Jennie Hodgers, a native of Ireland, took the name of Albert Cashier, and not only served through the entire war—she posed as a man her entire life, and was only discovered near the end of her life.

All of these women took masculine names. They cut their hair short, wore pants, bound their breasts, and learned to swear and walk like men. Their gender was often not discovered unless they were severely wounded. Some were killed in battle, and only then was their sex revealed.

Female Soldiers of the Civil War

On the occasion of this Memorial Day, Linda Paul reports on “Jennie’s Secret” …

I don’t remember how I first encountered the story of Civil War veteran Jennie Hodgers (aka Albert Cashier), but I was smitten from the start. I was amazed that hundreds of women had posed as men during the Civil War. I couldn’t imagine how she (or they) pulled it off. And I was positively gob-smacked when I found out that Hodgers went on to spend most of her adult life – as a man – in the tiny town of Saunemin, Illinois. That’s just 12 miles down the road from Pontiac in Livingston County. And Pontiac is where my family comes from.

…

Look at the picture of Cashier in 1913 (on the right) and you can see that late in life her sartorial tastes still ran to high collars around the neck. Maybe because she didn’t want people to notice that she didn’t have much of an Adam’s apple.

Cashier/Hodgers would have been 69 in that picture. She looks so calm and unassuming. Who could imagine that she led the life she did?

Today in 2009, I have the feeling everybody wants a little piece of Jennie Hodgers. Civil war buffs, the Irish, the transgender community.. each wants to claim her.. and now, after many years – for the most part, even the town of Saunemin wants to claim her too.

You can listen to Paul’s report at Transom, WBEZ or NPR …

Albert D.J. Cashier was the shortest soldier in the 95th Illinois Infantry. In one of the few existing photographs of Cashier during the war, you can faintly detect the outline of breasts under her uniform. But that’s if you’re looking for it. And the military apparently was not:

DAVIS: Uh, they didn’t conduct physical exams in those days the way the military does now.. What they were looking for was warm bodies.. people who could stand up straight.. who obviously could see.. and could hear.. and hopefully could speak English so they could follow orders.

Rodney Davis is a retired professor of history at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. He taught American history, including the Civil War, and knows all about the exceptional story of Albert Cashier. And in one of those real life twists, that seems too lucky to be true, years ago Davis found some papers in an old family trunk that belonged to his great grandfather, CW Ives. To his astonishment he discovered that his own great grandfather was the commanding officer to Albert DJ Cashier.

DAVIS: CW Ives was her first sergeant.. HIS first sergeant… however you wanna do it… His/her first sergeant… And they were together for at least two years.. So, uh, they got to know each other rather well.

Jennie Hodgers, masquerading as Albert Cashier, marched thousands of miles. She was at the Siege of Vicksburg and surrender of Mobile. Her regiment took part in more than 40 skirmishes and battles. Hundreds of her fellow soldiers died from wounds and disease but …

DAVIS: Albert Cashier seems to have been in from the beginning to the end.. She uh, she stuck it out … Commander CW Ives once described Albert Cashier as quote a fearless boy.

~~~~~

Related links …

* Jennie Hodgers [Civil War Women]

* Transman Civil War Hero? [Trans Group Blog]

* My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier [Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]

* Also Known As Albert D.J. Cashier: The Jennie Hodgers Story [Compass Rose]

* Civil War house going home [Pantagraph]

* Restoration planned for home of female Civil War soldier [Transgender News]

It’s been a bit of a while since we heard any news on Jan Hamilton.  Hamilton, whose doings frequently appeared on this blog when I was posting on a regular basis, is famous for being tagged Britain’s “sex-swap paratrooper” and for her lawsuit against the Ministry of Defence.  Today, the Daily Mail is reporting that Hamilton, who is now calling herself Abigail Austin, will become Scotland’s first trans police officer …

A paratrooper who underwent a sex-change operation has been accepted by the police as a trainee woman constable.

Jan Hamilton, formerly Captain Ian Hamilton, quit the Army in 2007 after 20 years’ decorated service and embarked on a full gender reassignment programme.

Now living in Glasgow, she has been accepted by Strathclyde Police to begin two years’ probationary training, making her Scotland’s first transgender police officer.

A source said that Miss Hamilton, 44, had ‘sailed through’ the initial six-month selection process: ‘Jan Hamilton scored highly in the written tests and had no problem with the fitness tests.

‘She completed the mile-and-a-half run in about 11 minutes, even though women are allowed to take up to 16.’

The source added that senior officers had given their full backing to her application.

The fact that Miss Hamilton was born a man will have no bearing on the way that she is expected to operate because she is legally recognised as a woman.

For example, she will only be able to search other women, in line with police guidelines.

She will also wear the uniform of a Strathclyde Police woman constable, including the reinforced bowler hat.

It is understood that Miss Hamilton will be working in Maryhill, one of Glasgow’s most dangerous areas and the setting for gritty television detective programme Taggart.

Over the next two years Miss Hamilton, who will earn the standard starting salary of £21,000, will study and train at Strathclyde Police’s Training and Recruitment Centre at Jackton, East Kilbride, and at the Scottish Police College at Tulliallan, Fife, as well as working as a beat officer in Glasgow.

In 2007 Miss Hamilton, as Britain’s first transsexual paratrooper, took the Army to an industrial tribunal on grounds of sex discrimination for its refusal to acknowledge her legally enforced female status.

She won her case and later received a written apology. Since then she has undergone a remarkable physical transformation.

As Captain Ian Hamilton she weighed 16 stone, boasted of having 14in biceps and was deployed on long-term engagements with the elite Parachute Regiment in Kenya, Oman, Kuwait, Cyprus, Germany and Bosnia.

As Jan Hamilton she still stands at a manly 6ft but says she is five stone lighter, has a feminine figure thanks to hormone therapy, and says she is a size 12.

Miss Hamilton is not the first transgender police officer in the UK. In 2001 North Yorkshire Police said that, after 26 years in the force, Sergeant Chris Lamb had decided to live as a woman and would henceforth be known as Sergeant Nicola Lamb.

A spokesman for Strathclyde Police said: ‘We cannot confirm or deny any information that constitutes personal information. The Force actively promotes itself as an employer to all sections of the public.’

Sex change Army hero Jan to become Scotland’s first ‘transgender’ police officer

Transgender former Dallas mayoral candidate, Jennifer Gale, was found dead in Austin this morning.

From the online news report in the Dallas Morning News today …

A body found near the University of Texas campus this morning is that of perennial mayoral candidate Jennifer Gale, Austin fire officials said.

Ms. Gale, 47, a transgendered homeless former Marine, had run unsuccessfully for numerous public offices in Austin and Dallas. She finished ninth out of 11 candidates in the 2007 race for Dallas mayor.
In Dallas’ 1995 mayoral race, she earned five votes as a write-in candidate.

The body was found in front of the First English Lutheran Church in the 3000 block of Whitis Avenue where Ms. Gale was staying, and officials told KVUE-TV they feel certain the body was that of Ms. Gale.

Austin police said the medical examiner’s office had not identified the body.

A crew responded to a 911 call and found the body, fire officials said. The crew performed CPR for at least 30 minutes but never felt a pulse.

Ms. Gale gained fame in Austin by repeatedly running for multiple offices, including mayor, City Council, governor and Congress. Ms. Gale was also known for attending municipal hearings where she presented arguments in song. She planned to run for Austin mayor in 2009.

Ms. Gale ran for Dallas mayor in 2007 and wanted Dallas to legally recognize gay and lesbian unions, turn the Trinity River Corridor into a working farm and extend publicly subsidized health and dental benefits to residents.

I’m accustomed to too often seeing vile and crude comments posted on stories about trans people — you get them when you’re living, and — sad to say, no requiem in pacem — you get them when you’re dead.

This story’s no exception.

As poster tthomas48 wrote …

The sickest part of this story are the comments.

News and views for Sunday, December 14th and Monday, December 15th …

[NY, USA] Two news reports on the Binghamton, New York city council’s passage this evening of a transgender anti-discrimination bill: “In a move that was hailed by state civil rights groups, the city council on Monday passed a law that would outlaw discrimination against transgender individuals … Council member Sean Massey, D-5th District, who proposed the local law, said it was a “sad fact” that its protections were necessary … The director of the Central New York Civil Liberties Union, Barrie H. Gewanter, said the city was sending a strong message to state lawmakers who have not yet passed laws protecting those people … Galen D. Kirkland, Commissioner of the New York State Division of Human Rights, wrote to council members last week to express that agency’s support for the bill.” — Council approves anti-discrimination law, City council passes anti-discrimination bill

[OH, USA] In Columbus, Ohio, the city council was expected to pass a transgender anti-discrimination bill on Monday evening: “Tansgender residents of Columbus — men who consider themselves women and women who consider themselves men — would gain legal protection under legislation going before the City Council tonight. The Columbus Community Relations Commission has recommended that the city add gender identity to the list of categories in local anti-discrimination ordinances. The move would put Columbus another step beyond Ohio law and on par with dozens of other big cities and college towns … Columbus has protected gays in its civil-rights ordinances for about 20 years. Backers of the new legislation say the term sexual orientation once was thought to include people who live or dress as the opposite gender. People still refer to the “LGBT community,” which represents lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people, but advocates say one’s gender identity is different from one’s sexual orientation. And acceptance of transgender people often lags, they say … Gender identity and other new categories added to the anti-discrimination ordinances also would be added to the city’s hate-crimes ordinance.” — Gender identity on city’s agenda: Anti-discrimination proposal would add transgender people

[USA] From columnist Deb Price in The Detroit News today, “But the [Schroer v. Billington] ruling, while a groundbreaking warning to other employers that they might be sued and held liable for similar discrimination, doesn’t automatically protect anyone beyond Schroer. In fact, federal judges disagree over whether federal sex discrimination laws cover transgender Americans … The ACLU is heartened, though, that President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team, in an historic first, includes “gender identity” in its nondiscrimination policy for appointment-level jobs in the next administration. The legal group hopes, as president, Obama will take the next step — signing an executive order formally banning job discrimination based on gender identity within the federal civilian work force. President Bill Clinton signed a similar order banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in civil service jobs.” — Activists pin hopes on Obama banning transgender bias

[USA] From today’s Washington Times, two transgender persons figure in the Young America’s Foundation‘s list of “top 10″ examples in 2008 of political correctness “running amok” on college campuses: “The roster includes … West Point, the veritable bastion of military tradition, recently hosted Allyson Robinson, a transgendered speaker and one-time graduate of the Army academy … [and] the University of St. Thomas for censoring pro-life speaker Star Parker while showcasing liberal comedian-turned-Senate candidate Al Franken and Debra Davis, another transgendered activist.” — Critics of PC decry ‘top 10 abuses’ of ’08

(Allyson Robinson currently serves as Associate Director of Diversity at the Human Rights Campaign. A report on her return to West Point — well worth the read — can be found at Trans Universe. Debra Davis recently spoke at the University of Kansas.)

[USA] A sign of the times: “Activity on TJobBank has all but stopped as far as new job postings, even from the non-profits and advocacy organizations.  Funding for non-profits has become scarce as the economy slides deeper into recession.” — Jobs – Trans-employment in a Recession

[USA] From Radha Smith, “I have argued that the gate-keeping process hampers the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist and I believe it does. I also believe that transitioners very much should have a therapist who can work with them, guide them, follow them and hold and hear their inmost yearnings, doubts and struggles … Opposition is not always a bad thing. It can help us to see cracks and fissures in our plans and timelines. It can show us areas we still require working in before we’re absolutely ready to move to the next transitional stage. Better, it seems to me, have that before one’s surgery than after. That much less work to do later on. Because, later on, we’ll still have problems. It’s inevitable. However, the impulse remains, quite naturally, among some transitioners to “game the system,” to get what I want when I want it and caution or discovery be damned. OK, I understand the impetus; but, I still maintain that sometimes the transitioner should be slowed in her headlong rush. Self-discovery and self-acceptance are always worthy attainments. The therapist who cares enough, is skilled enough, to demand that I do that for him or her should be held by me to be a “good therapist” not as one who “wants to derail me.”” — Gaming Therapists, Gaming Ourselves

I wrote this yesterday on the way to DC for the summit. – ~~Autumn~~
~~~~~

I’m off to Washington DC for the same blogger summit that Pam — and many other LGBT bloggers — are attending. As I’m writing this, I’m at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field, lamenting that I had to check-in my FlexPro ergonomic keyboard as the darn thing was too large to put in my small suitcase.. And since I’m flying American, checking in my first bag was $15.00…So round trip, my odd looking keyboard is going to be a $30.00 expense.

My right wrist, which I broke in the Navy back in ’95 (and contributes about 10% to my VA Disability Rating of 100%) , is already starting to ache a little bit just from typing this diary on my travel laptop’s flat keyboard. Travelling with my wrist’s osteoarthritis-that-mimics-carpal-tunnel-syndrome is always an issue — fully setting up my laptop is usually a five or ten minute experience. And, times like now when my laptop isn’t fully set up means I have to physically “pay” for not having my ergonomic equipment, and actually pay to make sure I have my ergonomic equipment available for the rest of the trip to/summit in DC.

It’s sometimes interesting too that I get to explain to folk that I’m a trans military veteran and retiree with these service-connected disability issues. Not many people who meet me for the first time as Autumn can picture me being a U.S. Navy Petty Officer — being a U.S. Navy sailor. Especially since seeing the movie Milk on T-Day night (after having some faux, vegetarian turkey dinner at my very close friend Vicki’s home), pointing out I’m a disabled, military veteran who is also trans (and uses a funky keyboard) seems a pretty important thing to do.

In other words, visibility matters.

No doubt I’ll be talking about being a disabled, military veteran who is also trans to folk I meet at the summit. I’m actually looking forward to it.

~~
Btw, my keyboard isn’t working right…must have got damaged on the trip. D’oh!

~~~~~
Related:
* The National LGBT Blogger and Citizen Journalist Initiative

On the 24th of September, 1980, I entered the U.S. Navy’s boot camp as a seaman recruit. The nation was in the midst of having incredibly high interest rates, stagflation, and high unemployment rates. I joined the Navy in large part because while living in Portland, Oregon — a city and state I’d only moved to a year earlier — I lost my job as a shipping and receiving clerk due to the bad economy and I just couldn’t find another job.

Twenty years and six days later (September 30th, 2000), I retired from the military as a Fire Controlman First Class.

I feel odd in thinking about this today; odd in the sense that the Navy was never a really good fit for me. I knew in the back of my mind from before I joined the Navy that I was gender-variant, although in the late seventies I had gone through some reparative therapy and believed God had healed me from being trans. I also tend to function from the perspective of cooperation, and military services tend to reward best the servicemembers who function from the perspective of competitiveness.

But beyond those personal issues, I was always was concerned about our nation going to war. I trusted that our leaders, especially after the political mess of the Vietnam War, wouldn’t send us to battle without exceptionally good reasons, a clear and limited set of objectives, and without some sort of an exit strategy. I was wrong of course. I feel fortunate that I got out of the Navy prior to September 11th, 2001, and that I was spared being sent to war in either Afghanistan or Iraq.

The Iraq War news I saw on the Rachel Maddow Show last night (September 23rd, 2008) causes me to feel incredibly fortunate that I’m not currently on active duty; I feel incredibly fortunate that by having a Veterans Administration (VA) disability rating of 100% and by being transgender there is a 0% chance I’ll be recalled to active service. And, it causes me some great concern about the military servicesmembers that are called, and will be called in the future, to serve in Iraq:

I would hope the time and the lives of servicemembers are more valuable to the American public that their time and lives appear to be to President George W. Bush and his administration. In my humble opinion as a former servicemember, we need to bring the troops home from Iraq as soon a possible — our servicemembers shouldn’t be separated from their friends and families or placed in physical danger for “political circumstances related to the domestic situation [in the U.S.].”

In two days we’re scheduled to have a presidential debate on foreign policy. If this subject isn’t broached — this subject of keeping military servicemembers in Iraq for 12 or 15 months at a time for reasons relating to “political circumstances related to the domestic situation [in the U.S.]” — then I believe the debate moderator will have seriously failed the American people.

~~~~~
Further Reading:
* Military: Your Stories: Autumn Sandeen
* Gay & Lesbain Times: Transgender Veterans: Beyond ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ transgender vets face different discriminations in the armed services (Story features my story as a transgender veteran)

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

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

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

…

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

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

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

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

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

…

Congressman attacks gays who support McCain

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blade: So it’s got your thumbs up?

O’Malley: Yes.

O’Malley reiterates call for civil unions

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

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

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

…

Transgendered Ex-Largo Manager Gets Divorce Terms

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fly-past tribute to RAF veteran

I find it very disturbing that our proud veterans are being turned away by the VA because of who they are. We served our country honorably and proudly and the VA medical benefits we earned should not be denied or diminished simply because of the direction our lives took after discharge from active service.
–Monica Helms, President of Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA)

This survey produced the first significant, empirical documentation on transgender people who’ve served in the military. Per TAVA, the survey of 827 U.S. military veterans and active-duty personnel represented results for the approximately 300,000 veterans in the US who identify as being transgender.

Key findings from the survey:

• Survey participants ranged across all branches of the service, with the highest proportion having served in the Army (38%) or Navy (29%).

• Nearly one third of the survey participants reported having experienced some form of discrimination in the workplace; the same amount reported some other form of non-employment related discrimination, such as being unable to obtain identification documents that reflected their new name and gender.

• Of the 660 participants who identified as transsexual, 97% reported they were unable to transition before leaving the military.

• A full 38% of survey respondents reported that when they were in the military, people suspected or directly asked if they were gay. In addition, 14% had been questioned by an officer about their sexual orientation.

• These violations of “don’t ask, don’t tell” varied by gender. Transmen were almost two times more likely to report they were suspected of being gay than transwomen.

[Below the fold: More findings from the survey; Palm Center statement on the findings.]

Read the rest of this entry »

From CNN‘s Why do military donations favor Obama over McCain? (emphasis added):

When it comes to the money race, it appears Barack Obama is ahead on the battlefield. Members of the military are donating more money to Obama than to the military man John McCain. A lot more money.

A nonpartisan organization called the “Center for Responsive Politics” reports U.S. troops serving abroad have given almost six times as much money to the Democrat Obama as they have to the Republican McCain.

These are pretty shocking results when you consider that historically military donations favor the Republican. Also, McCain is a decorated war hero who spent almost 5 years as a POW in Vietnam. He graduated from the U-S Naval Academy and was a naval aviator for 22 years. His military experience is a big part of his candidacy. Obama has never served a day in the military.

It might just mean that Obama’s message of being against the war in Iraq is resonating with the people who have been called on to fight it…

Hey — it’s not just the war. As a military veteran myself, I’m very much aware that Sen. McCain did not support raising veteran’s college benefits with the recent GI Bill. With that recent public stand in his recent record, he hardly has a reputation of “supporting our troops.”

It should be noted by folks who want to “support the troops” how the troops are voting with their campaign donations — it’s a bit of counter-intuitive news that’s perhaps a challenge to what many Americans believe servicemembers are thinking.

Saturday night, I went out to the Diversionary Theatre with my friends Diversionary Theatre board member Vicki Estrada, her partner and fiancée Lynda, and IGFE Winslow Street Fund Chair Stephanie Battaglino to see the musical Yank — a musical about gays in the World War II military services. I had so much fun watching the show with my friends. At the same time, I cringed listening to a boot camp instructor character shout at recruits as I remembered some of my own boot camp experiences at the Naval Recruit Training Command, San Diego. And then, at the same time I got a kick out of the theatre’s lobby display of LGBT military veterans — I got to see my photograph prominently displayed with the LGB vets.

Yank. At dinner and the between play’s two acts, I was discussing the 2009 California Transgender Leadership Summit with her — very preliminary discussions about attempting to get a Winslow Fund grant for putting the summit in San Diego next March.

Oh. I’m on the team planning for the summit in San Diego — probably will end up being in the executive committee for this conference. I guess it was recently decided that California’s Transgender Leadership Summit will be at San Diego, with the goal of having the summit at San Diego State University‘s Aztec Center in late March of 2009.

For the 2008 summit, we had approximately 400 trans and ally activists show for the 2008/third annual summit in Berkley — so I believe that makes this annual summit the second largest transgender conference in the United States (only following Southern Comfort in size), and the largest conference geared entirely towards individual and organizational development for transgender activism.

Obviously, I’ll be writing more about this summit in months to come — more details about California’s fourth annual Transgender Leadership Summit as details develop.

Oh — back to Yank for a moment — this musical is wonderful. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a theater production in years as much as I enjoyed this one.

At an after party, I commented to the actor playing the play’s focal character Stu — the actor’s name is Tom Zohar — that he really captured that feeling I had of feeling off in boot camp. If you look above to the picture of me in my navy blue crackerjack uniform (that was taken on my boot camp liberty weekend back in 1980), perhaps you notice how feminine I appeared to be back then even when presenting as male. There was a feminity of posture, movement, and speech that was there throughout pretty much my entire Navy career. That feminity — that feminity many of my peers in the Navy took as effeminacy — resulted in me being perceived as gay, for which I was sexually harassed in 1999/2000. Anywho, I though Tom, the rest of the cast, and the production folk did a incredible job.

I hear Yank‘s next stop after San Diego is Off-Off-Broadway. I obviously recommend seeing the play at some point, if you have the opportunity too.

News and views relevant to (not just) trans people …

#1 – Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter signed Senate Bill 08-200 (“Concerning The Expansion Of Prohibitions Against Discrimination”) into law Thursday. The bill essentially (defines and) adds “sexual orientation” to the state’s existing anti-discrimination statutes, where …

“Sexual orienation” means a person’s orientation toward heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, or transgender status oe another person’s perception thereof.

… and (I am shocked) Focus on the Family’s James Dobson is trying to whip up some hysteria (“Dr. Dobson Decries Ritter’s Signing of SB200“) …

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

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

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

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

Please, when you get down to it, this is about much more bathrooms. It’s really about issues like finding employment or housing, or even about getting someone to cut your grass, and some folks’ perceived, god-given right to say trannies or gays “need not apply.” Every restroom or bathroom in the state of Colorado could be magically transformed today into one’s own little, unassailable fortress, and these folks would be no happier tomorrow. They want their own little “land of the free and home of the brave” all to themselves. That’s it.

Read the rest of this entry »

Over the Memorial Day weekend here in the States, the British press was roasting combat veteran and former paratrooper, Jan Hamilton (Okay, I know it’s “over there,” but since I moderate the TNUKdigest group, I try to keep up with the news over there.)…

A former paratrooper who had a sex-change operation has won a £250,000 payout for hurt feelings after being ordered to wear a man’s army uniform.

…

Sex-change paratrooper wins £250,000 for ‘hurt feelings’

also …

Sex swap para given £250k for hurt feelings

and …

The mother of crippled paratrooper Ben Parkinson has condemned a “£250,000 payout” to the army’s first sex-change officer who lost a job after refusing to wear a male uniform for a medical.

…

“Why does this person deserve so much when our boys have lost everything?

“These seemingly trivial matters are awarded such huge amounts of money and yet people with terrible injuries get nothing. You just despair.”

…

Tory MP Patrick Mercer – a former soldier himself – criticised huge discrepancies between payments for injuries and legal job disputes.

He said: “I can’t understand how the MOD can justify paying these amounts when soldiers suffering very serious injuries in action are getting less than £10,000.”

…

Fury of injured soldiers’ families as sex-change Para captain ‘wins £250,000′ from Army

You know, it’s — here’s “glamour shot” Jan, who’s getting £250,000 for a sex-change, and here’s “the most injured soldier every to survive,” who’s getting considerably less. (The article did eventually say Mr. Parkinson’s compensation award was revised higher to the maximum allowable £285,000 following a Daily Mail campaign, which raised “£210,000 to his legal fighting fund.” By the way, Parkinson’s case is not the only one the Mail is trumpeting.)

Apparently, however, there was no £250,000 agreement. And it looks like the Ministry of Defense (MOD) is just using the press to give her a good “bitch slap” (while the press gets another opportunity to “slap” the MOD).

Petra Henderson late yesterday posted in her Eurotransgender group on Yahoo …

THERE IS NO 250,000 POUND AGREEMENT.

OK I got a message (and a short follow up second one yesterday), from
Jan Hamilton on another (Military) Forum I am in…

Since she cannot make any statements to the press without prior
military approval or risk her ongoing case, I am going to forward this
WITHOUT her knowledge or approval.

I think it is important that our community know she is being set up by
the press and certain “leaks” in the Army to set the Public against
her and thus indirectly also against all TS people, including several
TS people still serving in HM Armed Forces.

Headlines such as “Sex swap para given £250k for hurt feelings” with
half truths about what the case is about, and who is casing the
dispute and need to go to court created a lot of waves and a certain
amount of “damage control” being needed by many people, including
myself, to reactions of serving and ex-soldiers.

More fuel was added to the “Witch burning pyre” as the other Paper’s
keen to grab a slice of these half truths, wrote headlines like “Fury
of injured soldiers’ families as sex-change Para” and that these
headlines lead to others such as the incident last week “Sex swap
soldier attacked in pub” were we saw the negative reactions to Jan and
her case and her being outed last year by the Army, probably by the
same person(s) who released “details” of this imaginary deal?

Today, Hamilton’s reaction did appear in one paper (although the headline left a bit to be desired) …

Ex-paratrooper Jan Hamilton, who was fired after refusing to wear a male uniform for a medical check-up, says she was “extremely upset” by reports in several national newspapers she has been awarded the substantial sum in an out-of-court settlement.

The 43-year-old, from Lytham – who was once known as Ian – took action to sue the Army for unfair dismissal and sexual discrimination, but she says discussions are still going on and she has not “received a single penny”.

She said: “I was really disgusted to read these stories which are absolutely not true and what’s worse is nobody bothered to contact me about them.

“There is no £250,000 agreement, I have never sought £250,000 and neither would I accept it.

“I have been trying to negotiate my resignation with the Army so I can just get on with my life.

“I thought I was making some progress and was feeling positive about the talks.

“Now I feel crushed by this. Someone came up to me in the street yesterday and called me a money grabber, which is just not fair.”

She was particularly upset at reports comparing the payout to sums received by soldiers seriously injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.

She added: “It is totally false and what has really got to me was the way some national newspapers have brought the families of those soldiers into it, those heroes who have suffered horrific injuries in the line of duty – at a time when these people should be left alone.

“I really feel for those families and think it’s despicable they have been asked about this. Especially as it’s not true.”

…

Fury over sex-change soldier £250,000 pay-out claim

Interesting story to say the least.

Memorial Day has been a day that’s hard for me to mark each year. When our country goes to war, people die — how many of our nation’s wars can we look back at and say “This was a cause worth dying for”?

The armistice at the end of World War I was the date of the traditional Memorial Day. As far as historians know, there is only one American veteran of that war still living — and he’s being honored this Memorial day:

The last doughboy came home to Missouri to be honored on this Memorial Day for his service to his country.

Frank Woodruff Buckles, 107 years old and the only known remaining United States veteran of World War I, was celebrated Sunday at the Liberty Memorial as the “last surviving link” to the Great War, which ended 90 years ago.

He was awarded the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ Gold Medal of Merit and sat for a photographic portrait that will hang in the National World War I Museum.

The flag flown today outside of the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri will be presented to the former Cpl. Buckles tomorrow.

On a weekend that these days seems to be more celebrated for it’s “blowout” sales of mattresses, BBQ grills, and new cars, perhaps it’s welcome news — and perhaps sad news — to note that the last surviving American veteran of The War To End All Wars is standing in for the soldiers for the end of the war for which Memorial Day was first conceived.

For me, he stands in for more than just his war. When I eat my barbeque grilled, 98% fat free hot dog today, I’ll be thinking of Mr. Buckles standing in for all of those who sacrificed their lives in service to America’s ideals of liberty, equality, and justice.

I was out and about on May Day, doing my first of the month grocery shopping at the 32nd Street Naval Station’s Commissary — the benefits of being a Naval retiree.

Stopping to get something to eat at the food court, I picked up a hard copy of the San Diego Union-Tribune, and while eating a soft taco I read about the death of Sgt. 1st Class David McDowell, and Army Ranger. One line in the obituary stood out to me:

…McDowell is the sixth person with personal ties to San Diego County who has been killed in Afghanistan since the war there began in 2001. He died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked using small-arms fire, the Pentagon announced yesterday. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment based at Fort Lewis, Wash.

McDowell had been deployed seven times in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the Army Special Operations Command. His honors included two Bronze Stars with valor devices and a Purple Heart…

Seven tours. That’s right — seven. I’ve been thinking about that obituary ever since eating that meal on base.

And, other than the relatively short Persian Gulf War of the early nineties, this is the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan are the first wars we have not had a draft to raise up a inexpensive army to fight our wars. Between the Civil War and the Vietnam War, all of the wars were fought in large part by conscripted soldiers.

I guess my point is one that’s been made many times during this war — the American public has not been asked to sacrifice at all for this war. We’ve left the battles to volunteer soldiers, sailors, and airman like Sgt. McDowell. His life was sacrificed during his seventh tourin theater for the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan. We aren’t paying as we go for these wars; we’re going to have to tax the public in large amounts, at some point, to pay for these three trillion dollar wars. And more importantly, we’ve lost over 4,000 lives in the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan, with over 30,000 having been wounded in these wars as well.

Meanwhile…

Sgt. 1st Class David McDowell, 30, is remembered by his family and friends as a man who followed his father into the Army and made himself an elite, decorated soldier…

…And he died while serving his seventh tour in theater for these wars.

“Down to the last bone in his body, the guy believed in what he did,” said Jesse Carlson, 29, of Carlsbad, who went to high school with McDowell and played football with him.

“It’s very unique to find someone with that kind of conviction,” Carlson said. “You can’t help but respect the guy and feel about as proud as you possibly can that he’s your friend.”

As a citizen of the country for which Sgt. McDowell served, I believe we, as a country, asked too much of him to serve seven tours in theater for these wars. If the citizens of our country don’t want to share the financial and personal sacrifices more evenly throughout our society than we are distributing these sacrifices now, then we definitely shouldn’t be continuing to fight these wars.

Seven tours? Sgt. McDowell served about five or six too many tours — even if these were popular wars; even if he believed in these wars down to the last bone in his body. My country asked too much of this man.

~~~~~
Further reading:
* Five Years, Two Words, No Letup
* April was Iraq’s deadliest since August

Here’s a two item This And That on military issues.

* Gays And Lesbians: No; Sex Offenders & Other Felons: Yes

Okay, we’re in an unpopular war in Iraq. America needs soldiers to fight the war, but a draft is politically unfeasible. So, the Army lowers its standards in an attempt to get enough soldiers to fulfill its missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

So, who is the Army “hiring” with their lower standards? Well, per the Michael D. Palm Center press release:

New information released today by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee shows that in 2006 and 2007 Americans who were convicted of serious crimes including sexual offences, manslaughter, “terrorist threats including bomb threats”, burglary, kidnapping or abduction, aggravated assault and sexual assault were allowed into the military under moral waivers granted by the services.

According to the data given to the committee by the Department of Defense, the Army allowed the most waivers in 2006 and 2007. During this period, moral or felony waivers were given to 3 soldiers who had been convicted of manslaughter. One soldier was allowed in following a kidnapping or abduction conviction, 11 were convicted of arson, 142 convicted of burglary, 3 who were convicted of indecent acts or liberties with a child, 7 who were convicted of rape, sexual assault, criminal sexual assault, incest or other sex crimes and 3 who were convicted of terrorist threats including bomb threats.

…Last week, the USA Today reported that use of moral waivers has increased again. The total percentage of Army recruits admitted by moral waiver more than doubled from 4.6% in fiscal 2004 to 11% in fiscal 2007. It has so far edged to 13% in fiscal 2008.

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) has a some great commentary up on this story in press release entitled Military Continues Recruiting Serious Ex-Felons While Discharging Qualified Gay Service Members.

~~
H/t: Christopher Neff of Outright Vermont.

[After the fold, servicemembers and their families can't sue military doctors for malpractice.]

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