International Transgender Day Of Remembrance

by: Autumn Sandeen

Fri Nov 20, 2009 at 12:00:00 PM EST

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the "Remembering Our Dead" web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester's murder - like most anti-transgender murder cases - has yet to be solved.

Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgender - that is, as a transsexual, crossdresser, or otherwise gender-variant - each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgender people.

We live in times more sensitive than ever to hatred based violence, especially since the events of September 11th. Yet even now, the deaths of those based on anti-transgender hatred or prejudice are largely ignored. Over the last decade, more than one person per month has died due to transgender-based hate or prejudice, regardless of any other factors in their lives. This trend shows no sign of abating.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people, an action that current media doesn't perform. Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance reminds non-transgender people that we are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers. Day of Remembrance gives our allies a chance to step forward with us and stand in vigil, memorializing those of us who've died by anti-transgender violence.

As of yesterday morning, there are 119 documented deaths internationally that meet the criteria for inclusion for reading the list of the dead. That's just shy of an average of 10 known deaths a month.

For those who are interested in U.S. deaths, I count 13 U.S. deaths on the list. For another year, that still averages to about one death a month in the U.S. due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.

For me, after covering the Angie Zapata Hate Crime Murder Trial last April, TDOR has been made all too personal. Angie was Latina; many lost lives on the list this year are from Latin America. And, I still see the image I saw in court of Angie lying on the floor in a pool of blood, hear the painful voices of her family members, and realize there are dozens of real people who died in anti-transgender hatred or prejudice this past year -- just like Angie.

Hate and violence are all too real and personal for me; I don't just see 119 disconnected names of victims of anti-transgender hatred or prejudice, but instead painfully see 119 human lives lost in anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.

Select here for a list of those who will be remembered.

Select here for memorial event locations, dates, and times.

How the Boy Scouts may be helping LGBT Inclusion at work

by: ab0ng

Wed Nov 18, 2009 at 14:35:54 PM EST

A company I work for is a fortune 500 that has a 100% rating on the HRC Corporate Equality Index for 2010. It has sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in its EEO statement. Tis company is also involved in the community with various activities, including having Boy Scout and Girl Scout activities on campus. The company also has a Diversity Council as well as an LGBT PRIDE Affinity Group. I am the president of the LGBT PRIDE Affinity Group and also a member of the Diversity Council. The local Ethics Office head is also a member of the LGBT PRIDE Affinity Group.

A few weeks ago, a Boy Scout Merit Badge clinic was held on company property by one of the management clubs of the company and was open to all company employees to help with the clinic. Our Affinity Group is only a year old and we have been looking for activities to partner with other company clubs/organizations.

I saw an oportunity. When we formed the affinity group, the company was very insistant that the group was open to all individuals, even to the the point of refusing to allow "confidential" memberships to those that were uncomfortable being associated with PRIDE because they did not want to "Out" themselves. So, when this Boy Scout clinic came along, I asked our group if they wanted to participate in the clinic. We had a few agree, so I asked our member who is the Ethics site Director to ask if our PRIDE AG could volunteer at the clinic.

What really made the request fun, was I mentioned to the Ethics Director that the company really could not say "No", given their EEO policy and Diversity and Inclusion statements before he took the request to management.

Management did not say "No" to our request, what they said was "Given the history and policies of the Boy Scouts, our AG should look for some other venue to volunteer at."

Bottom line, our Ethics Director and Executive Sponsor have the action to come up with a presentation that will be approved by the AG officers and then the Director and Sponsor with make the presentation to the company management to educate them where they are defficient in following their owm policies.

Longer part after the fold.

Geoff Kors: Speech To Equality California Awards Event In San Diego, California

by: Autumn Sandeen

Tue Nov 17, 2009 at 05:00:00 AM EST

And by the way, pay close note to the paragraph entitled The LGBT community must stop endorsing and giving money to candidates for office who do not support full and complete equality. It sounds like someone is tacitly agreeing with the concept that Pam has been emphasizing at The Blend about the gAyTM: Holding politicians accountable for their positions on issues and their record of LGBT related legislative accomplishments. Although Geoff Kors doesn't say it directly, it's obviously not too far a stretch in holding politicians accountable on the state level to holding politicians and the DNC accountable on the national level.
~~Autumn~~

By Geoff Kors

We are less than two weeks since the election where Maine voters stripped same-sex couples of the right to marry by an even slightly wider margin than California voters did last year. But election day had many bright spots: Kalamazoo residents voted overwhelmingly to preserve anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and Washingtonians, by a slim majority, voted to keep their newly enacted domestic partnership law. As we think about these results, and the loss last year on Prop 8, we need to consider them in the context of the long struggle for equality.

Ten years ago today on November 14, 1999, you could have been fired from your job or denied an apartment simply because of your sexual orientation or gender identity. You could have been denied routine health care by your insurance company because you were transgender. You and your partner were legal strangers. After a life time together your deceased partner's estranged family members could take your inheritance, your home and your kids. And our community was less than four months away from a devastating defeat at the polls when Prop 22, with the exact same wording as Prop 8, passed with a whopping 23 percentage point margin.

Fast forward to today and things are dramatically different. Over the past 10 years, Equality California in partnership with the LGBT legislative caucus and our allies, has helped pass an unprecedented 63 pieces of legislation on behalf of the LGBT community, including many bills that have not yet been enacted anywhere else in the country such as the equal benefits law, legislation to prohibit discrimination in health insurance based on gender identity, and legislation passed and signed into law just last month that requires that same-sex couples married outside of California, before the Court ruled in support of marriage equality, during the window when marriages were happening equally in our state and even after prop 8 was passed be treated identically to any other married couple in this state. And also passed and signed last month -- legislation creating the first state holiday named after an openly gay person in our nation -- Harvey Milk Day. And during these 10 years we have defeated over 30 anti-LGBT bills and helped elect dozens of legislators and statewide officials who support equality. And we closed the gap on an anti-marriage equality initiative from a 23 point loss to a 4 point loss. Not enough to win majority support at the ballot box but tremendous movement on the most difficult social issue the electorate has been allowed to vote on.

WE HAVE MADE AMAZING PROGRESS.

BUT THE TRUTH REMAINS THAT while a majority of voters may be willing to support our right to hold a job and in some states a slim majority will support our having domestic partnership, they also remain willing to strip away our right to marry, making it clear they do not fully accept us as equal to them. We are still the other.

So how do we change that and achieve equality and acceptance, especially in light of these recent elections

We must continue to come out and tell our stories. That is why EQCA has already added 20 field staff who are leading thousands of grassroots volunteers in the places that account for 65% of the Yes on 8 Vote including here in San Diego. And we are making progress. Over the past 6 months our staff and volunteers working with coalition partners have engaged in over 600,000 conversations and knocked on over half a million doors. Thank you to each of you here tonight that has participated in these canvasses. And thank you to the rest of you who will be joining them in the weeks and months ahead.

The LGBT community must stop endorsing and giving money to candidates for office who do not support full and complete equality. Until the politicians who take our community for granted realize that they can no longer count on our votes unless we can count on their votes, they will not change. EQCA's Political Action Committee only endorses candidates who support our equality 100 percent. Sitting by as a minority group is stripped of their rights is immoral and should not be rewarded with an endorsement. And that applies not just to people like Meg Whitman but also, with all due respect, to Barak Obama.

We must make clear that there is nothing wrong with children learning that there are LGBT people. All children should grow up in a world where the learn that one day they can fall in love and get married regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity and are safe to live their lives as who they are. The danger isn't in children learning about LGBT people in School. The danger is in their not learning this. Those who oppose us are praying on parents fears that their children will choose to be gay and, in the process, are creating a climate of hate that results in tragedies like the execution shooting of 15 year old Lawrence King in Oxnard last year and LGBT teenagers committing suicide because they are ostracized in our schools. It is time to call our opponents out for the damage their hatred causes.

Tonight, Equality California is thrilled to celebrate those who stand with us and honor and show our support for those who have done extraordinary things to advance LGBT equality and acceptance. People like Diane Schroer, Stuart Milk and Jerry Brown.

Urge Sen Schumer and Rep Lofgren to include LGBT Families in their Comprehensive Immigration Bill.

by: dvortex

Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 18:21:40 PM EST

The New York Times reported on Nov 13th, 2009, that White House will start the push for Immigration Reform early next year (White House to Begin Push on Immigration Overhaul in 2010).

At a rally in DC in October, Congressman Gutierrez outlined some of the core principles that he wants to incorporate in his immigration bill.  One of the core principles he mentioned is "Family unity as a cornerstone of our immigration system".

We have no indication whether LGBT Families will be included in the comprehensive immigration reform bill that will be introduced, but we do know that Senator Charles Schumer and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren are responsible for putting the bill together.

We need your help to continue to keep the pressure up and let Congress know that it is VERY important to include ALL families in their bills for a comprehensive immigration bill to be truly comprehensive.

To quote Congressman Gutierrez, "We simply cannot wait any longer for a bill that keeps our families together, protects our workers and allows a pathway to legalization for those who have earned it. It is time we had a workable plan making its way through Congress that recognizes the vast contributions of immigrants to this country and that honors the American Dream."

We need Congress to remember Congressman Gutierrez's statement and keep ALL our families together.  It is wrong that LGBT binational couples are forced to choose between love and country!  It is wrong to force our LGBT citizens to live in exile just so that they can be with their partners. Congress needs to stand up for ALL families and make sure that LGBT families are included in their immigration reform bill.

Please click through to change.org and sign the petition urging Sen Schumer and Rep Lofgren to include LGBT families in their Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bills.

While there, please participate and sign the other actions on the LGBT Immigration Rights Action Page too.

Californians Against Hate: NOM Fires Former Miss California Carrie Prejean

by: Autumn Sandeen

Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 17:30:00 PM EST

November 16, 2009

Ms Maggie Gallagher
President
National Organization for Marriage
1100 H Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20005

Dear Maggie --

It looks like you fired former Miss California, Carrie Prejean, just like Donald Trump did back in June.  

She is no longer on your web site: nationformarriage.org I called your Washington, DC - PR firm, Mary Beth Hutchins at 703-683-5004 ext. 105, but no one was there to tell me why.

What happened to *"the future of our movement, and the future of America," as you referred to Carrie just two months ago?  Was it because she lied again? This time she said in numerous interviews that she "made only one sex tape."  Now it appears to be more like 15 or 20.  We just heard that from the guy she met on My Space.  

He also said that Carrie asked him to lie and say that she was only 17 when she made the sex tapes.  In an interview with TMZ's Harvey Levin, her ex said that she made the tapes when she was from 19 to 21, so not that long ago like Carrie insists.  

Listen for yourself, it's really interesting how the two stories are so different.  Here's a link:  TMZ  

Wonder if her attorney, Charles LiMandri, knew that she was asking her ex to lie?  That is not looked kindly upon by the California Bar Association.

In the past week, Carrie was uninvited from her speech at the Conservative Capitol Hill Club.  Then she kept calling CNN's Larry King "inappropriate," and ripped her microphone off on live TV!  It's up on YouTube and has had over 1.5 million visitors so far - huge!  

Here's the link: Larry King

[More from the open letter below the fold.]

Attorney General Jerry Brown Equality Speaks To Equality California Awards Event

by: Autumn Sandeen

Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 12:00:00 PM EST

He won this award mostly for his work after Prop 8, where the Attorney General's Office took the position that the constitutional amendment was unconstitutional. He talks about this in the video. EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors introduces the former California Governor.

My apologies -- I haven't had the time to transcribe the video.

The Southern Voice has been shut down; other pubs to come?

by: Pam Spaulding

Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 09:45:00 AM EST

~~Autumn~~

It's hard to tell what is going on at the moment, but Project Q Atlanta reports that employees of Southern Voice arrived to a note taped to the window of the office and the door locks had been changed. It's not clear at this time what has happened to flagship sister pub the Washington Blade.

The publishers of Southern Voice and David Atlanta magazine-along with a handful of other gay publications-abruptly closed its doors over the weekend, ending a months-long battle with a federal receivership that has imperiled the gay media company.

A three-sentence notice was posted to the front door of the Window Media office in Atlanta before employees arrived Monday morning. It was signed by Publisher Steve Myers and longtime Window executive Mike Kitchens.

It is with GREAT regret that we must inform you that effective immediately, the operations of Window Media, LLC and Unite Media, LLC have closed down.

Please return to this office on WEDNESDAY, November 18th, 2009 at 11:00 AM to collect personal belongings and to receive information on your separation stipulations. Please bring boxes and/or containers that will allow you to collect all your personal belongings at one time.

Regretfully,

Steve Myers
Mike Kitchens

Creative Loafing noted that change was in the air when this trouble emerged earlier in the year:

In February, the NYC-based Gay City News reported that the Avalon Equity Fund, a parent company shareholder in SoVo, Washington Blade and several other gay publications' parent company Unite Media, had been forced into liquidation and faced federal receivership. People familiar with the matter recently told CL they were unaware of the company's fate.

Blender asks U.S. Senator about LGBT rights. Response: you're 'fortunate to have Obama in the WH'

by: Pam Spaulding

Fri Nov 13, 2009 at 12:43:02 PM EST

Wow. Just Wow. With the naked drama and paranoia over Obama's senior domestic policy aide Melody Barnes's simple statement about marriage equality, and the slow movement on LGBT issues by the WH and Congress, I guess we should be happy that these nuggets of wisdom keep coming out that justify the DNC donor boycott/"pause".

A Blender emailed me yesterday about a reception for Rhode Island U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D), and the lawmaker was asked about both the boycott and his viewpoint on the progress on civil equality. The senator's candid response tells the whole story about what "change" means from this Democrat's point of view.

I'm really glad I asked him about the gay bloggers and their boycott of the DNC. I told him you were all angry over a lack of progress on issues like Don't Ask, Don't Tell, a repeal of DOMA, etc.

I like Sheldon a lot, and I have much respect for him, but his response to my question was bullshit. His whole spiel was "Oh politics is messy and complicated, blah blah blah....." And then he said Congress has to get health care done, then fix the economy, do climate change, etc. Great, and the civil rights of 30 million people are being denied. I guess gays and lesbians don't matter. I wish someone had said that to him.

Then I mentioned that the gay bloggers believe the Democratic party takes the GLBT community for granted and keeps delaying votes on our rights. I really pressed Sheldon on that. He said we should all feel fortunate that we have Obama in the White House and a Congress which supports him. He said the Republicans were obstructionists, and added amendments to bills, etc.

I felt very disillusioned listening to that. He didn't seem to have a real explanation why the Democrats haven't moved faster on gay rights. Politics is unwieldy? Do you and Joe Sudbay and the others buy that argument? Should we?

Whitehouse's view probably represents that of many of his Hill colleagues. I have to say that the senator's response is exactly why a boycott donations to the DNC is under way (along with the DSCC and DCCC, IMHO). There is no excuse for the lack of movement on so many minor (low-hanging fruit listed by our advocacy orgs), let alone, major LGBT issues by this admin and by Congress.

That a sitting senator hasn't any problem giving the "you should be grateful" statement is BS -- implicit is that LGBTs need to keep opening our wallets over and over and be happy about any progress is ludicrous. The President made promises, we're holding him and the party to dealing with them. The problem is there's always going to be an excuse that also revolves around timelines for midterms, re-elections, etc., so the best time to deal with the "hard" issues is now. These leaders can multitask. They choose not to.

So what are your thoughts? Anyone else attend their Congresscritters events and heard BS like this?

Related:
* DNC boycott gains momentum; Q of the day: what are the risks?
* Gay Inc.'s 'low hanging fruit' that hasn't been picked

Roundtable on Kalamazoo, Washington, and Maine's ballot initiatives

by: The Bilerico Project

Wed Nov 11, 2009 at 09:20:24 AM EST

We talked about the campaigns' messaging, the rightwing scaremongering, whether marriage is the right battle right now, and what happens now. It was good to get this recorded before the post-campaign narratives solidify. (And sorry to folks in Washington, I kept on saying "civil unions" instead of "domestic partnerships.")

I can't embed the podcast player here, but you can click here to listen to it or right-click here to download it.

Tuesday This & That; Open Thread

by: Autumn Sandeen

Tue Nov 10, 2009 at 20:00:00 PM EST

So below is what my cartoon sockpuppet Bookworm Bob & I have been looking at so far this week.

• Are you Trans? Do you live in New England? Have healthcare system related issues? Well, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders's (GLAD's) Please Share Your Story; Thank you for telling us about your experience with health care coverage related to your transition.:

GLAD is collecting stories about people's experiences with health insurance coverage related to gender transition, to help us determine how we can best address legal concerns in this area.

Please note: because GLAD's work is focused in New England, we are specifically interested in stories from people in the six New England states.

Thank you for sharing your story. All information you provide to GLAD will be kept completely confidential. We do ask that you provide contact information so that we can follow up with you if necessary.

If you would rather not fill out this survey online but would like to tell us your story, you can call GLAD's Legal InfoLine at 617-426-1350, and talk to someone on the phone...

So, follow this link to take the survey, or call the number above!

• The New York' Complications Grow for Muslims Serving in U.S. Military:

...Thousands of Muslims have served in the United States military -- a legacy that some trace to the First World War. But in the years since Sept. 11, 2001, as the United States has become mired in two wars on Muslim lands, the service of Muslim-Americans is more necessary and more complicated than ever before.

In the aftermath of the shootings at Fort Hood on Thursday by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan of the Army, a psychiatrist, many Muslim soldiers and their commanders say they fear that the relationship between the military and its Muslim service members will only grow more difficult.

On Sunday, the Army's chief of staff, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., said he worried about a backlash against Muslims in the armed forces and emphasized the military's reliance on those men and women.

"Our diversity, not only in our Army but in our country, is a strength," General Casey said Sunday on "Meet the Press" on NBC. "And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that's worse." ...

Good read. Highly recommend the whole piece.

• San Francisco Chronicle's Study: Fiddler crabs exchange sex for survival:

In the world of fiddler crabs, the best form of protection for females is, apparently, having sex with the neighbors, according to an Australian study published Wednesday.

Researchers from The Australian National University in Canberra found male fiddler crabs will happily defend a nearby female against intruders - partly because the females will dole out sex in return.

"The fact that the neighbor comes over and helps to defend another territorial individual is pretty unusual," said Michael Jennions, who helped conduct the study, the results of which were published in the journal Biology Letters.

"This study shows, for the first time, that in exchange for sex and other benefits, males protect their female neighbors from territory-seeking male intruders...

This must say something about my sexuality -- Reading this article, the first thing that came to my mind is Krabby Patties.

• FWD/Forward's Reclamation: thoughts from a fat hairy uppity lame bitch:

Wheelchair Dancer extends our understanding of crip/gimp reclamation in a wonderful post about gender and embodiment that is difficult to encapsulate in a pullquote -- read the whole thing at "Butch/Femme -- Crip":

A while back in this post, I spoke of bones and muscle. I'd like to go back to that place. I am drawn there as a dancer and as a sexual person. The bones of my body hold true for me; my muscles are what my body has given me. So even when my joints are unstable and my muscles torque and spasm, I recognize in these places parts of my deepest self. I strive to hold on to these selfs in every day life and in dance. I strive to bring them to the street and to the stage. Does desiring muscle and bone make me butch and deny me femme as positions from which I can navigate the world?

This, I think, is crip, is gimp. It is an understanding of the sexuality of the deepest and rawest parts of the body -- it is not so much a focus on gender presentation and on responses to gendered roles. It is an answer to the call of the fibres, the sinews, the fluids, and the infinite structure of the bones.

Moving on from these words for physical disability, you can delve into the reclamation of pejorative terms for neurologically atypical people. The most striking example is possibly Mad Pride, a movement that fights for the rights of people labeled with psychiatric illnesses and affected by abusive mental health systems. Ira Socol argues (somewhat controversially) for "Retard Theory", at SpeEdChange.

Thought provoking stuff in that blog on the convergence of disability and feminism, for sure.

• Los Angeles Times' VW bus stolen 35 years ago is found in shipping container bound for Europe; Customs agents inspecting a load bound for the Netherlands discovered a 1965 van that disappeared from a Spokane repair shop in 1974. CHP investigators are searching for the thieves.:

When U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at the Port of Los Angeles opened a shipping container bound for the Netherlands, they discovered a 1965 Volkswagen bus stolen in Washington state 35 years ago.

Far out, man!

The unusual seizure of the bus on Oct. 19 came during a routine inspection of several Volkswagens that were being shipped by an Arizona restorer to customers in Europe. The vehicle identification number of the bus, which was swiped in Spokane on July 12, 1974, was still in police computers.

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" customs spokesman Jaime Ruiz said Thursday when the find was announced...

Wow!

• Our Wiener Story Of The Day: Bloomberg's Mini-Hot Dogs With Brown Sauce Boost London's W8: Richard Vines:

Sometimes, a dish may stop you in your tracks for the right reasons: cutting through the small talk, pulling your wandering eye back to the plate and causing an involuntary movement that returns wine glass to table.

Game consomme with bacon cream and a small game hot dog --a starter at Philip Howard's informal new west London venue, Kitchen W8 -- take a bow. (The kitchen is headed by Mark Kempson of the Vineyard at Stockcross, so he should take one, too.)

The consomme comes in a mug, and I confess I've asked the restaurant what's in it, rather than just identifying through taste the grouse, venison, pheasant and mallard that have gone into it. It's topped with thick and creamy bacon foam.

The texture is like an old-fashioned Irish coffee. It's richly flavored and comforting on a cold day and the gourmet mini-hot dog served on the plate alongside the mug may raise a smile. It's venison, hare and pork and comes with a sweet-and- sour brown sauce with onions, spices, malt vinegar and beer...

So...wiener soup? Sounds interesting! Now if I ever get to London...

So anywho...It's an open thread! What are you thinking about today, or what books or articles have you been reading the past few days? Wanna share?

And again, please feel free to chat, blogwhore, and link-share in the comment thread because...it's an open thread! Woo-hoo!

Well, That's A Way For Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor To Despoil My Pleasant Memories

by: Autumn Sandeen

Tue Nov 10, 2009 at 12:00:00 PM EST

Kai,

Thank you again for your response to my email.

After discussing your email with my family, and several gay friends,  I decided to remove the post from Facebook.

I honestly did not realize the impact it had on so many people. Farrell's is designed to be a fun place and I want everyone to always feel welcome.

Thanks for pushing so hard. I would love to meet you sometime. Free sundae on me!

Sincerely,
Michael Fleming
Farrell's Mission Viejo

Well. That is pleasantly suprising news!
~~Autumn~~

I left a comment for a Facebook photo wall photo:

My first job out of High School in 1977 was working at the Northridge, California Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor -- I have fond memories. Before that, I had many fond memories of Farrell's from being a customer of the business as a child.

So, I'm pretty disappointed with the FARRELLS ICE CREAM PARLOR comment of 1:54 PM on Saturday, November 7th for this photo. Frankly, Farrell's is telling me by highlighting Pastor Warren on this Facebook page -- given Pastor Warren's public statements just last year about people in my community -- that I'm not really the kind of or customer (or former employee) that Farrell's wants anymore. I can't imagine Farrell's highlighting someone who is known for racist, sexist, or anti-religious commentary, so seeing a photo up of someone who's made derogatory statements about people in a another class protected by California state law is a huge disappointment. Seeing that this photo is remaining on this Facebook page with the "official" commentary that Pastor Warren is a celebrity seems to me to be a very less than satisfactory response.

What a way to now despoil the pleasant memories of my first real job, as well as of one of my favorite restaurants as a kid. Posting this photo of Pastor Warren, with a tacit endorsement of his book in how the book is prominently displayed by an employee, was really unnecessarily divisive.

I was planning on visiting the Mission Viejo parlor on my next trip up from San Diego -- not anymore.

Well as I said, I left that comment on the Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor - Wall Photo that highlights lying homobigot Pastor Rick Warren at the Mission Viejo opening of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor.

Do you remember what Rick Warren said during the Prop 8 Campaign? ...

[What Pastor Rick Warren said during the Prop 8 Campaign, links to where he lied about what he said, and Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor's "official" response posted on their Facebook page.]

Focus On Activism: Cleveland, Ohio And Trans Antidiscrimination

by: Autumn Sandeen

Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 13:45:00 PM EST

Ask Cleveland, Cleveland's most active LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) rights organization, announced today that Cleveland volunteers will present more than 2,500 postcards from supporters of a transgender non-discrimination law to members of Cleveland City Council before Monday evening's Council meeting. The postcards, signed by voters across the city, urge council to enact legislation that would add gender identity and gender expression to the city's existing non-discrimination law.

"Right now, it's legal to fire someone from a job, throw them out of housing, or even deny them service in a restaurant just because they're transgender," explained David Caldwell, spokesperson for Ask Cleveland. Transgender people, including thousands of people in our city, make up one of the most marginalized groups in society. A 2006 study concluded that the unemployment rate for transgender people was 35%, with 59% earning less than $15,300 annually. Many of Ask Cleveland's own transgender volunteers have suffered discrimination -- discrimination that is currently legal.

So what did Ask Cleveland do? Here's the plan:

In response to an August survey by the Gay People's Chronicle, an Ohio gay newspaper, only 8 of the 21 members of City Council expressed support for the non-discrimination law. "It will be much easier for members of Council to publicly express their support for this law -- and vote to pass it -- knowing that thousands of the voters they represent are asking them to support it," added Caldwell.

Ask Cleveland, a volunteer-based grassroots organization, has been working since May to organize supporters of the law in Cleveland.  Hundreds of volunteers have talked with thousands of voters where they live - Glenville, Fairfax, Collinwood, Edgewater and other neighborhoods. "We've seen overwhelming support for legislation that would protect transgender people in our city," said Jennifer Dowd, Ask Cleveland's field director, "and it's clear that voters want Cleveland to join the many cities throughout Ohio that already have laws like this one."

Basic civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people is something the general public has been supporting in opinion polls, and have voted to support is cities like Gainesville, Florida and Kalamazoo, Michigan. It seems that antidiscrimination and public accommodation laws are the low-hanging fruit on the LGBT civil rights tree. Essentially, there's no reason to think civil rights based on gender identity and expression couldn't become law in Cleveland, Ohio.

Marisa Richmond: Thoughts On Hate Crimes

by: Autumn Sandeen

Fri Nov 06, 2009 at 12:30:00 PM EST

Prof. Richmond is another member of the trans community who I've asked to share their thoughts on federal hate crime legislation -- the hate crime legislation that was signed by President Obama on October 28, 2009.
~~Autumn~~

By Marisa Richmond, Ph.D.

The recent adoption of hate crimes legislation by the United States Government is a major step forward for the transgender community.  this is the first time any positive legislation for LGBT people has ever been adopted, and for it to be fully inclusive makes this extra special.

For years, transgender activists fought to be included in this legislation because of the ongoing level of violence against transgender people across the nation.  For many of us, the darkest hour came in 2005 when nearly 40 national groups singed a joint letter to members of the U.S. Senate urging them to adopt the fully inclusive bill which had passed the House, while another group, after pledging they would fight "only" for fully inclusive legislation, both refused to sign that letter and issued its own urging Senators to ignore the House action and adopt a separate bill that left transgender people.  The argument that this "strategy" was necessary to pass such a bill was bigoted and, simply, poor politics.

Today, as we stand on the edge of yet another Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Transgender Day of Remembrance, we can remember all that we lost in the knowledge that future victims of gender based violence will have those crimes aggressively investigated and prosecuted.

We should not forget, however, that the battle to end violence against transgender people has not been totally won.  We still have to end discrimination in the workplace.  Many communities still do not have any protections and must rely on the Federal government to take action to ensure they have a level playing field.

There is also the problem of what to do for those who live in states where there is a lack of interest in pursuing even an investigation of violence against transgender people.  My home state of Tennessee is one such place.  Our largest city, Memphis, home of the Blues, Barbeque, and  Elvis, has become identified as the most dangerous city in the country for transgender people.  I am regularly asked by other trans people if it is safe for them to visit Memphis.

The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC) has a bill in the Tennessee General Assembly, SB0253 by Beverly Marrero (D-Memphis)/HB0335, by Rep. Jeanne Richardson (D-Memphis), which would add "gender identity or expression" to Tennessee's Hate Crimes statute.  Currently, Tennessee is one of 38 states which does not provide protection for transgender residents.  The rash of hate crimes against transgender persons, especially against African American transgender women in Memphis, make passage of this bill even more important here.  Having an additional tool available to victims will make life safer for everyone and send a message that the lives of transgender people in Tennessee have value too.

We encourage everyone in the other 37 states that do not have hate crimes laws covering all LGBT people to continue the work to raise awareness of violence against all of us and to push to make sure your state laws match the federal one so that victims can pursue justice on every available front.

Thanks again to everyone across this great nation who worked hard to make sure that transgender people were not left behind and to see that the lives of transgender people are now recognized as having value.

~~~~~
Related:
* Pam's House Blend tag: Transgender Hate Crimes Essay Project

Vanessa Edwards Foster: Hate Crimes- A Long Time Coming And A Long Struggle Ahead

by: Autumn Sandeen

Fri Nov 06, 2009 at 09:30:00 AM EST

Vanessa is another member of the trans community who I've asked to share their thoughts on federal hate crime legislation -- the hate crime legislation that was signed by President Obama on October 28, 2009.
~~Autumn~~

by Vanessa Edwards Foster

It's been a long time coming. The historic passage of hate crimes legislation and signature into law by the President signals the very first federal law covering trans people in America. My emotions, though, are mixed: ebullience, wistfulness, solemnity, sadness

To have this finally pass, and to have it inclusive of trans people, is a major victory. Since 1997, I've been consistently taking time, shelling out money and visiting offices all over Washington DC and Austin - and even once in Annapolis this year - in attempt to get even this, the most elemental protection, passed with coverage for us all. With this official passage last week, all the memories of where we've all collectively been working to achieve what's finally reality - seemingly against all odds - come streaming in.

In 1999 I had the opportunity to pull in the most critical component of what would eventually be the key to eventual passage of the James Byrd Hate Crimes Bill in Texas two years later. Taking two of my gay friends on their very first lobbying visit to show them how to parry and effectively argue our case, we landed the support of Rep. Warren Chisum, long-known as an arch-conservative, lightning rod author for the most heinous anti-GLBT legislation. His support brought in other crucial moderate GOP co-sponsors and votes and also provided cover for blue dog Dems as well. Our only responsibility was to change the wording to "sexual preference" and "gender non-conformity."

It was a victory I was pleased to help along, but a hollow one personally. In 2001, gender non-conformity was refused inclusion in the bill (with a promise made to me that if we didn't fight this and let this pass, they'd "come back for us" the next session). The bill passed, I held my tongue, but they never "came back" for us. Even this year, while in Austin, I visited with Rep. Chisum again a couple times. He chastised me with reminder that he didn't want to revisit this bill again. However, he was ready once again to support. I'll always remember the bravery of those like Rep. Garnet Coleman, author of 2009's expansion bill in Texas, and the initial co-sponsors like Rep. Rafael Anchia and Rep. Alma Allen, as well as conservative Rep. Chisum and at least one other longtime Republican friend who were ready to bravely support and push this. The bill died in committee after testimony, but these unsung heroes deserve mention.

Memories of victims past stream back. Meeting one of our homeless trans girls in Houston mere months before she was shot and killed in the Montrose sticks in my mind: would this law have helped solve her murder and bring some solace? Seeing the abject, stoic sadness in the faces of the family of Terrianne Summers as I attempted to hold my own emotions in check while eulogizing my activist protégée, knowing her murder is also still unsolved with no justice.

Even in the cases where the murderers were caught, there's only a little solace for the victims' families past. Random memories. Watching the silent tears stream down the solemn face of Paula Mitchell at the Cortez, Colorado vigil in 2001 for her murdered child F.C. Listening to the sobs of Sylvia Guerrero over the phone in 2002, recalling her precious Gwen and how callously her body was dumped and buried, not long after Fred Phelps had found out Sylvia's address and viciously protested in front of her home. Sitting alongside Queen Washington as she recounted for a reporter covering NTAC's 2004 Lobby Day how her baby, Stephanie Thomas, was riddled with bullets a mere block from her home. Hearing the broken-hearted story from Sakia Gunn's mother about the shoddy treatment from Newark authorities and community leaders and later seeing it first-hand in 2004 when our march from West Orange into Newark had only six white faces - four NTAC members and two local PFLAG parents - and was briefly refused entry into the city by police even after organizers had received permits. Hugging an activist friend, Ethan St. Pierre, who was shaken and teary-eyed after having making his very first speech in Boston recounting his aunt, trans woman Deborah Forte, being brutally murdered and having to go to the morgue to identify her body. There's no way to adequately relate experiencing this.

I still recall vividly the long battles and the acrimony over the years of merely having trans people covered by hate crimes. Struggling with conservatives just as we did with the Human Rights Campaign or the Anti-Defamation League for protection. Vehemently arguing with Mara Keisling and Lisa Mottet at the 2003 IFGE convention as they agreed with HRC and ACLU lawyers, and tried to convince me, that "gender" would include "gender identity" due to congressional intent. Less than six month later, finding out first-hand from our own local District Attorney's office that they didn't "give a damn about," nor had the time nor budget to research what congressional intent was as they were following the letter of the law as written in Texas, and nothing beyond.  

Even something as indirect as political campaigning paid off. Being an Obama delegate won me few friends in the GLBT community during the primaries. From my lobbying experience though, I knew Hillary Clinton's fondness for incrementalism and lack of knowledge on trans people just as well as I knew Obama's full-scope approach to rights. Trans folks, including myself, fought hard during the campaign up to the national convention and all the way up until election day. That night, 1000 miles from home in battleground Dayton, Ohio, I knew we'd finally won our rights to be included when Ohio was called for Obama and later when it became official that President Barack Obama would soon occupy the White House.

We were branded as pariahs, had our characters impugned and reputations ruined for standing firm on trans inclusion. It was worth it. We now have what we set out to achieve: coverage, rights, recognition. Finally, federally, we're now human.

The Hate Crimes Bill is a watershed symbolic victory for Trans Americans. But beyond the symbolism, we remain vigilant. It's an important first-step, but not the final goal.

~~~~~
Related:
* Pam's House Blend tag: Transgender Hate Crimes Essay Project

Do you need another reason to keep that wallet shut when it comes to the DNC?

by: Pam Spaulding

Fri Nov 06, 2009 at 00:33:23 AM EST

Let's just say that a little leaked email proves LGBTs are seen as the easy gAyTM to the DNC that can be manipulated, ignored, and pickpocketed as mob rule strips us of civil rights without a finger being lifted to help at the eleventh hour. It's worse -- stripping resources at the time of need. I won't chronicle what John and Adam have detailed quite well, but if you had any reservations about the intentions versus the reality of how games are played with our community, this should clear it up.

I spoke with another DNC official today after my piece on the OFA's fuckups/refusals to help, and that official told me "Some Mainers inadvertently got the email, but it was not sent to our Maine list." I was also told that this was a "glitch", and the quote above confirms that. Okay, one might think, a glitch is your system has a few people with the wrong zip codes in them, so they get a blast meant for someone else. Whoops. Fine. That's not actually what happened. What happened, per Tobias' e-mail, is the DNC did a large e-mail blast on this, and wanted to make sure Mainers didn't get that e-mail, for fear that the gays might find out and ask, how come we didn't get this kind of help?

It's kind of like being forwarded a party invite the host doesn't want you to come to, and when you show up, everyone gets silent and it's a-w-k-w-a-r-d. The party, in this case, was electoral help, and OFA wanted to make sure people didn't find out it was being grossly insensitive by not extending an invitation to the gays in Maine. Awesome.

I don't know about you, but at the very least, it's a peek at the kind the two-timing that goes on in national politics with constituencies they find "troublesome" or a perceived "liability" (save the $$$, of course). The difference is that the peek inside makes you realize how easily you've been had. In the case of LGBTs, it's a screw job over and over. They don't mind lying flat out, but catching them with their pants down usually hits a raw nerve.

[T]he DNC has concerns about getting involved in local ballot initiatives? Why? They did it last year under Howard Dean, when they donated $25,000 to the coalition fighting Prop 8's repeal of gay marriage. President Jimmy Carter did it in 1978, when he came out against the Briggs Initiative, that would have banned gays and lesbians from being teachers in California. But regardless, why does the DNC (and the White House) have a problem getting involved when a core Democratic constituency is having its civil rights taken away by the far-right base of the Republican party? We were promised that this administration would be our fierce advocate. Now all we get are excuses.

Shut the gAyTM down; only give directly to candidates and organizations you believe are truly working in your best interest. Not a penny to the DNC; it's the only leverage you have as an average citizen. The big donors in our community have to take a stand on this kind of nonsense, otherwise, they are enabling this kind of treatment of our community. It's party-building at our expense each and every time, as we watch windows of opportunity close. The thought of a halt to the cash flow will stop this BS pronto, if only to make them listen for a goddamn minute before stepping on the gas to run over us again.

Thursday This & That: Open Thread

by: Autumn Sandeen

Thu Nov 05, 2009 at 20:00:00 PM EST

So below is what my cartoon sockpuppet Bookworm Bob & I have been looking at since the weekend and Tuesday's election.

• I spoke about the City Council vote in Tampa yesterday. Well, the vote's in... St. Petersburg Times' Tampa council grants protections to transgender people:

The City Council on Thursday gave unanimous preliminary approval to expanding its human rights ordinance to protect transgender people from discrimination.

But does that mean cross-dressers are protected, too?

Specifically, the ordinance prohibits discrimination on the basis of "gender identity and expression." ...

So the answer would be "Yes." Realistically, cross-dressing is so stigmatized in our society that not extremely few people would be going to work one day as Albert, the next day Alice, and the next day as Albert again. As a rule, trans people just don't alternate in their work presentations like that.

All that said, Hooray for Tampa, Florida!

• ABC News' Wall St. Before Main St. for H1N1 Vaccine? - Reports That CDC Set Aside Vaccine for Businesses Has Some Crying Foul:

Despite long lines at health clinics around the country prompted by widespead shortages of the vaccine for H1N1, some on Wall Street may have made their way to the front of the line, a public health watchdog group charged Thursday.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has demanded an investigation into why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved small amounts of H1N1 vaccine for distribution at 13 companies including Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase.

CREW executive director Melanie Sloan wrote a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "Although CREW has been unable to uncover the demographic makeup of [these companies], surely it is safe to assume the vast majority of their employees are not pregnant women and children, young adults up to 24 years old, and healthcare workers," Sloan wrote. "Under these circumstances, it is the height of irresponsibility for the CDC to approve distribution of the vaccine to anywhere other than where it is most likely to be provided to those at the greatest risk."  ...

Well, this can't be seen as good optics for the CDC and financial banking giants.

• From the UK's Times Online: Evangelical outrage over play featuring transsexual Jesus:

A controversial play which portrays Jesus as a transsexual woman was defended yesterday by its writer who has herself crossed the gender barrier to live as a woman.

Jesus, Queen of Heaven, has caused a storm of protest from Christian evangelical groups, who picketed the Tron Theatre in Glasgow when it opened this week.

However, their attacks have caused deep offence to the play's author, who also acts the leading role. For Jo Clifford -- formerly the playwright John Clifford -- wrote the piece in an attempt to create greater understanding of transgendered people like herself.

The play's opening night was attended by about 300 demonstrators. Roman Catholics joined evangelical Christians for a two-hour protest during which they waved placards and sang hymns...

I feel the Christian love.

[Below the fold: Trigger Alert for today's Washington DC Tea Party event sign, and the Wiener Story Of The Day.]

Senate ENDA Hearing Liveblog This Morning

by: DrJillianTWeiss

Thu Nov 05, 2009 at 06:48:06 AM EST

Tuesday night's loss in Maine for marriage equality was very disappointing, losing by about 5 percentage points, but the ENDA-like non-discrimination ordinance won in Kalamazoo by an amazing 30 percentage points. The Kalamazoo ordinance covers housing and public accommodations, in addition to the workplace, so its win indicates the high receptivity of non-discrimination as an issue. That should give some comfort to our Blue Dog Democrats on ENDA.

At the same time, however, the loss of New Jersey and Virginia governorships to the Republicans may raise the specter of a U.S. shift to the right, which will complicate matters. I'm sorry to say that we have little time to mourn the loss of marriage equality in Maine, because there is a Senate hearing on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act this morning at 10 am.

Join me this morning (Nov. 5) from 10am - 1pm for a Liveblog of the Senate ENDA hearing at http://bilerico.com. You'll see lots of interesting info about the Committee members and the witnesses.  Autumn will be there with us!  Notables will be tweeting live from the hearing room!

But even as we watch the Senate hearing, we must ask where our legislators are on ENDA. Where, for example, is Indiana's Democratic Senator Evan Bayh on ENDA? We don't know, since he has kept his position to himself.

He's one of 6 Senators* likely to vote for ENDA, but who hasn't publicly stated his support. (Meanwhile, one of those 6, Sen. Paul Kirk of MA, has signed on as co-sponsor as of this morning.) The leadership won't bring it to a vote unless they know they have 60 votes to overcome the Republican filibuster. Please call and ask him to step up to the plate. Contact info and more after the jump.

Elections Results: The Good In Kalamazoo

by: Autumn Sandeen

Wed Nov 04, 2009 at 20:00:00 PM EST

I put out the poll early on in our live blogging coverage about which election result our blenders were following closest:

I'm one of the 2% who said the election result I was following closest was the basic civil rights election in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I cared about that most because I believe it was the one that spoke to the basic civil rights issues of trans people and community most directly, and because the opposition fought that piece of legislation with the Bathroom Meme -- the Bathroom Meme that states crossdressed men and trans people are going to invade public restrooms to prey on women and children.

And, as I pointed out in the Godly Perverts And The Bathroom Meme, one has much more to fear from Godly Perverts in women's public restrooms than one has to fear from crossdressed men and trans women.

That this is the second municipality in a row (the first being Gainesville, Florida) where voters rejected those who used the Bathroom Meme in an attempt to and deny basic civil rights to LGBT people...well, I think this says something positive about America regarding America's views on housing, employment, and public accommodation for LGBT people.

Still, I'm with Pam and many other baristas and blenders in this though: Civil rights aren't things that should be subject to mob rule. As happy as I am in winning in Kalamazoo, I'm not happy at all that there was a referendum on a basic civil rights ordinance for LGBT people.

Will the next stop for the Bathroom Meme be Tampa, Florida? From Tampa Bay Online's Tampa City Council to vote on transgender protections:

The city council is expected to vote Thursday on a proposal to expand Tampa's anti-discrimination laws to include transgender individuals.

The proposed ordinance, if approved, would extend laws prohibiting discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations based on sexual orientation, sex, race and religion to include "gender identity or expression" as a protected class...

Let's hope that if this passes we don't end up with another "mob rule" referendum on the ballot.

Halfway There in Houston

by: KatRose

Wed Nov 04, 2009 at 00:02:26 AM EST

From the Houston Chronk:

City Controller Annise Parker is expected to face former City Attorney Gene Locke in a runoff to be the next mayor of Houston.

Political pundits had long predicted that Parker, with her strong base of inside-the-loop support, was all but a shoo-in for the runoff. Parker herself had felt just as confident, and with more than 90 percent of the precincts reporting, her confidence appeared justified.

I'm proud to have been a part of Annise's 1997 city council campaign, when she scored her first victory.  I was just a generic workerkatbee (and, to be honest, I wasn't all that useful; I was really geting bogged down with law school), but I'll never forget being at one of the early organizational meetings - and of the 11 people there, a majority (6) were trans.

I moved away before her next race - and when she later became City Controller.  Few things make me wish I could be in Texas at any particular point in time - but Annise becoming mayor would be one.  There's still a runoff to go - but she had one in 1997 as well.

One difference 12 years has made.  In 1997, my mom reluctantly voted for Annise - and only because I repeatedly mentioned that I knew her and was working on her campaign.  In 2009?  Mom eagerly called to tell me that she'd heard that Annise was running for mayor - and later she trold me she felt Annise was the best of the candidates by far.  Bear in mind: My mom is someone I've come to avoid having any political conversations with, because she'll invariably say, "Well you know, that nice Mr. Hannity on the radio says...."

Way to go Annise!

I've got my fingers crossed for you for the runoff!

Godly Perverts And The Bathroom Meme

by: Autumn Sandeen

Tue Nov 03, 2009 at 03:01:00 AM EST

We keep hearing about the potential danger of crossdressed and/or trans women predators in public restrooms, and yet the folks who purport that anti-trans Bathroom Meme can't point to any examples of trans people

But we can point to bad apples on their side of the house.

The Los Angeles Times had a story yesterday (November 2, 2009) entitled Clerk at religious bookstore arrested on peeping charge

A clerk at a Christian bookstore in Simi Valley was arrested on suspicion of peeping after Simi Valley police found a video camera hidden in a bathroom at the store, authorities said today.

Officers were called to the Family Christian Book Store in the 2900 block of Cochran Street on Sunday afternoon after a 40-year-old woman and her husband reported finding the video camera, said Simi Valley Police Sgt. Dwight Thompson.

After examining the video, investigators determined that 28-year-old Joseph Moreaux had gone to the restroom just before the victim to hide the camera and record her while she was inside...

And, this isn't a particularly new story when it comes to piety. Remember October 20th's Protect Us From The Male, CVS Managers Who Support Keeping Trans Women Out Of Women's Restrooms?

The CVS Pharmacy manager who allegedly admitted Friday to filming women in his store's bathroom was an active participant in the 2008 charter amendment to "keep men out of women's restrooms."

Jonathan Matheny, 27, was charged with one count of video voyeurism after a customer told police she had discovered a cell phone equipped with a camera under a pile of tissues in the CVS bathroom at 125 S.W. 34th St.

And you want to talk about predatory behavior towards children, the same Focus On The Family that posted this radio ad...

[The ad and more below the fold.]