From The Patriot-News:

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission is investigating a complaint filed by a transsexual woman against Harrisburg Area Community College, claiming she was suspended for not using a unisex bathroom.

Shannon Powers, director of communications for the commission, confirmed a complaint by Jamie Nicole Anderson against the Lancaster campus of HACC was filed Oct. 16. She said the agency began its investigation last month.

Because it is under investigation, Powers said she could not reveal details of the complaint. However, according to published reports, Anderson is a male-to-female transgendered student who was studying nursing at HACC.

The program required students to change into hospital scrubs, and Anderson was using the female locker room. She said she was suspended for three days for insubordination when she continued to use the locker room after being instructed to use the unisex bathroom, the report said…

When accomodating pre-op and non-op trans students of any age, a school has to make a plan to make unavoidable nudity avoidable, while providing the trans student equal access to services. Does the unisex bathroom have a locker and a shower? Does the other changing room have these? If a public school — even a community college — wants to separate out a trans student, then the school needs to equal and appropriate facilities.

Equal public accomodations for pre- and non-operative trans people in general is something public institutions are now going to have to plan for. To not plan for the reality that any school may eventually have a trans student … well, not planning for forseeable problems invites commissions looking into discrimination, and trans people filing lawsuits.

This story goes to the point of the Bayard Rustin quote I’ve been known to highlight:

“[T]he job of the gay community is not to deal with extremists who would castigate us or put us on an island and drop an H-bomb on us. The fact of the matter is that there is a small percentage of people in America who understand the true nature of the homosexual community. There is another small percentage who will never understand us. Our job is not to get those people who dislike us to love us. Nor was our aim in the civil rights movement to get prejudiced white people to love us. Our aim was to try to create the kind of America, legislatively, morally, and psychologically, such that even though some whites continued to hate us, they could not openly manifest that hate. That’s our job today: to control the extent to which people can publicly manifest antigay sentiment.”
–Bayard Rustin; From Montgomery to Stonewall (1986)

Apparently, Pat Boone doesn’t appreciate being called “homophobic.” Check out his final paragraph his latest column in WingNutDaily:

Me, homophobic? Ridiculous. I love my homosexual friends, but I detest these irresponsible street tactics that can and do lead to violence. Violence breeds more violence. But love – and respect, even through disagreement – can accomplish miracles.

This was after Pat said in another column:

Are you unaware of the raging demonstrations in our streets, in front of our churches and synagogues, even spilling into these places of worship, and many of these riots turning defamatory and violent? Have you not seen the angry distorted faces of the rioters, seen their derogatory and threatening placards and signs, heard their vows to overturn the democratically expressed views of voters, no matter what it costs, no matter what was expressed at the polls? Twice?

I refer to California’s Proposition 8. You haven’t heard about the well-oiled campaign to find out the names of every voter and business that contributed as much as $1,000, or even much less, in support of Prop 8? You haven’t heard about the announced plans to boycott, demonstrate, intimidate and threaten each one – because they dared to vote to retain marriage as between one man and one woman? You haven’t seen, on the evening news, prominent entertainers and even California Gov. Schwarzenegger, urging the demonstrators on, telling them they should “never give up” until they get their way?

Assuming you have become aware of all this, let me ask you: Have you not seen the awful similarity between what happened in Mumbai and what’s happening right now in our cities?

My eyes are rolling. He loves gays? Puh-lease.

Pat apparently doesn’t recall, in his “love” for LGBT people, that he referred to “furious homosexual activists” as “twisted freaks.” And, he doesn’t seem to recall that he’s recorded a robo-call in favor of a Republcan candidate that seemed a just a bit homophobic:

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/upload/Autumn/pboone60.mp3

Pat was worried, in the robo-call, about giving “special rights” to “even transgender individuals,” and asked Kentuckians if they’d “like Kentucky to be another San Francisco.” Apparently loving LGBT “individuals” doesn’t mean letting LGBT people enjoy freedom from discrimination in all aspects of their lives.

Pat Boone doesn’t like the term homophobic applied to him. Well, in my opinion, the term fits him like a glove — he’s been expressing his anti-LGBT sentiment for quite awhile now.

The Philadelphia Gay News has a story up on how there is a case where the plaintiff is claiming that he experienced sex discrimination, but that the court is saying he experienced sexual-orientation discrimination.

Brian Prowel says he was discriminated against as a factory worker because of gender stereotyping, and he wants his day in court. But his sexual orientation may prevent him from achieving that goal.

Prowel, 39, of Penn Hills in Allegheny County, worked at Wise Business Forms Inc. in Butler from 1992-2004, where he helped produce a variety of business forms.

In court papers, he stated that pervasive gender stereotyping plagued his days at the factory and that, when he complained about it, he was ultimately dismissed from his job.

Alleged acts of workplace harassment included being nicknamed “Rosebud” and “Princess” and being ridiculed for the way he walked, spoke and sat — with his legs crossed and foot swinging.

In addition, coworkers allegedly placed a feathered tiara at Prowel’s workstation and wrote graffiti about Prowel and AIDS on bathroom walls.

In 2006, Prowel filed a federal lawsuit under Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination on the basis of sex…

Prowel is gay. Did he experience sex discrimination because of his gender expression related to how he behaved as a gay man, or did he experience discrimination exclusively because of his sexual orientation without regard to his gender expression?

When the courts try to differentiate between the two types of harassment I believe they’re trying to spilt hairs.

Functionally, I don’t see much of a difference between if discrimination or harassment occurring because of gender identity or expression or because of sexual orientation because those who harass for those reasons don’t really see much of a difference between transsexuals, crossdressers, drag queens and effeminate gay men. Discrimination cases like Prowel’s are why I believe we need as fully inclusive an ENDA as possible.

Frankly, I believe we need to plug as many legal holes as possible to minimize discrimination and sexual harassment.

~~~~~
Related:
* HRC’s Scorecard On 110th Congress Released

On August 9th, a memorial service was held for Angie Zapata.

The Greeley Tribune covered the service in their article Friends, family gather to say goodbye to slain woman.

My friend Donna Rose was there, and wrote about it in her blog entry Angie Zapata Vigil. She’s been collecting photos of the service, and has posted these in a slide show.

Angie Zapata Vigil – Greeley, CO – Aug. 9, 2008

[Below the fold: Donna Rose describes the service; the effect of hate crimes.]
Read the rest of this entry »

From horrible reality:

Denver Post: Transgender victim referred to as “it”:

Allen Ray Andrade never referred to his alleged victim as a she or he. Just “it.”

That alone speaks to the brutality of the crime committed against 21-year-old Angie Zapata, said a group that has been speaking for Zapata’s family.

“You get the sense that maybe he wasn’t seeing Angie as a person,” said Crystal Middlestadt, director of Training and Education for the Colorado Anti-Violence Program. “Then you get an idea of the violence behind this act.”

~~
From GLAAD’s Media Reference Guide:

DEFAMATORY TERMINOLOGY

…Defamatory: “she-male,” “he-she,” “it,” “trannie,” “tranny,” “gender-bender”

These words only serve to dehumanize transgender people and should not be used.

To horrible press coverage:

UK’s Metro: Duped lover kills transsexual with fire extinguisher:

A furious dupe has been accused of murder with a fire extinguisher after discovering a woman who gave him oral sex was born a man.

Allen Ray Andrade allegedly battered Justin Zapata to death in a fury after discovering the truth.

He had believed the partner he picked up online was a woman known as Angie Zapata.

~~
From GLAAD’s Media Reference Guide:

DEFAMATORY TERMINOLOGY

Defamatory: “deceptive,” “fooling,” “pretending,” “posing,” or “masquerading”

Gender identity is an integral part of a person’s identity. Please do not characterize transgender people as “deceptive,” as “fooling” other people, or as “pretending” to be, “posing” or “masquerading” as a man or a woman. Such descriptions are extremely insulting.

With regards to Angie Zapata’s killing, there’s just not much to add to the GLAAD Media Guide’s indirect commentary on the alleged killer’s dehumanization of Angie Zapata, and the Metro‘s insulting coverage.

~~~~~
Related:
* Arrest In Killing Of Angie Zapata
* Murder in Colorado

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.

Here we go: What I’ve been reading online today, paired with an open thread to discuss these articles, or stuff you find interesting.

- Marriage rights celebration, ‘D-List’ celeb among celebration’s highlights. Excerpt:

After 34 years of celebrating diversity and rights for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community in San Diego, the local organization Pride San Diego is reaping the rewards of activism and education.

Comment: I’m volunteering at the Transgender/TASC booth on Saturday, and the Scouting For All booth on Sunday.

The Scouting For All booth is extremely important to me. I have an Eagle Scout son, and I two other sons in scouting. If it were known that my two sons who are still in the Boy Scouts had a transgender parent, in accordance with how the Boy Scouts Of America’s national policy is applied, my sons would be kicked out of scouting. For me, protesting against the Boy Scouts has a lot to do with them discriminating against youth because of how their parents identify their sexuality or gender identity.

- DiversityInc: Jena 6 Aftermath: Nooses Punishable By Prison. Excerpt:

Nine months after the nation began witnessing an uptick in the number of reported noose sightings following the furor over the Jena 6 incident in Louisiana, lawmakers there, as well as in Connecticut and New York, have made hanging a noose a crime punishable by imprisonment. And more states are likely to follow.

Since September of last year, the number of reported noose incidents nationally jumped to nearly 80, according to the DiversityInc Noose Watch, the first and only tracker of national reported noose sightings.

- San Francisco Chronicle: 24% of state high-schoolers likely to drop out. Excerpt:

Nearly 1 in 4 California students will drop out during high school, state educators said Wednesday, basing their prediction on what they said is the most accurate information about student attendance they’ve ever collected.

Using a new student-tracking system, state educators found that 127,292 high school students in ninth through 12th grade quit school during the 2006-07 school year. That means 24 percent of incoming freshmen won’t stay in school long enough to graduate, researchers said, assuming that pace remains steady.

…The new dropout rate is far higher than the 13 percent educators had earlier estimated using less-sophisticated counting methods they had relied on for years.

Comment: I wonder what the graduation and dropout rates are for LGBT youth — I did a quick look this morning, and couldn’t find any statistics on the subject. I’m sure they’re out there, but I’m not sure where to look for the stats.

- MSNBC: Gore pitches 10-year shift to clean energy; Former VP praises Obama, McCain on climate issue, sees huge opportunity. Excerpt:

Just as John F. Kennedy set his sights on the moon, Al Gore is challenging the nation to produce every kilowatt of electricity through wind, sun and other climate-friendly energy sources within 10 years, an audacious goal he hopes the next president will embrace.

- Bay Windows: A novel defense: Convict’s bid for retrial hinges on alleged anti-trans discrimination against potential juror. Excerpt:

At first glance the murder trial of Roxbury gang member Sam Smith, known as “Fat Sam” according to press reports, seems to have little to do with transgender civil rights. In June 2001 a jury convicted Smith of first-degree murder for shooting and killing a member of a rival gang in Roxbury’s Ramsey Park in 1991. But Smith and his attorney, David Mirsky, are hoping that the U.S. Supreme Court will force the state to grant Smith a retrial on the grounds that one of the prosecutors in the case allegedly dismissed a juror because the juror appeared to be transgender.

- Los Angeles Times: Blue Shield sued for allegedly lying about its coverage; L.A. city attorney’s suit contends Blue Shield of California has illegally rescinded the coverage of more than 850 policyholders since 2002.

Comment: * sigh *

- The Lesbian & Gay Foundation (UK): Open meeting held for gay community and local police. Excerpt:

On Monday July 28, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community will have an opportunity to meet representatives from Merseyside Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to discuss homophobia and hate crime.

The meeting, organised by the Police, the CPS, Terrence Higgins Trust, Wirral LGBT forum and Trans Wirral will be held from 6.30 -8.30pm at The Lauries Centre in Birkenhead.

The open meeting, ‘Merseyside Police and Hate Crime response’ allows members of the LGBT community to meet directly with representatives of Merseyside Police and the CPS to address concerns around homophobic and transphobic incidents and other safety concerns. Homophobic incidents and attacks are often under reported and this meeting will provide a forum for open and honest dialogue.

Comment: I hope this clears some air, but my guess is that bad feelings from the incident that precipitated this meeting are going to linger for awhile.

This story may not be specifically trans-related, but this quote …

Now, said Daniel G. Fish, a noted elder law attorney, “‘She looked so young’ is no defense.’’

… did remind me a bit of some of the absurd and indecent “deception” arguments trotted out in “trans panic” defenses over the years.

As someone who cares for a parent who’s not many years younger than Rose Morat (and as someone who grew up and spent almost half their life in NYC), I’m pleased that Gov. Paterson and the New York State legislature did the decent thing passing this legislation.

(And maybe sometime soon the New York State Senate will do another decent act … and pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act.)

It looks like this sort of thing is spreading (more on that here) … and though we’re on the subject of cracks, I’m going to resist making one about the “flinty” police chief’s last name …

Police chief says no to crack

A US town’s new police chief has banned low hung trousers that expose wearers’ bums.

Police Chief David R Dicks, of Flint, Michigan, says his officers will arrest people who wear their pants too low.

“This immoral self expression goes beyond free speech,” he said in a statement. “It rises to the crime of indecent exposure.”

Some Flint residents are backing Police Chief Dicks, reports the Flint Journal newspaper.

“It’s overdue,” said Sam Berry, 73, of Flint. And Gwendolyn Allen, 72, agreed: “It’s so disgusting… It’s disgraceful.”

But others disagree. Claude Carter, 49, said wearing pants low was a fad – not a crime.

“I see young and old wearing their pants that way,” said Mr Carter. “It doesn’t annoy me.”

Greg Gibbs, a local attorney, says how people wear their clothing is a form of expression – but warns that not all of those forms are protected by the constitution.

“The issue is: Does it violate the First Amendment?” said Gibbs, adding that he plans to research the issue further.

I guess the Coppertone Girl won’t be welcome in Flint either.

By the way, it’s worth recalling that the Delcambre (La.) ordinance stated “It shall be unlawful for any person in any public place or in view of the public to be found … in dress not becoming to his or her sex … ” Just remember to use good fashion sense (we don’t need no “tranny messes” around here) so as to not offend fashionistas like Mayor Carol Broussard …

The clause about “dress not becoming to his or her sex” doesn’t forbid cross-dressing, Broussard said. “A dress, I wouldn’t find that obscene. As long as he covers himself and it’s not too short.”

When it comes to gay owned and/or operated brick and mortar businesses discriminating against transgender people, one just has to look at gay bars as having examples of the worst offenders.

Take Colorado’s Denver Wrangler. They are so brazen in their discrimination against transgender people that they’ve posted their discriminatory policy on their website:

- Gender matching I.D. required.
- I.D. must be state issued photo identification or driver license, military I.D., US passport or visa.
- I.D. must be current (not expired).

Which class of people do you imagine has identification cards where the sex marker doesn’t match the gender presentation? If you guessed transgender people — the same transgender people who are protected against public accommodation discrimination in Colorado’s new public accommodation anti-discrimination law — you guessed correctly.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that if the Wrangler’s policies were challenged by a complaint to the Denver Anti-Discrimination Office by even one potential transgender patron, the city’s ARTICLE IV (that covers public accommodation) indicates the bar is blatantly violating the law with an unlawful policy — I’m sure one potential transgender patron’s complaint would result in the city suing Wrangler’s. (And geez, that’s not even basing a complaint on the new state public accommodation law, of which Wrangler’s is also in violation of!)

Although…I guess I could ask my rocket scientist friend Zoe Brain to get a her opinion on whether or not unlawful discrimination is occurring. I’m not sure a rocket scientist’s opinion would add anything to the discussion, but I guess it couldn’t hurt to know what a rocket scientist thinks about this.

Wrapping this diary up, let me point out that Pam’s House Blend is going to Denver in late August for the Democratic National Convention. Whatever shall I do should the bar’s discriminatory policy be still in place when PHB makes the trip to the Mile High City? I’m sure my rocket scientist friend could provide y’all with some good guesses about some lawful behaviors I may engage in at the Denver Wrangler‘s location.

~~~~~
Related:
* Q Of The Day: When Is It Okay For Gay Owned Businesses To Discriminate Against Transgender People?
* Pam’s House Blend tag for employment – housing – public accommodation
* I’m Going To Colorado In August With PHB; I’m Going To Make Use Of Public Accommodations
* If Dr. Dobson Were King, We’d All Be Wearing Depends
* When It Comes To Transgender People & Civil Rights, It Really Is Always About The Bathroom

* Sigh * — From OneNewsNow/’s Moral debate now a public safety issue:

Citizens in Gainesville, Florida, are trying to repeal an ordinance that lets anyone reject their biological sex simply by stating that they “feel like” a member of the opposite sex. At least one citizen argues that introduces some serious safety concerns for the public.

…In fact, Davis’ group has been collecting reports of such incidents, including one in which an elderly woman using a wheelchair complained when an adult male followed her into the women’s restroom at a local grocery store.

“And the manager said, ‘He can legally do it,’” Davis relates. “The manager didn’t even ask this person if he had a sexual or gender identity issue. So just by having this law, men are walking in — and managers, because of the liability associated with questioning people who are protected by the law, they don’t even ask questions.”

The difficulty with the public safety aspect of this argument is that there have been no news stories — no documentation to support the premise — that predators have ever tried to use a public accommodation law in an attempt to cover sexually predatory behavior in a women’s restroom — despite this undocumented, factually bare anecdote given in this article.

What we’re really discussing here is a fear of predatory behavior by cross-dressed males in public restrooms vice actual, documented examples of predatory males actually engaging in any otherwise unlawful behavior in public restrooms — while at the same time being cross-dressed when they attempt to use public accommodation laws as cover for their predatory behavior.

Let’s be frank, here. If there had ever been any documented examples of cross-dressed individuals attempting to use public accommodation laws in an attempt to cover unlawful predatory behavior, I’m absolutely sure we’d have heard about it — it would be a very, very newsworthy story.

The burden of proof that this happens at all — that crossdressing males going into women’s restrooms constitute a real, documentable public safety issue in municipalities, counties, or states that have passed public accommodation laws, and that these allegedly existing predators used public accommodation laws as legal cover for their allegedly predatory behavior — should be on the conservative Christians who claim it as fact, vice falling on us transgender people and allies to prove the negative; vice falling on transgender people to prove that this scenario has never been adequately documented.

Names, dates and times, incident reports and police reports — If conservative Christians want to claim gender identity and expression specific public accommodation laws facilitate predatory behavior and constitute a real, public safety issue, they need to show us palpable evidence that indicates this really is a public safety issue. Otherwise, it’s just transgender bashing based completely on hearsay and/or fear.

~~~~~
Related:
* White Male Privilege & Women’s Fear Of Crime Intersecting With Gender Expression & Public Restrooms
* When It Comes To Transgender People & Civil Rights, It Really Is Always About The Bathroom
* The Predator Argument Doesn’t Work With Transgender Fifth Graders
* Kevin Moore’s Take On Colorado’s “Bathroom Police”
* I’m Going To Colorado In August With PHB; I’m Going To Make Use Of Public Accommodations
* If Dr. Dobson Were King, We’d All Be Wearing Depends
* The Non-Trans Woman Thrown Out Of A NY Women’s Restroom Sues
* Outing #2: When You Endanger A Child For The Sensationalism Of It
* Latest Attacks Of Teh HomoSEXual Agenda’s Transgenderededs’s Bullet Points

My transactivist friends and I have had some discussion about drag shows over the years, and a significant portion of these transgender folk consider drag shows as a kind of blackface. The reasoning behind that is that there is presumed to be a cissexual privilege*, and that people who have cissexual privilege aren’t fully aware of how cissexual people are often engaged in oppressing transsexual and intersexual people, much as those who experience white privilege aren’t fully aware of how white people in western society are often engaged in oppressing ethnic minorities.

I don’t personally buy into the idea that all drag shows are Lose Weight Exercises in cissexual privilege. This is because I’m very aware that although sexual orientation and gender identity and expression are separate structural concepts, there is certain amount of spill over between the two concepts related to gender norms. There are gender norms that gay, lesbian, and bisexual people don’t conform to regarding sexual partners; there are gender norms that feminine/effeminate gay men, masculine/emasculate lesbian women, crossdressing men, genderqueer people, and transsexual people don’t conform to regarding movement, speech, and other behaviors.

And, on top of that is layered a belief among many transgender people and allies that gender is a continuum: male and female are on the end points of a spectrum of gender which includes people who understand themselves to be neither male or female, both male and female, or somewhere between male and female, as well as those who understand themselves to be male but were born female-bodied, those who understand themselves to be female but were born male bodied, and those who consider themselves to be male or female but were born with ambiguous genitalia, or were born with sex chromosomes or sex related genetics that don’t conform to the standard XX or XY dichotomy of sexes. Drag queens and drag kings often express on a personal level how LGBTQQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, ally) folk are all, to some extent, gender outlaws.

Again, I personally just don’t buy into the idea that within the LGBT community, drag performances are Lose Weight Exercises in cissexual privilege — or excercises in a kind of transgender blackface — instead I believe our community’s diversity is often beautifully expressed in drag shows. I strongly believe in the embracing and owning of community expressions of gender variance.

So when would, in my opinion, a drag show become like a blackface show?

Well, I don’t know in every case; I can’t tell you exactly all of the elements of when drag performance crosses the line to become an Lose Weight Exercise in cissexual privilege. I can; however, give you an example from this past week of a drag show which, in my opinion, was such an Lose Weight Exercise.

On June 12, 2008 there was a drag show/benefit for seniors organized by Westchester County legislator Bernice Spreckman. It took place at the Polish Center in Yonkers. There, county legislators Ken Jenkins (in a bra, tutu and something looking like butterfly wings), Vito Pinto (in a blonde wig black bra with white fur, furry miniskirt), and Jose Alvarado (in a bra and a Roman Helmet) appeared to the laughter of an audience of seniors. Per the Lower Hudson Journal News:

In a quote from a New York Transgender Rights Organization [NYTRO] press release, spokesperson Joann Prinzivalli stated:

Read the rest of this entry »

In a 5-4 decision today, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Guantanamo Bay detainees have the right to habeas corpus challenges of their detention. The New York Times reported:

The ruling on Thursday focused in large part on the centuries old writ of habeas corpus (“you have the body,” in Latin), a means by which prisoners can challenge their incarceration. Noting that the Constitution provides for suspension of the writ only in times of rebellion or invasion, Justice Kennedy called it “an indispensable mechanism for monitoring the separation of powers.”

In the years-long debate over the treatment of detainees, some critics of administration policy have asserted that those held at Guantánamo have fewer rights than people accused of crimes under American civilian and military law and that they are trapped in a sort of legal limbo.

Justice Kennedy wrote that the cases involving the detainees “lack any precise historical parallel. They involve individuals detained by executive order for the duration of a conflict that, if measure from September 11, 2001, to the present, is already among the longest wars in American history.”

The Los Angeles Times reports in their article Supreme Court again says Guantanamo prisoners should have rights:

Read the rest of this entry »

Last Thursday, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter signed Senate Bill 200 — the Colorado public accommodation law.

The bill bans discrimination based on a person’s religious belief or sexual orientation – including transgender people – in places of public accommodation, housing practices, family planning services and 20 other public spheres. Such prohibitions are already in place with regard to race.

“I think it’s a step in the right direction for Coloradans and civil rights,” said Sen. Jennifer Veiga, a Denver Democrat who sponsored the bill.

Ritter signed Senate Bill 200 [Thursday] afternoon in his office, without any of the public ceremonies and news releases that came with six other bills he signed today. His spokesman, Evan Dreyer, said the governor was not deliberately trying to keep the signing quiet. In all, Ritter signed 20 bills today, Dreyer said.

Should I be worried about conservative Christian’s expectation of a barrage of cross-dressed, male predators stalking girls and women within the gym lockers and public restrooms in Colorado? I know from archiving news there just aren’t that many stories about cross dressed predators, let alone one’s that use women’s public restrooms and women’s gym locker rooms to do so — but if you’re James Dobson, you worry a lot about predators, bisexuals, pervy crossdressers and homosexual or heterosexual males that might walk in and relieve himself in women’s and girls’ presences:

“Who would have believed that the Colorado state Legislature and its governor would have made it fully legal for men to enter and use women’s restrooms and locker-room facilities without notice or explanation?

“Henceforth, every woman and little girl will have to fear that a predator, bisexual, cross-dresser or even a homosexual or heterosexual male might walk in and relieve himself in their presence. The legislation lists every conceivable type of organization to which this law applies, including restaurants, bathhouses, massage parlors, mortuaries, theaters and ‘public facilities of any kind.’ Those who would attempt to protect females from this intrusion are subject to a fine of up to $5,000 and up to one year behind bars.

“This is your government in action. It represents a payback to Tim Gill and two other billionaires who have essentially ‘bought’ the state Legislature with enormous campaign contributions. Coloradans deserve better!

“And by the way, because of the way this bill is written, it is not subject to the initiative process. There is no recourse.”

Be afraid. Be very afraid:

Of course, the alternative forcing people to segregate their bathroom usage strictly by chromosomes, genitalia, or whether there’s an F or an M on your original birth certificate is that female-to-male (FTM) trans people will be using women’s restroom.

Meet my FTM friend Ethan St. Pierre…

Would Dr. Dobson & Company prefer him to use the women’s restroom now? I’m sure most conservative Christian women would feel very comfortable sharing a public restroom with Ethan…

I believe Dr. Dobson & Company would rather gay, lesbian, and bisexual people — as well as people of transsexual history or transgender experience — would just never-ever-ever pee in a public restrooms at any time whatsoever. The assumption appears to be we’re all just predators waiting to assault women and girls in restrooms and gym locker rooms.

So if Dr. Dobson were king, LGBT people in Colorado Dobsonland would likely all be required to start wearing Depend Diapers. Y’know, so when we left our apartments and homes so we never set foot in a public restroom. Oh — that’s assuming that any Dobsonland businesses would sell LGBT people goods or services — or heck! Even rent apartments to us, or sell us property!

* sigh *

~~~~~
Related:
* According To CitizenLink/Focus On The Family, There’s “A New Type Of Predator” — Men In Dresses

A round up of interesting news — well, at least it’s news I find interesting.

* Now here’s a quality protest event! Bay Area College Republicans Revolt — over beer tax proposal…

* The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Obama is picking up support and calories.

* From the San Francisco Chronicle: Anti-war Cindy Sheehan files to take on Pelosi. She’s made good on her threat to run against Pelosi if Pelosi didn’t start impeachment proceedings against President Bush.

* From the New York Times‘ Soldier Sues Army, Saying His Atheism Led to Threats:

As we’ve seen this past week regarding protests against Day Of Silence participation, free speech and freedom of religion are often perceived by conservative Christians as only applying to them, — not to those who don’t share their views.

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