The Week In Trans 7/12/21

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This week, Tessa Ganserer became the first transgender person to announce a run for the German parliament. She tells Reuters she feels compelled to oppose the government’s slow movement on transgender rights.

Curb Records in Nashville filed suit to oppose the new bathroom bill in Tennessee. They claim that posting the newly-required sign promotes a hostile environment for LGBTQ people in the state. This is just one of the lawsuits which has already been filed against the new law, according to NBC News.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called a special session of the state legislature. While the subject of transgender children in athletics is on the agenda he provided, the subject which he most wants resolved is a bill to change voting procedures. Other topics are potential bargaining chips to reach a compromise, if necessary, in regards to the voting bill. Them has this story, but overplays the importance of transgender athletes on the agenda.

This year saw the largest number of anti-transgender bills ever, according to the Human Rights Campaign, as reported by Knights News.

An article in Politico suggests that the rash of anti-transgender laws is the result of reaction to President Biden signing an executive order protecting transgender people as one of his first acts in office.

Utah is one Republican-majority state which did not pass an anti-transgender law, though it is not for lack of trying. Although there is no evidence that any transgender students have participated in school athletics in the state, some folks have wanted to pass a law to prevent it from ever happening. Senators who voted against such a law now say that they are open to a compromise, which would include testosterone testing. KUER public radio has this story.

CNN has an article about how transgender athletes, and Laurel Hubbard in specific, have “sparked an existential debate about what it means to be female.”

A month after police found the decomposing body of DeeDee Thomas in a dumpster in Harlem, police have now labeled her death as “suspicious.” While we feel that the designation should have been obvious, we are glad that it has finally been given this designation. This story comes from Planet Transgender.

A transgender person lost a discrimination case on a technicality. Lawyers for the transgender person tried to argue that “comparator evidence” is not the only way to show discrimination. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that comparator evidence is necessary to show discrimination on the basis of sex–it is necessary to show that what was done to one person is not comparable to what happened to someone else. JD Supra has this story.

An article in The National Law Review looks at the history and impact of Gavin Grimm’s lawsuit against the Gloucester County School Board.

The Virginia Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of a teacher who was suspended for not respecting the gender identity of a transgender student. This story comes from Inside NOVA.

When you think of occupations where transgender people have difficulty being accepted, the veterinary field may not come to mind right away. However, the Pride Veterinary Medical Community put together a Gender Identity Bill of Rights for the field. The American Veterinary Medical Association has this story.

On Ellen, RuPaul revealed that one of the fans of Drag Race whom he least expected to be an admitted fan was the late Kobe Bryant. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

The National Education Association had its annual meeting, and the two biggest resolutions were one to support critical race theory and one to oppose outright bans on transgender athletes. This story comes from the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs.

A court in New Jersey upheld a ruling against Jews Offering New Alternatives to Healing, a group which claimed to help patients overcome same-sex attractions. The state fined them $3.5 million and put them out of business, accusing them of operating in the field of conversion therapy. Them has this story.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine approved a new law which allows doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals to refuse to care for patients on the grounds of “deeply-held religious beliefs.” Under the bill, the objection is limited to the health care procedure, not to the patient or the patient’s “lifestyle,” although this difference may be hard to enforce. This story comes from them. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this and other stories this week.

A journal article for the American Heart Association finds that transgender and gender diverse people have higher than average rates of heart problems than the general public, and this is related to stress from discrimination. The AHA is recommending additional training of medical professionals to reduce the stress on transgender people. Healio has the press release from the American Heart Association.

An article in Physician’s Weekly suggests that mental, physical, and sexual abuse of transgender adolescents is all increasing.

The increase in the number of patients seeking help for a gender identity issue has caused a backlog accessing counselors and doctors. The American Academy of Pediatrics Journal has an article with suggestions how patients can receive some help while waiting for an appointment with a gender care professional.

Nick Lloyd self-describes as “a transgender, non-binary person.” Nick got an abortion to end an unwanted pregnancy, and found that abortion clinics had the word “women’s” in their names as well as having a lot of gendered language in their written information. This caused quite a bit of gender dysphoria, according to an article Nick wrote for Women’s Health.

All Things Considered had a story on VA health care preparing to handle transgender patients.

Lehlogonolo Machaba is the first openly transgender woman to be crowned Miss South Africa. PinkNews has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

Precious Brady-Davis has written a book about her life. From bouncing around foster homes to being the first transgender parent in Illinois to be listed on a birth certificate in accordance with their gender identity, it’s in there. It gets a good write-up in The Chicago Tribune.

The new novel Marc Marci, by Larry Goldsmith, features a teenager whose parents die suddenly, and at almost the same time, a terrorist event changes the world. These two events cause the teen to decide to change genders. The Jerusalem Post has more.

Patti Harrison is back, appearing in two skits on the second season of I Think You Should Leave. The series is on Netflix. You can read about it at them.

Non-binary actor Ryan Simpkins talks about playing Alice in the Netflix series Fear Street in an interview with them.

Angelica Ross has a career, and yet, she also is spending her time trying to “curate courage” in underserved communities. LGBTQ Nation has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for the link.

Emma Corrin, who plays Princess Diana on The Crown, posted their new pronouns, as well as pictures with their new chest binder. This story comes from them.

Megan Fox, who is bisexual, revealed in an interview with In Style Magazine that her son is being bullied for wearing dresses. She is very protective of that son, according to The Advocate.

Out.com published shirtless pictures of ten trans or non-binary males. Yes, Elliot Page is one of the ten.

Disney theme parks have decided to drop the habit addressing announcements to “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,” and instead address “dreamers of all ages.” As soon as the new greeting became public knowledge, it met with resistance from the sorts of folks whom you would expect. This story comes from Deadline.

Mermaids was hit with a fine by the Information Commissioner’s Office because some software that they set up made it possible for people to get sensitive data, including the names and email addresses of members. The Independent has this story.

Chester Women’s Aid made a public announcement that they would not participate in the Chester Women’s March, because the organizers of the march did not include transgender women among the list of women killed by men’s violence. This story can be found in PinkNews.

Essex University issued a “very sincere apology” to transgender and non-binary students and staff. The university was the subject of a recent report that accused it of bullying and harassment of transgender and non-binary students and staff in recent days. PinkNews has this story.

Robert Jenrick a member of Parliament from the Conservative Party, says he is “fully supportive” of the idea of electing an openly transgender or non-binary member of Parliament, something that has not been done yet in Britain but has happened in some other countries. This story comes from PinkNews.

A European court ruled a transgender woman has a right to visit her family, although a Russian court had denied her visitation rights. Human Rights Watch has this story.

Spain passed its new Transgender Equality Law. Opponents say it goes way to far, while some transgender rights advocates say it does not go far enough. This story comes from People’s World.

Hungary’s new anti-LGBTQ law, which forbids pro-LGBTQ “propaganda”, went into effect this week. The government refused to stand down from enacting the bill. NBC News has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for the story tip.

As Hungary’s new anti-LGBTQ law takes effect, advocates and allies created a 30-foot heart of balloons in a rainbow of colors. This story comes from The Advocate.

The first-ever Pride March in Tbilisi, Georgia, was cancelled, due to anti-LGBTQ demonstrations. Some people had torn down the rainbow flags and other decorations at the headquarters, and the organizers had received death threats. The Advocate has this story.

WeChat, the largest social media platform in China, censored pro-LGBTQ messages and went so far as to shut down some accounts. AFP has this story.

The story of Mhelody Bruno, who was strangled to death almost two years ago by a member of the Royal Australian Air Force, continues to evolve. This week, we found out that she was fully clothed when her body was discovered, although she had been choked while having sex. The new findings are revealed by PinkNews.

Two people, including a transgender person, were arrested in connection with the death of a three-month-old girl in Mumbai. Transgender people are often called in to bless children, as Yahoo news points out.

Pakistan opened its first state-run school for transgender students. The school is located in Multan. SF Gate has this story.

India also opened its first state-run school for transgender students. It is located in Palghar, near Mumbai. Them has this story.

A new work of art is going up in Trafalgar Square in London in 2024. It will feature the faces of 850 overlooked transgender people. The artist expects the work to disintegrate over time according to The Guardian.

Isabel Fall wrote a short story titled, I Sexually Identify As An Attack Helicopter. Although the title is not the origin of the anti-transphobic phrase, it did get caught in the battle between transgender people and their allies on one side and opponents of “cancel culture” on the other side. It turns out the the author is a transgender woman, and while she was able to change to a new identity and get on with her life she would never be the same. She even had to check herself into a mental hospital because the uproar had given her suicidal thoughts. Vox has this rather long story.

A commentary piece in LGBTQ Nation asks if there is such a thing as “toxic femininity,” and if so, what does it look like.

In a small town in Arkansas, a child wrote a letter of thanks to a neighbor who displayed the Progress Pride flag. In the letter, the anonymous child said that it means a lot to know that there is “at least one ally in town.” LGBTQ Nation has this story.

An LGBTQ history museum is being planned for New York City. It wants to concentrate on lesser-known LGBTQ heroes. This story comes from them.

West Hollywood is losing its transgender crosswalk, but in its place will be a crosswalk that resembles a Progress Pride rainbow flag. The light blue, pink, and white will now be seen in the chevrons of the rainbow flag. WEHOville has this story.

A staff writer for The Los Angeles Times looked back to the story of Gwen Araujo. Through the modern lens, a number of journalistic mistakes were made at the time, not the least of which were deadnaming the victim and allowing opponents of transgender people (or at least, opponents of this transgender person) to tell their side of things without being challenged.

Coverage of a recent incident which may or may not have happened at a spa in the Los Angeles area (see the first story in the TWITs below) prompted some thoughtful and supportive Letters to the Editor in The Los Angeles Times.

Marlos Mack, the woman behind the How to Be A Girl podcast, wrote about her transgender daughter in an article for Glamour UK.

Teen Vogue asked transgender youth what they wish lawmakers understood about their anti-transgender bills.

Jen Richards talked in an interview with Autostraddle about how she is trying to enhance transgender representation.

TWITs

Last week, we debated whether to cover a story in which a cisgender woman complained about “A MAN” exposing himself in a spa in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles. Certainly, the reaction was over-the-top, but something about the story seemed off, so we decided to hold back, waiting for more information. While the spa itself was still silent about the incident, the news spread widely, and protests erupted. The protests turned violent, and police had to come in to restore order, according to The Los Angeles Blade. The spa finally spoke a bit, saying that none of their “usual transgender clients” had appointments for the day when the alleged incident took place. It is possible that someone new came to the spa and created the incident, but that raises the possibility that the entire thing was staged, or perhaps a hoax, as The Independent points out. We still are unclear what exactly happened, so we cannot award a TWIT to people involved in the incident. However, we do issue a TWIT Award to the media who act as if they know what happened, and who are jumping to score points with their base over this incident.

The Daily Mail casually deadnamed Laurel Hubbard not only in the headline but again in a subhead. For breaking journalistic standards, and for all the reasons which PinkNews mentioned in their article against deadnaming, The Daily Mail gets a TWIT Award for deadnaming. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to PinkNews’s article.

Mumsnet, known for supporting TERFs and those who agree with them, is encouraging teachers to out transgender students to their parents. Can someone tell me a reason why transgender students would not have informed their parents, other than that they doubt  their parents would take it well? (For example, it is understandable that a transgender student would not want to come out to parents who are active members of the majority of Mumsnet.) For suggesting that teachers put transgender students into a situation which is likely to be quite nasty for the student, the members of Mumsnet suggesting teachers out transgender students get a TWIT Award. PinkNews has this story.

People on the far right have been complaining about transgender youth and the people who treat them. People on the far right are also complaining these days about “critical race theory.” The latter has been turned into a catch-all for anything that does not conform to the theories of the far right. LGBTQ Nation reports that “gender ideology” is now being talked of as a part of “critical race theory” by some people on the far right. For a general lack of concern for others, as well as for lazy logic, those who mix “critical race theory” with an acceptance of transgender people get a TWIT.

Anthony and Barbara Scarpo filed a lawsuit against a catholic school because the school taught it was acceptable to be an ally of LGBTQ people. For promoting bigotry, and for insisting on hating the sin to the point that one cannot even consider accepting the sinner as a human being, Anthony and Barbara Scarpo get a TWIT. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

Franklin Graham claimed that celebrating Pride is celebrating sin, and said that we would not celebrate “lying, adultery, or murder.” And yet, the man Franklin Graham supported in the recent presidential election has been caught lying incessantly, bragged about his adultery (and was accused of it in two divorces and roughly two dozen sexual harassment suits, as well as being known to hang out with a pedophile). For selectivity in condemning others, and for doing exactly the sort of condemning of others that Jesus complained about the Pharisees doing, Franklin Graham gets a TWIT. This story comes from The Advocate.

21 Republican state attorneys general sent a letter to President Biden, complaining that his administration’s acceptance of LGBTQ people goes too far. For promoting bigotry in the name of religion, and for ignoring science that supports treating LGBTQ people better, these attorneys general get a TWIT Award. Them has this story.

A study by Media Matters for America found that TikTok’s recommendation algorithm promoted homophobic and transphobic content during Pride month. Meanwhile on Reddit, the “follow” function is being exploited by transphobic trolls, according to a story in Jezebel. For not doing more to prevent the spread of hate and prejudice on their sites, Tiktok and Reddit share a TWIT Award.

Nicole Russell of The Daily Signal writes a column entitled, “2 Educators Fight for Their Jobs After Suggesting Commonsense Transgender Policies for School.” First off, “common sense” is two words, not one. Secondly, the teachers in question failed to follow the school’s policy of not deadnaming and misgendering students. For promoting prejudice and for not caring about the hurtful impact that deadnaming and misgendering bring (as well as for denying the science that opposes misgendering), Nicole Russell gets a TWIT.

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