The Week In Trans 1/25/21

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The interfaith prayer service for Joe Biden’s inauguration included five LGBT+ individuals. Among them was Barbara Satin, a transgender woman who said a prayer for the armed forces. Yahoo News has this story.

On his first day as President, Joe Biden signed a number of executive orders. One of them is titled, “Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation.” Section 1 begins, “Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love. Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.” You can read the entire executive order at Whitehouse.gov.

Changing America at The Hill and NBC News take at look at President Biden’s executive order to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. They also look at the political environment in which it arrives. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

Although President Biden’s executive order allows transgender students to participate in school sports, the Montana House of Representatives has advanced a bill that, if it passes, will forbid transgender females from participating on sports teams for girls or women. KTVH-TV has more about the committee vote. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

According to The Idaho Falls Post Register, the Judiciary Committee of the Montana House of Representatives called as a witness not the lawyers who are attempting to defend Idaho’s “Fairness In Sports” law, nor the lawyers who are on the other side of that lawsuit, but rather the Idaho legislator who was the primary sponsor of that state’s bill.

A bill to prevent transgender students from participating in girls sports has been introduced in the Oklahoma state Senate. KOKI-TV has this story.

As North Dakota prepares for debate on a bill regarding transgender athletes in school sports, Inforum has short letters both against and for a ban on transgender females in women’s sports.

Inside Hook has a look at transgender athletes who participate in men’s sports. Sometimes, they win.

In addition to the bill forbidding transgender females from participating in girls athletics, Montana is also looking at a bill to prevent minors from receiving health care for gender dysphoria. The Montana Free Press has this story.

LGBTQ Nation has a profile of Elisa Crespo, who is attempting to become the first transgender person on the city council in New York City. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

The Judiciary Committee of the Montana House of Representatives also advanced the bill on youth access to transgender health care, according to The Great Falls Tribune.

Texas is also expecting to see a bill which would prevent doctors from medically treating gender dysphoria in patients under the age of 18. LGBTQ Nation has this report.

While it did not happen in his first day as president, President Biden is expected to reverse the ban on transgender people in the military. NBC News has this story.

Lloyd Austin, the new Secretary of Defense, said in his Senate confirmation hearing that he supported lifting the ban on transgender people serving in the military. This report comes from PinkNews. He was confirmed by the Senate on Friday, in an overwhelming vote. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

The Gazette asked transgender veterans what lifting the ban would mean.

Another change is that the Biden administration will allow U.S. embassies to fly the rainbow flag. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

A commentary piece in LGBTQ Nation says that Joe Biden, often promoted as a “moderate” or “centrist” candidate, is more progressive than people thought.

President Biden’s executive order on gender identity applies to students using the restroom at schools. Bloomberg Government points out that this correlates to the Supreme Court’s decision in the Bostock case this summer.

The Associated Press has a rundown of the various bills that have been or will be introduced in state legislatures this year which, if passed and implemented, would affect transgender people, especially transgender youth.

Reverend Doctor Paula Stone Williams, a transgender pastor from Colorado, was at the Inaugural Prayer Service. She is profiled by KDVR-TV.

Chase Strangio of the ACLU has an editorial at NBC News Think about how transgender children have become a battlefield in a culture war.

President Biden also plans to enforce the Affordable Care Act. This week, a second federal court granted some amount of relief for hospitals that refuse to sterilize otherwise healthy individuals, on the basis of a religious objection. The National Catholic Register has this story, though some of their reporting may be stretching the scope of the ruling.

Efforts are underway in the New York state legislature to revise the anti-loitering law which was passed to allow police to clamp down on prostitution, but which has been used against transgender people. It is said that the law forbids “walking while trans,” as PinkNews reports. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

Maryland has a bill which, if passed, would make it easier for transgender people to change their names. If the bill becomes law, transgender people would not need to run a newspaper ad to inform the public of the pending name change. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

A judge in Wisconsin has ruled that a transgender teen must use her male name on a registry of sex offenders. She seemed to still identify as male when the incident happened. The Wisconsin State Journal has the AP’s story.

With the change in president has come a change in the White House website. People leaving comments are now asked to leave their pronouns. When leaving their name, they get to choose an honorific title, and the list now includes “Mx.” LGBTQ Nation has this story.

Dr. Rachel Levine has been nominated as the Assistant Secretary of Health. She is the first transgender person to have a Senate confirmation hearing. Given that she served as Health Secretary for Pennsylvania, she has excellent credentials for the job. The AP’s story can be found at Time magazine.

Jeffrey Pyle, a member of the Pennsylvania legislature, shared a meme on Twitter which said, “American citizens express optimism and renewed hope as Benjamin Franklin joins Joe Biden’s cabinet.” Below that was a picture of Dr. Rachel Levine. A fellow member of the legislature scolded him for this. PinkNews has this story.

A new study, which is outlined at University of Michigan Health Lab looks at the difficulties that transgender youth have when dating.

Sister Lisa Derouen reminds us that transgender people are part of the Body of Christ. As such, they deserve respect, just like other people. This article can be found in Global Sisters Report.

Nomi Ruiz, a transgender actress from Puerto Rico, plays a transgender Puerto Rican named Nomi in the new film Haymaker. The movie comes out on January 29, according to The Advocate.

Nats Getty, who is married to Gigi Gorgeous, came out as non-binary this week. Nats also identifies as transgender, and talked about getting top surgery. People magazine has this story.

Eddie Izzard explained her use of female pronouns, saying, “It sounds a little complicated but I’m just telling people the truth of how my head works.” You can read about it in PinkNews.

The documentary Transhood is finally available in Britain, on Sky Documentaries. PinkNews has a review of the film.

Trace Lysette released a new rap song. Titled SMB, it will be featured in the upcoming film, Venus As A Boy. She told Out.com, “It’s definitely a nod to my trans sisters.”

Stonewall survivor Miss Major Griffin-Gracy and her partner Beck are the parents of a baby, Asiah Wittenstein Major. The child was born January 9, PinkNews reports.

Elliot Page got some attention for opposing Montana’s two anti-transgender bills. PinkNews has this story.

Caitlyn Jenner appeared on Michael Bosstick’s podcast, where she admitted that she has had a lot of privilege, and because of that, she had not had the welcome she hoped for in the transgender community. She seemed rather whiny, according to LGBTQ Nation.

Tamisha Iman came to RuPaul’s Drag Race with a well-known reputation in the drag community. Out.com has this story.

Things have not been happening as Bimini expected on Drag Race U.K., but she is still in the competition. She wanted to show her transgender and non-binary nature in one particular look, but some thought that it looked like a bad attempt at drag. She talked about it on Twitter, according to Out.com.

Ellie Diamond did a tribute to drag legend Lily Savage on Drag Race U.K., but PinkNews reports that the real Lily Savage is not about to appear on the show.

Cooper and Luca Coyle, who call themselves The Coyle Twins on TikTok, explained the difference between drag and being transgender. PinkNews has a link.

The NHS has won the right to appeal the High Court decision which holds that minors lack the maturity to make an informed medical decision to start taking puberty blockers. It will be heard before next March, PinkNews reports.

The Care Quality Commission rated the Tavistock and Portman Trust clinic “inadequate” because of the long wait for appointments. It was rated as “good” in 2016. PinkNews has this story.

Several news stories in Britain take the views of “gender critical feminists.” PinkNews has a story about how to complain about those stories.

Liam Vickers, an Irishman who attacked a transgender woman with a knife and demanded she have sex with him, was given a suspended sentence. The judge found that he acknowledged the wrong of his actions, according to the story in The Irish Examiner.

The French newspaper Le Monde ran a cartoon on Wednesday which attempted to use a transgender person in referring to a French sex-abuse scandal. It did not play well–it was less funny than intended, and many took offense. PinkNews has this story.

Australia is about to hold a census, and The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the census form will have a non-binary option.

Hannah Mouncey still has not been allowed to play in the Australian Football League for Women. She is again threatening to sue, according to Sports Bible.

The Sydney Morning Herald has a profile of Olivia Stewart, a teenager who came out as transgender three years ago. She says she is still the same person on the inside.

The supper club named for its founder Darcelle XV, (a.k.a. Walter Cole) was started 53 years ago and has been named to the National Register of Historic Places because of its significance for LGBTQ history. Learn more from The Hollywood Star News.

The European Court for Human Rights has ruled that Romania must allow transgender people to change their legal gender status without proof of surgery. The case was brought by two transgender men, who charged that the policy violated the “right to respect for private and family life.” PinkNews has this story.

We have told you that India’s National Corps of Cadets has been sued for refusing to allow transgender people to enlist. This week, the NCC filed its statement in response, in which it outlined the difficulties that would be present in allowing transgender people to join. This story comes from Bar And Bench.

A transgender student in Singapore claims that the Ministry of Education has intervened in her hormonal treatment. The Ministry of Education says that final decisions about hormonal therapy rest with clinicians and their patients. Yahoo News Singapore has this story.

The Today Show had a segment with Jamie Alexander, who designed a swimsuit bottom especially for his transgender daughter Ruby, and then named the bikini after her and brought it to market.

The Trans Chorus of Los Angeles took part in the Parade Across America which was a part of the inauguration. They are profiled by PinkNews.

High Country News has a story on the Tenacious Unicorn Ranch, a group of gun-toting transgender people who raise alpacas in Colorado.

TWITs

It was to be expected that socially conservative media would engage in a culture war of words in response to President Biden’s Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation. They did not disappoint. Fox News talked of transgender students using the bathroom in their headline of a story about the group of executive orders. Ryan T. Anderson talked of the “Divisive Transgender Executive Order” at The Heritage Foundation. The Independent Women’s Forum claimed that President Biden “eliminates single-sex sports”. The New York Post claimed that the executive order “unlevels the playing field for girls”. The Federalist said “There’s nothing moderate or unifying about Biden’s sweeping new transgender executive order,” and Faithwire pointed out that a trending hashtag on inauguration day was “#BidenErasedWomen”. For hyperbole, and for refusing to look at the other side of the issue all of these and others who overreacted to the executive order share a TWIT Award. Refinery 29 has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to LGBTQ Nation’s story on this topic.

The Heritage Foundation also re-published a story from The Daily Signal, which claims that repealing President Trump’s ban on transgender people in the military would “put political correctness ahead of military readiness.” First off, the term “political correctness” implies that being polite is a bad thing. Secondly, the Pentagon has frequently found that allowing transgender people to serve openly does not interfere with military readiness. For both hyperbole and outright fabrication, The Daily Signal and The Heritage Foundation share a TWIT.

U.S. Representative Greg Steube of Florida has introduced a bill in Congress to prevent “a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.” The bill threatens to cut off federal funds to any who violate it. For advancing the usual evidence-challenged arguments, and for failing to listen to any arguments from the other side, Representative Greg Steube gets a TWIT Award. This story comes from LGBTQ Nation. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

A publisher in Hungary has released a book of fairy tales written, or rewritten, with the idea of inclusiveness in mind. The collection, titled Wonderland Is For Everyone, includes the story of a doe who wishes to be a buck, along with others, some of which have LGBTQ+ themes. The government of Hungary has ordered the book to contain a warning label on the cover, saying that the stories inside contain “behavior inconsistent with traditional gender roles.” Given that the book never tries to hide its intention of inclusivity, the warning label is unnecessary, and serves as a reminder of the intrusive social conservative positions of the current government. For pressing its political power, and for failing to treat citizens with equality, the government of Hungary gets a TWIT Award. Out.com has this story.

Transphobia is on the rise in Britain. iNews tells the story of Eloise Stonborough, a cisgender butch lesbian, who keeps getting nasty comments when using public restrooms, because of her looks. People think she is transgender or gender-non-conforming, and harass her for that reason, even though she is cisgender. For taking their hostility to the point of attacking the wrong target, these transphobes get 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.

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Category: Transgender Community News