The Week In Trans 10/18/21

| Oct 18, 2021
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Lisa Middleton

Lisa Middleton is the mayor pro tem of Palm Springs, California. She announced this week that she intends to run for the State Senate. If she succeeds, she will be the second transgender person elected to a state Senate in the U.S. This story comes from them.

Last Monday was Coming Out Day. President Biden recognized the event by releasing a statement criticizing efforts to pass legislation which attacked LGBTQ rights. In that statement, he also noted, “Bullying and harassment–particularly of young transgender Americans and LGBTQ+ people of color–still abounds, diminishing our national character.” The Advocate has this story.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will bring benefits to transgender public college students in California, while a second piece of legislation that would benefit sex workers has been delayed until January. Learn more from The Bay Area Reporter. Thanks to Ms. Bob Davis for the link.

Many private health insurance plans in Colorado will have to cover HRT medications, gender confirmation surgery, and certain other health care components for transgender people. President Biden has agreed to support the new law, which takes effect on January 1, 2023. President Biden hopes other states will follow Colorado in this. This story comes from The 19th. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this and other stories this week.

Charity Case

Charity Kase, one of the queens on RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K., revealed that she contracted HIV when she was 18. This story comes from HIV Plus.

Mel Groves, a Black transgender man, was fatally shot in Jackson, Mississippi. Although he was shot several times, he nonetheless drove himself to the hospital, where he died. LGBTQ Nation has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to the story.

Royal Poetiical Starz, a Black trans woman, was shot to death in Miami Gardens, Florida. Although the shooting occurred on October 2, her identity was only discovered days later. She was shot in her own car, in daylight, according to The Advocate.

Ian Ring, a transgender middle school student in Spokane, Washington, was beaten up at school in what his mother describes as a hate crime. He had been bullied prior to the incident. KXLY-TV has this story.

A transgender high school student in Loudoun County, Virginia, was charged with sexual assault for an incident of inappropriately touching a fellow student. The transgender student had already been under electronic surveillance due to a previous incident. This story appeared in Newsweek.

As a commentary piece in LGBTQ Nation notes, the rights of transgender students was already a hot-button issue in Virginia even before this latest incident.

The Trevor Project reports that the majority of LGBTQ+ students surveyed had experienced bullying which they felt was the result of their gender identity or sexual orientation. Schools have some strategies which could be used to combat bullying, but seem to be reluctant to use them, according to The 19th.

Sara Anne Fay

Sara Anne Fay is a transgender runner. She competed in the Detroit Free Press marathon and half-marathon races as a male in the past, but now is participating as a female. At age 63, she is unlikely to win the overall title, but might do well within her age group. She talked about how her athletic abilities are different since she began HRT in an article with The Detroit Free Press.

Women and transgender inmates are to be transferred out of Rikers Island starting next week, due to unsafe conditions at the aging building. These prisoners will be sent to other prisons. The Hill has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to the story.

LGBTQ activists met at the Florida state capitol this week, to discuss the issues they feel will need to be addressed next year. Given the current governor and the current state legislature, it is more likely they will be fighting against a further erosion of LGBTQ rights, especially transgender rights, rather than fighting to expand those rights. This story comes from News4Jax.

Lego announced that they will no longer sort their toys by gender. While Lego was never a serious offender, it’s nice to see them address this problem. Them has this story.

October is breast cancer awareness month and many things turn pink to promote the cause. However, trans men can get breast cancer, even if they have had a double mastectomy. This story can be found in Medical Xpress.

Suni Reid

Suni Reid, a non-binary Black performer who appears in Hamilton in various roles, claims that their contract was not renewed shortly after they requested a gender-neutral dressing room. They also say that other cast members deliberately misgendered them. PinkNews has this story.

In Britain, gender-neutral statements about cervical cancer caused a recent uproar. However, Vic Parsons of PinkNews points out that for transgender males, cervical cancer screenings can save a life.

A short guide to transgender support can be found in Medical News Today. As always with these things, it’s pretty basic information, and makes one wonder if doctors really are that badly informed on the topic.

Fox 25 Oklahoma City has a story on the Diversity Center of Oklahoma, a gender clinic that is part of Oklahoma University.

Several transgender and non-binary patients have reported problems due to the use of binary gender in medical records. Binary gender assumptions appear again in questions that patients are asked on written forms prior to seeing a specialist. A two-question approach, which asks about gender identity as well as sex assigned at birth, is recommended in an article from Yale School of Medicine.

A medical student at Rutgers has created an app which allows transgender people specifically to rate how good a doctor is with transgender patients. This information can tell other transgender patients which doctors are aware of transgender issues, as well as which to avoid. The Daily Targum has this story.

Petras modeling Ugg.

Kim Petras is featured in a new ad for Ugg. She talked about it, and her music, with PinkNews.

A bill requiring transgender girls to participate in sports according to gender assigned at birth has cleared the Texas state House of Representatives, and is headed back to the state Senate. The bill also requires transgender boys to participate on the girls’ team, if there’s one for that sport. Although time is running out in the current special session, the state Senate has shown a willingness to act on this issue, according to CBS Austin.

Texas families with transgender children have had to take time off to go to the Capitol to join debates on anti-transgender legislation, including sports bills. This not only takes a mental and emotional toll, it takes a financial toll, according to PinkNews.

The Premier Hockey Federation is the first league in the U.K. to issue a new policy on transgender athletes since the government issued a new guidance. Their policy moves away from using hormone levels to determine eligibility. They also address the matter of transgender women in sport. Today UK News has this story.

Them wonders if non-binary people should participate in sports, given the influence of the gender binary in the sporting world.

We reported last week on the uproar regarding a Dave Chappelle special on Netflix, in which he said several things that were critical of transgender people. (It is hard to classify these remarks as “jokes.”) Terra Field, a transgender engineer at Netflix, tweeted in protest of the ideas expressed in the show. She, and two other employees, were suspended as a result of their complaints. They were reinstated as news of the suspensions became widely known. Out.com has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

Some Netflix employees plan to walk out on Wednesday to protest the Dave Chappelle special. This story comes from The Hill. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to it.

Hannah Gadsby

To defend his decision to keep the Dave Chappelle show on Netflix, CEO Ted Sarandos cited the network’s diverse programming. “So we have Sex Education, Orange Is the New Black, Control Z, Hannah Gadsby, and Dave Chappelle all on Netflix.” Hannah Gadsby did not like being used in that example. Among the choice words of her response on Instagram, she wrote, “You didn’t pay me nearly enough to deal with the real world consequences of the hate speech dog whistling you refuse to acknowledge, Ted.” Out.com has this story.

Netflix has a special Twitter account for the promotion of LGBTQ storytelling. It’s called Most, and it tried to stay out of the controversy around the Chappelle special, until it could do so no longer. The first tweet said, “This week f****ng sucks.” In a subsequent tweet, Most claimed, “We can’t always control what goes on the screen.” Most then got an earful from others, as PinkNews notes.

Nevaeh Jolie came out as transgender on National Coming Out Day. He announced that he will be starting hormones soon. This story comes from People magazine.

Laith Ashley has had a career as a model, a singer, and an activist. Now, he is going to appear in a film, playing a cisgender part. The Advocate has this story.

ACT UP L.A. leader Connie Norman, a transgender woman who contracted AIDS, is the subject of a new documentary which is appearing at film festivals. NBC News has this story, along with a short biography.

An investigation by Media Matters For America found that TikTok’s algorithm linked transphobic content to conspiracy theories, misogynistic and racist content, and other far-right political content.

The two queens who left RuPaul’s Drag Race UK last week talked about the experience on  Out.com.

Laganja Estranja

Laganja Estranga took to Twitter this week to defend her decision to transition genders. PinkNews has this story.

The Women’s Organization called for an investigation into “bullying and harassment” encountered by people who “speak out on gender issues.” While the original intent of the request was to look at the blowback received by those who express “gender-critical” views (i.e., those who oppose transgender people), the request from transgender people makes it clear that both sides have been on the receiving end of slings and arrows. This story comes from PinkNews.

Join Philadelphia, Pa.-based TransWork for a Virtual Networking Event for transgender/gender non-conforming (T/GNC) folks! It happens on Zoom Wednesday, October 20th, 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Get more info and register on the TransWork website.

Patrick Harvie, the co-leader of the Scottish Green Party, decried the “opportunistic hate campaign” that has been launched against Stonewall. PinkNews has this story.

So many online comments have been launched at a transgender police officer in England that a counter-terrorism probe has been launched. This story comes from PinkNews.

Taiwo Owatemi, a Labour M.P. who is the new shadow Equalities Minister, wrote a letter condemning the LGB Alliance, and supporting students from the University of Sussex who are peacefully protesting for the dismissal of Kathleen Stock. PinkNews has this story.

A study of transgender youth in Canada shows that parental support tends to be high, but there are problems with access to care. This story comes from The CBC.

A judge in Turkey actually had to rule that it is not a crime to participate in Pride. With this ruling, the judge dismissed charges against 20 activists. The Advocate has this story.

Navaratri, a sort of harvest festival in the Hindu tradition, has brought together more than 60 transgender people, according to The Hindustan Times.

A transgender woman in Thailand was arrested after she charged subscribers to see a live-stream of her having sex with her boyfriend. The Bangkok Post has this story.

In Ghana, a leader threatened to “storm Parliament with 10,000 people” unless a notorious anti-LGBTQ bill passes. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

Human Rights Watch is calling on Kuwait to dismiss charges against a woman who was arrested for “imitating the opposite sex.”

British Airways will replace the phrase “Ladies and Gentlemen” with the gender-neutral word, “Everybody.” It’s a nice gesture, but could become overused rather quickly. This story comes from them.

Russell T. Davies won the Inspiration Award at the Attitude Awards, and he used his acceptance speech to speak out against the LGB Alliance. His big line was, “To cut out the T is to kill.” PinkNews has this story.

An opinion piece for The CBC calls on the government to defend the rights of transgender people against a “misinformation campaign” by so-called women’s groups.

Kayden Coleman

Kayden Coleman identifies as a gay man, a transgender man, and a father. He talked about his life in an interview with PinkNews.

Ashton Mota travelled from his home in Massachusetts to Jacksonville, to be the keynote speaker at JASMYN’s fifteenth annual Coming Out Day breakfast. The Florida Times-Union has this story.

Nick Kapoor is a member of the Monroe Public Schools Board of Education in Connecticut. He has introduced a proposal which would support transgender students. He defended his proposal from claims that it is “divisive” by reminding people that several civil rights issues were “divisive” in their day. This story comes from The Monroe Sun.

TWITs

North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson said, “There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth.” His comments came from a speech he gave at Asbury Baptist Church back in June. The video just came to light recently, according to The Associated Press. There have been calls for him to resign, but he has said he will not resign, and he shows no intention of apologizing. For demonizing a minority group and turning them into others, and for reading his own prejudices into the Bible North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson gets a TWIT Award. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story. Franklin Graham also gets a TWIT Award for defending those prejudices, thus giving them legitimacy. That story comes from LGBTQ Nation.

Nigel and Sally Rowe are a Christian couple from Cornwall. They are suing the Department for Education over the acceptance of transgender students. They claim that their children were “confused” upon seeing a boy in their school wearing a dress. Rather than explain this in a way that accepts people as they are, the couple wants to impose their bigoted view by shielding their children from that which they don’t understand. For failing to realize that things they don’t understand can still be true, Nigel and Sally Rowe get a TWIT Award. Yahoo has this story.

An opinion piece in The Spectator complains about a pamphlet entitled, “How To Spot TERF Ideology,” put out by the Cambridge Student Union. The pamphlet does have a point of view, but rather than attacking the pamphlet’s opinion, it complains that the pamphlet is using words such as “TERF” and “conservative” as labels to condemn others, much as the label “witch” was used to condemn others in the past. Mind you, The Spectator uses labels such as “liberal” to condemn those whom they disagree with, without ever giving a good reason why liberal beliefs are wrong. For complaining that others do what they do, The Spectator gets a TWIT Award.

Russia has a drag show on television, titled Royal Cobras. However, to comply with Russia’s law against LGBTQ “propaganda,” the show begins with a disclaimer which says that it is “not aimed at forming nontraditional sexual attitudes.” The star of the show is a straight woman, and the judges are all heterosexual and cisgender. Even so, Russian conservatives are concerned about the show promoting LGBTQ acceptance, despite the fact that there are no openly LGBTQ people on the show. For so stripping the show of anything to do with LGBTQ people, the producers of Royal Cobras get a TWIT Award. They share that TWIT Award with the Russian lawmakers whose work made the producers remove any LGBTQ references from the show. This story comes from them.

Josh Mandel is a candidate for U.S. Senate from Ohio. He was hauled out of a meeting of the Lakota Local School District, a district in which he does not live and where he does not have a child attending school. In fairness, one of the board members did ask him to come and address the board, so he was in the middle of a fight between board members. However, as he kept talking despite being asked to stop, he went into a rant on transgender children. “Children should not be forced to learn about whether they pick a gender or not pick a gender. Boys are boys. Girls are girls.” For imposing his prejudices on others, and for refusing to leave when officers tried to remove him as “a disorderly person” whose “conduct interferes with the orderly progress of the meeting,” Josh Mandel gets a TWIT Award. The Advocate has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to the story.

In the midst of all the debates about transgender athletes and other anti-transgender laws, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services removed contact information for The Trevor Project from its web pages. This came in response to an attack from Don Huffines, who is running against Governor Greg Abbott in the Republican primary. For showing distinctly that Texas Republicans are not really “Pro-Life,” but merely anti-abortion, and for putting Texas once again on the wrong side of civil rights, Don Huffines gets a TWIT Award, which he shares with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. This story comes from The Advocate.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos gets a TWIT Award for his defense of Dave Chappelle. Admittedly, the streaming service was in a tight spot; it had agreed to air six specials from Dave Chappelle, and technically, they had little if any right to censor his material. (They also probably felt lucky to get the specials; Comedy Central still has not been delivered the third season of Chappelle’s Show.) However, instead of acknowledging that the show is Dave Chappelle’s content, and telling people to direct their complaints to the comic, Sarandos has defended the show with the statement that on-screen content “doesn’t translate to real-world harm.” Apparently, he didn’t pay much attention to the show, as Mr. Chappelle talks at some length about his relationship with Daphne Dorman, a transgender woman and stand-up comedian who committed suicide after being criticized for her friendship with Mr. Chappelle. Mr. Chappelle tries to distance himself from her death, but his anti-transgender material was the reason why she received so much backlash as his friend. In addition to her, there are many other suicides by transgender people, and anti-transgender material which pretends to be jokes is indeed tied to suicide, and often to violence against transgender people. For lying about the connections between this material and real-world consequences, Ted Sarandos gets a TWIT Award. Vox and them both have stories about this.

TWIT Award is assembled by Cecilia Barzyk with additional content and editing by Angela Gardner. Care to make a comment on this post? Login here and use the comment area below.

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Every week Cecilia Barzyk diligently scans the internet to assemble as much trans-related information from the weekly news as possible.

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