This And That In The News

"This And That In The News" is about articles in the news that have caught my eye and I want to comment about. These are the articles that caught my attention today.

First the bad… the really bad…

German courts rule that an eleven year old German transgender girl can legally be institutionalized.
Scallywag
March 24, 2012

The case of an eleven year old child who goes by the alias Alex Kaminsky has once again stirred debate as to Germany’s stance towards gender neutrality, sex and clinical devices of purity, especially in light of its torrid history with respect to forced sterilization and aspirations towards racial purity.

At the heart of the matter can a young girl and her mother decide what is best for her daughter who biologically was not born a girl but wishes to pursue a female gender or are they obligated to subscribe to the courts view which at present allows open the possibility of the child being institutionalized whom according to human rights group now fear the child will be exposed to a type of redressing with the expressed intent of correcting what is implicitly perceived to be mental deficiencies of a the child.

The commotion came about as Berlin’s Kammergericht this past Thursday re affirmed a lower court’s decision allowing the state to institutionalize an eleven year old. At the time of the ruling, the child’s mother who had sought therapy for her child but to date has been inexplicably denied reiterated that she will now take her case to the constitutional court in an effort to allow her eleven year old to remain living as a female despite being born a male, something the mother supports.

This is horrible! It is out of the dark ages. To be taken fron all those who love you and to be put into an institution and be brainwashed, Reparative therapy does not work and it creates additional psychiatric problems.

Next the bad…

Miss Universe Canada disqualifies transsexual contestant Jenna Talackova for being born a boy
Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph
March 25, 2012

A BEAUTY pageant has booted a 23-year-old contestant out the competition after discovering the buxom blonde was born a boy.

Miss Universe Canada - which is owned by Donald Trump - threw out Jenna Talackova when they found out she had undergone surgery to become a woman.

The transgendered contestant had already successfully reached the finals in the Miss Vancouver pageant before she was banned from continuing in the competition.

Although the pageant organizers described Talackova as a "real girl" they disqualified her arguing that the rules state that each contestant must be a "naturally born female."

Talackova began hormone therapy at 14 and underwent sexual reassignment surgery at 19.

She was listed on the official Miss Universe Canada website as a contestant until it was discovered that she was transgender. The organization removed her profile.

Beauty is beauty, it shouldn’t matter the nature of your birth.

Lastly, hope…

Study Finds Increasing Support for Transgender Rights in the U.S.
Huffington Post: Gay Voices
Grey Voakers
Posted: 03/21/2012

Until recently, the struggles that transgender individuals face in both public and private institutions have been discussed primarily in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community, but not by the wider public. Thankfully, a November study conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) has found that the majority of Americans support strong rights and legal protections for transgender individuals. This positive change in public opinion proves that civil rights movements have finally caught on with the general public. Whatever the case, it appears that the attitude of the majority of American toward transgender individuals is changing for the better.
[…]
In addition to showing broad support for trans rights, the PRRI study also found that an overwhelming majority of Americans polled felt that they had a solid understanding of transgender rights. The study also discovered that approximately 75 percent of Americans polled had a solid understanding of what the term "transgender" means. About 11 percent of those polled reported that they had a close friend or family member who identifies as transgender. As more individuals come to know transgender people, support for trans rights should increase. Thanks to the hard work of trans activists and allies, and increasing inclusion in mainstream media, Americans feel more comfortable discussing trans individuals. These adults seem to be concerned about the rights of others and understand that such rights form the foundation of the Constitution. If nothing else, the PRRI study has encouraged discussion of the struggles of trans individuals and will foster further debate of how to best protect and include the trans community in American society.