The Week In Trans 2/3/20

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Miz Cracker

Drag queens Miz Cracker and Kim Chi appear in an ad which debuted during the Super Bowl. And of course, the ad is drawing the usual comments from those you would expect to be outraged. You can find this in LGBTQ Nation. Although many news sites thought that this was the first Super Bowl ad to feature drag queens, RuPaul begs to differ, and submits a twenty-year-old ad as proof. LGBTQ Nation also has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

The city of Philadelphia has a rich history of drag, from the perfect female impersonations of to the ‘50s and ‘60s to the over the top glitter of bearded drag queens and voguing art project realness, Philly has been a center of drag activity for decades. The scene today is more active than ever. Read all about it in Philadelphia Weekly.

A couple of guys started talking smack to two transgender women in a restaurant–and ended up losing a fistfight. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

A Scottish comedian named Frankie Boyle became a transgender ally this week. He had no history of being an ally, but also had no history of anti-transgender comments. Pink News has this story.

Celena Morrison

Celena Morrison has been named to head the Mayor’s Office of LGBT Affairs in Philadelphia. She is the first transgender woman of color to hold that office. KWY News Radio has this story. The Philadelphia Tribune also has an article.

The South Dakota House of Representatives passed HB1057, which would punish doctors for treating transgender patients under the age of 16 with medications or surgery. The bill now goes to the state Senate, which may make its own changes, as The Hill notes. The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports that the Governor said she had “a few concerns” about the bill, even before the House passed it. Proponents of the bill maintain North Carolina continued to have economic growth after it passed HB2, but KELO-TV points out that, according to experts, North Carolina would have had significantly more economic growth if it hadn’t been for HB2. (It is still uncertain if the same sort of economic pressure can be brought against South Dakota.) Jamie Roberts found a report in The Washington Post.

Some members of the Iowa state legislature wanted to remove the state’s civil rights protections for gender identity, but the chairman of the state’s House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Steven Holt, said that he would not give it a subcommittee hearing. Unless it passes that subcommittee, the bill cannot move forward. Gender identity will continue to be protected. The AP story can be found at WHO-TV. Thanks to reader Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

Kentucky is also looking at three bills regarding transgender teenagers. WBKO-TV has this report.

Dr. Alexis Chavez, who is the medical director for the Trevor Project, says, “It is outrageous to force a doctor to risk losing their license–or their freedom–for following professional best practices, but that is what these bills restricting puberty blockers is doing. You can read this editorial at NBC News Think.

So, where does this anti-transgender legislation come from? Vox finds that the push to ban gender care for minors came from misinformation spread in the Luna Younger case. LGBTQ Nation finds a group called Project Blitz spreading the proposed legislation.

Danica Roem>/i>

Virginia is going in a different direction from some other states. Last week, the House of Delegates passed a slate of transgender-friendly bills. This week, Danica Roem got the House of Delegates to pass a bill that recognizes November 20 as Transgender Day of Remembrance. WSET-TV has this story.

Danica Roem also showed off a new tattoo this week. She got the words of the Equal Rights Amendment tattooed onto her upper left arm. You can find this story, with a picture, at LGBTQ Nation.

We told you about a letter sent to ICE asking to release transgender immigrants they were detaining. That has not been done, but ICE has moved their transgender detainees out of the Cibola Correctional Center, which has received much criticism. Twenty seven inmates have been moved, according to USA Today.

Bernie Sanders got the endorsement of comedian and media personality Joe Rogan. The Vermont senator shared that portion of Rogan’s podcast on Twitter. Several people, including Amanda Kerri in The Advocate, quickly said that if Joe Rogan likes Bernie Sanders, then they will support another candidate. The anti-Rogan people cite his comments against LGBT people, especially his deliberate misgendering of transgender people. LGBTQ Nation also has a story on this, while Jacobin, a socialist online magazine, says that Bernie’s Medicare-for-all plan is great for transgender people.

Back in October, at a CNN town hall, a nine-year-old transgender boy asked Senator Elizabeth Warren if she would pick a Secretary of Education who would support transgender students. The senator replied by offering the boy the opportunity to help her pick a Secretary of Education. As you might expect, this issue will reappear in the TWIT awards. Pink News has this story.

Pete Buttigieg would seem to be a candidate the LGBTQ community would support. Yet, a group of transgender activists who formed a panel at a showing of the documentary Disclosure: Trans Lives On Screen at the Sundance festival were not so positive on the South Bend mayor. This caught the attention of Variety.

Michael Bloomberg came out with his LGBTQ plan. It looks a lot like the plans of Senator Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Pete Buttigieg. LGBTQ Nation has more.

Serena Daniari

In New York City, transgender journalist Serena Daniari was spat at and slapped while riding the subway. Mayor Bill de Blazio took notice of the incident, tweeting, “Transgender and non-binary New Yorkers deserve to travel in the city without fear.” New York City Police have arrested one suspect in the assault, but another suspect is still at large, according to The New York Post. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

In August 2019, a transgender woman was attacked for using the ladies’ room in Oregon. Last week, the attacker, Fred Costanza, was found guilty of second-degree assault, harassment, and a first-degree bias crime. CNN has this story.

A group called Gender Critical Vermont planned to have a discussion of what they called “the unforeseen consequences of the transgender agenda” at the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington, Vermont. However, critics of the group found out about the event, and planned a protest. Then, Gender Critical Vermont found out about the protest plans, and they called off the talk. This story can be found in Seven Days.

A transgender woman named Shawna O’Toole, who worked for Kodak for 13 years, is running for New York state Senate from the Rochester area. She is profiled in Rochester First.

While there are more and more books for kids that celebrate and educate about gender diversity there’s not much music for children that sings or raps about the subject. Ms. Bob Davis let us know about a group called The Alphabet Rockers who are making music putting gender identity in the spotlight. Learn more from the Los Angeles Times.

Emma

Around the time of HB2, the Asheville Citizen Times profiled Emma, a transgender child who was just beginning her social transition. Three years later, The Asheville Citizen-Times did an update feature on Emma. The attitude in North Carolina changed so much in the three years that the family was willing to give their last name this time. (She is Emma Smith.)

There is a new video story about being non-binary at The Daily Maverick.

After years of waiting and pleading, the Unicode Consortium has announced that 2020 is the year when the transgender flag emoji debuts. Other new emojis include a sort of seal-mermaid mix, a woman in a tux (or is it a non-binary person?) a guy with a mustache in a wedding dress, and what is called a “gender-neutral Santa.” Business Insider and Tech Radar have this story, with different emojis highlighted in each story. Thanks to contributor Alyssa Washington for a link.

Transgender people are sometimes unaware of whether or not they should get a mammogram. Sometimes, even their doctors aren’t sure. Aunt Minnie has the answer.

YouTube has blossomed as a place where transgender, non-binary, and others can watch other people like themselves talk about the issues that are important to them. But moving up in popularity as an outlet for LGBTQ people is the app TikTok. Jamie Roberts found a story on the social media spot TikTok has moved into and you can find it in The Washington Post. (Tik-Tok is also a round-bodied mechanical man made of copper, that runs on clockwork springs which periodically need to be wound, like a wind-up toy or mechanical clock, who appears in L. Frank Baum’s Oz stories.)

Teen trans activist Rebekah Bruesehoff.

Marie Claire magazine has profiles of several transgender people who are making news.

Medscape has a new article about trans men getting pregnant or providing eggs for in vitro fertilization even after starting testosterone. Unfortunately, the article is for subscribers only.

A new study from The Williams Institute says that “queer” is a distinct identity. LGBTQ Nation tells us of this surprising finding.

Chris Moiser became the first transgender man to compete for a spot on an Olympic team. That’s the good news. The bad news is that he was unable to complete his walking race, due to an injury to his right knee. He says on Instagram, “[T]his is not my last race or last Olympic Trials.” You can read about this in Outsports.

This week we learned that Billy Porter has filmed an appearance for Sesame Street. He will be seen wearing the iconic tuxedo dress that he wore to the Oscars. He posted pictures to various social media sites. We do not know when the segment will air. LGBTQ Nation has this story, including some negative comments from expected sources.

The Queen, a drag pageant documentary from 1968, is now on Netflix. Please be aware that every month some things leave Netflix, so it’s a good idea to see it while it is available. This story comes from Out magazine.

Starbucks has a new ad airing on Channel 4 in Britain, which shows a transgender person getting deadnamed, until he gets called the right name at Starbucks. Campaign has the story behind this ad, while Pink News talks about the participation of the group Mermaids.

Nikki de Jager has released a new video, the first since the video in which she came out as transgender. In this video, she wears makeup in transgender colors. You can read about it in Insider.

Theo Germaine is a non-binary actor who appears in The Politician on Netflix and on Work In Progress on Showtime. He is trying to make producers think of transgender and non-binary actors for more roles. He talked about it in an interview with The Advocate.

In the new movie A Perfectly Normal Family, two sisters find their lives changed forever when their father starts a gender transition. The story means a lot to writer-director Malou Reymann, whose father went through a gender transition. Screen Daily has an interview with the director.

Transgender people come from all sorts of families. Some even have celebrities as parents. Insider shows nine celebrities who are raising transgender children.

Maebe A Girl

Maebe A. Girl, who identifies as gender fluid/trans and performs as a drag queen, is one of seven Democrats looking to unseat Los Angeles area congressman Adam Schiff. You can learn why she’s out for Schiff’s job and what her chances of winning are in the Chicago Sun Times.

The current British government has shown a lack of interest in reforming the Gender Recognition Act. However, it seems like the G.R.A. is just the tip of the transgender rights reforms that Labour leadership hopefuls wish to enact. You can read about it in Pink News.

Several organizations, including sports clubs, police associations, and health charities have signed onto a letter urging the Scottish government to go ahead with reform of the Gender Recognition Act. The letter seeks to counter recent complaints that the reform would cause havoc. Pink News has this story.

The Crown Prosecution Service of the U.K. has reminded schools that transgender students are allowed by law to use the restroom that matches their gender identity. The CPS reminded schools that they could be prosecuted if they do not, according to Pink News.

In response to a question asked in Parliament, Jo Churchill has blamed “supply issues” for the low supply of estrogen. Pink News has this story.

A transgender woman in Rosedale, New York, was the victim of such terible threats that her cat was killed as a warning to her. Her neighbors reacted with tremendous support for her. They even painted her house in rainbow colors. This story appears in LGBTQ Nation. Alyssa Washington contributed a link to this story. Thanks, Alyssa.

TWITs

In defending the bill that he introduced in the South Dakota House of Representatives, Rep. Fred Deutsch compared gender confirmation surgery to medical experiments performed by Nazi doctors during the Holocaust. In doing so, he confirmed Godwin’s Rule (ie, that if a discussion goes on long enough, eventually someone will bring up the Nazis.) Since the comparison is clearly closer to hyperbole than reality, he has lost the argument. Even he realized that the analogy went too far, and said so the next day, although only after the story had been carried far and wide. In addition to that, according to the story from Vox mentioned above, Rep. Deutsch cites specific studies as inspiring his bill, but those studies actually concluded that puberty blockers are a very good thing. He finds in these studies the drawbacks, mostly the rather remote possibility of a side effect, and pretends that all or almost all patients receiving puberty blockers get these side effects. For violating Godwin’s law, descending into hyperbole, and twisting research to fit the conclusion he had already reached, South Dakota state Representative Fred Deutsch gets a TWIT Award. The Sioux Falls Argus Leader has the story about his comments on gender confirmation surgery, while The Hill has his retraction.

Jason Rantz is a fool with a talk radio show, who seems to also be his own publicist. He put a press release of sorts on his webpage and social media pages, promoting himself for his opposition to Elizabeth Warren’s statement that she would allow a nine-year-old transgender boy to interview her Secretary of Education nominee. Rantz calls this “the mother-of-all-pandering.” In reality, the transgender boy would only get to interview the nominee after that person has passed a background check and interviews with transition officials. The person’s views on handling transgender students would be known long before the interview with this transgender student. If anything, this interview is a further indication of the willingness of this candidate to do what it takes to get this job. For overreaction and for over promotion, Jason Rantz gets a TWIT. You can read his own publicity here.

We have come to expect hyperbole blaming every which thing on transgender people, so it comes as little surprise that Rick Wiles, a pastor and pundit, has blamed the Wuhan coronavirus on transgender people. Mind you, it does not take a lot of study of the Bible to see that this is hardly how God works, but some people don’t mind being centuries behind the times. Indeed, the people whom Jesus had the biggest problem with were people who saw themselves as so much better than others in the sight of God. For projection, Rick Wiles gets a TWIT Award. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

The Washington Examiner claims that the presence of one transgender athlete at an Olympic trial race is proof that their objections to transgender athletes are not about bigotry, but rather a real and present threat. The athlete in question, Chris Mosier, is a transgender male, who was competing against males. Now, their complaint about transgender females competing against cisgender females is that transgender females went through (or are going through) a male puberty, which gives them longer limbs and a more muscular build than cisgender females. If that is true, then transgender males have gone through (or are going through) a female puberty, which gives them shorter limbs and less muscular bodies, and that should work against an athlete like Mr. Mosier. For using a self-defeating argument, The Washington Examiner gets 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