The Week In Trans 8/23/21

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After an eleven-year battle, an Illinois appeals court has ruled that Meggan Sommerville, a transgender woman who works for Hobby Lobby, can use the ladies’ restroom at the store where she works. NBC News has this story.

As schools start up again, the Biden administration sent a message to transgender students. The message included statements from officials at the Department of Education and the Department of Justice, as well as Dr. Rachel Levine of the Department of Health. In the video, they state that the new laws against student athletes are illegal, which certainly is the view of the Biden administration, but it is up to the courts to determine if the Biden administration is correct. This story comes from NBC News.

According to The Trevor Project, a lot of transgender students are experiencing anxiety at the thought of returning to school this year. They have some advice for schools. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

For those who are expressing their gender identity in college, Campus Pride can help, according to Q Notes.

As Secretary of Education, Betsy Devos protected the right of student groups to discriminate against LGBTQ students for “deeply-held religious” reasons. LGBTQ Nation reports that the Biden Department of Education is trying to change that.

Fifteen state Attorneys General have signed an amicus brief in defense of the right of transgender people to have ID that matches their gender identity. This is part of a case challenging Alabama’s law that prevents a change of gender on ID without proof of surgery. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has a press release and a link to the brief.

The state of New Hampshire just removed the need to get “proof of transgender status” from a doctor before the state would change the gender marker on a driver’s license. This story comes from them.

A ruling last year nearly wiped out the ability of transgender people born in West Virginia to get the sex listed on their birth certificates changed. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit seeking to restore the right to change those birth certificates. Them has this story.

We mentioned last week a woman who was shot to death at an encampment for homeless people in Dallas. She has been identified as Miss CoCoChanel Wortham. She is described as someone who was always concerned with the welfare of others. This story comes from The Advocate.

A Black transgender woman named Tierramarie Lewis was killed in June, but initial reporting of her death did not identify her as transgender. It took almost two months for her gender identity to be revealed. Them has this story.

The Orange County District Attorney’s office dropped charges against two transgender women who were involved in a bar fight in Huntington Beach, California. This comes after officers who responded to the incident admitted to making mistakes, including the use of a slur in reference to the transgender women. This story comes from The Orange County Register.

A trial has begun in Vancouver, Washington, for David Bogdanov, who is accused of killing trans woman Kikki Kuhnhausen in 2019. This story comes from KATU-TV.

A federal judge has ruled that the state of Illinois committed “serious” violations of the rights of transgender inmates by not giving guards and other prison officials appropriate training in handling transgender prisoners. The Quad Cities Times has this story.

The Newport News School Board in Virginia failed to adopt a policy protecting transgender students, as outlined by the state legislature and the federal Department of Education. This does not mean that students are not protected; it merely means that the school board did not sign on to the protections granted by others. This story comes from WAVY-TV.

Two more teachers have asked to join a lawsuit challenging the Loudoun County Public School board’s new policy on transgender students. This makes a total of three teachers who are suing over this policy. Loudon Now has this story. Thanks to Alyssa Washington for a link to this story.

Meanwhile, in Chesapeake, Virginia, a rally was held to support transgender students as the school board voted on a policy for transgender students. 13 News Now has this story.

In Oregon, a school banned both the LGBTQ pride flag and Black Lives Matter signs. In response, nearby farmers have erected a giant LGBTQ Progress Pride Flag, visible from the school. This story can be found in The Advocate.

At a White House event celebrating the passage of the first infrastructure bill, President Biden took questions from The Washington Blade, about how he could use the lessons learned from that bill when looking to expand civil rights for LGBTQ people.

In a new study, more American voters said that they would not vote for an LGBTQ candidate than did voters from the U.K. or New Zealand. This obviously is a theoretical in which the sexual orientation or gender identity of the candidate is the only factor that is given. This story comes from them.

The Victory Fund has announced plans to take an active interest in redistricting efforts. States such as Texas and Florida will gain seats in Congress, while California, New York, and Illinois will lose one seat each. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

A new survey in the Census shows that LGBTQ people are especially vulnerable to food insecurity. This story comes from them.

An article in Triple Pundit says that solving the climate crisis will require all the talent we have, and therefore we cannot afford to continue to discriminate against transgender people.

A new fashion line from MI Leggett is called “Shame”, and it is being marketed as gender-free. Them has information on the fashion shoot.

Transgender healthcare is a growing field within the healthcare industry, according to Modern Healthcare.

A study by The Center for American Progress shows that there are many problems with the current state of healthcare for transgender people, some of which will need changes to the law in order to fix.

Dr. H. Steven Moffic talks about transgender patients and a sense of awe in a video for Psychiatric Times.

Some people think that efforts made to insure that transgender and gender non-conforming parents are included in the birth process takes away from straight parents, but although many recent articles seem to indicate that, it is not the case, according to PinkNews.

Moderna is about to begin human trials of its HIV vaccine. This is important, as HIV is more common among transgender people than among cisgender people. This story comes from them.

Gilead is warning that there are counterfeit versions of its HIV medicines on the market. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

A new survey by the Human Rights Campaign finds that 92% of LGBTQ adults have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. This is far higher than the general population, as them notes.

The authors of the study which was cited as the primary reason for banning women with high testosterone levels from athletics admit that their study is “misleading.” They say that the study was “exploratory,” and not meant to be used to reach conclusions. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

Hailey Davidson is attempting to become the first transgender golfer to win an LPGA card. She is profiled in Golfweek.

Fumino Sugiyama was a fencer, and a member of Japan’s national women’s fencing team. However, when his gender dysphoria became too great, he quit fencing so that he would not have to face the transphobia in the sport in Japan. PinkNews has this story.

Now that the Texas state House of Representatives has a quorum again, they are taking up several bills, including the bans on transgender athletes in women’s sports at the K-12 and college levels. The Austin American-Statesman reports that an LGBTQ group refused to appear at the hearings under the conditions the state senate laid out.

News 4 Jax reports that the NCAA is pressuring universities that will host championships to reaffirm that they do not discriminate against transgender people. That may be a problem, since many universities rely on the state for funding, and some states are putting anti-transgender legislation into law.

May Peterson is a trans woman fantasy writer with a new book that features a trans woman witch. She has an essay on the TOR publishing website about the effect Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz had on her while she was growing up in the heartland. Read her essay here.

The Crown With A Shadow is a short musical film starring Paul Reubens, Tatum O’Neal, and Geri Halliwell. It tells the story of a fish who is a prince but is destined to become a queen, as the species changes sex during its lifetime. Out.com has this story.

Although Lyle Kash has transgender people in the cast and crew of his new film Death And Bowling, he wants to move the conversation beyond representation. He talked about it in an interview with The Advocate.

The television series Y: The Last Man will premiere next month. We now have heard that there will be trans men as well as one cisgender man in the series, and that the trans men will not be used for transphobic jokes, as was the case in the original graphic novel. Out.com has this story.

Patti Harrison has a new job. She is providing one of the voices for Q-Force, an animated series about a group of LGBTQ spies. This story comes from Out.com.

The American Booksellers Association has come up with a new screening process for books, looking for anti-LGBTQ content, after they “accidentally” sent the anti-transgender book Irreversible Damage to bookstores. PinkNews has this story.

The video game Rainbow Six Siege has introduced a transgender character, Osa. This story first appeared in Gamespot.

Eminem’s youngest child, Stevie, is gender-fluid. Stevie, who uses all pronouns, made the announcement through a TikTok video, according to The Advocate.

Them feels that Elliot Page’s shirtless selfies are more than thirst traps. They are also a tool to help cisgender people understand the transgender experience.

Geri Halliwell has endorsed remaking It’s Raining Men to become It’s Raining Them, a tribute to the singular “they.” PinkNews has this story.

Denne Michele Norris has been named editor-in-chief at Electric Literature. She is the first Black transgender person to be named editor of a major American literary publication. This story comes from them.

Cara Cunningham, the creator of the Leave Britney Alone video, has announced that she is a transgender woman and is transitioning. PopBuzz has this story.

A trailer dropped for the film Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. It’s about a teen who seems unmotivated at school, but has a secret talent for drag. The film comes out next month, and the trailer can be found right here.

Out.com has the explanation for A’Keira C. Davenport’s game-within-a-game, dropping out of the lip sync during Drag Race All Stars 6.

The queens for Drag Race UK Season 3 have been announced, and the cast features the first cisgender woman to compete on Drag Race. Out.com has this story.

One former queen has called out the cast of Drag Race UK Season 3 for its lack of diversity. This story comes from them.

Drag Race is about to get another international version. This one will be Drag Race Philippines. This story comes from Out.com.

Carmen Farala, who won Drag Race Espana, wants to apologize to RuPaul. PinkNews has this story.

The recall election in California is in its final month. Caitlyn Jenner is making serious missteps, spending her time tweeting typical Republican statements, while not really paying attention to what is going on around her. LGBTQ Nation has this story, twice.

Owen Hurcum, the first non-binary mayor in the world, has had it with the British government’s “rubbish excuse for healthcare” for transgender people, and for not legally recognizing non-binary gender. These comments came in an interview with PinkNews.

Joan Smith lost her job as co-chair of Violence Against Women and Girls, a charity run by the city of London, after she complained about transgender women using shelters for those who experienced rape and domestic abuse. She is making herself out to be a victim, blaming others for not liking things that she said or did The BBC has this story.

A new education guidance in Scotland tells schools to respect transgender identities and gives some specific ways in which to do this. This story comes from them.

The Daily Mail headlined its story on the new guidance “Pupils, 4, will be able to swap gender in school without parents’ consent.” Ferret News Service rated this claim as “Mostly False,” since the changing of records requires a formal process that includes the parents for any child under 16 years of age.

Tamsin Omond is running to be the co-leader of the Green Party. If selected, the author, communications specialist, and climate activist, would be the first transgender person to lead a political party in the U.K. The previous leader, Sian Berry, quit last month, citing the party’s “failure” in regards to transgender rights. This story comes from PinkNews.

New Zealand is working on legislation that would allow transgender people to self-identify their legal gender, without needing medical assistance. The bill was first introduced two years ago, but was put on hold. Them has this story.

Hungary has begun cracking down on LGBTQ literature and articles, enforcing its law against “LGBTQ propaganda.” This includes a crackdown on material about gender identity. LGBTQ material must be in covered packaging, and must be separate from other material. This story comes from them.

The European Union has threatened to withhold billions of dollars in funding if Poland’s cities do not stop declaring themselves “LGBTQ-Free Zones.” In response, one region held a vote to reaffirm its status as a “LGBT-Free Zone.” The Advocate has this story.

Josie Thomas, a transgender woman who is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and now works as a contractor for the U.S. State Department, was among those trapped in Afghanistan. The story in The Washington Blade is unclear on whether she is still in Afghanistan or has been able to get on a flight out of the country.

The Taliban has announced its intention of reinstating sharia law, including the stoning of LGBTQ people, according to LGBTQ Nation.

Suicide ideation among transgender people in Iran is found to be similar in intensity to that found among transgender people in Western countries. Healio has this story, based on research from the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

A new survey by the Williams Institute shows strong support for transgender rights in ten countries surveyed. Among these countries are Mexico and, surprisingly, Poland. This story comes from them.

Alexya Salvador is the first transgender pastor in Brazil, according to The Guardian. She is pastor of a Metropolitan Community Church in Sao Paulo.

In Venezuela, a transgender woman was beaten to death in her own home. The death of Valentina Gamez has triggered a wave of activism, as people insist that this should not happen again. PinkNews has this story.

Two transgender clinics have opened in Hyderabad, India. What makes these clinics interesting is that they are being led by transgender people. This story comes from PinkNews.

India’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts are missing many members of the transgender community, according to Fair Observer.

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda refused to sign an anti-LGBTQ “sexual offenses bill” which was approved by the Parliament. Unfortunately, his refusal is based on the fact that he feels that existing laws already cover these offenses. The Washington Blade has this story.

The United Nations took a stand against a proposed anti-LGBTQ law in Ghana. The U.N. called the draft legislation, “a system of state-sponsored discrimination and violence.” This story comes from them.

Those two transgender women in Cameroon who were jailed for “attempted homosexuality” were attacked after their release from prison, according to Human Rights Watch.

An article in them says that gender identity was respected in Black and indigenous cultures before colonialism introduced the gender binary.

Fourteen U.S. Senators signed a letter to President Biden, calling on the U.S. to protect LGBTQ people seeking asylum in the U.S. Them has the story.

CNN reports on the growing popularity of the LGBTQ Progress Pride flag.

A transgender father of two explains why he is not revealing his child’s gender until his child is old enough to express a gender. This story comes from PinkNews.

Tamra Moon helped her young transgender son dye his hair bright blue, and shared the video on TikTok. PinkNews reports that the video has gone viral.

A mother in Texas saw someone about to use a phone to capture pictures of her son using a public restroom, and she grabbed the phone to delete the pictures. This story comes from LGBTQ Nation.

We reported recently on a transgender refugee in Turkey who was being detained and threatened with deportation to Syria. Public outcry pushed the government to change its mind and release her. PinkNews has this story.

A popular Q-Anon influencer with anti-transgender postings has been traced, and it turns out it’s a Florida man. You can read about the uncovering in LGBTQ Nation.

Australian actor Mat Stevenson has a transgender daughter. He symbolically adopted his daughter’s best friend, Belle Bambi, who was thrown out of her family because she is trans. The Daily Mail has this story.

Landon Richie writes from personal experience about being a transgender teen in Texas during Greg Abbott’s term as governor. The article appears in them.

Governor Abbott’s claims equating transgender medicine with “gender mutilation” are refuted by Texas doctors. KTSM-TV has this story.

An editorial in Newsweek urges us to listen to transgender youth.

An editorial in The Washington Blade talks of living in a post-gender society. Several transgender people wish we were living in a post-gender society.

An editorial in The Advocate supports the Equality Act, by telling the story of Aiyana, a transgender youth of Native American ancestry, who bounced from foster home to foster home in Utah, because straight families did not want to adopt a child who did not follow gender norms, and LGBTQ people were not allowed to adopt children in Utah at the time.

GenderCool Kids have received a half million dollars to help their public education campaign. the campaign is attempting to counter the anti-transgender-youth messages sent by people who get their information from the like of Irreversible Damage. The Advocate has this story.

Dr. Rachel Levine had a conversation with The 19th, in which she discussed how she deals with transphobia.

In an article for them, Fei Lu talks of having to put down the phone and stop doom-scrolling in order to reach gender euphoria.

The Washington Post has a quick guide to understanding the debate about transgender people.

Now, for a follow up on a story from a year and a half ago. A transgender child named Luna Younger was caught between a mother who supported her and a father who did not believe that children can be transgender. Earlier this month the court awarded Dr. Anne Georgulas, Luna’s mother, sole custody over her primary residence, counseling, medications, education, and extracurricular activities. The father, who fought this ruling for over a year, does still have to be consulted before Luna can begin puberty blockers, begin hormones, or have gender confirmation surgery. The Texan has this story.

TWITs

We just mentioned Luna Younger. The Federalist reported on this development, but deadnamed and misgendered Luna. The facts are now well established; this is not “a phase,” it has been ongoing for six years already. For a lack of courtesy to Luna Younger, in support of a political view that is based on bad science, The Federalist gets yet another TWIT Award.

Politifact looked into a claim that an inmate in California was impregnated by her transgender cellmate. It did not happen, and the California Department of Corrections takes steps to see to it that it does not happen. For spreading a lie, and for un-ironically spreading a rumor that would invalidate the claim that HRT makes one permanently sterile, all who spread this claim get a TWIT Award.

We told you last week that the state of Texas declared that gender confirmation surgery in minors was “genital mutilation” and “child abuse.” According to LGBTQ Nation, any teacher or doctor who has “cause to suspect” that a child has had gender confirmation surgery and does not report that to the state can be sent to jail. For overreaction, and for threatening punishment on unenforceable grounds, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas gets a TWIT. This story comes from LGBTQ Nation. [Editor’s Note: The last step in transitioning to another gender, gender reassignment surgery, is only available to those 18 and older in the United States.]

The Diocese of Arlington, Illinois, says that Christians need to exercise “charity and clarity” in dealing with transgender people. Transgender people need to be dealt with charitably, but first, opponents of transgender people need to clearly understand the science behind the current medical approach to transgender people. Instead, the diocese said that the faithful should avoid “‘gender-affirming terms or pronouns that convey approval of or reinforce the person’s rejection of the truth.” Every major medical and mental health association sees tremendous benefit in affirming gender identity, and they are much more authoritative on medical and mental health issues than is the Catholic Church. For misunderstanding “charity,” and for misunderstanding “truth,” the Diocese of Arlington gets a TWIT. The National Catholic Register has this story.

Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, roused up a crowd by telling them how Joe Biden wants to “take away my right to call myself a mom,” replacing it with the term “birthing person.” The promise of Freedom of Speech in the First Amendment would get in the way of doing that. The government can determine which terms it will use, but cannot determine which terms others can use. For an outright lie, Ronna McDaniel gets a TWIT Award. This story comes from LGBTQ Nation.

Donald Trump Jr. tweeted, “I can only assume that General Milley was too busy reading the latest CRT literature and learning about the 97 genders along with their requisite pronouns to pay much attention to such trivial matters.” This was in response to the Taliban capturing Kabul. Mind you, his father had negotiated with that Taliban, and the U.S. military was forced to abide by that agreement in leaving Afghanistan. But, rather than blame his father’s administration for naiveté in dealing with the Taliban, he blames Critical Race Theory and acceptance of transgender people (as well as acceptance of medical science). For foolishly shifting responsibility onto things that are plainly not the cause of what happened, Donald Trump Jr. gets a TWIT Award. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene had her Twitter account suspended for a week, after she spread misinformation on vaccines. She complained in a press release that she had her account suspended, while “parents transitioning their children and changing their gender” can be posted on Twitter. Both transgender children and the COVID vaccines used in the United States are supported by medical science. For complaining that grade-school science cannot be used to defeat medical science, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene gets a TWIT. LGBTQ Nation has the story.

Representative Lauren Boebert complained on Twitter, “the leaders of the Pentagon are more focused on race-baiting communist propaganda, political narratives, and prioritizing gender reassignment surgery over actually winning battles.” The U.S. military handed off the defense of Afghanistan to the Afghan military, who quickly abandoned the effort. For rushing to place the blame where it does not belong, Representative Lauren Boebert gets a TWIT Award. This story comes from LGBTQ Nation.

A Chicago alderman says he “identifies as a vaccinated person.” He defended the comment by saying, “You can identify as whatever you want these days, can’t you?” For blatant disrespect of medical science and for blatant disrespect of transgender people, Chicago Alderman Nick Sposato gets a TWIT. LGBTQ Nation has this story.

A group of TERFs is having a silly contest to try to insult transgender people. They are using the fall of Afghanistan as the background for this. One insisted, “I bet TRAs [transgender rights advocates] are organizing tourist tours to Afghanistan as we speak. Experiencing the most authentic female lifestyle.” Another tweeted, “When the Taliban force women to cover up how many men will want to identify as women?” For making fun of something they have not bothered to even slightly understand, these TERFs get a TWIT Award. This story comes from LGBTQ Nation.

Tucker Carlson claimed that the Afghan people were glad to see the Taliban return to power, and that the country “firmly rejected what our leaders were selling it over 20 years.” One of the things that the Afghan people rejected was “radical gender politics.” The reality is that the Afghan people were caught in the political fight happening around them. They did not welcome the Taliban, any more than they welcomed the U.S. For blaming something that had nothing to do with events in Afghanistan, while not blaming the misadventure in nation building and the imposition of an Afghan government selected by the U.S. which never had the support of the people, i.e., for horribly bad logic, Tucker Carlson gets a TWIT. LGBTQ Nation 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.

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