The Week In Trans 4/4/22

Links in TWIT will open in this window. To return to this page use the Back button on your browser. If the link opens in a new tab, close the tab to return to this page.

---

Thursday of last week was Transgender Day of Visibility. Rachel Crandall-Crocker started the idea of Transgender Day of Visibility, and she talked to Global News about how the holiday has exceeded her expectations for it.

President Biden signed a presidential proclamation for Transgender Day of Visibility. The proclamation says that visibility matters, and promises that the Biden administration will take steps to protect the rights of transgender people. The proclamation is at The White House Web Site. The Department of Justice, The Department of State, and the Department of Education released official statements from Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

Several announcements were timed to Transgender Day of Visibility. Among them, the U.S. State Department announced that it would issue gender-neutral passports, starting on April 11. Social Security will allow a change of gender marker, including a gender-neutral marker, in the fall. Other agencies will make a gender-neutral option available as well. Reuters has this story.

The TSA is phasing out old body scanners, which often identified “anomalies” on the bodies of transgender people. They will be replaced by “new, more accurate technology.” This and other announcements from the government can be found at them.

The 19th has a story about what Transgender Day of Visibility means in Texas this year. A number of transgender Texans are thinking of how to use their own voices to help other transgender people in the state.

In Dallas, several buildings lit up in blue, white, and pink on Transgender Day of Visibility. Also, there was a demonstration by supporters of the now-discontinued transgender medical program at a local hospital. This story comes from Fox 4 Dallas.

Unfortunately, some people seem to know of Transgender Day of Visibility, and don’t approve. Baltimore Safe Haven, a resource center for transgender people, was spray-painted with hateful, threatening messages. Fox 45 Baltimore has this story.

Phyllis Frye, who is referred to as “the grandmother of transgender rights,” spoke to CBS Chicago about the progress of transgender rights, and about the problems with opponents.

The Utah state legislature overrode the governor’s veto of a bill designed to keep transgender females out of school sports. The specific wording of the legislation is flawed, and even its proponents admit that, but still, the state legislature voted to enact it, rather than work on an improvement. The Associated Press story can be found at NPR.

The governors of Oklahoma and Arizona signed bans on transgender females in school sports. Both state legislatures passed those measures last week. Reuters has this story. Alyssa Washington sent us a link to this story and other stories this week.

Governor Doug Ducey also signed a law which forbids gender confirmation surgery on minors. The law was narrowed down, from all medical treatment of gender dysphoria in minors, but was amended until it only included surgery, which is rarely performed on minors. This story comes from LGBTQ Nation.

In South Carolina, lawmakers chose March 31 as a good day to put their ban on transgender women in sports on the fast-track. The Post And Courier has this story.

Governor Spencer Cox of Utah signed a bill designed to protect school districts from lawsuits over the ban on transgender athletes. This story comes from KSL-TV.

Law students at the University of Utah provide legal help pro bono to LGBTQ+ people. ABC 4 Salt Lake City has this story.

Beto O’Rourke, who is running for Governor of Texas, wore a t-shirt showing support for transgender children in Texas on Transgender Day of Visibility. The T-shirt says, “Don’t mess with trans kids.” This story comes from The Advocate.

The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to states on Thursday, warning against legislation that discriminates against transgender children. The letter says, “Intentionally erecting discriminatory barriers to prevent individuals from receiving gender-affirming care implicates a number of federal legal guarantees.” The letter was signed by Kristen Clarke, the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Civil Rights division at the Department of Justice. The letter was sent to state attorneys general. Reuters has this story. Alyssa Washington sent us the link to this story.

Last week, we reported that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told a school board to stop a pride celebration, stating that LGBTQ people were “predators.” The superintendent who received that letter has made her response public. “I want all our LGBTQIA+ students to know that we are proud of them and that we will protect them against political attacks,” she wrote. You can read more at LGBTQ Nation.

The Associated Press reports that the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has given a high priority to investigations of families with transgender children for potential “child abuse.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill into law. The Advocate reports that 16 other states are considering legislation along the same lines. Alyssa Washington sent us a link to this story.

According to The Buckeye Flame, Ohio has a version of a curriculum censorship bill, but it is really a “Trans Ban.” Alyssa Washington sent us the link to this story.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem signed her state’s ban on “Divisive Concepts” into law. The bill is South Dakota’s version of a “Don’t Say Gay” bill, according to them.

Marjorie Taylor Greene says that she is working on a federal version of a Don’t Say Gay bill, according to LGBTQ Nation.

Last week, Marjorie Taylor Green urged Pete Buttigieg and his husband to “stay out of girls’ bathrooms.” That was never really an issue, and showed just how far from reality the Representative can be. The Advocate has the Secretary of Transportation’s response.

The Supreme Court of Iowa upheld a jury verdict which held that the state prison should have allowed a transgender nurse to use the men’s locker room and restroom at the prison where he worked. The Advocate has this story. Alyssa Washington sent us a link to this story.

California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Andi Mudryk as a judge of the Sacramento County Superior Court. She is the first transgender judge to be appointed in California. (The Honorable Victoria Kolakowski was elected as a judge in 2010, the first time a transgender person was elected as a judge in California.) LGBTQ Nation has this story.

A court has ruled that Kelly Gonzalez Aguillar, who has been in ICE custody for the last three years, should receive asylum in the U.S. due to the mistreatment she got as a transgender person in her native Honduras. This story comes from LGBTQ Nation.

Becker’s Hospital Review reports that AthenaOne, the cloud-based electronic health record, has added new fields to help transgender patients. These fields include preferred name and pronouns.

The U.S. Olympic Committee has chosen Salt Lake City as the next U.S. site to be a host for the Olympic Games. The Committee will not let the new Utah law on transgender athletes prevent it from promoting Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake Tribune has this story.

Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider attended Transgender Day of Visibility events at the White House. She even gave a press briefing while she was there. This story comes from PinkNews.

At the end of her speech accepting the Academy Award as Best Actress, Jessica Chastain called out “discriminatory and bigoted legislation that is sweeping our country with the only goal of further dividing us.” She also mentioned the problems of suicide and violence, and mentioned that suicide is especially common among transgender people. You can find this story at them.

Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges has been ruled ineligible for the British National Omnium Championship. She feels that the ruling is unfair. PinkNews reports that this would have been her first time competing as a female.

Elliot Page’s character on The Umbrella Academy is about to come out as transgender. CNN Entertainment has this story.

PinkNews has a list of 27 transgender celebrities.

Ariana Grande has agreed to match pledges, up to $1.5 million, to certain charities that will use the funds to support transgender youth. This story comes from Glamour.

An unidentified source claims that Disney wants to have more LGBTQ representation. This is reminiscent of Alice asking, “How can I have more tea, when I haven’t had any?” With the exception of Mulan, gender-nonconforming characters are hard to spot in Disney movies and television shows. Out.com says that just having more LGBTQ+ characters isn’t enough, if those characters are not a vital part of the story.

Jake and Hannah Graf are expecting their second child. PinkNews has more on this story.

Frank Lero, formerly of My Chemical Romance, wants to sell chest binders as branded merchandise. He says that fans approached him with the idea, and he went along with it. This story comes from them.

The Advocate recommends BEING Trans, a podcast on which four trans people discuss life in Los Angeles.

Them announced a new monthly column entitled T4T, meaning transperson for transperson.

Some fans of the British chat show Loose Women are calling for Stephanie Hirst to be added to the cast, after she appeared this week to talk about her gender journey. PinkNews has this story.

Trinity the Tuck became the latest queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race to announce that she is transgender and non-binary. She sat for an interview with Out.com.

RuPaul recognized a merchandising opportunity. Ru is selling autographed versions of her chia pet in drag. Out.com has this story.

Trixie Mattel has a new side gig–the Trixie Motel in Reno. This story comes from Out Traveler.

Out.com has the story of a wife who is defending her drag queen husband from his homophobic family.

Caitlyn Jenner chose to announce on Transgender Day of Visibility that she will be seen as a contributor on Fox News. Recent reporting in them shows that transgender rights are supported by almost every group except consumers of right-wing news, so perhaps she can get the message to the last holdouts. Probably not–it seems more that they are getting their message to her. Variety has the story of Ms. Jenner’s announcement. Alyssa Washington sent us this and another link.

Jamie Wallis, a Member of Parliament in Britain, talked this week about his experiences with gender dysphoria. While he continues to use male pronouns, he is regarded as the first transgender M.P. This story comes from PinkNews.

High-ups in the Conservative Party leadership praised Jamie Wallis for coming out as transgender. PinkNews has this story.

Juno Birch, who does a show as a drag alien, sat for an interview with PinkNews.

A long story in New York Magazine tells the story of how the Bell v. Tavistock legal case affected one transgender teen’s search for health care in Britain.

A leaked document seems to show that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his government will amend a proposed ban on conversion therapy so it does not apply to transgender people. PinkNews explains what conversion therapy is.

Several transgender advocates warned the Prime Minister about the potential effects of allowing transgender people to still receive conversion therapy. PinkNews has this story.

PinkNews has the story of how a property dispute in a divorce case in 1970 led to the diminishing of transgender rights in Britain.

When asked, “Can a woman have a penis?” Labour Party leader Sir Kier Starmer seemed to not have a ready answer, and struggled to come out with a response. The following day, Angela Rayner, a Deputy Leader of the Party, had a much more cogent, and perhaps prepared, answer to that question, according to PinkNews. Her response was quite trans-inclusive. Alyssa Washington sent us a link to this story.

The Daily Mail has the story of a transgender person, the father of two, who was charged with pedophilia and sentenced to three years in prison with men.

Transgender women in Pakistan held a protest to bring awareness to the rising tide of violence directed against them. The Guardian has this story.

Pantene sponsored a short film about a transgender woman’s quinceañera, held later in her life, because her family would not allow her to have one when she turned 15. This story can be found Public Relations Newswire.

LGBTQ Nation has a story about how Transgender Day of Visibility has become a world-wide event.

Toni-Michelle Williams is the executive director of Snap Co., a cooperative which fights for the safety of Black people, and especially Black queer people. Snap also tries to train the next generation of leaders for the Black trans community. This caught the attention of LGBTQ Nation.

Lesbian and Gay News, a product of the gender-critical LGB Alliance, has shut down operations. They had trouble getting advertising, according to them.

Nat Vikitsreth writes in them about the safety, privilege, and invisibility they found by living stealthily.

Race and gender sometimes intertwine. Leigh Thomas writes in The Advocate that being Black taught them something about being non-binary.

A surprisingly high percentage of transgender people are also on the autism scale. A transgender man named Charlie Middleton writes about his experiences with being diagnosed as autistic. PinkNews has this story.

On Transgender Day of Visibility, them had a story about Rita Hester, whose murder in 1998 prompted Gwendolyn Anne Smith to create Transgender Day of Remembrance.

An editorial in The Pennsylvania Capital Star condemns the Republicans in the state legislature for the exercise that is that state’s ban on transgender athletes. It will be vetoed by the governor, and they do not have the votes to override. Nonetheless, they sent the message that they will go out to be cruel to a vulnerable community.

The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard hosted a panel on Gender Equity Research, as a part of Transgender Day of Visibility. The Harvard Crimson has a review.

The United Nations chose Transgender Day of Visibility to announce the new Unbox Me campaign, an initiative designed to promote greater inclusion and acceptance of transgender children, as well as human rights for all transgender people. You can read about it on The U.N. web site.

In her third story for LGBTQ Nation, Sarah Ashton-Cirillo reports that Transgender Day of Visibility feels different when a transgender person is in a war zone.

Last year, as Kelsey Waits was running for e-election to the local school board, her child was outed as transgender, and that became an issue in the election. She has now joined with two other mothers of transgender children to found a new charity for families with transgender children. It is called the TransParent Alliance, and its mission to connect, empower, and educate families with transgender children is highlighted in a story by WMSP-TV.

We have several stories about Utah this week. Here is one more. Some LGBTQ+ students in Utah organized a Queer Prom, as a response to that state’s anti-transgender legislation. The organizers hope to make the Prom an annual event, for students who cannot bring their date to their school’s prom. The Advocate has this story.

The New Yorker has a profile of some of the families in Texas are coping, after Governor Greg Abbott ordered the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate parents of transgender children for potential child abuse.

We told you above about Beto O’Rourke wearing a “Don’t Mess With Trans Kids” t-shirt. The Advocate talked with the founder of the group which produced that shirt.

The message that is being sent by many transgender people on Transgender Day of Visibility is that we are not that different from other people. That message comes through in a story from WAVY-TV.

TWITs

As expected, certain far-right news sites celebrated Transgender Day of Visibility in their own way. Fox News headlines “Biden administration endorses transgender youth sex-change operations, ‘top surgery,’ hormone therapy.” The subhead says, “WH encourages gender reassignment surgery, puberty blockers, hormone therapy for transgender minors.” The New York Post has the headline, “Biden stays trans people ‘made in image of God,’ parents must ‘affirm’ identity.” For bias, and playing into the prejudices of their audience, and for encouraging the lack of compassion that is already evident in their audience, Fox News, the New York Post, and other far right sites get a TWIT Award.

An antiques shop in Virginia has gone viral with not one, but three anti-transgender screeds on Facebook. The messages are featured in The Advocate. The first message started out about Lia Thomas, who has no known connection to the business, and then went on from there. For bringing up unnecessary topics, for showing little knowledge about the issue and calling that lack of knowledge “common sense,” and for promoting their own right to express bias as greater than the right of other people to live, Keith Mindel gets a TWIT Award. Alyssa Washington sent us the link.

Tucker Carlson used Transgender Day of Visibility to ask why transgender people “didn’t exist before four years ago.” We did, but you didn’t acknowledge us. For ignoring Lili Elbe, Christine Jorgensen, April Ashley, and so many others, for ignoring the history of Transgender Day of Visibility, and for promoting his bias based on bad information, Tucker Carlson gets yet another TWIT. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

ITV News has uncovered a document which shows that Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to amend the ban on conversion therapy to allow the horrible practice to be used on transgender people. For even thinking about allowing transgender people to be subjected to this degrading practice which specializes in shame and which does not work, Boris Johnson and his government get a TWIT Award.

Robert Foster, who opposed transgender rights while in the Mississippi state legislature, has called for “firing squads” for supporters of transgender rights. For supporting violence as an answer to political opposition, and for promotion of bias, Robert Foster gets a TWIT Award. The Advocate 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.

Tags: featured, news, Transgender, TWIT

Category: Transgender Community News