The Week In Trans 6/15/20

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Rosemary Ketchum

Rosemary Ketchum became the first transgender person to win an election in West Virginia when she was elected to a seat on the Wheeling City Council this week. She focused her campaign on affordable housing, combatting the opioid crisis, and investing in infrastructure and renewable energy. The Hill has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for the link.

The NCAA will discuss moving basketball tournament games out of Idaho because of the state’s ban on transgender females in women’s sports. Boise State University is scheduled to host games in the first and second rounds next March. The AP’s story can be found on ESPN. The NCAA’s brief statement on the new law can be found at Idaho News.

The body of Dominique Rem’mie Fells, a black transgender woman, was found on the banks of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. She had been stabbed, and her legs had been severed. Philadelphia Gay News has this story.

Riah Milton was found shot to death during a robbery attempt in Liberty Township, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. Two men have been arrested in connection with the shooting, according to Local 12 News.

Thousands of marchers dressed in white flooded several blocks around the Brooklyn Museum to support human rights for black transgender people Sunday afternoon. The march comes days after the reported deaths of two black transgender women, Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells in Philadelphia and Riah Milton in Liberty Township, Ohio. Both are being investigated as homicides.

Tallahassee Police asked to protect the identity of the officer who shot Tony McDade, citing a law which protects victims of crime. However, a judge has refused that request, saying that the evidence provided is not sufficient for such a decision. Pink News has this story.

There have been calls to include violence against black transgender people, especially black transgender women, in the demonstrations by Black Lives Matter, according to Reuters.

One location where the Black Lives Matters protests are talking about black transgender people is Syracuse, New York. Spectrum Local has this story.

Ianne Fields Stewart

We told you last week about Ianne Fields Stewart, who spoke out about black transgender people at a Black Lives Matter event. She was interviewed by Out.com about her charity, The Okra Project, which helps to provide meal money for needy transgender people.

Joan Foch is a 23-year-old transgender woman who was arrested in connection with protests in Seattle. She says that she was held for two days in a prison with men. The Daily Mail has this story.

We told you of a new lawsuit against the Secretary of Defense, to prevent the forced separation of a transgender woman from the U.S. Navy. We also told you that the Navy agreed to give this woman an exemption from the ban on transgender people serving in the military, the first exemption to be issued. This week, it was announced that that lawsuit has been dropped. You can read about this in Military.com.

Jacksonville, Florida, passed an amendment to its human rights ordinance in 2017, adding sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes. The Liberty Council claimed in court that they were not allowed to speak against the measure when it originally came up, and a judge agreed with them, striking down the amendment. So, this week, the Jacksonville City Council once more passed the amendment, after giving ample time for opposing voices to be heard. The vote was 15-4. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

In a study which shows something that was darned obvious, a link has been observed between belief in the gender binary and prejudice against transgender people. It is tied to a fear of the unknown and unfamiliar, according to Elvira Prusaczyk, the lead author of the study. You can read about this at PsyPost.

Robina Asti

Robina Asti is a 99-year-old transgender veteran of World War II who is now raising money for LGBTQ youth. Her goal is to raise one million dollars, according to Out.com.

A study by researchers in fertility found that testosterone use does not seem to make the harvesting of eggs that much more difficult. The eggs were found to be usable, according to The Advocate.

Entertainment Tonight has a story on the second season of Pose, and especially on one episode.

LGBTQ Nation looks back at The Queen, a documentary which took a look at the ballroom culture of drag in February in 1967.

Trevor Moran, who gained fame as a 13-year-old on The X-Factor has come out as a transgender woman. She goes by the name of Trevi, according to The New York Post.

Rebecca Root plays the part of the first transgender companion of Doctor Who, in a Big Finish audio drama. The character, Tania Bell, is a companion of the Eighth Doctor, played by Paul McGann. Nerdist has a brief interview with her.

Munroe Bergdorf

Last week, when L’Oreal of Paris made messages in support of Black Lives Matter, people brought up that time when the company fired Munroe Bergdorf, just weeks after hiring her, because she wrote some messages on social media condemning white supremacy. The company has rehired her, according to Pink News.

Zarah Sultana, a Member of Parliament for the Labour party, has asked Liz Truss to clarify her comments to the Women and Equalities Select Committee. “I would be grateful for an explanation as to the connection and relevance of the protection of single-space spaces to reform of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 (GRA). As you know these protections are enshrined in the Equality Act 2010, which is not under review.” She also asked why the general standards for minors granting permission for medical treatment were not enough to cover those minors seeking medical help for matters related to their gender. Pink News has this story.

A fight is underway at the University of Alberta, where Kathleen Lowrey lost her position as associate chair of anthropology. She claims it was due to her views on “biological sex.” She also claims that she was not given a chance to defend herself in the matter. You can read about this in The Edmonton Journal.

Human Rights Watch has the story of Maha al-Mutairi, a transgender woman in Kuwait, where “imitating the opposite sex” is a violation of the law.

Hungary’s laws that list “birth sex” rather than gender on official documents gets a human touch in an article from Reuters.

A transgender woman in Bangkok is charged with murdering her boyfriend. The Bangkok Post has this story.

Pink News has a video with some makeup tips for transgender women during Pride month.

Amanda Skinner’s daughter at Pride.

In a continuing series of pictures from Pride celebrations of years past, LGBTQ Nation has a picture from last year’s Atlanta Pride, when Amanda Skinner’s transgender daughter appeared at her first Pride.

Deb Spera writes about how she was worried when her daughter came out as transgender, but now she sees her daughter’s joy. Her essay can be found in The Huffington Post.

Celebrating Pride Month Study.com anticipates that LGBTQ+ students might have questions about applying for and attending college and it might be difficult to find answers. They have developed comprehensive college and scholarship guides for LGBTQ+ students. Students need critical information regarding their college education and career choices to help set them up for success. Check out the College Guide for LGBTQ Students and Scholarship Guide for LGBTQ Students online.

TWITs

After months of discussion, which was kept quiet for as long as possible, the Department of Health and Human Services announced it is implementing a new interpretation of “sex” that excludes gender. This move comes in the middle of a pandemic, and in the middle of Pride month. While there is no such thing as a good time to show prejudice, the timing of this is particularly hurtful. For not caring about others, the Trump administration, and especially Roger Severino, get a TWIT Award. The Hill has this story. They have another story about the reaction of Democrats to the announcement. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

The Trump administration also made a new rule which allows an immigration judge to reject the asylum case of a transgender immigrant without even allowing the immigrant a chance to argue the case. For adding a new level of persecution to people fleeing persecution, the Trump administration gets another TWIT. You can find this story at LGBTQ Nation.

And, believe it or not, as this was happening, the Republican Party published the claim that “President Trump Has Taken Unprecedented Steps To Protect The LGBTQ Community.” For rewriting history, the G.O.P. gets a TWIT Award.

We reported a few weeks ago that Jared Kushner suggested replacing the Republican Party platform with a list of ten points. Instead of that, the Republican party decided to just recycle their platform from 2016. That platform supports conversion therapy, a practice which is opposed by every major mental health organization. The platform also opposes the expansion of civil rights based on sexual orientation and gender identity, supports the ban on transgender people in the military, and calls for an end to same-sex marriage. For staying behind the times, with no concern for others, the Republican Party gets a TWIT Award. You can read about this in LGBTQ Nation. [Editor’s Note: Ironically the 2016 platform also includes this language, which hasn’t be changed: “The President has been regulating to death a free market economy that he does not like and does not understand. He defies the laws of the United States by refusing to enforce those with which he does not agree. And he appoints judges who legislate from the bench rather than apply the law.”]

Dr. Levine

Paul Abel, a member of the Scott Township Commission near Pittsburgh, said during a Zoom meeting, “I’m tired of listening to a guy dressed up like a woman,” referring to the state’s Secretary of Health, Rachel Levine. For deliberate and flagrant misgendering, as well a just plain rudeness, Paul Abel gets a TWIT. KDKA News has this story.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has abandoned plans to allow transgender people to self-identify as the opposite sex, according to reports. The PM was considering controversial changes to the Gender Recognition Act to allow those who question their gender to alter their birth certificates without a medical diagnosis. But these have been ditched so the current requirement for two doctors to sign off on the change could remain, according to the Sunday Times. A TWIT Award is issued to PM Johnson, posthaste.

The J.K. Rowling section

Rowling as many in the trans community now see her.

Some weeks, it seems like one story just dominates space. This week, while the story of the protests over the murder of George Floyd gives way to the continuing issue of COVID-19, the story that dominated transgender news was J.K. Rowling. As we reported last week, she released a series of tweets, making it clear that she stands with gender-critical people.

This week, she released an essay on her website, defining and defending her gender-critical views. The essay contains more than 3,600 words, so yes, she did go on at some length.

She soon met with opposition, not only from groups such as GLAAD (see the story at Entertainment Tonight).

Many of the actors and actresses from the Harry Potter series responded to her tweets. These include Daniel Radcliffe writing at The Trevor Project, as well as tweets from Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Eddie Redmayne, Evanna Lynch, Katie Leung, Chris Rankin, and Noma Dumezweni. All disagreed with J.K. Rowling’s views on gender.

Warner Brothers issued a one-paragraph statement stressing their commitment to diversity and empathy. You can see the story at Deadline. In addition to theme park attractions based on the Harry Potter books, Warner Brothers was to be filming its third installment in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them right now, with a release date of next November 12. The production has been on hold since march, due to COVID-19 shutdowns. There are to be a total of five films in this series.

I wrote my own reply to J.K. Rowling, which you can find here.

Rowling Related TWIT

In her essay, J.K. Rowling mentions that one reason she feels uncertain about transgender women in “women-only spaces” is that she is a survivor of domestic and sexual abuse. The Sun put an interview with her first husband on the front page. According to the headline, “JK Rowling’s abusive first husband admits he slapped her but says ‘I’m not sorry’.” For giving a front-page voice to this jerk, The Sun gets a TWIT Award. You can read about the reaction to this here.

Jonathan Ross, the host of a television talk show in Britain (where they would say he is the presenter of a chat show), tweeted, “@jk_rowling is both right and magnificent. For those accusing her of transphobia, please read what she wrote. She clearly is not.” (See the story at Pink News.) After his daughter posted a very different opinion (see the story at Pink News), his next tweet said, “Having talked to some people (OK, my daughters) re my earlier tweet, I’ve come to accept that I’m not in a position to decide what is or isn’t transphobic. It’s a wildly sensitive subject. Let’s keep talking.” (see story at Pink News). While we respect him for having the guts to change his mind we still have to give him a TWIT for the original post.

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