What in the World!?!? It’s TWIT Notes!

A huge victory for TG employment rights in Federal Court. Civil rights for some, but not all in one Georgia town. “Transgender panic” in Colorado. Voluntary segregation in Chicago. A village built specifically for the TG in India. Charges of discrimination on a bus in Philly. And no more Cox on Diddy’s show. All around the world and back again in this edition of This Week in Transgenderism!

Victory! The sex discrimination suit filed against the Library of Congress is a landmark case, for sure. Diane Schroer and the ACLU used an existing law to win rights for the transgendered. Read on at ABC News. (And look for an interview with Diane in this edition of TGForum!)

Did a smile serve as the undoing of Angie Zapata? The defense attorney in the murder case says so, the Denver Post reports. And according to PageOneQ, the judge is not impressed with the defense’s “transgender panic” excuse.

A citizen in Nepal got an ID card. What’s the big deal? Instead of M or F, it has the local version of “T” printed on it. And no-one in charge seems to know why, according to eKantipur.

A village populated solely by transgenders? That’s what one state in India is planning. MedIndia says it’s to help them get out of poverty and to cut down on the rate of HIV transmission. But we’re not keen on that term “rehabilitate.”

If memory serves, NYC started one a few years ago, and now, America’s “Second City” is considering opening a high school just for GLBT students. Get more from the Chicago Tribune. Discussion question: With these high schools, and the Indian village, are they creating safe environments or ghettos?

From high school to college: students at the University of Central Florida heard about the trials and tribulations of being transgender from a panel. The story is in the Central Florida Future.

Texas Tech is observing GLBT Month, and focusing specifically on the T. LubbockOnline says if you come to any of the events, bring a dish to pass.

And from college to the golden years: A New York advocacy group is drawing attention to an aging GLBT population. Newsweek has more.

Diane Schroer isn’t the only former member of the military who is TG. Meet Fanny, who used to be in the Singapore Navy. AsiaOne has her story. (And be sure to read the TGForum Interview with Diane!)

The league says a darts team was cut from competition because of their potty mouths. Team members say they were cut because one of them used to be a man. Learn more from the Telegraph.

When he bought his ridership pass, he was a she. And now he says, the bus driver won’t let him ride. The Lebanon Daily News has more.

If you still haven’t answered the NCTE survey on TG discrimination, the New England Blade can get you hooked up.

A community in Georgia has passed civil rights for gays and lesbians, and the city council promises to add “gender identity” sometime in the “future“. Read more at Southern Voice.

In case you still weren’t aware of how groundbreaking Isis is on America’s Next Top Model, or how pioneering Laverne Cox is on I Want to Work for Diddy, Newsweek is more than happy to tell you. (Laverne, by the way, got cut. She tells OnTop what she’s been doing since then.)

Speaking of the telly, Candis Cayne‘s character on Dirty Sexy Money will be back, by popular demand, according to WIS TV.

And if you have HBO, you may want to watch their new series, True Blood, as it features a gender-variant character, and the plot may be seen as a metaphor for alternative sexualities. Read the review at AfterElton.

Because of activists’ objections, the request from the Department of Corrections, for exemption from some District of Columbia civil rights rules, may be withdrawn. That means, according to the Washington Blade, jailers wouldn’t be allowed to discriminate against transgendered prisoners.

At the University of Minnesota, a mixed-media art exhibit that toured Europe is now open. It features the culture and history of the GLBT community.

Atlanta Police, and a newspaper are apologizing for the use of the term “transvestite“. A sign of positive change, or political correctness run amuck? Read the Southern Voice and decide for yourself!

Who thinks “gender identity” should be added as a category within the Civil Rights Act? A feminist writer at Feministing, that’s who.

Relationship news: a TG couple in Wales come out of the closet and on to the pages of the Telegraph. Ain’t love grand?

The Korean Times says a 2006 case where the Supreme Court okay’d an FtM‘s change is a landmark decision.

If Barack Obama wins in November, he’ll get rid of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in the US military. But, it won’t be gone overnight, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Iranian media says a cleric in Kuwait issued a fatwa approving of SRS. The cleric says in PinkNewsUK, not so fast.

The gal believed to be the youngest person ever to have the surgery may become the next Hannah Montana, according to MetroUK.

Istanbul’s Pride Parade in June was so uneventful, the reports about it are just now starting to come out. But in boredom, there is controversy. ZNet explains.

Sexual and gender identity politics in the horror films of David Cronenberg? Sure. Why not? If you’ve seen any of his stuff, we posit you can read just about anything into them. But, PopMatters presents a specific case.

Cinematical reports DeNiro and Pacino may team up again: as sisters. Maybe there’s a part for Daniel Radcliffe?

A theater in Cleveland has been hosting Rocky Horror for more than 20 years. But what’s this? A woman is playing the part of Frank N. Furter? Gender-bending indeed, at the Plain Dealer.

You may be familiar with the film Psycho Beach Party. But, it started as a play, and is back on stage this month in Missouri. The News-Leader has more.

TWITs of the Week:

A Brit liked to change into his frillies by the train tracks. Especially as the trains were going by. Fortunately for him, he’s been convicted on a lesser charge, according to the Telegraph.

While the bigger crime in Chicago is definitely the armed bank robbery, when they catch this suspect, they should also charge him with a fashion crime: wearing black stockings with open-toed sandals. Read more at the Tribune.

Category: Transgender Community News