News and views for Thursday, December 11th through Saturday, December 13th …

[AL, USA] “A federal judge on Friday sentenced convicted transgender bank robber Jimmy Maurice Lewis II to a term of four years in prison. Lewis, 26, is a transgender individual who was dressed as woman when she robbed the Alabama Credit Union on Alabama 67 in Decatur on Nov. 9, 2007. Lewis has artificial breast implants but still possesses male genitalia, and police and prosecutors say her plan was to rob banks to finance a sex-change operation” — Bank robber gets 4 years: Cash was wanted for sex-change surgery, police say

[CA, USA] A judgment has been reached in Juan (“Auntie Juan”) Valera’s sexual orientation discrimination lawsuit against Costco (“the Anti-Wal-Mart“): “The panel of eight men and four women deliberated for two and a half days before finding that 45-year-old Valera had suffered under a hostile work environment. However, the jury rejected a claim in the October 2006 lawsuit that Valera was a victim of sexual orientation discrimination, that Costco failed to provide accommodations for his needs, and that the company acted with malice.” — Judgment in warehouse store discrimination case: $420,000

[ID, USA] Apparently, it’s been a difficult and trying past 28 years for trans woman Catherine Carlson, and a traffic ticket dispute involving the use of her former male name was “the last straw”: “For nearly a year, Catherine Carlson refused to pay the fine for driving with a suspended license because it was issued to both her and the man she used to be. She went to jail four times over the ticket that includes both her legal name and the one she was born with, Daniel Carlson. She had surgery 28 years ago to become a woman, the gender she believes should have been assigned her at birth … Her struggle for acceptance since the sex-change operation on Thanksgiving Day 1980 has gone on much longer. She chose a life of solitude at a trailer park near the Payette city limits, rejecting a society she feels has rejected her … Dressed in black pants, a plaid shirt and hiking shoes, Carlson is rail thin with long blond hair. Fine lines map her face, she hand-rolls her cigarettes, eats little and survives on nine travel-sized mugs of coffee a day. She lives on a $1,000-a-month Social Security check, suffers from depression, emphysema and a heart condition. “Changing your gender is not going to solve all your problems,” Carlson said … She worked three jobs, saved up about $15,000 to castrate Daniel and get saline breast implants for Catherine. She took estrogen until it became too expensive … Carlson views her struggle against the local justice system as a fight for rights granted to everyone else under the U.S. Constitution, acceptance in the society she has secluded herself from for all these years. “You’re going to have to make me one of ‘We the People,’” Carlson said.” — S. Idaho transgender woman fights use of male name

[MI, USA] The recent, successful repeal of a sexual orientation/gender identity anti-discrimination ordinance by voters in Hamtramck, Michigan appears to have set the stage for a similar effort against a recently adopted anti-discrimination ordinance in Kalamazoo : “Petitions aimed at rescinding a new city ordinance banning discrimination against gays, lesbians and transgender individuals in housing, public accommodations and employment began circulating in Kalamazoo churches last weekend. Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association of Michigan, said Thursday that his organization is supporting the efforts of unnamed local activists toward a 2009 ballot measure to rescind the ordinance … Glenn confirmed that AFAM has a supporting role in the local petition drive. But he declined to name local organizers, saying “determining who their spokesman is is up to them.”“There is a petition being circulated to allow the citizens of Kalamazoo to make the decision on this ordinance, not the politicians,” Glenn said. “Experience proves that in other jurisdictions, ordinances like this have been used to discriminate against and penalize people who believe homosexual behavior is wrong.” — Petitions target new ordinance

[NH, USA] Brianna Cook is suing the PC Connection, accusing the company of gender discrimination in violation of state and federal law after that company declined to hire her:  “Cook is a post-operative transsexual with experience in marketing communications and sales, both as a man and as a woman, her suit states. She claims PC Connection officials implied that her hiring was assured, and that a company recruiter later told her she was eventually rejected because she hadn’t disclosed that she had previously applied to the company as a man.” — Transsexual sues over discrimination

[OR, USA] What were members of Fred Phelps’ Westboro Baptist Church really doing in Silverton a couple of weeks back protesting the election of its new transgender mayor, Stu Rasmussen? Well, one person evidently thinks it’s all part a devious and subversive transgender agenda and he sets the record straight: “Could this whole affair of protesting Silverton’s new transgender (a man dressing as a woman) mayor be a well-organized set-up to foster and make acceptable transgendering? The Westboro church may be a front organization to make sensational news through “hate messages” under the guise of Christianity, thus undermining true Christianity. … The infinite wisdom of God makes no mistakes. Men are men, women are women. That is the reality now and forever no matter how they dress or alter their bodies.” — Church’s protest could be a setup to make sensational news

[WA, USA] The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association is a trailblazer when it comes to the formulation and implementation of policy governing the participation of trans persons in organized athletics: “Before the 2006-07 school year, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association had never fielded a question about transgender athletes. That year, they received four inquiries about whether teenagers with non-traditional gender identities could compete for their schools. Trans issues were no longer out of bounds. “No one had ever asked, so we had no policy” … the 2007 policy talked about “transgender” issues, the revised version referred to “gender identity or expression.” It says: “Fundamental fairness, as well as most local, state and federal rules and regulations, requires schools to provide intersex and transgender student-athletes with equal opportunities to participate in athletics. This policy creates a framework in which this participation may occur in a safe and healthy manner that is fair to all competitors.” The policy says that if questions arise whether “a student’s request to participate in a sex-segregated activity consistent with his or her gender identity is bona fide,” the student may seek review of eligibility through a confidential process, beginning with his or her school administrators. A hearing would then be scheduled before a WIAA committee specifically established to consider gender identity appeals. The committee is to include at least one person from the medical or mental health field who is familiar with gender identity issues … ” — Washington embraces trans athletes

[USA] “The Human Rights Campaign is calling on President-elect Barack Obama to implement numerous non-legislative changes to improve the lives of gay and transgender Americans … The many changes recommended by HRC include expanding President Bill Clinton’s executive order barring discrimination in the federal workplace on the basis of sexual orientation to include gender identity … Other recommendations include … [requiring] that the federal government only hire contractors that have non-discrimination provisions for sexual orientation and gender identity categories … [and] allowing the Internal Revenue Service to provide reimbursements for medical expenses in the gender-transition process through tax-preferred flexible spending accounts. Also, allowing transgender people to change their gender markers on federal documents and records, including passports.” — HRC asks Obama to make pro-gay changes: Requests include expanding non-discrimination protections

[UK/Turkey] “The biology behind the raging-hormone rite of passage known as puberty has long been a mystery. Just as the pimply, mood-swinging teen puzzles parents, the process that sets the teenager off has also stumped scientists. But researchers from Turkey and England say they have discovered one of the master molecules that triggers sexual maturity.” — Research uncovers puberty genes

[UK] “A Guilford woman has revealed how a sex change [over "£60,000 worth of surgery in America, Thailand and Britain"] has helped her conquer the business world. Kate Craig-Wood was a man up until three years ago, but last week she was named one of the main winners at the NatWest Everywoman Awards.” — Sex change Kate has never looked back

[Vietnam] Regrets? The Thanh Nien Daily reports that for some Vietnamese transwomen gender reassignment surgery is “much pain, little gain.” — Transsexuals find new body doesn’t ensure happiness

[Singapore] Three videos from The Straits Times on transgender life in Singapore and Thailand: Transgenders among us (Part 1) (00:15:12), Transgenders among us (Part 2) (00:17:20), Transgenders among us (Part 3) (00:11:47)

[UK] A message from Lucy Parker — who was the subject of the BBC shows “Teen Transsexual” and “Lucy: Teen Transsexual in Thailand” — and who soon will no longer be a teen …

… for trans people (real and fictional) was the topic of a number of items in the news this morning.

First, there’s the respect that a trans or gender-variant person hopes he or she will receive when they face a medical or emergency situation (Autumn, a couple of days before her recent surgery, mentioned the case of Tyra Hunter in D.C.). A letter-writer today in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review thought that Rebecca Hare at least received that paramount respect …

I wish to thank Chief James Holman and the City of Pittsburgh’s Emergency Medical Services, River Rescue Unit, for the professionalism and respect they showed Rebecca Hare as they rescued her from the cold river on Feb. 7 (“Divers pluck woman from flooded Downtown basement,” Feb. 8 and PghTrib.com).

It makes me proud to live in Pittsburgh.

This is a stark contrast to other cities, where the treatment of transgender people has been horrendous. This is another sign of the support the city has toward its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population.

But …

However, I was disappointed with the news media’s reporting of this incident. Their reference to Ms. Hare as a man was a blatant form of disrespect to her and to the transgender men and women living in Pittsburgh.

The only reporting agency that showed some respect was the Trib, and for that I do thank you.

(The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, in their article on the rescue, did not refer to Hare as a “man.”)

I don’t know if we’re making progress here, yesterday it was “garbage,” today’s it’s “slop” …

It looks like The Telegraph has reached a new low. The Sunday front-page, lead story could be a story found in any underground paper. (Part 2 of our series on New Hampshire’s transgender community.)

The Telegraph chose to put this slop on the front page. Isn’t this the type of story that can be found while waiting in checkout lines at the food store?

When is the editor going to understand that not everything that can be printed is worth printing?

When is the editor going to choose to stop downgrading the paper, or is this the type of “reporting” that we have waiting in store for us?

On a more positive note, as quoted today in the The Times (Munster, Indiana), Olympia Dukakis on Mrs. Madrigal …

Viva life!

Olympia Dukakis won best supporting actress for playing Cher’s sarcastic ma in “Moonstruck,” but her heart belongs to another character. Her favorite role to date: Anna Madrigal, the pot-smoking landlady in the 1993 miniseries “Tales of the City.”

The quirky transsexual “was extraordinary,” praised Dukakis, in town directing “Botanic Garden” at the Victory Garden Greenhouse Theater. “She was a woman who survived herself, who dared to say ‘Yes’ to life and look at the obstacles. It’s incredible how brave some people are — and have to be — to say ‘Yes.’ “

I can’t say I’d care to be referred to as “garbage” … Jeers …

My annual renewal for The Sunday Telegraph came in the mail recently. On Sunday morning (Feb. 10), The Telegraph devoted the front page to alternative transgender lifestyles for the second time within a month or so.

Why is this news?

There is so much garbage in the media that is thrown at the population. In order to not be subjected to it, I turn off TV shows, change the channel, walk out of movies, and I am selective about the radio stations I will tune into.

Mr. Editor, due to your decision to publish the transgender series, I have canceled my subscription to The Telegraph.

What is your agenda? Do you feel the need to enlighten the population about this lifestyle? I do not share your agenda and do not want it shoved down my throat.

If more people are disgusted with this garbage being passed as news, I hope you to will cancel your subscription to The Telegraph.

This is the only thing they will understand. Send them a message loud and clear that this is unacceptable. The transgender stories are not news.

The Telegraph is not a newspaper, but is a liberal, socialist rag.

~~~~~

See …

Group a place to be open

This is crossposted from one of my favorite bloggers, Monica Roberts, with her permission.  (She posts over on her own blog, TransGriot, and over at Bilerico).

The email by Sue is a little irritating because Sue didn’t do research on Monica — heck, Monica was IGFE’s Trinity Award winner for 2006. (IGFE’s description of the award: “Trinity Awards honor our heroes and heroines, people who have performed extraordinary acts of courage and love in service to the Transgender Community.”) I know how much civil rights work Monica has done over the years to benefit multiple communities — I know Monica meets the ultimate measure of a woman by where she stands in at times of challenge and controversy. And, from what I’ve seen, Monica understands that life’s most urgent question is “What are you doing for others?”

Frankly, Sue doesn’t know enough about Monica’s past decade of civil rights and community work make the statement “You really should stick to what you know best and keep out of the bigger picture.” I would dare say Monica has a much, much better “big picture” understanding of federal level civil rights issues than Sue does.

Let me add here that I’ve known Sue personally, as she, like me, is a San Diego resident. She has a history of working with transgender people in support groups/support organizations, worked with others at Family Health Services of San Diego to get a transgender needs assessment published, and worked with others in support of ammending San Diego’s Human Dignity Ordinance to add transgender employment protections. Frankly, I can’t figure what happened to her perspective on trangender people between late 2003 and now — I know she’s no longer in the mainstream of transgender activism here in our hometown.

The comments are turned off here, but if you want to comment on this article by Monica, please go to the original post at TransGriot.
~~Autumn~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hateraid From A WBT

One of the things that’s part of being an activist, especially one who has writing talents and an ever increasing media profile is critcism.

I’m a big girl and I expect it, nor do I presume that ‘errbody’ agrees with what I have to say. I welcome constructive criticism if it is done in a loving way that helps me become a better person and a better activist.

But this is what was sitting in my e-mail inbox when I checked it early on the morning of January 25 after doing 15 hours at work.

From: “Sue Robins”
To:
Subject: I owe you thanks
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:35:25 -0800

Minica;

I wanted to thank you for showing your true colors up on Bilerico today. You really should stick to what you know best and keep out of the bigger picture. What you and others are demonstrating is the inability of the transgender community to function in a polite environment without saying disrespectful thing. I have heard it from more then a few of my post-transition friends that you and your ilk are making a mockery of the transgender rights cause. This is the very reason people have been leaving the TG movement in droves.

You don’t seem to understand you have to work with straight middle class men and women if you want to insure progress in transgender rights. You have to play the game by their rules not Barney Frank’s. One of those rules is there is only two sexes Men and Women fortunately a large part of the transgender community understands that. You just keep posting your disrespectful comments you are showing the world that transgenders are nothing more then freaks to be seen on Jerry Springer; thankfully my transgender friends don’t act that way.

Have a nice day

Hugs
Sue Robins

————–

(Cue Papi Boulevardez laugh)

FYI TransGriot readers. I didn’t put my first post on the Bilerico Project blog until 6:48 PM Friday evening. So at the time I read this e-mail I didn’t know what the hell she was talking about.

I’ve since discovered that Sue Robins is one of those white transsexual separatists that I’ve been tangling with in various online transgender groups since the late 90′s.

Before I start the fun and festivities taking this e-mail apart and rebutting her WBT azz (and in this case the WBT stands for weak-minded belligerent transsexual) enjoy this music video from Jill Scott for her hit song ‘Hate on Me’.

I wanted to thank you for showing your true colors up on Bilerico today. You really should stick to what you know best and keep out of the bigger picture.

Why? What is it about lil old me that ‘scurrs’ you and your ilk so much? And as for keeping out of the bigger picture, too late. While you were cowering in your closet, I was lobbying congressmembers in 1998. I was sitting at a table at Task Force HQ in DC back in 2000 during their National Transgender Policy meeting. I’ve been in this effort for ten years now and I ain’t going away.

What you and others are demonstrating is the inability of the transgender community to function in a polite environment without saying disrespectful thing.

There you go again with that BS ‘horizontal hostility’ crap. The interesting thing is that every time this shade gets thrown by nekulturny people like you, y’all jump off crap, then you wanna whine and holler ‘horizontal hostility’ when people call you on it.

I have heard it from more then a few of my post-transition friends that you and your ilk are making a mockery of the transgender rights cause. This is the very reason people have been leaving the TG movement in droves.

Oh really? The one thing that’s making a mockery of the transgender rights cause is the inept way that it’s been handled for the last ten years by some peeps that share your ethnic background.

As for your assertion that people are leaving the movement in droves, got any facts to back that statement up? Methinks you’re just counting your whiny clueless ‘WBT’ peeps who have repeatedly demonstrated breathtaking ignorance on a vast array of subjects and the inability to work and play well with others.

You don’t seem to understand you have to work with straight middle class men and women if you want to insure progress in transgender rights. You have to play the game by their rules not Barney Frank’s.

This is priceless. White male privilege in action, folks. You are not only discounting and disrespecting my intelligence and abilities, but have the nerve to try to lecture me about how to pass rights legislation when I’ve been to Capitol Hill, two state legislatures, and recently the Jefferson County school board to do precisely that.

One of those rules is there is only two sexes Men and Women fortunately a large part of the transgender community understands that.

Umm, medical science and biology says otherwise. I think our intersex friends would have a bone to pick with you about your narrow assessment as well. Fortunately a larger section of the transgender community and our allies understand that gender is a continuum, and everybody fits somewhere along that line. The only peeps that share your gender=genitalia dogma besides some of your WBT friends are the Religious Right, the Catholic Church and Barney Frank.

You just keep posting your disrespectful comments you are showing the world that transgenders are nothing more then freaks to be seen on Jerry Springer; thankfully my transgender friends don’t act that way.

FYI, Jerry Springer’s peeps called me and asked me to come on their show in 1997. I told them hell no and loseWeight Exercise my phone number.

Funny, media professionals over the years seem to like my comments enough to continue to ask me to do interviews such as my local newspaper or the Colorlines magazine one I just did. Go pick it up at a bookseller near you.

The 600 hits per day I get on this blog seems to indicate that peeps like what I have to say. I wrote a newspaper column in a GLBT paper for three years and co-hosted a radio show for two.

So what have you done to uplift transgender peeps today or over the last ten years besides sit behind your computer all day and rant?

By the way Sue, I have a fresh batch of Hater tots prepared for you that y’all can munch on to go with that Vanilla Ice flavored Hateraid you and your friends are drinking by the 55 gallon drum.

You have a blessed day.

Every now and then I get a wild hair up my ass and send a letter to an editor off. I sent this one off today to the Providence Journal (Rhode Island), regarding David Carlin’s Bathrooms for the transgendered. Summing up the article, he stated that providing gender-neutal restrooms that would benefit transgender students is a “lethal cocktail of compassion-plus-stupidity,” and:

…Let me get back to the compassionate New England colleges. They have solved the bathroom problem by doing away with men’s rooms and women’s rooms. Now everybody will use a gender-neutral bathroom. That is to say, men, women and transgender people will all use the same restrooms.

What a splendid institutional improvement! They have improved the bathroom lot of a small (and mentally ill) fraction of the student population, and they have inflicted embarrassment and discomfort on everybody else. Well, not quite everybody else. The politically correct administrators who run many of our colleges will feel a glow of moral superiority every time they relieve themselves in a gender-neutral rest-room.

The French philosopher Jacques Maritain felt that we should be both compassionate and intelligent. One without the other would not do. He summed this up in a memorable phrase that we should all remember: “We must have tough minds and tender hearts.”

America today suffers from what may eventually prove to be a lethal cocktail of compassion-plus-stupidity. We solve little problems that tug at our heartstrings by creating immense future problems. Hard cases make bad law.

Anywho, below is my letter to the editor. It’s probably too long for them to actually post in their hard copy publication, so I thought I’d share it here.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear editor,

David Carlin doesn’t seem to comprehend that the “difficulty [transgender] students face when choosing a bathroom” isn’t superfluous, it’s serious mistreatment and violence. The Transgender Law Center published the document Peeing In Peace, which stated:

For many transgender people, finding a safe place to use the bathroom is a daily struggle. Even in cities or towns that are generally considered good places to be transgender (like San Francisco or Los Angeles), many transgender people are harassed, beaten, and questioned by authorities in both women’s and men’s rooms. In a 2002 survey conducted by the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, nearly 50% of respondents reported having been harassed or assaulted in a public bathroom. Because of this, many transgender people avoid public bathrooms altogether and can develop health problems as a result. This not only affects people who think of themselves as transgender, but also many others who express their gender in a non-stereotypical way but who may not identify as transgender (for instance, a masculine women or an effeminate man).

[More of the letter to the editor after the break]

Read the rest of this entry »

For Wednesday …

#1 – In law and legislative news …

[In Florida] County commissioners voted 5-1 today, with Commission Chairwoman Addie Greene dissenting, to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or expression. The decision will add gender identity as a “protected class” in the county’s equal employment ordinance. Commissioner Mary McCarty referred to it as the “lipstick and high heels” rule.

Palm Beach County prohibits gender identity discrimination

[In Michigan] Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm has signed an executive order banning discrimination in state employment based on gender identity or expression, according to Michigan LGBT rights group Triangle Foundation. The legislation applies to the approximately 50,000 state employees in Michigan’s executive branch, which makes up 95 percent of all state employees. The order will protect not only transgender workers but also any state employee who faces discrimination because he or she does not conform to traditional gender norms in behavior or appearance.

Michigan governor signs transgender antidiscrimination law

[In Ohio] The City Commission voted 3-1 to add sexual orientation and gender identity to a list of protected groups. Commissioner Dean Lovelace was the sole “no” vote. McLin and Commissioners Matt Joseph and Nan Whaley voted for the measure. Joey Williams requested additional dialogue and did not vote.

Dayton commission passes anti-discrimination law

[In Maryland] Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) signed off yesterday on legislation to protect transgender individuals from discrimination, over the objections of religious and community groups that say the measure would give male cross-dressers access to women’s restrooms and locker rooms.

Leggett Signs Bill For Protection of Transgender People

#2 – In politics …

[In Georgia] Michelle Bruce says she didn’t run for office to be a pioneer, but there’s no denying that she cuts a unique figure in political circles: She’s perhaps Georgia’s first transgender politician.

Four years after she won a seat on the Riverdale city council, she’s battling a lawsuit launched by an unsuccessful opponent who claims Bruce misled voters by running as a female. And to Bruce, the line of attack is somewhat confusing.

“I’ve always been Michelle,” she said. “If someone has a problem with that, I can’t help them. It’s a personal issue.”

It’s a rather perplexing legal challenge aimed at a rather perplexing political figure …

The complaint, which identifies Bruce as “Michael Bruce,” claims she misled voters by identifying herself as a female and asks a judge to rule the November election results invalid and order another general election.

Fuller did not return calls seeking comment, but her attorney said that voters in Riverdale tend to favor female candidates — particularly if they are incumbents.

“It gives her an unfair advantage,” said Michael King, the attorney who filed the lawsuit. “It’s not just sour grapes. The people need to know whether the election is fair.”

Transgender politician fights claims of fraud because she ran as a female

Some video accompanying the Bruce story may be viewed here. And …

[In Colorado] Pam Bennett, an at-large candidate for city council who missed unseating one of two incumbents this November, says she intends to start her next campaign this December for a seat on city council in 2009 …

Although a few transgender candidates have been elected to offices across the United States in recent years, an openly transgender candidate has never held office in Aurora.

“Pam is absolutely a pioneer – not the first, but part of the first handful,” said Mara Keisling, executive director for the National Center for Transgender Equality, an organization that does not make political endorsements.

Pam Bennett set to run for council again

#3 – Stonewall redux?

[In New York City] It was not exactly the Stonewall Rebellion II, but a group of about 40 mostly veteran LGBT activists picketed a social gathering for members of the Human Rights Campaign at the Stonewall Bar on Christopher Street, scene of the 1969 uprising by gay and transgendered people that sparked the modern LGBT movement.

Jon Winkleman, a gay activist and board member of the National Stonewall Democrats, organized the protest against what he termed HRC’s “dishonesty and duplicity” in supporting the US House passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act covering sexual orientation but dumping gender identity and expression.

“HRC and its executive director Joe Solmonese repeatedly told the community they were fighting for an inclusive ENDA when they were secretly lobbying Congress to pass the more expedient lesbian-and-gay-only version.” Winkleman said …

“I feel betrayed,” said Honey, a transgendered woman. “I used to help them and give them publicity on my TV show.”

Caprice Bellefleur, a person of mixed gender, noted Solmonese’s solemn pledge in mid-September never to divide the bill and his betrayal in the home stretch. “They came late to transgender inclusion in the first place,” Bellefleur said.

Bill Dobbs, an independent gay activist if there ever was one, said, “The ENDA vote was part charade to shore up HRC’s donor base and gay votes for the Democrats.”

Jay Kallio, a trans man and activist for 36 years, said that given that ENDA wasn’t going to become law anyway, “you should place LGBT community unity over passing a meaningless bill.”

HRC ‘Duplicity’ Protested

#4 – Pawned off?

It’s a very special day in Gayville: Transgender Day of Remembrance: a solid 24-hours of commemorating our gender bending allies who have fallen on the road the freedom. In honor of this honorable day, the National Stonewall Democrats would like to share the following thoughts:

Whenever transgender citizens are told that their inclusion hinders the advancement of the LGBT movement, our own history is ignored and strategic lessons forgotten. As we remember the lives of those we have lost, we must work to secure equal protections for our entire movement. We owe a special duty towards those whose contributions have already led to legal protections for many in our community but not for themselves. If we are to reduce violence against transgender citizens, we must reduce attempts to marginalize transgender Americans within the law and, when necessary, within our own community.

Human Rights Campaign also delivered a trans message: they’re not holding a memorable event. They are, however, encouraging their supporters and staff to attend a vigil at DC’s Whitman Walker Clinic. Pawning Transgender celebration onto another organization?

Why are we not surprised…

Don’t Forget The Trannies!

#5 – Mein kampf redux?

My ‘‘Heil Hitler” comment was clearly directed at the council president for the Nazi-like manner in which she ran the vote and would not tolerate public input. My comment about my fear of dead little girls being found in rest rooms was couched in the context of the infamous Hadden Clark, who is in prison for the deaths of Michelle Dorr and Laura Houghteling. He enjoyed dressing like a woman.

This will go down in history as the most profoundly insane idea that our County Council has ever voted for. What woman is willing to go into a restroom alone, or allow her daughter in said restroom, with a man in there wearing a dress? This legislation will only attract those looking for fertile hunting grounds for little girls.

Comments were directed at council president

After a three-week hiatus, 5 Things returns with this Thursday edition of trans and gender-related news …

#1 – Today, November 8th, is Intersex Solidarity Day.

#2 – Paul Schindler writing in the Gay City News yesterday had a pretty good wrap-up (“What Does Victory Mean?“) of the U.S. House’s passage of H.R. 3685 (ENDA) on Wednesday.

#3 – While GLBT solidarity may have suffered a setback yesterday here in the U.S., there’s “solidarity” aplenty in South Korea, where not just the “T” … but the “G” … and the “L” … and the “B” were all left out of proposed anti-discrimination legislation …

“A supposed landmark nondiscrimination law has been hollowed out to exclude Koreans, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, who are in need of protection,’’ Jessica Stern, a researcher from the group, said in a statement this week.

Critics blast proposed South Korean nondiscrimination bill for excluding gays, lesbians

#4 – Back in the States, the Montgomery County (Maryland) Council is scheduled to vote Nov. 13 on a bill to add “gender identity” to the county’s anti-discrimination policy. Opponents of the measure, such as Dr. Discrimination, are now focusing their arguments on the “bathroom” issues …

… this bill would not define ‘‘facilities” as bathrooms alone, but would include locker rooms and showers as well.

The bill, if passed by the council on Nov. 13, would allow biologic males to access female showers and dressing facilities. Many transgenders have not had reassignment surgery but would still be allowed into lockers and showers.

Also, what was considered indecent exposure in the past will be legalized. Unless people communicate their concerns to the County Council, indecent exposure will be legalized by Bill 23-07.

Ruth M. Jacobs, MD, Rockville

#5 – Kim Pearson of TransYouth Family Advocates (TYFA) has a feature in the Nov. 2nd issue of BottomLine San Diego on transgender kids …

In the GLBT movement, most of us are familiar with the capital “T” representing Transgender folks, but there is also a lower case “t” beginning to emerge as a bright and shining star of education and advocacy in our community. The lower case ‘t’ represents the trans and gender variant children in our community and the families who love and support them.

Due to the flurry of recent media attention, these children have been thrust into the public eye. Unless you are personally acquainted with one of these children/families, how much do you really know about their lives and experiences? How accurate is the information you may have?

…

Difference isn’t wrong…it just is

Remember Ron Sanders … ?

“Mr. Stanton is not a role model. He’s proven that. I think for the sake of our young people today, you need to do what’s right, and that’s terminate him. … If Jesus was here tonight, I can guarantee you he’d want him terminated. Make no mistake about it.”

Well, here’s the latest from “God’s man in Largo” …

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:34 “Righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any people.” I believe America has ceased to be good and is in serious trouble with God. I believe this country is guilty of murder before God. The sixth commandment says: “Thou shalt not kill.” Since Roe v. Wade millions and millions of babies have been aborted (murdered) in the name of liberalism. Homosexuality and the transgender lifestyle are an abomination (extreme disgust) to God (Leviticus 18:22, Deuteronomy 22:5) and have become accepted in the name of liberalism.

Saturday edition …

#1 – The cruel and the unusual …

Correctional officer Jose Perez, 42, faces a year in jail from misdemeanor charges that he groped a 30-year-old transgender inmate’s breast over the shirt at Santa Clara County Main Jail, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ed Wise said.

He is a 14-year veteran of the department, Cursi said.

The alleged incidents happened over the course of three days in November 2006, according to Wise. The final incident was reported to officers by another inmate who spied the pair on the main jail’s sun deck Nov. 5.

The Department of Corrections also is investigating the allegations. Perez has been on paid administrative leave since the investigation began in November, Cursi said.

Jail guard arrested on sex charges

… and …

The real Brittany Ossenfort is not happy.

A man who looks and dresses like a woman used her identity when he was arrested for prostitution in Orlando.

…

Law enforcement officials learned the fake Brittany was the real Richard about 12 hours after he was arrested Friday night wearing a white bandana, white pants and a bra-like top. At first, deputies considered him a woman, but later learned his true identity.

…

During a interview in jail this afternoon, Phillips introduced himself as Brittany Ossenfort and said he doesn’t know why the name Richard Phillips came up with his fingerprints. He also claims not to know the other Brittany.

Cross-dressing man arrested under female friend’s name

… and …

Alexis Giraldo was born a man but lives life as a woman. She takes hormones to feminize her appearance, a fact she says prison officials did not care about even as her male cellmate raped and beat her repeatedly.

…

Giraldo is suing the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for emotional distress and violating her constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. She has asked Superior Court Judge Ellen Chaitin to order prison officials to come up with a new system for housing transgender inmates.

…

Briefs filed by the state argue that Giraldo initially was in a consensual sexual relationship with her cellmate in violation of prison policy, did not report specific rape claims and refused offers to be moved to a different cell. Once she made it clear her cellmate was sexually assaulting her and prison staff found strangulation marks on her neck, she was removed to protective custody, the state maintains.

…

Giraldo was sent to Folsom for shoplifting and a parole violation in January 2006. She spent three months in the general prison population and another four months in a single cell away from other inmates. She remained in the medical prison until she was paroled earlier this month.

Transgendered ex-inmate sues prison

#2 – Of course, Concerned Woman Matt Barber “plays it straight, so to speak” …

On August 9, MTV’s homosexual cable network, Logo, is hosting the first-ever presidential debate intended to promote the homosexual and transgender (gender identity disorder) lifestyles.

…

“It’s disgraceful that our nation’s moral standards have now dipped so low that it’s considered ‘tolerant’ to hold a debate organized entirely around the promotion of sexual immorality. What’s next? Are presidential candidates going to be asked to participate in a debate on how to garner widespread acceptance of adultery or incest? Are members of the growing polygamy lobby and the pedophile group NAMBLA going to tap candidates for a televised debate to promote their chosen lifestyles?

Homosexual Immorality: What’s the Debate?

#3 – Janet must have got that e-mail from the TVC …

What the mainstream media, including your paper, are not covering is the Democrats’ plan to deliver on campaign promises to homosexuals in the form of House Bill 1592 and Senate Bill 1105.

Those bills create a federally protected class for homosexuals, transvestites, transgender and transsexual persons. If these laws are passed, the federal government will be empowered to investigate and punish politically incorrect speech and thoughts as hate crimes. It also mandates federal prosecution for state offenses, with the possibility of life imprisonment for crimes motivated or perceived by “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” without even defining what these terms mean.

These bills violate the concept of equal protection under the law by granting more government protection to certain classes of people. They also represent a clear overreach of power, allowing the federal government to intervene in local and state affairs.

Even more chilling is the fact that HR 1592 paves the way for religious persecution. Christians who hold traditional beliefs on homosexuality and pastors who preach on the Bible’s view of the subject could be arrested, jailed or fined, for anything perceived as “hate speech.” In an effort to ram this bill through, U.S. Sens. Ted Kennedy and Gordon Smith have attached the legislation to the Defense Authorization Bill.

Bills go overboard in protecting rights of gays

#4 – The General has passed on …

The protagonist of one of Portugal’s most gripping courtroom dramas has died after almost 20 years in which she fooled everyone, including her live-in companion, that she was actually a male army general.

With her general’s uniform complete with medals, Maria Teresinha Gomes cut a dashing figure as the respectable and charming General Tito Anibal da Paixao Gomes. What started out as a costume for the 1974 carnival, knocked up by a tailor in Lisbon, soon became the defining aspect of an invented personality. The general was only occasionally seen in uniform, but even in his civilian clothes he had a distinguished martial air about him that was enough to convince almost everyone.

Portugal’s cross-dressing ‘general’ dies after 20 years as a man

#5 – Finally, with “Hairspray” currently so much in the news, here’s one person’s take on the “dozen greatest drag performances from the last 50 years” …

Here’s my list of the dozen greatest drag performances from the last 50 years. I had to leave off at least a dozen more, so don’t be cross (or give me a dressing down) if yours isn’t here.

1. “Some Like It Hot” — Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis escape the St. Valentine Day’s massacre in Chicago by joining an all-girl band — which happens to contain Marilyn Monroe, who snuggles up unknowingly to each in turn. The funniest farce of all time.

2. “Boys Don’t Cry” — Hilary Swank won an Oscar as Teena Brandon, who tried to pass as a man named Brandon Teena in the Midwest and met a brutal end. No matter how you feel about transgender behavior, you can’t help but be touched by someone so uneasy in her own skin.

3. “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” — Tyler Perry leads the pack of black men in (hefty) women’s clothing as the uproarious, unstoppable Madea in the first of the comedies from his plays.

4. “What’s Opera, Doc?” — Bugs Bunny dons Brunnhilde’s pigtails and Valkyrie armor to capture the heart of unsuspecting Elmer Fudd. Some think this is the finest cartoon short ever made.

The rest of “Great pretenders | The best gender-crossing films” can be found here. And, you can see “What’s Opera, Doc?” here.

That’s all, folks.

Another letter to the editor I wrote is included below. It’s in response to the opinion collumn by Brad Dickerson, entitled Prison times, they have changed.
~~A~~

Dear Editors,

I’m taken aback by the statements about transgender people made by your columnist Brad Dickerson. His comments regarding Gender Identity Disorder (GID) and transgender people are much broader than the merits of the transgender prisoner who’s arguing the State of Massachusetts should pay for genital reassignment surgery (GRS). Particularly noteworthy is Mr. Dickerson’s statement…

“Issues regarding transgender are not physical, but mental. No bodily ailments will overtake a person who believes they were born in the wrong body unless they are self-inflicted.

“Although I do not consider this a “medical condition” by any stretch of the imagination…”

Is Mr. Dickerson by extension also saying that post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) isn’t a real medical condition because it’s a mental health condition, and soldiers with PTSD who attempt to commit suicide don’t have bodily ailments directly connected to PTSD — so government shouldn’t treat it? Should we leave all people with metal health conditions, such as schizophrenia, depression, or bipolar disorder without treatment because these are mental health conditions without direct bodily ailments? I hope that’s not what Mr. Dickerson is implying.

If particular health conditions should be treated as medical conditions, then it seems one should refer to the published, professional documentation for determining what is or isn’t a recognized medical condition. It should be noted then that the DSM-IV TR lists GID as a medical condition, and that there is a widely accepted standard of care for GID — which states:

Sex Reassignment is Effective and Medically Indicated in Severe GID.
In persons diagnosed with transsexualism or profound GID, sex reassignment surgery, along with hormone therapy and real-life experience, is a treatment that has proven to be effective. Such a therapeutic regimen, when prescribed or recommended by qualified practitioners, is medically indicated and medically necessary. Sex reassignment is not “experimental,” “investigational,” “elective,” “cosmetic,” or optional in any meaningful sense. It constitutes very effective and appropriate treatment for transsexualism or profound GID.”
(The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association’s Standards Of Care For Gender Identity Disorders, Sixth Version; February, 2001)

Whether or not it’s appropriate for the state to pay for GRS for a convicted murderer based on medical necessity isn’t apparently what Brad Dickerson is arguing — he’s instead seems to be basing his argument on his personal opinion that GID isn’t a real medical condition.

Either Mr. Dickerson’s byline left off that he’s a medical specialist, or he’s an incredibly arrogant newspaper columnist. Just because Mr. Dickerson doesn’t like a diagnosis doesn’t mean he can actually erase it via an opinion statement in a newspaper column.

Autumn Sandeen

 I wrote a letter to the editor to the Nashville Scene regarding a blog entry on an article about a “transvestite bar.”  They were asking about what terminology was correct when referring to transpeople, given that The Scene receiveved a letter from Marisa Richmond, Ph.D. — the president of the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition — regarding the terminology that The Scene used in the original article.
~~A~~

Dear Editor,

Re: Transpeople Who Need People. There are several styleguides from which to draw conclusions about the terms transgender and transsexual.

As to how to refer to transgender people, the Associated Press Stylebook says the following:

transgender: Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth.

If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly.

GLAAD says the following about the term “transvestite”:

transvestite:
DEROGATORY – see cross-dressing

Cross Dressing:
To occasionally wear clothes traditionally associated with people of the other sex. Cross-dressers are usually comfortable with the sex they were assigned at birth and do not wish to change it. “Cross-dresser” should NOT be used to describe someone who has transitioned to live full-time as the other sex, or who intends to do so in the future. Cross-dressing is a form of gender expression and is not necessarily tied to erotic activity. Cross-dressing is not indicative of sexual orientation.

The National Gay & Lesbian Journalists Association says the following about the term “transvestite”:

transvestite: Avoid. The term has developed a negative connotation and is now seen as crude and old-fashioned, akin to “colored.” See cross-dresser.

cross-dresser: Preferred term for person who wears clothing most often associated with members of the opposite sex. Not necessarily connected to sexual orientation. See transvestite.

If I were your publication’s editor, I would advise avoiding use of the term “transvestite” in the future because it is considered derogatory and/or is considered to have a negative connotation by many American transgender people, and because LGBT media associations recommend against using the term.

Best regards,

Autumn Sandeen

#1 – Becky knows how to stir the pot …

If HRC as an organization is really going to be honest with the community it purports to represent it needs to be up front about its real agenda and who its true constituency is. If they desire anything approaching real credibility from those of us living in the real world, the one inhabited by those of us making less than six figures a year, the one where ENDA and HCPA could make a real difference in people’s lives, they need to open their agenda and their decision making process to the rest of us.

Putting a $50,000 price tag on having a real voice in HRC’s agenda does nothing except ensure that only those wealthy enough to donate or connected enough to raise that much money each year will be heard. As we saw in 2004, when an organization must be protested and publicly denounced nationwide for years before it can even find it within itself to support basic civil rights for everyone in its own constituency, you know you’re dealing with a system so broken that it cannot be repaired. It must be torn down and rebuilt from scratch.

If HRC really wants to serve the needs of the entire GLBT community rather than just an elite few, it needs to include us not just in its membership, but also in its administration and its decision-making process. Simply put, anything less is just not equality.

A voice for the privileged few

#2 – Always get a second opinion …

Nearly five years after government scientists told women that estrogen replacement therapy increased their risks of heart attack and stroke, researchers have largely reversed their position, concluding that the drugs are beneficial for many after all.

Doctors change course again on estrogen therapy

#3 – Reading is fundamental …

A Chicago suburb’s public library received a $3,000 grant enabling it to develop the country’s first transgender resource collection. Oak Park Public Library will acquire materials aimed at educating and serving transgender people.The collection consists mainly of nonfiction materials and includes medical and legal information as well as coverage of social issues. With its own resources, Oak Park Public Library has augmented the collection with popular and lesser-known fiction titles as well as films.

Chicago-area library to add transgender collection

#4 – I’d rather be in Jersey anyway …

In all the excitement of the last few weeks about the marriage equality bill in Albany, the long quest by transgender people for statutory civil rights protection appears nearly forgotten – by our legislative leaders, our top advocacy groups, and even the LGBT media.

Where’s The Push On Gender Rights?

#5 – Life is tough …

“I know my mother had a girdle, bra and sometimes a cinch, but, wow! How do they endure stockings and high heels? The discomfort level was astonishing … ”

Tranny Travolta’s all woman

I sent this to the South Florida Sun-Journal, GLAAD, and the Trans Media Watch.
~~A~~

Dear Editors,

The history of our great country includes some awful episodes. For example:

In 1926, the American Association of Physical Anthropology and the National Research Council organized a Committee on the Negro, which focused on the anatomy of blacks and reflected the racism of the time. Among those appointed to the Committee on the Negro were Hrdlicka, Earnest Hooton and eugenist Charles Davenport. In 1927 the committee endorsed a comparison of African babies with young apes. Ten years later the group published findings in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology to “prove that the negro race is phylogenetically a closer approach to primitive man than the white race.”[1]

I can’t imagine the South Florida Sun-Journal today publishing commentaries on eugenics that that would be considered offensive, and demeaning the intelligence or morals of a race or class of people (such as women or disabled people). In the same vein, I also wouldn’t expect to read a commentary in the Sun-Journal that claimed African-Americans, women, and disabled were as a group were delusional or untruthful about their experiences with racism, sexism, or their medical conditions. Nor could I imagine a situation involving race, gender, or disability where the Sun-Journal would suspend their styleguide (or the Associated Press styleguide) to allow the slurring of an entire race or class of people.

Yet, the Sun-Journal published an article by Amanda Hollmann that slurs transgender people as a group, and Susan Stanton as an individual. The article by Hollmann ignored what the healthcare professionals at The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association wrote in their Standards Of Care For Gender Identity Disorders[2], which articulates the “international organization’s professional consensus about the psychiatric, psychological, medical, and surgical management of gender identity disorders.” (There is no recognized standard of care for “curing” transsexuals.)

And, Hollmann’s article was written using male pronouns, in contention with the Associated Press Stylebook, 2006, which states:

transgender. Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth.

If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly.

And, Hollmann’s article declared that transsexuals, such as Stanton, are delusional liars.

I believe that the Sun-Journal’s publishing of Hollmann’s article says as much or more about the journalistic standards of the Sun Journal as it does about Hollmann’s specious arguments.

—————
[1] Eugenics and Physical Anthropology; Science: 1890s-1930s. (2007)
Race, American Anthropological Association, Retrieved June 18, 2007
http://www.understandingrace.org/history/science/eugenics_physical.html

[2] Walter Meyer III M.D. et al, (February, 2001) The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association’s Standards Of Care For Gender Identity Disorders. Sixth Version. Retrieved June 18, 2007 from The World Professional Association For Transgender Health, Inc.
http://www.wpath.org/Documents2/socv6.pdf

… to Stephanie.

Yes, that’s right.

I’m giving myself the razz today for contributing, no doubt, to …

causing confusion, instability of gender and, most of all, a direct weakness in character building

… among you and any and all otherwise good, dear people.

So, thanks, Dolores, for setting me straight.

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit, I’m far from a “transgender warrior” …

My activism, as it were, mainly takes the form of the somewhat occasional, usually brief letter to the editor by me or my alter ego.

But, they usually (always so far, but maybe I need to write more often) are published.

So, I was a bit disappointed yesterday when I encountered, omg …

The Lansing City Limits

Sorry, “We do not print letters from writers living outside the area … ”

That came by way of … a postcard, no less.

Well, that letter was about this story about Lansing resident, Alice Dreger, doing her thing in a Barnum & Bailey setting.

Okay, my two cents worth may not impress. — but, heck, how provincial can you be, Lansing State Journal?

Props, to another “out-of-towner”, Curtis Hinkle, for his “Circus Freaks and Alice Dreger’s Hermaphrodite Show” piece at OII.

Alice Dreger occupies center ring tomorrow evening, June 6th, D(reger) Day, at the Psychology Building at MSU.