…How much lobbying are transgendered people doing on behalf of gay men and lesbians?
(And no, trans board members on state and national non-profits don’t count. I mean private citizens.)
How many trans folks are lobbying to end Don’t Ask Don’t Tell??
How many trans folks are lobbying to end a relic of the Anita Bryant era– Florida’s complete ban on gay men and lesbians to adopt children??
The truth is very few, if any. That’s because it’s not their issue. They can’t have it both ways.
So, while fresh with same-gender marriage/marriage equality being in the spotlight, I’d like to hightlight that trans people have been involved working on marriage equality here in San Diego. Specifically how trans people were involved in San Diego’s Join The Impact event on Saturday, November 15th, if only just to highlight one example of involement as a representative example.
So although one of the reasons why I’m doing a little documentation is to accentuate the positive about working for change, what JJ in Chicago wrote last July reminds me that sometimes it’s also about stemming off negative perceptions that aren’t necessarily reality based; sometimes it’s about pointing out where people we don’t necessarily expect to be working on broad LGBT issues are working on broad issues.
There were trans people marching, and there were trans people in the planning process. At the Marriage Equality/Join The Impact march in San Diego a week ago Saturday, there were at least 20,000 participants. There were trans people marching, and there were trans people in the planning process.
Let me cite just one who was in the planning process as an example of the many.
In San Diego, the “Face Behind FaceBook” for the march was Kelly Moyer. Never heard of Kelly? Well, like so many of the new grassroots leadership, she’s been somewhat quietly working for LGBT and trans-specific issues — she’s a volunteer at the Hillcrest Youth Center an San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender Center facilitating trans discussion groups. She’s also very active in San Diego’s lesbian community, working on event planning (such as for Dyke March) and is a member of a key community standing committee. She’s also on Sun Microsystems’ Gays, Lesbians and Friends (GLAF) employee resource group, working with Sun to increase the company’s diversity. Basically, she’s been “behind the scenes” — yet in plain view — for awhile.
After the Join the Impact in San Diego, she gave a speech on staying on a positive message with regards to marriage equality. I don’t have to agree with everything she says to understand that her message is important.
Below the fold is the last few paragraphs from her November 15th speech.
Well, I’m at San Diego Pride this weekend. I was participating with the San Diego transgender community on our Pride Parade contingent, as well as staffing the Transgender Community booth.
The photo to the left is our transgender booth at the festival, and the photo on the right is our vehicle in the parade. I wish I had a pic of our contingent in the parade, but I was marching in the contingent. I have a friend who took some pics who hopefully will be getting me a few of her pics for posting.
Lot of fun, lot of work — I’m tired. Hope to have more up on San Diego Pride tomorrow or Tuesday.
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.
Apparently, God didn’t bless James Hartline with a big win in San Diego’s Council District 3 — Hartline only garnered 595 votes, which equated to only 3.25% of the district’s popular vote.
My candidate for Council District 3, Stephen Whitburn, came in second place, which qualifies him for the run-off election in November. I know Todd Gloria — definitely the best two candidates of the six qualified for the run-off.
San Diego’s Republican Mayor, Jerry Sanders, won the office of Mayor outright — no run-off for him. If you don’t remember why San Diego’s LGBT community in large part embraced Mayor Sanders, this is Mayor Sanders from September of 2007:
~~~~~
Related:
* Who I’m Supporting In San Diego’s Third City Council District
* Republican San Diego mayor comes out in favor of marriage equality
* James Hartline’s Frothing At His Keyboard
* James Hartline Filled Out A Form All By Himself
* From The Man Who (Literally) Wants To Be My Councilman
* Six Years In Sodom: From The Journal Of James Hartline
* Jerry Sanders’ daughter on her father’s support of marriage equality
* James Hartline: San Diego is on fire because of the homos
* Pam’s House Blend: Jerry Sanders
* Pam’s House Blend: James Hartline
I don’t usually quote articles in entirety without comment. However, there’s nothing I can add or take away from this bit of news from San Diego’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender Center on the status of California’s proposed Anti-Marriage Amendment:
Many of you know about San Diego’s Third District City Council race because James Hartline is running for the seat. It’s obvious that I wouldn’t vote for Mr. Hartline, but it hasn’t been obvious who I’m for in the race.
So, who I’m for is Stephen Whitburn.
I became aware of Mr. Whitburn a long time ago specifically because of his support of transgender civil rights issues. Mr. Whitburn, as a member of the San Diego Democratic Club, was there supporting the adding of gender identity protections to San Diego’s Human Dignity Ordinance in 2003.
Since the passage of the HDO amendment, I’m aware he’s attended every major transgender event members have put on at The Center. Let me tell you, it’s not because my community has a lot of resources to dole out to his campaign, or have a large population of volunteers that will rush to his electoral assistance, but just because he genuinely embraces civil rights and human equality as values.
His stands on issues — and his priorities related to those issues — pretty much matches my own. Top among his and my concerns are open government — in line with the spirit of California’s Brown Act — and honest budgeting:
Excerpt:
…My name is Stephen Whitburn. I live in North Park, in council district three, and participate in several community groups.
I’m here to ask you to vote in favor of this item.
We — the citizens — have a right to know about plans to change the city services we receive. We also have a right to participate in the decision-making process.
The right to know is at the core of our state’s Brown Act. It requires that deliberations and actions be conducted openly.
Our city is in financial trouble partly because of discussions and decisions that we – the citizens – weren’t aware of. Now, more than ever, our city leaders should embrace our right to know what’s going on…
He’s also taken a pretty stong stand for marriage equality:
His commitment to equality in general, and marriage equality in specific, isn’t just mere words. He and I both worked on the same shift a few Saturdays ago in the Decline To Sign campaign, which was an attempt to keep the marriage initiative off California’s November ballot.
Well, I’ve even donated money to Stephen Whitburn’s campaign too — I’d only donated to the campaigns of transgender candidates prior to Mr. Whitburn’s run for City Council. And, now that I’m pretty much recovered from my gastric bypass, I’m sure I’ll be volunteering some time to his campaign as well.
Thanks Stephen, for giving me a candidate besides James Hartline to focus on in San Diego’s 3rd City Council District.
Closing out Earth Week here in San Diego, we had our Arbor day/Rancho Bernardo post-fire tree planting event at San Diego’s Rancho Bernardo Community Park on Saturday, April 26th.
There are conflicting issues involving tree and plants here in San Diego. Our city was built around it’s over 100 preserved canyons, with their native trees and brush. As the San Diego Union Tribunereported in December:
Maintaining the canyons has long bedeviled politicians, residents, environmentalists and those who study fire. Clear too much of the native vegetation and more flammable, non-native plants might move in. Clear too little and an important firefighting tool is eliminated.
So on April 26th, we planted some native trees at park. Trees within the city limits help filter pollution within the city. And, shade trees save energy.
The amazing part to me is the LGBT connection to this story. San Diego has an Urban Forest Council (appointed by the Mayor and City Council) and an Urban Forestry Section in its Street Division. The city’s Republican mayor, Jerry Sanders is more famous nationally for his position on marriage equality than he is for his urban forestry, but the chair of the Urban Forest Council, who is appointed by the Mayor, is Vicki Estrada — an out transsexual heavily involved in urban landscaping and city planning.
It’s a reminder to me that Vicki was evaluated for her skills when she was appointed to the board, and not rejected because she identifies as transgender and as a transsexual. Passage of legislation like California’s Gender Nondiscrimination Act made a difference in changing the employment climate within California. It matters that a Republican mayor appointed a transgender person to chair an important city commission.
It’s also a reminder to me that when it comes to politics, we need to look at people that fill executive offices — such as Governor and Mayor — as individuals. Mayor Sanders should be a reminder to us that not every Democrat is our friend, and not every Republican is our enemy.
But, the important parts of the story is that on Saturday, in San Diego, we planted some trees, and the Mayor and my friend Vicki played important roles as to why we planted trees in an part of San Diego devistated by last year’s Witch Fire.
~~~~~Update~~~~~
Images:
L-to-R: Mayor Jerry Sanders, Councilman Brian Maienscheim, And Urban Forestry Commissioner Vicki Estrada
L-to-R: Commissioner Vicki Estrada And Autumn Sandeen
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…
A group of Bay Area College Republicans took to the streets of San Jose Friday evening to protest a subject near and dear to them – beer.
More to the point, they wanted to rant about a state lawmaker’s proposed tax on beer manufacturers that would add nearly $2 to the price of a six-pack as a way to help the state plug its giant budget deficit.
…At the afternoon protest outside the office of Assemblyman Jim Beall, D-San Jose, about 50 students stood at a busy downtown intersection waving signs that read “Students Opposed to Unjust Taxation!” and “No Taxe$” as one student on a bullhorn chanted “No taxation on intoxication!”
That’s keeping priorities in perspective.
* The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Obama is picking up support and calories.
Waffles for breakfast and cheesesteaks for lunch, it’s all about eating as Barack Obama chows down to show his regular-guy credentials on the campaign trail.
PHILADELPHIA — The presidential candidate known for his eloquence on the stump was savoring a huge cheesesteak here when he looked up at the battery of photographers surrounding his table and reported: “I’m working through this sucker pretty good.”
Not the most poetic line from Barack Obama, but it captured the campaign’s central activity in the walk-up to this week’s Pennsylvania primary: Eating…
* 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.
Peace activist Cindy Sheehan wants to snatch House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat from her in November, but first she’s going to need the help – and signatures – of 10,198 friends and supporters.
Sheehan was at San Francisco City Hall on Friday to take out papers for her independent run for Congress, but without those signatures from voters in the district, her name won’t show up on the ballot.
“It’s an uphill battle,” said Sheehan, who vowed to run against Pelosi in July after the speaker refused to start impeachment proceedings against President George Bush. “But I’m excited about the signature-gathering process. It’s going to be an opportunity to talk to people about our campaign.”
* From the New York Times‘ Soldier Sues Army, Saying His Atheism Led to Threats:
When Specialist Jeremy Hall held a meeting last July for atheists and freethinkers at Camp Speicher in Iraq, he was excited, he said, to see an officer attending.
But minutes into the talk, the officer, Maj. Freddy J. Welborn, began to berate Specialist Hall and another soldier about atheism, Specialist Hall wrote in a sworn statement. “People like you are not holding up the Constitution and are going against what the founding fathers, who were Christians, wanted for America!” Major Welborn said, according to the statement.
Major Welborn told the soldiers he might bar them from re-enlistment and bring charges against them, according to the statement.
Last month, Specialist Hall and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, an advocacy group, filed suit in federal court in Kansas, alleging that Specialist Hall’s right to be free from state endorsement of religion under the First Amendment had been violated and that he had faced retaliation for his views. In November, he was sent home early from Iraq because of threats from fellow soldiers.
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.
[After the fold, The Peter wants an FMA for civil unions too; a shark attack off a San Diego County beach; plagiarism in the pulpit; and penis thievery.]
I’m a disabled, Persian Gulf War Veteran, with a Veterans Administration disability rating of 100%. My disabilities are service connected. I served 20-years in the U.S. Navy, from 1980-2000, and received an honorable discharge.
Watch the video below, and you’ll understand why I’m so very, very offended by the comments of Laura Ingram of Fox News.
To Laura Ingram I say:
Did I not serve in the military for 20-years? Would you not shake my hand and thank me for my 20-years of service to yours and my country? Would you welcome me as a veteran in your home town, even if I came as the transgender veteran I am to your town?
Frankly Laura Ingram, do you really believe that transgender Americans — especially transgender veterans — don’t love their country as much or more than you?
Laura Ingram owes transgender people in general an apology for her implied presumption that we hate the military, and we hate our country. And, transgender veterans in specific a public apology for assuming we would never serve our country — I know I’m not the only transgender veteran who would want to meet Laura Ingram in person and ask her if our past service in the U.S. Military services is less valuable now because we are out as transgender vets.
And Laura, you owe me, a disabled, transgender veteran who is on the planning committee for that transgender conference in Berkley, a personal apology for implying in your interview that I’m not patriotic. I served for 20-years in the U.S. Navy — Exactly how many years of military service did you put in, Laura?
I know this — I wouldn’t welcome Laura Ingram to my hometown of San Diego. It’s because I find her bigoted and incredibly small-minded.
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~~
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.
In September 2002, four members of Congress met in secret for a first look at a unique CIA program designed to wring vital information from reticent terrorism suspects in U.S. custody. For more than an hour, the bipartisan group, which included future-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, was given a virtual tour of the CIA’s overseas detention sites and the harsh techniques interrogators had devised to try to make prisoners talk.
Among the techniques, said two officials present, was waterboarding, a practice that years later would be condemned as torture by Democrats and some Republicans on Capitol Hill. But on that day, no objections were raised. Instead, at least two lawmakers in the room asked the CIA to push harder, two U.S. officials said.
~~~~~
* Human Rights Watch Report: Poor care is given to detainees. Subheader: The study’s author said the most egregious case was of a 23-year-old transgender inmate held at the San Pedro facility. Man, who had AIDS, was denied treatment and became gravely ill, finally dying on July 20. (Associated Press/Daily Breeze, California)
~~~~~
* Remember those nine U.S. attorneys? (Los Angeles Times) A year ago, a Justice Department scandal forced them into new careers. Despite some bitterness, they’ve landed on their feet.
~~~~~
[After the break: Republicans salivating over Clinton's association with S.F. Mayor; California diocese leaves Episcopal Church in rift over gays, theology; SDSU Student attacked on SDSU campus just hours after rally against hate; Hollywood "fade to black" begins; and more.]
For those who aren’t aware, this coming Sunday is Veterans Day. On the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network‘s Blog The Frontlines, they have been running a series Honor Every Veteran, where LGBT bloggers are talking about their military service. Some of the veterans who’ve written so far have included:
Quoting the Gay & Lesbian Times’ article regarding the Palm Center study:
With very little research done on transgender members of the military, Brown and Witten, along with Aaron Belkin at the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Palm Center, are anticipating issues transgender servicemembers may face.
Witten’s study is part one of a two-part study commissioned by the Palm Center, which studies sexual minorities in the military. She was asked to review and compile information on demographics and history for part one of the report. Part two will include testimonies of transgender veterans or active-duty servicemembers.
Brown has worked on voice-therapy studies and continues to work with transgender veterans. Both spoke at a forum during a World Professional Association for Transgender Health conference in Chicago in September.
Of the issues transgender veterans face, Brown and Witten said that access to medical benefits after retirement or discharge is one of the most important. There are medical issues unique to the transgender community. Often, transition requires therapy, hormone treatment and can include sexual reassignment surgery – all costly endeavors if the person does not have medical coverage. VAs, as is the case with all federal agencies, cannot provide sexual reassignment surgery, and treatment for transgender patients is limited.
Brown operated a clinic in Johnson City, Tenn. that worked with transgender veterans, but it was closed by federal officials who did not agree that the clinic served a purpose. Brown was cleared of any wrongdoing for serving the transgender patients. A similar clinic in New Orleans was also closed.
A VA-approved facility in Boston is fairly comprehensive in its treatment of transgender veterans, Brown said. The hospital has set standard operating procedures for how to manage veterans that are transgender, but within the VA system, it’s difficult to find allies.
Brown said VA doctors hesitate to treat transgender patients out of fear that it will affect their careers.
“Now people who do want to treat transgender vets are scared of the potential negative impact on their careers or the stigma,” he said.
Within the concept of honoring every veteran, we need to consider honoring every disabled veteran — whether they be straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or intersex — with appropriate medical care. As a transgender veteran, let me espouse that we should be treating disabled transgender veterans within the VA medical system as the transgender people we are, and not how the religious right or others believe we should be.
Honoring every veteran — it’s something to think about this coming weekend, and something to think about in the weeks, months, and perhaps years to come.
~~~~~
Further Reading: SLDN: Survival Guide[Section I. is on Transgender Individuals, page 16 of the document (page 24 of the PDF)]
My Congresswoman, Rep. Susan Davis, spoke on the House Floor yesterday in strong support of a transgender inclusive ENDA. She spoke about my close friend Vicki Estrada, and how she avoided discrimination specifically because of California’s trans-inclusive anti-discrimination laws.
Yet, with the debate was over, she ended up voting for the sexual orientation only version of ENDA — even though pretty much all of San Diego’s LGBT orgaizations have stated that they have preferred congresspeople voted against the less inclusive version of ENDA.
To be honest though, our congresspeople who supported transgender inclusion in ENDA were put in the untenable position of having to choose between voting for the first LGB employment bill to ever make it to the floor of the House, or voting against that bill because it wasn’t T inclusive. The vote must have been a bittersweet one for some of our LGBT supportive members.
The Democratic Leadership in the House, the 1st term Blue Dog Democrats, and the HRC (who on their annual congressional LGBT voting scorecards are going to mark down any congressperson who didn’t vote for the sexual orientation only version of ENDA, even if the reason a congressperson voted against the bill because it wasn’t inclusive enough), were the ones who pushed this hard choice down all of our congresspeople’s throats.
We have two years until the next version of ENDA comes before the House and Senate. Here in San Diego, one of TASC‘s activities will be to lobby for a fully inclusive ENDA to all of San Diego County’s congresspeople, hopefully beside many of our LGBT organizations; hopefully beside organizations that have included transgender people within their organization into their lobbying schema.
Frankly, transgender people and other progressives can’t take it for granted anymore that our LGBT civil rights and non-profit organizations are going to be effective or consistent lobbyists on behalf of their transgender constituints –just look at how the HRC’s position morphed over the course of a couple of months.
What my congresswoman said on the House Floor, and how my congresswoman voted — well, these tell me that TASC and San Diego’s other LGBT civil rights and non-profit organizations don’t have to do too much work to change my congresswoman’s heart on transgender inclusion, but we have a lot of work ahead of us on successfully influencing her vote on future versions of ENDA.
This week I was interviewed by the editor of San Diego’s Gay & Lesbian Times for a story they’re doing on my Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell story. One of the discussion items that came up was on how I’d like my gender identified prior to my transition — what pronouns should they use for when I was a pre-out transsexual.
The Associated Press Stylebook has guidelines for how reporters should refer to transgender people when writing for how they identify in the present tense:
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.
The AP Stylebook isn’t clear on how transgender people should be referred to though before we transition. So, which pronouns should the Gay & Lesbian Times (or any other news organization) use to refer to me before February 6, 2003 — the day I began to live publicly as Autumn? Should they refer to me as he and him because I lived as male prior to that date, or should they refer to me as she and her because I’ve always had a female gender identity even when I was living as a man?
My friend Christine Daniels, a sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times, and I have discussed pronouns previously. She prefers to have news organizations always refer to her by female pronouns, even for when she lived as male — because she knows she’s always had a female gender identity.
And I take the other tact. I want my history prior to February 2003 acknowledged as male. The male-on-male sexual harassment I experienced in the Navy was because a subordinate and my Executive Officer (XO) thought I was gay. My feminine gender expression — how I dressed, moved, talked, etc. — identified me as then as effeminate. It’s why I was thought to be gay. Like Christine, I know at this point in my life that I’ve always had a female gender identity, but how I persented myself as male — with a lot of feminine gender expression — is imprtant to the telling of my pre-out transgender experience.
Part of the reason why I’m not just a transgender activist, but am an LGBT activist, is specifically because I was perceived to be a gay man by the two sailors who sexually harassed me. I experienced the effects of homophobia years before I experienced the effects of transphobia, and frankly, I don’t like the effects of either. I want to do what I can to see these societal blights minimized as much as possible.
So getting back to the original gender issue of which pronouns to use, mine and Chritine’s different approaches to our pre-out histories indicates just how tricky pronoun sue is when transgender people are involved. Christine and I may take different approaches to how to refer to our gender before we were out as Christine and Autumn, but the thing is we’re both correct in our approaches to our own female gender. The transgender experience is different for each transgender person, and it’s reflected in the way we think and talk about ourselves.
So my advice to folk who want to know which pronouns to use when referring to a particular transsexual person before he or she came out – just ask the person in question. If nothing else, you’ll learn something interesting about that person you probably didn’t know before.
Let me begin by saying that I believe it’s unlikely that ex-gay, Christian right, City Council candidate James Hartline is really a pedophile. But, it certainly is strange that Hartline, in slamming an LGBT friendly teacher I know, pulled out the pedophilia card in the process of railing against the “radicalized pro-homosexual teacher”. Here’s what Hartline wrote:
For pedophiles who are looking to improve their dark techniques for accessing the minds of small children, [Voice of San Diego reporter Emily] Alpert’s article and [the third grade teacher]‘s classroom propaganda will certainly add to the arsenals of every child molester’s instructional manual. Take for example, the twisted response that [the teacher] gives to another question by Emily Alpert in her Voice of San Diego article:
Q: How do you see those issues playing out in the classroom? Do you see them on a daily basis?
[Teacher]: “They come up often, even in third grade. It takes innocent forms … Like, ‘How can you be using a pink crayon?’ Something stupid like that. I always use that opportunity to tell them my favorite color is pink. It’s not. It’s blue. But the eyebrows go up. … If you do like pink, what does that say about you? I bring up gay and lesbian. I’ll mention those words in the third grade.”
Pardon me, but Hartline lived a gay man for most of his life. Since he lived the majority of his life as a gay man, should we now consider him a potential danger to children? He’s tied pedophilia to being gay … does that mean he molested kids when he lived the “homosexual lifestyle?”
No, it doesn’t. Being gay doesn’t equate to being a child molester. In his heart, I’m about sure he knows that gay doesn’t equate to pedophilia, otherwise he would have had to previously say that he shouldn’t considered safe to be left alone around children.
So, this all said, I’m irritated. Pious hypocrites irritate me, and James Hartline is as self-righteous and irritating as a pious hypocrite can come.
So although one of the reasons why I’m doing a little documentation is to accentuate the positive about working for change, what JJ in Chicago wrote last July reminds me that sometimes it’s also about stemming off negative perceptions that aren’t necessarily reality based; sometimes it’s about pointing out where people we don’t necessarily expect to be working on broad LGBT issues are working on broad issues.
Well, I’m at San Diego Pride this weekend. I was participating with the San Diego transgender community on our Pride Parade contingent, as well as staffing the Transgender Community booth.
community in San Diego, the local organization Pride San Diego is reaping the rewards of activism and education. 
I became aware of Mr. Whitburn a long time ago specifically because of his support of transgender civil rights issues. Mr. Whitburn, as a member of the 
Closing out Earth Week here in San Diego, we had our Arbor day/Rancho Bernardo 
So on April 26th, we planted some native trees at park. Trees within the city limits help filter pollution within the city. And, shade trees save energy.
The city’s Republican mayor, Jerry Sanders is 
Beyond ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ transgender vets face different discriminations in the armed services
