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.
1/8/13
Catholic School Fires Transitioning Teacher For Being "Worst Than Gay".
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.
1/7/13
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.
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.
1/6/13
Monika Kowalska Interviews Transgender Screen Icon Aleshia Brevard
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?
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?
1/5/13
Oregon Ruling Now Mandates Equal Transgender Insurance For Residents
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).
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?
1/4/13
"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 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.
1/3/13
Missourians for Equality Novel Approach: Please Vote On Our Rights
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
1/2/13
NH AG Issues Opinion: Transwoman Stacie Laughton May Not Run For Office.
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| Laughton made a huge deal of resigning then stated she was running again, to fill the seat she had just vacated. |
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
1/1/13
=================
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.
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| Click Here to Open Video in New Window |
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.
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