Violence against trans women isn’t just something that happens somewhere else. It can happen anywhere. Claire Hall learned that recently when a newly transitioning woman used the restroom facility at a park in Oregon and was attacked by another woman’s husband. The assailant beat her severely just because she was in the lady’s restroom with his wife. But out of this horrible hate crime came a wave of love that may be helpful in stopping this kind of violence.
Last week the ABC show What Would You Do? featured a segment with a transgender woman being harassed by another patron of a restaurant after the trans woman asked where the ladies’ room was located. The female patron doing the harassment had a young girl with her and used all the tired arguments about safety […]
Last month Pauline Estelle wrote about an important room in her life. The bathroom in her home where she does her transformations. This month she writes about another room that’s important to all trans ladies — a public restroom. It seems very logical that using a lady’s room shouldn’t be a problem for anyone involved. Unlike the men’s facility there are no urinals where you stand uncomfortably surrounded by other men with their zippers down. You have a discreet stall, with walls down to the floor in some upscale establishments. Why should there be any problem? Pauline takes a look at that and does a small experiment that shows how unenforceable the various restroom laws are.
Here’s your heaping helping of trans news that we call The Week In Trans! Today we learn that there is a photo exhibit called Beautiful Boy featuring a new way to be male. Many decisions in court cases are being issued, upheld, and struck down. A drag performer has 12 rules to follow for a successful drag career. The military is supposed to have a plan for inclusion of trans soldiers. They are not double timing it to get that done. Grayson Perry, transvestite artist, wants to dance. Sense8 has been cancelled. Mariette Pathy Allen’s trans photos are featured. Vinny Ohh wants to not have any genitals. Oh! There’s all that and a lot more, plus a few TWIT Awards waiting for you in TWIT!
A speaker at The World OUTGames IV in Miami is the 1st trans politician elected to office in Venezuela. The number of gender confirmation surgeries in the USA went up last year. Don’t mess with Texas but they’re still messing with a bathroom bill. The NBA is goes back to North Carolina. A Muslim drag performer comes out as trans. Betsy DeVos thinks states can decide how LGBT students get treated. A child does not need mom’s permission to transition. Katy Perry brought drag to SNL. The lawsuit against Cabella’s by a former trans employee can move forward. Jill Soloway is out as trans non-binary. Brazilian cartoonist Laerte Coutinho is out as trans. University students think Walk on the Wild Side is transphobic. Mexican trans women are worshipping Santa Muerte. All that plus a lot more is waiting for you in TWIT!
June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month and there will be several events around the country that focus on trans people. Our political correspondent Babs Casbar Siperstein has good advice when she says it’s time to stand up and show up. Most of the legislators who are busy passing restroom bills have never met a trans person. That makes June the perfect time to get out there, be seen, and if possible meet the legislators. Babs has some info on some events at the national and state level.
Cate O’Malley is a trans lady who is active in her community and who goes out and about quite a bit so you just know that she’s going to have to make a stop in the ladies’ room now and then. While Cate is a law abiding citizen who observes the speed limit, doesn’t shop lift, or deal drugs, she is classified as a lawbreaker in her home state. Why? It’s the ridiculous law that says people can only use the restroom that matches the sex on their birth certificate. Cate has a lot to say about those laws and the conservative men who write those laws.
What’s the best amalgamation of trans related news in the biz? It’s The Week In Trans! What do we learn today? A contestant on Survivor outed a trans contestant, hoping to win. He got kicked off the island for it. Lots of trans restroom lawsuits are being dismissed or dropped. Drag Queen Story Hour is catching on with the kiddies. A trans ballerina has passed her exam. Is there a “trans look” that would help the anti-trans potty police? Tasmania has rescinded its crossdressing law. A high school play with a trans theme wins a competition in Texas. Actress Rain Valdez will play a trans actress on the Lopez series. There’s all that and much more, plus a large number of TWIT Awards waiting for you in this week’s TWIT!
Today we learn about a trans contestant on Britain’s Top Model. Time Magazine has a cover story on fluid gender identities. Lawyers are trying to delay Gavin Grimm’s case so he graduates school and looses standing to sue. A Philadelphia trans woman entertainer appears on Say Yes to the Dress. The Steak and Catfish Barn may just be discriminating against trans people. A trans man runs for NYC Council. A Japanese trans man is the first to win elected office in his country. San Francisco won’t pay for employees to go to South Dakota. A trans woman runner is sentenced for attacking a racing official. Casa Ruby, the community center for LGBT people in Washington, D.C. was vandalized. Is Garfield the Cat a girl? There’s all that and a ton more, plus a few TWIT Awards waiting for you in TWIT!
It’s time for The Week In Trans! Today we learn that after only two episode CBS has canceled it courtroom drama Doubt. Gavin Grimm was misgendered by the complainants in his upcoming Supreme Court case. We examine a raft of stories about the Trump administration’s changes to trans student’s restroom rights. Caitlyn Jenner is upset with Donald Trump. So is Jackie Evancho. Trans helplines are seeing a marked increase in calls. A 17-year-old trans male has won a wrestling title in the girls’ division. There’s all that plus a lot more and several TWIT Awards waiting for you in TWIT!
All aboard the trans news train! The Week In Trans Express is leaving the station with all you need to know about the trans community around the world. Today we learn that the cover boy for CoverGirl makeup is in hot water on Twitter for a bad joke. The Texas legislature is determined to lose the state money by passing a restroom bill. University students are entering their preferred names into the school records. A survey says trans kids who transition early have better mental health. Over 800 parents of trans kids have written a letter to the president urging the government to stand by their children. Caitlyn Jenner explains her mission inside the Republican Party. A trans model is featured on the cover of Vogue Paris. Someone wants to kill Conchita Wurst. There’s all that plus a lot more and several TWIT Awards in this edition of TWIT!
Are you ready? It’s all the trans related news you’d ever want! We call it The Week In Trans! Today we learn that there’s a documentary film about Gigi Gorgeous. Comedian/actor Colin Mochrie has a trans daughter. The state of Wyoming will not be voting on legislation designed to make discrimination legal. David de Alba is profiled in a Las Vegas newspaper. More news from the Restroom Wars. A Marylyn Monroe commemorative stamp used a photo of a drag performer as Monroe. Sweden drops “gender dysphoria” as a diagnosis for trans people. The University of Arkansas drops trans-related healthcare for employees. An 11-year-old actress is eligible for awards in both male and female categories. There’s all that and more in this edition of TWIT!
During the past eight years trans rights have been boosted by the Obama Administration. Rules were put in place to help trans people to get the equal treatment they are entitled to and President Obama was hailed as the “transgender rights president.” Trans allowed to serve openly in the military. Trans people actually visible in the administration. All those gains can be wiped away in just a few weeks when the new administration takes over. Babs Casbar Siperstein discusses what we may lose and she reports on the results of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey.
What do we learn in today’s edition of TWIT? It looks like a gender fluid actor will be nominated for both genders in the “best supporting” category of the Academy Awards. Medicaid in New York will cover gender-transition for youth. Australia tries to update trans specific laws. They’ve also replaced Santa with drag queens. Malta accepts trans identities. Samoa celebrates its trans people. Miss Waria Indonesia 2016 has been chosen. Washington state Republicans seek to repeal anti-discrimination protections. Texas learns nothing from North Carolina and moves ahead on a bathroom bill. Walmart’s health insurance now covers trans related medical care. There’s all that and much more, along with a load of TWIT Awards, waiting for you in TWIT!
The word “freedom” is tossed about a lot these days. Some would argue that there’s no such thing as pure freedom. There is always something that restrains people from doing whatever they want to do whenever they want to do it. But in general freedom is used in our society to mean you can do what you want if you can afford it and you’re not breaking any laws. The right wing uses “freedom” a lot but they seem to think people exercising their freedom to be themselves somehow takes their freedom away. Here is a column about freedom from our contributor Diane Hutchinson’s husband.
It’s all the trans news from around the world in our news feature, The Week In Trans! RuPaul wins an Emmy. The NBA and the NCAA abandon North Carolina over HB2. California has a program to hire trans restaurant staff. A trans immigrant is suing Mike Pence to change his name. A Dominican woman was arrested and housed with male prisoners after she was misgendered. A trans woman soldier is on the front-lines. A German drag queen sues a right wing group for hate speech. Trans actor Jen Richards has been cast in “Nashville.” Chaz Bono is scary on “AHS.” Chelsea Manning ends her hunger strike with the promise of GRS. All that plus more stories from around the world and a boatload of TWIT Awards are waiting for you in TWIT!
The conservative on the right wing of our nation’s politics don’t handle difference and change very well. They look at trans people as aberrations and deny that there is such a thing as a trans identity. Certain political groups know that these people are among their constituents and they work to reinforce their constituent’s feelings that trans people, along with the rest of the LGBT people, are a threat to conservatives. They use bad science to back up their assertions that trans people are a danger. Two of the right wing anti-trans “experts” published a report last week that claims there is no scientific basis for transgender identities. We refute that today in this editorial and in an essay by Dr. Dana Bevan.
Despite the fact that the United States of America was founded with the idea that religious freedom was important, so important that keeping church and state separate was written into the first amendment to the Constitution, many today find that their religious beliefs should void the rights of those they feel violate the tenets of their religion. What freedom of religion means is, you can practice or chose not to practice any religion but the government will not be influenced by any religion. But too many now feel that their religion is more important than the governments laws. Today Emily looks at religion and rights.
Diane Hutchinson comments on the people who use their religion to condemn trans people. They are willing to march through a Target shouting screed about Target’s wickedness and the evil embodied in trans people. Where does this zealotry come from? Where in the Bible does it say trans people are evil? Diane takes a look at the evidence in her column today.
A new cartoonist joins us today. In her TGF debut Sabrina Bria Symington tackles two topics that have been big news in the USA. One for quite some time and the other one that just seemed to pop up within the past few months. Sabrina is a Canadian and she is able to peer over the USA’s northern border to comment on things those south of the border may be too close to see objectively. Give her debut 3-panel toon a look and see what you think.
The Week In Transgenderism is here with all the news about trans issues and people from all around the world. Today we learn that the drag performer who has protested Judge Roy Moore will run against him if he joins the governor’s race. New York City will fine landlords if they don’t use their tenants preferred pronouns. A trans woman is going to be the next president of New Zealand’s Rotary. A professors teaches us proper gender tagging. Canada moves toward protections for all trans people. An Indian fashion designer has hired hijra to model. A fetish queen goes shopping in China and lights up the Web. There’s a lot of Restroom Wars coverage, several TWIT Awards and a lot more waiting for you in TWIT!
Cate O’Malley has gotten her dander up. What has her riled? She lives in Florida in an area where there are human rights ordinances that protect her from discrimination. But she works just across the county line in an area that offers no such protections to LGBT people. What has her angry and proposing civil disobedience is the lack of protections for every citizen, everywhere.
The Democratic National Convention is set for this July in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Republicans will be holding their convention in Cleveland. Both parties will put forth a platform with goals they hope to achieve if their candidate wins the presidency. While the Republican platform will contain language that is anti-LGBT, that would ban transgender people from public restrooms, the Democratic platform will embrace LGBT people. For an analysis of where the Democratic Party stands on transgender issues read this post.
The current hype over restroom and locker room rights for trans people is just that, hype, intended to arouse Republican conservative voters so they will come out in large numbers in the fall and re-elect their legislators, replace some Democrats, and install a Republican president. When we look at the kerfuffle from our side, the […]
Sophie Lynne has been feeling the burden of living authentically. It’s hard for many to be who they are when there are elements of our society that use trans people as a political hockey puck without caring what happens to that puck as long as giving people something to hit with a stick serves their political agenda. Being hit by conservatives was wearing Sophie down but the support for trans people announced by the Obama administration, and an incident at her pharmacy, served to revive her and get her back in the good fight.
