The Week In Trans 10/4/21

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Sheryl Ring

Sheryl Ring, a transgender woman and attorney in Chicago, claims that she has been bullied and harassed in court because of her support for transgender rights, and she says that is legal according to rules of legal ethics. CBS Chicago has her story.

The White House held a listening session for transgender and intersex activists. It was organized by the Interagency Working Group on Safety, Inclusion, and Opportunity for Transgender Americans. The listening was done by people from the departments of Justice, HUD, HHS, Education, Homeland Security, Labor, Interior, and Veterans Affairs. The State Department also participated, and helped to organize the listening session. The Los Angeles Blade has this story.

Students at temple High School in Temple, Texas, staged a walkout when a transgender student at the school was denied access to the girls locker room. The student had been told to change in the janitor’s room, which struck classmates as unfair. This story comes from KWTX-TV. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

In Congress, the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act was re-introduced. It would require all colleges and universities to have anti-bullying policies in place to protect LGBTQ students. Them has this story.

Caitlyn Jenner

Caitlyn Jenner said on The View that she is a “poster child for change.” She also said that she wants the Republican party to be more inclusive. The Advocate has this story.

There was a rally on the steps of the capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to protest a bill being introduced which would ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ sports. This story comes from Pittsburgh City News.

Also in Pennsylvania, attempts are being made to combat a law which limits the ability of transgender women with criminal convictions from changing their legal names. The AP has this story.

In Philadelphia, a mural which celebrates the transgender community was unveiled in the Fishtown neighborhood. This story can be found at CBS Local.

Daniel L. Smith was indicted in the murder of Shaquil Loftin, who was killed in Trenton, New Jersey, on July 30. The Trentonian has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to the story.

A transgender woman in Birmingham, England, opened her door to find a man she had met online. The online acquaintance then stabbed her. She is recovering in hospital, while the assailant, Nazir Mohammed, has admitted in court that he wounded her with intent. This story comes from PinkNews.

Casa Ruby, the only bilingual LGBTQ center in Washington, D.C., faces closure after the Department of Homeland Security stopped its $850,000 annual grant. Casa Ruby provides a homeless shelter as well as a drop-in center. The Advocate has this story.

Queen Hatcher-Johnson

A new HRC campaign calls for housing equality, and especially for transgender people. It features Queen Hatcher-Johnson, a transgender woman from Atlanta, how has been homeless at times. This story comes from The Grio.

Archbishop Jerome Listecki sent a memo to his brother bishops urging DNA tests on seminarians to assure that they are male. He claims, “Recently, the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance was made aware of instances where it has been discovered that women living under a transgendered [sic] identity had been unknowingly admitted to the seminary or to a house of formation of an institute of consecrated life.” Details of when or where this happened, or even how often, were not provided, and the absence of this information casts doubts on the authenticity. The National Catholic Register has this story.

The Bureau of the Census released its first-ever survey of LGBTQ people, and the economic data is not good. 32% of transgender people lost employment in the month before the questionnaire, which was the start of the pandemic. That is at least twice as much as it was for cisgender heterosexual people that month. This story comes from The 19th.

Out In Tech is a non-profit group that serves LGBTQ people in technology. It helps them to advance their careers, and has a mentorship for college students. One of their problems is that there is not a lot of data on LGBTQ people in tech, according to Out.com.

Indya Moore

Indya Moore will appear in the Aquaman sequel. This story comes from them. And check out The Hollywood Reporter for more info on other Aquaman casting. Thanks to Alysa Washington for the story tip.

An article from The New York Times notes that stigma from being transgender is a problem for trans youth, but confusion and disagreements among medical professionals is also a problem.

Mental health of transgender people took a dive during the Trump administration. The study in Economics And Human Biology shows that all LGBTQ people suffered mental health issues under President Trump, but transgender people seemed to get hit the worst.

The Trevor Project reports that calls to their suicide prevention hotline went through the roof as Texas debates further erosions of transgender rights. This sad story comes from Metro Weekly.

Forbes reports that one in seven transgender people in Britain report they were refused medical care or treatment by a general practitioner because they are transgender.

Amber Drew is a gender-nonconforming person who had issues with her breasts–until a bout with breast cancer taught a lesson in self-love. This first-person account comes from them.

Some queer millennials, including transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals, are caregivers for their aging parents and grandparents. They often aren’t ready for the task at first (almost no one is), but as some first-person accounts in them show, it can be a bonding experience for both caregiver and elder.

The San Antonio City Council approved a message stating its opposition to “legislation that is an attack on the safety of trans children and youth including legislation requiring them to compete in athletic competitions based on their sex assigned at birth.” The resolution has no power over state law, but it is a very nice gesture. KENS-TV has this story.

The United Kingdom passed a new guidance on transgender athletes. While it makes inclusive claims, it also claims that trans women retain physique, stamina and strength advantages. It encourages “innovative and creative ways to ensure that no one is left out.” The guidance leaves it up to each sport to create its own rules about transgender participation (or lack thereof). This story comes from The Guardian.

The San Francisco International Film Festival will take place November 11-14. Films will be shown online, from the Roxy Theatre in San Francisco. Ein News has a list of some of the films that will be shown.

Jane Noury

Amazon Prime will show a four-part coming-of-age documentary story about a transgender girl called Always Jane. It tells the story of Jane Noury as she pursues a career in acting and modeling. Deadline has this story.

Youtube star Nikita Dragun released a new song, and them is concerned that it could lead to violence against transgender women.

Demi Lovato stopped by the Today Show, where she explained to Hoda Kotb what it means to be non-binary. Out.com has this story.

Shirley Manson, the lead singer of Garbage, said that she identifies with the concept of non-binary gender. This story can be found in LGBTQ Nation.

A TikTok video shows a father discovering his son in makeup. His reaction is not what was expected, and that helped the video get an audience. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

LGBTQ Nation has a story about how drag queens have changed the world, and the connection between drag and LGBTQ rights.

Jo Mama, who helped organize the Drag March, talks about drag and activism in LGBTQ Nation.

Lil Miss Hot Mess

Lil Miss Hot Mess uses drag to fight the status quo. LGBTQ Nation has her story.

In Britain, the Conservative party allowed the LGB Alliance to attend their party conference. They were soon called out for that, according to PinkNews.

Angela Rayner, the deputy leader of the Labour party, said at the party’s annual conference that the Conservatives are using transgender people to sew divisions. She called their tactics “a campaign of hate.” PoliticsHome has this story.

Rosie Duffield appeared on Graham Linehan’s podcast, and of course the subject of transgender people came up. The two well-known transphobes put forth a lot of inaccurate statements about transgender people. This story comes from Pink News.

A TikTok user asked why the U.K. has become known as “TERF Island,” and DanielKnowsTooMuch had an answer. PinkNews has his response.

It has gotten so bad in Britain that a member of the Labour party received what she called a transphobic attack while in the restroom at the party’s annual conference. PinkNews has this story.

Germany had an election last week, and two transgender women won election to the parliament. They are the first transgender people to serve in Germany’s government. This story comes from The Hill.

Romesa Ahmed

Romesa Ahmen, a transgender woman, fled Pakistan for Europe, but has come back home. Deutsche Welle has her story.

A court in Taiwan ruled that transgender people do not need to undergo surgery before they can get their gender markers changed. This story comes from them.

Nepal will include a third gender in its upcoming census. Them has this story.

Malaysia is considering whether to ban transgender women from going into mosques, or at least ban them from the women’s section of mosques. Such a ban is already in place in one state, and may expand nationwide, according to them.

UNAIDS has the story of a transgender man fighting for recognition in Indonesia.

Rev. Keith Marahal wrote a little article, combatting the idea of using a “religious exemption” to get out of showing respect for others. The piece has gone viral, as LGBTQ Nation notes.

Biair Imani talked about his book Read This To Get Smarter, especially how it relates to gender identity and sexual orientation, in a conversation with Forbes.

The Texas Tribune, The Texas Standard, and NBC News all have profiles of some of the mothers of transgender children who have been testifying at the Texas capitol as the legislature keeps bringing up anti-transgender bills.

Evan Bialosuknia

Evan Bialosuknia has been selected as homecoming queen at Olympia High School in Orlando, Florida. This story comes from WESH-TV.

The University of Michigan Marching Band gave a shout-out to LGBTQ people during half-time of the school’s game against Rutgers. They played some selections by LGBTQ artists and allies, including a bit by Kim Petras, and they spelled out such songs as Love Wins. The Advocate has this story.

TWITs

A new poll shows that almost half of Americans support restricting transgender people from accessing the restroom that matches their gender identity. This is up about 12% from five years ago. Those who keep promoting this unnecessary, and unenforceable, idea get a TWIT Award. This story comes from them.

A bunch of self-appointed activists have been disrupting political events in Britain, to ask if only women have cervixes. The question really hides the main issue, which is, does one support transgender people and their rights. All who disrupt political events this way get a TWIT Award. PinkNews has this story, and several related to the topic. Since this came from Health Secretary Sajid Javid saying flatly that it was a “scientific fact” that only women have cervixes, he gets a TWIT as well.

Bethany Frankel, one of the Real Housewives of New York, made some very ignorant comments about transgender people, and showed disrespect for other people’s pronouns, on her podcast. She started by repeating a story from chain email, then went on her own to rant. For treating others in a way she does not want to be treated, Bethany Frankel gets a TWIT. This story comes from them.

In a recent tweet, the CDC showed the courtesy to refer to “pregnant people,” rather than pregnant women. This was the source of some nasty comments from the right, including a not-so-funny joke by Senator Marco Rubio. All who disrespect transgender men this way share a TWIT Award with Senator Rubio. Florida Politics has this story.

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