because she’s fought so hard to be here,” Lewis told Frontiers. “I think she will be successful in whatever she decides to do in her life. When we talked about her participating, she said, I really just want the other girls to accept me. And I think they not only accept her but will celebrate her because she’s loving and she’s open and courageous and she’s trying to do the best she can, like pretty much all of the rest of us.”

The Miss California pageant will be webcast live for a fee of $15 at misscaliforniausa.com. Or you can buy tickets through Ticketmaster. A longer version of this story is available on LGBT POV.

Drunk DC Cop Kenneth Furr Who Shot At 5 Trans Woman Fined $150

August 2011 Officer Kenneth Furr in a fit of rage jumped onto a car and fired his service revolver five times into it trying to murder the trans women who had just rejected his offer for paid sex.

To the trans community it seemed like a open and shut case of attempted murder but to D.C. Superior Court jury and Judge Russell Canan it was self defense.

The story at the time...

...doesn't fit the crime... According to the Washington Blade Canan sentenced Furr to "five years in prison but suspended all but 14 months of the prison term and credited Furr with the 14 months he already served between the time of his arrest and his trial last October."

"Officer Furr also received three years of supervised probation, a $150 fine, and 100 hours of community service and told to stay away from areas that are known to be populated with trans sex workers." "D.C. police spokesperson Gwendolyn Crump said Furr has been suspended without pay and that the department will follow its standard procedure for dealing with an officer convicted of a felony. Police observers have said a felony conviction, especially one associated with violence, usually results in the firing of a police officer." Read more at the Washington Blade .

Queer Teen Luke O'Donovan Arrested After Homophobic Gang Attack

Of course there will be homophobes willing to tell Fox News what they want to hear about Luke O'Donovan's fight for his life painting it as a random act of violence.

The Free Cece Committee has lent there credibility in asking that the truth be exposed.

By accounts of party goer's Luke danced with a another male and kissed him. Then the anti gay slurs began. Luke was then attacked by a group of five to twelve men who chased him out of the house into the street and began beating him, yelling "Faggot". In the altercation a knife was drawn, Luke was stabbed and a number of his attackers were cut.

Witness are needed to come forward. As there has been no defense named as of this posting please contact letlukego@gmail.com

Luke was the only one arrested despite the police report that stated the fight began after a "discussion over sexual orientation and gay slurs". You don't have a polite discussion with a gang intent on fucking you up. Damn. And Luke was the only one arrested?

The web site that went up to support Luke"Let Luke Go" asks that witness communicate with them at letlukego@gmail.com  or a lawyer and not go to the police first. It's that bad.

Support Luke by joining the Facebook page In Love and Solidarity - Support Luke O'Donovan

Pictures of Luke growing up

Viral Video: "transgender's photo-a-day project" Simply Amazing!

This video has gone viral.....

From the YouTube Description: This video is of me going through a 3 year transition (Roughly one thousand pictures). I have had FFS during the process. I started roughly around when I was 20 - 21 years of age. Published on Oct 22, 2012

SPACE ‘Society for People’s Awareness, Care & Empowerment’ Fights Back India's Rape Culture

India's Eunuchs responding to the recent Bus Gang Rape take the battle against the country's rape culture to the streets.

 In what could only be described as cast breaking advocacy the 'Society for People’s Awareness, Care and Empowerment’ has posted  this number 011-65647105 for victims of sexual harassment and rape to call.

They will then send a contingent of transgender people or 'Chhakka Squad’ to the perpetrators house perform skits and sing songs making this offense public knowledge.

This Incredibly powerful transgender advocacy makes me want to move to Delhi. Proud of you sisters!

Source Hindustan Times "Moved by the gruesome rape of a 23-year-old in a moving bus, eunuchs— a section of society ridiculed and abhorred by the majority, have formed a force that sarcastically calls itself ‘Chhakka Squad’. Its motive: to counter sexual harassment against women in the Capital. With brooms, jutis and play cards with hard hitting slogans, they plan to go from one locality to another and stage skits and sing songs to publicly ‘embarrass’ those who sexually harass women."

What makes this such powerful advocacy? Transgender people in India are playing it forward despite belonging to one of the country most discriminated cast.



"The 900 eunuchs, who are member of SPACE — ‘Society for People’s Awareness, Care & Empowerment’ — a human rights organisation, have also set up a helpline. Women can call on 011-65647105 to register their complaints. “If we get to know that a guy has sexually offended a girl, we will stage a dharna in front of that person’s house, follow him wherever he goes and force him to apologise,” says 24-year-old Sonia, a member of the hijra community."

“Many insult us by calling us chhakkas, but we have respect for women. Ab hum batayenge chhakke kya kar saktye hain. Hum auraton ki beizzati nahi hone dengi,” says 22-year-old Mallika." Read more at Hindustan Times

Uganda TransMan Pepe Julian Onziema Speaks At Scott Lively Hearing

Minister Scott Lively the 'family' point man in Uganda is spending much of his time now in American defending himself in a lawsuit charging him with crimes against humanity.

My personal hero, Pepe Onziema spoke after the motion to Dismiss hearing at Hampden Federal Courthouse, Massachusetts. The judge will issue a ruling at a later date.



Read more at Oh-blog-de-oh-blog-da.

Catholic School Fires Transitioning Teacher For Being "Worst Than Gay".

Sister Mark Krolikowski fired illegally after beginning her transition at the workplace. NYC has no religious exclusions in it's EEO laws pertaining to trans people but there is a disconcerting omission of gender expression in one crucial paragraph.

ABC news reports in a problematic story, about Mark, misgendering the her and making unverified statements about her SRS status.

ABC's story only serves to add fuel to the fire of hate mongers such as Vanguard News, the "No Jews Just Right" Network with there high google ranked story Tranny Teacher Mark Krolikowski - Fired for being Fagulous - Sues Catholic School .

ABC news, you need to fact check and present news in a unbiased manner.

Video Tells Viewers If Your Wife is Trans Then "Its a MAN?!? Kill IT"

A You tube video called "Its a man?!"  published December 8th 2012 by "JustKiddingNews" channel violates You Tubes community standards by using hate speech towards trans people.



The video uses language witnesses have reported hearing when trans people are murdered. The video is intentionally demeaning and dehumanizing alternately describing the victim, who was beaten by her husband  as a her, it, him and shim.

You tubes Hate speech community guidelines.

•We encourage free speech and defend everyone's right to express unpopular points of view. But we don't permit hate speech (speech which attacks or demeans a group based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, and sexual orientation/gender identity).



One click on the You Tube video BUTTON ABOVE ^ go to the You Tube site look for the little flag just below the video on the right side, click it and report them. Every click adds power to our complaint.

Hate speech directed towards trans people can come under many guises, political, religious and in this case, comedy. It's not funny to us when the last thing we remember hearing before losing consciousness is "Kill IT". Ask me I know.

Monika Kowalska Interviews Transgender Screen Icon Aleshia Brevard

ABC's 2002 video interview below of Aleshia Brevard sets the stage for today's byline: "We've come a long ways baby".

However interesting the ABC's piece is it doesn't delve into the real issues that define our community's experiences or do Aleshia Brevard justice. For the inside story of the first US trans screen star ever, check out Monika Kowalska's amazing blog, My Transgender Heroines.



Aleshia Brevard.com.

Al Jazeera America. How does That Effect LGBT People?

At first I was elated having used Al Jazeera often in posts. The network has proved itself to me for its unbiased worldly reporting. But then a twitter friend told me Al Jazeera is owned by the government of Qatar.

Qatar, a Muslim country living under Sharia law outlaws homosexuality. Transsexuality in the gulf state is problematic at best. As best as I can tell there seems to be a culture of don't ask if you can "pass" in Qatar . However if you are stopped by the police and they decide you don't pass all bets are off.

So does Al Jazeera report about LGBT issues as well as it does other news? Depends if you are viewing the Arabic channel which has no LGBT news or the English channel which has recently begun reporting LRBT stories.

Source: IGLHRC:Al Jazeera English regularly reports on gay issues. In recent months, its coverage included segments about the gruesome murders of close to 100 gay men by al Mahdi Shi'ite militias in Iraq in 2009, the killing of gay youths in a Tel Aviv club last summer, and India's court decision to decriminalize gay sex.

But Al Jazeera's Arabic network "is not interested in covering gay rights issues the way Al Jazeera English does," says Alizadeh. Comparing Al Jazeera Arabic with Al Jazeera English "is like comparing apples and oranges." Al Jazeera Arabic is geared towards a Middle Eastern audience and does not challenge cultural values or orthodox religion, he says.

Al Jazeera America. How does That Affect LGBT People?

Oregon Ruling Now Mandates Equal Transgender Insurance For Residents

SRS here we come! Yeeha! Giteup! Ondelay! We're moving to Oregon Woot W00T!

Wait wait!! Before you hitch up the mule and haul ass to the Beaver State....

You can get the medical care you need if the same or like procedure is provided for cisgender people by the insurer.

The bulletin specifically states that:

Health insurers must provide coverage and cannot deny coverage of treatments for transgender policy holders if the same treatments are covered for other policy holders. If an insurer covers breast reduction surgery to lessen back pain, the insurer could not deny breast reduction surgery for gender transition if the provider deemed the treatment medically necessary. If hormone therapy is covered for other policyholders, it cannot be denied for gender transition if determined to be medically necessary. On the other hand, an insurer could exclude all coverage of breast implants or penile implants. In short, Oregon law requires equality in treatment.

Health insurers may not have riders that categorically exclude all transgender patients.

The statewide mandate for coverage of mental health services must apply to transgender patients.

The designation of male or female may not be relevant to treatment (ie, a person cannot be denied an ovarian cancer screening on the basis that they identify as male).

Provisional equality has it's draw backs in money hungry corporate America. What if the insurer decides that breast reduction will no longer be available for cis woman with back pain?

No SRS for FTM.

What if a insurer decides it will no longer cover penal implants for impotent cis men? You got the picture. No beaver state for me. Whats up with that?

"Laurence Anyways" : provocative, emotionally raw look at transgender issues and love

Source Desert Outlook: "When Fred (short for Frederique) meets Laurence at work in Montreal, she instinctively knows their relationship — whatever it becomes — will be powerfully transformative. She is intrigued by Laurence’s good looks, charm and directness, as anyone would be encountering a potential new love for the first time. But as the flashback scene near the end of “Laurence Anyways” shows, Fred has no idea the extent of how they and their lives will change during the next 10 years."

"It doesn’t even seem clear to Laurence (actor Melvil Poupaud) at the beginning of Xavier Dolan’s refreshingly frank, emotional and stylish film that he’s undergoing a transformation from man to woman. His transgenderism is gradually realized, seeping out during classroom lectures that define “normal” and gender identity and a covetous appreciation of the feminine power exhibited by his female students."

"The movie really takes off after its slow start when Laurence can no longer contain the truth of who he is. It comes rushing out like a waterfall while at a car wash with Fred (actress Suzanne Clement), though the audience doesn’t hear it then. Laurence exclaims, “I’m going to die.” (This is one of a couple times when Dolan–who wrote, directed and edited the film–artfully and unexpectedly uses a deluge to symbolize a torrent of emotion.)" Please read Wordsmith Will Dean's brilliant review of the transgender film "Laurence Anyways" found on the Desert OutLook article "Film fest presents provocative, emotionally raw look at transgender issues and love"

MTPC Back Tracking To Public Accommodations Protections

I have always opposed transgender 'equality' bills without public accommodation provisions. It's the single most important thing in our daily lives. Without it we are subject to arbitrarly being thrown off a plane, out of a restaurant or bathroom because of our gender expression. It follows that a potential employyer would take that into consideration.

I opposed the bill passed in Massachusetts for that reason. Gunner Scott and I have had some bad blood over  that bill and his accepting HRC's seed money post ENDA years ago. But thats history, HRC is changing.  So it's time to back track to public accommodations in Massachusetts, which of course I fully support.

Gov signs transgender rights bill: wwlp.com

More power to MTPC in convincing legislators that trans people are now worthy of the most basic of human rights when months ago we were not. The details of the action day can be found at Glaad  or the MTPC webpage.

Missourians for Equality Novel Approach: Please Vote On Our Rights

Referendum.  The word send chills up the backs of most traditional civil rights advocates. The threat of a popular vote is always a consideration when advancing LGBT rights. It's a tool occasionally used successfully by anti LGBT groups to defeat progress we achieve by city council and legislative means.

Voting on a minority's rights by the majority is problematic at best. If it were not for the discrimination faced by said minority the issue wouldn't have come up in the first place.

Or so we thought. The new kids on the block, Missourians for Equality have received State approval to begin collecting the 105,000 petition signatures needed for a state wide vote in 2014.

I asked Aaron Malin, executive director of Missourians for Equality this morning about this novel approach. Malin explained "We see this a viable method since millions of Missourians are already living under such protections the fear factor has disappeared for them. Our efforts will be much like the recent Maine Marriage vote. Addressing the more contentious subject of transgender protections Arron said "A recent poll indicates 64% favor same sex marriage and we think those same people will support gender identity protections as well."

As for religious organizations potential opposition Arron's group is taking a preemptive approach by asking for enhanced protections for religious freedom as well.

As far as the established Missouri group's non support of the ballot initiative Arron replied " Promo is using a different, incremental path towards equality. They have done much of the groundwork but we don't see this happening in the states legislature. We look to expound on Promo's work for a statewide vote. And if we fail, there is always the more traditional path. In any case we see the vote as a good thing."

Show me Show Me State!


On facebook Missourians for Equality

Video; Russian Duma LGBT Kiss in Met With Violence And Arrests

Гомофобы и полиция попытались сорвать флешмоб против принятия гомофобного закона у здания Государственной Думы. 19 декабря 2012, видео Дмитрия Зыкова для www.grani.ru

Police and homophobes tried to disrupt and FlashMob against homophobic law outside the State Duma. December 19, 2012, Dmitry Zykova for www.grani.ru videos

Arrested at the kiss in was one of my favorite journalists Elena Kostyuchenko who writes for Novaya Gazeta one of the last remaining free press outlets in Putin's Russia.



Read more at Gay Star News

NH AG Issues Opinion: Transwoman Stacie Laughton May Not Run For Office.

Laughton made a huge deal of resigning then stated she was running
again, to fill the seat she had just vacated.

An opinion from New Hampshire Attorney General Michael Delaney issued Monday states that Stacie Laughton may not run to fill the seat she vacated after her past criminal history was revealed earlier this year.

Is this finally over? Laughton says she is planning to remove her name from contention.

I couldn't believe it when Laughton said she was running to fill the seat she hadn't even officially taken. Well, she forced the hand and I just hope this is the end of this mess.
Read more at NPR A.G.: Criminal History Bars Nashua Transgender Woman From Holding Office

=================

Transgender Is No Longer A Disorder.

Trans Folk Don't believe the headlines. Transgender is still included in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

Nearly every day we see it "Transgender no longer a disorder". That headline has been repeated Ad nauseam in nearly every gay publication until even CNN http://fox8.com/2012/12/27/transgender-no-longer-a-mental-disorder/ is repeating the story, almost word for word.

I have begun to wonder if maybe the people who use our pathologization against us will begin to believe it too, if they read it enough. I'm here to say, we are still patholoigized and no they won't because unlike the trans people who want to believe things are better they want to. They know better than that . As long as we remain in the DSM we will have that chain around our collective necks.

It's a great headline for gay and mainstream media. Its sensational and it lifts the guilt tha gay and lesbians feel for sacrificing us.  We weren't added until homosexuality was removed. Gay people knew there was only one way to advance there agenda and they did it.

 Dysphoria. Granted there's is a slight difference in the dichotomy and if our diagnosis is focused on helping gender dysphoric individuals transition successfully, that an improvement too. But at what cost?

We remain patholigized despite massive protests in Europe and keyboard plunking in the States.

About a half of the 5,000 trans people on the https://www.facebook.com/events/131907566870401/?ref=ts&fref=ts facebook page I begun wanted our complete removal, many of them signing the petition. http://www.change.org/petitions/remove-transgender-from-the-dsm-5 

Many of the remaining folks were happy with the status quo hoping one day there insurance would better cover transition. Many couldn't care less because they self medicate and when and if they opt for SRS, they just get it.

Did those of us who wanted our removal succeed? No, most likely we failed despite my best efforts at getting local people out from behind their keyboards. That was somehow my fault. Not the gay communities. We didn't take to the street at key moments and gain the spotlight as they did twenty years ago.

The facts.

The December first 2012 press release from the APA announced the next bureaucratic step needed to publish the DSM-5 had been taken place by the board voting it's approval.

And the world fell over themselves to announce trans people were no longer listed as "disordered" by in the DSM.

Did I miss something in that press release?

The Message From APA President Dilip Jeste, M.D., on DSM-5 offers no specifics, only justifications and denials regarding the process.

So whats up?

The often quoted Med Page published in May following the last public meeting reports what may not up:

"Gender identity disorder. Individuals who believe their biological gender doesn't match their gender identification will no longer be labeled with a disorder. Instead, if they seek psychiatric treatment, they can be labeled with "gender dysphoria."

The workgroup responsible for dealing with the hot-button issue considered a variety of other approaches, addressed later in this article. Ultimately they settled on a formal diagnosis -- potentially qualifying a patient for insurance-paid treatment if they want it -- but with a less pejorative name than "disorder."

So the name might change but what is the difference between the two words and what does it mean to trans people? The free medical dictionary defines....

Gender Identity Disorder:

"The psychological diagnosis gender identity disorder (GID) is used to describe a male or female that feels a strong identification with the opposite sex and experiences considerable distress because of their actual sex."

Gender Dysphoria:

"unhappiness with one's biological sex or its usual gender role, with the desire for the body and role of the opposite sex.

Not much difference between the two words is there?

Please understand, this is just conjuncture since no further official information available until the DSM-5 is published in May 2013.

But given that one D word is being substituted for another what's the end result?

We remain pathologized by the APA

pa·thol·o·gize

/pəˈTHäləˌjīz/Verb

Regard or treat (someone or something) as psychologically abnormal or unhealthy

Which in my opinion denies us our rightful place among the worlds well adapted productive citizens.

So try as hard as I may I failed, kind of. Who knows. I did give space to those who wanted conversation. But most importantly, those who wanted our total removal from the DSM as well.

But now its just a waiting game. The APA has what it wants, our undivided attention, our money, the guidelines to normality, acceptability and our chances at success in life.

Patrick Bonnett of Omaha Liberty Project Busted. Religious Rights Are Protected.

Click Here to Open Video in New Window

The amendment to Omaha's anti-discrimination ordinance protecting LGBT people passed in 2012 is under attack by a organization which portends to represent many local churches. The Liberty Project has begun a petition to rescind the new law.

Patrick Bonnett of Omaha Liberty Project told Channel 6 News, "Ordinances like this lead to unintended consequences and those consequences lead to discrimination against religious liberties, religious freedoms of speech, rights of conscience and we oppose that."

Bonnett's real fear is that non religious business owners (where his bread is buttered) will be compelled to place the city's laws above there own fears. Bonnett hopes by misinforming and fear mongering he will persuade enough people to sign the petition and force a public vote on a minorities rights.

Dispelling the lies. Omaha's laws:

The Liberty Project petition tells potential signers that the law now says:

Source: Liberty Project

Rhetorical question: Would the liberty project, religious bookstores or Churches deny me employment if I asked to sweep there floors before this amendment was passed? How about after it's passage?

In case Omaha's Church's don't all ready do discriminate this the ordnance makes it clear that they do have the right to discriminate against me:

Source: Omaha Municipal Codes.

What about jobs other than ministering?

A church's membership obviously would decline so keeping it clean, mowing or shoveling snow would be considered essential to it's religious activity.

Administration and clerical duties would suffer if a godless transgender person like myself were to sabotage it, so of course that position is essential to a churches religious function.

The truth is most LGBT people have a spiritual belief. Many including myself attend a religious gathering and it has always been our practice to insure those religious rights are protected.

I will ask the good people of Omaha to consider this. Transgender people were spoken about three times in the Bible. Once in the old Testament by God, once by Jesus and once by a angel and to see what the Liberty Project for what they really are, hatemongers.