LA Times sports writer Mike Penner dead at 52
By JOHN ROGERS (AP)
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Times sports writer Mike Penner, who announced two years ago he was a transsexual and was changing his name to Christine Daniels, has died at age 52, the newspaper reported Saturday.
Penner was pronounced dead Friday at a hospital, said Los Angeles County coroner's Lt. Brian Elias. He said coroner's officials hadn't yet performed an autopsy or issued an official cause of death.
The Times said in a story Saturday Penner was believed to have committed suicide. Penner had returned to using the name Mike Penner last year and was a Times columnist at the time of his death.
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Penner revealed that journey on April 26, 2007, when he wrote a story for the Times headlined "Old Mike, New Christine," in which he revealed he was taking a few weeks vacation and when he returned to his job as a sports writer it would be as a woman named Christine Daniels.
"I am a transsexual sports writer," Penner wrote. "It has taken more than 40 years, a million tears and hundreds of hours of soul-wrenching therapy for me to work up the courage to type those words."
The announcement sent shock waves through the sports world, but Penner's bosses were supportive.
When you select one of your pieces, highlights of possible moves will be shown. The green highlights show where your piece will duplicate, the yellow highlights show where you will only jump. It's a good idea to duplicate as much as you can early on, and to spread around the board so you're not cornered.
I’m off to New Hampshire to join my family for Thanksgiving.
I had just come out to my extended family in October of 2006. We were up at my cousin’s summer cottages in Maine, there was my brother, sister-in-law, my cousin B and his girlfriend, my cousin A and his wife (it was their cottage), their son and his wife, and their daughter and her husband there. I had already come out to my brother and sister-in-law and we had agreed that it was time to tell my cousins. So Saturday night after dinner as we were sitting around the living room I told them that I had something important to tell them and I broke the news that I am transsexual. Cousin’s A wife got up and walked over to me and gave me a great big hug. The following morning, after breakfast, I told their son’s and daughter’s families. There were many questions, but in the end, they were all supportive. It was a great load of my shoulders, I had worried that they wouldn’t understand and accept me.Anything He Can Do, She Can DoIn 2003, Ms. Buechner was hired by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver to teach piano from over 100 candidates and received tenure in 2008.
By MICHAEL WINERIP
Published: November 13, 2009
IN September 1998, David Buechner, then 39, a prominent classical pianist, came out as a transgender woman, explaining that from then on, she would live and perform as Sara Davis Buechner. The pianist had been accustomed to rave reviews (at 24, David, in his New York City concert debut, was called “an extraordinary young artist” by a New York Times critic). But the debut as Sara, reported in a Times magazine article, was not so well received, even by loved ones.
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In the next years, Ms. Buechner largely disappeared from public view, though not by choice. David had done 50 concerts a year — performing with philharmonic orchestras in New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland and San Francisco — but as Sara, she couldn’t get bookings. “Apart from local gigs, from 1998 to 2003, I did three to five concerts a year,” she said. David taught as an adjunct professor at Manhattan School of Music and New York University, but as Sara, seeking a full-time professorship, “I applied 35 places and wouldn’t even get a response. Behind my back, I’d hear, ‘Is it safe to leave him in a room with undergrads?’ ”
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n the next years, Ms. Buechner largely disappeared from public view, though not by choice. David had done 50 concerts a year — performing with philharmonic orchestras in New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland and San Francisco — but as Sara, she couldn’t get bookings. “Apart from local gigs, from 1998 to 2003, I did three to five concerts a year,” she said. David taught as an adjunct professor at Manhattan School of Music and New York University, but as Sara, seeking a full-time professorship, “I applied 35 places and wouldn’t even get a response. Behind my back, I’d hear, ‘Is it safe to leave him in a room with undergrads?’”
On Nov. 11, she celebrated the 25th anniversary of her New York City debut by playing in Merkin Concert Hall, still 10 blocks from Carnegie Hall, but a joyous night. The 440-seat hall was full; the audience gave her numerous standing ovations. Her parents traveled from Baltimore, her brother from Kansas. They’ve all long since accepted Sara, happy that she’s happy. Her mother said she was advised to take a firm stand against Sara by a prominent therapist so as not to encourage the switch, but now regrets it. “Sometimes you think you know more than your children, but you don’t,” she said.
On Nov. 11, she celebrated the 25th anniversary of her New York City debut by playing in Merkin Concert Hall, still 10 blocks from Carnegie Hall, but a joyous night. The 440-seat hall was full; the audience gave her numerous standing ovations.You can listen to some of Ms. Buechner here.
“Jennifer is best known for her decade long stints with both Mel Tormé and Doc Severinsen. She has appeared with many distinguished artists including Woody Herman, George Shearing, Gerry Mulligan, Peggy Lee, Joe Pass, Cleo Laine, Louie Bellson, Pete Rugolo, Bill Watrous, and numerous others. She has also been a member of the Tonight Show All-Stars, The Woody Herman Thundering Herd, Benny Carter Quintet, Bob Cooper Quartet, DIVA, and more.”When she transitioned, she had to reestablish herself as a musician. The gigs are slowing coming back and you can listen to some of Ms. Leitham here.
The Gender (Identity) DivideAre we going to be thrown under the bus as Congress did back in 2007? Are we going to go through this all over again?
The exclusion of gender identity from the Employment Non-Discrimination Act helped guarantee the bill’s failure in 2007. Now that ENDA is once again moving on the Hill, will it finally protect those who need it most?
On the federal level, the T of LGBT has long been an inessential element in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would prohibit antigay discrimination nationwide, bolstering the current patchwork of laws in liberal-leaning states. ENDA was first introduced in Congress in 1994, though a precursor to the bill was originally written 20 years earlier.
Since 1994, ENDA has been reintroduced in every congressional term except one. None of the versions included gender identity until 2007, with Democrats in control of both houses of Congress. But when a preliminary vote in the House of Representatives reportedly failed to muster adequate support, Massachusetts representative Barney Frank split ENDA into two separate bills, one with gender identity protections, one without. The former died in committee; the latter passed the House, only to die in the Senate. While any version of ENDA was subject to a near-certain veto by then-President George W. Bush, many national gay organizations denounced Frank’s move as unacceptable. The nation’s largest gay rights lobbying group, the Human Rights Campaign, which supported passage of the non–transgender-inclusive bill, became the subject of controversy, with transgender activists and their allies protesting HRC fund-raising dinners nationwide.
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Yet this month’s Senate committee hearing on the bill did not include testimony from transgender individuals, which elicited measured concern from National Center for Transgender Equality executive director Mara Kiesling and dismay from Diego Sanchez, senior legislative adviser to Frank. “This was a wake-up call for me that we’re not done educating people,” Sanchez told The Advocate last week. “If the biggest piece of discussion about this bill is gender identity, then it’s only logical that you would want to cast the light on the one part that people understand the least.”
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Unless transgender men and women become more visible — and valued — members of the gay community, Beasley says she isn’t hopeful the picture is going to change anytime soon, even if she believes a federal law banning discrimination is a step in the right direction. “Most of society and the community looks down on transgenders,” Beasley says.
According to Telemundo and other local reports, Martinez Matos confessed to authorities that he picked Lopez Mercado up from the street, thinking that he was a woman.There is no excuse for murdering someone and I hope that Matos is charged with hate crime under the new federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This is a hate crime! When a person is murdered the way Mercado was murder, it was done out if hate, prejudice and bigotry.
When he realized that Lopez Mercado was a man, Martinez Matos said he regressed to an incident when he was sexually assaulted during a prison term, Telemundo and local reports said.
You Are Chardonnay |
 Fresh, spirited, and classic - you have many facets to your personality. You can be sweet and light. Or deep and complex. You have a little bit of something to offer everyone... no wonder you're so popular. Approachable and never smug, you are easy to get to know (and love!). Deep down you are: Dependable and modest Your partying style: Understated and polite Your company is enjoyed best with: Cold or wild meat |
Sec. 32. MARRIAGE.I’m not a lawyer, but this sure sounds like they banned all marriage!
(a) Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.
(b) This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.
A Texas-size technicality: Marriage may be unconstitutionalOpps.
By Dave Montgomery
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
AUSTIN — Here's a question for Texans: Are you really married?
Maybe not.
Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and Democratic candidate for attorney general, says that a 22-word clause in a 2005 constitutional amendment designed to ban gay marriages erroneously endangers the legal status of all marriages in the state.
The amendment, approved by the state legislature and overwhelmingly ratified by voters, declares that "marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman." But the troublemaking phrase, as Radnofsky sees it, is Subsection B, which declares:
"This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage."
Architects of the amendment included the clause to ban same-sex civil unions and domestic partnerships. But Radnofsky, who was a member of the powerhouse Vinson & Elkins law firm in Houston for 27 years until retiring in 2006, says the wording of Subsection B effectively "eliminates marriage in Texas," including common-law marriages.
"It’s a silly argument," said Kelly Shackelford, president of the Liberty Legal Institute in Plano. Any lawsuit based on the wording of Subsection B, he said, would have "about one chance in a trillion" of being successful.Maybe, it might just be too broad?
Shackelford said the clause was designed to be broad enough to prevent the creation of domestic partnerships, civil unions or other arrangements that would give same-sex couples many of the benefits of marriage.
You Put Yourself First |
 By putting yourself first, you're actually not being selfish. You're just being realistic. You like to help others as much as the next person... maybe even more. But you know you need to be at the top of your game in order to really give back. You take good care of yourself, and you have learned the art of tactfully saying "no." It's all about balance. You try to stay away from people and activities that drain you. You prefer to save your energy for those who really matter to you. |
NEW POLL Shows Broad and Deep Support for Current Legislation
A new poll shows that 76% of Massachusetts voters, including 81% of women, support passing a law prohibiting discrimination against transgender people in employment, housing, and public accommodations.
The poll, conducted by Lake Research Partners from November 4-8 2009, was released today by a coalition ofMassachusetts organizations* working to pass non-discrimination legislation. It was based on telephone interviews with 400 likely voters.
Advocates said the poll demonstrates far greater support for the non-discrimination bill (H. 1728/S. 1687) than previously thought. The bill is now being studied by the joint Judiciary Committee of the legislature.
“Voters understand discrimination and don’t want to see it allowed in the Commonwealth,” said Rep. Carl Sciortino (D), lead sponsor of the bill. “Legislators seriously underestimate their constituents if they think voters don’t get this. It’s time for Massachusetts to join the 13 other states that ban discrimination against their transgender citizens.”
Not only did voters say they want their legislators to pass this law, more than half (51%) are more likely to vote for their legislator if their representative voted for the bill. Only 14% would be less likely to vote for such a legislator.
Several states have recently added gender identity and expression to their non discrimination laws. Last week, voters of Kalamazoo, MI overwhelmingly passed a measure that will add gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender individuals to an existing city ordinance banning discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations.
“Every day in Massachusetts, transgender people lose their jobs, are evicted, suffer harassment, and are denied services because of who they are,” said Sciortino. “Let’s not tolerate that any more. Let’s pass this
An amendment included in the House health care bill passed this weekend promising to restrict federal funding for abortions has reignited a fiery debate on one of the most controversial issues in the country.An article in the Huffington Post reports that,
As the House of Representatives inches toward a final vote on comprehensive health care reform this weekend -- the most dramatic domestic policy debate in several generations, a reorganization of a sixth of the economy -- the only thing the parties can talk about is abortion and immigration.This is government at its worst! You do not pass a bad bill in hopes of it being overturned. This is exactly what the House did for ENDA, it was wrong then and it is wrong now. I hope they are right and that the Senate will reject it, but suppose the Senate does pass it, we will be left with a horrible law. Insurance companies would not have to pay for any abortions except in a medical emergency when a mother’s life depended upon it. We all know insurance companies, do you honestly think they wouldn’t try to weasels out of paying.
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Stupak, in meetings with Pelosi and other members of leadership, pressed to include, instead, his own amendment that would ban the public health insurance option from funding abortion and also ban any private plan operating within the exchange from funding abortions. Under Stupak's plan, a woman buying private insurance from within the exchange with her own money would not have a choice of a plan that covered abortion.
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The thinking among leadership is that allowing a vote -- regardless of the outcome -- helps win votes for final passage. If it passes, then pro-lifers line up behind health care reform. If it fails, at least they had their vote. For pro-choicers, if the amendment passes they can still fight to remove it during negotiations with the Senate -- which rejected tough abortion restrictions.
You might expect that anybody who has had a sex change, or even just cross-dresses on occasion, would suffer a wage cut because of social stigmatization. Wrong, or at least partly wrong. Turns out it depends on the direction of the change: the study found that earnings for male-to-female transgender workers fell by nearly one-third after their gender transitions, but earnings for female-to-male transgender workers increased slightly.I think that this article emphasis what women have said all along, that their ideas and contributions are trivialized in the workplace. The transgender community is in a unique position to prove that the discrimination is real. I have heard the same thing from my friends, that even though the employer supported their transition, that as a women their views were being ignored. She is a project engineer with a EE and a MBA and before her transition “his” ideas were valued. Now, her ideas are glossed over, only to be brought up later by a man and then everyone thinks it is a great idea. Conversely, I have a friend who is a trans-man and he reports that his every comment is taken as a fact, even on a topic he knows nothing about.
The study, published in the B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, was based on survey data the authors collected from 64 transgender workers. The authors, Kristen Schilt at the University of Chicago and Matthew Wiswall at New York University, theorize male-to-female workers tend to be penalized and female-to-male workers modestly rewarded because of anti-woman, rather than just anti-transgender, discrimination.
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Ben Barres, a female-to-male transgender neuroscientist at Stanford, found that his work was more highly valued after his gender transition. “Ben Barres gave a great seminar today,” a colleague of his reportedly said, “but then his work is much better than his sister’s.”
Dr. Barres, of course, doesn’t have a sister in academia.
BY now, most high school dress codes have just about done away with the guesswork.
Girls: no midriff-baring blouses, stiletto heels, miniskirts.
Boys: no sagging pants, muscle shirts.
But do the math.
“
Rules” + “teenager” = “challenges.”
If the skirt is an acceptable length, can a boy wear it?
Can a girl attend her prom in a tuxedo?
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Last week, a cross-dressing Houston senior was sent home because his wig violated the school’s dress code rule that a boy’s hair may not be “longer than the bottom of a regular shirt collar.” In October, officials at a high school in Cobb County, Ga., sent home a boy who favored wigs, makeup and skinny jeans. In August, a Mississippi student’s senior portrait was barred from her yearbook because she had posed in a tuxedo.
Other schools are more accepting of unconventional gender expression. In September, a freshman girl at Rincon High School in Tucson who identifies as male was nominated for homecoming prince. Last May, a gay male student at a Los Angeles high school was crowned prom queen.
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But when officials want to discipline a student whose wardrobe expresses sexual orientation or gender variance, they must consider antidiscrimination policies, mental health factors, community standards and classroom distractions.
And safety is a critical concern. In February 2008, Lawrence King, an eighth-grader from Oxnard, Calif., who occasionally wore high-heeled boots and makeup, was shot to death in class by another student.
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At Wesson Attendance Center, a Mississippi public school, just that sort of fight erupted over senior portraits. Last summer, during her photo session, Ceara Sturgis, 17, dutifully tried on the traditional black drape, the open-necked robe that reveals the collarbone, a hint of bare shoulder.
“It was terrible!” said Ms. Sturgis, an honors student, band president and soccer goalie, who has been openly gay since 10th grade. “If you put a boy in a drape, that’s me! I have big shoulders and ooh, it didn’t look like me! I said, ‘I can’t do this!’ So my mom said, ‘Try on the tux.’ And that looked normal.”
You Should Play Some Music |
 Part of what's stressing you out is that you can't stop thinking about your problems. Whenever you try to relax, you can't stop your mind from racing. The best thing you can do is crowd out your thoughts. And there's no easier way to do this than by cranking some music. Dancing is optional but highly recommended. Give yourself a break from your stress and really let loose. Or put on some of your old favorite music (happy music only though!). Sit back and remember what it was like not to be so overwhelmed. |
5. What did you look like when you were a teenager?The Department of Social Services budget was cut by $7.25 million, including $700,000 out of the $753,000 in aid to the blind and almost $1 million of the $38 million in old age assistance. Also, funds budgeted for outreach efforts for Husky, the Medicaid program for low-income children and families, was cut by $35,000. The Department of Children and Families received an $8.6 million cut, including board and care for foster children and those in residential care. The Department of Development Services, which provides assistance to the disabled, was cut by $3.75 million.This is outrageous! When more people then ever are in need of assistance because of the economy, it is immoral to make the cuts to social services. The two major areas of the Department of Developmental Services budget that took the hit were, Personal Services ($3,487,500) and Clinical Services ($170,000). In the Department of Social Services the budget cuts were made in Personal Services ($5,500,000), Old Age Assistance ($1,000,000) and Aid to the Disabled ($700,000). Yeah, lets throw the old folks and the disabled out on the streets! Other cuts were made in the Department of Children and Families budget in Personal Services ($2,500,000), Board and Care for Children - Foster ($3,500,000) and Board & Care - Residential ($2,500,000). Who cares about the kids – let them sell drugs and sell their bodies. Then we can lock them up in prison. In addition, the Workers' Compensation Commission budget was cut in both Personal ($400,000) and Rehabilitative ($114,403) Services.
DHS discrimination against transgender teen allegedHere in Connecticut, a trans-youth was being harassed in high school by a bully, so what did the school do to stop the harassment? Do you think that they disciplined the bully? No they didn’t, they transferred the trans-youth to a school for trouble-makers. Later, the bully was also transferred to the school for trouble-makers where he resumed his bullying of the trans-girl. The girl was forced to drop out of school and is now being home-schooled.
By Sam Wood
Inquirer Staff Writer
Sun, Nov. 1, 2009
A transgender teenager who identifies as a girl said she was subject to constant abuse and discrimination during 18 months in the custody of Philadelphia's Department of Human Services.
At the Youth Study Center, the 16-year-old teen was placed in the boys' unit, where, she said, staff and residents harassed her despite a judge's order that she be addressed by her preferred female name and female pronouns.
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In November 2007, the teen was admitted to the Youth Study Center.
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The social worker diagnosed gender identity disorder, a condition marked by the persistent discomfort of a person's own sexual anatomy and a strong identification with the opposite sex.
The next month, Common Pleas Court Judge Abram Frank Reynolds ordered that the teen be addressed with her female name and that female pronouns be used when referring to her. He also authorized DHS to administer hormone therapy to the teen to delay puberty.
The complaint contends that staff at the Youth Study Center ignored the order and heaped abuse on her.
One staffer allegedly told her that as long as she had male genitalia, "I'm not going to call you by [her female name]." When she asked for a bra and panties, another staffer hurled an insult and refused to accommodate her.
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Though she repeatedly asked to be placed with girls, she was kept in the boys' unit, where residents threatened her, it states.
Staff allowed her to spend one night on the girls' unit. That was the only night in the custody of the Youth Study Center that she slept without fear of being harassed and abused, the complaint states.
GAYS MUST LEAVE TODAY!
The Jamaican Star
By Dwayne Mcleod, Staff Reporter
Today has been proclaimed 'Gay Eradication Day' by residents of the McGregor Gully community in East Kingston. Residents say that they will be taking action as a two-week notice given to all gays and lesbians to flee the community has now expired.
THE STAR learnt that about two weeks ago angry residents who declared that they were fed up with seeing the activities of several gay persons in their community, ordered that they leave by today or suffer the consequences.
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The residents say they will not stop until their community is "gay free" and are not afraid of resorting to extreme measures.
Gay Renters to Get Some Discrimination Protection
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 30, 2009
“If the regulations pass, gay and transgender renters would get legal firepower they've never had, though not as extensive as other protected classes. The proposed regulations only cover HUD rental programs, so not all apartments will be included.”
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“The federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, which covers all housing, prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It was amended in 1988 to include familial status and handicap. HUD investigates about 10,500 discrimination complaints a year. In cases involving threats of force, offenders can be criminally prosecuted.”
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“In 2007, Michigan's Fair Housing Centers compared the treatment of same-sex couple versus heterosexual couples by landlords, real estate agents and lenders. Though the same-sex couples were given higher incomes and credit scores than their counterparts, one-third reported landlord discrimination.”
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“And in Detroit, a landlord ticked off the apartment rules: ‘No drugs, prostitution, homosexuality, one-night stands.'”
