The Week In Trans 1/18/21

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Sarah McBride

Sarah McBride was sworn in as a Delaware state Senator. She said, “We are a community and a country that has continuously opened our hearts and changed our minds and increasingly judged people on their skills and talents not on their identities.” WPVI-TV has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

Joe Biden will be inaugurated as President of the United States this week. Some users on social media are remembering a time in August, 2019, when the former vice-president was asked to say that there were only two genders. His response began with, “Don’t play games with me, kid.” He said there are “at least three” genders. You can find this story on LGBTQ Nation. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

President-elect Biden admitted this week that some of the items on his agenda will not be accomplished in his first 100 days as president, despite his hope for that. One such item is the Equality Act, which would ad sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes in anti-discrimination law. It is feared that the act may not have enough votes to pass in the Senate. Out.com has this story.

Kamala Harris’s stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, is studying apparel and textiles at Parsons School of Design. Her Instagram account is full of clothes and clothing designs, and in November, she had a raffle for knit pants, with the proceeds going to For The Gworls rent and gender affirming surgery fund. This caught the attention of Out.com.

The community of Hillsborough became the first town in North Carolina to enact a LGBTQ-inclusive anti-discrimination act since the provision in HB-2 expired. The Advocate has this story.

Davarea Alexander

Davarea Alexander, who also used the first name Tyianna, has died of gunshot wounds in Chicago. She is the second casualty of a drive-by shooter, according to police. She is also the second transgender person to be killed in Chicago since Christmas. This story comes from The Chicago Sun-Times.

Samuel Edmund Damian Valentin was a transgender man. His body was discovered shot to death in Puerto Rico on January 9. The Washington Blade points out that Puerto Rico has seen several transgender people murdered.

Natasha Keianna went missing shortly after Christmas. Her body was found by Detroit police inside her vehicle. Although police say that the cause of her death is still under investigation, her mother thinks she was killed. She was 37. The Detroit Free Press has this story.

These deaths show that transgender people continue to be victims of violence, according to PinkNews.

State legislatures are about to start a new session. Two anti-transgender bills are before the Montana state legislature. One would restrict transgender females from participating in women’s sports. The other would forbid doctors from prescribing medicine for treatment of gender dysphoria to minors, even if the parents consent. Metro Weekly has this report. There is opposition to these bills, including one member of the Missoula city council who spoke to KPAX-TV and a member of the state legislature who wrote a letter to the editor of The Billings Gazette. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

Last week, we reported that a bill to ban medical treatments for gender dysphoria in minors was being introduced in Alabama. Mississippi will see a similar bill introduced. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

A bill to ban transgender athletes from participating in school sports is being introduced in North Dakota as well. Some legislators there fear that passing the bill could jeopardize future NCAA events, according to Mike McFeely’s blog in Forum.

Transgender students who wish to participate in athletics are looking to the incoming Biden administration to help them, most likely through a letter of guidance to schools and school districts. The AP points out that, in addition to the letter outlining the administration’s position, there would likely be an end to the threat of school districts losing federal funding if they allow transgender athletes to compete.

Destiny Clark, one of those involved in the case.

U.S. District Judge Myrom Thompson has ruled that the state of Alabama cannot require proof of gender affirmation surgery before they change the gender listed on a driver’s license. AL.com has the AP’s story.

A federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration’s plan to refuse LGBTQ asylum-seekers without hearings. This story comes from LGBTQ Nation.

Although Betsy DeVos has resigned as Secretary of Education, her policy of reading “sex” in anti-discrimination legislation as referring to biological sex lives on. LGBTQ Nation has this story.Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

A fake photo of a transgender woman who supposedly was part of the events at the Capitol on January 6 has been circulating online. This story comes from LGBTQ Nation. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

Flint Paul, a transgender man who became a police officer in San Francisco, has settled with the city over a charge of discrimination. He receives a cash settlement, and the city has agreed to more training on treatment of transgender people. Sgt. Paul remains on the police force. The San Francisco Chronicle has this story.

A bill in California would allow transgender and non-binary students to choose the name to be listed on their college diplomas. SF Gate has the Bay City News story on this.

The Transadvocate reports that, while not all opponents of transgender people are fascists, fascists and other far-right groups are using opposition to transgender people as a recruiting tool.

Pam Habner, the Head of Branded Cards for CityBank, wrote an editorial for CNBC urging other companies to also notice the troubles that transgender people can have with names.

While the pandemic has created problems for many transgender people, some transgender people have reached the point where they feel it is time to take action regarding their gender dysphoria. WNPR has this story.

JayCee Cooper

JayCee Cooper is suing USA Powerlifting because their new regulations prevent her from competing in her gender identity. She can still compete in the new non-gendered category. This story can be found in NBC News.

The three transgender actresses who star in Veneno spoke to The Advocate about the challenges of making an eight-part television series about a transgender woman whom many Spanish-speaking people saw on television.

Gloria Allen is a Black transgender elder (she is now 75), and is the subject of the documentary, Mama Gloria. It will appear on PBS in April, according to NBC News.

Another new documentary is entitled Trans In Trumpland. It looks at how the political climate of the last four years has affected transgender people in the U.S. From transgender filmmaker Tony Zosherafatain, it will be on streaming services starting February 25. The Huffington Post has this story.

Jennifer Lopez’s non-binary sibling has a new short film documentary, Draw With Me. The doc talks about being transgender and about art and self-expression. And yes, Aunt Jennifer shows up. PinkNews has this story.

Hunter Schafer

Hunter Schafer, a star of Euphoria, was one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit over North Carolina’s anti-transgender bathroom bill. She is profiled in PinkNews.

GLAAD released a new report, which shows fewer LGBTQ characters on television. Moreover, only four people helm the various series with the LGBTQ characters. The Advocate has this story.

One of those four content creators is Ryan Murphy, who is about to film American Horror Story 10. Angelica Ross is listed in the cast, according to LGBTQ Nation.

Noelle Stevenson tells Out.com that top surgery changed their life.

It’s been a year since Kevin Feige was asked about bringing more LGBT characters, “specifically the T,” into the Marvel universe. He said it would happen soon, but still, there are no known plans for a transgender character, according to Yahoo UK.

Rose Schmits is a transgender woman who does pottery. When British television decided to try The Great Pottery Throw Down, Dutch potter Schmits became one of the contestants. PinkNews has a profile.

Torrey Peters

Torrey Peters is a transgender writer of fiction. She has two self-published novellas to her credit, and now has written a full-length novel, Detransition, Baby. However, her new novel is not self-published; it comes from Penguin Random House. You can read about it in PinkNews.

There was an incident in the Werk Room of RuPaul’s Drag Race, according to Out.com.

Drag Race U.K. is also just starting its new season, and Out.com will tell you what is coming up.

If you are in the U.S. and want to watch Drag Race U.K., when will it become available to you? PinkNews has the answer.

Drag Race U.K. has already had one controversial elimination. It involved a David Bowie bit. For more information, see PinkNews.

Jinkx Monsoon

Out.com reports that Jinkx Monsoon got married recently.

A judge of the High Court in Britain has thrown out a case which tried to argue that, since they are a member of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions, the Crown Prosecution Service has a bias on LGBTQ issues. You can, and should, read the whole story at PinkNews.

A transgender girl was assaulted in British Columbia, Canada. Two other students were arrested in connection with the assault. Coast Mountain News has this story. The Aldergrove Star reports that residents held a Pink Vehicle Parade to support the student.

LGBT Youthline is a service where LGBTQ and two-spirit youth can talk, online or on a phone, about problems that they are having. It sounds innocent enough, but it has now been banned by the Toronto Catholic District School Board, meaning that students cannot access it at school. this comes after a former politician described it as “smut” and “pornographic” in an article in his newspaper. This story comes form The Advocate.

A judge at Queensland Supreme Court has ruled that a 13-year-old can get puberty blockers with her mother’s approval, despite objections from her father. The Daily Mail Australia has this story.

McIver’s Ladies Baths in Coogee, Australia, has finally changed its policy that only post-operative transgender women could use the facility. This happened after some heavy-duty backlash to the old policy. This story comes from Yahoo News Australia.

In Poland, three women are charged with offending religious feelings. They made posters which show the nation’s most famous religious painting with halos in the colors of the rainbow flag. The painting shows the Madonna and Child, and often only the faces are shown, with the rest covered in a jeweled overlay. Politico.eu has this story.

Rainbow Liberty

In Hungary, a new sculpture shows the statue of liberty kneeling, with her right hand in the air. The sculpture is painted in the colors of the rainbow flag, though somewhat muted. It has yet to go on display, but it is causing a controversy anyway, as Out magazine reports.

Several nations are looking into updating their laws about changing legal gender, removing requirements for sterilization or adding a third gender category. In Israel, the first step is to remove the classification as a “mental disorder”. they are also doing away with the Gender Reassignment Board. PinkNews has this story.

In India, a student who was diagnosed with gender dysphoria had the Ministry of Education stop her HRT treatment. This story appears in The Online Citizen.

Also in India, the Central Board of Secondary Education is asking for guidance from a court regarding the issuance of a certificate to a transgender graduate in the graduate’s preferred name. Edex Live has this story.

Religious authorities in Malaysia continue to mistreat transgender people. This was especially seen in the treatment of a transgender woman who is well known locally due to her presence on social media. This story comes from the Union of Catholic Asian News.

Grace Stevenson

Former Home and Away star Brit actor Mat Stevenson’s transgender daughter, Grace, has shared her incredible glow-up on TikTok. A Glow Up is a mental, physical, and an emotional transformation for the better. Grace’s starts with photos when she was young and goes right up to after her high school graduation. The Daily Mail has the coverage.

A recent story on NPR discusses the impact that transgender visibility can have on social change.

TWITs

Mary Bourke, an Irish stand-up comedian, has entitled her latest show “Don’t You Dare Call Me A TERF.” In it, she has a routine about gender-inclusive language. As you might guess, she is mocking the very idea. For being inconsiderate of others, and for not being funny, Mary Bourke gets a TWIT Award. PinkNews has this story.

Both of the anti-trans bills mentioned above making their way through the Montana legislature were introduced by Rep. John Fuller, R-Whitefish. For proposing legislation that deeply affects trans people and not paying attention to what the medical community says about it we give Rep. Fuller a TWIT Award.

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.

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Category: Transgender Community News