The Week In Trans 10/19/20

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Indya Moore

Indya Moore is on the cover of Vogue India, their second time on the cover of an edition of that magazine. In the interview, they talk of growing up in a religious and conservative family, as well as race in the U.S.

The late Monica Roberts continues to be mourned. Both The New York Times and NPR had obituaries for her. While initial reports did say that she had died as a result of a hit-and-run accident, police say an autopsy shows she died of natural causes, according to Out.com.

A mother of two children, one of whom is transgender, asked Joe Biden a question about transgender rights at his town hall event. Joe’s response was, transgender children should face “zero discrimination.” He said that, if elected, he would “flat-out change the law. Eliminate those executive orders, number one.” CBS News has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

Charlotte Clymer wrote in USA Today that Joe Biden supported transgender rights even before other politicians were willing to mention the topic.

A few days before the town hall, Joe Biden accused President trump of “turning a blind eye” to the epidemic of violence against transgender people. He also said that President Trump was “denying access to health care, and “denying transgender Americans a chance to serve our country.” The Advocate has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

Once again, a major news outlet noticed how it can be difficult for transgender people to vote. This time, the outlet is CNN.

What Joe Biden referred to as “the epidemic of violence against transgender women of color” continues. The Indianapolis Star reports that Sara Blackwood, a Black transgender woman, was shot to death while walking home in Indianapolis. Pink News points out that this is the second time in as many weeks that a transgender person was murdered while walking down the street.

Sean Bernard Phoenix was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of Celine Walker, one of three transgender women murdered in the Jacksonville, Florida, area in 2018. This story comes from The Florida Times-Union.

Melina Rayna Barratt

Melina Rayna Barratt died of thyroid cancer this week. She was always involved in civic engagement and service, and for that reason, was frequently found at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida. She was running for the state Senate at the time of her death. WCJB-TV has this story.

Jessica Katzenmeyer is running for the Wisconsin state House of Representatives. LGBTQ Nation has a profile of her.

Kendall Stephens, who was the victim of a vicious attack in her home, reports that the police who responded to her call for help were joking about her. This story is found in Philly Voice.

WKRC-TV reports on some local organizations which are helping transgender people to deal with legal matters, such as a name change.

Pablo Batista is a transgender man who wants to join the military, but so far, has been unable to do so, due to the President Trump’s ban on transgender people in the service. His story appears on Reuters.

A new handbook from the Department of Defense skipped telling the process by which transgender people already enlisted in the military can get a waiver to continue serving. ABC News has this story.

Chase Strangio

The New Yorker has a story profiling Chase Strangio and the transgender rights cases he has worked on.

A new study by the Human Rights Campaign shows that voters in what are usually swing states want the Equality Act to pass. Even among those who plan to vote for President Trump, a majority say that they support the Equality Act. The poll also found that at least 60% of voters who plan to vote for President Trump also say that they support transgender people being allowed to live freely as we identify. Out.com has a summary of the results.

The Supreme Court denied the review of the decision which requires Idaho to pay for prisoner Adree Edmo’s gender confirmation surgery. The legal bill for the trial is more than six times the cost of the surgery, according to Pink News.

Myra Lebron says that the state of Illinois is denying her claim for unemployment because of her name change on her Social Security card and her driver’s license. CBS Chicago is trying to help her.

Some states make it hard for people to support LGBTQ rights, but determined people will find a way to get messages of support out there. The Advocate asked two teachers in Texas how they show acceptance of LGBTQ students in a state that does not allow teachers to speak of LGBTQ matters during class.

Refugees to the United States are discovering that the current administration no longer allows asylum due to persecution for gender identity of sexual orientation. The Advocate wonders if such refugees will be welcome here again.

Emily Bridges

A young Olympic hopeful named Emily Bridges came out as transgender, and one day later, British Cycling said that transgender women are welcome to try out for the women’s’ cycling team. This story comes from Pink News.

The New Mexico Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women task force talked about violence against Indigenous transgender women for the first time at a public meeting this week. Statistics show that violence against Indigenous transgender women is a problem, according to experts quoted by The Advocate.

With surgeons at both Johns Hopkins and Franklin Square Hospital performing gender affirming surgery, Baltimore is becoming a surgical center for transgender people. The Baltimore Sun has this story.

A study from the University of Waikato in New Zealand found that those who experienced harassment, violence, or discrimination because of their identity has poorer mental health outcomes than those who did not experience such stigma. A summary of the results can be found in Medpage Xpress.

A study of medical records of transgender people in Canada reveals that transgender people have more mental and physical health issues than do cisgender people. Healio has a summary of the results.

A study by Dr. Julia Sorbara in Toronto shows that those who wait until after age 15 to seek medical help for their gender dysphoria are more likely to report depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts than are those who seek medical help before age 15. This study is summarized by Healio.

Ewok, a Fortnite gamer, came out as a transgender man. This revelation has met with a positive response from other gamers, according to Yahoo.

Sabrina Symington

Sabrina Symington is the talented cartoonist who created the graphic novel horror/fantasy/suspense book that we have been publishing every week as She. The full title is She Never Came Out. As we near the final page of She here on TGF Sabrina wants her fans to know that the book is now available in print from her Etsy shop.

The Rugby Football Union refused to move along with World Rugby and will allow transgender women to play against cisgender women at the amateur level. The Daily Mail has this story.

Nicole Maines was one of the many stars who participated in GLAAD’s anti-bullying campaign for Spirit Day. The Advocate has this story.

While we really can’t travel anywhere due to pandemic restrictions once those restrictions ease and people want to travel to far away places it’s a good idea for us to know where being transgender is illegal. Forbes comes to the rescue by letting us know about the Trans Legal Mapping Report which has the list of the 13 countries where expressing a gender identity that does not conform with your birth genitals can get you imprisoned.

Marks and Spencer has brought out a new line of Harry Potter merchandise. While Pink News sees this as proof that “cancel culture” is not working, keep in mind that people are upset with J.K. Rowling, not with Harry Potter.

Roxane Gay, a professor of English and the author of Bad Feminist, is the latest to come out against J.K. Rowling for her views on transgender people. She did so in an interview with The Irish Times.

Pete Davidson is known to have been a fan of the Harry Potter series. He stopped by the Weekend Update newsdesk at Saturday Night Live, where he was asked what he thought of J.K. Rowling’s comments on transgender people. He started his response by saying, “Don’t get any tattoos.” He then noted how different her attitude is from the attitude that the Harry Potter books seem to express. LGBTQ Nation has this story, and a link to the video clip.

Yahima in Lovecraft Country.

Lovecraft Country, a show on HBO Max, had a storyline about a two-spirit character. The showrunner is less than happy with how the episode turned out. She wanted to show that those who are oppressed by others can turn around and oppress their own, but that message didn’t get through as clearly as she had hoped, according to The Advocate.

While studios are currently rescheduling movie releases, waiting until people feel comfortable going back to the theatre, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is still on track for a release in February. The British film is about a 16-year-old student whose ambition is to be a drag queen. The Advocate has a preview.

Halloween is coming, and in addition to the long-standing Peanuts special, you can watch a Halloween special from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Out.com has more on this.

A new eight-episode documentary series about RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K. is on the way. It is entitled God Shave The Queen, according to Out.com.

Out.com also reports that RuPaul has made a public service announcement, urging people to “VOTE for your life.”

Monique Heart

Monique Heart, who appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race, appeared on Hey Qween! With Johnny McGovern this week. Among the topics she talked about is her brush with conversion therapy, according to Out.com.

Blaire White complained in a YouTube video that Janae Marie Kroc, a transgender woman, competes against cisgender women in powerlifting. The bodybuilder responded that she only participates in competitions in the men’s powerlifting category. Blaire White apologized and took down the video. Insider has this story.

Rosie Duffield, the Labour party MP who has been out of step with her party on the matter of transgender issues, complained about the stars of the Harry Potter movies coming out against J.K. Rowling on the topic. That caught the attention of Pink News.

After two staffers quit Rosie Duffield’s employ because of her views on transgender matters the Labour party leader in Parliament, Keir Starmer, finally decided to say something about the matter. It wasn’t much, but in an interview, he did say, “I think we’ve got to improve the situation here. The Gender Recognition Act is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t go far enough.” Pink News has this story.

Transgender people in Kashmir, a Muslim-majority area that both India and Pakistan claim, lead a less-than-ideal life in normal times, and it’s worse since the COVID-19 restrictions have hurt their livelihoods. Business Insider has this story.

Mary L. Gray, an anthropologist who sometimes studies gender in society, is one of the recipients of a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant.” The Advocate has this story.

A restaurant in Scotland has a sign asking patrons, “Please do not enter if you have symptoms of COVID-19, racism, homophobia, or transphobia.” The reaction on Twitter is captured by Out.com. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

Oreo has released new cookies with stuffing in the colors of the rainbow flag. They also made a new film telling a story of parental acceptance of an LGBTQ child. Out.com has more on this.

TWITs

Azealia Banks has been suspended by Twitter after a discussion of farm subsidies due to COVID-19 somehow got changed into a harangue on transgender issues. For not keeping to the subject, and for comparing transgender healthcare to a giveaway, Azelia Banks gets a TWIT Award. LGBTQ Nation has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for providing a link to this story.

The Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners unanimously approved a change to their code of conduct, in order to allow social workers to discriminate on the basis of gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability. This eliminates protections that were in the code. For thinking that it is acceptable to heap additional discrimination on people who are already in need of help from social workers, the Texas Board of Social Work Examiners, and Governor Greg Abbott, who recommended the change, get a TWIT Award. This story comes from The Advocate.

Sarah Parshall Perry has been employed to do podcasts for the Family Research Council, and on those podcasts, she would defend J.K. Rowling’s view of transgender people. She has a new job–she is leading the Diversity and Inclusion efforts within the U.S. Department of Education. For appointing someone who is obviously dedicated to the opposite of diversity and inclusion to head those efforts, and for accepting a position in charge of diversity and inclusion when she opposes those things, Betsy DeVos and Sarah Parshall Perry share a TWIT Award. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

We usually try to ignore Tomi Lahren, who is doing a good job of showing us that she doesn’t know much about any topic but just loves to hear her own voice. However, we have to take note of her recent comment aimed at Joe Biden, “Might as well carry a purse with that mask, Joe.” So, apparently, Tomi Lahren thinks there is something wrong with being feminine. By wearing a mask, Joe Biden is not just following the advice of doctors, not just protecting himself, but is also protecting others. Showing care for others is often thought of as a feminine virtue, but apparently, some just don’t see the virtue in it. For denigrating women and feminity, and for mocking the idea of following experts, Tomi Lahren gets a TWIT. This story comes from LGBTQ Nation.

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