Hey, Smith alumnae – call out your alma mater, would you? They’ve returned a young trans woman’s application because she is not yet legally recognized as female by the state of CT (where it is possible to get your gender marker changed without genital surgery). The issue may be her birth certificate, as those often require proof of genital surgery before gender markers will be changed.
And Back in the States…
… Arizona legislators want to make it illegal for people to use the “wrong” bathroom, and to make the offense punishable with fines and jail time. They’ve raised the usual bugaboo of pedophilia – which, if anyone has noticed, we don’t seem to care one whit about when it’s done by straight men – and which Mara Keisling clarifies:
“These (anti-discrimination) laws are in effect in more than 160 cities and 16 states,” said Keisling, and that the problem of sexual predation on minors that the discriminatory policy alleges to address, “isn’t happening anywhere. It just doesn’t occur. It’s one of the terrible things that opponents of equality always raise in hopes of scaring people.”
Oh, and by the way? “Birth gender” is an oxymoron. Pass it on.
Go Canada!
Canada has just passed a bill that would protect transgender people nationally. The Prime Minister voted against it, and it still has to make it through the Senate, but still: impressive.
I’m adding a bit sent in by a reader about how the Canadian system works, and some info on what’s actually going on up there in terms of this specific bill. Interesting stuff.
Kate Bornstein Needs You
Kate Bornstein is fighting cancer. Help her kick its ass by donating something to help her pay her bills and for her treatment.
I can say for one thing: I don’t know that I’d be around without her. Please let’s keep her alive. She blew the roof off this trans thing for so many of us; she continues to do amazing work year in and year out, and her heart is about as big as they come. I know that every time I see her, or talk with her, I have a renewed sense of my own dedication to this movement.
So give until it hurts. Masochist that she is, she’ll love that.
RIP Erica Andrews
What a sad thing to hear: Erica Andrews, who was still in her early 40s, died of a lung infection a week ago now. She was not, as the articles make her out to be, a “drag queen” or “female illusionist” – or at least not those things only – she lived as a woman 24/7 and talked specifically about being a transsexual woman. They did get the “one of the best” part right, at least.
There’s a nice video tribute here, and here’s a clip of her on Tyra. She did one hell of a Joan Crawford, too.
Trans Inclusive Medicaid for NYS
Sylvia Rivera Law Project is trying to make sure that trans inclusive care is part of NYS Medicaid, and are asking people to send a letter to the Health Department explaining your story and why this need is so great.
You can get the form from SRLP, or all the info is below.
6 Year Old Transgender Menace?
I love this graphic. Love it. (For those of you who don’t know, Transexual Menace is/was one of the first direct action trans rights groups, & it was formed in response to the transphobic screed written by Janice Raymond called The Transsexual Empire. Moving on…)
As I like to point out in my workshops, I am firmly convinced that we have a national, if not international, obsession with penises. OR, some people are just walking around with penis on the brain all the time.
(& You know, not in the good way.)
If you haven’t heard the story, TLDEF has filed a complaint on behalf of a six year old whose parents and teachers and fellow students recognize as female. She’s been using the girls’ bathroom for a long while, and first told her parents she was female at about 18 months old. But for some reason, she was recently banned from using the girls’ bathroom and told to use the boys’ bathroom.
Which is, yes, ridiculous. So let’s all get over this problem with genitals, can we? Genitals do not determine gender. Rinse and Repeat.
“Trolling for Good” & Trans Inclusive Healthcare
Dana Contreras was named in this cool article by The Advocate about “the 10 most innovative companies and the LGBTs who got them to the top” – basically, she’s a smart one. So smart that she gets a lot of recruiting emails from potential employers, so she’s decided to take this otherwise awkward outreach from them to ask an important question, namely, if they offer trans inclusive health insurance.
Why? Because “this is some heinous bullshit and you need to know about it.”
Most places don’t. Even liberal institutions that should know better don’t realize, or don’t care, that their health insurance suppliers actively exclude coverage of even the basics of healthcare. I’m not talking about genital surgeries, but just hormones prescriptions and labs, and therapy. That is, a trans person can go to a therapist for depression, if that’s covered, but they can’t go to a therapist to talk about being trans, a pending transition, or even to process the enormous changes that come with transition.
Contreras calls it bullshit and I’ll second her. That is, a woman of a certain age who might be on HRT because it’s recommended by her doctor will have these blood tests covered, but a trans woman – who is usually on much higher doses of estrogen – won’t. And that, friends, is discrimination: when the exact same perks are offered to one kind of person and not to another kind of person for no apparent reason, no difference in cost, no anything but ignorance and prejudice.
Victory Fund Endorses Mel Wymore
Well isn’t this cool? The Victory Fund just endorsed Mel Wymore, a trans candidate running for NYC City Council on the Upper West Side.
(god love the Upper West Side, ha. My favorite story about it is when George Bush Jr. was touring the devastation of 9/11, and he and Giuliani were sharing a ride up Riverside Drive, and Giuliani turned to Bush while waving his hand at the numerous beautiful apartment buildings up there and said, “No one up here voted for you.” For those not from NYC – it’s where a lot of Columbia and CCNY professors live, along with many other overeducated liberals. It’s the kind of place you can get into a conversation about Pynchon while buying bagels and three other people in line join in just to clarify some obscure point about Lot 49.)
Anyway: cool a man who happens to be trans is running, and cool that Victory Fund endorsed him.
If you can donate – or vote for him – please do.
Cool Masculinity: Phi Alpha Tau
These guys just made me smile: one of their frat brothers needs chest surgery, so they’re raising the funds – and the awareness – so he can get it. Awesome.