The Week In Transgenderism 8/15/16

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Gigi Gorgeous

Model and social media darling Gigi Gorgeous was all set for a fun vacation in the United Arab Emirates. Why, you ask? She had heard that there were good things going on in that country along with the negative treatment of women and LGBT people. But when she arrived at the airport in Dubai they refused to let her into the country. Why? Because she is trans. It seems she had to modify her vacation plans. Get the story and a video from CTV News.

The trans man who was the first ever trans athlete to be featured in ESPN’s Body Issue has claimed another first. Chris Mosier is also the first trans man to make it on to Team USA (no, he won’t be competing in Rio). Now he’s become the first trans man to be featured in a Nike television commercial. Get the story from the CNN Money website.

Will we see any trans women in the Olympics? Rules were established last year that govern participation by trans people in the games but those rules may be subject to revision. Some people want to measure the amount of testosterone in trans women athletes. Read about it on the WBUR website.

New Zealand is jealous of the USA. It seems they have heard about a new show that will run on the Oxygen network and they wish they could see it. Don’t worry Kiwis, it will probably show up on your local networks at some point. It’s called Strut and it’s a trans model completion reality show. The show features models who are represented by the Los Angeles-based agency Slay Model Management. Learn more on the Stuff website.

The Rupe signal.

The Carmen Rupe Traffic Lights are now a reality in Wellington, New Zealand. Carmen was New Zealand’s first Maori drag performer, among other things. Mayor Celia Wade-Brown presided at the ceremony as the traffic lights, with a silhouette of Carmen telling pedestrians that it is all right to cross, were activated. Gay New Zealand has this story.

Meet a roller derby girl from Scranton, Pennsylvania who has been working her way up the ladder of the sport to become the first openly trans woman to compete on Team USA in the World Cup of Roller Derby. Her name is Vanessa Sites and she only recently came out as trans after competing in the sport for over 8 years. The article also has information on the effect of estrogen on trans athletes. You can find it in the Times Leader.

A long time ago the Catholic Church was pretty much in charge of things in Spain. It was the home of the Spanish Inquisition and no one was safe from painful examination by the Church if they were suspected of being heretics, or worse. These days the tables have turned. Three Spanish bishops published a letter condemning the recent passage of a law that made sexual orientation and gender identity part of a protected class. They used the usual argument, that the anti-discrimination law is somehow an “attack” on religion. The bishops’ letter provoked calls for the Special Prosecutor for Crimes of Hate to examine the letter for signs of inciting hate and persecution against LBGT people. Who’s having to face an inquisition now? Get the story from the Church Militant website.

Tracee McDaniel

The mayor of Atlanta has announced the appointment of a trans woman to the Atlanta Citizen Review Board. Her name is Tracee McDaniel and she is the founder and executive director of the Juxtaposed Center for Transformation. Learn more from the CBS 46 website.

France is one of 19 European countries that requires trans people to have genital removal surgery before they can change their gender legally. In mid-July the French National Assembly approved legislation that would allow trans people to change their legal identification without having to undergo surgery. While this is a big step forward for France some people feel it doesn’t go far enough since there are still legal hoops to jump through. Get the story from the We News website.

Last week we mentioned Argentina as a country that was trying to attract LGBT tourism, and is working on making things easier for its trans citizens. Well, it’s not all a bed of roses. The government is on the side of LGBT people but the general public still as a lot of work to do. Argentina is 11th in fatal violence against trans people. Learn the downside of that vacation in Argentina on the Refinery29 website.

Is that you God?

Feminists have been saying that God is a woman since the ‘70s. Could it really be true? According to a rabbi and religious scholar it’s quite likely that God is a two spirit. The ancient Hebrews used YHWH to refer to God. Most think that was pronounced as Jehovah or Yahweh. Ancient Hebrews would actually have read the letters in reverse making the hidden name of God “He/She.” Won’t that make conservative heads explode? Read the rabbi’s thinking in The New York Times.

Preliminary arguments are under way in the lawsuit brought by two school districts that have sued the Department of Education over the guidance letter (which they call a “mandate”) concerning the treatment of transgender students. Lawyers for the Department of Education argue that, since this is only a guidance and carries no legal weight (and says so in the letter), therefore there are no grounds for the suit. By that same token, though, the Department of Education would be unable to take any action against any state or any school district which implemented a policy which was not in accord with this guidance. The state of Texas has asked to have a preliminary ruling which would allow them to continue to not accommodate transgender students and yet to not lose federal funding. Judge Reed O’Connor of the U.S. District Court noted, “There’s a lot of Texas v United States lawsuits.” This may take a while, even for the rulings on preliminary motions. The Advocate has this story.

Back in April, LeQuan Edwards, 52, had a stroke. Once her condition was stable and the chances of suffering a relapse were low enough, Mercy Hospital Medical Center tried to find a rehabilitation facility for her. But, no one would take her in. Some would not take her because she is transgender, others would not take her because she has bipolar disorder, and others just don’t take Medicaid patients. Finally, this week, Norwalk Rehabilitation Center has taken her. Meanwhile, she has been at the hospital, where her bill is somewhere over $142,000 for food and nursing care, just since the time she was cleared for rehab. The Des Moines Register has her story.

Two bits of good news from Pennsylvania. The first is that the state has revised its guidelines and no longer requires surgery for a change of gender on legal documents. Now, the change requires a valid identification, $20, and a doctor’s verification that the person is transitioning. The Philadelphia Gay News has this story.

The Pennsylvania State Police will no longer use the phrase “female-portrayal” or “male portrayal” in describing transgender victims of hate crimes. They will now be described as members of their preferred gender. The Philadelphia Gay News has this story as well.

Candis Cayne

The Huffington Post has run a series over the past 10 months called Voices of Liberation. It featured thirteen voices from historic trans and gender non-conforming people talking about the struggle to achieve liberation for all marginalized people. Among the voices are Jazz Jennings, Calpernia Addams, Buck Angel, and Candis Cayne. Find out who the others are and see what they all have to say in The Huffington Post.

Recently the Justice Department released a report on the Baltimore Police Department that was set in motion by the death of a black man who died after being arrested and transported in the back of a police van without being properly secured with a seatbelt. The report revealed a high level of racial bias in Baltimore’s policing — but it also exposed a pattern of abuse and mistreatment of trans people. Get the details from the LGBTQ Nation website.

The prestigious Wilhelmina modeling agency will, for the first time, feature a trans model in the package it sends to designers, editors, and marketing partners. The “show package” as it is called, contains the premier group of models the agency believes will best represent the face of beauty in the coming months. There’s no word about who the lucky model will be but you can learn more in the New York Post.

The historically black, all women Spelman College has decided to admit trans women to their student body. The school is the latest prestigious women’s college to admit trans students. Learn more from the AJC website.

Tim Curry as the mad doctor.

In 2012 Tim Curry, the original Dr. Frank-N-Furter, was stricken with a stroke and has since been confined to a wheel chair. Even though he has been knocked down he is not out. It was announced last week that Curry will be on board for the television production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show that will feature Laverne Cox in the starring role. He will not, as he himself suggested, play the role of Dr. Scott, the wheelchair using character that audiences shout “Where’s your neck” to. Curry will be the show’s narrator. Learn more in The Columbian.

The Philippines branch of AirAsia has announced that it is open to trans people applying for jobs across all company positions. They don’t specifically say you can apply to be a flight attendant but they are looking for sales, marketing, engineering and ground operations personnel. Learn more in Business World.

Last week the Southern Rail service in England was disrupted by a strike. On August 9 the oppressed masses making their way through Victoria Train Station were entertained by a group of well-known London drag queens who showed up in full regalia, did a performance of I Will Survive, and gave out discount vouchers and certificates for free coach journeys. Read more and see a video of their performance on the West Wessex County Times website.

Summer camp fun.

A group of parents with gender-nonconforming kids decided to create a summer treat for their children. Rather than send them to a regular summer camp they created a weekend camp experience that was tailored to trans and non-binary youth. You can see photos of the kids being themselves and having a ton of fun on the Glamour magazine website.

Medical schools and law schools often have programs for their students in which actors portray patients or clients in simulated encounters with the student in the role of either doctor or lawyer. One such program is undertaken at the NYU School of Medicine. They have a trans-inclusive training module that features actors presenting themselves with various symptoms and conditions and identifying themselves as trans. This allows the medical students to learn how to work with trans patients. Learn more from the Latina website.

Lady Colin Campbell

If we told you that there was an intersex individual who dated one of the billionaire Koch brothers, married an English lord, bought a castle and is doing a show in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival you would think us mad. But it’s all true. Her name is Lady Colin Campbell and she was raised as a boy after being born with ambiguous genitalia. Her gender identity was definitely female and it wasn’t until her grandmother paid for surgery when she was 21 that she was able to live the life she wanted. To say the least she is a very “interesting” person from an odd family. Read her story in The Herald Scotland.

TWITs

A fellow named Gary J. Crocker tweeted “’Guy’ on the seat opposite me is wearing stockings and a dress-what is that all about??” He also named the company whose train he was riding at the time. The company responded, “Probably something to do with it being the 21st century now. As long as they have a ticket everyone is welcome on our trains.” Mr. Crocker then sent a reply calling the customer service representative a “[emojii bell] end.” (British slang: bellend.) While we are pleased with TransPennine Express’s reply tweet, Mr. Crocker seems to be begging for a TWIT Award, so we are hereby giving him one. Pink News has this story.

Mecklenburg, North Carolina, County Commissioner Bill James seems to make a reputation out of outrageous comments, and he seems to use that reputation to get himself reelected. Last week, when the local school board tabled a transgender nondiscrimination bill, he tweeted, “@CharlMeckSchools puts tranny bathroom policy on hold — requires boys in drag to men’s room.” The use of a slur is rather unfortunate for someone whose government position was previously held by people who would use racial slurs with amazing ease. As for “boys in drag,” that line only shows how little he understands what he writes about — unless it is an unfunny joke, in which case it shows lack of character on his part. For showing himself either an idiot or a jerk — or both, he gets a TWIT. The Charlotte Observer has this story.

The Christian Heritage Party, a far-right group which claims to be Christian, bought three ads at local bus shelters. The ads show what appears to be a man heading into a room marked “ladies’ shower,” and the text, “Competing human rights: Where is the justice?” The ads were removed. That’s some justice right there. For not seeing a difference between a man and a transgender woman, they get a TWIT Award. CBC Radio has more.

KVIA-TV, the ABC affiliate in El Paso, Texas, reported on the death of Erykah Tijerina by referring to her as “a man,” using the name “Eric,” and stating that, “Tijerina went by ‘Erykah.'” That sort of deliberated misgendering and deadnaming may be something that Texans like, but it violates journalistic practices. For such unprofessionalism, KVIA-TV gets a TWIT. This story can be found on Media Matters.

Some Texas judges will issue a change of gender to a transgender person, but others will not. The Texas Observer tells the story of a transgender man who has paid about $2,000 in court costs and lawyer fees, but still has an “F” on his driver’s license. He says that he is post-operative, but does not specify (which is his right). To all judges who refuse to acknowledge a postoperative transsexual with the correct gender marker, we give a TWIT Award. The Texas Observer story is here.

The Washington Times is a right leaning. . . okay, not just leaning. They’re a right wing paper that spins everything to a conservative point of view. Today we’re giving them a TWIT Award for running a story about how George Soros, the liberal billionaire who funds things that progressives and liberals find good for the planet, is the man behind the big surge in trans awareness. They spin his support of things like a group that works for the safety of LGBT youth; another group that promotes diversity in the courts for LGBT people; LGBT community centers, and the Gay Straight Alliance clubs in schools, as a bad thing. They seem to feel that LGBT people trying to obtain equal rights and getting financial support in order to do that is somehow a problem. Read it in The Washington Times if you care to.

When you achieve fame you get recognition and wealth. You can also get the wrong kind of recognition and have to put up with abuse. Our favorite mirth master, Eddie Izzard, found out the hard way when as he was motoring along in his vintage 1958 Volkswagen Beetle. A person from his neighborhood said that Eddie should give him a ride in that car. Izzard told him no, never, and the goon said loudly that he and his friends would “do” Izzard’s house when he was away. That’s not the last of it. Find out what further hassle the goon subjected Izzard to and how the court case is going. And yes, the goon, one Jamie Penny, gets a TWIT Award for being a stupid wanker. Get the story from the Daily Mail.

Portions of this edition of TWIT were researched and written by Cecilia Barzyk.

Tags: Chris Mosier, Eddie Izzard, featured, Gigi Gorgeous, Lady Colin Campbell, LeQuan Edwards, news, Tim Curry, Tracee McDaniel, Transgender, TWIT, Vanessa Sites

Category: Transgender Community News