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ftmichaelhttp://www.glaad.org/blog/ncte-launches-new-voting-while-trans-psa-series-featuring-laverne-cox-janet-mock-kit-yan-other
NCTE Launches New "Voting While Trans" PSA Series Featuring Laverne Cox, Janet Mock, Kit Yan & Other Trans Advocates
Monday, 01 October 2012 - 10:00 am
by Daryl Hannah, Director of Media and Community Partnerships
Today, GLAAD and National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), an advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights and liberties of transgender Americans, released a series of public service announcements at http://votingwhiletrans.org/ outlining how transgender Americans can keep their right to vote this election day and feature NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling, writer and advocate Janet Mock, actress Laverne Cox, performance artist Ignacio Rivera, Charles Meins, and poet Kit Yan.
The PSAs are part of NCTE’s "Voting While Trans" public awareness campaign and part of GLAAD's effort to raise visiblity about the challenges thousands of transgender people may face heading to the polls this November. This year thousands of transgender Americans face being denied the right to to vote or having their vote discounted because of new strict photo ID law. The Williams Institute at UCLA estimates that more than 25,000 transgender people could lose their right to vote as a result of revised photo ID laws.
"New voter ID laws have created costly barriers to voting for trans people. And much worse, the debates about voter ID laws alone have made the idea of voting so toxic that many of us aren’t even going to try to vote on election day," said NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling. "Voter ID laws are silly. State legislatures have enacted them attempting to solve a fake problem. And as a result, transgender people - like students, veterans, low-income people of color, and older Americans - risk being denied a ballot this year," Keisling added.
Getting accurate identification has been an old challenge for transgender people. Many states have overcome this problem by modernizing their laws on updating birth certificates and drivers licenses, making voting more accessible to transgender people. However, the passage of dozens of new voter ID laws and strict photo ID requirements will now make it much harder for transgender people to vote. GLAAD has been working with media to elevate the everyday challenges trans Americans face trying participate fully in their communities simply because of antiquated photo-ID laws. We've also launched the http://glaad.org/vote page to encourage LGBT people and our allies to stand up and be heard this November.
"Every day, countless transgender Americans face challenges trying to secure IDs that reflect their true identity, and as a result, experience hardships in fundamental freedoms including the right to vote," said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick. "We all deserve to make sure our voice is heard. These new strict-photo ID laws will adversely impact thousands of already disenfranchised Americans, many of whom are transgender people of color, who may also be low income, elderly or have a disability."
NCTE and GLAAD urge transgender people to verify whether their voter registration information matches the name and address on their identification. Additionally, transgender people who are able to update their photo ID are encouraged to do so.
Visit http://votingwhiletrans.org/ to learn more and watch the PSAs, and visit http://glaad.org/vote to find out how you can register to vote.
NCTE Launches New "Voting While Trans" PSA Series Featuring Laverne Cox, Janet Mock, Kit Yan & Other Trans Advocates
Monday, 01 October 2012 - 10:00 am
by Daryl Hannah, Director of Media and Community Partnerships
Today, GLAAD and National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), an advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights and liberties of transgender Americans, released a series of public service announcements at http://votingwhiletrans.org/ outlining how transgender Americans can keep their right to vote this election day and feature NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling, writer and advocate Janet Mock, actress Laverne Cox, performance artist Ignacio Rivera, Charles Meins, and poet Kit Yan.
The PSAs are part of NCTE’s "Voting While Trans" public awareness campaign and part of GLAAD's effort to raise visiblity about the challenges thousands of transgender people may face heading to the polls this November. This year thousands of transgender Americans face being denied the right to to vote or having their vote discounted because of new strict photo ID law. The Williams Institute at UCLA estimates that more than 25,000 transgender people could lose their right to vote as a result of revised photo ID laws.
"New voter ID laws have created costly barriers to voting for trans people. And much worse, the debates about voter ID laws alone have made the idea of voting so toxic that many of us aren’t even going to try to vote on election day," said NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling. "Voter ID laws are silly. State legislatures have enacted them attempting to solve a fake problem. And as a result, transgender people - like students, veterans, low-income people of color, and older Americans - risk being denied a ballot this year," Keisling added.
Getting accurate identification has been an old challenge for transgender people. Many states have overcome this problem by modernizing their laws on updating birth certificates and drivers licenses, making voting more accessible to transgender people. However, the passage of dozens of new voter ID laws and strict photo ID requirements will now make it much harder for transgender people to vote. GLAAD has been working with media to elevate the everyday challenges trans Americans face trying participate fully in their communities simply because of antiquated photo-ID laws. We've also launched the http://glaad.org/vote page to encourage LGBT people and our allies to stand up and be heard this November.
"Every day, countless transgender Americans face challenges trying to secure IDs that reflect their true identity, and as a result, experience hardships in fundamental freedoms including the right to vote," said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick. "We all deserve to make sure our voice is heard. These new strict-photo ID laws will adversely impact thousands of already disenfranchised Americans, many of whom are transgender people of color, who may also be low income, elderly or have a disability."
NCTE and GLAAD urge transgender people to verify whether their voter registration information matches the name and address on their identification. Additionally, transgender people who are able to update their photo ID are encouraged to do so.
Visit http://votingwhiletrans.org/ to learn more and watch the PSAs, and visit http://glaad.org/vote to find out how you can register to vote.
ftmichaelhttp://bostonglobe.com/arts/2012/09/01/camp-for-transgender-kids-builds-trust/7ziUvJtS6gAjKnSAiycKYJ/story.html
Camp unites transgender kids on outskirts
There are few places transgender youth feel accepted. Camp Aranu’tiq was created to change that.
By Bella English, Globe Staff
September 02, 2012
Kids headed to the pool at Camp Aranu’tiq in Connecticut. (Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)
On the volleyball court, a boy spiked a shot and his teammates cheered. Nearby, some campers lay on mats, doing yoga stretches. A girl executed a series of cartwheels. Over in drama, the kids performed a “cranky old lady” talk show; everyone cracked up.
Before the week was over, there were campfires, Capture the Flag, a skit night, and a talent show. Camp Aranu’tiq seemed like a traditional New England camp, complete with requisite lake, rustic cabins, and 65 shrieking campers.
Only when you see tags around campers’ necks, with the words “(HE)” or “(SHE)” under their names, do you realize something’s different here. It is the only camp of its kind in the country, a camp for transgender kids, where idle chatter on sports, music, school, and teenage crushes blends right in with talk about “coming out,” “transitioning,” puberty blockers — and bullying.
For privacy and safety reasons, Camp Aranu’tiq has never allowed media inside, but recently let a Globe reporter and photographer spend a day at its wooded Connecticut grounds during its weeklong session in late August. Campers, parents, and staff are required to sign a confidentiality contract, and the exact location is not revealed until the child is enrolled. “They know it’s a safety issue,” said founder and director Nick Teich.
Related: Camp for transgender kids builds trust (photos)
( Read more... )
Camp unites transgender kids on outskirts
There are few places transgender youth feel accepted. Camp Aranu’tiq was created to change that.
By Bella English, Globe Staff
September 02, 2012
Kids headed to the pool at Camp Aranu’tiq in Connecticut. (Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)
On the volleyball court, a boy spiked a shot and his teammates cheered. Nearby, some campers lay on mats, doing yoga stretches. A girl executed a series of cartwheels. Over in drama, the kids performed a “cranky old lady” talk show; everyone cracked up.
Before the week was over, there were campfires, Capture the Flag, a skit night, and a talent show. Camp Aranu’tiq seemed like a traditional New England camp, complete with requisite lake, rustic cabins, and 65 shrieking campers.
Only when you see tags around campers’ necks, with the words “(HE)” or “(SHE)” under their names, do you realize something’s different here. It is the only camp of its kind in the country, a camp for transgender kids, where idle chatter on sports, music, school, and teenage crushes blends right in with talk about “coming out,” “transitioning,” puberty blockers — and bullying.
For privacy and safety reasons, Camp Aranu’tiq has never allowed media inside, but recently let a Globe reporter and photographer spend a day at its wooded Connecticut grounds during its weeklong session in late August. Campers, parents, and staff are required to sign a confidentiality contract, and the exact location is not revealed until the child is enrolled. “They know it’s a safety issue,” said founder and director Nick Teich.
Related: Camp for transgender kids builds trust (photos)
( Read more... )
T-Vox info
May. 17th, 2012 11:00 amftmichaelMany of you may have noticed that some pages on http://t-vox.org/ are giving database errors and not letting you see the content. The T-Vox admins are aware of the database issue and are working on it; it's proven to be a particularly obnoxious problem but they're doing their best to get it resolved ASAP. Anyone who's good with php and Mediawiki should please get in touch to help!
In the meantime, on any page that gives a database error, just click the little View Source tab to see the raw contents of the page. There's very little markup code so it should be readable, and you can use Ctrl+F to search it for whatever you're looking for. (If you have a T-Vox account and are logged in, the Edit tab will do the same thing.) Many of the pages do not have an error, fortunately, and can be accessed as normal.
The pages, including the ones with database errors, are still editable, so please do continue to contribute!
A few popular pages that are linked to from the Resources page, which people may now have trouble finding:
* Online Support
* FTM passing tips
* MTF passing tips
* FTM reading list
* General reading list
* Physicians by region
* List of transfeminine people
* List of transmasculine people
You can also go to All Pages to find what you're looking for.
Two of the most popular pages that folks may have issues with:
Therapists in the United States - this page links to more specific geographic areas in the US. If you can't figure out how to get to the page you need, here are the links:
Northeast
* New England - CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT
* Mid-Atlantic - NJ, NY, PA
Midwest
* East North Central - IL, IN, MI, OH, WI
* West North Central - IA, KS, MO, MN, ND, NE, SD
South
* South Atlantic - DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV
* East South Central - AL, KY, MS, TN
* West South Central - AR, LA, OK, TX
West
* Mountain - AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY
* Pacific - AK, CA, HI, OR, WA
Support groups in the United States - same format as the therapists page. If you can't figure out how to get to the page you need, here are the links:
* New England
* Mid-Atlantic
* East North Central
* West North Central
* South Atlantic
* East South Central
* West South Central
* Mountain
* Pacific
In the meantime, on any page that gives a database error, just click the little View Source tab to see the raw contents of the page. There's very little markup code so it should be readable, and you can use Ctrl+F to search it for whatever you're looking for. (If you have a T-Vox account and are logged in, the Edit tab will do the same thing.) Many of the pages do not have an error, fortunately, and can be accessed as normal.
The pages, including the ones with database errors, are still editable, so please do continue to contribute!
A few popular pages that are linked to from the Resources page, which people may now have trouble finding:
* Online Support
* FTM passing tips
* MTF passing tips
* FTM reading list
* General reading list
* Physicians by region
* List of transfeminine people
* List of transmasculine people
You can also go to All Pages to find what you're looking for.
Two of the most popular pages that folks may have issues with:
Therapists in the United States - this page links to more specific geographic areas in the US. If you can't figure out how to get to the page you need, here are the links:
Northeast
* New England - CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT
* Mid-Atlantic - NJ, NY, PA
Midwest
* East North Central - IL, IN, MI, OH, WI
* West North Central - IA, KS, MO, MN, ND, NE, SD
South
* South Atlantic - DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV
* East South Central - AL, KY, MS, TN
* West South Central - AR, LA, OK, TX
West
* Mountain - AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY
* Pacific - AK, CA, HI, OR, WA
Support groups in the United States - same format as the therapists page. If you can't figure out how to get to the page you need, here are the links:
* New England
* Mid-Atlantic
* East North Central
* West North Central
* South Atlantic
* East South Central
* West South Central
* Mountain
* Pacific
ftmichaelhttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=152470558
Argentina Gender Rights Law: A New World Standard
by The Associated Press
May 11, 2012, 12:09 am ET
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Activists say Argentina now leads the world in transgender rights after giving people the freedom to change their legal and physical gender identity simply because they want to, without having to undergo judicial, psychiatric and medical procedures beforehand.
The gender identity law that won congressional approval with a 55-0 Senate vote Wednesday night is the latest in a growing list of bold moves on social issues by the Argentine government, which also legalized gay marriage two years ago. These changes primarily affect minority groups, but they are fundamental, President Cristina Fernandez has said, for a democratic society still shaking off the human rights violations of the 1976-1983 dictatorship and the paternalism of the Roman Catholic Church.
Activists and academics who have tracked gender identity laws and customs worldwide said Thursday that no other country has gone so far to embrace gender self-determination. In the United States and Europe, transgender people must submit to physical and mental health exams and get past a series of other hurdles before getting sex-change treatments.
Argentina's law also is the first to give citizens the right to change their legal gender without first changing their bodies, said Justus Eisfeld, co-director of Global Action for Trans Equality in New York. "The fact that there are no medical requirements at all — no surgery, no hormone treatment and no diagnosis — is a real game changer and completely unique in the world. It is light years ahead of the vast majority of countries, including the US, and significantly ahead of even the most advanced countries," said Eisfeld, who researched the laws of the 47 countries for the Council of Europe's human rights commission.
( Read more... )
Argentina Gender Rights Law: A New World Standard
by The Associated Press
May 11, 2012, 12:09 am ET
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Activists say Argentina now leads the world in transgender rights after giving people the freedom to change their legal and physical gender identity simply because they want to, without having to undergo judicial, psychiatric and medical procedures beforehand.
The gender identity law that won congressional approval with a 55-0 Senate vote Wednesday night is the latest in a growing list of bold moves on social issues by the Argentine government, which also legalized gay marriage two years ago. These changes primarily affect minority groups, but they are fundamental, President Cristina Fernandez has said, for a democratic society still shaking off the human rights violations of the 1976-1983 dictatorship and the paternalism of the Roman Catholic Church.
Activists and academics who have tracked gender identity laws and customs worldwide said Thursday that no other country has gone so far to embrace gender self-determination. In the United States and Europe, transgender people must submit to physical and mental health exams and get past a series of other hurdles before getting sex-change treatments.
Argentina's law also is the first to give citizens the right to change their legal gender without first changing their bodies, said Justus Eisfeld, co-director of Global Action for Trans Equality in New York. "The fact that there are no medical requirements at all — no surgery, no hormone treatment and no diagnosis — is a real game changer and completely unique in the world. It is light years ahead of the vast majority of countries, including the US, and significantly ahead of even the most advanced countries," said Eisfeld, who researched the laws of the 47 countries for the Council of Europe's human rights commission.
( Read more... )
ftmichaelhttp://www.transgenderlegal.org/headline_show.php?id=382
Victory! Transgender Woman Wins Health Insurance Coverage for Mammogram
April 30 - We are thrilled to announce that we have resolved a claim on behalf of Beth Scott, a 44-year-old transgender woman in New Jersey who had been denied health insurance coverage for a mammogram. Ms. Scott underwent the mammogram in June 2010 at her doctor’s recommendation. Aetna denied coverage for the mammogram on the grounds that it fell under her policy’s exclusion for treatments “related to changing sex.” As a transgender woman, Ms. Scott was assigned male at birth and developed breasts after undergoing hormone therapy. Aetna refused to alter its position throughout the lengthy appeals process.
TLDEF intervened and argued that Aetna’s interpretation of the policy exclusion was overbroad and that it should apply only to treatments prescribed to change an individual’s sex characteristics. Because a mammogram is a procedure that has nothing to do with changing sex characteristics, Ms. Scott’s mammogram should have been covered. Aetna’s interpretation could have led to the continued denial of claims for medically necessary care for transgender patients, including treatment for conditions such as breast cancer.
Aetna reversed its position and paid for Ms. Scott’s mammogram in full. ( Read more... )
Victory! Transgender Woman Wins Health Insurance Coverage for Mammogram
April 30 - We are thrilled to announce that we have resolved a claim on behalf of Beth Scott, a 44-year-old transgender woman in New Jersey who had been denied health insurance coverage for a mammogram. Ms. Scott underwent the mammogram in June 2010 at her doctor’s recommendation. Aetna denied coverage for the mammogram on the grounds that it fell under her policy’s exclusion for treatments “related to changing sex.” As a transgender woman, Ms. Scott was assigned male at birth and developed breasts after undergoing hormone therapy. Aetna refused to alter its position throughout the lengthy appeals process.
TLDEF intervened and argued that Aetna’s interpretation of the policy exclusion was overbroad and that it should apply only to treatments prescribed to change an individual’s sex characteristics. Because a mammogram is a procedure that has nothing to do with changing sex characteristics, Ms. Scott’s mammogram should have been covered. Aetna’s interpretation could have led to the continued denial of claims for medically necessary care for transgender patients, including treatment for conditions such as breast cancer.
Aetna reversed its position and paid for Ms. Scott’s mammogram in full. ( Read more... )
ftmichaelhttp://transgenderequality.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/victory-federal-agency-rules-trans-people-protected-by-sex-discrimination-law/
Victory: Federal Agency Rules Trans People Protected by Sex Discrimination Law
NCTE congratulates our colleagues at the Transgender Law Center, who tonight, announced a significant federal workplace rights victory. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled in a 5-0 decision that an employer who discriminates against a transgender employee or job applicant because of the person’s gender identity is illegal sex discrimination based on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Though this ruling follows a growing number of court decisions around the country that have held that transgender people are protected by existing federal anti-discrimination laws, this is the first decision by the EEOC on this issue.
NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling said, “This ruling is a major advancement in transgender rights that will provide a significant tool to fight discrimination. It will also help us advocate for still needed protections like the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and the federal contractors executive order.”
The EEOC is the federal agency charged with interpreting and enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws, and this is the first time it has ruled that anti-transgender discrimination is sex discrimination. The decision applies to both public and private employers throughout the country including in the 34 states that do not yet have gender identity anti-discrimination laws.
The case was brought by the Transgender Law Center (TLC) on behalf of their client Mia Macy who was a denied a job as a ballistics technician at the Walnut Creek, CA laboratory of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). NCTE congratulates TLC on this important victory and thanks Mia Macy for standing up for herself and the rights of all trans people.
Keisling added, “this is a major victory. As many as 90% of trans people still face tremendous discrimination in employment according to our National Discrimination Survey, and it will help so much that the EEOC agrees with what more and more courts have been saying—discriminating against trans people because of their sex, or their perceived sex, or what an employer thinks about their sex is clearly sex discrimination, illegal and wrong.”
Read the full ruling here.
Victory: Federal Agency Rules Trans People Protected by Sex Discrimination Law
NCTE congratulates our colleagues at the Transgender Law Center, who tonight, announced a significant federal workplace rights victory. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled in a 5-0 decision that an employer who discriminates against a transgender employee or job applicant because of the person’s gender identity is illegal sex discrimination based on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Though this ruling follows a growing number of court decisions around the country that have held that transgender people are protected by existing federal anti-discrimination laws, this is the first decision by the EEOC on this issue.
NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling said, “This ruling is a major advancement in transgender rights that will provide a significant tool to fight discrimination. It will also help us advocate for still needed protections like the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and the federal contractors executive order.”
The EEOC is the federal agency charged with interpreting and enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws, and this is the first time it has ruled that anti-transgender discrimination is sex discrimination. The decision applies to both public and private employers throughout the country including in the 34 states that do not yet have gender identity anti-discrimination laws.
The case was brought by the Transgender Law Center (TLC) on behalf of their client Mia Macy who was a denied a job as a ballistics technician at the Walnut Creek, CA laboratory of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). NCTE congratulates TLC on this important victory and thanks Mia Macy for standing up for herself and the rights of all trans people.
Keisling added, “this is a major victory. As many as 90% of trans people still face tremendous discrimination in employment according to our National Discrimination Survey, and it will help so much that the EEOC agrees with what more and more courts have been saying—discriminating against trans people because of their sex, or their perceived sex, or what an employer thinks about their sex is clearly sex discrimination, illegal and wrong.”
Read the full ruling here.
ftmichaelGLAD Publishes Groundbreaking Transgender Family Law Book
Resource for practitioners to foster quality representation for transgender clients
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders is proud to announce the publication of Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy, the first book to comprehensively address legal issues facing transgender people in the family law context and provide practitioners the tools to effectively represent transgender clients. Featuring chapters by attorneys with expertise in both family law and transgender legal advocacy, the book was edited by Jennifer L. Levi , director of GLAD’s Transgender Rights Project, and Elizabeth E. Monnin-Browder, a litigation associate in the Boston office of Ropes & Gray and a former GLAD attorney. Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy will be available in bound and electronic versions on May 16, 2012.
“Some of the most heartbreaking stories I have heard in my career as an LGBT legal advocate involve transgender people in family courts,” said Levi, a nationally recognized expert on transgender legal issues. “The rights of transgender people – as parents, spouses, and simply as human beings – are often trammeled in family court because of pervasive bias and misunderstanding. Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy is a road map for transgender individuals and their attorneys to navigate the family court system in this evolving area of law.”
“This book tackles a cutting edge area of family law and we’re thrilled to have contributions from some of this country’s most well-respected experts in this field,” said Monnin-Browder. “Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy details the unique needs and vulnerabilities of transgender people in the family law context. I hope transgender people will read and share it with their attorneys as they plan a family, navigate the dissolution of a relationship or a custody dispute, or simply seek to protect their rights and those of their children.”
The chapters address a broad range of topics, including:
* Culturally Competent Representation
* Recognition of Name and Sex
* Relationship Recognition and Protections
* Protecting Parental Rights
* Relationship Dissolution
* Parental Rights after Relationship Dissolution
* Custody Disputes Involving Transgender Children
* Protections for Transgender Youth
* Intimate Partner Violence
* Estate Planning and Elder Law
In addition to chapters authored by Levi and Monnin-Browder, contributors to Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy include Kylar W. Broadus, Patience Crozier, Benjamin L. Jerner, Michelle B. LaPointe, Morgan Lynn, Shannon Price Minter, Zack M. Paakkonen, Terra Slavin, Wayne A. Thomas Jr., Esq., Deborah H. Wald and Janson Wu.
For more information, or to purchase a copy of Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy, visit http://glad.org/TFL .
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders is New England’s leading legal organisation dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status, and gender identity and expression.
Resource for practitioners to foster quality representation for transgender clients
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders is proud to announce the publication of Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy, the first book to comprehensively address legal issues facing transgender people in the family law context and provide practitioners the tools to effectively represent transgender clients. Featuring chapters by attorneys with expertise in both family law and transgender legal advocacy, the book was edited by Jennifer L. Levi , director of GLAD’s Transgender Rights Project, and Elizabeth E. Monnin-Browder, a litigation associate in the Boston office of Ropes & Gray and a former GLAD attorney. Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy will be available in bound and electronic versions on May 16, 2012.
“Some of the most heartbreaking stories I have heard in my career as an LGBT legal advocate involve transgender people in family courts,” said Levi, a nationally recognized expert on transgender legal issues. “The rights of transgender people – as parents, spouses, and simply as human beings – are often trammeled in family court because of pervasive bias and misunderstanding. Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy is a road map for transgender individuals and their attorneys to navigate the family court system in this evolving area of law.”
“This book tackles a cutting edge area of family law and we’re thrilled to have contributions from some of this country’s most well-respected experts in this field,” said Monnin-Browder. “Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy details the unique needs and vulnerabilities of transgender people in the family law context. I hope transgender people will read and share it with their attorneys as they plan a family, navigate the dissolution of a relationship or a custody dispute, or simply seek to protect their rights and those of their children.”
The chapters address a broad range of topics, including:
* Culturally Competent Representation
* Recognition of Name and Sex
* Relationship Recognition and Protections
* Protecting Parental Rights
* Relationship Dissolution
* Parental Rights after Relationship Dissolution
* Custody Disputes Involving Transgender Children
* Protections for Transgender Youth
* Intimate Partner Violence
* Estate Planning and Elder Law
In addition to chapters authored by Levi and Monnin-Browder, contributors to Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy include Kylar W. Broadus, Patience Crozier, Benjamin L. Jerner, Michelle B. LaPointe, Morgan Lynn, Shannon Price Minter, Zack M. Paakkonen, Terra Slavin, Wayne A. Thomas Jr., Esq., Deborah H. Wald and Janson Wu.
For more information, or to purchase a copy of Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy, visit http://glad.org/TFL .
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders is New England’s leading legal organisation dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status, and gender identity and expression.
ftmichaelSign the petition here.
http://www.glaad.org/blog/petition-chrishaun-cece-mcdonalds-arrest
Petition Chrishaun "CeCe" McDonald's Arrest
Saturday, April 14, 2012 - 4:12pm by Marcus Brock, Media Strategist at GLAAD
Momentum is building as the hearing and trial for Crishaun “CeCe” McDonald approaches in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The community is encouraged to attend the hearing scheduled for April 24. CeCe was the victim of a violent transphobic and racist assault during the summer of 2011. Since, she has been incarcerated and the only person in the altercation to face legal action, even though her aggressor lacerated her cheek with a drinking glass during the heated exchange. CeCe face charges of “second degree murder” for an act of self-defense where she was injured and her life threatened. Hennepin County Attorney General, Michael Freeman has the authority to review CeCe’s case and drop the charges on the rationale of self-defense, but has yet to do so.
( Read more... )
On April 24, 2012 supporters are encouraged to attend the hearing and evidentiary motions at the Hennepin County Government Center, 300 6th Street S, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The hearing will begin at 9 am. CeCe’s trial is scheduled to follow on April 30 on the 13th floor of the Hennepin County Government Center.
You can also show your support for CeCe by signing the petition, which was organized by the Free CeCe Support Committee.
Sign the petition today in solidarity for Chrishaun “CeCe” McDonald and the LGBT community! You can also call, fax or email the attorney general here.
GLAAD urges the media to tell CeCe McDonald's story and the continued discrimination transgender people - particularly transgender women of color - continue to face when trying to participate fully in their communities.
http://www.glaad.org/blog/petition-chrishaun-cece-mcdonalds-arrest
Petition Chrishaun "CeCe" McDonald's Arrest
Saturday, April 14, 2012 - 4:12pm by Marcus Brock, Media Strategist at GLAAD
Momentum is building as the hearing and trial for Crishaun “CeCe” McDonald approaches in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The community is encouraged to attend the hearing scheduled for April 24. CeCe was the victim of a violent transphobic and racist assault during the summer of 2011. Since, she has been incarcerated and the only person in the altercation to face legal action, even though her aggressor lacerated her cheek with a drinking glass during the heated exchange. CeCe face charges of “second degree murder” for an act of self-defense where she was injured and her life threatened. Hennepin County Attorney General, Michael Freeman has the authority to review CeCe’s case and drop the charges on the rationale of self-defense, but has yet to do so.
( Read more... )
On April 24, 2012 supporters are encouraged to attend the hearing and evidentiary motions at the Hennepin County Government Center, 300 6th Street S, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The hearing will begin at 9 am. CeCe’s trial is scheduled to follow on April 30 on the 13th floor of the Hennepin County Government Center.
You can also show your support for CeCe by signing the petition, which was organized by the Free CeCe Support Committee.
Sign the petition today in solidarity for Chrishaun “CeCe” McDonald and the LGBT community! You can also call, fax or email the attorney general here.
GLAAD urges the media to tell CeCe McDonald's story and the continued discrimination transgender people - particularly transgender women of color - continue to face when trying to participate fully in their communities.
Obama's Transgender Ex-Nanny Outcast
Mar. 6th, 2012 11:28 amftmichaelhttp://news.yahoo.com/ap-exclusive-obamas-transgender-ex-nanny-outcast-070907242.html
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Once, long ago, Evie looked after "Barry" Obama, the kid who would grow up to become the world's most powerful man. Now, his transgender former nanny has given up her tight, flowery dresses, her brocade vest and her bras, and is living in fear on Indonesia's streets.
Evie, who was born a man but believes she is really a woman, has endured a lifetime of taunts and beatings because of her identity. She describes how soldiers once shaved her long, black hair to the scalp and smashed out glowing cigarettes onto her hands and arms.
The turning point came when she found a transgender friend's bloated body floating in a backed-up sewage canal two decades ago. She grabbed all her girlie clothes in her arms and stuffed them into two big boxes. Half-used lipstick, powder, eye makeup — she gave them all away.
"I knew in my heart I was a woman, but I didn't want to die like that," says Evie, now 66, her lips trembling slightly as the memories flood back. "So I decided to just accept it. ... I've been living like this, a man, ever since."
( Read more... )
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Once, long ago, Evie looked after "Barry" Obama, the kid who would grow up to become the world's most powerful man. Now, his transgender former nanny has given up her tight, flowery dresses, her brocade vest and her bras, and is living in fear on Indonesia's streets.
Evie, who was born a man but believes she is really a woman, has endured a lifetime of taunts and beatings because of her identity. She describes how soldiers once shaved her long, black hair to the scalp and smashed out glowing cigarettes onto her hands and arms.
The turning point came when she found a transgender friend's bloated body floating in a backed-up sewage canal two decades ago. She grabbed all her girlie clothes in her arms and stuffed them into two big boxes. Half-used lipstick, powder, eye makeup — she gave them all away.
"I knew in my heart I was a woman, but I didn't want to die like that," says Evie, now 66, her lips trembling slightly as the memories flood back. "So I decided to just accept it. ... I've been living like this, a man, ever since."
( Read more... )
ftmichaelThere is a poll on this site, near the bottom of the article, asking 'Should kids who believe they are born in the wrong bodies be offered a medication to block puberty?' Please go and vote!
http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/20/10450683-more-transgender-kids-seeking-help-getting-treatment
More transgender kids seeking help, getting treatment
By Diane Mapes
When Aidan Key was a little girl, he didn't realize he had gender identity issues. He simply knew something was off.
"I didn't necessarily become aware that I was trapped in the wrong body," says the 49-year-old Bellingham, Wash., native who had gender reassignment surgery at the age of 33. "I became aware that people didn't perceive me as I felt myself to be. It was just odd to me to have to wear a dress the first day of kindergarten. It didn't make sense."
Aidan Key, left, was born a girl named Bonnie.
Today, Key might have received counseling -- and perhaps even puberty blocking drugs -- at one of a handful of U.S. clinics designed to help adolescents with what’s now called gender identity disorder or GID. The psychological diagnosis is used to describe a male or female who feels a strong identification with the opposite sex and experiences considerable distress because of their actual sex (the word "disorder" refers to the distress the person feels, not the fact that they identify with another gender).
According to reports published Monday in the medical journal Pediatrics, a small but growing number of teens and even younger children who think they were born the wrong sex are now getting support from parents and from doctors who give them treatments that could eventually help them change their sex.
Some estimates say about 1 in 10,000 children may have GID, Dr. Norman Spack, author of one of three reports published Monday and director of one of the nation's first gender identity medical clinics, at Children's Hospital Boston told the Associated Press. And that number does appear to be on the rise, experts say.
The number of people treated at Spack's Gender Management Service clinic, also known as GeMS, which was the focus of a study, increased fourfold between January 1998 and February 2010. The clinic now averages about 19 patients each year, compared with about four per year treated for gender issues at the hospital in the late 1990s.
( Read more... )
http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/20/10450683-more-transgender-kids-seeking-help-getting-treatment
More transgender kids seeking help, getting treatment
By Diane Mapes
When Aidan Key was a little girl, he didn't realize he had gender identity issues. He simply knew something was off.
"I didn't necessarily become aware that I was trapped in the wrong body," says the 49-year-old Bellingham, Wash., native who had gender reassignment surgery at the age of 33. "I became aware that people didn't perceive me as I felt myself to be. It was just odd to me to have to wear a dress the first day of kindergarten. It didn't make sense."
Aidan Key, left, was born a girl named Bonnie.
Today, Key might have received counseling -- and perhaps even puberty blocking drugs -- at one of a handful of U.S. clinics designed to help adolescents with what’s now called gender identity disorder or GID. The psychological diagnosis is used to describe a male or female who feels a strong identification with the opposite sex and experiences considerable distress because of their actual sex (the word "disorder" refers to the distress the person feels, not the fact that they identify with another gender).
According to reports published Monday in the medical journal Pediatrics, a small but growing number of teens and even younger children who think they were born the wrong sex are now getting support from parents and from doctors who give them treatments that could eventually help them change their sex.
Some estimates say about 1 in 10,000 children may have GID, Dr. Norman Spack, author of one of three reports published Monday and director of one of the nation's first gender identity medical clinics, at Children's Hospital Boston told the Associated Press. And that number does appear to be on the rise, experts say.
The number of people treated at Spack's Gender Management Service clinic, also known as GeMS, which was the focus of a study, increased fourfold between January 1998 and February 2010. The clinic now averages about 19 patients each year, compared with about four per year treated for gender issues at the hospital in the late 1990s.
( Read more... )
ftmichaelhttp://news.pinkpaper.com/NewsStory/6940/15/2/2012/GT-and-DIVA-publishers-launch-new-digital-magazine-for-trans-community.aspx
GT and DIVA publishers launch new digital magazine for trans community
by Peter Lloyd
15 February 2012
The publishers of Gay Times and DIVA magazine launch a groundbreaking digital publication aimed at the transgender community – META.
META is a unique magazine designed for a wide community of gender variant people. It is written by trans people and their friends for trans people and their friends. Through in-depth features, community discourse, arts coverage, celebrity interviews, comprehensive event listings, and charitable causes, META is a celebration of diversity.
META is connected to the UK’s exciting trans activism movement and is committed to challenging bigotry. It’s dedicated to promoting positive self esteem and connectivity among trans people, generating creativity, motivation and aspiration through inspiring imagery and positive ethos.
In the historic first issue, Vivian Bond, of Kiki and Herb fame, chats about changing personas:
“I am a Mixtress of reinvention. I've thrown everything up in the air many times to see where it lands. As to reinventing myself personally, well… I have always known who I am.”
Reality star Lewis Hancox responds to criticism following his appearance in Channel 4’s My Transsexual Summer:
“I outed myself, basically, and put myself in a vulnerable position. People shouldn’t be attacking me for that – it should be encouraged.”
Performance artist Diane Torr discusses traditional sexism:
“I was following a programme about famous dead people and they’d always have men on. I wrote in and said, “What is it, do women not die?”
Editor Paris Lees said:
“Trans writers have been gaining ground over the past few years, appearing in the New Statesman, the Guardian and the Times. Now, with META, we finally have our own platform. Forget ‘editor’ – speaking purely as a trans woman, I can honestly say I’m thrilled. META isn’t just for trans people, it’s for anyone who’s ready for a grown up discussion about gender – something we don’t always see in the mainstream media”.
META’s debut issue is available for digital download from the App Store or Android Market now!
It includes features on gender-free parenting, exclusive video content, real life stories and debate.
META will also feature Del LaGrace Volcano, Natacha Kennedy, DJ Lady Lloyd, Baga Chipz, Christine Burns, Jane Fae, Roz Kaveney, Jennie Kermode and Jay Stewart.
GT and DIVA publishers launch new digital magazine for trans community
by Peter Lloyd
15 February 2012
The publishers of Gay Times and DIVA magazine launch a groundbreaking digital publication aimed at the transgender community – META.
META is a unique magazine designed for a wide community of gender variant people. It is written by trans people and their friends for trans people and their friends. Through in-depth features, community discourse, arts coverage, celebrity interviews, comprehensive event listings, and charitable causes, META is a celebration of diversity.
META is connected to the UK’s exciting trans activism movement and is committed to challenging bigotry. It’s dedicated to promoting positive self esteem and connectivity among trans people, generating creativity, motivation and aspiration through inspiring imagery and positive ethos.
In the historic first issue, Vivian Bond, of Kiki and Herb fame, chats about changing personas:
“I am a Mixtress of reinvention. I've thrown everything up in the air many times to see where it lands. As to reinventing myself personally, well… I have always known who I am.”
Reality star Lewis Hancox responds to criticism following his appearance in Channel 4’s My Transsexual Summer:
“I outed myself, basically, and put myself in a vulnerable position. People shouldn’t be attacking me for that – it should be encouraged.”
Performance artist Diane Torr discusses traditional sexism:
“I was following a programme about famous dead people and they’d always have men on. I wrote in and said, “What is it, do women not die?”
Editor Paris Lees said:
“Trans writers have been gaining ground over the past few years, appearing in the New Statesman, the Guardian and the Times. Now, with META, we finally have our own platform. Forget ‘editor’ – speaking purely as a trans woman, I can honestly say I’m thrilled. META isn’t just for trans people, it’s for anyone who’s ready for a grown up discussion about gender – something we don’t always see in the mainstream media”.
META’s debut issue is available for digital download from the App Store or Android Market now!
It includes features on gender-free parenting, exclusive video content, real life stories and debate.
META will also feature Del LaGrace Volcano, Natacha Kennedy, DJ Lady Lloyd, Baga Chipz, Christine Burns, Jane Fae, Roz Kaveney, Jennie Kermode and Jay Stewart.
ftmichaelhttp://transgenderequality.wordpress.com/2012/01/28/breaking-new-rule-makes-trans-housing-discrimination-illegal/
BREAKING: New Rule Makes Trans Housing Discrimination Illegal
Today, at the 24th National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced that they will issue a historic new rule strengthening housing discrimination protections for transgender people. The regulations will be published next week, and go into effect 30 days from then.
In his plenary address, HUD Secretary Donovan said:
The new rule makes several urgently needed changes to current federal housing and housing-related programs including: prohibiting owners and operators of federally-funded or federally-insured housing, as well as lenders offering federally-insured mortgages from discriminating based on gender identity or sexual orientation;and clarifying the definition of “family” to ensure that LGBT families are not excluded from HUD programs.
According to Harper Jean Tobin, NCTE Policy Counsel, “this is a major and urgently needed advancement in basic protections for transgender people. NCTE is calling on other federal departments to follow HUD’s common-sense approach and use existing legal authority to prohibit discrimination against LGBT people in the programs they fund and administer. We applaud Secretary Donovan and the Obama Administration for this much needed relief for transgender people.”
Mara Keisling added “We are very pleased that, just as he said at NCTE’s Awards Ceremony in November, HUD has clearly listened to our concerns with earlier drafts of the regulations and made them even stronger.”
In announcing the draft rules early last year, HUD cited The National Transgender Discrimination Survey conducted by NCTE and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, showing that 19% of transgender and gender non-conforming people had been refused a home or apartment and 11% had been evicted because of their gender identity or expression. The study also showed that 19% of transgender people have been homeless at some point in their lives, and 29% of those had been turned away from homeless shelters and a majority were harassed when they could get in to a shelter.
BREAKING: New Rule Makes Trans Housing Discrimination Illegal
Today, at the 24th National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced that they will issue a historic new rule strengthening housing discrimination protections for transgender people. The regulations will be published next week, and go into effect 30 days from then.
In his plenary address, HUD Secretary Donovan said:
“I am proud to announce a new Equal Access to Housing Rule that says clearly and unequivocally that LGBT individuals and couples have the right to live where they choose [...] If you are denying HUD housing to people on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, actual or perceived, you’re discriminating, you’re breaking the law, and you will be held accountable. That’s what equal access means, and that’s what this rule is going to do.”
The new rule makes several urgently needed changes to current federal housing and housing-related programs including: prohibiting owners and operators of federally-funded or federally-insured housing, as well as lenders offering federally-insured mortgages from discriminating based on gender identity or sexual orientation;and clarifying the definition of “family” to ensure that LGBT families are not excluded from HUD programs.
According to Harper Jean Tobin, NCTE Policy Counsel, “this is a major and urgently needed advancement in basic protections for transgender people. NCTE is calling on other federal departments to follow HUD’s common-sense approach and use existing legal authority to prohibit discrimination against LGBT people in the programs they fund and administer. We applaud Secretary Donovan and the Obama Administration for this much needed relief for transgender people.”
Mara Keisling added “We are very pleased that, just as he said at NCTE’s Awards Ceremony in November, HUD has clearly listened to our concerns with earlier drafts of the regulations and made them even stronger.”
In announcing the draft rules early last year, HUD cited The National Transgender Discrimination Survey conducted by NCTE and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, showing that 19% of transgender and gender non-conforming people had been refused a home or apartment and 11% had been evicted because of their gender identity or expression. The study also showed that 19% of transgender people have been homeless at some point in their lives, and 29% of those had been turned away from homeless shelters and a majority were harassed when they could get in to a shelter.
Transgender Americans take on New York
Jan. 5th, 2012 08:18 amftmichaelhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15642294
Transgender Americans take on New York
By Daniel Nasaw BBC News Magazine, New York
A group of transgender men and women want New York City to make it easier to change the "M" or "F" on their birth certificates. What makes a man or a woman, and why do governments care?
In the annals of unhappy encounters with driving licence authority officials, Patricia Harrington's and Joann Prinzivalli's seem particularly miserable.
Both had been living as women for years, but still carried birth certificates showing the sex they were designated at birth - male.
Ms Harrington, who was hoping to transfer her New York state driving licence to the state of New Jersey, was told to return with a doctor's note.
"It just made me furious," says Ms Harrington.
"I would just like to get a corrected birth certificate that identifies me, so that when I have to show it for identification I don't automatically become some kind of criminal suspect."
( Read more... )
Transgender Americans take on New York
By Daniel Nasaw BBC News Magazine, New York
A group of transgender men and women want New York City to make it easier to change the "M" or "F" on their birth certificates. What makes a man or a woman, and why do governments care?
In the annals of unhappy encounters with driving licence authority officials, Patricia Harrington's and Joann Prinzivalli's seem particularly miserable.
Both had been living as women for years, but still carried birth certificates showing the sex they were designated at birth - male.
Ms Harrington, who was hoping to transfer her New York state driving licence to the state of New Jersey, was told to return with a doctor's note.
"It just made me furious," says Ms Harrington.
"I would just like to get a corrected birth certificate that identifies me, so that when I have to show it for identification I don't automatically become some kind of criminal suspect."
( Read more... )
ftmichaelhttp://www.rhd.org/News/11-12-08/RHD_to_open_nation_s_first_residential_treatment_program_for_transgender_individuals.aspx
RHD to open nation's first residential treatment program for transgender individuals
Morris House to open in Philadelphia this year
12/8/2011 4:10:00 PM
Contact: Kevin Roberts
RHD Communications
1215 951 0300 (ext. 3714)
or kevinr@rhd.org
Morris House, the first residential treatment program in the country to offer comprehensive services specifically for trans and gender variant individuals, will open in Philadelphia by the end of this year. Resources for Human Development, a national nonprofit with headquarters in Philadelphia, will support Morris House in partnership with the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services.
“After years of losing hope, the Department of Behavioral Health and RHD welcomed us with open arms, delivering on an old promise with a new promise,” said Jaci Adams, a transgender individual who served on the advisory board put together by DBH and RHD to assist with the planning for Morris House. “It felt like that dream would never come to fruition, but we are lighting the flame again and giving back hope to a community. Our dreams are really coming true this time.”
Morris House will be named for Nizah Morris, a transgender woman who was allegedly murdered in Philadelphia in 2002.
( Read more... )
RHD to open nation's first residential treatment program for transgender individuals
Morris House to open in Philadelphia this year
12/8/2011 4:10:00 PM
Contact: Kevin Roberts
RHD Communications
1215 951 0300 (ext. 3714)
or kevinr@rhd.org
Morris House, the first residential treatment program in the country to offer comprehensive services specifically for trans and gender variant individuals, will open in Philadelphia by the end of this year. Resources for Human Development, a national nonprofit with headquarters in Philadelphia, will support Morris House in partnership with the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services.
“After years of losing hope, the Department of Behavioral Health and RHD welcomed us with open arms, delivering on an old promise with a new promise,” said Jaci Adams, a transgender individual who served on the advisory board put together by DBH and RHD to assist with the planning for Morris House. “It felt like that dream would never come to fruition, but we are lighting the flame again and giving back hope to a community. Our dreams are really coming true this time.”
Morris House will be named for Nizah Morris, a transgender woman who was allegedly murdered in Philadelphia in 2002.
( Read more... )
ftmichaelhttp://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=opinion&sc=editorial&sc2=news&sc3&id=126853
The story of how the Transgender Equal Rights Bill came to pass is an old and familiar one. It has drama. It has suspense. And it has betrayal.
But not by whom you might think.
by Sue O’Connell
Wednesday Nov 16, 2011
As soon as word got out on Monday, Nov. 13 that lawmakers were poised to vote on the bill and that the bill did not have public accommodations, the finger-pointing started. Blame was directed at lesbian and gay groups for striking a compromise deal and advancing a flawed bill without input from the transgender community. A couple of crazy national bloggers even compared what was happening in Massachusetts with Maryland -- you know, the state where advocates tried to advance a civil rights bill without public accommodations from the very start, and where there was a very ugly and public split between the leading gay organization, Equality Maryland, and the leading trans organization, Trans Maryland.
None of these allegations are true. Massachusetts is not Maryland. Not even close. And what happened here politically bears no resemblance to what happened there.
As for the accusations that a nefarious deal had been struck without input from the state’s trans community? Nonsense. Not only has the Bay State’s trans community had a seat at the decision-making table throughout the lengthy advocacy of this bill, Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition Executive Director Gunner Scott has been chairing the meetings at said decision-making table.
So if you’re angry about the fact that the Transgender Equal Rights Bill does not include public accommodations, direct your anger where it belongs: the state legislature.
The truth is, and Bay Windows knows this because we have been talking with advocates and legislative champions for months, lawmakers did not want to take a vote on this bill and they did everything that they could not to take a vote.
In the end, the bill moved thanks to pressure from Gov. Deval Patrick and the unrelenting advocacy by state Reps. Carl Sciortino and Byron Rushing and state Sens. Ben Downing and Sonia Chang-Díaz. It also didn’t hurt that the coalition that formed to push this bill through somehow held it together and did not, as so many coalitions do, implode when the going got tough. After tough, emotional meetings (during which tears were shed and tempers flared), the Transgender Equal Rights Coalition decided to call every bluff offered by lawmakers (as long-time trans activist Nancy Nangeroni has detailed in online comments to the crazy blog posts referenced above). Language changes? Yeah, we’ll take your language changes. Now when do we get the vote? More language changes? Yeah, we’ll take these changes. Now when do we get the vote? No public accommodations? Um, yeah, we’ll take the bill. Now when do we get the vote?
So it’s no surprise (or shouldn’t be) that the bill that passed is far from perfect. How on earth can you set up a system by which it is illegal to fire your transgender barista, but okay to refuse to serve your transgender customer? It’s hard to see how that will actually work in the real world. Hopefully, all it will take to sort this out is a lawsuit or two as opposed to another lengthy process to get another bill.
The bottom line is that it will soon be illegal to fire someone from their job because they are transgender. It will soon be illegal to evict someone from their apartment because they are transgender. It will soon be illegal to deny someone credit because they are transgender.
You get the idea.
These are basic protections. They are long overdue. And they will change the lives of transgender residents for the better.
Good work, folks.
The story of how the Transgender Equal Rights Bill came to pass is an old and familiar one. It has drama. It has suspense. And it has betrayal.
But not by whom you might think.
by Sue O’Connell
Wednesday Nov 16, 2011
As soon as word got out on Monday, Nov. 13 that lawmakers were poised to vote on the bill and that the bill did not have public accommodations, the finger-pointing started. Blame was directed at lesbian and gay groups for striking a compromise deal and advancing a flawed bill without input from the transgender community. A couple of crazy national bloggers even compared what was happening in Massachusetts with Maryland -- you know, the state where advocates tried to advance a civil rights bill without public accommodations from the very start, and where there was a very ugly and public split between the leading gay organization, Equality Maryland, and the leading trans organization, Trans Maryland.
None of these allegations are true. Massachusetts is not Maryland. Not even close. And what happened here politically bears no resemblance to what happened there.
As for the accusations that a nefarious deal had been struck without input from the state’s trans community? Nonsense. Not only has the Bay State’s trans community had a seat at the decision-making table throughout the lengthy advocacy of this bill, Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition Executive Director Gunner Scott has been chairing the meetings at said decision-making table.
So if you’re angry about the fact that the Transgender Equal Rights Bill does not include public accommodations, direct your anger where it belongs: the state legislature.
The truth is, and Bay Windows knows this because we have been talking with advocates and legislative champions for months, lawmakers did not want to take a vote on this bill and they did everything that they could not to take a vote.
In the end, the bill moved thanks to pressure from Gov. Deval Patrick and the unrelenting advocacy by state Reps. Carl Sciortino and Byron Rushing and state Sens. Ben Downing and Sonia Chang-Díaz. It also didn’t hurt that the coalition that formed to push this bill through somehow held it together and did not, as so many coalitions do, implode when the going got tough. After tough, emotional meetings (during which tears were shed and tempers flared), the Transgender Equal Rights Coalition decided to call every bluff offered by lawmakers (as long-time trans activist Nancy Nangeroni has detailed in online comments to the crazy blog posts referenced above). Language changes? Yeah, we’ll take your language changes. Now when do we get the vote? More language changes? Yeah, we’ll take these changes. Now when do we get the vote? No public accommodations? Um, yeah, we’ll take the bill. Now when do we get the vote?
So it’s no surprise (or shouldn’t be) that the bill that passed is far from perfect. How on earth can you set up a system by which it is illegal to fire your transgender barista, but okay to refuse to serve your transgender customer? It’s hard to see how that will actually work in the real world. Hopefully, all it will take to sort this out is a lawsuit or two as opposed to another lengthy process to get another bill.
The bottom line is that it will soon be illegal to fire someone from their job because they are transgender. It will soon be illegal to evict someone from their apartment because they are transgender. It will soon be illegal to deny someone credit because they are transgender.
You get the idea.
These are basic protections. They are long overdue. And they will change the lives of transgender residents for the better.
Good work, folks.
ftmichaelhttp://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/news/record/2819.html
GLSEN and NCTE Announce Release of Model District Policy on Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students
Media Contact:
Andy Marra
Public Relations Manager
1646 388 6575
amarra@glsen.org
Vincent Paolo Villano
Communications Manager
1202 903 0112
vvillano@transequality.org
NEW YORK, November 16, 2011 - The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) today jointly announced the launch of their groundbreaking Model District Policy for Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students.
The first-ever national policy resource co-authored by GLSEN and NCTE offers solutions for school districts to incorporate into existing policies and procedures that create safer and respectful school environments for all students regardless of their gender identity or gender expression.
( Read more... )
GLSEN and NCTE Announce Release of Model District Policy on Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students
Media Contact:
Andy Marra
Public Relations Manager
1646 388 6575
amarra@glsen.org
Vincent Paolo Villano
Communications Manager
1202 903 0112
vvillano@transequality.org
NEW YORK, November 16, 2011 - The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) today jointly announced the launch of their groundbreaking Model District Policy for Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students.
The first-ever national policy resource co-authored by GLSEN and NCTE offers solutions for school districts to incorporate into existing policies and procedures that create safer and respectful school environments for all students regardless of their gender identity or gender expression.
( Read more... )
