The Week In Trans 5/31/21

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Today is the end of the Texas legislative session. Democrats in the state Legislature managed to run out the clock on that state’s bill to ban transgender athletes in school sports. The Hill has this story. PinkNews reports that a chant of “Protect trans kids” rang out at the capitol in Austin as the clock was running out. LGBTQ Nation reports that Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has asked Governor Greg Abbott to call a special session of the legislature to pass the transgender athletes bill, despite the fact that there are no transgender athletes playing in Texas playing on the team of the gender with which they identify. (The state high school athletic board requires students to play according to the sex assigned at birth.) CBS Austin reports that transgender advocates are ready to fight this battle in a special session, if there is one.

In Louisiana, the legislature passed its ban on transgender athletes, despite the fact that there are no transgender athletes in Louisiana. Governor John Bel Edwards vowed to veto that bill, but the bill passed with enough votes to override the veto, according to The Louisiana Illuminator.

A federal lawsuit has been filed against the new transgender athlete law in West Virginia. ESPN has the AP’s story.

A new poll came out from Gallup this week. Several different sources led with different findings:

• Them leads with the fact that half of young people say that they know someone who is transgender. Overall, 31% of people report knowing someone who is transgender.

• CNN reports that respondents are overwhelmingly in favor of transgender people in the military.
• NPR notes that the survey shows less support for transgender athletes.
• The Advocate reports that the Human Rights Campaign has a survey which suggests the lack of support for transgender athletes might be an outlier.

Fifty current and former college athletes who self-identify as either transgender or non-binary have signed a letter protesting the NCAA women’s softball tournament holding games in states which have enacted bans on transgender athletes. This story comes from Sports Illustrated.

All Things Considered has an interview with a researcher who is trying to apply science to the debate on transgender athletes.

As the part-time legislatures in many conservative states reach the end of their annual sessions, some trends from this year are emerging. While Arkansas was an early leader in anti-transgender legislation, Tennessee has pulled ahead, according to The AP.

One of the new anti-transgender laws in Tennessee requires businesses to post a notice if transgender people are allowed to use the restroom of the gender with which they identify. Although its sponsor proudly says that the law includes a possible prison sentence for failure to comply, the Nashville DA has said that he will not prosecute businesses for skirting this law. Them has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this and other stories.

A commentary piece in LGBTQ Nation tells us that Tennessee’s new anti-transgender laws are telling us that we are not welcome in that state, and the article suggests that we ought to simply stay out of the state, if we can.

The state of Arkansas is being sued over the constitutionality of its new law blocking doctors from medically treating gender dysphoria in minors. NBC News points out that, in addition to questions about the law and its impact, there are questions about the legislative procedure, cutting short the time for testimony against the bill. A look at the parents who are party to this lawsuit can be found in them. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

The Texas Tribune has a story about the toll that the anti-transgender legislation is taking on families involved, even though the legislature did not pass those bills.

Even in states where no new anti-transgender laws have been proposed, transgender students are feeling pressure due to the proposed legislature elsewhere. It is showing up in their schoolwork, according to an article from ABC News.

An article in Bloomberg Law suggests that changing cultural views, as well as newly-appointed federal judges, may affect the outcome of the Gavin Grimm case, which is still in the courts. Although the article is specific to the one case, its findings could apply to other cases involving laws about transgender people as well.

College of the Ozarks lost the first round in its defense of how it deals with housing transgender students. There is likely to be an appeal, according to PinkNews.

In Oregon, Governor Kate Brown signed a bill to outlaw gay–and trans–panic defenses in that state. LGBTQ Nation reports that 14 states and the District of Columbia have outlawed gay and trans-panic as a defense.

Oliver Taylor, a 17-year-old transgender man from Oregon, was kidnapped and died of a gunshot wound. A suspect has been arrested, according to The Advocate. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

Thomas Hardin, a Black transgender woman, was murdered in York, South Carolina by a former romantic partner. Reports that she was transgender are just now coming out, although she was killed on May 2. Police have arrested a suspect. The Advocate has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

A transgender man named Haven A Bailey was shot by police and died of the wound. He had been carrying a pellet gun which police say was made to look like a pistol. This story comes from PinkNews. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

WPIX-TV reports of a transgender teen being raped in Central Park.

A transgender woman who responded to a Grindr date was viciously attacked because she did not want to have sex with him. This story comes from PinkNews.

Chad Sanford, a 13-year-old transgender student in south Florida, was bullied by a fellow student in the school hallway, and the bullying was caught on video. WTVJ-TV has this story.

The FBI is offering a reward for helping to find the killer of a trans woman, Jenna Franks, who was killed in Jacksonville, North Carolina. This story comes from The Jacksonville Daily News.

Nona Conner, a Black trans activist from Washington, D.C., has died of natural causes at the young age of 37. The Advocate has this story.

Jessie Nieusma describes himself as a father, a builder, a yogi, and leading voice for the transgender community. He is a board member of the Muskegon, Michigan, chapter of PFLAG, as well as a gender and sexuality educator. He was interviewed by The Lakeshore.

A Chicago transgender activist named Lasaia Waid was interviewed by The Chicago Tribune.

Marshall Shore, known as the “Hip Historian, conducts various ghost tours of the state, recently bought a headstone for a transgender man who was buried without a marker in the early 1900s. He tells the story of Nicolai De Raylan to KOLD-TV.

The Trevor Project came out with a new National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health. LGBTQ Nation notes that the survey finds half of transgender youth contemplated suicide in the past year, due to political attacks. The same survey finds yet again that transgender youth whose families affirm their gender identity are significantly less likely to have transgender ideation, as them reports. The full survey can be found at The Trevor Project.

It is no secret that the transgender community faces unique barriers for primary care for health. That is the topic of an article at Clinical Advisor.

One of the problems that transgender people have with accessing health care is the cost, especially in the United States. Parents of a transgender teenager were given a bill for $60,000 for their daughter’s gender-confirmation surgery. PinkNews reports that the parents are suing the insurance company which refused to pay.

Dr. Stephanie Ho is a family medicine physician in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She has some transgender patients in her practice, so the new law about medical treatment of gender dysphoria in minors will affect the care she can give to some of her patients. She is one of the doctors who talked to NBC News about their concerns regarding the new law.

Senator Rand Paul, an M.D. in ophthalmology, has said that he would not get a COVID vaccine, because medical decisions should be personal. Yet, he wants a national ban on medical treatment of gender dysphoria in minors. Apparently, his medical decisions are more private than other people’s. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

Layshia Clarendon, the first openly non-binary person in the WNBA, has a new team. She was waived by the New York Liberty last week, and this week, she joined the Minnesota Lynx. This story comes from them.

Rebekah Bruesehoff continues to talk of why participating in sports is important to her. CBS News has her story.

Caitlyn Jenner has a new, but not improved, position on transgender athletes. She wants to have a new commission determine who is “truly trans” enough to participate in sports. She wondered why she kept getting asked this question. Perhaps it’s because her political party made it an issue? This story comes from Newsweek.

Hailey Davidson recently won a golf tournament which is often a stepping stone to the LPGA. Hailey Davidson is transgender, and the topic of transgender women competing in women’s athletics is in the news. Click Orlando has this story.

Chelsea Mitchell, one of the cisgender runners who sued the Connecticut state high school athletic board for allowing transgender females to run in a race, wrote a piece about it for USA Today. The newspaper changed her piece; where she referred to her competitors as “male” athletes, the newspaper changed it to “transgender” athletes. Fox News has a piece accusing the paper of taking sides, with no hint of the hypocrisy of Fox News accusing others of bias.

Out magazine has comments from Angelica Ross, Indya Moore, and Steven Canals about the legacy of Pose, which will air its last episode on Sunday.

Hulu has a new Madagascar: A Little Wild cartoon, and it features a new non-binary character. You can read about it at them.

Elliot Page posted a picture of himself shirtless at a pool. In the Instagram photo, he seems very happy. Them has this story.

Demi Lovato talked about why it took her so long to come out as non-binary, and what it has meant for her to finally say this, in a new interview. People magazine has an exclusive clip.

Shakina Nayfack came out as non-binary this week, and updated their pronouns. Shakina has been out as transgender for some time. Out.com has this story.

Paris Lees has a new memoir, What It Feels Like For A Girl. She talked about the book in an interview with them.

The gaming platform Twitch has introduced new tags including “transgender” and “queer”. They reached out to some transgender groups for help, and they got it. Polygon has this story.

Transgender actress Hunter Schafer has a preacher for a father. Mac Schafer wrote an article for People magazine, in which he explains why people of faith need to accept transgender people as a part of God’s creation.

Paula Stone Williams was the leader of an anti-LGBTQ church for 35 years. She left to transition gender. She has a new book about the experience, entitled As A Woman. She admits, “I have a lot to make up for.” Her story is in People magazine.

Drag Race All Stars announced their roster for Season 6. Three of the queens will be making a return to All Stars. Them has this story.

Etcetera Etcetera, who competed on the first season of Drag Race Down Under, talked about the difficulties of being a non-binary drag queen, in an interview with them.

A student accepted a degree in dentistry from Temple University, while in the drag persona of Ruth Canal. The video of the ceremony was cute, but the video of Ruth Canal later that day, after a bit too much celebrating, was not so cute. The Advocate has this story.

Liz Truss admitted this week that the LGBT Advisory Panel, which was supposed to guide changes to the Gender Recognition Act, fell apart due to “fundamental disagreements” among the members. She further admitted that some members of the panel supported “self-ID for gender recognition certificates,” while she wasn’t ready to go that far. This story comes from them.

One of the founders of Stonewall said that the British charity should “stay out” of the fight for transgender rights. The current CEO, Nancy Kelley, responded, “Times change, needs change, charities change,” and said that the group would continue to fight for the rights of transgender people. PinkNews has this story.

A story in the British press alleges that Stonewall gave “potentially illegal” advice about employers’ obligations under the Equality Act 2010. Stonewall had to defend itself against the charges, saying that their advice was based on the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Code of Practice. Details of this argument can be found in PinkNews.

In Ontario, Seth Bertrans has been arrested. He has been described as a “Neo-Nazi,” and has been known for vandalizing a transgender support center, as well as attacks on LGBTQ people. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

A court in Japan upheld an employer’s right to limit which restroom a transgender employee can use. Kyodo News has this story.

Human Rights Watch reports that there is growing momentum to change the law about transgender people in Japan. Specifically, reformers want to end the requirement for sterilization and the diagnosis of a mental health disorder.

Chinese transgender star Jin Xing has been chosen as the face of Dior fragrances in a new ad campaign. This caught the attention of South China Morning Post.

A few weeks ago, a video showed a New Jersey vice-principal throwing beer on someone while his wife went into a tirade about a transgender person using the ladies’ restroom. This week, that vice-principal countersued some patrons for harassment. The result of this was that a judge ordered mediation to settle the claims of both lawsuits, according to the Associated Press.

The Daily Mail has the story of parents who won a lawsuit against the software firm that employs them, because the firm’s owner called their transgender son “evil” and said they would “go to hell” for supporting him.

TWITs

Tucker Carlson said on his Fox News program that President Biden supports the idea that an eight-year-old can be transgender. He did, and he did fumble the wording of his thought, as he will do sometimes. Tucker Carlson goes on to note the high instance of suicide among transgender people, as if to wonder why anyone would decide to increase their odds of suicide at the age of eight. For jumping around in a manner that makes an argument which consists of complete hogwash, Tucker Carlson gets a TWIT Award.

Lauren Boebert wrote on Twitter that her “pronouns are patriot.” Many point out that that isn’t a pronoun, a complaint that should be expanded to note the abrupt change from the plural subject and verb “my pronouns are” to the singular predicate noun, “patriot.” For thinking that the term “patriot” can be self-imposed, rather than being earned by action, Lauren Boebert gets a TWIT Award. LGBTQ Nation has more reaction to her statement.

Bill Donahue looked at the recent Gallup poll and used it as a jumping-off point for a show of his biases. He asked why they didn’t ask a question about transgender people showering with others. For giving him a platform for his prejudices, The Catholic News Agency gets a TWIT.

60 Minutes did a story on transgender youth. Leslie Stahl spent a good bit of time in the segment talking with detransitioners. The piece has become a talking point among right-wing media, who consider it proof that the main-stream media has been lying about transgender people. Media Matters for America has a round-up of some of the responses. GLAAD wrote a seven-tweet response to the segment, which you can read courtesy of LGBTQ Nation. Laverne Cox’s criticism of the piece can be found at them. An editorial at them tells 60 Minutes that it is impossible to present both sides of a civil rights issue like this without seeming to support bigotry. For showing support to opponents of civil rights, 60 Minutes 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