Red Scab Returns (or, Adam Ant is Back)

Oh, because I have to: I just read the first really good interview with Adam Ant in forever and a day, AND he’s shown up on boingboing as well.

I guess you know you’re famous when a costume company sells a pre-fab costume of you, eh?

Adam Ant is playing live again, which pretty much kills me because I’m not in London. He’s also turned up for gigs with Gary Numan, and the Glitter Band.

But he’s also playing with a new band, and has finally figured out that people want to hear him do the old punk stuff, like “It Doesn’t Matter” and “Red Scab.”

I so wish I could be there, but at least he’s back.

The Other Catholic Church

A nice piece on “the other Catholic Church” which is still out there, still doing cool anti-poverty work, and still taking a lot of risks:

This is the church of the Maryknoll Sisters in Central America and the Cabrini Sisters in Africa. There’s a stereotype of nuns as stodgy Victorian traditionalists. I learned otherwise while hanging on for my life in a passenger seat as an American nun with a lead foot drove her jeep over ruts and through a creek in Swaziland to visit AIDS orphans. After a number of encounters like that, I’ve come to believe that the very coolest people in the world today may be nuns.

So when you read about the scandals, remember that the Vatican is not the same as the Catholic Church. Ordinary lepers, prostitutes and slum-dwellers may never see a cardinal, but they daily encounter a truly noble Catholic Church in the form of priests, nuns and lay workers toiling to make a difference.

It’s high time for the Vatican to take inspiration from that sublime — even divine — side of the Catholic Church, from those church workers whose magnificence lies not in their vestments, but in their selflessness. They’re enough to make the Virgin Mary smile.

I know I’ve said more than once that when Catholics are cool, they’re cooler than many.

(h/t to Doug for the link)

Two Tune Tuesday: Got a Groove?

I’m not much into “music to do drugs by” but these two tracks have appealed to me lately: the Hot Chip has some New Order resonance, and Animal Collective – at least this track – strikes me as an odd combo of Paul Winter and Adrien Belew.

Co-Signers of the Letter to the APA about GID

Here is the final list of the co-signing organizations & individuals of the Callen-Lorde/Gay Center letter to the APA about the DSM V revision of GID:

Co-signing Institutions:

  1. CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers, New York, NY
  2. Agnodice Foundation, Lausanne, Switzerland
  3. Brainpower Research and Development Services Inc
  4. Brooklyn Community Pride Center, Brooklyn, NY
  5. Capital District Gay and Lesbian Community Council, Albany, NY
  6. Center on Halsted, Chicago, IL
  7. The DC Center for the LGBT Community
  8. Equality Ohio, Columbus, OH
  9. The Gay Alliance in Rochester NY
  10. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Colorado, Denver, CO
  11. L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, Los Angeles, CA
  12. Legacy Community Health Services, Houston, TX
  13. LGBT Community Center Coalition of Central Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
  14. The LOFT LGBT Community Services Center, White Plains, NY
  15. Malecare, New York, NY
  16. Mazzoni Center, Philadelphia, PA
  17. Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, Milwaukee, WI
  18. National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), New York, NY
  19. National LGBT Cancer Network, New York, NY
  20. New Mexico GLBTQ Centers, Las Cruces, NM
  21. New York City Anti-Violence Project, New York, NY
  22. New York Trans Rights Organization (NYTRO), White Plains, New York
  23. Out With Cancer – The LGBT Cancer Project, New York, NY
  24. Pride in Practice, Silver School of Social Work, New York University, New York, NY
  25. Rainbow Heights Club, Brooklyn, NY
  26. Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center, Sacramento, CA
  27. San Francisco LGBT Community Center, San Francisco, CA
  28. Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE), New York, NY
  29. Spectrum LGBT Center, San Rafael, CA
  30. Third Root Community Health Center, Brooklyn, NY
  31. YouthPride, Inc., Atlanta, GA

The following individuals have requested their names be added to this letter in show of support:

  1. Alison Aldrich, LCSW, Clinical Assistant Professor, NYU Silver School of Social Work, New York, NY
  2. Alison Alpert, New York, NY
  3. Angie Canelli, MA MHP LMHC NCC, Gender and Sexual Minority, Specialist, Seattle Counseling Service, Seattle, WA
  4. Brenda Solomon, Ph.D., M.S.W., Graduate Program Coordinator and Associate Professor, Social Work at The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
  5. Craig Sloane, LCSW, New York, NY
  6. David J. Brennan, MSW, PhD, Assistant Professor, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
  7. David Steinberg, San Francisco, CA
  8. Deanna Croce, LMSW, New York, NY
  9. Dennis Holly
  10. Devon Claridge, Brooklyn, NY
  11. Dr. Karra Bikson, Assistant Professor, NYU Silver School of Social Work, New York, NY
  12. E Maxwell Davis, Ph.D., LISW, Assistant Professor, Human Development & Women’s Studies, California State University, East Bay, CA
  13. Elizabeth Mullaugh, Board Secretary, LGBT Community Center of Central Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
  14. Fareen Ramji, LMSW, Brooklyn, NY
  15. Foresta Castañeda, MSW, Middlebury, VT
  16. Franklin Brooks, Ph.D., LCSW, Chairperson, Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues, National Association of Social Workers, Maine Chapter, Portland, ME
  17. Helen Boyd, author and lecturer in Gender Studies, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI
  18. Holly Rider-Milkovich, Director, Student Wellness Center. New York City College of Technology, New York, NY
  19. Jane Mildred, MSW, MA, PhD, Amherst, MA
  20. Jean Sienkewicz, MSW–Offender Re-Entry Housing Specialist, Burlington Housing Authority, Burlington VT
  21. Jase Schwartz, BA Psychology, MSW Candidate, Hunter College School of Social Work, New York, NY
  22. Jeff Brody, LMHC, ATR-BC, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Board-Certified Art Therapist, Licensed School Adjustment Counselor, Braintree, MA
  23. Jeremy D. Schwartz, MSW Candidate, Student Senator, NYU Silver School of Social Work, New York, NY
  24. Jessie Jacobson, Los Angeles, CA
  25. Joyce E. Garee, LMSW, Albany, NY
  26. Justus Eisfeld, co-director, GATE – Global Advocates for Trans Equality, New York, NY
  27. Karalyn Shimmyo, LMSW, Brooklyn, NY
  28. Kayleen White, Thornbury, Victoria, Australia, former co-convenor of Victoria’s TransGender Victoria
  29. Laura Booker, LCSW, New York, NY
  30. Lex Moran, New York, NY
  31. Mauro Cabral, co-director, GATE – Global Advocates for Trans Equality, Córdoba, Argentina
  32. Melissa Sklarz, New York, NY
  33. Michael Miller, MSW Candidate, 2011, Silver School Of Social Work, New York University, New York, NY
  34. Michelle Kay, MS, FNP, New York, NY
  35. Misty L. Wall, PhD, MSSW, LCSW, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, Boise State University, Boise, ID
  36. Nerissa Belcher RN, Decatur, GA
  37. Nickerson Hill, LMSW, Masters of Public Health Candidate, Center for the History and Ethics of Public Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY
  38. Nicole Paige, New York, NY
  39. P. Swan, MSW, Seattle, WA
  40. Paisley Currah, Professor, Brooklyn College-CUNY, Brooklyn, NY
  41. Pamela Bianco, Staten Island, NY
  42. Pega Ren, Ed.D., Registered Clinical Counsellor, Board Certified Sexologist, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  43. Rebecca Capri-Durkee Transgender Health Advocate, Boston, MA
  44. Robin Mangini, New York, NY
  45. Romy Reading, MA, New School for Social Research, New York, NY
  46. Rosalyne Blumenstein LCSW ACHP-SW, Therapy2Go, Los Angeles, CA
  47. Samuel Lurie, Director, Transgender Training and Advocacy
  48. Sand Chang, PhD, San Francisco, CA
  49. Sari Surkis, MBA, MSW Candidate, New York, NY
  50. Sean M. Endress, MA, LCSW, Albany, NY
  51. Sebastian Colon-Otero, LMSW, Brooklyn, NY
  52. Shelley Schwartz, Chappaqua NY
  53. Sherry Tripepi, MSW, EqualityToledo, Toledo, OH
  54. Stacey Peyer, MSW, LCSW, CalSWEC Field Consultant, CSULB Department of Social Work, Long Beach, CA
  55. Steve Prentice, LMSW New York, NY
  56. Steven Lipsky, LCSW, CASAC, New York, NY
  57. Sue Langer, LCSW, New York, NY
  58. Susan E. Roche, Ph.D., M.S.S.W., University of Vermont Department of Social Work, Burlington, VT
  59. Tim Pierce, President, Community Alliance and Action Network, Joliet, IL
  60. Toby C. Siegel, Astoria NY
  61. Trey Polesky, MSW, Bloomington, IL
  62. Tyler Blake Kim, New York, NY
  63. Yosenio V. Lewis, Transgender Health Advocate, San Francisco, CA

Trans Answers and Surveys in the NYT

Dr. Laura Erickson-Schroth recently answered a bunch of questions about transgender issues in The New York Times. It’s in three sections: one, two, and three. She’s working on a book called Trans Bodies, Trans Selves, and people like Jennifer Boylan and Jamison Green and Pat Califia (on sexuality!) have already signed on to write for it.

She is also currently conducting surveys, and yes, there’s one for partners:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=exaD1ewtMleNRnDAkKTkqPKWKAYSBdKPW8BsiUBKy3I%3d&

I am pleased as punch to see that they’re going with a qualitative survey for partners’ issues. If you’re a partner, and especially if you’re the kind of partner who isn’t “typical” or in the majority most of the time (boyfriends/husbands of trans women, male partners of FTMs, women who intentionally sought out trans partners) make sure you fill it out.

There are other surveys for the book for trans people, of course, too, and one for parents, as well.