The Week In Trans 12/24/18
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Trans man singer/songwriter Ryan Cassata has a Christmas present for everyone. Here is his new Christmas song, It’s Christmas Time. Thanks to Pamela DeGroff for letting us know about the video.
Judge Reed O’Connor, the federal judge for the Northern District of Texas, is getting ready to weigh in on whether Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act does require insurers to cover medicines or procedures related to transgender people or the termination of a pregnancy. Judge O’Connor has previously issued a stay on that interpretation of Section 1557, which gives an indication of his leanings. He also recently declared the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act to be illegal. NBC News has this story. Health Affairs reports that several recent court decision have held that transgender people are protected, not because of the Section 1557, but for other reasons.
Judge B. Lynn Winmill of the U.S. District Court for Idaho has ruled that an inmate, Andree Edmo, is to be given gender confirmation surgery. Amy Whelan, an attorney with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, says that the ruling was necessary because, “[t]here is no state that I’m aware of that has ever provided the surgery without being ordered by a court to do so.” You can read the Associated Press story in The Spokane Spokesman-Review.
In his last days in office, Governor John Kasich of Ohio has signed an executive order which adds “gender identity” to nondiscrimination laws that cover state employees. Governor-elect Mike DeWine will have the option of reversing that executive order, should he so choose. LGBTQ Nation has this report.
Gerri Cannon and Lisa Bunker are slated to make history next month when they are seated as the first two openly transgender women to serve in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Get the story from Fosters.com.
A study in North Dakota found that when looking at apartments, couples which included a transgender person were shown fewer units or inferior units, when compared to cisgender couples. Local politicians had said that there was no need for a law to protect transgender people from discrimination, but this study disagrees. The AP report can be found at U.S. News and World Report.
In a couple of follow-ups, the American Academy of Family Physicians reviewed the recent survey of family physicians and internists regarding their willingness to treat transgender patients. Zack Ford of Think Progress reports on Bethany Grace Howe’s work that shows the impact of micro aggressions on transgender people.
Professor emerita and transgender advocate Lynn Conway gave the commencement address to the graduating class of the University of Michigan on December 16. Thanks to Kristina Mayhem for pointing us to the article in The University Record.
The Nation ran a general review of a number of legal cases involving transgender people and our rights that have been appearing in the news lately.
The BBC also ran a review of the competing views of transgender women in women’s sports. It’s a complicated subject, which Martina Navratilova did not completely understand earlier this week.
Although Angela Ponce made history as the first openly-transgender contestant at the Miss Universe pageant, Catriona Grey of The Philippines took home the crown. You can find the AP story here.
You’ve probably heard about the GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the border wall between the United States and Mexico, and about the other campaign to raise money for ladders to get over the border wall. The person behind the campaign to raise money for ladders is Charlotte Clymer, a transgender woman from Texas. Her story appeared in The Daily Mail.
Some brands have been going with gender-neutral clothing and toys for children. The BBC took a look at this trend.
Thomas Page McBee writes in Out Magazine explaining why you really should not do an Internet search for a transgender person’s before pictures.
An op-ed in The New York Times was titled Like Tomboys and Hate Girlie Girls? That’s Sexist. The writer’s thesis was that masculinity is valued more in both boys and girls while feminine expression is looked down upon. Girls who love frilly dresses and makeup are looked at as objects to please males and boys who do the same are denigrated as sissies. The author has a tomboy daughter and another daughter who is going the girlie route. She has come to feel that all kids should be allowed to express whatever gender associated attire and behavior they like.
The Human Rights Campaign wrote a plug for Brynn Tannehill’s book Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Trans (But Were Afraid To Ask). They say that the biggest lesson was that transgender people do not choose to be transgender and do not choose their gender.
A transgender man asked Dear Abby about how to tell his parents that he is transgender. She advises against a dramatic announcement, but instead recommends a simple statement.
Last week, we told you about a new book from a pastor, Jonathan Williams, writing about his father’s gender transition. Colorado Public Radio found that parent, Paula Williams, and got the story from her perspective.
Gia Gunn of RuPaul’s Drag Race tells her story of transgender advocacy to Now This news.
Four transgender women in India were turned away by guards at the Sabarimala temple, but came back the next morning under police escort. The temple traditionally turns away women between the ages of 10 and 50, as women of childbearing age would disturb Lord Ayyappan, who is celibate. The Telegraph of India has this story, as well as an earlier story about why “third gender” people are attracted to Lord Ayyappan.
For the last three years, Colombia has had a law which treats “femicide”– killing a woman because she is a woman or because of how she expresses her femininity — as a special class of crime. Recently, that law was used for the first time to prosecute a man who murdered a transgender woman. This story comes from NBC News.
Pink News reports that the U.K. government has met on multiple occasions with representatives from some very anti-transgender groups, while consulting on changes to transgender legislation. So far, it seems that the groups are getting to present their views without actually influencing the legislation.
In Britain, sex-education classes will cover transgender people. As The Telegraph said in their headline, school children will be taught that, “Boys can have periods, too.” That’s transgender boys but the slant of the story is how people are upset that the classes teach that “boys” period, can have periods.
Representatives of six magazines aimed at lesbian and bisexual women signed a joint statement in support of transgender people. They feel that they need to take a stand against the actions of some lesbians, who have spoken out against trans rights. You can read more at Gay Star News.
Teen Vogue has an article profiling seven transgender teen performers, including Nicole Maines.
Rain Valdez put together a group of top-name transgender women to appear in a calendar. The women posed nude, though the calendar is more R-rated. (As in a James Bond movie, the nudity is somewhat suggestive.) You can read more in Gay Star News, or go straight to buying the calendar at Now More Than Ever.
LGBTQ Nation reports that there is an all-transgender boy band named Ladyboy, who are hoping to use crowdfunding to create a web series about themselves. (Not to be confused with the Thai band of the same name made up of trans women.)
In suburban Detroit, some people objected to Drag Queen Story Time at the local library. When the City Council brought up the topic at a meeting, plenty of locals spoke out in support of the program, while only five (some of whom were from out of state) spoke out against it. WDIV-TV has this story.
Natalia Melèndez is a member of Mariacchi Arcoiris de Los Àngeles. She is said to be the first transgender mariachi woman in the world. Marketwatch has a profile of her.
Many school boards are dealing with how to treat transgender students. Some have had problems adapting to the needs of trans and non-binary students but in the Washington, D.C. area several school districts have learned their lesson and are preparing to do better. Thanks to Jamie Roberts for pointing out the story on wamu.org.
Kim Petras has been announced as a performer at the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney, Australia, according to Gay Star News.
Last year, Melissa Ede was driving a cab, making £650 a month as a cabdriver. Then, a lottery scratch card made her a winner. She now gets ten times that much as an allowance on her £4,000,000 winnings. You can read about her windfall in The Daily Mirror.
Is the world ready for a trans woman to portray James Bond? We’re guessing she’d be Jami Bond, or something like that. There is chatter in the U.K. where they have several high ranking trans women serving in their military that a trans woman 007 would be a great idea. There’s a female Doctor Who so why not? See what they’re saying about the idea in The Telegraph.
TWITs
Lee Livengood, Assistant Principal at Liberty High School in Clarksburg, West Virginia, followed transgender student Michael Critchfield into a restroom and told him to use a urinal to prove he is a “real boy.” For harassment and for turning high school into a bad production of Pinocchio, Lee Livengood gets a TWIT Award. The West Virginia Gazette-Mail has this story. The New York Post reports that Assistant Principal Livengood also received a four-day suspension.
The United States Council of Catholic Bishops created an open letter called “Created Male and Female.” The letter claims that sex and gender “cannot be separated,” calling such separation a “false idea” that “goes against reason.” But, science has shown more and more subtle ways in which the male/female binary does not describe everyone. For arguing that science goes against reason, the bishops who signed onto this open letter get a TWIT. Think Progress has this story.
A transgender woman in Britain went to a PureGym franchise to run on the treadmill, as she has done every other day for some time. An employee told her that men were not allowed in the women’s changing area. She replied that she was not a man but a transgender woman. Later, a manager asked her if she had had genital surgery. This is not supposed to happen, according to the Equities Act 2010. For discrimination which violates rights, the manager and employee of this PureGym get a TWIT Award. Buzzfeed has this story.
The Christian Post ran an article which noted the increased risk of suicide among LGBT teens. However, their first “expert” is Dr. Michelle Cretella, who is the former president of the American College of Pediatricians, a hate group which masquerades as a professional organization. Even when they find someone with more credence, the quote used seems to be very carefully selected. For general bias, the Christian Post gets a TWIT.
TWIT 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.
Category: Transgender Community News