Well, maybe after the A.C.L.U. takes care of this case, they can take on this issue …

(Anyone for renaming Helena … “Girlsie” … ? )

Transgender news and views for Friday …

#1 – Here’s the latest (‘Random, “Conventional” Thoughts…‘ and ‘Log Cabin Republican’s Apparently Have An Interesting Definition Of “Inclusive Republican”‘) at PHB from Autumn, who’s been a bit of a tease, and obviously in need of help.

#2 – I’m a lifelong “Yankee Yellow Dog” … but I’ll not likely be voting for the Obama-Biden ticket come election time. Time enough to share my simple thoughts about that later. Meanwhile, let’s say I can’t disagree with Serena Freewomyn today over at Bilerico …

… the Democrats are chicken shits who will pander to the least common denominator …

Of course, I’ve held the same view (but multiply it by an appropriate double-digit — at least — numerator) of the Republicans for the past 40 years … as long as I’ve been voting.

Sorry, call me a curmudgeon (or whatever you may prefer) if you wish, but no apologies, I conscientiously object to ‘em all.

#3 – Lynn Conway‘s posted a critique on her site regarding the prevalence of GID. News of this sort of apparent “undercounting” came out earlier this year. Kelly Winters has also touched on the subject recently.

#4 – Marti Abernathey, who’s been busy with the Obama campaign, among other things, I’m sure, has a post up at Transadvocate (and Bilerico) today about “St. Barney” (as Kat Rose refers to him) …

On Tuesday I attended the HRC/Victory Fund luncheon and on Wednesday I attended the LGBT caucus at the convention center in Denver. Many stories were broke in the past few days, but one event passed by without a word. In a very consistent manner, Barney Frank again signaled that when ENDA is introduced, it will not be fully inclusive.

#5 – Some trans people in the news …

• “Teacher Chooses Gender Change” [Video here]
• “The Second Most Beautiful Girl in New York“
• “Transsexual’s old online ad won’t derail parks board bid“

Richard Kim concluded a good blog piece (“Gay Days at the DNC“) at The Nation with …

“Will everyone else please stop bitching about trivia!” he exclaimed–a rather inopportune verb choice that had some gay PUMAs licking their fur off. Fortunately, Barney talks like he has marbles in his mouth, so his plea came out more like this: “Veel jevvryone else reees rop wristing arout Riviera!”

I thought, for a moment, he was talking about some fabulous drag-queen delegate who had found her name on a map of France.

On a more substantive note, Kim pointed out …

… the Democratic platform this year is the most pro-gay it has ever been, calling for a repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, employment non-discrimination legislation that includes trans folks, increased money to fight AIDS and opposition to the federal marriage amendment. There was some worry earlier this month by gay activists who noticed that the words “gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender” appear nowhere in the platform (unlike 2004), but that reflects a move toward using the terms “sexual orientation,” “same-sex couple” and “gender identity”–expressions that have some legal teeth.

Mara Keisling of NCTE (National Center for Transgender Equality) made essentially the same observation a couple of days ago in one of our Yahoo! groups (TGV_Advocacy) …

… note that neither ENDA nor any other federal legislation we support — that I can think of — mentions the words gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender either. We write laws to protect people based on characteristics not by naming types of people.

By the way, Kim met up with Arizona delegate Amanda Simpson in Denver …

And then I met Amanda Simpson, a male-to-female transgender Obama delegate from Arizona who (and I don’t think she’d mind me saying) has had about as much work done as Cindy McCain, but looks 100 times better. Simpson was introduced to me as a “rocket scientist,” and indeed, she works in the aerospace industry but can’t tell me exactly what she does without clearance. She breakfasts here in Denver with a retired one-star general and his wife, also delegates from Arizona, who according to Simpson think, like many military officers, that DADT is silly and outrageous.

pretty amazing person, Amanda.

Umm, not exactly, but it appears Joe & Co. may be interested in razing ‘walls and raising Log Cabins.

From Ethan St.Pierre (via a trusted, but anonymous source) at the Boycott HRC blog …

The Human Rights Campaign decided to donate the 10 grand to the Log Cabin republicans instead of the Stonewall Democrats because HRC was still pissed off that the Stonewall Dems would only support a fully inclusive ENDA.

The latest on Autumn at the Democratic National Convention, via Russ at Pam’s House Blend …

The event Autumn and I attended was the LGBT Caucus.

[...]

In between speakers, Autumn would grab me for quick interviews with the transgender activists. I’ll let her take care of the names and topics (feel free to edit here, Autumn) because I really didn’t catch them.

(I think that’s Vanessa Foster (middle) and Dana Beyer (right) pictured above.)

In the meantime, according to Russ, we’ll have to “stay tuned” for that “scoop” …

… until I can edit the video and scrub the audio we’re embargoing the story. Stay tuned – I get home Sunday and this will be the first video I edit and post. Let’s just say I captured a provocative conversation with someone on his controversial stance on a complicated civil rights issue. (And damn me for bringing a digital video tape camera with no way of capturing the digital video to my laptop!)

… I’m anticipating a “Barney.”

Some of the transgender news and views we came across on Tuesday …

#1 – Autumn spoke with Shannon Minter And Mara Keisling yesterday at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. You can hear that here. And, if it’s your cup of tea, there’s plenty more coverage of the DNC at Pam’s House Blend.

#2 – “Removing ‘some’ of the inequalities” … “still a political problem” … “has enough lobbying been done?” … so, to whom do you think Barney Frank’s referring?

…

He added that the Employment Non Discrimination Act still presented “a political problem.”

It was originally designed to make it illegal to fire, refuse to hire or promote a person based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

The decision to remove trans people from the scope of the legislation caused anger among the LGBT community in the US, with many demanding an “all or nothing” stance.

“The question now is whether enough lobbying has been done to include people who are transgender,” Congressman Frank said.

“We need more lobbying on that. We had a very good hearing on that issue and it helped. Previously, we were running into problems getting it out of committee, and I think the hearing we had a major impact on that. It also depends on if we get more Democrats.”

…

Congressman attacks gays who support McCain

Kat Rose over at ENDAblog had something to say about “more Democrats” …

And wait for those 15 to be ‘educated’ by those who say that they have our best interests at heart.

And then wait for him to say 15 more are needed.

#3 – Joshua Lynsen of the Washington Blade spoke with Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley at the DNC in Denver on Monday. Lynsen asked O’Malley about Montgomery County’s (Md.) upcoming transgender rights referendum …

Blade: Last question. There is a transgender rights measure that is going to the ballot in Montgomery County in November. Do you expect to become involved in that battle at all to help protect the rights of transgender people?

O’Malley: You know, I think we passed a similar bill in the city of Baltimore when I was mayor, if my memory serves me correctly. So, you know, there are bills at the local level. There’s bills at the state level. I typically don’t get involved with local ordinances. I try to focus my attention on statewide bills. But we did it in the city of Baltimore and dogs and cats didn’t fall from the sky. You know? It was — I think these bills — I don’t know. I think it would probably be a good thing for Montgomery County to do. I don’t have the legislation in front of me, but if it’s like what we did in Baltimore, it caused no problems whatsoever.

Blade: So it’s got your thumbs up?

O’Malley: Yes.

O’Malley reiterates call for civil unions

#4 – We haven’t heard much about Susan Stanton since early April (“Wife Seeks Amicable Divorce From Ex-Largo Manager Susan“). As a follow-up to that news, the Tampa Tribune reported yesterday …

Susan Stanton, the former Largo city manager known as Steven Stanton before a sex change, has mediated his divorce from his wife of 18 years, according to court documents.

The agreement was signed off on by a Pinellas-Pasco judge on Aug. 6.

…

Transgendered Ex-Largo Manager Gets Divorce Terms

The St. Petersburg Times noted (“Stanton’s marriage comes to an end“) that Stanton “has a good relationship with her ex-wife, but she has lost most of her friends” and “has been unable to find work.”

#5 – In the UK, the late Lynne Braithwaite was honored last Friday …

A FLY-PAST of a lone Vulcan bomber across Morecambe on Friday was a
fitting tribute to a leading transgender activist, author and RAF veteran of 40 years.

The life of Lynne Janine Braithwaite BEM, who died on August 12, was celebrated at a packed Lancaster Cremator-ium where friends and family said their farewells to a remarkable person.

They included the Deputy Chief Constable of Lancashire police force, who gave a speech outlining Lynne’s involvement as a volunteer advisor on transgender issues, who toured the country speaking at various seminars and workshops – fighting for the rights of all transgender people.

The fly-past of the Vulcan bomber was in honour of the work carried out by Lynne as an engineer on the Vulcan to the Sky project – a campaign to get the Vulcan airborne again which was only achieved months before Lynne passed away.

Lynne, of Westfield Grove in Morecambe, certainly led an inspirational life.

She was born Lawrence James Braithwaite on July 1, 1934 in one of Beatrix Potter’s houses at Near Sawrey in the Lake District.

She left school to join the RAF in September 1949, retiring as a Flight Sergeant on July 1 1989.

Lynne was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Honours List in 1976.

Her expertise was maintenance of Vulcan bombers. It was with this experience that she was called out of retirement as engineering consultant to the Vulcan to the Sky Trust.

In early 2008 the Vulcan bomber XH558 passed its airworthiness tests and flew once again. Lynne was very proud of this achievement and it was therfore entirely appropriate that the plane was present at her funeral.

After leaving the RAF Lynne ran her own business making silver model aircraft until 1992, when it went bust during the recession.

Not long after her transition to female in 1994 aged 60, she contacted Lancashire Constabulary asking what policies and procedures they had regarding transgender people.

Lynne had significant input advising on best practice for trans people as service users and employees in the police service.

Until July 2008 she remained an active member of Lancashire Northern Police Division’s Independent Advisors Group where, over the years, she was consulted on a number of policing issues and policies. At the time of her death she was also an active member of Trans Lancs group – an advisory team for the constabulary, keeping them up to date with the legal and social issues affecting trans people.

She wrote several books including ‘Diaries of a Transfemale’ and ‘From Brigands to V Bombers’.

The Press For Change website, which campaigns for respect and equality for all transgender people, paid tribute to her: “Lynne was a vibrant, indefatigable person who was always active and approach-ed life with the enthusiasm of someone decades younger. She will be greatly missed.”

Fly-past tribute to RAF veteran

Transgender news and views for Monday …

#1 – Autumn flew into Denver yesterday where she will be covering the Democratic National Convention for Pam’s House Blend. Among the other trans folks in Denver for the Convention (as delegates) are Marisa Richmond and Vanessa Foster.

#2 – Testimony concluded last Friday in Diane Schroer’s bias suit against the Library of Congress …

A federal judge yesterday concluded a four-day bench trial in a lawsuit brought by a former Special Forces commander who lost a job offer as a terrorism research analyst at the Library of Congress because he disclosed he was undergoing the medical process of becoming a woman.

U.S. District Judge James Robertson heard testimony from more than a dozen witnesses, including scientific experts, officials at the Library of Congress and Diane Schroer, the former Army colonel who brought the suit. Robertson said he would issue a ruling soon.

Schroer, who applied for the job in 2004 under the name of David and has since completed the medical transition to become a woman, testified that she was hurt when she lost the job offer after disclosing the transition to the person she thought would be her future boss. She filed the sex discrimination suit under the Civil Rights Act. The Library of Congress has argued that the Civil Rights Act does not prohibit discrimination against transsexuals or on the basis of gender identity.

Testimony Ends in Transsexual Bias Suit

#3 – JimK at Vigilance, who’s been closely following the fate of Montgomery County’s (Md.) recently-passed transgender rights law, expressed some exasperation yesterday with the wimpy, “croquet” tactics of the law’s supporters …

Look, this isn’t croquet we’re playing here, this is a fistfight. The other side has been throwing punches for months, and our side is waiting for funding so we can have a poll so we can decide what we want to tell people. “Making information available” is important and so obvious it shouldn’t need to be said. It is also not a persuasion strategy. People who want information need to be able to find it, I agree. But your average ignorant voter doesn’t care that much and isn’t going to look for it. If you want to give them information you’ve got to give it to them. In their face.

“Prohibit discrimination” is the wimpiest campaign slogan I can imagine. It’s got more syllables than impact. The people of our Blue county oppose discrimination, and would support this bill if they knew what it said. That’s why we elected the Council who passed it unanimously and the County Executive who was happy to sign it. But the anti-gay, anti-transgender bigots are making sure people don’t know what the law is about. They’re not conducting polls and adjusting their message for the “median voter,” they’re waving their arms and getting red in the face, telling lies and misrepresenting the law in any way that will get people’s attention. When one side is saying your daughter will be raped and dead girls will be turning up all over the county, “prohibit discrimination” is not an effective response.

…

Woman Fired For Wearing Pants

Over at the Maryland Politics Watch blog, Montgomery County trans woman Maryanne Arnow recounts the discrimination she has faced …

In the last year, I’ve had to face distinct increases in discrimination and denigration from the general public in the normal course of my daily life. This is occurring directly as a result of a local campaign from conservative groups that continually foster unwarranted fears, stereotypical misrepresentations, and highly negative references to transgender people, in the public eye of perception.

I have faced extreme social and workplace humiliations in the last several years since beginning my transition (change) of gender. I have applied at dozens of restaurants, retail stores, warehouses, and even major hotel chains such as Marriott, most located in Montgomery County.

…

As it now stands, it is both legal and apparently still socially acceptable to discriminate against anyone like myself in hiring, workplace, housing, public services, and public accommodations. I once again have no civil rights or legal protections at any level. Not federal, state, or county, and mainly as a direct result of the actions of these groups to force a referendum on this law.

We have been burned at the stake, in the use of guilt by association to other highly negative stereotypes such as pedophiles and sexual predators. This has nothing to do with transgender people whatsoever. This is an outright lie. It is a crass, cruel, and disgusting distortion. This is an utter fallacy to the fullest extent that it has been used by these groups.

As a fellow citizen, neighbor, wife, and daughter – as a warm and articulate person, and skilled professional Culinary Artist, I have found this intolerably painful. This is entirely unacceptable by any ethical standard that I know of. There have been direct, and deeply negative impacts on my life as a result of such discriminatory behaviors.

Enough is enough. Help restore my most basic civil rights, and overrule the falsehoods being spread by these groups, once and for all.

Living with Discrimination as a Transgender Woman

#4 – Over at Trans Universe, Angela Brightfeather would like a “simple question” answered …

That simple question is:

“Senator Obama, would you veto an exclusive version of the Employment Non Discrimination Act if it did not include employment protections for transgender people?”

It’s a tough question to ask a man who believes in not impeding any rights bill from passing, but it is an important question to ask. If the answer is anything but “Yes,” I will take my vote on November and either find someone else to vote for, or just sit this one out and encourage everyone to do the same until people come to realize that this makes common sense.

And, the big question for Senator Obama is . . . . ?

#5 – It’s raining a bit tonight in Asheville … it’s been so long I feel like streaking into the night. Night all.

Law.com and the National Law Journal have a new piece up on retired Army Colonel Diane Schroer’s pending case before the federal court in Washington, DC. This looks as if it may turn out to be the most significant case regarding transgender people and federal employment to ever reach the courts.

The ACLU has summed up the story behind Col. Schroer’s case as follows:

Diane interviewed for a job as a terrorism research analyst at the Library of Congress and accepted the position, but the job offer was rescinded when she told her future supervisor that she was in the process of gender transition. The ACLU is now representing her in a Title VII sex discrimination lawsuit against the Library of Congress. This is her testimony.

She described her case at the recent Congressional Hearing on Transgender Discrimination:

Arthur Leonard of the New York Law School said this about the case:

This is potentially very significant, partly because the case is against the federal government, which could impact federal employment policy and people all over the country. It also is addressing an emerging issue as to whether people whose gender identity differs from the norm would be protected by the law’s provisions against sex discrimination [in Title VII].

[More below the fold.]

Read the rest of this entry »

Looks like Andrea Lafferty and company bought a bale of straw recently, because she appears to have built a straw man last Friday (August 15, 2008):

The platform draft approved Aug. 9 by the party’s 186-member Platform Committee apparently omits two controversial issues which had been in the 2004 Democrat Platform. There is no mention of the words “gay” or “lesbian or the party’s opposition to a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Why would the Democrats eliminate (or appear to eliminate) these two key provisions. Because they read polls, too and know that the American people are opposed to homosexual marriage. And since Obama is trying to convince Christians and African-Americans of his alleged “faith,” specifically courting the Christian vote, he can’t let those folks know his rabidly pro-homosexual/transgender stand. They are deliberately trying to hide the homosexual agenda in the Platform by using terms most Americans find unfamiliar.

…It was not “specificity” that they were after–but cover. This amendment strategy was done intentionally to avoid any public discussion or paper trail of the strong support for the homosexual/transgender agenda by Senator Obama and the Democrat party.

–Andrea Lafferty, writing for the Traditional Values Coalition‘s (TVC’s) 2008 Democrat Platform – The Most Pro-Homosexual/Transgender Ever And Incredibly Deceptive

Ah! That was exactly it, Andrea! How did you find out? Was it you’re quick-witted spies, covertly planted within Homosexual Agenda, Inc., that have cleverly ascertained Sen. Obama’s and the Homosexual Agenda-eers nefarious plans? Or did the clouds part, and God reveal to you in a booming voice the nefarious plans of Sen. Obama and the Homosexual Agenda-eers? Either way, your deft analysis wouldn’t in no way resembles a straw man argument, right?

Because, as you know, it really was good cover because no one is discussing LGBT issues related to the Democratic Platform except your organization. Well, exept for those other “Christian” media outlets discussing these same issues (here, here, and here, for example), the LGBT media outlets discussing these same issues (here, here, and here, for example), and the main stream media outlets discussing these same issues (here, here, and here, for example) — so you’re so right that that using the terms sexual orientation and gender idenity and expression instead of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender has been great cover for the quashing of public discussion of the Democratic Platform’s take on LGBT issues.

[Below the fold, the TVC's hypocritical stance on"personal attacks and mudslinging".]

Read the rest of this entry »

I wasn’t there to see it, but … Cyd Zeigler of Outsports comes out for “Smiling Joe” and his putative goons, and down hard on “crazy lady” Catherine Cusic … whatever, not that I’m surprised by this, I’m sure this must simply be something these sports gays get from WWE or such …

An altercation at the Human Rights Campaign’s Bay Area Gala Dinner Saturday, July 26, has left one woman alleging abuse and threatening legal action and an organization scratching its proverbial head. And at the heart of the controversy are two very different sides of what happened that night.

Catherine Cusic, a vice-president of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, claims she was bruised by security guards who assaulted her with allegedly excessive force soon after she rose from her seat during a presentation by HRC President Joe Solmonese at the event that evening. Her story was quickly distributed and picked up by various bloggers over the weekend and was repeated here on this Web site.

However, attendees of the dinner are speaking out and say that Cusic’s account is a distorted perspective of what happened, and that by the time security guards touched her, they had exhausted their non-physical options.

Cusic claims she was walking silently toward the middle of the room with leaflets under her arm when she was approached from behind by three security guards. She says she was quiet and did not utter a single word or distribute a single flyer until the guards approached her.

“There was absolutely nothing quiet about what she did,” event Co-chair Tom Floyd said. “She began by screaming ’Liar!’ and was not quiet. She did not distribute flyers, she threw them at people. She then walked briskly with purpose toward the stage.” Floyd said it was only when it looked as though she might try to approach and climb onto the stage that security stepped in front of her.

Cusic said a guard jerked her arm back violently and knocked the leaflets out of her possession, at which time they went flying into the air. She said her right arm was then raised over her and her wrist was crushed down, and only then did she yell.

When asked why security guards would grab her and forcefully remove her for silently walking through the crowd of seated tables, she said she had no explanation.

“[Her story] is a complete fabrication,” Floyd said. “I read her statements, I was completely shocked. It was like she was at a completely different event. She was treated with complete dignity and respect.”

Floyd said he has attended other HRC events at which there were protestors, including a national dinner in Washington, D.C. He said their treatment at each one is the same: They are asked to leave and they either leave or are escorted out, but he has never seen security at an HRC dinner use anywhere near the force that Cusic describes.

Floyd added that he’s talked to at least seven different people who were at the dinner, and none of them corroborates any aspect of her story. All told, every person who was at the dinner who spoke has contradicted Cusic’s version, including at what point she yelled and threw flyers. Diego Sanchez, a transgender member of HRC’s business council and a speaker at the event whom Cusic said she wanted to “respect” during the dinner, told The Bilerico Project that Cusic’s recollection was not accurate:

“When Joe [Solmonese] was speaking, she started yelling something and tossed stacks of paper to the center of a few tables,” Sanchez said. “That’s when I turned around, and she was alone. Only then did Security approach her that I saw, as she kept moving toward the stage.”

Cusic said everyone remembers what they want to remember from an incident, and she acknowledged that she herself may have some of the facts wrong.

“People see what is consistent with their world view,” she said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw a tape and there were minor differences [with what I remember]. Maybe I was closer to the stage, maybe I said something more offensive than I remember.” However, she maintains that she did not speak or distribute any flyers until she was grabbed by security.

She said the point of the incident isn’t whether she was disruptive but how she was, in her words, brutalized by security; something she said she hasn’t experienced in many years of protesting and leafleting.

“What we’re seeing is a new kind of security system being put in by large organizations, and HRC is one of them,” Cusic said. “Even if I’d been disruptive, there is no reason for the violence that happened to me.”

She laid part of the blame at the feet of the Bush Administration for creating an anti-terrorism atmosphere in American society that has created a crack-down mentality amongst security guards. “This is what I’m told by people who are experts in the new security program.” Cusic said. “They are trained that any breach of security is to be treated as a terrorist attack.”

While video cameras were rolling, they were from the back of the room and may not have caught any of the altercation between Cusic and the event’s hired security. No one may ever know what really happened in those moments at the HRC dinner, but for the time being, Cusic has a very divergent perspective from every other attendee who has shared their perspective.

Can’t help it … but the headline on Tommi Avicolli Mecca’s article in Beyond Chron today about the Human Rights Campaign’s fundraiser in San Francisco brought to mind an image of a big room full of Roys and Silos …

~~~

Related …

Enda United: We will not be divided

Lesbian activist ousted from HRC dinner

Here’s a CBS5 news report on the planned boycott of the event by supporters of transgender rights …

“Hiring one transgender person, or giving half-hearted apologies, doesn’t cut it. They need to be accountable. They need to do the right thing.” — Robert Haaland