Listen to the article, Narcissistic Stupefaction. Until now, I've struggled to name the psychosocial process undergirding the movement that is MAGA. However, I think I've found a term that succinctly identifies the problem: Narcissistic Stupefaction. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor killed by Nazis in a concentration camp, noted that fascists were, in the dictionary definition of the term, stupid saying: Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and,… Read more.

In this article, I will debunk the five arguments fascists currently use to target transgender people. All fascist movements are predicated upon the myth of categorical purity. Because the material reality of individual humans is not one defined by discrete category, fascism always seeks to conflate people with words and category. It is for this reason that fascism is incompatible with human flourishing. Read more.

Dave Chappelle’s cisgender enablers repeatedly assert that anti-trans “jokes” are "just jokes" and not an essential aspect of the dehumanization process. So, let us put cisgender media’s claim to the test. The pushback against supporting the dehumanization of trans people began with a trans employee for Netflix writing, “I work at @Netflix. Yesterday we launched another Chappelle special where he attacks the trans community, and the very validity of transness – all while trying to pit us against other marginalized… Read more.

JK Rowling has long hinted that she sympathized with sex essentialist so-called "radical feminist" idea that nobody's phenotype is transitioned when trans people medically transition, and thus, trans women are males and trans men are females. However, Rowling has now openly announced her public support of TERF ideology: The backstory for this seemingly innocuous tweet is that a TERF activist, Maya Forstater sued to be given the special right of consequence-free speech. Such suits are a relatively new frontier of… Read more.

Amid rollbacks of federal protections for transgender individuals, a new survey finds Americans have grown increasingly more supportive of rights for transgender people. Sixty-two percent of Americans say they have become more supportive of rights for transgender people over the last five years, compared to just 25% who say they have grown more opposed. Despite the Trump Administration’s ban on transgender personnel joining or enlisting in the military not in their assigned gender at birth, the survey finds more than… Read more.

Known for dropping F-bombs during live TV events, Beto made a promise to stop cursing in public speeches. However, he broke that promise when the topic of bigoted anti-trans laws came up at a recent town hall held in Alexandria, Virginia. Expressing outrage over Republican-led anti-LGBTQI bills, Beto exclaimed, “In Texas, we just evaded a transgender bathroom bill! Seriously! After all the shit – sorry, the STUFF that’s happened!” At that point, the presidential candidate realized he’d just cursed, and… Read more.

In Texas, one of the trans community's most important activists is about to die. By Phyllis Randolph Frye I sadly write that a long-time fighter for trans rights, Sarah DePalma of Houston, is in hospice and may not last but a few more days. I went to see Sarah yesterday at the hospice --she was not cognizant of my holding her hand or talking to her-- and I learned that she will be gone in a few days. Back in the… Read more.

Speaking to an evangelical news outlet, Mat Staver, president of the multi-million dollar hate group, the Liberty Counsel, said that transgender people shouldn't enjoy the "special right" not to be lynched under a Senate bill that makes lynching people a federal crime. Specifically, Staver is offended that lynching, "involving actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability" would be criminalized. See page 7 of the document below: [su_document url="https://www.transadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/BILLS-115s3178es.pdf"] Staver seemed to claim that… Read more.

Today we consider a recent article wherein Dr. Kelsy Burke tells us that, “Evangelicals love pegging!” Also, we cover the hysteria at Houston's City Hall over Drag Queen Story Time and talk about how social media crackdowns may affect our community. The TA Podcast is an intergenerational show featuring a trans Baby Boomer, Gen Xer, and Millennial that considers the issues affecting the lives of trans and intersex people. Subscribe to the TransAdvocate Podcasts and Audio Essays here:… Read more.

A memo was recently leaked from the Department of Health and Human Services. In it, the HHS defines sex as a binary determined by chromosomes (presumed to come in only two forms, XX or XY), and states that sex cannot be changed. The memo has caused outrage because its goal is to define gender transition out of existence. Its aim is to discriminate against trans people, declaring them to be deluded or deceptive, their lived genders irrelevant. In so doing, it… Read more.

Vince Pryor with the Victory Fund joins us to discuss Senator Ben Sasse's (R) latest hand wringing book and the biggest issue effecting us all: the upcoming election. The TA Podcast is an intergenerational show featuring a trans Baby Boomer, Gen Xer, and Millennial that considers the issues affecting the lives of trans and intersex people. Subscribe to the TransAdvocate Podcasts and Audio Essays here: [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/transadvocate/id770213655" target="blank" style="flat" background="#020201" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: apple"]iTunes… Read more.

Yup, we have Kavanaugh-fatigue too and this is how we deal with it. Also, we introduce the new Center for Gender Research and Policy! The TA Podcast is an intergenerational show featuring a trans Baby Boomer, Gen Xer, and Millennial that considers the issues affecting the lives of trans and intersex people. Subscribe to the TransAdvocate Podcasts and Audio Essays here: [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/transadvocate/id770213655" target="blank" style="flat" background="#020201" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: apple"]iTunes [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button… Read more.

The TA Podcast is an intergenerational show featuring a trans Baby Boomer, Gen Xer, and Millennial that considers the issues affecting the lives of trans and intersex people. We welcome Koomah to discuss the largest Intersex IGM protest ever and talk about news you won't hear anywhere else! Read more.

The TA Podcast is an intergenerational show featuring a trans Baby Boomer, Gen Xer, and Millennial that considers the issues affecting the lives of trans and intersex people. Subscribe to the TransAdvocate Podcasts and Audio Essays here: [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/transadvocate/id770213655" target="blank" style="flat" background="#020201" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: apple"]iTunes [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ibp6nzo3pqgvih4gvoyzfohu5pe?t%3DTransAdvocate" target="blank" style="flat" background="#17c9f5" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: google"]Google Play [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://soundcloud.com/cristan-williams/sets/transadvocate-podcast" target="blank" style="flat" background="#f54917" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: soundcloud"]Soundcloud [su_column size="1/5"]… Read more.

Today we talk about some problems with PRIDE celebrations, including anti-trans hate groups infiltrating Pride celebrations in San Fransico, Boston, and London. Also, we discuss news you're not hearing anywhere else! The TA Podcast is an intergenerational show featuring a trans Baby Boomer, Gen Xer, and Millennial that considers the issues affecting the lives of trans and intersex people. Subscribe to the TransAdvocate Podcasts and Audio Essays here: [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/transadvocate/id770213655" target="blank" style="flat" background="#020201" size="5"… Read more.

Updates from the UK division of the Trans Advocate:   The Conservative government came out this week calling for a consultation on how to best reform the Gender Recognition Act, or G.R.A. of 2004. This comes at a time when the "debate" over trans rights in the UK is front and center in the TERF friendly UK press. The transphobic rhetoric centers over access to, quote, "women's only spaces" end quote. However, the GRA does not even deal with public… Read more.

We have written before about the humiliating ways the TSA have sometimes interacted with trans and intersex bodies. Apparently, some in the US Congress have become concerned about this ongoing problem. Last month, Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and Joe Kennedy III (MA-04) requested information regarding the agency’s treatment of transgender travelers in a letter to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator David Pekoske. As you may know, in 2015, the National Center for Transgender Equality surveyed 28,000 transgender individuals, 53 percent of… Read more.

Today we talk to a community news reporter who uncovered a story straight news refuses to cover: a cis woman is beaten in Colorado for being "trans," told that she didn't belong in Trump's America. Additionally, we have Gwen Smith's Gender Nation and updates from TransAdvocae Divisions in Brazil and the UK. The TA Podcast is an intergenerational show featuring a trans Baby Boomer, Gen Xer, and Millennial that considers the issues affecting the lives of trans and intersex people.… Read more.

We’re all doomed, so say the pundits… and we all know they never engage in hyperbole, right? Also, Dylan Forbis, the first out trans man to run for public office in Brazoria County, crashes the pod to update us about what the changes he’s making to the Texas Democratic Party. The TA Podcast is an intergenerational show featuring a trans Baby Boomer, Gen Xer, and Millennial that considers the issues affecting the lives of trans and intersex people. … Read more.

Gender Nation is a bi-weekly column by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, the founder of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, reviewing news affecting the trans, intersex, and genderqueer community. Obama-era trans prison policies rolled back A federal lawsuit in Texas is at the heart of an attempt by the Justice Department to roll back protections for transgender inmates and is the latest in a string of rights losses under the Trump administration. In a revised Transgender Offender Manual, the Bureau of Prisons will… Read more.

Gender Nation is a bi-weekly column by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, the founder of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, reviewing news affecting the trans, intersex, and genderqueer community. State health case could have national ramifications The state of Wisconsin may have violated the rights of two state residents by denying medical treatment related to them being transgender, claims a Federal lawsuit. The plaintiffs, Cody Flack and Ann Makenzie, have been turned down for surgical care by the state. Wisconsin Medicaid classified treatment… Read more.

Gender Nation is a bi-weekly column by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, the founder of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, reviewing news affecting the trans, intersex, and genderqueer community. Military Ban is stayed, once again In yet another rebuke of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, a federal judge has once again barred the implementation of the administration's ban on transgender people serving openly in the United States Military. The Government had been arguing that their ban on transgender service members… Read more.

Yes, they worked to make people believe the YouTube Shooter was a trans woman and the mainstream media didn't want you to know, but that's a symptom of a larger problem. On April 3rd, 2018, an armed shooter opened fire at the Youtube headquarters in California. Shortly afterward, as is becoming an epidemic in our current online culture, conspiracy theories and misinformation made the rounds faster then verifiable information could be gathered. There were claims that the shooter was Muslim,… Read more.

The Slowly Boiled Frog is biting commentary from David Cary Hart reflecting upon issues affecting the LGBT community. I should have known that this was inevitable. The headline at Christian Post- reads, "Doctor Slams Trans Study That Claims Using Preferred Names Reduces Depression, Suicide." I wrote about this last Saturday. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin concluded: … In one of the largest and most diverse studies of transgender youths to date, researchers led by a team at The… Read more.

New procedures in Russia approved: activists say it could be worse, leaves intersex people with few options On 19 January 2018, Russian authorities approved a controversial Decree, defining the procedure of legal gender recognition (LGR). The possibility to change one's gender marker existed in Russian legislation since 1997. Federal law N143 "On the acts of civil status" (article 70) required "a document of the established form about the change of sex issued by a medical organization" to be submitted for… Read more.

Annnd we're back! A trans Baby Boomer, Gen Xer, and Millennial are kleepin' it real and discussing what you need to know about transition and why everyone is suing the makers of Androgel! Subscribe to the TransAdvocate Podcasts and Audio Essays here: [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/transadvocate/id770213655" target="blank" style="flat" background="#020201" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: apple"]iTunes [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ibp6nzo3pqgvih4gvoyzfohu5pe?t%3DTransAdvocate" target="blank" style="flat" background="#17c9f5" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: google"]Google Play [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://soundcloud.com/cristan-williams/sets/transadvocate-podcast" target="blank" style="flat" background="#f54917" size="5" center="yes"… Read more.

Today we have as a guest podcaster, Ali Lozano, Outreach Director for Laura Moser running for Congress in the 7th district! Subscribe to the TransAdvocate Podcasts and Audio Essays here: [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/transadvocate/id770213655" target="blank" style="flat" background="#020201" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: apple"]iTunes [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ibp6nzo3pqgvih4gvoyzfohu5pe?t%3DTransAdvocate" target="blank" style="flat" background="#17c9f5" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: google"]Google Play [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://soundcloud.com/cristan-williams/sets/transadvocate-podcast" target="blank" style="flat" background="#f54917" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: soundcloud"]Soundcloud [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://player.fm/podcasts/transadvocate" target="blank" style="flat" background="#ea3b4c" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon:… Read more.

The Slowly Boiled Frog is biting commentary from David Cary Hart reflecting upon issues affecting the LGBT community. Tony Perkins will argue vociferously that a fetus has rights. Mr. Perkins doesn't seem to think that a teenager has any rights at all. A child, Mr. Perkins, is entitled to quality medical care provided by competent and qualified practitioners. Perkins has decided to comment on a case in Ohio where a transgender boy has been terribly abused by his parents. His father… Read more.

Gender Nation is a bi-weekly column by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, the founder of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, reviewing news affecting the trans, intersex, and genderqueer community. Attacks of all sorts In what may set the tone for the 2018 midterm elections, an ad for Illinois candidate for Governor, Jeanne Ives, is targeting transgender people and other favorite conservative targets. The advert, named "Thank you, Bruce Rauner," criticizes her Democratic opponent, using people who may or may not be actors to… Read more.

We've seen out trans people running and winning elections throughout the nation recently and today the TransAdvocate welcomes our guest host Dylan Forbis, an out trans man running for a seat in the Texas House! Subscribe to the TransAdvocate Podcasts and Audio Essays here: [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/transadvocate/id770213655" target="blank" style="flat" background="#020201" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: apple"]iTunes [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ibp6nzo3pqgvih4gvoyzfohu5pe?t%3DTransAdvocate" target="blank" style="flat" background="#17c9f5" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: google"]Google Play [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://soundcloud.com/cristan-williams/sets/transadvocate-podcast" target="blank" style="flat" background="#f54917"… Read more.

Gender Nation is a bi-weekly column by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, the founder of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, reviewing news affecting the trans, intersex, and genderqueer community. Justice Served for Davia Spain San Francisco will not be filing charges against Davia Spain, a trans woman who was arrested on the 19th of January for domestic violence, battery, and burglary. The case led to an online petition signed by nearly 2000 people calling for her release, as well as a gathering at… Read more.

The TransAdvocate produced a short documentary to examine the political right's propensity to focus on bathrooms when it comes to trans equality. The reality is, the political right always focuses on bathrooms, privacy, and sexual safety concerns when taking a stand against equality, no matter the oppressed population. This documentary examines, from a historical perspective, why this political rhetoric works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHzrPGyiwqo Podcast Extra Transcript In Illinois, one of the states that joined North Carolina in suing the Obama Administration for… Read more.

As readers might be aware, the UK media is engulfed in a new and ongoing round of media-created trans panic of the same type that lead to the death of Lucy Medows in 2013. Already, media hysteria coupled with the concern trolling homunculus that is all things "gender critical," has pushed a trans teen caught in the UK media's crosshairs to desperation. Riding the wake of this media madness is Linda Bellos, a sex essentialist "radical feminist" who took to an… Read more.

Gender Nation is a bi-weekly column by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, the founder of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, reviewing news affecting the trans, intersex, and genderqueer community. Trans prisoners, the next battleground A federal court case represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, Rhonda Fleming vs. the United States of America, could effectively bar transgender prisoners from facilities appropriate to their gender identity. The case, filed in late 2016 under the Obama Administration, seeks to have trans feminine prisoners removed from Federal… Read more.

If "Resistance" means anything, it means removing those from power who act to oppress us. This means that YOU --yes you-- are needed in the fight to ensure that those who are running for political office will fight for justice and equality. Below are the registration dates for the US political registration dates, primaries, and runoffs. Under these dates is a form that will allow you to register. Upcoming Registration, Primary, & Runoff Dates   State Primary Date Runoff Primary… Read more.

While we've seen it before, we sometimes don't see the political forest for the trees. The TransAdvocate crew reviews both local and national news and Dr. Gillian Frank helps us recognize the political tactics that are being used against the trans community by noticing that the exact same tactics were used against numerous other groups. Also, get a trans scholarship or get help recovering from a disaster. Subscribe to the TransAdvocate Podcasts and Audio Essays here: … Read more.

It turns out that basically everyone running the anti-trans campaign against Houston's equal right's ordinance is a sexual harasser, pedophile, or sex abuse apologist. Also, we answer your questions in our 2017 year-end special! On the Pod: Cristan Williams, Robin Mack, and Alexis Melvin Subscribe to the TransAdvocate Podcasts and Audio Essays here: [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/transadvocate/id770213655" target="blank" style="flat" background="#020201" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: apple"]iTunes [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ibp6nzo3pqgvih4gvoyzfohu5pe?t%3DTransAdvocate" target="blank" style="flat" background="#17c9f5" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon:… Read more.

Today’s show focuses on self-care as a form of Resistance, plus the local and national news and Gwen Smith's Gender Nation. On the Pod: Cristan Williams, Robin Mack, and Alexis Melvin. Music: Whole Cloth by Daniel Birch & Ben Pegley & The End by The Doors Parade Subscribe to the TransAdvocate Podcasts and Audio Essays here: [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/transadvocate/id770213655" target="blank" style="flat" background="#020201" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: apple"]iTunes [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ibp6nzo3pqgvih4gvoyzfohu5pe?t%3DTransAdvocate" target="blank" style="flat" background="#17c9f5" size="5"… Read more.

Today’s show focuses on dealing with fear, both personally and as a community. Moreover, we present an audio essay performance piece titled The Real Housewives of Gilead: The Handmaid’s Tale isn’t as Fictional as you Thought. On the Pod: Cristan Williams, Robin Mack, and Alexis Melvin. Music: Lurking Beneath the Surface, Lurking Beneath the Surface by Daniel Birch & Ben Pegley Subscribe to the TransAdvocate Podcasts and Audio Essays here: [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/transadvocate/id770213655" target="blank" style="flat"… Read more.

The podcast crew reviews national and local politics and discusses some of the nuances of community, transition, and detransition. Also featured: the first installment of Gwen Smith’s Gender Nation and bonus material. On the Pod: Cristan Williams, Robin Mack, and Alexis Melvin. Subscribe to the TransAdvocate Podcasts and Audio Essays here: [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/transadvocate/id770213655" target="blank" style="flat" background="#020201" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: apple"]iTunes [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ibp6nzo3pqgvih4gvoyzfohu5pe?t%3DTransAdvocate" target="blank" style="flat" background="#17c9f5" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: google"]Google Play … Read more.

The TransAdvocate crew records live in Houston's Montrose. Today's topics include the stupidity of the Trump administration, an awesome hip-hop track the rapper MIC did for the TransAdvocate, and we talk about World AIDS Day coming up on December 1st. On the Pod: Cristan Williams, Robin Mack, and Alexis Melvin. Subscribe to the TransAdvocate Podcasts and Audio Essays here: [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/transadvocate/id770213655" target="blank" style="flat" background="#020201" size="5" center="yes" icon="icon: apple"]iTunes [su_column size="1/5"] [su_button url="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Ibp6nzo3pqgvih4gvoyzfohu5pe?t%3DTransAdvocate" target="blank"… Read more.

We have the largest trans archive still in the community's hands and we share with you some of the recent acquisitions from the last couple of weeks. This invariably wraps back around to current political narratives about trans people and we notice that anti-trans politicians seem to have a few skellies in their own closets! On the Pod: Cristan Williams, Robin Mack, and Alexis Melvin. Subscribe to the TransAdvocate Podcasts and Audio Essays here: [su_column size="1/5"]… Read more.

On this #TransDayofResilience, did you know that we can make the political machine work for us? Learn about how a trans community fought off dozens of "bathroom bills" and how a Texas trans community produced the biggest queer political event of the year in one of America's largest cities. On top of that, hear one of the most powerful Texas Republican politicians support the trans community and hear from America's first out trans judge. On the Pod: Cristan Williams, Robin… Read more.

This week's podcast is an audio essay: On The Make It A Slur Campaigns: Are Misogynist, Homophobe & TERF Slurs? By: Cristan Williams Narrated by: Nikki Delgado Duration: 25 minutes Essay Summary: Anti-equality activists, seemingly from the left and right, have worked together to make certain feminist and queer language taboo. In this audio essay, the TransAdvocate takes a deep dive into the ways in which anti-equality activists work together to coordinate efforts to control the… Read more.

Into the nexus of the 'gay alt-right feminist' movement I received notice that an opinion leader in the sex essentialist activist community had linked to one of my articles titled, You Might be a TERF if... The article lists explicit instances of ideological hate and real-life violence (up to and including attempted murder) carried out in the name of a form of sex essentialist 'feminism' that developed in the US during the mid-to-late 1970s. The Feminist Current, a site substantially dedicated… Read more.

We're always hearing how we're supposed to "RESIST." What can that look like when you live in the Deep South in Trump's America or when your community just faced a historic natural disaster? Find out how trans people living in Texas manage to do it. On the Pod: Cristan Williams, Robin Mack, and Alexis Melvin. And here's more information on events and issues covered in this podcast: Events: Every Monday night trans meeting, HTGA at 7:30 11/4/17: The 25th annual… Read more.

Well behaved women rarely make history: A Botswana transgender woman made history after filling a monumental constitutional case against the government for refusing to legally change her gender marker. By Miles Tanhira In her High court application against the department of Registrar of National Registration, Tshepo Ricki Kgositau who is the Executive Director of Gender DynamiX, a regional transgender right organisation based in Cape Town, South Africa, argues that the State has a duty to fully realise the constitutional protection of… Read more.

After the property damage at the University of Berkeley by protesters opposed to Milo Yiannopolous speaking there, many within the movement have condemned the violence. They argue that the violence plays into a narrative constructed by white-nationalists, and damages the moral legitimacy of the progressive movement that opposes everything he is calling for. Others, such as Katherine Cross, have strongly argued that violence against fascist movements (“punching Nazis”) and leaders is not… Read more.

By David Cary Hart It's Claire Cretin, uh, Claire Chretien again (I know, mine is a sophomoric display of opprobrium). At the ultra-orthodox Catholic LifeSiteNews Chretien asks the rhetorical question (and answer): “Should men go in the girls’ restroom? This mom says no way.” That is a compound lie. This is about school access. Chretien's intent is to suggest that adult men will be using girls' facilities. The second part of the lie is that this isn't about men or boys. This is about whether… Read more.

You may have heard that a clothing-optional spa in Toronto turned away a trans woman and that has caused a stir. What you may not understand is why she was turned away. Articles explaining the situation often completely omit one very important detail: the trans woman who was booked at the spa was not planning to make her genitals anyone’s business. While the spa is clothing-optional, there is no compulsory nudity. According to The Torontoist, “King asked if her… Read more.

By Alexx Andersen There has been a lot of misinformation about North Carolina’s House Bill 2 through various media outlets, as well as a general lack of coverage in regards to the many Queer and Trans People of Color-led (QTPOC) efforts since the passing of North Carolina’s House Bill 2, referred in the media as “The Bathroom Bill.” The narrative that has been pushed through various media outlets leads people to believe that it is only about the bathrooms. North… Read more.

The Handmaid’s Tale isn't as Fictional as you Thought For most Americans, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a novel about a dystopian future where women are chattel whose only purpose is to procreate. For a surprising number of American women in positions of cultural, legal, and legislative power, it is an instruction manual on how to remake America in the image of Gilead. They want a future where not only is abortion illegal under all circumstances, so are… Read more.

This was the era of Anita Bryant's crusade against lesbians and gays. "As a mother," Bryant said, "I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children; therefore, they must recruit our children." This was the predominant belief; this notion that gays and lesbians need to "recruit" people to grow in numbers, and therefore are grooming children. It was very effective, as it tapped into primal fears that one's own sons and daughters could be in peril from a menace that the… Read more.

On March 13, 2017, the TransAdvocate will meet with numerous members of the Texas Legislature --both Democratic and Republican-- concerning anti-LGBTQIA bills recently filed during this legislative session. Particularly of concern for both the trans and intersex community are bills designed to force trans and intersex individuals to use public accommodations based upon the sex designated on one's birth certificate, regardless of transitioned status. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAqCJHVgd9k Regarding SB6 and other anti-GLBTQIA bills, the TransAdovcate's Editor, Cristan Williams said, "These bills are creating… Read more.

  By M. A. Melby As an educator, it is my duty to give all students an opportunity to learn and to succeed. In service to this duty, Universities are legally required to maintain a non-hostile environment. I am also devoted to imparting information that may be incongruous with my students strongly held beliefs. With the goal of meaningful instruction and students’ personal growth in mind, I may encourage frank discussions on… Read more.

[su_button url="http://www.transadvocate.com/i/Owning_Endosex_Privilege.epub" target="blank" style="flat" background="#ffffff" color="#333333" size="15" icon="icon: book" icon_color="#333333"] E-Book Version Listen to an audio version of this article: [soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/301735631" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]   By Margo Schulter The presentation of a poster session advocating Intersex Genital Mutilation (IGM) at the recent Amsterdam meeting of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) has heightened a crisis of confidence and trust between the intersex and trans communities, with a special impact on those of us belonging to one or both communities… Read more.

By Kelley Winters The National Center for Transgender Equality Executive Director Mara Keisling respondedKeisling, M (2016). Response to BuzzFeed Article. Blog, National Center for Transgender Equality, Oct. 28. http://www.transequality.org/blog/response-to-buzzfeed-article]to sharp criticismHolden, D. (2016). Top LGBT Leaders Are Divided Over Compromising On The Bathroom Fight. BuzzFeed News, Oct. 25. https://www.buzzfeed.com/dominicholden/lgbt-leaders-divided-bathroom-fight] of the recent strategy by NCTE and other nonprofits funded by the Gill Foundation to back a Pennsylvania state nondiscrimination bill that included LGBT employment and housing protection but excluded public accommodation protections.… Read more.

Bathroom Bills & The Dialectic of Oppression: From the KKK to anti-feminism: examining the Southern roots of the anti-trans "bathroom bill" movement. By Cristan Williams @cristanwilliams While Republican delegates dutifully cheered their presidential nominee for promising to keep queer citizens of the US safe from ideological marauders and GOP convention speaker Peter Thiel was booed by North Carolina delegates for calling the "great  debate" a distraction from America's real problems, a trans schoolboy had to sue his school because he was being forced to wear a green… Read more.

On Monday, May 9th, the United States Attorney General, Loretta Lynch came out swinging against North Carolina's commitment to discriminating against trans people. The speech that AG Lynch gave is incredibly striking and stands as a singular moment in the history of trans advocacy. While numerous sites will pair soundbites with their own commentary and others will inevitably misrepresent her words, we at the TransAdvocate wish to simply let the AG's words… Read more.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has given the State of North Carolina until Monday, May 9, 2016, to cease discriminating against trans people: Both you and the State of North Carolina (the "State") are in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964... Specifically, the State is engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination against transgender state employees and both you, in your official capacity,… Read more.

Once again, news media around the globe proves that they'll promote just about anything anti-trans, without verification. Zinnia Jones released an in-depth analysis and debunking of YouTuber Joey "Salads" Saladino's "transgender bathroom experiment" wherein Saladino dons a bad wig so that he can stage and film what he presents to be the actual fear of (cis) women when they encounter what's supposedly a trans woman in the women's bathroom. The UK's Daily Mail --the same news… Read more.

While it's well and good to call out those who denigrate trans people in the media, it's time to take it a step further. Making Money with Media What cis privilege looks like. Chances are that you've seen the clueless being used to generate ad revenue for corporate media interests. Have you ever wondered why the press has a habit of asking cis people what their thoughts are regarding trans people? A Guardian op-ed recently opined on this exploitative practice: Here’s how it… Read more.

By Autumn Sandeen & Cristan Williams Anti-trans activists in both Mississippi and North Carolina have passed laws that effectively remove trans people from public life. Making it legal on a state level to discriminate against trans people in employment, housing, goods, and services while making it illegal for trans people to use public hygiene facilities that correspond with their transitioned status ensures that trans people cannot function within society. We at the TransAdvocate believe that the evidence shows that erasing trans people from… Read more.

Traveling While Trans: The False Promise of Better Treatment By Dr. Cary Gabriel Costello Back in 2012, I wrote about the problems I regularly encountered as a trans person when going through TSA security screening at airports. Since that time, we've been promised, much has changed. The TSA has formally stated that it will not discriminate on the basis of gender identity. Passengers are to be screened based upon their gender presentation. Any pat-downs are to be conducted… Read more.

A 2011 Swedish study proves that trans people are more suicidal due to transition, are likely rapists and that trans women exhibit male socialization. Or does it? Perhaps you've heard that a Swedish study found that trans people who access medical care are more likely to commit suicide. Writing for the Wall Street Journal, former Johns Hopkins chief psychiatrist and anti-LGBT activist Dr. Paul McHugh cited a Swedish study to make the following fact assertion: A 2011 study… Read more.

The reality of trans pathologization in Russia By Yana Kirey-Sitnikova Note: The article contains descriptions of violence and involuntary medical treatment. Psychiatric treatment of transgender people has recently received attention in media and medical literature in response to strong international campaigns for depathologization, organized by transgender activists. The debates grew even stronger surrounding the drafting of the 5th version of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which resulted in the replacement of “Gender Identity Disorder” with arguably less stigmatizing… Read more.

Catharine A. MacKinnon is a lawyer, teacher, writer, theorist, and activist. She is the Elizabeth A. Long Professor of Law at the University of Michigan and James Barr Ames Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard Law School (long-term). She holds a B.A. from Smith College, a J.D. from Yale Law School, and a Ph.D. in political science from Yale. Professor MacKinnon specializes in sex equality issues in political theory and under international and domestic (including comparative and constitutional) law.… Read more.

"K" is an intersex, trans and sex worker rights advocate. I interviewed K about their sex work experiences, how the needs of sex workers might be respectfully addressed and the ways in which feminist frameworks interface with the experiences of sex workers. Cristan Williams: How long have you been involved with sex work? K: I’ve been in different types of sex work and I think that it’s important to… Read more.

Some of you might remember that Germaine Greer, a TERF the Radical Feminist Andrea Dworkin took to task for trying to pass off patriarchy as feminism, made some small waves for appealing to the patriarchal vagina smell trope in order to claim that trans women aren't real women. However, what's making waves throughout the UK is that Green Party activist Beatrix Campbell, along with numerous other activists, are appalled that the trans community dared think they had the same rights… Read more.

While her mom talks to CNN to profess her love and support, Leelah's Reddit posts paint a homelife defined by bullying and fear. Much has been written about Leelah Alcorn's suicide note* which identifies conversion therapy and unsupportive parents as contributing factors to what happened to Leelah. Under the weight of public condemnation, Leelah's mother, Carla Alcron told CNN that "e told him that we loved him unconditionally. We loved him no… Read more.

In what has to be one of the most facepalm-inducing interviews I've ever watched, Canadian school board trustee, Sam Sotiropoulos attempted to explain why he's not a bigot for promoting bigotry. The above interview occurred after Sotiropoulos posted a few transphobic tweets. Psychiatry expert: ‘scientifically there is no such thing as transgender’ http://t.co/huWbDpd6bl Where's Bill C-279? http://t.co/4JRejJhuW6 — Sam Sotiropoulos (@TrusteeSam) August 30, 2014 The article Sotiropoulos promoted states, "Dr. Joseph Berger has issued a statement saying that from a medical… Read more.

By Debi Jackson Although I have been part of the LGBT community for the last three years since my daughter transitioned from male to female, I still seem to learn something new every day. Take, for example, my recent discovery of a group that some call TERFs, or Trans-Excluding Radical Feminists. Within the last few weeks, I’ve become a target of hate from some who watched a video of me giving a speech about my daughter’s transition. Most of that… Read more.

What it is #TERFweek is a week of education, raising awareness and openly talking about the abuse our communities have endured at the hands of the Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist movement. From Monday, August 11 to the 17, we invite everyone to share their experience with the TERF movement using the #TERFweek tag. We hope that all our diverse communities will take this opportunity to speak with one voice, united in standing in opposition to the hate and very real harm this group has caused. Why… Read more.

Houston Mayor Annise Parker and City Attorney David Feldman announced that the effort to overturn equality failed to collect enough valid petition signatures to put minority rights up for a popular vote in the upcoming November election. Even though the Houston Area Pastor's Council (HAPC) has threatened to sue, due to time constraints, there is no possible way that the equality ordinance will be on the November 2014 ballot. From lgbtqnation.com It was widely reported that the HAPC was able… Read more.

The Houston Area Pastors Council (HPAC), an organization led by men who sexually harassed women (and who tried to misrepresent the sexual abuse to the public), has been working to overturn broad equality in Houston, Texas. The Harris County DA is investigating a HPAC representative for engaging in voter fraud while working to overturn the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO). The investigation comes after the TransAdvocate caught the representative on tape attempting to violate Texas Election laws. The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance… Read more.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) recently ran an op-ed by the right-wing anti-transgender psychiatrist, Paul McHugh. McHugh purposefully misrepresented the research he cited in his article, misleading WSJ readers, and the wider population into believing the lie he was selling. When the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) learned of the McHugh hoax, they responded. While WPATH Board Member, Dr. Dan Karasic, responded to McHugh and the WSJ published the response, they refused to publish the part where WPATH notes that McHugh misrepresented the research… Read more.

Engaging in fraud in order to overturn LGBT and especially trans equality in cities throughout the nation is nothing new for anti-equality bigots. In the past anti-equality efforts, election fraud was limited to purposefully deceiving voters about trans equality or intimidating voters. Recently, the TransAdvocate documented an anti-equality activist using county property to attempt to circumvent a Texas election law. The Houston Area Pastor's Council (AKA, the Texas Pastor's Council, AKA, the US Pastor's Council) is the Texas-based anti-queer group that is heading up… Read more.

Houston recently passed a nondiscrimination ordinance protecting the following 15 classes: Sex, Race, Color, Ethnicity, National Origin, Age, Familial Status, Marital Status, Military Status, Religion, Disability, Sexual Orientation, Genetic Information, Gender Identity, and Pregnancy. A leader in the opposition to equality is Pastor Kendall Baker. Here he is speaking before Houston City Council: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJF20AWc0Pk When speaking against equality, Pastor Kendall Baker mentioned that he had just ended a 20+ year career with the City of Houston due to failures of the Office of the Inspector… Read more.

On Wednesday, May 28, 2014, the Houston City Council approved a sweeping non-discrimination ordinance barring discrimination against 15 protected classes, including an explicit protection against discrimination due to one's religion. The city's right-wing community immediately claimed to be oppressed, threatened to recall everyone who voted for the ordinance and pledged to put their own religious protections up for a popular vote in the November election. More worrisome, the Mayor of Houston… Read more.

Bayard Rustin is a civil rights icon of the African-American and gay civil rights movements. In 1986, Rustin gave a controversial speech entitled "The New 'Niggers' Are Gay," and that speech is included as an essay in the book Time On Two Crosses: The Collected Writings Of Bayard Rustin. I believe it's time to revisit Rustin's concept of defining what the current litmus paper and barometer of social change is in 2014. In 1986, Rustin believed that African-Americans are… Read more.

The original Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was passed in 1994 and signed into law by then President, Bill Clinton. As you can imagine, the original act was not explicitly trans-inclusive. However, when the VAWA came up for reauthorization in 2012, lawmakers worked to ensure that trans people were covered. Republicans in the House and Senate fought the reauthorization of VAWA because it was explicitly inclusive of LGBT people and had provisions for helping battered undocumented immigrants. Additionally, The… Read more.

I heard of Poppy years before I met her. I knew her to be a major force behind Southern feminism. Poppy has a long history of working for reproductive rights both as an attorney and as a volunteer clinic escort. It was as a volunteer clinic defender that I got to personally know her. The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the largest multi-issue women’s rights organization in the United States dedicated to taking action to bring women into full… Read more.

Just days after Monica Jones was shown in this video protesting the failed religious discriminatory law in Phoenix, she was offered a ride while walking to a bar. The driver turned out to be an undercover police officer who then arrested her for "manifestation of prostitution'. This law is a vague statute which enables officers to arrest woman for no other reason than asking if they are police. The law is used to feed people… Read more.

The right to body autonomy and being free from oppressive gender stereotypes is an issue that's near and dear to my heart. I've noticed that the same hubris people who stand in the way of trans people are generally the same people who are standing in the way of the right to safe and legal abortion services for many of the same reasons. The Pacific Justice Institute, the very organization that hounded a trans kid to the brink of… Read more.

Laura Jane Klug (image: Facebook) Lumberton Texas ISD suspended Laura Jane Klug, a transgender teacher at the intermediate school. Mainstream news reports say parents complained about her transgender status, but Ms. Klug thinks something else prompted her dismissal. Ms. Klug, in a phone conversation, told the Advocate about her hiring "The school was fully aware of my transgender status when they hired me. I made a point of making that clear to them by showing… Read more.

Houston is the last large city in Texas without a city-wide ordinance protecting its LGBT citizens from discrimination. Mayor Parker announced in her state of the city address, she intended to change that. Mayor Parker, an out lesbian signed an executive order in 2010 which extended protections to transgender city employees in city-owned buildings. However, the fact that the city is still without an LGBT inclusive non-discrimination policy in public accommodations and the workplace has not escaped the community's attention.… Read more.

Andraya Williams Subjected to discrimination, intimidation, humiliation and stonewalled by North Carolina Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC), transgender student Andraya Williams tells the TransAdvocate she's had enough. On March 19th, Ms. Williams was detained by a campus school guard while exiting the lady's room bathroom telling her that they had heard reports of a man in the restroom and asked her for her college ID. Ms. Williams then presented her ID, which clearly identifies her… Read more.

Human rights advocates braved the elements Saturday in Harlem to show their angst over the church sign promoting violence against the LGBT, and for good reason. Just 20 blocks away, last year, fists were thrown at a transgender woman who lay dying on pavement stones. Islan Nettles was taken off life support by her mother a short time after. This is the violence that the ATLAH church promotes and this very sign, the one demanding violence, was most likely seen by the people… Read more.

The day after the Maryland House of Delegates passed legislation making discrimination against transgender people illegal, one group has decided to take action against it. The bill, SB 212 "Fairness for All Marylanders Act of 2014" amends the state's law to include gender identity in the workplace, housing, and public accommodations. The Baltimore Sun is reporting that the conservative group MD Petitions emailed supporters telling them: "The good news is that we don't have to accept this bill as law – there is another… Read more.

In a situation that recalls the recent controversy around MMA Fighter Fallon Fox, Chloie Jönsson, a trans woman, was recently banned from competing in the women’s division of Reebok’s CrossFit athletic competition, a high-intensity endurance fitness challenge with a cash-prize of $250,000. She is now suing Crossfit for $2.5 million for discrimination. In the letter to her lawyer, obtained by TMZ, CrossFit contends that:  This is simply wrong as a matter of human biology and if you can’t see… Read more.

The TransAdvocate is an unequivocal supporter of body autonomy. While the issue of body autonomy affects people in somewhat different ways, we've noticed that the same groups standing in the way of a abortion medical services are generally the same groups who stand against trans medical services. Those who wish to hold autonomy over a trans person's body are generally the same as those who wish to hold autonomy over the bodies of those who might need access to safe… Read more.

Andi Dier. a transgender woman from New York was roughed up by the employees of The Irish Times Pub and Restaurant in Holbrooke as they bruskly removed her from the premise. Ms. Dier says they used transphobic slurs and tried to take her I phone after seeing she had recorded part of the incident. They then stole her state-issued ID and had it not been for a stranger outraged over her treatment, she says the employees would have kept it. Most… Read more.

Monica's troubles began one night after protesting Arizona’s failed religious anti-LGBT legislation while walking to a bar. An undercover officer engaged her in a conversation which led to her being charged with "manifesting prostitution”, AKA walking while trans. Since Jones hadn't been previously charged with similar 'crimes' Ms. Jones was offered a deferral if she enrolled in the Catholic/police/university "Project Rose" and successfully completed it. However, Ms. Jones is fighting back refusing the plea and religious programming despite being repeatedly harassed… Read more.

Minnie Joycelyn Elders is an American pediatrician and public health administrator. She was a vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the first African American appointed as Surgeon General of the United States. A study on the feasibility of transgender troops in the military was released today by the Palm Center. The commission co-chaired by former US Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders and former Coast Guard Director of Health and Safety Alan Steinman… Read more.

Adrien Lawyer found himself exploring his options in transitioning from his outwardly feminine appearance to presenting as male in 2004.  He says “I remember playing with the boy’s toys like guns and toy knifes when I was a kid.  I would dress up as a boy and do the things typical of what most boys do.” When Adrien began researching his options in 2004 to make his transition he felt that there was no one to support him, he… Read more.

The one thing that you have to realize is that everything the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) did to a trans kid in Colorado was about PJI's desire to stop a law in California that codified equality standards for trans children. Law makers in California proposed legislation that would help ensure that California's trans children would be able to have a school experience free from institutionalized oppression. PJI hated this idea and decided that were going to fight it every… Read more.

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/136808690" params="color=ff2c00&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] Hey there folks this is Cristan Williams with another TransAdvocate podcast. Today I have a few topics I want to touch on. We'll talk about the Arizona "right to discriminate" bill. Specifically we'll hear the office of the bill's sponsor, Senator Yarbrough, say that his bill will protect the right of the Ku Klux Klan to institute racial segregation based on "religious belief." We'll talk about why a recent… Read more.

Official Souvenir Program of the 1979 National March on Washington, Page 40 It should be noted that the organizer of the 1st MOW was Ray Hill from Houston, Texas. Hill was a significant supporter of both trans inclusion and trans empowerment. Trans Leader from Houston, Phyllis Frye (center, holding American flag) Phyllis Frye, leading the Texas contingent [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/71779612" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] Official Souvenir Program of the 1979 National March on Washington, Page 1 "Gay is… Read more.

By Cristan Williams @cristanwilliams Arizona state senator, Steve Yarbrough (R) sponsored Senate Bill 1062, hailed as a "property rights" bill aimed at ensuring that business owners and social service organizations would have the right to discriminate on the basis of religious freedom. Devon Mills, speaking for Yarbrough's office said, "It allows business owners to use religion as a reason to deny someone business if it conflicts with their religious belief." Arizona Democrats, who argue the legislation is a way to legalize discrimination against LGBT… Read more.

By Jennifer Lopez Suspects | Credit: DCPI On January 8th, 2014 a 30 year old transwoman whom wishes to remain anonymous for now, went to the Neptune Diner in Astoria Queens, New York City to eat an early morning meal with a friend.  Her friend, a 32 year old cisgender man, went to the restroom.  According to Deputy Inspector Kevin Maloney of the 114th Precinct in NYC that is when three other patrons in the diner… Read more.

Ex-gay groups are pounding their high chairs insisting that AB 1266 is not in effect. They claim that merely because they turned in signatures - valid or no - AB 1266, the California law codifying protections for trans children in schools, is on hold. The media and liberal politicians are doing their best to scare school officials into implementing AB 1266 right away. The media is reporting that AB 1266 is now in effect and must be implemented by every… Read more.

By Cristan Williams @cristanwilliams In its landmark 2009 decision on responsible communication in the public interest, Canada’s highest court asserts this principle: “Freedom does not negate responsibility. It is vital that the media act responsibly in reporting facts on matters of public concern, holding themselves to the highest journalistic standards.” If the Toronto Star does not live up to this responsibility in everything it publishes — in the newspaper, on its websites and through social media — we undermine our… Read more.

Speech To Houston City Council January 7, 2014 By Monica Roberts Happy New Year and good afternoon to you Mayor Parker, distinguished members of City Council, and my fellow Houstonians. I am Monica Roberts, a proud native Houstonian who grew up and resides in District D. I’m standing at this podium today because I’m one of the people that Mayor Parker talked about in her inauguration speech last week and was inspired by it to do so. As a transgender resident of… Read more.

On Saturday, the Toronto Star's "ethics" journalist, Ken Gallinger, unquestioningly published the incredible claim that an elderly Toronto women was hit on in the YMCA women's locker room by a male-bodied individual who was walking around the women's locker room fully nude, replete with erection. Fact checking is not what we do here at the Toronto Star! The article claimed that the nude and erect individual was allowed into the women's locker room because they merely… Read more.

It all began with the Media Matters "Misinformer of the Year" winner, the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) issuing a press release claiming that because they turned in 600k+ signatures (some valid, some demonstrably not), the California law codifying protections for trans children was put on hold: PJI compounded their campaign of lies by then giving the false impression that they had won a courtroom legal fight against the California Secretary of State: After calling the California Secretary of State, the… Read more.

By Cristan Williams @CristanWilliams Gina Gleason, director of the Faith and Public Policy and Watchmen "ministries" of Calvary Chapel church1, asserted that her church's group, the Privacy for All Students (PFAS) coalition is suing the California Secretary of State because PFAS turned in their petitions late. PFAS signature gatherer hiding face after being caught fraudulently misrepresenting the issue to voters, a crime under California election law. The law (AB 1266) protecting transgender children says schools must treat transgender students as equal to cisgender students.… Read more.

By Zoe Brain   NCD 140.3, Transsexual Surgery Docket No. A-13-47 NCD Ruling No. 2 December 2, 2013 BOARD RULING THAT NCD RECORD IS NOT COMPLETE AND ADEQUATE TO SUPPORT THE VALIDITY OF THE NCD The aggrieved party also argues that the NCD when issued was invalid and unsupported by the NCD record. The aggrieved party argues that the 1981 NCHCT report acknowledged the effectiveness of transsexual surgery in stating that “eight of the nine studies” that “represent the major… Read more.

The Paradise Post decided to feature one the more ridiculous talking points on offer by anti-equality forces. The "Specificity Critique" is when bigots decry trans equality laws for being policy instead of procedure. I find it ironic the same people who decry the claimed tyranny of Big Government are the same who decry the fact that they aren't micromanaged by the State in the roll-out of trans-inclusive policy. The specificity critique is the last fig leaf of a bigoted ideology. In… Read more.

By Kat Rose In a bizarre courtroom speech, a Queen defense attorney said the life of a murdered transgender prostitute wasn’t worth much — and argued that her convicted killer shouldn’t be punished as if he had killed someone “in the higher end of the community.” “A sentence of 25 years to life is an incredibly long period of time judge,” John Scarpa said Thursday as he asked a judge to go easy on his client, Rasheen Everett, for killing… Read more.

By Cristan Williams @cristanwilliams Charlotte Burrous, a reporter for the Canon City Daily Record asserted that parents of students spoke out at a school board meeting: Parents of students in the Florence-Penrose School District expressed concern during Monday's regular board meeting about a transgender Florence High School girl who has been granted permission by the school, and the district, to continue to use the girls' restroom at the school. Yeah, they're talking about Jane Doe: Before… Read more.

Recently, an equality effort in Florida was defeated by appealing to the 'trans people = rape' meme. As it turned out, appealing to this meme was deliberate and is, in fact, part of a curriculum currently being taught to anti-LGBT activists. The TransAdvocate obtained audio from one of the training sessions given by the Christian Family Association (CFC) on October 5th, shortly after their successful defeat of a Florida equality measure that included trans people. The curriculum taught at this training… Read more.

Recently Katherine Svenson, a Delta county School Board member in Colorado, found herself the topic of controversy after remarking that trans kids should be castrated before they use the restroom. What news reports failed to note was that Svenson is the co-founder of an anti-gay ministry: Cached 2010 copy of TellASIA founding members Here's some of what TellASIA spends its time doing: It so happened that the dates of the final conference coincided with the date when South… Read more.

What follows is an amazing speech given by Graciela Sanchez on realizing liberation through building a "community of the heart." Sanchez, a self-identified lesbian Latina queer spoke on the intersections of oppression and of social justice. [soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/121478145" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] The last page of the Houston and San Antonio TDOR booklet This speech was taped by the TransAdvocate at the San Antonio, Texas Trans Day of Remembrance on November 21, 2013, held in the Metropolitan Community… Read more.

As a feminist organization, Secular Woman promotes gender equality. We stand against and combat sexism, hate, intolerance, and misogyny. Transgender women are women. Cisgender women are women. We do not, in any way, view the existence of transgender women, genderqueer individuals or transgender men as a threat to the safety of women, female identity, or the goals of feminism. As intersectional feminists we acknowledge the privilege that cisgender people experience. We aim to dismantle the axis of oppression that this… Read more.

The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is the ex-gay group who recently bullied a Colorado trans kid to the brink of suicide. At the same time, PJI was working to strip protections for all trans children in California. The PJI-backed coalition worked tirelessly to paint trans children as threats, sexual deviants an unstable. Their campaign of lies, fraud and intimidation produced over 600,000 signatures in support of discrimination against trans children. Unsurprisingly, California's school district has seen a recent uptick of anti-trans crimes targeting… Read more.

Just a week after the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) backed coalition turned in over 600,000 signatures to repeal protections for trans children in California, a trans student was caught on tape fighting for her life as a group of bullies attacked her. PJI is the ex-gay organization that recently bullied a Colorado trans kid to the brink of suicide. The attack comes days after a California genderqueer student was set on fire for wearing a skirt. School officials say that… Read more.

"Exposing Injustice" The Pacific Justice Institute is the ex-gay organization that bullied a trans kid to the brink of suicide and is one of the major players in the effort to repeal protections for California's trans children. The time has come to bring the fight to their doorstep. The protest will take place at: Christian Legal Aid Society 2200 North Grand Ave. Santa Ana, CA 92711 Michael Peffer serves as Senior Counsel for Pacific Justice Institute and is officed… Read more.

... Is the headline you're probably heard if you're familiar with this story. As you might imagine, the actual story is a bit more nuanced. Yes, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia did, in fact, pass policy that went into effect on November 13, 2013 which would house some trans inmates according to their gender orientation, but this new rule isn't a without some caveats. I first got a call from the Harris County Sheriff's office to get some help in shaping… Read more.

The TransAdvocate has documented numerous unethical and/or illegal actions by Pacific Justice Institute backed movement seeking to repeal protections for trans children in California. We've caught them bullying a trans kid to the brink of suicide in an effort to manufacture talking points. We've caught them committing election fraud over and over again. We've caught them lying in the press and lying to the public and today, we've  uncovered evidence of signature gatherers attempting to intimidate a trans advocate when she asked… Read more.

By Zinnia Jones This August, California passed the School Success and Opportunity Act, a law mandating that transgender students must be included in school activities on the basis of their identified gender rather than their assigned sex. This includes playing on sports teams consistent with their gender, as well as the use of facilities such as bathrooms and locker rooms. Conservative groups predictably painted this as an outrage, raising the terrifying possibility that trans girls might use girls’ restrooms – which is supposed… Read more.

Before PJI: Jane Doe (front row, middle) with school friends. The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is the ex-gay organization who claimed that a trans kid (who I refer to as Jane Doe) in Colorado was harassing cisgender girls in the restrooms. Media outlets published PJI's story without fact checking their claims, prompting members of the right-wing community to call for the death of Jane Doe. While PJI’s claims were proven false, the public animosity PJI inspired by and focused on Jane took… Read more.

Sasha Fleischman, a genderqueer senior at Colorado's Maybeck High School, fell asleep in the rear of a bus heading for East Oakland. Sasha's skirt was set on fire by a 16 year old named Richard Thomas, resulting in 3rd-degree burns. Sasha was hospitalized and must have skin grafts. Sasha will remain hospitalized for several weeks, but should be home for Thanksgiving. "Sasha is getting good care, and has a good prognosis for recovery," Trevor… Read more.

Since election day we've gotten numerous requests for updates on what's happening with the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) backed effort to repeal the California law defining protections for transgender school children. The law (AB 1266) protecting transgender children, which California Gov. Jerry Brown signed in August, says schools must treat transgender students as equal to cisgender students.  A PJI-backed coalition of anti-LGBT groups calling itself "Privacy for All Students" has circulated 100s of thousands of anti-trans petitions throughout California. Their goal… Read more.

The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is the ex-gay organization who claimed that a trans kid (who I will refer to as Jane Doe, for reasons of safety) in Colorado was harassing cisgender girls in the restrooms. Media outlets published the story without fact checking PJI's claims, prompting some to call for the death of the trans kid. While PJI's claims were proven false, the public animosity PJI inspired and aimed at Jane Doe took its toll. Jane Doe was placed on a suicide watch. PJI acknowledged… Read more.

The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is the ex-gay organization that stirred up the right-wing word when it claimed that a trans kid (who I will refer to as Jane Doe, for reasons of safety) in Colorado was harassing cisgender girls in the restrooms. Right wing media outlets jumped at the story without fact checking PJI's claims, prompting members of the right wing community to call for the death of the trans kid. As a result of PJI's bullying Jane Doe was placed on a suicide watch. Even… Read more.

The TransAdvocate has documented the dirty tricks anti-trans groups are playing in California. We documented how the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) falsely claimed that a trans girl had been harassing cis girls in the restroom so they could use it to scare Californians into rejecting AB 1266, the law protecting trans children. We documented how the PJI lied about there being a police investigation targeting the trans girl. We interviewed and fact checked PJI, proving that they were dishonest time… Read more.

NAME OF CONTRIBUTOR PAYMENT TYPE CITY STATE ZIP EMPLOYER OCCUPATION AMOUNT TRANSACTION DATE SEAN FIELER MONETARY PRINCETON NJ 8540 EQUINOX PARTNERS PARTNER $80,000.00 9/25/2013 PACIFIC JUSTICE INSTITUTE MONETARY SACRAMENTO CA 95827 $10,000.00 9/23/2013 HAGMAN FOR SENATE 2016 NON-MONETARY CHINO HILLS CA 91709 $7,013.73 9/26/2013 HERMAN ROWLAND, SR MONETARY FAIRFIELD CA 94533 JELLY BELLY CANDY COMPANY CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD $5,000.00 9/26/2013 CHRISTINE HALLADAY MONETARY NEWHALL CA 91321 SELF HOMEMAKER $1,000.00 9/24/2013 ROBERT MACK MONETARY HILLSBOROUGH CA 94010 UNEMPLOYED $1,000.00 9/27/2013… Read more.

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/117840029" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] In this podcast, I review the way in which the mainstream media has responded to the TWO right-wing hoaxes which spread the trans bathroom meme in mainstream media. Also, there's a short interview I did for Swirl Radio - a Clear Channel radio show - and an excerpt from the radio interview that followed my on: an interview with Cathy Brennan, the TERF opinion leader.   Tip this TransAdvocate! Writers… Read more.

The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is the ex-gay organization that stirred up the right-wing word by claiming that a trans kid (who I will refer to as Jane Doe, for reasons of safety) in Colorado was harassing cisgender girls in the restrooms. Right wing media outlets jumped at the story without conducting any fact checking, prompting members of the right wing community to call for the death of the trans kid. Last week, PJI made the following statement on the notorious right-wing site, World Daily News: Transgender… Read more.

In the seemingly never-ending morass of falsehoods coming from the likes of the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), a new claim of trans harassment is being pushed in the media by members of the PJI-backed coalition of organizations who are trying to dismantle protections for California transgender school children. In this iteration of the trans bathroom meme,  it's claimed that LA school girls are being harassed by a trans kid who crawls up and over the bathroom stalls in order to watch… Read more.

The following is the argument against YOUR transitioned status being recognized, currently sitting in the Texas 13th District Court of Appeals, and soon to be making its way to the US Supreme Court. This Texas case may very well define how US courts views the transitioned status of trans people. For the uninitiated, here’s how we got here and why this case will likely affect YOU. Keep a close eye on this case. The TransAdvocate obtained an audio recording of the September… Read more.

The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is the ex-gay organization that stirred up the right-wing word by claiming that a trans kid (who I will refer to as Jane Doe, for reasons of safety) in Colorado was harassing cisgender girls in the restrooms. Right wing media outlets jumped at the story without conducting any fact checking, prompting members of the right wing community to call for the death of the trans kid. Yesterday, the TransAdvocate learned that Jane Doe is under suicide watch. Also, the PJI just issued… Read more.

The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is the ex-gay organization that stirred up the right-wing word by claiming that a trans kid (who I will refer to as Jane Doe, for reasons of safety) in Colorado was harassing cisgender girls in the restrooms. Right-wing media outlets jumped at the story without conducting any fact checking, prompting members of the right-wing community to call for the death of the trans kid. While I interviewed Matthew McReynolds, staff attorney for PJI earlier this week,  McReynolds was first interviewed by the… Read more.

I wanted to go ahead and get this interview out there ASAP. I'll make a more in-depth post soon - including how PJI responds to Jane Doe's mother and what they think about ex-gay and ex-transgender conversion therapy (clue: they think it's worth fighting for). Here's the interview:   [soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/116441769" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]   UPDATE: An amazing Reddit user has transcribed this entire interview!   Tip this TransAdvocate! Writers for the TransAdvocate work hard to… Read more.

I’d like to introduce you to a 16 year old high school student who I’m going to refer to as “Jane Doe.” I’m calling her "Jane" because, after an ex-gay organization orchestrated an international smear campaign against her, numerous individuals have stated that she should be beaten and killed. Jane recently moved to a small Colorado town with her two moms. Jane transitioned from male to female two years ago with the blessing of her therapist. In October 2011, Jane… Read more.

Groups who want a legal right to discriminate against transgender children seem to be pulling out all the stops. An ex-gay group, the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), recently went on an ugly smear campaign targeting a Colorado trans kid in what seems to be a ham-handed effort to manufacture talking points for their California battle against trans children. While the campaign was proven to be a hoax, it nonetheless resulted in the conservative community calling for the beating death of the innocent… Read more.

GLAAD condemned the false report by the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) which claimed a transgender kid was harassing cisgender girls in Colorado. PJI is the ex-gay/creationist organization at the center of an international effort to malign one transgender kid. Last week, the PJI provided the right-wing word with the ultimate talking point against protecting trans children when they claimed that a trans kid in Colorado, assisted by the public school system, harassed cisgender girls in the restrooms. Right wing media outlets jumped at the story… Read more.

Former South Carolina GOP Executive Director, Todd Kincannon has publicly declared that some Americans should be interned in "camps." Kincannon went on to refer to a trans person as a "goddamn he-she" and stated that trans people were "disgusting mentally ill weirdos." While certainly worded with cruel intent, how does Kincannon's message of exclusion differ in substance from the stated position of the South Carolina GOP? The South Carolina Republican party is very clear about their views of LGBT people and their stated… Read more.

The push for radical transgender rights in schools is trumping privacy rights at one Colorado high school. A male student at Florence High School who claims to be a transgender has been harassing girls in the bathroom. When parents complained, school officials said the boy's rights as a transgender trumped their daughters' privacy rights. - charismanews.com Right wing news outlets are falling over themselves to bemoan the sad state of our public school system now that the law allows transgender… Read more.

While there are many who feel that morality must be built into law, I believe that the elimination of transsexualism is not best achieved by legislation prohibiting transsexual treatment and surgery but rather by legislation that limits it and by other legislation that lessens the support given to sex-role stereotyping, which generated the problem to begin with. Any legislation should be aimed at the social conditions that initiate and promote the surgery as well as the growth of the medical-institutional… Read more.

Me & Judge Frye Today Phyllis Frye (America's first out trans judge) and I met up with Nikki Araguz at the 13th District Court of Appeals for the hearing on how Texas will view the transitioned status of trans folk. For the uninitiated, here's how we got here and why this case will likely affect YOU. Court began at 2:00 in the afternoon. The court was made up of a 3 judges and since this is… Read more.

Sometimes it doesn't get better, sometimes life shit on you until you break and there’s nothing you can do. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you it gets better because it might not get better, but i do want to tell you one thing. Even if it never gets better you are worthy. You are worthy of love and respect and compassion and a fair chance and human dignity, your value as a human being is not… Read more.

This very important case has been dragging on for a couple of years now and here's the recap: 1.) It all started April, 19 2010 with this: Back in 2010, an intersex person wanted to marry a woman and the El Paso clerk  didn't know if it was legal to issue a marriage license because this person had initially been sexed male, but had genital reconstructive surgery and had proof of her intersex status. So, the El Paso clerk wrote… Read more.

From the Houston trans community comes this comedy gem: [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/27466208" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] A poe is someone who parodies fundamentalism in such a way that it is ridiculous yet simultaneously difficult to tell if the media is real or a parody. The "radio show" mixes absurd reality with absurd comedy to make a deadly serious point. Enjoy!   Tip this TransAdvocate! Writers for the TransAdvocate work hard to bring you news and… Read more.

San Antonio adults standing up for their right to discriminate. For the past month, the adults of San Antonio have been wringing their collective hands in very public displays of "concern" over a city ordinance that would extend equality to *gasp* trans citizens. While the notion of trans/cis equality has set the adult's tongues awaggin, their children already extend this equality to trans children. San Antonio ISD has, for some time now, had a trans-inclusive policy… Read more.

Supposedly, as the RadRight narrative goes, the California bill protecting trans kids in school is anarchy and madness. Unsurprisingly, TERFs and H-BSers jumped on that narrative: You know what? BS. Here in TEXAS - yes, conservative TEXAS - we've had these California-style policies in effect for YEARS. And you know what's happened? Nothing... Except trans kids got to go to school without having to face institutionalized bigotry. Yup, from kindergarten to high school, here in Texas towns like Houston, trans kids… Read more.

A lot has been said over New Jersey's new bill, signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie (R), which bans gay conversion therapy. What you may not know is that this law is inclusive of trans kids, too: 2. a. A person who is licensed to provide professional counseling under Title 45 of the Revised Statutes, including, but not limited to, a psychiatrist, licensed practicing psychologist, certified social worker, licensed clinical social worker, licensed social worker, licensed marriage and family… Read more.

Jennifer Usher posted up on her blog a post entitled Slacktivists? ROTFLLMAO!!!!! as a response to my recent Transadvocate post Transsexual Separatist Slacktivism Doesn’t Win Legislatively. I haven't made it a habit of responding to her, but I am doing so this time -- and personally to her at that. Jennifer, I know I'm violating the "don't feed the trolls" axiom about responding to folk who, with intent, try to provoke angry or personal responses, but in this case… Read more.

Trans pioneer Dallas Denny published an article on TA about expressing her misgivings about the upcoming publication of a book promoting  Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF) hate. She just received a chilling response from a group of  TERF academics declaring war on trans people. The anonymous author declares war on me and for that matter on all transpeople. He or she and his or her six compatriots claims that they will raise an army of graduate students who will oppress me… Read more.

When I learned Routledge Press was planning to publish a book about "transgenderism" by Australian academician Sheila Jeffreys, I was astonished. Why was I astonished? Because Jeffreys considers transsexual surgery a human rights violation, has called medical intervention with transgendered children eugenics and McCarthyism, and refuses to use appropriate pronouns when referring to us, cynically claiming she is seeking “clarity.”  I identity FTMs and MTFs by the pronouns that demonstrate their sex class of origin for the sake of clarity. –FTM Transsexualism… Read more.

She's been hard at work at it for several months, but yesterday Jenifer Rene Pool made it official and announced her candidacy for the Houston City Council At Large Position 3 seat on the steps of Houston City Hall. And yeah, some blogger y'all know was there for the announcement a little after 3:30 PM CDT.  I wanted to be there to witness Houston and trans history. If Jenifer is successful in this second run for a city council seat,… Read more.

The HUD App Reciently, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) unveiled the first housing discrimination mobile application (app).  The app provides a quick and easy way to learn about your housing rights and to file housing discrimination complaints, and inform the housing industry about its responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act. “Having this first fair housing mobile application equips people everywhere with the information they need to combat housing discrimination,” said John Trasviña, HUD Assistant Secretary… Read more.

The POTUS noted Stonewall in his 2013 inaugural address: We the people declare today that the most evident of truth that all of us are created equal -- is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls and Selma and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King… Read more.

Transgender Texans are 'allowed' to marry the opposite sex but sadly we know all too well that these marriages do not stand legal challenges. And what is we want to marry a person who is of the same sex? Marriage equality is for everyone transgender, gay, cisgender or straight. Rep. Lon Burnam announced HB 1300 (text) (current status) as his Valentine present to us. His legislation to extend the freedom to marry to all Texans, gay and straight or transgender.   Published… Read more.

ENDA via Executive Order On social policy, Obama is reconsidering whether to issue an executive order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. When he decided not to issue such an order last year, the White House said it would prefer to pass a law applying to gays and lesbians in the workplace. But if Congress seems unlikely to act on the broader legislation — called the Employment Non-Discrimination Act — officials have… Read more.

Thought I would pass along to you TransGriot readers the wonderful news that Fernanda Milan has been granted asylum in Denmark on November 26. She did not publicize the news according to ILGA Europe at the time because she is angry that she was forced to go through lengthy and grueling proceedings. Asylum was even denied to her in the beginning with the reversal happening only days before she was scheduled to be deported from Denmark. She got a right to be… Read more.

On one of the trans Facebook groups I monitor a post was put up about the gruesome murder of transman  Evon 'Yung LT' Young.  One person remarked in the comment thread under the post that's why she never leaves her home, and of course my response to that comment triggered this post. That's what the haters want...They want you to cower in fear locked up behind your doors. Your most revolutionary act as a trans person is to be fearlessly out… Read more.

It's past time it happened, but it took the November 6 election for this welcome news to become a reality. The Puerto Rican legislature is proposing a trans inclusive anti discrimination bill.    It would make it a crime to discriminate against someone based on their gender identity or sexual orientation. Until the Popular Democratic Party gained control of the Puerto Rican House of Representatives and the Puerto Rican Senate, this bill would be proposed, pass the House of Representatives, but die… Read more.

Much attention has been focused on the 'War on Women', the anti-woman political policies the conservative movement and Republican politicians have been pushing for years and implementing once they gain political control of state legislatures. And yes, being that we are now estrogen based lifeforms, they affect trans women as well.. Girls like us have been fighting a two front war. Since the 1970's we've had to deal with the War on Transwomen whose reprehensible foot soldiers are radical feminists in addition to… Read more.

As you may know, most of the TS Separatist leaders have moved on with their lives and the ones who are left seem to be the Ashley Love/Just Jennifers of the world who regularly make absurd and demonstrably false claims.  I will continue to both confront and make evidence-based corrections when folks like Love attempt to pass off fiction as fact. Having said that, now that the historical record seems to have been set right on coinage myths, I can't say that I have any… Read more.

Please note at writing, the planned dedication service for the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial has been postponed. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.… Read more.

Today I found that I was the subject of another Dana Lane Taylor commentary. Dana is an opinion leader in the TS Separatist group and in this post she claims that I am trying to force her and those like her to give up identifying a transsexual women: Then there are the power struggles which seem to have ramped up a lot lately. Cristan Williams, Supreme Queen of Transgender Historical Records and better than anyone else on the interwebz, is… Read more.

As I've talked about over the last five years on TransGriot, the way a gender transition is experienced for African descended transpeople is vastly different from the way our white counterparts do. The National Black Justice Coalition recently sent me a copy of the report they compiled based on the recently released National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS). Of the 6,456 people who completed the survey that the data was based on, 381 of them were Black or Black multiracial. This… Read more.

You know what I'm upset about right now? The fact I even have to write this post in the first place.. As some of you know earlier Sunday morning I was in a chat with a longtime freind of mine that discussed the odious UN paper that seeks to bar trans rights coverage to transwomen. That friend had a negative interaction a few years ago with one of the authors of that paper that she never apologized for that spurred… Read more.

I was recently made aware of a disgusting revival of some of the same Raymondiod fallacies that has been used against trans people since the 1970s. This time the TS Separatist, Dana Lane Taylor has, in a stunning display sycophantic credulity, hopped onto the Raymondism bandwagon saying: The sooner the transgender community acknowledges this issue, the better… As stated repeatedly in this communication, we abhor irrational discrimination against transgender and transsexual people.  However, we equally abhor the lack of concern… Read more.

I was absolutely horrified, but sadly not surprised, to read about the treatment of Lashai Mclean at her own funeral. The article “Mass Walk-Out at Trans Woman’s Funeral” discusses how the minister presiding over the funeral engaged in victim-blaming and typical religious fundamentalism about “the wages of sin” to effectively dishonor and disrespect the memory of a trans woman who had been viciously murdered in a probable hate crime. At her OWN FUNERAL. What the case shows to me, is… Read more.

Read more.

Read more.

Read more.

Read more.

Read more.

Read more.

“Love cannot be defeated.” as said to rock vocalist, Bono by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA) The political group I belong to – the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC) – noted the passing of longtime Rep. Tom Lantos in a press release on Monday from complications due to esophageal cancer. Chances are, most of the transgender community was unfamiliar with congressman Lantos – but they should’ve been. Our press release characterized him as a “hero for the oppressed and voiceless of the world” and a hero specifically for the transgender community. Those superlatives were not merely rhetoric. The San Francisco-area congressman was honored in a memorial service on Capitol Hill yesterday, with an emotional farewell that encompassed both conservatives and liberals, from the U.S. Sec. Of State, Condolleeza Rice, to Sec. Gen. Of the United Nations, Ban-Ki Moon to ambassador of goodwill, rock group vocalist, Bono (Paul Hewson) of U2. Holocaust Survivor, Death Camp Escapee, a Penniless Émigré from Hungary to the United States, Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives, champion for human rights causes around the world. "Tom Lantos was a true American hero. He was the embodiment of what it meant to have one's freedom denied and then to find it and to insist that America stand for spreading freedom and prosperity to others," — Sec. Of State Condolleeza Rice. Indeed I was blessed to have had the opportunity to lobby Lantos’ office on a couple of occasions. Unlike some supposedly trans-supportive offices, they were more than merely perfunctory. The staff always exhibited concern that felt genuine, even being candid with us (something that doesn’t happen as frequently as one might presume). This year’s visit was a perfect example as Lantos was not signed on as co-sponsor for the inclusive version of ENDA (HR 2015), to which I questioned his Judiciary Committee Asst, Michael Beard. Merely an oversight, was his response – and sure enough, Lantos was shortly thereafter a co-sponsor. They “walked the walk.” Read more.

“So I get on my knees and pray … we won’t get fooled again!” — the Who Fresh on the heels of Southern Comfort Conference (SCC), many of the transgender community reveled in what seemed a penultimate victory: HRC – yes, the Human Rights Campaign – was actually appearing to take the transgender community as equals. (Obviously the ultimate victory would be equal rights for us all, jobs and all.) All of the years of HRC’s historic missteps seemed to magically disappear. We’re now a welcome, if amnesiac community for the Equal Sign people. During the speeches there was much congratulation and self-congratulation, and plenty of high spirits about the impending bills in Congress awaiting votes: Hate Crimes (already passed inclusively in the House) currently awaiting Senate approval, and the all-important Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA) approaching the House vote. All seemed right with the world in Trans America’s focus point that weekend at SCC in Atlanta. All seemed eerily right to some of us long-timers with memories intact as well. Eerily too right. After the speech, everyone clapped, ate, enjoyed the rest of SCC and went home. Most of us waited with baited anticipation. Myself, I couldn’t get over how this reminded me of 2002. At the SCC in 2002, HRC came down and made the big presentation again, and ushered in the coming out of a brand new national activist on the scene, Mara Keisling formerly of then-disbanded WGTE – the group name under which a study in concert with HRC was conducted. She was planning to open shop with an org of her own. No more WGTE, now NATE or NOTE was the names she was hashing over at the time (later settling on NCTE). HRC was not going to deal with the existing trans orgs -- NTAC nor IFGE, while GenderPAC left the trans fold to focus on "gender." So Mara’s sudden emergence fit them to a T, literally, and was welcomed in the HRC fold. However, it wasn’t just HRC’s king or queen-making within the trans community that was the draw of this presentation. This was more about the study findings, ballyhooed as changing the minds of HRC about trans inclusion in legislation. Word went out, there at that conference, that HRC was behind transgender inclusion and would begin such a push immediately. The question from the skeptical among us was posed as to what would happen if this ran up the HRC flagpole, and they instead decided “Nah!” and let Mara twist in the wind. Mara responded that they wouldn’t dare try, “and if they did, rip them a new asshole for publicly trashing her political credibility.” I’ll never forget the look on David Smith’s face at her answer … curious. Read more.

According to KTVB.com, Idaho Inmate Jennifer Spencer has won a small battle in the fight to get hormone replacement therapy in prison. While this is definitely a win for humane treatment of prisoners  and for transsexuals that are incarcerated in Idaho, I have to wonder  what the blacklash will be. These are the kind of cases that rile up the nastier side of the right wing. Examples from the comments of One News Now: Although I do not live in… Read more.

Meredith Brooks once sang: " I’m a bitch, I’m a lover I’m a child, I’m a mother I’m a sinner, I’m a saint I do not feel ashamed I’m your hell, I’m your dream I’m nothing in between You know, you wouldn’t want it any other way" But I guess there are some gay men who aren't channeling Meredith. From the Washington Blade's "Bitch Session" "It’s transgender people that need the gay and lesbian movement to succeed not the other way around. They are a minority within a minority who couldn’t get very far without us yet they always arrogantly fail to recognize that! Learn some humility instead of being so damn uppity. To the transgender activist who had the gall to say that gays and lesbians can’t move forward without them: The fact is transgender activists have opposed gay rights legislation in the past simply because they weren’t included! Despite their being as bad as Christian conservatives or selfish brats, we often managed to succeed without them! They should thank us for forgiving them for this and allowing them to retard our progress by including them now!" Read more.

Chris Crain has repeatedly suggested 1, 2, 3, 4 that transgender people don't need to be included in the Employee Non-Discrimination Act because "existing federal civil rights laws have already been interpreted by some judges to protect trans workers." A recent EEOC informal discussion letter would suggest otherwise. Historically, courts and the EEOC have held that Title VII does not prohibit discrimination against an individual because of transgendered status. See, e.g., Ulane v. Eastern Air Lines, Inc., 742 F.2d 1081… Read more.

It was striking seeing a blurb by a spokesperson in the Iowa Republican Party responding to the prospect of former-President Bill Clinton lobbying for his wife Hillary’s presidential campaign: “After Bill Clinton tarnished the name of the president of the United States, the Republican Party restored hope, respect and morality within the Oval Office by bringing positive ideas and conservative values back to the White House.” Reading this caused me to respond with one of those GEICO© caveman moments: “Yeah,… Read more.

If nothing else, last week was historic in that the three major transgender advocacy organizations (National Transgender Advocacy Coalition, National Center for Transgender Equality, and the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition) brought in citizen lobbyists to Washington D.C. from across the United States for a week of direct congressional advocacy. Rolling in to DC on Tuesday, I had the chance to see the lobbyists for the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC) in action. Tuesday night NTAC sponsored a plenary session or… Read more.

It's coming up on two years ago that I wrote an "Open Letter to Cheryl Jacques." A month after I posted my open letter, Jacques greeted transgender protesters outside of Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) offices with the news that HRC would not support any version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that didn't include transgender protections. She later wrote: "passing ENDA without gender identity and expression is like passing a copyright law that covers books and television shows but doesn't cover… Read more.

"Harrah’s Casino says it fired Jespersen, a bartender, in August 2000 because she did not conform to the company’s new 'Personal Best' program, which required female employees to wear make-up, style their hair, and dress in high heels and skirts. During Jesperson’s 21 years at the casino, her supervisors consistently rated her work 'highly effective.' - 'The country has moved a long way from 1950’s stereotypes that all female employees must wear make-up, high heels, and dresses,' said GenderPAC Executive… Read more.

I found this picture on TransgenderAsia: It's of Tonette Lopez, a Filipino/Asian transactivist. It's is full of so much strength and resolve it makes me want to stand up and scream HELL YES. Read more about her here. Rest in peace Tonette. Even a year after your death you still inspire people. Read more.

Reading All We, Like Sheep? over at Box Turtle Bulletin.com, part of the post really resonated with me. "If it's not a choice (being gay or lesbian), it should be." But what choice? There's a difference between a desire and the action that follows it. My therapist explained it to me using a food analogy. "I like chocolate. I can't make myself not like the taste of chocolate, but I can decide not to eat chocolate. Desire isn't something that… Read more.

As the Martin Luther King Jr Holiday passed, I reflected on somne of the words of his wife, Coretta Scott King. "I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice, but I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King… Read more.