News and views for Friday, October 31st …

• [MA, USA] Sometimes it takes balls to be Republican and accept the endorsement of a group like MassResistance … then again, sometimes not. Ethan St. Pierre brings us up to date on Althea Garrison. [CORRECTION: Please note, Marti Abernathey is the author of 'TransResistance No More." Thanks, Ethan, for the  correction.] — TransResistance No More
• [MA. USA] More from Ethan St. Pierre, on the protest by trans rights activists and supporters at the Human Rights Campaign’s New England Gala Dinner. — Activists Celebrate Successful Protest of HRC Dinner
• [USA] Allyson Robinson and Allison Herwitt of the Human Rights Campaign talk about ENDA and HRC’s latest Congressional Scorecard. — Another look at HRC’s congressional scorecard
• [USA] Katrina Rose talks about Allyson and Allison, and asks the questions that weren’t asked. — So Much For Any Neo-Legitimacy for the Scampaign
• [USA] Dr. Phil aired his show on “Gender Confused Children” Wednesday. As I post this, there were 608 comments on his message board about the show. — Dr. Phil Talks Trans (And So Can You!)
• [USA] From Human Rights Watch, “Transgender and intersex rights defenders from Costa Rica and Peru provided vivid examples to the commissioners of the repeated attacks they face when fighting discrimination, violence, and exclusion based on gender identity and expression. “The ‘official history’ of humankind, as we know it, is a history in which ‘travestis,’ trans and intersex women are invisible,” said Natasha Jiménez from Mulabi. “Most of us are forced to live in the margins of society after being rejected by our families and the community as a whole. When we organize ourselves to defend our rights, usually we face police abuse and extortion. The price we pay for becoming leaders and encouraging our peers to resist is often murder, torture, arbitrary arrest, or forced displacement.”” — Americas: Women’s Rights Defenders Seek Protection
• [NY, USA] Some reactions to “Transgender Gestapo” from Zoe, Kat Rose and Autumn.
• [USA] If you have not heard about or not participated in this survey, here’s a reminder from Monica Roberts at TransGriot.
• [USA] Posts at Trans Group Blog, TransCanada and Gender Variant Biography on the subject of transition and detransition.
• [GA, USA] “The city of Doraville appears set to become the third municipality in Georgia to extend its employee non-discrimination policy to include gender identity … If Doraville approves the policy, it will join a growing number of cities that have extended their non-discrimination statements to include transgender employees. Atlanta and Decatur both included transgender protections in 2000.” — Doraville set to approve transgender protections
• [NY, USA] “Cheer New York is waiting for its first transgender member. “They can wear whatever uniform they want, male or female,” Hernandez promises. “We’re way beyond the sexism of guys always being the base, and girls always being the flyers. As long as you’re a good cheerleader, we embrace you.”" — Cheering for Charity and Pride
• [NY, USA] “For New York voters, next week also provides a chance to fundamentally alter the course of politics at the state capitol. After years of Republicans blocking the progress of critical LGBT legislation in the State Senate - marriage equality, transgender rights, and an anti-bullying law for public schools are currently in the queue - Democrats are finally poised for a shot at taking control. LGBT voters should do their share.” — Election Day, 2008
• [NY, USA] “It took the leadership in the State Senate ten years after two-thirds of New Yorkers said they supported the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA) and the Assembly first passed SONDA to get that message. That was too long, and there is absolutely no reason why our community should have to wait ten years for them to do the same thing with the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA).” — Progress Report: Well Positioned for Victories
• [PA, USA] “The controversial practices of sexual assignment and re-assignment were addressed by Matt Malouf, a Lehigh doctoral student in Counseling Psychology, in a talk held Monday in the Multicultural Center.” — Speaker addresses issues surrounding intersexuality
• [UK] From Sophia Siedlberg of OII, “It is often very difficult to figure out the intent behind what is being said when someone gives a talk or a lecture and someone else in the media reports on it. This is certainly true of a website called “The Brown and the White” where what appears to be an in-house reporter named Lara Kovant is covering a talk about “intersexuality” given by a psychology PhD student named Matt Malouf. The problem I have with this type of coverage is determining who is responsible for a given opinion expressed in the final article. As this is also an example of norm born discussion and victim silence. (Sorry, that is the way I see it.) Perhaps I need to address this article in the full.” — Deconstructing the Color of Bread
• [Canada] “I’ve had a hard time pinning down the effects of estrogen in the two months since I started HRT. No problem with the anti-androgen drug, though. I felt the decline of my testosterone in the first 24 hours. I am no longer testosterone-driven. It was a startling change at first, to say the least. But I am perfectly fine with it now. Good riddance to it. Guys, you just don’t realize how much power it has over you.” — A Good Witch

The National Center For Transgender Equality has released some documentation on voting.

At NCTE, we believe in the importance of voting and we believe that it makes a difference in our work for transgender equality. People in elected offices make decisions that directly impact our ability to pass legislation that will protect you against discrimination and seek to decrease the violence our community faces.

Transgender people, however, sometimes face discrimination at the polls. In order to help you exercise your right to vote, NCTE is reissued our Guide to Overcoming Voting Obstacles to help you overcome any barriers to voting that you encounter. The Guide also addresses additional challenges that some transgender voters face, such as racism, felony conviction and homelessness.

TRANSGENDER PEOPLE AND OUR VOTES

You have the right to vote!

You are only required to provide enough information at the polls to prove that you are the person listed on the voting records; many states only require identification for first time voters.

Note that in 13 states, there are more restrictive identification requirements, but even in these states, you should not be afraid to vote. If you live in one of these states (AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, MI, MO, NC, OH, PA, TX, VA), you can find specific useful information for your state from People for the American Way at http://site.pfaw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=voterid_toolkits.

If your current appearance or name does not match the name listed on the voting records, bring copies of your current and old IDs, any court orders changing your name and gender, or physician letters. Do not provide more information than is necessary. You may be more comfortable voting early, where it is available, because the polls may be less crowded and you’ll have more time to speak with poll workers about your particular situation.

See our Guide to Overcoming Voting Obstacles for specific information and contact one of the hotlines below if you encounter problems.

Autumn speaking here: Transgender people may face many of obstacles to voting in a year where the civil rights for gender variant people in years to come may be very much at stake. In this election, perhaps more importantly than any other election in our recent history, it’s so very important to vote. Transgender people can vote; transgender people should vote.

[Below the fold: A link to, and a copy of the Page 2 from the Guide to Overcoming Voting Obstacles. The page is the one entitled TRANSGENDER PEOPLE CAN VOTE, and gives specifics about issues such as your name on the voter role not matching the one on your identification, your identification picture not matching your current gender presentation, etc.]

Read the rest of this entry »

News and views for Wednesday, October 29th …

• [NY, USA] “Despite state laws banning discrimination based on sex, gender, race and religion, there are no such protections for transgender New Yorkers. A Binghamton councilman is looking to change that for residents of his city … Stallman applauded Massey’s effort to change Binghamton’s law, saying it could be a step toward statewide protections. According to the Empire State Pride Agenda, SONDA was passed by the state legislature only after numerous municipalities passed similar laws outlawing anti-gay discrimination, starting with the tiny Village of Alfred in 1974.” — City councilman proposes panel on human rights
• [NY, USA] Earlier this year it was “Brownskirts” in Maryland, now it’s “Transgender Gestapo” in New York. — Transgender Gestapo Coming to City of Binghamton
• [PA, USA] The Philadelphia Daily News has an update today on Pennsylvania’s amended hate crime law, which was struck down by the courts back in July. — Hate-law amendment repeal leaves ‘most vulnerable’ unprotected
• [WA, USA] ” Stop the hate. Stop the hate.” — Students rally against hate
• [CO, USA] Allen Andrade, charged with murder in the brutal beating death last July of trans woman, Angie Zapata, is facing new charges. — Man charged in beating death of transgender woman involved in a prison riot
• [USA] Dr. Phil, with help from Focus on the Family, will be talking on his television show today about trans kids. — Gender Confused Kids
• [USA] Coming in November, glbtq.com “will highlight articles on thirteen women whose cross-dressing accomplished a variety of purposes. Some, like the seventeenth-century Spanish soldier Catalina de Erauso, Roman Catholic Saint Joan of Arc and French artist Rosa Bonheur cross-dressed in order to pursue traditionally male occupations while others, like early-twentieth century vaudevillian Annie Hindle and actress Greta Garbo exploited cross-dressing for its entertainment potential. Still others have cross-dressed in order to express a political point of view that challenges the constraints imposed by traditional gender expectations.” — GLBTQ Encyclopedia To Spotlight Historic Cross-Dressers
• [USA] “Given their high degree of education, you would think that doctors, and healthcare givers in general, would be quite forward thinking and accepting of the transgendered. I have not always found that to be the case.” — Doctors, Healthcare Givers and Transsexuals: Discrimination Happens Part One
• [USA] ‘“If someone asks me why I used to be a boy and now I’m a girl, I would say that I have a girl brain and a boy body. I think like a girl, but I just have a boy body and it’s different than you.” The American Psychiatric Association might learn a lot from this young girl. ‘ — Disordered Identities, Disaffirmed Childhood
• [USA] At Bilerico, Donna Rose expands a bit on what she earlier wrote on her own blog. — Transsexual “gene”?
• [USA] Also at Bilerico, on the same subject, guest blogger and Harry Benjamin Syndrome proponent, Catherine Platine offers her singular view. (Personally, I share Autumn’s view expressed here.) — New study links genetics to transsexuality
• [MO, USA] Midge Potts is running (”Recycle Government“) for the U.S. House of Representatives in Missouri’s 7th C.D. as a write-in candidate: “We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the write-in campaign of Midge Potts, the transgender local activist (Midge nee Mitchell is a man living as a woman) who could very well be Springfield’s only current resident to be spoofed, at least indirectly, on The Daily Show/Colbert Report. (Midge has been arrested at least once for protesting during Congressional hearings.) Her campaign is grass-roots, as you’d imagine.” — GO Election Primer, Day 2

News and views for Tuesday, October 28th …

• [Philippines] Following political unrest in Thailand, the relocated Miss International Queen 2008 pageant crowned its winner in the Philippines. “Angelika Santillan, 27, won the title of the most beautiful contestant from 25 other ‘women.’” — Transsexual beauty queen crowned in Philippines
• [UK] “A fitness to practise hearing has been told that a GP who wrote a homophobic and transphobic letter to a medical magazine has changed his story several times.” — Leading Muslim doctor faces professional conduct hearing over homophobic letter
• [UK] “Toilets were back on the agenda for Manchester students last Monday with the University of Manchester Students’ Union playing host to a debate on its new non-gender facilities … Challenging such transphobic attitudes was at the top of the agenda on Monday. First speaker Rebecca Dittman from The Gender Trust highlighted the history of transgender people “who have been in society for- forever really” and the problems which they face. “There is still bigotry, there is still hatred, but things are changing.” Ruth Pearce, trans rep from the NUS Women’s Committee, emphasized that non-gender toilets would not pose a threat to the other toilet users. “We’re not a threat to women – trans people are a bit like spiders. They’re more scared of you than you are of them.”” — Flushing Transphobia Away
• [India] “Bangalore human rights organizations, including the People’s Union for Civil Liberties-Karnataka (PUCL-K), have extensively documented police harassment and abuse of hijras. In Bangalore, as elsewhere in India, hijras are often unable to obtain identity papers because their gender identity and appearance do not correspond to their sex at birth. As a result, many cannot find housing, education, or legal employment – or, in many cases, even vote. The effective loss of basic citizenship rights – coupled with widespread social prejudice against people who violate norms for “masculinity” and “femininity” – leaves them economically marginalized and exposed to police abuse.” — Police Violence against Activists in Bangalore on October 20, 2008
• [India] “Indian authorities should investigate the mass arrests and ill-treatment of activists working on sexual orientation and gender-identity issues in Bangalore and punish those responsible, Human Rights Watch said today.” — India: Stop Abuse of Sexual Rights Activists
• [Sweden/South Africa] ” … the dissertation’s most important features are that since the South African society, like many other societies, strongly live by the belief that there are only two sexes and genders, this implies that Intersex infants do not fit in and become walking pathologies who must be ‘fixed’ to become ‘normal’. Moreover, since most genital corrective surgeries are imposed without being medically or surgically necessary, and are generally imposed before the age of consent (18), the children concerned, are generally not asked for their opinion regarding the surgery. Lastly because early corrective surgery can have devastating life lasting consequences, this ultimately means that the child’s human rights and citizenship rights are of a concern. These conclusions do however not ignore the consequences one has to endure for the price of being ‘different’.” — Intersex - A Challenge for Human Rights and Citizenship Rights, an undergraduate thesis by Annette Brömdal, Södertörn University College, School of Social Sciences
• [WA, USA] “On Oct. 16, Kristopher Shultz, WSU junior, was walking home for a book when he said he heard someone shout at him. The moment he turned around, his face was met with a fist, followed by kicks in his side. The next thing he said he remembered was waking up at 4:30 a.m. in the comfort of his home. Later that day, he went to Student Health, filed a police report and received CAT scans at the hospital. Shultz said he had worn a skirt to campus the day prior to the assault, which received some negative comments from students. He speculated that this was the motivation behind the attack.” — WSU shocked by hate crimes
• [USA] From the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund in NYC, “On Tuesday, November 4th … we’ll have lawyers staffing our hotline to respond to callers who experience discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression at the polls.” — Protecting Your Right to Vote
• [USA] “Reading various responses to the Mike Penner/Christine Daniels re-transition news has made me realize that I need to be more vocal about my own experience with this. There are people in the trans community who re-transition, or for various reasons; family, health, religious beliefs, etc., decide to never transition at all. These aren’t easy choices, and can be just as difficult as making the decision to transition. Unfortunately, there is a stigma attached to both re-transition and non-transition within the transsexual community.” — Stigma of de-transition
• [USA] “I don’t believe that transition is for everyone. It seems as though there are those who believe that, unless you transition, and do it in a certain way, you’re not a “real” transsexual. I don’t feel that way. In fact, I’d argue that there are far more “real” transsexuals who will never, ever attend a support group, go to a conference, meet with a psychologist, or otherwise take active steps to address their conflicts than there are those who actually begin the steps to transition … The fact is, just because you don’t transition or can’t transition doesn’t mean you’re not trans.” — “Character and Integrity”
• [Canada] “Actually, this makes a lot more sense as an explanation of causality than the other options that have been put forth to date. It fits well into the “Occam’s Razor” principle - it’s simple, covers a wide range of possibilities. Even better, it’s relatively easy to pursue further. (The BSTc investigations could only be done post-mortem, and long term follow-up research with transsexuals is notoriously difficult). Further, this particular finding also meshes well with the all too common narrative that so many transsexuals put forth that they “knew something was wrong” from very early ages - often before any awareness of social gender distinctions would be expected.” — Intriguing Research Findings …
• [USA] “Dr. Phil tackles the sensitive topic of children who identify more with the opposite sex. What do you do if your son wants to wear dresses and play with dolls? Or if your daughter tells you she wants to be a boy?” — Gender Confused Kids - Wednesday, October 29, 2008
• [USA] Sorry, Charlie, this is so gay … — Meet the world’s first tranny chicken

I get the news I need on the weather report.
I can gather all the news I need on the weather report.
Hey, I’ve got nothing to do today but smile.

After Barack, after Sarah, we may finally be getting our first honest snow job of the year here in Asheville.

News and views for Monday, October 27th …

• [Australia] “In the largest ever genetic study of transsexuals, Australian researchers have discovered a DNA variation linked to male-to-female transsexualism. The finding strengthens the view that there is a biological reason why some people feel they are living in the wrong body, in this case men who have an strong desire to live as a woman.” — Scientists find a gene for the transsexual experience
• [Australia] “The first genetic link to male-to-female transsexualism provides new evidence of its biological nature, say Australian researchers. “There is a social stigma that transsexualism is simply a lifestyle choice, however our findings support a biological basis of how gender identity develops,” said Vincent Harley a geneticist from Prince Henry’s Institute in Melbourne and co-author of a new study detailing the find.” — Gene linked to transsexualism
• [Australia/UK] “Terry Reed from the Gender Identity Research and Education Society said she was convinced of a biological basis to transsexualism. “This study appears to reinforce earlier studies which have indicated that, in some trans people, there may be a genetic trigger to the development of an atypical gender identity.” — Male transsexual gene link found
• [Australia/USA] “The nature versus nurture debate rages on but a new study of transsexuals has shown genetics plays a key role in determining our sense of gender. In the largest genetic study of its kind, 112 male-to-female transsexuals took part in a study involving several Melbourne research bodies and the University of California, Los Angeles.” — Researchers find ‘transsexual gene’
• [Australia] “This time it’s been over-hyped in the headlines, yet it’s still significant. Another small piece of just exactly the right shape, and exactly where we predicted it should be. The reporting has been spotty, none of the newspaper articles giving a complete picture, so I’ll try to marshal the facts together, and the significant comments on those facts.” — One more part of the puzzle
• [India] “To condemn the recent arrest of five transsexuals, human rights activists are planning to hold a massive rally. Thirty-one activists were also arrested when they questioned the transsexuals’ arrest in Girinagar.” — Rally to protest transsexuals’ arrest planned
• [South Africa] “Dear Robert, we were not aware that the word [“tranny”] had such derogatory connotations. We apologise to you and the entire transgender community.” — Our Apologies
• [OR, USA] “What’s in a name? Plenty if you’re a transgender woman at the center of a debate regarding the legality of a ticket issued by Payette-area police, listing her former male name. Catherine Carlson said she does not believe she should have to pay a ticket for driving with a suspended license because that $841 ticket, issued in December 2007, lists her male name, Dan Carlson.” — What’s in a name?
• [Australia] “Looking to bring back a unique souvenir from your next overseas holiday? How about some new breasts from Brazil, a yummy mummy make over from Thailand or perhaps that designer vagina you have always wanted from Malaysia … ” — Where to go for a quick nip’n'tuck
• [CA, USA] Prof. Milton Diamond spoke at Cal State Northridge on transgender and intersex issues. — Lecture examines link between biology and sexuality
• [Pakistan] The News reports that eunuchs are being targeted for abuse by “unknown element.” – ‘Mysterious’ drive against eunuchs triggers health concerns
• [USA] You may have heard about “Joe the plumber,” but you won’t have heard anything about “Josephine the transsexual.” — How Our Candidates Insult American Intelligence
• [MA, USA] “A group of thirty protestors marched outside the Human Rights Campaign’s annual New England Gala Dinner Saturday to show their disapproval of HRC’s position on transgender inclusion in ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act).” — Trans Activists Protest HRC Dinner

Who knew last December that that might be a way to cope with our difficult economic circumstances … when so many of us are not so flush anymore. In tough times, curse the darkness … and call the ACLU …

A US woman who was arrested and prosecuted for swearing at her toilet has won nearly £12,000 in compensation.

Dawn Herb’s legal fees will also be paid as part of the out of court settlement with the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

She was arrested last year after a neighbour, an off-duty police officer, heard her swearing at her overflowing lavatory through an open window.

She was charged with disorderly conduct and faced a possible 90 days in jail, reports the Scranton Times-Tribune.

But the judge at her trial found her not guilty, saying that swearing was not illegal and her language was constitutionally protected free speech.

Civil rights group the American Civil Liberties Union, which took up the case, announced the settlement.

“It’s clear the city was wrong,” Ms Herb said in a press release. “However, I’m glad that I was able to fight for my rights. In the end, I found justice.”

Mayor Chris Doherty voiced dissatisfaction over the incident, saying: “It is what it is.”

Potty-mouth pay-out

News and views for Saturday, October 25th …

• [UK/India] “An Indian-origin transgender model has landed a role in a forthcoming Bollywood film, ‘KingCon’ starring Govinda. Shinata Sangha, 20, comes from a Hindu-Punjabi background and is Britain’s most successful South Asian transgender model.” — Bollywood role for British Indian transgender model
• [CA, USA] “A former hospital technician was sentenced Thursday to three years of probation and time in county jail after he admitted to committing a lewd act with a patient under his care … Alawoya, 58, was arrested in March after a transgender male patient alleged the defendant forcefully had sex with him. DNA evidence from the patient’s under clothing matched Alawoya, according to a Probation Department pre-sentencing report.” — Former Patton State technician sentenced in case involving transgender patient
• [TX, USA] “Fallout from Crews Inn co-owner David Moore temporarily banning from his bar drag queens and transgender women whose appearance does not match their ID is coming to a close, almost three months after it began.” — Trans protesters satisfied by letter from bar owner
• [GA, USA] “Beth Isbell, a transgender singer/songwriter from Oklahoma City, is part of a lineup of women performing in today’s GoGirlsMusicFest at the Drunken Unicorn.” — Women’s only music fest features trans singer
• [Trinidad/Barbados] “Gloria, stage name Idonia Guppanas, walked away with the Miss Queen of Queen’s 2008 Pageant title … You won’t see it splashed across local headlines and there certainly wasn’t any welcoming party at the airport when “she” returned home, but this drag queen says “she” created history for Barbados.” — Proud to be a drag queen
• [UK] The London Transgender Film Festival 2008 is happening soon - November 7th-9th. The Festival program is available here (PDF).
• [South Africa] “An Eastern Cape author‘s sensational new whodunit based on the SADF‘s alleged barbaric sex change experiments on gay defence force members hits bookstores on Tuesday. Hamish Pillay, 29, wrote The Rainbow Has No Pink after learning about the apartheid defence force‘s bizarre projects in which homosexuals and lesbians were apparently forced to change their genders during the 1970s and early 80s.” — Skeleton’s out the closet in new book
• [Malaysia] “An Islamic body in Malaysia has issued a ruling that bans lesbian sex or other “masculine” activities for female Muslims … “It is unacceptable to see women who love the male lifestyle including dressing in the clothes men wear,” council chair Abdul Shukor said yesterday.” — Malaysia’s Mulsims ban lesbian sex and other “masculine behaviour”
• [USA] Autumn comments on the Human Rights Campaign’s recently released Congressional Scorecard (PDF). — HRC’s Scorecard On 110th Congress Released
• [CA, USA] Mike Penner has returned to the Los Angeles Times. Here’s some commentary from Autumn, Zoe, Mercedes and Zythyra.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s hard for me not to fume a bit over the latest Congressional Scorecard from the HRC. The HRC has for a number of years claims to be an LGBT organization, but the political branch of their organization penalized seven congresspeople who voted against the final version of ENDA — the seven congresspeople who voted against ENDA because the final version of ENDA didn’t include protections for gender identity and expression.

Specifically, the HRC Congressional Scorecard for the 110th Congress has been released. In their report, Joe Solmonese explains…

Although not the vote we hoped for, the ENDA vote was historic. A strong bipartisan majority of 235 members of Congress sent a clear message that employment decisions should be based on job performance, not sexual orientation. In addition, seven members who are strong supporters of the LGBT community — Reps. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), Rush Holt (D-N.J.), Michael Michaud (D-Maine), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) and Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) — voted against the bill because they were disappointed that it did not include transgender protections.

And yet, the HRC still lowered the scores of the seven in their report for not supporting the final version of ENDA that didn’t include gender identity and expression. The page highlighted here (select image to enlarge) shows, as an example of the seven, how Rep. Holt was marked down for voting against the final version of ENDA. Rep. Holt’s final score is 90% instead of the 100% he should have had.

Perhaps it should seem pretty strange to all of us that the HRC, an organization that claims to be an LGBT civil rights organization, penalized seven congresspeople who showed a greater commitment to fully inclusive civil rights protections than the HRC did during the same timeframe.

Solmonese also said in the report:

A new Congress and a new president will have the opportunity to make even greater progress. The list of unfinished business is long. We need to have a president who signs the Matthew Shepard Act into law. We need to pass a fully inclusive ENDA. We need to repeal DADT. We need expanded funding in our battle against HIV/AIDS. And we need to expand benefits and protections for LGBT families.

If we pass a fully inclusive ENDA in the next Congress, I wonder if it will be in spite of the HRC instead of with the help of the HRC. The HRC’s recent record — a record which includes this current scorecard markdown of seven congresspeople in their most recent report — seems to indicate it very well could be a “in spite of” moment.

Frankly, I don’t believe that any words that Mr. Solmonese speaks have any real weight anymore, and I certainly don’t trust him or the HRC to work as equally hard on T issues as hedoes/they do for G and L issues in the next congressional session.

I’m tired of feeling angry about this. Rep. Tammy Baldwin gives me some hope, though. In an interview in the Huffington Post, she answered the question We also came very close with ENDA. Do you think it will be possible to pass The Employment Non-Discrimination Act nationally? this way:

I think the results of the November 4th election will inform the answer to that question also. We had, by my count, a very, very close to a majority who were willing to vote on an inclusive measure. We were very concerned in a lot of the sort of internal discussion, when we were advancing the Bill to the floor which revolved around what sort of response there would be to any type of mischief-making on the floor by the opponents of this legislation and, whether we could if there was an attempt to separate out gender identity and expression withstand an attempt to do that and keep the Bill intact. And, while I was not in the prevailing side of the internal debate on this, the decision was made to introduce separate bills, one protecting people from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and the other based on gender identity and expression and to move those Bills separately.

Again, I was advocating a different course of action, but in terms of can we do it next session, I think the question will be how many more individuals will be elected to the Congress in this election who are willing to cast that vote. And, if we have a stronger majority, I think we will be able to move forward with an inclusive Bill.

One other thing, it reminds the whole question, reminds me of the Patricia Ireland quote. First, when we’re dealing with a sitting Congress, you’re trying to build majorities by changing people’s minds, but she use to say “If you can’t change their minds, change their faces.” And that’s what we do in elections. We’re hopefully going to seat a new Congress in January of next year that has greater numbers of pro-equality members.

As someone whose primary idnetity is as a “T,” this isn’t much to latch onto — but at least it’s something.

Some days I hate my job at Pam’s House Blend, and this is definitely one of those days. I really need to explain what the Real Life Experience [(RLE) -- also referred to as the Real Life Test (RLT)] is and why some transsexuals detransition…And, this is because the person I met as Christine Daniels is apparently detransitioning (also called retransitioning) to Mike Penner.

Basically, I need to separate the personal from the professional when discussing how detransitioning fits into transsexual experience — a sometime component of transitioning sexes — and yet on the very personal level I wish it weren’t at the impetus of someone I’ve known and care deeply about that’s leading me to discuss the subject.

But life is what it is.

So, the first thing that needs to be explained is exactly what a real life experience is, and where detransitioning fits into the real life experience.

Page 17 of the Harry Benjamin Standards Of Care For Gender Identity Disorders says this about the RLE (emphasis added):

The act of fully adopting a new or evolving gender role or gender presentation in everyday life is known as the real-life experience. The real-life experience is essential to the transition to the gender role that is congruent with the patient’s gender identity. Since changing one’s gender presentation has immediate profound personal and social consequences, the decision to do so should be preceded by an awareness of what the familial, vocational, interpersonal, educational, economic, and legal consequences are likely to be. Professionals have a responsibility to discuss these predictable consequences with their patients. Change of gender role and presentation can be an important factor in employment discrimination, divorce, marital problems, and the restriction or loss of visitation rights with children. These represent external reality issues that must be confronted for success in the new gender presentation. These consequences may be quite different from what the patient imagined prior to undertaking the real-life experiences. However, not all changes are negative.

Parameters of the Real-Life Experience. When clinicians assess the quality of a person’s real life experience in the desired gender, the following abilities are reviewed:

1. To maintain full or part-time employment;
2. To function as a student;
3. To function in community-based volunteer activity;
4. To undertake some combination of items 1-3;
5. To acquire a (legal) gender-identity-appropriate first name;
6. To provide documentation that persons other than the therapist know that the patient
functions in the desired gender role.

Real-Life Experience versus Real-Life Test. Although professionals may recommend living in the desired gender, the decision as to when and how to begin the real-life experience remains the person’s responsibility. Some begin the real-life experience and decide that this often imagined life direction is not in their best interest. Professionals sometimes construe the real-life experience as the real-life test of the ultimate diagnosis. If patients prosper in the preferred gender, they are confirmed as “transsexual,” but if they decided against continuing, they “must not have been.” This reasoning is a confusion of the forces that enable successful adaptation with the presence of a gender identity disorder. The real-life experience tests the person’s resolve, the capacity to function in the preferred gender, and the adequacy of social, economic, and psychological supports. It assists both the patient and the mental health professional in their judgments about how to proceed. Diagnosis, although always open for reconsideration, precedes a recommendation for patients to embark on the real-life experience. When the patient is successful in the real-life experience, both the mental health professional and the patient gain confidence about undertaking further steps.

So, what’s supposed to happen when a transitioner has a unsuccessful RLE is that the transitioner detransitions.

I had an appointment with my own therapist, Patricia Wojdowski, L.C.S.W., on Wednesday. While at the appointment, I asked her some questions regarding detransitioning, and asked if I could post her responses at Pam’s House Blend.

I actually was kind of surprised at Patricia’s answers. Basically, in her long practice with trans clients (she’s been involved with studying and treating transsexuals and other gender variant people since the mid-seventies), the single commonality for all of her detransitioning clients has been that external pressures were the impetus. All of her clients who have detransitioned still considered themselves as having a gender identity that didn’t match their natal sex, but external pressures — issues such as inability to find employment, biases and discrimination in the workplace, an inability to find appropriate housing, conflict with friends and/or family, etc. — are why the RLE is evaluated by the client as unsuccessful, and the client decides to detransition.

I know there are other reasons than the ones my therapist cites. Sometimes the reason is relating to faith, where one becomes an “ex-transsexual” or “ex-transgender” (the trans equivalents to “ex-gay”). Sometimes it’s because the person really isn’t a transsexual, and an unsuccessful RLE catches them before they experience transsexual regret. Since my therapist doesn’t practice conversion (or reparative) therapy, she wouldn’t see those who are detransitioning for reasons of faith. But, it is interesting that in all the years of her practice, she’s never seen a transsexual who has detransitioned due to because the detransitioner has figured out that he or she really wasn’t transsexuals — all of her detransitioners have detransitioned due to external pressures.

So, back to our impetus — is Mike Penner detransitioning from Christine Daniels because he’s under external pressures, or is it because he figured out during his RLE that his gender identity really wasn’t female? Honestly, I have a guess, but I have no real idea.

The bottom line is that when a person begins a transsexual transition — especially a very public transition — one trades one set of problems related to having a hidden, real or perceived gender identity that’s in conflict with one’s natal sex for a completely new and different set of problems. That new set of problems often include difficulties related to housing, employment, and public accommodation –basically just dealing with others’ biases and discrimination — family issues related to one’s spouse/ex-spouse and children, as well as having one’s peers, friends and family still seeing you as either still a member of your natal sex instead of your target sex, or as a member of some “third gender” rather than as your target sex.

Detransitioning may relieve most of the transitioning stress, but at least in the case of male-to-female transitioners who detransition, one can’t go fully back to one’s previous life. Prior to transitioning, most are fairly closeted about having cross-gender identity and expression issues. When detransitioning, one’s peers, friends, and family — and in Mike’s case, the sports community audience he writes at the Los Angeles Times for — know there are at a minimum gender expression issues. In other words, since in broad society most can’t tell the difference between a male-to-female transsexual, a drag queen, a crossdresser, and an effeminate gay man, a detransitioner going back to a male expression of public gender is going to be perceived as if he were gay because of the time spent living as female; basically the detransitioner won’t fully regain his heterosexual privilege.

Transitioning is hard; detransitioning is hard. My warmest thoughts are with Mike — I wish him the absolute best.

~~~~~
Further reading:
* Transsexual regret
* A Warning For Those Considering MtF SRS
* Can One Be A Transgender Christian?

~~~~~
Related:
* Christine Daniels Retransitioning Back To Mike Penner
* LA Times’ Penner: “I am a transsexual sportswriter.”
* Check out LA Times sportwriter Christine Daniels’ transition blog (Autumn note: The blog is gone.)

News and views for Thursday, October 23rd …

• [Malta] “A gender reassigned woman yesterday filed a constitutional application requesting the court to order the Director of Public Registry to issue marriage banns allowing her to marry her fiancé after she was banned from doing so by a court of appeal. ” — Gender reassigned woman filesapplication to marry
• [NY, USA] “Whether you were born too late or were just too boring to have ever been invited to one of Warhol’s infamous Factory parties, you can finally buy your way in. Holly Woodlawn, Warhol’s transsexual artist cohort who became immortalized in Lou Reed’s “Take a Walk on the Wild Side,” celebrates her birthday tonight with an extravaganza featuring an audience Q&A, surprise appearances by downtown performers, and Woodlawn’s own live rendition of Reed’s 1972 paean to the glam life.” — Walk on the wild side with Holly Woodlawn
• [Bermuda] “Bermuda Idol Larrita Adderley has pulled out of a concert with drag queen Sybil Barrington after her church threatened to kick her out of its ‘praise team’. The Idol contest winner was given 24 hours to choose - Christ or the crossdresser.” — Bermuda Idol in drag queen row
• [WA, USA] “On Monday, Jackson Hogan, a transgendered person, was heading to a meeting in the CUE parking lot when another man came out of the third-floor elevator. Hogan, a junior French and Spanish major, said he didn’t recognize the man, but the man recognized him from an event sponsored by the GLBTQ community. The man allegedly made a comment, which Hogan did not want to disclose, and proceeded to knock Hogan to the ground and kick him.” — Police look into possible hate crimes
• [CA, USA] “Ruby Molina died last month, her body pulled from the American River on September 22. Her death remains under police investigation as “suspicious.” Molina, who was born male but lived as a woman, was the most recent victim mourned at the 10th annual Service of Remembrance, but she was not alone. Sponsored by Sacramento Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays, the service, held at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Midtown on October 12, was to honor and remember those who “have died violently because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.” ” — Remember Ruby
• [DC, USA] “The Human Rights Campaign today released its Congressional Scorecard for the 110th Congress, which rates members of Congress on their support for issues of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality.” — Human Rights Campaign Releases 110th Congress Scorecard
• [Thailand] “Thailand’s international transvestite beauty pageant has been postponed indefinitely amid political turmoil in the capital, organisers told AFP on Thursday. The Miss International Queen contest - a staple of the transvestite pageant scene - was due to be held in Oct in the kingdom’s beach resort of Pattaya, but organisers postponed it for a month due to the political unrest.” — Thai tranny pageant cancelled
• [USA] “I couldn’t help but notice an uplifting turn in television programming while going about my channel-surfing duties for GayWired.com over the past couple of weeks. I discovered not one, not two, but three different documentaries or talk shows that focused on transgender individuals.” — Trans Topics Take to the Tube
• [UK] “More than three years since their last full UK dates and their surprise Mercury Music Prize win with I Am a Bird Now, Antony and the Johnsons bring an expanded version of their New York show to the Barbican Centre in London for two shows next week. This time they will be backed by the 60-piece London Symphony Orchestra. The feeling, Hegarty says, is like being carried along by a “magic carpet”.” — Antony Hegarty exposes Another World with his London homecoming
• [Australia] “I remember reading in 1996 an advice book for transsexuals that read like Cassandra and Nostradamus reminiscing about the End of Days: “You’re starting over as a woman, so you need to hide your past life as a man. Say goodbye to your career. Prepare to leave your job and find something with half the pay. Cut out half of the things on your resume, lest you be outed. Count yourself lucky not to be out on the street.” This is but a sample of the type of advice I received prior to my transition. It was right on the money. It’s still on the money.” — Not without Honour
• [Canada] “Christine was a big influence for many transfolks, including me. She inspired many people to be themselves, in