Home » The Week In Trans 3/28/22

The Week In Trans 3/28/22

ceciliab | Mar 28, 2022

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Zi Faamelu

We told you about Zi Faamelu, a transgender woman in Ukraine, last week. This week, Rolling Stone reports that she got out of Ukraine to Germany, using a passport with her deadname.

March 31 is Transgender Day of Visibility. This year, several transgender activists, including Raquel Willis and Chase Strangio, are behind a movement to extend that to Transgender Week of Visibility. They are promoting both transgender awareness and transgender activism. This story comes from them.

Last week, we told you that Judge Amy Clark Meacham had extended her temporary injunction banning the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services from investigating families who allow their children to receive gender-affirming care for “child abuse.” Attorney General Ken Paxton then filed an appeal to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. This week, that court agreed with Judge Amy Clark Meacham, and upheld her injunction. Attorney General Ken Paxton has since filed an appeal to the Texas Supreme Court. PinkNews has this story.

Not one but two Republican governors vetoed bans on transgender athletes this week. Governor Eric Holcomb of Indiana was the first. NBC News reports that there appear to be enough votes to override the governor’s veto.

The other state was Utah, where Governor Spencer Cox said, “I want them to live,” referring to the high rate of suicide attempts among transgender youth. Unfortunately, the Utah state legislature quickly reconvened and voted to override the governor’s veto. This story comes from Metro Weekly. Alyssa Washington sent us a link to this story and several other stories this week.

The Washington Post has an article about the many anti-transgender bills still working their way through state legislatures. The article especially deals with the state of Alabama, which is considering a ban on medical treatment of gender dysphoria in minors.

Kahtryn Newhouse

Kahtryn Newhouse was shot to death by her father in Canton, Georgia. Her father then killed himself. LGBTQ Nation reports that the father had been arrested three years ago for violence towards his trans daughter, but the charges were dropped after he went through a program designed to reduce the likelihood of a repeat. Alyssa Washington sent us a link to this story.

A new study by the Williams Institute found that about one-third of all transgender children in the U.S. are at risk of being banned from receiving gender-affirming care by their state legislatures. Fifteen states have passed or are considering such legislation. This story comes from them. Alyssa Washington sent us a link.

Although the Arizona state legislature resisted several attempts by farther-right Republicans to push anti-transgender legislation, as the session is drawing to a close, the legislature passed a ban on transgender athletes in girls sports and a ban on gender-affirming surgery for minors. The ban on surgery was scaled back from a ban on all medical treatment of gender dysphoria in minors. NPR has this story. Alyssa Washington sent us a link to this story.

Kentucky’s legislators also passed a bill banning transgender girls in sports, and passed that bill along to Governor Andy Beshear. This story comes from WLKY-TV.

Legislators in Oklahoma passed a bill to ban transgender athletes in girls’ athletics. It awaits the signature of Governor Kevin Stitt. The Oklahoman notes that one Democrat in the state Senate voted with the Republicans to pass the bill. Alyssa Washington sent us a link to another version of this story.

Trans kid Hadley.

The Oklahoman also has a story about families that are afraid the state may pass a ban on the medical treatment of gender dysphoria in minors.

NPR talked with Texas families with transgender children for a story which appeared on Consider This and on Short Wave. Another such story appeared on Morning Edition.

While Alabama has not yet passed its ban on gender-affirming care in minors (the legislation actually extends to all under the age of 19), the state still requires proof of surgery before changing the gender designation on a driver’s license. AL.com reports that a federal judge heard arguments in a case that is challenging that requirement.

A superintendent of schools in Texas told librarians to pull books on sexuality and gender identity. The statement to librarians, which became public this week, is framed so as to make it seem the superintendent is more concerned about how other members of the school board will react if they find these books, but there is little doubt that it was more than just friendly advice. NBC News has this story. Alyssa Washington sent us a link to the story.

The story of missing transgender rights activist Elsie Malary took a tragic turn last week, when her body was found in Lake Michigan. Police are treating the death as suspicious, but say that they found nothing to indicate foul play. The Chicago coroner’s office will conduct an autopsy. Alyssa Washington sent us a link to the story at CNN.

Tatiana Labelle

The body of a transgender woman was found in a garbage bin in Chicago. She was identified as Tatiana Labelle, age 33. The Chicago police have ruled her death to be a homicide. Learn more from The Advocate.

A Brooklyn high school refused to intervene when a transgender 9th-grader was bullied by classmates, who used social media in their effort, so that the school could have easily found the proof. The child’s mother filed a complaint with the state’s Division of Human Rights. The New York Post has this story.

Transgender immigrants from Latin America hoped the Biden administration would be better for them, but so far there have been few changes in the program. ABC News has this story.

David Thomas, a gay educator in Florida told The Advocate about what the consequences of Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” bill (popularly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill) could be.

An editorial in The Advocate says that passing the Equal Rights Amendment is as critical for LGBTQ people as passing the Equality Act.

Some Democrats have started talking about the “Slate of Hate” Republicans are trying to pass, especially referring to anti-transgender legislation. This story comes from them.

As these anti-transgender bills progress through legislatures across the nation, the National Center for Transgender Equality is trying to reorganize itself, so it can be an effective voice in support of transgender people. Kate Sosin of The 19th has this story.

The International Olympic Committee’s new policy on transgender athletes is now in effect. Individual sports will write their own policies, but the the I.O.C. asked that policies be trans-inclusive and not rely on testosterone levels to allow participation. However, the previous policies obsession with testosterone has influenced policies of other sporting organizations, both amateur and professional. Many of those policies might not change, according to a story in Sports Illustrated. Alyssa Washington sent us the link to this story.

Apayauq Reitan

Apayaqu Reitan became the first out transgender woman to compete in the Iditarod. She was the last-place finisher, and as such received the Red Lantern Award. However, the 24-year-old did finish the race. This story comes from them.

While some athletes have complained about Lia Thomas, other athletes have expressed their congratulations to her and their support of her. PinkNews has the details.

Healthline has a list of ten transgender athletes to watch.

Patti Harrison shows up in the new movie The Lost City. Sandra Bullock is the lead, and Daniel Radcliffe, Channing Tatum, and Brad Pitt are also in the cast. Ms. Harrison plays Allison, the social media manager for Sandra Bullock’s character. Out.com has this story.

Last week, Jamie Lee Curtis tweeted “am sending support 2 all trans families across the US” in a tweet wishing her transgender daughter Ruby a happy birthday. (See LGBTQ Nation.) This week, Jamie Lee Curtis revealed details about Ruby’s upcoming wedding. PinkNews has this story.

Mikki Gillette

A new play called The Queers follows a group of transgender and non-binary women as they navigate typical transgender problems, such as job discrimination and family rejection. The play is written by a transgender woman, and features a transgender cast. The playwright, Mikki Gillette, talked with OBP about her play.

Tracy E. Gilchrist writes in The Advocate about how important telling LGBTQ+ stories is at a time when legislators are taking aim at us.

Ann Thomas is the head of the first talent agency specifically aiming to put transgender people in films. The agency, Transgender Talent, and its head are featured in a story in The Advocate. Alyssa Washington gave us the link.

Las Malas, to be published in English under the title Bad Girls, is a novel by Camila Sosa Villada, an Argentinian writer. The novel has many parallels with the life of the writer, who is transgender. It is reviewed in The New Yorker.

An article in them tells how Rachel Pollack created the first transgender superhero in comic books.

Gabrielle Union says parents should believe their children “when they tell us who they are.” She showed how to do that when she listened to her own transgender daughter. This story can be found in them.

Kathy Griffin was asked about Dave Chappelle this week. She said he is “a genius,” but also “a transphobe.” So far, so good. However, she then attempted to argue that he “isn’t hurting anyone” with his anti-transgender views. LGBTQ Nation has this story. Alyssa Washington sent us a link to this story.

A transgender fan asked the British pop singer Charli XCX to sign her bottle of estrogen. As she did so, she shouted, “Trans rights.” The fan tells PinkNews, “It was very cute.”

Jennifer Lopez with the award.

Jennifer Lopez was the recipient of this year’s Icon Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. She performed On My Way and Get Right, and was joined by drag queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Out.com has the story.

J.K. Rowling often says in her tweets that she speaks for many people who agree with her but will not say so publicly. This week, however, someone did say that he agrees with her views on transgender people. That someone is Vladimir Putin, and the writer is trying to downplay the reference, according to Out.com.

Baroness Emma Nicholson proposed to have hospital wards in Britain separate patients according to the sex assigned at birth. The proposed amendment to the Health and Care Bill was withdrawn when it became obvious it would not pass. PinkNews has this story.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “Basic facts of biology remain overwhelmingly important,” during a debate on transgender rights. On the plus side, he did say that the government should “constructively support these young people who are experiencing gender distress,” and said that the matter, “requires extreme sensitivity, tact, love, and care.” The New York Post has this story.

“Boris Johnson’s anti-trans dog whistle is no surprise. The clues have always been there.” That is the headline of a story from PinkNews.

Rachaya Noppakaroon

Rachaya Noppakaroon was detained and interrogated by immigration officials for nine hours before finally being deported from the United Arab Emirates. The cause of her detention and interrogation is that she is transgender. PinkNews has this story.

Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, a transgender journalist in Ukraine, wrote another article for LGBTQ Nation, this time largely about getting her credentials as a journalist during a war.

Students at Brigham Young University are protesting the school’s ban on same-sex relationships. As a part of that protest, the “Y” was lit in the colors of the transgender pride flag. (Yes, gender identity and sexual orientation are two different things, but still, we appreciate the gesture.) Changing America in The Hill has this story. Alyssa Washington sent us the link.

More than 150 faith leaders from around the world joined the Global Interfaith Commission of LGBT+ Lives. They committed themselves to protecting the lives and promoting the dignity of LGBTQ+ people. This story comes from PinkNews.

Twitter suspended the satirical site The Babylon Bee after the site named Dr. Rachel Levine its Man Of The Year. The announcement, and subsequent responses from the satirical site, made it clear that this was using the word “man” to denote a specifically male person. The Advocate has the story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for the tip.

Mercury Stardust

Mercury Stardust is a transgender woman. She has made several videos on TikTok as a “transgender handy ma’am.” She is profiled by PinkNews.

On NPR, the program Clarified took on the question, “What does it mean to be a transgender woman?”

TWITs

During the questioning of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Marsha Blackburn brought up Lia Thomas, as a way to frame opposition to transgender people as a matter of “parental rights.” She went on to ask if “schools should teach children that they can choose their gender,” and asked her to define the term “woman.” Several other Republican senators tried to bring up the topic as well. For trying to make the existence of transgender people an issue, and for displaying their own bigotry in the process, all Republican senators who brought up transgender issues, including transgender women in sports, get a TWIT Award. This story comes from them.

Senator Ron Johnson said that the thought of transgender women in the ladies room is “creepy.” What is actually creepy is the thought that someone like Ron Johnson gets to vote on matters in the U.S. Senate. For bigotry, and for calling that bigotry “common sense”, Senator Ron Johnson gets a TWIT Award. The AP has the story.

Governor Ron DeSantis used his office to declare that Emma Weyant, who came in second in the 500-yard freestyle race at the NCAA National Swimming Finals, was the “rightful winner” of that race. For overstepping the boundaries of his power as governor, and for continuing the silly claim that coming in second makes one “the real winner” in swimming –or a presidential election — Governor Ron DeSantis gets a TWIT Award. Fox 13 News in Tampa has this story.

Also getting a TWIT is Caitlyn Jenner, who tweeted agreement with Governor DeSantis in a way that makes it clear she supports this abuse of power. This story comes from SkyNews. Alyssa Washington sent us a link to this story.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said, “As a woman, I feel threatened because biological men are aggressively replacing women. All my life, as an American woman, I’ve been equal in every place to men, but not any more.” Apparently, she has never noticed any part of the glass ceiling. Business Insider has those comments. She then went on InfoWars and said, “It’s easy for me to double down” on comments defending the gender binary. She claimed, “The truth is that biological men are assaulting and attacking anyone under the age of 18, especially children.” She also says that she cannot be guilty of hating transgender people because, “I know some.” For ridiculous logic, for denying her own bigotry, for using the “I have friends who are. . .” excuse for bigotry, and for demonizing transgender people with untrue accusations, Marjorie Taylor Greene gets a TWIT Award. This story appears in LGBTQ Nation. Alyssa Washington sent the link.

Jen Ives

Jen Ives is a stand-up comic who performed at an LGB Alliance conference last October. She is also a transgender woman, which makes her an odd choice for the LGB Alliance since they are known for being TERFs (although not all are feminists). She has claimed for some time that she got a hostile reception, and that it came out of nowhere, but it took the release of a video of the incident this week before some people believed her. For giving a transgender comedian a hard time, and for then denying your own actions, all those who participated in the treatment of Jen Ives receive a TWIT Award. PinkNew has this story.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton objected to schools in the state having “Pride celebrations,” saying, “By hosting ‘Pride Week,’ your district has, at best, undertaken a weeklong instructional effort in human sexuality without parental consent.” He claimed “Liberal school districts are aggressively pushing LGBTQ+ views on Trans Kids!” Yes, he capitalized Trans Kids, apparently for emphasis. He added, “I will work with and for parents to hold sexual propagandists and predators accountable.” For calling supporters of transgender people “predators,” and for using transgender children for political gain, Attorney General Ken Paxton gets another TWIT. This story comes from LGBTQ Nation. Thanks Alyssa.

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.