The Week In Trans 11/11/19
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This past week marked election day in the United States. Two years ago, Danica Roem became the first openly-transgender person elected to a state legislature (with perhaps one previous exception). This week she became the first openly-transgender person to be re-elected to the state legislature. The Advocate has this story. (Thanks to Alyssa Washington for this tip.) By the way, her re-election was hailed not only by transgender people, and the LGBTQ community, but also by fans of heavy metal, as Blabbermouth demonstrates.
Danica Roem was not the only transgender candidate to win office last week. Holly Ryan was elected to the City Council in Newton, Massachusetts, Donna Price was elected to the Board of Supervisors in Albemarle County, Virginia, Gerri Cannon was reelected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives, Aime Wichtendahl was reelected to the City Council of Hiawatha, Iowa, and Lizbeth Deselm was reelected to the School Committee for Melrose, Massachusetts. Scary Mommy has a rundown of all of the winning candidates. Out magazine notes that there are now 21 openly-transgender people currently serving in elected office. The Advocate reports that Palana Belken became the first openly transgender person to ever be elected to a city council anywhere in New Hampshire. The 30-year-old Belken defeated incumbent Sandra Keans, who had been on Rochester City Council for three decades.
Not all of the election news was good. In Cornelius, North Carolina, a transgender woman was denied her right to vote because a poll worker did not think her photo ID matched her appearance. This story comes to us from WSOC-TV.
The conservatorship battle of Jeffrey Younger v. Dr. Anne Georgulas continues this week. (If you need a refresher, see Dawn Ennis’s article for Forbes.) Dr. Georgulas has filed an appeal asking to recuse Judge Kim Cooks and restore the jury’s verdict. The Dallas Morning News has this story.
Monica Roberts puts the Younger v. Gerogulas case into the larger framework of Texas anti-transgender politics in an article for Out Smart magazine.
Nikki Araguz Loyd has passed away. She was a transgender woman, who became a story when she was denied survivor benefits following the death of her first husband, a firefighter who died fighting a blaze. Thrust into the spotlight, she became a major activist for transgender causes. The Houston Chronicle has an obituary.
Adam and Amber Briggle are the parents of two children, one of whom is transgender. Three years ago, during a legal battle, at the suggestion of a reporter, the couple invited Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to dinner. He accepted the invitation. At the end of the meal, the Attorney General promised to remember transgender children. In separate articles. both parents say that he has broken that promise. Amber Briggle’s article appears in Time magazine, while Adam Briggle’s appears in The Denton Record-Chronicle.
Jo Ivester is also the parent of a transgender child in Texas. Although her son was older when he came out, she nonetheless is following the politics around transgender children with great interest. Her family’s story appears in Think at NBC News.
Another parent with a transgender child, Melissa DeStefano, writes about the importance of laws protecting transgender people, especially in employment, which the Supreme Court is considering at the moment. The Morning Call has this article.
This week, Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh were seen with Brian Brown, the head of the National Organization for Marriage, a group designated as a “hate group” because of their anti-LGBTQ stance. Because the Supreme Court is in the process of deciding three cases on LGBTQ employment rights, some activists are saying that these two justices should recuse themselves from the case. LGBTQ Nation has this story.
When Donald J. Trump announced his candidacy he denigrated Mexican immigrants for bringing terrible crimes to our nation. One Mexican immigrant has brought drag shows to Columbus, Georgia. Luis Hernandez, drag name Zoria Garcia, came to the USA when he was 10. As an adult, after moving around the nation for his early years, he settled in Columbus and was troubled by the lack of gay bars that could host drag shows. So he started pop-up shows every other week in a local restaurant. Learn more from the Ledger-Enquirer.
The issue of transgender students in schools and in sports came up as a last-ditch topic in the Kentucky governor’s race. They targeted conservative voters who were seen as not reliably supporting the Republican candidate for governor, Matt Bevin It must not have resonated the way that conservatives wanted, since Matt Bevin appears to have lost the race. This story appeared in The New York Times.
The Center for American Progress noted the proposed rules from the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services, which has been watering down protections against discrimination, except for “religious freedom” protections. The Center for American Progress tells us why this is a potential problem. Many thanks to reader Alyssa Washington for contributing this story. Thanks also to Ms. Bob Davis who sent us a link to a story in The Bay Area Reporter.
Recently, Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would abandon a rule which required federal contractors to not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Mara Keisling of The National Center for Transgender Equality explains why that is such a bad idea.
Marriette Pathy Allen is a photographer who has been taking photos of members of the transgender community since the 1970s. Right now her work is on display at the Museum of Sex in Manhattan. Learn more and see some of her work on the i-d.vice website.
On Wednesday, a federal judge voided the proposed “conscience rule” for healthcare workers, which would have allowed them to refuse to participate in procedures which they feel go against their consciences. The case will be appealed, but for the moment, the rule cannot go into effect. The Washington Post has this story. (Many thanks to tipster Alyssa Washington for this story.)
While the ban on transgender people in the military is still working its way through the courts, it is also in Congress, where Bloomberg Government tells us that it is still an obstacle to passing a defense budget.
The ban on transgender people in the military also made an appearance in Elizabeth Warren’s proposals for the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs if she is elected president. Politico has this story.
Texas is the state which had the most transgender people murdered this year. Monica Roberts told KTRK-TV that this can be traced to the lack of protections for transgender people.
A white supremacist named Justen Hall was executed in Texas, charged with two murders. One of his victims was a transgender woman. He asked for forgiveness from the families of his victims just before his execution, according to a story in The Sun.
Two transgender people were killed in the Kansas City metropolitan area this year. While that is tragic, the Kansas City Anti-Violence Project aims to help transgender people in various ways, including housing. You can read about it and other resources for transgender people in the Kansas City area in The Pitch.
San Francisco started the idea of November being designated Transgender Awareness Month, and it has spread since then to some other cities. The San Francisco Chronicle has this story. Ms. Bob Davis pointed us to another article in The Bay Area Reporter.
Philadelphia just enacted new laws which will protect transgender people. LGBTQ Nation took notice. (Thanks to reader Alyssa Washington for this tip.)
Alicia Simmons died, and although there are no signs of forced entry or violence, some feel that she may have been murdered. Philadelphia police officers are looking into the case carefully. This story comes from LGBTQ Nation.
Police in Fort Myers, Florida, wanted to talk to Jamson Richemond concerning the murder of Bee Love. He was originally referred to as “a suspect,” but now, it seems that he is only a person of interest, someone with information that the police want to know. WPBF-TV has this story.
At San Diego State University, the Pride Center highlighted intersectionality on Dia De Los Muertos, with an emphasis on transgender people and how they also have identities in other groups. The Daily Aztec has this story.
The city of West Hollywood has announced its plans for Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is coming up soon. The press release appears at Patch.com.
The Rainbow Times thinks about the observance of Transgender Day of Remembrance, and wonders about its future.
Nine-year-old Jacob Lemay got to ask Elizabeth Warren a question about transgender policy at the recent CNN LGBTQ Town Hall. His mother, Mimi Lemay, has written a book about her experiences when her son came out as transgender. She spoke about the book to WBUR public radio.
A woman wrote an op-ed for The New York Times about how her father’s transition affected her life. He came out to her in 2003. While she has accepted her dad is now a woman and they have a good relationship she writes that dad’s transition hasn’t been without consequences for her.
Tori Vancil was working at a winery and farm in northern California when he came across a group of transgender men sharing photos on Instagram. He clams that is when he discovered that he, too, is transgender. He talked to Madison 3000 about this realization, and about life as a transgender man.
Kavi Ade, a black transgender man who is a poet, educator, and activist, spoke at Penn State about his experiences, from childhood (family rejection) to the present. The Daily Collegian has this story.
At a high school, one day during Homecoming week was dedicated to students coming dressed for a profession that they wanted to pursue. It was called “-er day,” as in the suffix to “lawyer,” “painter,” “engineer,” and so forth. One student, however, came as a transgender person, not as a way of coming out, but more as a way of mocking. One parent was offended, by not only the student, but also by the reaction of the staff–or rather, the non-reaction, as none bothered to tell the student that the outfit was inappropriate. So a parent asked Slate’s Care And Feeding what to do about it, and a teacher suggested how to approach a teacher or the school board about the issue.
BMO Harris Bank will become the first to offer transgender and nonbinary people the chance to use their chosen name on credit and debit cards, even if the name on the card is not yet the cardholder’s legal name. It is a part of MasterCard’s True Name initiative, which was announced in June. The New York Times carried this story.
The Human Rights Campaign has created ten fellowships for transgender women of color to get into public health, and two of the members of the first class are from Alabama, as The Alabama Political Reporter notes. You can read more about the Elevate fellowship at the HRC website.
St. Louis hosted the Transgender Spectrum Conference at Washington University this week. One of the goals was to highlight the lives of transgender people in the Midwest. There were workshops on several different topics. St. Louis magazine has this story.
San Francisco drag fans will be sad to learn that legendary performer in the Bay Area, Heklina, is ending her show Mother which she has been performing at the Oasis nightclub. View a video and learn more from ABC 7 News.
Back on March 17, Marc Bernier saw a transgender woman use the women’s locker room at a Planet Fitness in Nashua, New Hampshire, and proceeded to threaten to kill her. This week, he was charged with violating the civil rights of that particular gym patron. This story appeared in The Boston Globe.
Transgender people come in a wide variety, but mental health studies tend to lump us all together. This can lead to missing some important information, as Stat explains.
Fifty transgender people participated in a Buddhist retreat at Big Bear Retreat Center in California. The Lion’s Roar has this story.
Union Cycliste Internationale, the governing organization for bicycle racing, has said that it is reconsidering its new medical standards for allowing transgender people to participate in cycling races. Bicycling.com has this story.
When several people, including a prominent commentator, complained about transgender woman Maxine Blythin being named Kent Women’s Cricket Player of the Year, the captain of the Kent team, Tammy Beaumont, came to her defense in strong, clear terms. This story came from Pink News. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for the story tip.
A new exhibit of the photographs of B. Proud highlight transgender, gender fluid, and nonbinary people in love. The series is called, Transcending Love. It can be found at the Stonewall National Museum and Archives in Wilton Manors, Florida, from November 15 through February 16. The Advocate has this story.
In the past, hosts of Loose Women on ITV in Britain have called transgender women “men in skirts” and other unkind things. Now, one of the panelists, Saira Khan, would like to see a transgender woman join the show, “providing she had something to add to the conversation.” Pink News has this story.
We have heard of long waiting lists to get help with gender dysphoria through the National Health Service of Great Britain. In Ireland, the National Gender Service announced this week that more than 100 transgender people had to wait as much three years for an appointment, because their referrals were “misplaced.” A spokesperson said that those affected will be placed on the waiting list where they would have been had their referrals been handled appropriately. Pink News has this story.
The Canadian province of Manitoba was ordered to pay $50,000 to a transgender person who was denied a birth certificate with an “X” gender marker. You can read about this in Pink News.
A trans woman from Honduras named Areli spent six months living with a family in Oakland, California, while awaiting an asylum hearing. Her hosts tell her story in The San Jose Mercury News.
A group of roughly 40 homeless transgender women known as “The Sistaaz of the Castle” have been living together in Cape Town, South Africa. They have had trouble getting accepted by others. Reuters has their story.
A new program in India would provide temporary housing for transgender people, with access to skills training aimed at helping them get jobs. This story comes from India Times.
The Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro allowed a 19-year-old transgender man named Vuk Adži? to be baptized into the faith. They did not force him to revert to his “biological sex.” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has this story.
A recent article in The New York Times painted a group of writers, who have been cancelled from writing or speaking engagements, as victims of anti-conservative sentiment. The article fails to note that ten of the thirteen have been in trouble because of their anti-transgender writings (or at least, writings which seem to oppose transgender people). The Times failed to ask any transgender people what they think of the writing of these cancelled people. The Times also failed to point out that, while these writers might have had some works cancelled, they still have outlets that will pick up their works. The New Republic has this story.
TWITs
This week, a Facebook site connected to Jeffrey Younger stated that the child, who is the center of a controversy, went to school “as a boy.” The page included a photo, which it says is of that child, taken “just before church.” Of course, the site deadnames and masculinizes the child, whose gender he refuses to accept. And equally un-shocking is the fact that various right-wing websites, including The Daily Mail (which states that the child’s mother said he *had* gender dysphoria–as though she no longer believes that the child is gender dysphoric), Fox News, The New York Post, and The Christian Post all took the word of the father, despite the fact that court proceedings in the annulment of the marriage showed that he lied about a great many things (his educational achievements, his occupation, his income, the number of previous marriages he has had, and more). The father has spread many falsehoods about this case as well. Moreover, they all claim that the child went to school “as a boy,” even though the only source for this is the father, and even though the child is addressed as “Luna” at school. For taking the word of someone who is known to lie, these sites share a TWIT Award. (The judge in the case said that the parents–both of them–are to stop publicizing the case, but it seems that one of them is not abiding by that.)
Dawn Mellor has taught classes at Goldsmiths University in London. Four years ago, the instructor claimed to be transgender, and asked to be called “Mx Tippy Rampage.” Recently, the instructor revealed that this was all a “performance piece,” and that it was a satiric character being done for a study. Transgender people are not characters in satire, and reducing us to such is not acceptable. Nonetheless, Dawn Mellor feels victimized by the response to the revelation that this is all a performance piece. For treating transgender people with such disrespect, and for making terrible insinuations about us, Dawn Mellor gets a TWIT. This story appeared in The Daily Mail.
Donald Trump Jr. was a guest on CBS This Morning. The president’s son was hawking his book, in which he claims that “the liberal media” is trying to “silence us.” He has written a lot about transgender athletes on Twitter, so it wasn’t as though the topic came out of the blue. Nonetheless, the show did not have anyone to take an opposing view, nor did their interviewer question his stance. For allowing a transphobe to speak without being questioned, CBS This Morning gets a TWIT Award. LGBTQ Nation has this story. (By the way, Pink News says that the book by Donald Trump Jr. is full of anti-transgender statements.)
The Federalist has an article which claims that the term “epidemic” is misused in talking of the violence against transgender people. While they have a point of sorts in that the number of murders is not that high, they are wrong in claiming that the term comes from “the Left.” It was the American Medical Association who used the term, and it was used in connection with violence against transgender people, not just murder and attempted murder. For paranoia, and for misunderstanding what was being said, The Federalist gets yet another TWIT. (By the way, The Federalist also has a piece in which the writer argues that Texas Republicans have failed to protect the people of that state from “trans insanity.”)
The Christian Post and other right-wing sources are complaining about the fact that YouTube removed a video of Dr. Michelle Cretella criticizing transgender medicine, especially when practiced on young people. These pieces pretend that YouTube bowed to political pressure, but in fact, they removed the video because she was lying. She misstated what medicines were available at what ages. For their own form of misinformation, the people who claimed this as censorship get 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.
Category: Transgender Community News
