New York Values!

Senator Ted Cruz shot himself in the foot. You don’t come into someone’s house and criticize their beliefs.

At G.O.P. Dinner, Donald Trump Serves Heaping Helping of ‘New York Values’
By Jonathan Martin
New York Times
April 15, 2016

Donald J. Trump on Thursday used the last high-profile gathering of Republicans before Tuesday’s New York primary to extol “New York values,” repurposing Senator Ted Cruz’s attack on him into a tribute to what he described as his hometown’s virtues.

Mr. Trump, reading at times from prepared notes, unfurled a series of attributes and vignettes to evoke the city, drawing applause and encouragement from a boisterous group of Republicans at a fund-raising dinner in Manhattan, called the New York State Republican Gala, which drew the party’s three remaining presidential candidates.
[…]
Mr. Cruz has been dogged here by his derisive suggestion earlier in the campaign that Mr. Trump represents “New York values” and, while refusing to back off his characterization, has been unable to formulate an explanation for what he meant. At a debate in January he said the reference was in regard to the city’s cultural liberalism, but he also pointed to the “focus around money and the media” in New York.

The thing is we all know what he meant about values, his values “Christian conservative” values, not Christian but “Christian conservative” and I think Senator Cruz

But in a way this whole campaign is about “Christian conservative” values. I think ever since President Reagan the Republican Party has become a party of “Christian conservative” values. At one time to be a Republican was to want smaller government and lower taxes but ever since the Moral Majority it has moved away from financial conservative to a theocracy of far right conservative Christians. We see this in Tennessee trying to make the Bible their official state book. We see this in state legislatures passing “Religious Freedom” laws which are anything but religious freedom and instead are trying to impose their beliefs on everyone else.

An article in the Daily Kos about Christian privilege had this to say,

Ted Cruz: 'I'm a Christian first, American second.' Imagine if Muslim or Jewish politician said that
By Ian Reifowitz
January 22, 2016

His Christianity is probably the last thing Ted Cruz ever thought would give him problems. However, a new ad produced by Americans United for Values attacks him for being, get this, a “false prophet.” Among other slings and arrows hurled, the ad slams Cruz for not tithing—donating 10 percent of his income to charity—something many Christians believe is a sacred obligation. Cruz, it seems, has donated only about one percent of his income—which came to around $1 million annually—to charity between 2006 and 2010.

In response to the ad and other attacks on his Christianity as well as his conservatism, Cruz responded:

“I’m a Christian first, American second, conservative third and Republican fourth...I’ll tell ya, there are a whole lot of people in this country that feel exactly the same way.”

The politics of this aside, I want to highlight here something we might call Christian Privilege. Could you imagine, for example, a Jewish candidate for president saying that he or she was a Jew first and an American second? Now imagine the sheer outrage if a Muslim American of any prominence whatsoever declared that he or she was Muslim first and American second. People’s heads would explode.

Back in the sixties when President Kennedy was running for office the big worry about Kennedy was would his Catholic religion overly influence him, well now in 2016 we now have a candidate who is embracing that they will ignore the Constitution and follow the Bible.

Yes, the Republican Party has changed; even here in Connecticut I see a shift in the party it is still financial conservative but there are elements in the Connecticut Republican Party that are pushing it towards “family values” we saw a glimmer of that when the bill was introduced to repeal insurance coverage for trans people.

I have no doubt that if the Republicans gained control of the government that we would see our “Religious Freedom” law expanded from the narrow law that it is now to a broad sweeping law and we would see our LGBT non-discrimination laws rolled back.

---

Update 4:00PM

I just came across this article about Governor Kasich and his advice to women,

John Kasich Tells Woman Asking About Sexual Assault To Avoid Parties With Alcohol
ThinkProgess
By Alice Ollstein
April 15, 2016

At a town hall in Watertown, Pennsylvania on Friday, a local college student asked Ohio Governor and presidential candidate John Kasich what he would do as president to make young women like her feel safer on campus. She cited what many consider a current epidemic of “violence, harassment and rape” at colleges and universities.

Kasich at first ignored the student’s question and turned to his staffer, joking that he had to go and didn’t want to miss his ride. He then suggested that all colleges offer victims of sexual assault “confidential reporting,” rape kits, and “the opportunity to be able to pursue justice after you have had some time to reflect on it all.” He concludes by telling the woman, a first-year at New York’s Saint Lawrence University: “I will give you one bit of advice. Don’t go to parties where there’s a lot of alcohol.”

The Democratic National Committee blasted Kasich for “blaming victims of sexual and domestic violence,” and noted, “It is no wonder women are turning away from the Republican field in huge numbers.”

Remember the Republican who said that you can’t get pregnant from a rape or the other Republican who to keep your legs crossed?

These are the people who want to run this country.

It Is That Dripping Faucet

It is not that one drip, but the constant drip, drip, drip that gets to you. It is the same for harassment, it is not that one misgender but constantly being misgender. That one “Sir” might not be the trigger but if it is after a whole day of being harassed it might be the one that “breaks the camel’s back.”

Allies and Microaggressions
When you see microaggressions occurring against colleagues, how should you respond? Kerry Ann Rockquemore offers guidance.
Inside Higher Ed
By Kerry Ann Rockquemore
April 13, 2016

Dear Kerry Ann,
I’ve only recently learned what microaggressions are and the impact they have. Now that I know, I can see them happening frequently to my junior colleagues who are minorities and women, particularly in faculty meetings, hallway conversations and informal gatherings.

My problem is that I see what’s happening and understand the impact on my junior colleagues, but I don’t know what to say or do in the moment. I know what’s happening is a problem, and I want to do something, but I freeze. The best I can do is to go see the targeted person afterward to say, “I’m sorry that happened.”

I feel terrible that these kinds of things happen at all, but I feel worse that I don’t know what to do in the moment. I want to be a better ally for my colleagues, but I’m not sure how to do so or whom to ask for help. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Awkward Ally

And her answer was,

Dear Awkward,
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your question and your desire to be a better ally. While there are lots of ways to be an ally (e.g., mentoring, being a sponsor, shaping policy), the one that is often unexpectedly challenging is how to respond to microaggressions in the moment. The sad truth is not only are microaggressions a regular occurrence, but they’re also painful to receive and observe, and they have a lasting impact.

I experience microaggressions regularly. For example, a few days ago, I attended a local executive club meeting where I was the only female CEO present. In a discussion about expanding the group, I observed that the time of meeting (4 p.m. to 6 p.m.) and the activity (we toured a model of a hockey stadium that is being built) might be contributing to the lack of gender diversity in the group. One of the members responded by suggesting, “Maybe we should we meet at the mall next time and focus on shopping.”

Zing! Talk about male privilege that was wrong on so many levels. Usually microagressions are from a place of superiority to a marginalized community.

This comment was met with silence. I waited for an ally to emerge and say something, but nobody did. So I smiled and said, “Actually that’s a really bad stereotype.” People laughed, the awkward silence was broken and we moved on. Afterward, several men in the room came up to me individually to comment that they “couldn’t believe” what was said, apologized that such an inappropriate comment was made and requested that I plan the next event.

Robin McHaelen, the director of True Colors has a saying, “If you hear mean, intervene.” The author goes on to say,

I’m sharing this story with you for two important reasons. The first is to get concrete about the reality of silent allies. I think you know this already, but I’ll say it anyway:

• Silence communicates tacit approval.
• Apologizing to the target afterwards adds insult to injury.
• The worst ex post facto response of all is asking the target of a microaggression to fix the problem. (For example, “You plan the next event if you think we need more women.”)

The second reason I’m sharing this story with you is because I want you to know that even though I experience microaggressions (as a woman of color), I also observe other types of microaggressions where I am in a position to be an ally for others (i.e., around homophobia, religious intolerance and disability issues). Even though I know the pain of being the target, the truth is that I still occasionally freeze when it’s my turn to act as an ally.

As Robin says “If you hear mean, intervene.” Because if you do not you are implying that what was said was okay. Sometimes it is very hard to speak up, it might be that it was your boss who said it or you are a member of the targeted class.

The author goes on to write about ways that to can fight miscroagressions,

In other words, it’s not just one person acting like an asshole; what’s occurring in everyday interactions is a continual manifestation of privilege. As such, my words and actions matter to the higher-level goals of equity and inclusion. Microresistance empowers me and makes me feel that my daily choices contribute to the overall climate in which I’m embedded.

“If you hear mean, intervene.”

Intervention can take on many meanings it can mean to answer the microagressions to addressing the company climate or the school climate.

What Me Worry?

As Alfred E. Neuman would have said regarding when courts get involved you never know what the outcome will be, a lot of times the verdict is based on the judge’s bias.

Federal law dooms transgender bathroom bans: Column
Punitive laws in North Carolina and other states defy logic, economics and federal protections.
USA Today
By Jillian T. Weiss
April 13, 2016

North Carolina recently became the first U.S. state to mandate discrimination against transgender people by statute, banning them from using bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity in government buildings and schools. The new law also guts protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Charlotte and nine other municipalities.
[…]
What makes state laws like these even more irrational is that transgender people are currently protected by federal law. They are protected in their use of gender-conforming bathrooms in schools by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The Occupational Safety and Health Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 have been interpreted to cover gender-appropriate restrooms in the workplace. There are constitutional provisions requiring equal protection of the law and a due process right to privacy that apply to state laws restricting access to public accommodations. And the Affordable Care Act protects people in medical facilities.

But these rulings are only based on court’s interpreting what a law says and on previous rulings. None of the laws specifically say gender identity but instead specify sex discrimination instead the courts have said that sex discrimination also includes gender identity.

So many federal courts have specifically held that federal laws prohibiting sex discrimination also include sex discrimination against transgender people that such protections should be considered a given. For example, just this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, covering Georgia, Florida and Alabama, ruled in favor of my client Jennifer Chavez, reiterating that sex discrimination includes discrimination against a transgender person for gender non-conformity.

Washington Post reported on a case in Virginia that has been heard by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, the lower court rejected the claim that Title IX covers gender identity.

Judge denies transgender student’s request to use boys’ bathroom
By Julie Zauzmer
September 4, 2015

A federal judge has denied a transgender teenager’s request to allow him to use the same bathroom as his peers at his public school in Virginia.

Instead, the judge ruled Friday, the teenager must continue using a separate, private bathroom that he has said makes him feel “singled out and humiliated.”
[…]
But on Friday, Judge Robert G. Doumar of the Eastern District of Virginia denied Grimm’s request for a preliminary injunction, which would have allowed him to use the boys’ bathroom upon returning to school.

Judge Robert G. Doumar was appointed by President Reagan for his support of the Republican party, so when you leave it to the courts it can be a crapshoot and many times it boils down to the judges bias.

What’s That Smell?

If you search the news all you find are articles on North Carolina and state legislatures trying to pass hate legislation. So on the lighter side…

'Perfume' that turns moths 'transgender' used to curtail pest populations
Transgender moths are the latest weapon in the war to save our woollies.BT.com
14 April 2016,

Transgender moths are the latest weapon in the war to save our woollies.

Scientists have found a way to force the fabric-munching pests out of the closet by making them sexually confused.

The trick is to lure male moths and cover them in a pheromone "perfume".
The scent signal delivers a message that says: "I am female".

When female moths get a whiff of the pheromone they lose interest in breeding.

As a result they fail to lay eggs which would under normal circumstances hatch out into hungry larvae.

In scientific trials, the "gender reassignment" treatment - called Moth Population Control Assist - disrupted the life cycle of clothes moths enough to reduce their populations by 90%.

I use chemical warfare to control moths in my house, but what I use is the opposite of this “perfume” what I use is a sex lure that attracts the horny male moths.

Our Lives Are Complex

We are the sum total of our life experiences and part of that includes our life before we transitioned. The other day I had to return an old cable modem to the cable company, after waiting in line for ten minutes I finally got to a salesperson she took the modem and then asked me to sign in on an electronic device. I started to walk away when she informed me that I had to wait in another line to sign off that I returned the device. After waiting another ten minutes my name was called and I was livid by now, not at the clerks but at the system. When he had me type my name on another screen I started out typing my old male name! Yikes!

I bring this up to introduce this article in the Huffington Queer Voices,

My Transgender Life: He’s Still Inside Me
By Grace Anne Stevens
April 12, 2016

“No, he is not dead and I have not mourned him,” was the response I gave to the audience. I followed up with, “He’s still inside me.”

I think that many there, in addition to the person who asked the question were a bit surprised.

This happened last November when I was honored to be asked to do a Talkback after a performance of Casa Valentina here in Boston. About 70 people stayed after the show as I and the play’s director were on stage answering any and all questions that came our way.

The question that led to my response above was how did I mourn the loss of the “man” I used to be?

I know that many transgender women may have done this, and feel that the man or male history of themselves was never true, never existed or died. I have said many times, there is no single or even “right” way to have the trans experience. I was only a bit surprised by the question about this, but it gave me a public opportunity to teach there are many different transgender experiences. For me, with a long and pretty wonderful life behind me, I have never felt that part of me has died or even missing. HE really is still inside me! HE no longer is running the show or me, and HE has a new job. In my book, I describe how the girl who is now in charge, has built a new relationship with the old man who worked so hard, for such a long time. Here is that story....

And for me I think she is right, we have our past with us all the time. When I do training one of the things that I touch upon is this, we have a past. I tell a story of a friend who was flying out to the west coast.

She was going through her purse and the woman in the seat next to her say a picture of her son, the woman who was visibly pregnant asked about her son and how was her labor. My friend had a choice to lie and make up a story or tell the truth, she chose the truth that she was the father.

The author goes on to write,

Last week along with two colleagues, we presented a workshop at the Massachusetts Social Worker Symposium. I shared some of this story to the group of over 40 social workers, most who have not had a much training in supporting gender variant clients. Many volunteered that they have clients who are struggling with the feelings they need to kill or mourn the man inside them. I offered them another frame or lens to look through; all with the guidance that each person’s story will be theirs and theirs alone. I am hoping that by sharing my experience with you now, you can appreciate how different and unique we all are.

We can accept our past or we can bury it, but with each comes their own set of complications.

A Court Butts Into Territory It Doesn’t Understand

Today I am covering two controversial topics. The first is a court ruling in New York that sounds like that the judge has a bias in a custody case.

Court Declares Mother Cannot Refer To Trans Child As “She,” Let Her Wear Women’s Clothing
"I am a mother, and I will do anything and everything in my power to protect and support [my child]."
NewNowNext
By Dan Avery
April 11, 2016

New York woman has launched a petition after a judge reportedly ruled she must not allow her child to identify as transgender, including a prohibition referring to the child with female pronouns or allowing her to wear girls’ clothes—even in private.
Lauren Wisser of Geneseo, New York, writes that her six-year-old child, “S,” identifies as female.

What the article doesn’t say is if the child has seen a therapist, I think that is an important that was left out. If she has gone to therapy and she has the support of medical professionals than the judge stepped way over the line. I am not say that she cannot be trans without seeing a therapist but rather that if she did that the judge is going against medical advice for what is best for the child and is inserting his bias into the ruling.

Ms. Wisser has started a “Change.org” petition, I doubt that it will change the judge’s ruling because I think the judge is incapable of understanding what the results are to deny a child of their gender identity.

It Makes A Big Difference.

There is one thing that reduces all the negative impact being transgender have on children and adults and that is having a support system.

Parent Support May Help Transgender Children's Mental Health
NPR Heard on Morning Edition
By Gabriel Spitze
April 11, 2016

Six-year-old Sophie says she has always known she's a girl. "I used to be Yoshi," she says. "But I didn't like being called Yoshi." And she didn't like being called a boy.

Sophie lives with her family in Bellingham, Wash. Her mother, Jena Lopez, says she started seeing the signs before Sophie turned 2.

"She'd say things like, 'I'm a she, not a he,' " Lopez says. "She would cry if we misgendered her. She'd become angry."

I think anyone who has been in the community long has seen trans children. It is amazing how transitioning changes them. When I do guest lectures I give them a homework assignment to read “Learning To See: A Mother’s Story” from Tapestry Vol 112.

The article is about a mother who finds out that her son is trans and want to transition to become a girl. “He” was diagnosed with ADD but once she transition all the negative diagnoses vanished. In a video that I show in class another child is taking 14 pills a day and when she transitioned she didn’t need any medication.

It is simply amazing to see the transformation in the children.

There's very little data on children who have fully socially transitioned, says Kristina Olson, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Washington. Olson got interested in the subject when a friend's 10-year-old was transitioning from male to female. Olson knew attitudes about transgender people were changing, both in society and in science.

"Forty years ago everyone considered this to be a pathology," Olson says. It was considered a "gender identity disorder" until 2013, when it was changed to "gender dysphoria" in the fifth edition of the DSM, the diagnostic manual for mental health.

Olson says a lot of research still works under this assumption and is based on children in clinical settings where they've often been brought to be treated. 

Ms. Olson was amazed in what she saw in the child after she transitioned.

So Olson decided to do her own study looking at families who are supporting their child's decision to live as a gender different from their biological sex. The study, published in the March issue of Pediatrics, looked at the mental health of 73 transgender children between ages 3 and 12. What it found was strikingly different from other research.

"They had exactly the national average for depression," says Olson. "They are no more or less depressed. They show a marginal, like, a tiny bit of an increase in anxiety, but nowhere near the rates that previous work has found."

And I can’t help but wonder if the increase in anxiety is due to the way society treats trans children and the hate like I talked this morning.

The hope is that if Sophie's gender identity is validated early on, she will be less vulnerable to mental health issues. Her mother says that rings true for her family. "She's blossomed," Lopez says.

What we do need is to follow these children throughout their life time to see what the long term results are, how will they be in their forties, fifties and in their eighties.

How Would You Like To See These On Your Car?

Can you imagine finding these flyers on your car in the morning? I know I would wonder if I was targeted.

Messages of hate target local transgender community
FOX25
By: Kathryn Burcham, Jessica Reyes
Updated: Apr 12, 201

BOSTON —
Gay and transgender advocates are raising concern after fliers were circulated in Massachusetts and New Hampshire with messages of hate against proposed policies to end discrimination.

Sunday, residents in South Boston and Roxbury found fliers on their cars that called a proposed bill to prohibit businesses from discriminating against people based on their gender identity “unfair and unsafe.”

The flier also cited incidents in other states where “men have been entering women’s locker rooms, disrobing and refusing to leave. They are not even ‘identifying’ as female.”

“They didn’t put the source of that information on there, which I think is very revealing, ” said Matt Wilder, a spokesman for Freedom Massachusetts. “Our message on these fliers is that they are complete lies.”

In New Hampshire, where school officials are discussing new policies to create gender neutral bathrooms, another flier was circulated last week that referred to transgender students as “pedophiles.”

FEAR! FEAR!

That is what these people pray on, scaring the people with lies. We see this around the U.S. creating of trans people and I have to wonder if it creates violence against us and the bullying of trans students in schools. Do these flyers create a climate where bullies feel that they have a green light to attack people who are different from themselves?

The Oppressors

Why is it that when people are oppressing others and the oppressed rebel they are uppity or are being bullies?

Congressman Slams Bruce Springsteen As ‘Bully,’ May Support Justin Bieber Instead
“I consider this a bully tactic. It’s like when a kid gets upset and says he’s going to take his ball and go home.”
Huffington Queer Voices
By Noah Michelson
April 10, 2016

While many people are cheering Bruce Springsteen’s decision to cancel a North Carolina concert in light of the state’s new anti-LGBT legislation, Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.) is not one of them.

In fact, the congressman told The Hollywood Reporter that he believes the rock star is being a bully.

“Bruce is known to be on the radical left,” Walker told the publication. “He’s got every right to be so, but I consider this a bully tactic. It’s like when a kid gets upset and says he’s going to take his ball and go home.”

There are a number of other performers who are cancelling their trips to North Carolina,

On Friday night, comedian Joel McHale revealed he almost pulled the plug on his Durham, North Carolina, show and pledged to donate “every single dime I make tonight to the [Durham] LGBTQ Center.” Earlier this month, PayPal canceled a proposed 400-job expansion in the state.

And North Carolina is not alone in being boycotted,

Bryan Adams cancels Mississippi gig because of anti-LGBT law
Gay Times
By Josh Withey
April 2016

Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams has pulled out of his scheduled show in Mississippi because of his objections to the State’s anti-LGBT ‘religious freedom’ law.
[…]
Bryan was set to play on April 14, at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, but he has decided to cancel his performance and add his voice to those criticising the discriminatory bill.

The singer said on in a post: “Mississippi has passed anti-LGBT ‘Religious Liberty’ bill 1523. I find it incomprehensible that LGBT citizens are being discriminated against in the state of Mississippi.

“I cannot in good conscience perform in a State where certain people are being denied their civil rights due to their sexual orientation. Therefore I’m cancelling my 14 April show at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.

In North Carolina there is growing support to overturn their law.

N.C. NAACP Promises Sit-Ins if Lawmakers Don’t Repeal HB 2
Local leaders denounced the anti-LGBT legislation as a throwback to Jim Crow-era segregation, and said they are ready to once again employ tactics that were effective to fight those unjust laws.
Advocate
By Sunnivie Brydum
April 10, 2016

Leaders with the North Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have issued an ultimatum to the state’s legislative leadership: repeal the sweeping anti-LGBT law known as House Bill 2 by April 21, or face sit-in demonstrations at the general assembly.

Time Warner Cable News reports that leaders with the statewide chapter of the national organization are embarrassed by what they call “Hate Bill 2,” which rescinds all local LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination protections and requires transgender people to use public restrooms and locker rooms that do not match their gender identity.
[…]
“Hate Bill 2 is the politics of Jesse Helms revisited,” Barber added, according to a tweet from cooperating worker’s advocacy group Raise Up for $15. “It’s not about bathrooms. It’s about oppression.”

I don’t think any of these boycotts and sit-in will achieve anything because they are bigots and are digging in their heels, they are preparing to do battle. It took federal laws to overturn the Jim Crow laws and it is also going to take federal laws to overturn these laws.

Bishop Rawls hit the nail on its head when he said,

“This is not about bathrooms, North Carolina,” added Bishop Tonyia Rawls, who leads Charlotte’s Sacred Souls Community Church and serves as the executive director of The Freedom Center. “It’s about money and votes.”

The Conservatives Web Is Catching Their Victims

And they weren’t LGBT.

Mississippi Interracial Couple Evicted For Being In An Interracial Marriage
'You didn’t tell me you was married to no black man. It’s a big problem with my church and my community. They don’t allow that.'
PoliticusUSA
By Rmuse
April 5, 2016

There have been a rash of so-called “religious liberty” laws passed in mostly Southern Republican-led states that many Americans think are harmless because they think they only target “the gay.” However, none of the over-a-dozen Republican state legislatures ever mention or allude to the word “gay” in the text of the “license to discriminate laws,” by specific design. Those theocratic religious freedom laws are created solely to allow “the religious” free rein to target anyone they believe is not living up to their standards.

Apparently, in super-religious Mississippi, living up to their standards means marrying who the religious folks “allow” and it had better not be marrying someone of a different racial makeup. A young couple in Tupelo Mississippi discovered the hard way that the good evangelicals in town embrace Christian standards that will not allow interracial couples to enjoy their Constitutional freedoms.
[…]
And forget the Constitution; adding to their current ‘religious freedom’ to discriminate laws, Mississippi just passed a very harsh “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act;” it completely nullifies the Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment and equal rights protections. It is telling that the good evangelical Republicans in Mississippi had the audacity to name a law protecting discrimination as protection from “government discrimination.” Government discrimination is what normal people consider protecting and upholding the United States Constitution’s equal rights guarantee.

The south think differently from the rest of us and think that it is okay to discriminate as long as you do it in the name of religion.

Another View

This article has a different view of why all the anti-trans law being introduced and some passed.

What’s Really Behind the Angst Over Transgender Bathrooms?
Forward
By Jane Eisner
April 10, 2016

We need to talk. About bathrooms.

Honestly, I don’t remember a time when so many angry words, backroom political maneuvers, votes and vetoes, protests, counter-protests and economic boycotts were prompted by the question of who gets to use which toilet.

And yet here we are: Whether transgender people should be required to use the bathroom labeled with their gender at birth, or the one labeled with the gender they identify with now, is the subject of passionate debate and legislative action in North Carolina, Mississippi and other parts of our country. Why?
[…]
There is no denying that on a basic level, these debates are driven in part by homophobic bigots and their funders, who want to scuttle laws that don’t do anything more than protect trans people who have to pee or shower or change their clothes. The supposed threats that these protections pose to others are largely nonexistent; in fact, it is transgender people who are far more likely to be the target of violence than any random user of the ladies’ room.

No amount of education is going to change their bias; they are not interested in fact.

But in our heightened public discourse, actual facts seem to matter little. Joel Hunter, senior pastor of Northland: A Church Distributed, a mega-church that worships at three sites in Central Florida and reaches many more online, told me that even though there are transgender members of his congregation, the evangelical Christians he knows are still fearful of the bathroom mandate — and, more broadly, fearful of a hyper-sexualized society where boundaries are eliminated and gender confusion reigns.

“This is unfamiliar territory,” he said, speaking by phone from his Orlando church. “There is a general apprehension in the evangelical community about the rate and speed of change that the culture is undergoing right now.”

These are people who fear change; they want to stop the world. Even though we have around forever we were not headlines in the news. Did you know John Quincy Adams was an attorney in a case the involved a crossdresser?

The article goes on to say,

And then, when you really consider the fears expressed by those opposed to these changes — real and, too often, imagined — you realize that these people aren’t freaking out only about trans people. They are freaking out about men.
[...]
“We’re in denial about most of the violence against women in our society, and this brings it to the surface,” Ladin observed. “If I am in a women’s room and see someone who looks like a guy, I’m taken aback. It doesn’t make sense, except for the fact that women everywhere are exposed to violence.”

You are not going to change these people, their fears are too ingrained. If you look back at the history of segregation you will see it was the fear of a black man in the bathroom with white children. In the seventies when all those anti- gay state constitutions that were amended was because of gay men in bathrooms with little boys and now it is against us that their fear is now focused.

Also the Republican party has found gold in being anti-LGBT, those campaign donations are pour in and they also found that it rallies their base and gets them out to vote.

They are milking the hate against us.

Not An Accident?

Whether you are an “Out” trans person or you went back into the “Closet” we have targets on us. There we a hit and run in California last week where the target was a trans person.

Vigil Held For Transgender Teen Critically Injured In Hit-And-Run
CBS News Los Angeles
April 9, 2016

BOYLE HEIGHTS (CBSLA.com)  — An emotional vigil was held Saturday evening for a transgender teen who remains in critical condition in the ICU at County-USC Medical Center following a hit-and-run accident.

KCAL9’s Erica Nochlin attended what friends of the teen were calling a “celebration of life.”

They also called it a ceremony for healing and a call for justice.

Friends and family of 16-year-old Annabel gathered outside the hospitalwhere Annabel is fighting for her life.

“I hope to God that she’s able to pull through and come forth and let us know what really happened,” said the victim’s uncle Fernando Velarde.

The police say,

Police have still not determined if the car hit Annabel on purpose and it’s also possible she was assaulted before the car struck.

But earlier reports said,

Trans teen in LA struck in near fatal hit-and-run that may have been intentional
Family asks for public's help in finding the driver who left her for dead
Gay Star News
By Greg Hernandez
April 6, 2016

A 16-year-old transgender girl in the Los Angeles area was left for dead over the weekend after being struck by a car.

The incident may have been intentional and the victim’s family is asking the public for help in finding the driver of the car.
[…]
Police state she was ‘the victim of an assault and struck by a vehicle’ in the 3700 block of Romona Boulevard.

Only time will tell if the hit-and-run was intentional or not.

Saturday 9: That's What Friends Are For

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: That's What Friends Are For (1985)

Every Saturday I take time off from written on serious topics to have some fun…

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This week's song is performed by an all-star quartet: Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder. You have your choice: which of these four would you most like to see in concert?
Elton John, runner up Stevie Wonder.

2) Dionne Warwick was Whitney Houston's cousin. Name a Whitney Houston song.
Um… I don’t know any off the top of my head so I had to google her, “I will Always Love You.”

3) Gladys Knight owns a chain of chicken and waffle restaurants around Atlanta. When you have waffles, what do you top them with? (Powdered sugar? Butter? Syrup? Fruit?)
When I used to eat waffles I liked peaches and cream on them.

4) Elton John has turned his bad eyesight into a hobby, claiming that over the years he has purchased well over than 200,000 pairs of glasses. Do you wear glasses? If so, how many prescription pairs do you own?
I have only one set of glasses; I keep my old pair in the car.

5) Stevie Wonder has a scar on his nose from a 1973 car crash. Have you ever been in a car accident?
Yes, so many times that I lost track of them. My current Prius was hit when I only had 197 miles on it; a hit-and-run drunk hit my car and seven other cars as he drove down the street.

6) Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager were married when they wrote this. Do you know a husband and wife who work together? 
I don’t think so, I used to but one left the company and went working on his own.

7) This song celebrates friendship through good times and bad. Tell us about a happy time you recently shared with someone close to you.
When I received feedback from a Multicultural Education class that I taught, I shared it with my brother and now I will share one with you…

            I truly enjoyed Diana’s lecture this week and I know that many others in the class agree!

            One thing that stood out to me was the discussion of microaggressions.  We had just learned about microaggressions in our previous class! I think that hearing Diana’s perspective enhanced my understanding of microaggressions.  Many of the questions that she said never to ask or say are things that I could easily see well-meaning people saying unwittingly.  For example, “have you hadthe surgery?” “I would have never known you were a male!” “Which bathroom do you use?” “What was your real name?” and “When did you decide to become a woman?” are all things that I can imagine people would say if they were trying to be kind or genuinely trying to understand her experience.  I’m glad that I’ve been taught to be more sensitive about these types of matters and now I can see why it’s actually very rude to say any of these things.

            It is a brave decision to be “out” because, as Diana said, you are in a position where you are always the example and always need to be a role model.  Chances are that you might be one of the only people like you that a lot of people have known and that puts a lot of pressure on a person to always do the right thing to prevent stereotypes.  It’s as if the pressure isn’t over even after you transition…even though a lot of the negative thoughts go away (suicidal thoughts, drug/alcohol abuse, cutting, etc. all go down after transition), there’s still a lot of pressure on you for the rest of your life.  You live in fear of being discovered or you live your life carefully because you know you’re an “example.”  It’s hard to tell which choice is the better choice.  I wonder what choice I would make if in that situation! One thing’s for sure, these people have faced more challenges than I have in my life and they are unfathomably brave, no matter what they choose.

Later on the professor sent me another email…

I did an activity yesterday in my UConn class. It was a simulation in which the 20 students were required to look at 17 resumes and hire seven teachers unanimously.  Each brief resume has a loaded statement, such as one person along to a military militia group, another was a professed segregationist, another had 10 kids, etc. One of the potential people to hire was a transgender teacher FTM. in the past when I did this activity it was usually early on in the course and rarely, if ever do the students choose to hire this person. Often the reason is that there are other candidates better suited. In yesterday's class all four groups unanimously hired the transgender teacher. This was a first. my role is to challenge them on why they hired or did not hire each candidate. The students were uniformly saying that this person is well-qualified.

 You are making a difference.

8) Now share a time when you were there for a friend through a tough time.
A homeless friend need a place to stay while she had surgery.

9) Random question: When is the last time you were out of breath?
This morning getting out of bed.

We Come In All Flavors.

There is no one type of trans, some can integrate in to society, some can’t, some crossdress on weekends, some have transitioned, some are on hormones and some wants to have surgery. But we are all trans, we all cross the gender norms. I found this article about how we can help each other, some of the ideas I like other well…

9 Ways Trans Folks Can Support Each Other
Pride
By Basil Soper
March 30, 2016

1 Hold Space for Trans People Who Are Non-Binary, Non-Conforming, or Questioning
Binary trans folks can be just as exclusive and dismissive towards genderqueer people. These folks are on the spectrum and a part of our community. Support them where they are at!

2. Believe Trans Folks
Sometimes, tran folks like to think there is some kind of trans card you need to be a part of the club. If someone comes out as trans and you, personally, don't think they are trans- you need to check yourself. Trans people come in all forms!

3. Don’t Judge How Someone Transitions
We are all on our own gender journey. Some folks choose to not use hormones. Some don't ever want surgery. Some want to express themselves in a more androgynous manner. It's all about what makes that personal comfortable. Remember, their expression does not reflect on you or your identity.

The article goes on with this idea,

5 Advocate For All Trans Folks
Depending on socio-economic status, race, gender expression, identity, history, and location some trans folks are more privileged than others. We need to adovocate for one another, no matter what. We are a united front, let's act like it!

This is something that I believe in, we can’t judge who is trans and who is not because we end up with a “pecking order” or “I’m most trans than you.” We criticize laws that ban us from using the bathroom of our gender identity and we complain that it is unenforceable unless they check everyone, we the same is true when we trans to label who are trans and who are not.

Item 6 I do not agree with,

6 Share Lists of Safe Spaces
Keep tabs on organizations, bathrooms, hair salons, barbers, and workplaces that are trans friendly. Post and share this information with folks that need it!

One of the local support groups that I attended had on their website a list of safe places like the author suggested… well. One time one of the gay bars that was listed changed to a country & western bar complete with a mechanical bull, needless to say when the group of trans women walked in they weren’t welcome. That is the problem with lists, they must be constantly updated, if you don’t it can have disastrous consequences.

Who Are You?

For many trans people proving your identity is hard, especially if you are trying to vote or travel.

“You Are Clearly Not A Miss, Sir” - Jetstar Refuses To Let Transgender Woman Board Plane
Malaysian Digest
April 8, 2016

A transgender woman who was unable to board a flight because she didn't have identification has described the experience as humiliating.

Jetstar has apologised to Darci-Lee Hume of Christchurch, who said she was due to board a flight out of Christchurch airport with a friend yesterday morning, but was not able to check in.

She told Fairfax the pair were asked to show identification by Jetstar staff. The friend used a bank card, but Miss Hume did not have any ID so was not allowed to board the flight.

The airline later said,

A Jetstar spokesman told Fairfax that Ms Hume's gender was not an issue when they asked for identification, and regretted any offence caused.

For many trans people having proper ID is almost impossible; we can’t afford to have a car so we don’t have a driver license, we don’t have a permanent address, nor do we have bank accounts so we are left without any IDs.

Please, Please End The Attacks!

More states that are dominated by Republican legislatures are passing “Jim Crow” against LGBT people. These hateful laws are meant to make lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people second class people. They intend to demonize us.

In Kansas you can change your birth certificate with surgery, but the Republican governor wants to change that for the worst.

Proposal could block transgender Kansans from updating birth certificates
Wichita Eagle
By Bryan Lowry
April 6, 2016

Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration is moving forward with a policy change that would make it more difficult for transgender people to change the gender on their birth certificates.

Under current regulations, a person can change the gender on his or her birth certificate by providing a “medical certificate substantiating that a physiological or anatomical change occurred” or by signing an affidavit saying that the gender was incorrectly recorded.

The Brownback administration has proposed changing the regulations so that the gender on a person’s birth certificate can be changed only if the person signs an affidavit saying the gender was incorrectly recorded on the original certificate and provides medical records substantiating that claim.

At one time the Republicans were in favor of allowing the gender markers, they realized that to be a productive member of society that it made sense to be able to change your birth certificate but that all have changed. Now they want to be vindictive and punitive.

Seven Other States Are Considering Restricting Bathrooms For Transgender People
Five Thirty Eight
By Leah Libresco
April 6, 2016

Two weeks ago, North Carolina passed a law that requires schools and public agencies to have gender-segregated bathrooms and to prevent people from using a bathroom that doesn’t correspond to their biological sex. Since then, PayPal has canceled plans to build a new operations center in Charlotte, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has banned state employees from making nonessential work trips to North Carolina, and composer Stephen Schwartz has announced that he will not allow his musicals to be performed in the state.

Regulating which bathrooms transgender people can use is the latest frontier in the fight over how the country should accommodate transgender people. In November 2015, Houston voters overturned a nondiscrimination ordinance to prevent it from allowing transgender people to use the bathrooms that matched their gender identity. (The ordinance didn’t mention bathrooms directly.) South Dakota passed a narrower bill that would have required students to use bathrooms that matched their biological sex, but Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard vetoed it in early March.
[…]
Since the start of this year’s legislative session, bills in seven states have already faded away. But legislation is still under active consideration in seven others, so if those bills move forward, activists may have trouble boycotting all eight.

Democrats are not introducing these bills, they are not voting for these bills (there might be few a renegade Democrat who votes for these bills), these bills are being introduced by Republicans and voted on by Republicans.

I hear trans people saying that they are voting Republican because they want government off their backs… well tell me what could be more invasive than checking what is between your legs. The Republicans say they are Constitutionalists however they ignore the separation of church and state by passing laws that give special rights by claiming it is against your religion. The RNC endorses these laws and disregards all the legal ruling to the contrary. If you vote Republican you are giving your approval to these laws.

I Am Not A Gamer…

But I came across this article about trans people programers and the gamers that play their games.

‘Baldur’s Gate’ game studio flooded with abuse over new transgender character
Pink News
By Nick Duffy
7th April 2016

A video game developer has spoken out against tides of horrific personal abuse – after the inclusion of a transgender character in an expansion pack.

Beamdog Studios had included a transgender character in the latest expansion to fantasy role-playing game Baldur’s Gate, ‘Siege of Dragonspear’.
[…]
However, the inclusion of the character sparked a backlash among fans, who claimed that it was too unrealistic despite the game also featuring magic and mythical creatures.

Hundreds of fans flooded the game’s pages with negative reviews, claiming that the “crap writer” should be dismissed for creating “a tranny that doesn’t fit the lore”.

Many of the comments are personally directed at writer Amber Scott, who has been subjected to online abuse and repeated threats of violence.

And lazygamer.net reports

Oster did however make it very clear that harassment of individual developers who internet users might try to lay singular blame on for the inclusion of “politically correct” characters will not be tolerated. Oster warned that Beamdog is a small team of talented developers that will stand by each other no matter what, and that harassment towards any member of this team will be ferverously defended against by the studio.

As I mentioned, I am not a gamer but I know bigotry when I see it. I doubt most gamers feel this way but like any community there are some vocal opponents.

Pushed To The Back Burner

We have been promised that the military will be integrated this spring for trans service members; well…

The Military’s Transgender Policy, Stalled
New York Times
By The Editorial Board
April 6, 2016

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced last July that the Pentagon intended to allow transgender people to serve openly in the military within six months, calling the decades-long ban “outdated” and an impediment to attracting and retaining top talent.

More than eight months later, a new policy has yet to be unveiled. It is imperative that Mr. Carter complete this process in a matter of weeks so transgender troops can start serving openly while he is in office.
[…]
A task force Mr. Carter convened last year to establish an inclusive policy has drafted regulations addressing how the Defense Department should handle cases of service members who transition after joining the military. But questions remain. Some officials have recommended that transgender troops who transition soon after enlisting should be discharged, but have given no legitimate reasons for this proposal. In any case, such an approach would be discriminatory. There is also some debate over the criteria to use in evaluating whether people who are undergoing transition-related medical treatment are fit for duty.

It seems to me that other nations have tackled this already and I don’t see why we can’t integrate the military.

Once a new policy is announced, the military services are likely to ask for a period to educate the force before it is put into effect. This should be done as quickly as possible. If the changes are not made expeditiously, Mr. Carter runs the risk of leaving office with an unfulfilled promise to a small, but important, segment of Americans who want to continue serving their country honorably.

That would be unfair to them, squander investments the military has made in highly skilled personnel and tarnish the legacy of a defense secretary who has done much to make the Pentagon a more inclusive and attractive employer.

Just do it!

Oh When Will They Ever Learn?

More and more schools are thumbing their noses at Title IX while other school district see the light.

This High School Won’t Let This Student Run For Prom King Because of His Transgender Identity
By Fresh U Editors
April 4, 2016

Tremper High School – located in Kenosha, WI – is refusing to let one student run for Prom King because of his transgender identity. Ash Whitaker, a junior at Tremper, says the high school also does not respect his gender identity or allow him to use the correct bathroom while at school.

In an email, he told Fresh U: "The principal and an assistant principal, who are also receiving a directive from the ESC (administration offices of the district), told me I was not allowed to run for prom king. I have had numerous meetings with them to see if they would change their minds. This was not the first time I was discriminated [against] because of my sex. They offered the female restroom or the staff bathroom which is buried in the main office, but is nowhere near any of my classes. It could take up to 15 minutes just to go and use the restroom and come back."

This issue has been settled by the courts all around the country and many schools around the country have allowed trans students to run for homecoming king and queens with no problems. But once in awhile we get some stubborn school officials who want to let their bigotry rule over the law.

And then up in New Hampshire a school district near where our family have our cottage a school district is wrestling with the school trans policy.

Hooksett tackles proposed school transgender policy
Union Leader
By Jason Schreiber
April 5, 2016

HOOKSETT — The Hooksett School District is the latest to consider a new policy aimed at addressing restroom and locker room accessibility and other needs of transgender and gender non-conforming students.

The school board took up the proposed policy for the first time Tuesday night, with some members questioning whether it was really needed and others voicing concerns about how bathroom and locker room use would be handled in a way that makes all students comfortable.

“It’s tough to balance everything out,” said board member Phil Denbow, who added that the policy seemed “radical.”

The policy was drawn up at the recommendation of the New Hampshire School Boards Association and was not prompted by any current issues involving transgender or gender non-conforming students.
[…]
The policy states that students must have access to a restroom that corresponds to their gender identity.

“Any student who has a need or desire for increased privacy, regardless of the underlying reason, should be provided access to a single-stall restroom, but no student shall be required to use such restroom,” the policy states.

Superintendent Charles Littlefield said students who feel uncomfortable that a transgendered student is using the restrooms would also have the right to ask to use a private restroom.

The policy does the right thing; it follows the law and is also the moral thing to do.

How Many Times Have We Heard This?

It seems like whenever we have a setback the trans exclusionists come out of the closet.

Carving Up the Rainbow?
Huffington Queer Voices
By Mischa Haider
April 3, 2016

The trans community and the LGBT community is falling into the old trap of infighting over who among us is most to blame for the hate now being directed at us and, perhaps in seasonal spirit, trying to figure out who should be the Paschal lamb. It appears from the debate that this honor will be bestowed on gender fluid and trans people who do not inhabit the binary.

There have been articles from gay activists like Shannon Gilreath accusing trans-inclusive protection supporters of unleashing the gates of hell on innocent LGB bystanders, and even trans activist Dana Beyer has suggested that we should hide the non-binary trans Americans from view, because they embarrass us and make people uncomfortable.

What an incredibly shortsighted approach. It helps make clear why American bigots have always been able to take aim so easily at the minority piñata du jour. Instead of banding together and challenging the very vinculum of intolerance toward what is different or uncomfortable, we have been deciding who is more deserving of rights and at whose expense. Perhaps we should all take a moment to reflect on Martin Luther King’s observation that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” so similar in spirit to Martin Niemöller’s famous poem about passivity in the face of oppression. First they came for the gender-fluid, but I was not gender-fluid, so I said nothing...

This is nothing new, after the Stonewall Uprising they not only didn’t want us but also gays and lesbians who couldn’t pass as straights. They only wanted gays and lesbians and trans people who could assimilate into society. They only wanted gays who were not flamboyant, they only wanted lesbians who were not too butch, and trans people they didn’t want at all.

What they want are those with passing privilege, nothing has changed in over forty-five years. When someone is beating you with a baseball bat they don’t ask are you gay or trans… oh sorry I only beat trans people. What they see as they are beating you is someone who is different from them. 

Typical…

Man has sex with a trans woman and then kills her.

NY Transgender Woman's Killer Pleads Guilty
Courthouse House News
By Adam Klasfeld

MANHATTAN (CN) - Nearly three years after a crime that called attention to anti-transgender violence here, a New Yorker who beat 21-year-old Islan Nettles to death in Harlem pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Monday.

     In August 2013, James Dixon yelled homophobic slurs and brutally attacked Nettles after he saw Nettles and her friends walking late at night near a police precinct in Harlem, according to reports at the time.

     Nettles slipped into a coma and died a week later.

     Dixon was not indicted until 2015 because some witnesses identified his friend as the attacker, the New York Times reported.

And in Canada,

Canadian transgender man beaten and called 'faggot' by bouncer to get $15k compensation from nightclub
He was forcibly removed from the washroom with urine stains on his pants and then pulled by the hair and clothing through the club.
Gay Star News
5 April 2016
By Nigel Tan

A transgender man who was physically assaulted and humiliated by a bouncer at a nightclub in Ontario is awarded $15,000 in compensation.

The altercation took place two years ago, when the victim, Caesar Lewis, was with his friends at Mississauga’s Sugar Daddy’s Night Club.

Lewis, who is in his mid-twenties, described to the court that he was in the men’s washroom when a bouncer of the nightclub came banging on his cubicle, demanding him to leave or he would be thrown out.

However, before Lewis was ready, the bouncer forced open the door and dragged him out with his pants still at his knees, reports Toronto Sun.

Lewis’s friend, who is also a transgender male, said it was their right to use the men’s washroom, but the bouncer yelled back:

‘You freaks need to get your fucking faggot asses out of this club.

In California...

TRANSGENDER TEEN INTENTIONALLY STRUCK BY HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER, POLICE SAY
ABC 7
By Sid Garcia
April 04, 2016

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- Police and family members are asking for the public's help on Monday in finding a hit-and-run driver accused of intentionally striking a transgender person in Monterey Park.

Police said the crash happened in front of the popular Luminarias Restaurant shortly after 2:30 a.m. in the 3700 block of Ramona Boulevard Saturday.

Police said the young man, who was dressed as a woman, was attending a party at the location when he was intentionally struck by the driver, who then fled the scene. Authorities said the victim was in serious but stable condition.

Then over in Malaysia the religious police attack a trans dinner.

Transgender at ‘beauty pageant’ to be charged with encouraging vice, group says
Malay Mail Online
By Boo Su-Lyn
April 5, 2016

KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — The Federal Territories Islamic Department (JAWI) is planning to charge a trans woman with encouraging vice and with defying religious authorities after she allegedly organised a purported beauty pageant, a group said.

Lalita Abdullah, exco member of transgender rights group SEED Malaysia, said the religious authorities had informed Ira Sophia, after detaining her for almost 24 hours, that she would be charged next month under Section 9 and Section 35 of the Shariah Criminal Offences (Federal Territories) Act 1997.

“She has to appear in court on 5th of May,” Lalita told Malay Mail Online after Ira was released late last night.

The activist said JAWI officers did not specify Ira’s alleged actions that prompted the prosecution, but merely stated the sections of the law they planned to charge her under.
[…]
JAWI raided a private fundraising event by trans people Sunday night at an upscale hotel here that hosted a beauty contest for entertainment, according to lawyer Siti Kasim who had attended the dinner function allegedly organised by Ira. 

We face violence worldwide, and there is no end to it and it seems like it is getting worst. I don’t know if it is because we are now in the spotlight or if it is just being reported more or if the hate that politicians spew is empowering the haters.

Bones

No, not Bones on Star Trek, but your bones; have you had them check lately?

Cross-Sex Hormonal Treatment Increases Bone Mineral Density in Transgender Patients
MD All Specialties
By Caitlyn Fitzpatrick
April 1, 2016

Estrogen has a positive impact on bone mineral density (BMD), and although it’s known that testosterone increases bone size, its effect on BMD is unclear. Chantal M Wiepjes, PhD student, and colleagues from VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, Netherlands set out to uncover how cross-sex hormonal treatment (CSHT) in transgender patients impacts BMD. Their findings were presented during a poster session at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting (ENDO 2016) in Boston, Massachusetts.

Using 205 adults who completed one year of CSHT, the researchers examined male-to-female (MtF) and female-to-male (FtM) transitions. The 98 MtF and 107 FtM participants underwent a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to measure lumbar spine BMD at baseline and after one year of the CSHT.

Okay, the research shows that CSHT has positive results for trans people, but… we all show be checked by having a bone density scan. On the University of California, San Francisco Center of Excellent for Transgender Health they write that,

Osteoporosis has been reported in both older transmen and transwomen, and is frequently associated with poor compliance with the hormone regimen. (Grade B)

Some patients prefer to stop hormonal therapy; for post-gonadectomy patients under age 50, this is not recommended due to bone loss, and potential symptoms similar to menopause in both transwomen and transmen. (Grade A, B, C)
[…]
Additional screenings to consider in older patients

Transwomen patients on feminizing hormone therapy: Mammograms are recommended for transwomen when patients have been using estrogen for at least 30 years AND are at least 50 years of age, unless there is a strong family history of early breast or ovarian cancer. (Grade C)

Follow USPSTF guidelines for prostate screening. PSA is not useful if patient is on estrogen. (Grade B)

Transmen without hysterectomy: Pelvic exams every 1-3 years for patients over age 40 or with a family history of uterine or ovarian cancer; increase to every year if polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) (see MedlinePlus) is present. Consider hysterectomy and oophorectomy if the patient's health will not be adversely affected by surgery, or if the patient is unable to tolerate pelvic exams. (Grade B, C)

Transmen: Consider bone density screening if age > 60 and if taking testosterone for < 5-10 years; if taking testosterone for > 5-10 years, consider at age 50+, earlier if additional risk factors for osteoporosis are present; recommend supplemental calcium and vitamin D in accordance with current osteoporosis prevention guidelines to help maintain bone density. Note that this may be applied to transmen at ages younger than typical starting age for osteoporosis prevention treatment due to the unknown effect of testosterone on bone density. (Grade B, C)

So after about seven years on CSHT your doctor should be ordering a bone density scan. You don’t want to find out the hard way when you slip and fall breaking your hip.

We All Know This

But it is still important to get this message out there.

Equality NC director: No public safety risks in cities with transgender anti-discrimination rules
PolitiFact
By Will Doran
April 1st, 2016

In the fight to defend Charlotte’s anti-discrimination ordinance, supporters questioned claims that it would have been a threat to public safety.

Chris Sgro, executive director of Equality NC, said many large cities have rules similar to what Charlotte proposed, before the legislature nullified it. Equality NC has since sued North Carolina to try to overturn the law.

"There have not been any public safety issues in those other communities," Sgro said at a rally outside the legislature just days before Charlotte’s bill was overturned.

But it fell on deaf ears.

Conservatives weren’t swayed, though. Before Charlotte’s bill was passed, and then after when it was being debated by the General Assembly and even now that is has been overturned, concerns about safety have been frequently mentioned.

The article then looks at the facts,

We asked the N.C. GOP if they could point to anything that backs up the safety fears. They provided a link to a news story in Seattle from earlier this year, about a man who had twice gone into a women’s locker room and began undressing. Seattle does allow transgender people to use the bathroom of the gender they identify as.

The man didn’t identify as transgender and didn’t appear to present as a woman, the story said. No one called the police, and the man wasn’t charged with any crime. Follow-up stories described the incident as a stunt, perhaps politically motivated.

For the Republicans these are just minor pesky details.

My thoughts on why the bill passed in North Carolina and nowhere else so far is that the bill was rushed through in days in a special session and there was no time to debate the bill or organize opposition. Also I think the legislators didn't even know what they were voting for, they didn't have time to read the bill. In other states there was time to have people testify against the bill, organize the press, and to get businesses to oppose the bill.

CT Primaries Are Not Until April 26th

I was questioned once at the polling place, the guy at the door wanted to know if it was my driver license… well the picture is me, who else looks so gorgeous?

But for many trans people voting is a hassle.

How ID Laws Disenfranchise Transgender Voters
A new report examines the costs and burdens transgender citizens face in trying to comply with photo ID voter laws.
City Lab
By Brentin Mock
April 1, 2016

Part of the grand short-sightedness of voter ID laws is that they depend upon obsolete notions of fixed identity for participation rights in a democracy premised, in many ways, on changing identities. People change their minds about politics, which is why we have elections every few years. People frequently move, or get evicted, or foreclosed on, and change addresses. Names change when people marry or get divorced. Names and appearances can change when people undergo a gender transition or come to identify as “non binary,” falling somewhere between genders.

None of these changes invalidate people’s eligibility to to cast votes, but voter ID laws certainly make elections tougher for the people experiencing these transitions. And few voters have as much trouble on Election Day in voter ID states than transgender people. The UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute offers some estimation of those unique burdens in its new report “Voter ID Laws and Their Added Costs for Transgender Voters”:

It may be difficult and costly for a transgender person to obtain photo identification that accurately reflects their gender and appearance after they have transitioned. Updating forms of ID with a change of gender is a unique responsibility that transgender people bear in order to vote in strict photo ID states. The processes involved in updating IDs have costs that impose disparate burdens on transgender Americans who wish to vote in these states. These costs are significant.

Not only is it a problem for us but anyone else who have changed their name as the article said either by marriage or divorce or whatever reason. Many people can’t take time off from work or they have to use public transportation to change all their paperwork in time for the elections.

Those who are able to finance and finagle all of this then have to worry about navigating the courts, which in many voter ID states, have the power to determine whether a person’s gender transition is legitimate enough to change their government-issued ID. The Williams Institute report gives an example of what a transgender voter in Kansas will have to go through to obtain the necessary ID to vote after transitioning:

Two forms of ID that are accepted when voting in Kansas include a driver’s license and a non-driver ID card. In order to update the gender marker and change the photo on one of these forms of ID, a transgender person has two options. They may obtain a court order of gender change and submit this along with their current driver’s license or ID card and pay a replacement fee ($16 for a driver’s license or $12 for an ID card) at a driver’s licensing exam station. It is not clear what the process is for obtaining the court order of gender change, and localities likely address this issue differently. There are costs for filing a civil petition in court, in addition to costs associated with obtaining copies of the order and providing necessary documentation to the court. The court docket fee set by the Kansas legislature is $173. This fee, along with an additional surcharge fee and fees set by the individual’s county of residence, is required for a petition of name change, which may be similar in cost to a petition for gender change. A fee waiver based on an individual’s ability to pay is available.

As I mentioned when I went to vote the person at the door checking ID didn’t want to let me in a first because he read me as trans and my driver license said female and it had a picture of a woman on it… me. He looked at my license, looked at me, looked at the license again and when humph and handed my license back.

It’s In The Water

You can’t help but wonder if it is in the water that we drink.

Experts: 'Intersex' Bass Fish Likely In Connecticut Too
Hartford Courant
By Gregory B. Hladky Contact Reporter
April 2, 2016

If you're fishing for freshwater bass these days in Connecticut — or anywhere else in the Northeast — chances are pretty good you may catch fish that are neither completely male nor completely female.

A federal survey of black bass at 19 national wildlife refuges in New England and the northeastern U.S. found that alarming percentages of these popular sport fish are "intersex," a nonnatural condition that occurs when males of a species develop female characteristics and vice versa.
[…]
This peculiar sexual switch in fish is believed to be the result of endocrine-disrupting chemicals that get into the water from discarded pharmaceutical medications, animal and human waste, fertilizers and popular herbicides used to treat lawns, golf courses and agricultural crops.

For smallmouth bass, the rate of males showing female characteristics was a stunning 85 percent, according to the study by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The intersex rate for male largemouth bass tested was 27 percent on average.

Hmm… it has to make one think about the number of trans children coming out if there is a link between the two. I remember in one of the support groups we had a cluster of members coming from one town along the Naugatuck river where there was a big chemical company and we used to joke the “it must be the water.”

It turns out that fish are not the only species with an increasing number of intersex young.

Intersex frogs in the U.S. have also alarmed some environmentalists, particularly because of indications that a popular herbicide called atrazine may be linked to the sexual changes.

Here in Connecticut I don’t think that there is a problem with our drinking water since most of our water comes from reservoirs and not from rivers.

There is one comment that I have to laugh at, our governor invited companies from North Carolina to come to Connecticut because of our diverse workforce. Well the commenter made use of the governor’s comments.

In a related story, Governor Malloy today announced that all of these fish are welcome to CT, where they can swim in any body of water that they choose without fear for their personal safety....

Saturday 9: Fool on the Hill

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: Fool on the Hill (1967)  

Every Saturday I take time off from written on serious topics to have some fun…

Unfamiliar with today's song? We can't help you. The YouTube copyright police have removed the Beatles' version.

1) Friday was April Fool's Day. Did you pull any pranks? Did anyone put anything over on you?
Nope, but then again I haven’t received the estimate to fix my deck yet, I had a builder out yesterday to give me an estimate so I might get my April Fool’s joke in a couple of days.

2) The practice of playing tricks on one another on April 1 dates back at least to the 14th century and Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales includes a mention of it. Geoffrey Chaucer has been called England's greatest poet. Quote a bit of poetry for us. (It doesn't have to be English, or great.)

Lady in the Mirror

Heart skips a beat.
    Stomach flutters.
         Breath is lost.
I see me.
    I am whole.
          I am one.

This was my first attempt at poetry.

3) Beatle Paul is a huge Elvis fan and is happy to own the bass that was played on Elvis' 1954 recording of "That's All Right, Mama." Tell us about one of your prized possessions. 
My camera.

4) In contrast to his easygoing persona, Sir Paul has been described by former band mate Ringo Starr as strong willed and "determined to get his own way." Do you consider yourself strong willed and determined? Or are you more easy going?
I am more easy going, I think as you get older you get more easy going, you seen so much that you know life will go on.

5) The Beatles once bought a Greek island, planning to live and record there, but sold it after a few months because it started to seem like a bad, expensive idea. Tell us about a purchase that gave you buyer's remorse. 
A lens it was a 500mm f8 lens that was totally worthless… anyone want to buy it?

6) Legend has it that the Beatles officially broke up in Disney World. John Lennon was staying at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort when he received and signed the court papers that dissolved the group. Have you ever conducted business while on vacation?
Well that is hard to answer because if I did work while on vacation then it wasn’t really a vacation. The real answer is yes and I was mad that I got the call; I was almost ready to change my timesheet to add 2 hours of work.

7) George Harrison loved puttering around in the garden and dedicated his autobiography to "gardeners everywhere." Do you have a green thumb?
No, I have a black thumb.

8) Ringo regrets not having saved more Beatles memorabilia, which he realizes now would be worth a fortune. Are you a pack rat?  
Not really, I don’t keep things to hoard them, I’m just too lazy to throw anything out. But I’m hoping that I turned over a new leaf.

9) Random question: Which do you prefer, Girl Scout cookies or Boy Scout popcorn?
Girl Scout cookies, the Boy Scouts still discrimination. They still don’t allow transgender boys into their ranks while the Girl Scouts are open to all girls.

Tilting Windmills

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far

"The Impossible Dream"
from MAN OF LA MANCHA (1972)

Sometime fighting that unrightable wrong become a burden that is too heavy, sometimes you just need to walk away and you want to call “Time Out!” But life doesn’t give you any time outs.

This week has been particularly burdensome with training for 211 operators Tuesday morning. Yesterday afternoon I went back to my alma mater to give a talk to the Pride Committee and I was there a little over two hours. Today I had a conference call about our conference with a former classmate and friend who I worked with in passing the gender inclusive non-discrimination and birth certificate bills. Then I had a contractor over my house to give me an estimate on my deck to redeck it with composite decking. Now I am at the town senior center’s photo club for some me time.

This is on top of my volunteer work I do at the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective and the work I do for CTAC (Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition).

And I look around the U.S. and I see all this negativity directed against us and then you wonder, am I making a difference or am I just tilling windmills.

I asked that question to a friend who I teach a class as a guest lecturer and he said “Darn right!  These teachers will remember your positive messages for ever.”

The work just seems like it never ends and that the whole world is against us.

Now It Is Mississippi Turn

Another Republican legislature passed hate legislation.

Reaction to Mississippi's Religious Accommodations Act
WTOK
March 31, 2016

Jackson, Miss. The purpose of the Religious Accommodations Act varies depending on who you ask. It has passed the Mississippi House and Senate but has to go back to the House for another seal of approval before it hits the governor's desk.

Opponents say the proposal legalizes discrimination, while supporters say it's legal protection for those exercising their religious beliefs.

"I shouldn't be forced to violate that principle to satisfy someone else's lawsuit or claim or whatever it may be," said Rep. Andy Gipson, author of the bill.

Meanwhile in North Carolina is starting to feel the burn.

Over 100 top CEOs press North Carolina governor to repeal anti-transgender law
The Japan Times
AP
April 1, 2016

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – More than 100 corporate executives added their names to a letter delivered to North Carolina’s governor on Thursday calling for the repeal of the nation’s first state law limiting bathroom options for transgender people.

The law signed by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory also prohibits local anti-discrimination measures; prevents workers from suing in state court alleging discrimination on the basis of race, sex and other factors; and prevents cities and counties from requiring businesses to provide minimum wages or paid sick leave.
[…]
The list now includes leaders of many sectors of the economy. Tourism is represented by Hilton, Marriott and Starwood hotels; AirBnB, Uber and Lyft; and American Airlines, which has a major hub in Charlotte, the state’s largest city.

Banking and finance executives include the leaders of Bank of America, Citibank, TD Bank, PayPal and others. Restaurateurs and retailers include leaders of Starbucks, Barnes & Noble and Levi Strauss. Technology leaders joined in force, including the leaders of IBM, Apple, Intel, Google, Facebook, Yahoo, eBay, Twitter, YouTube and many others.

Connecticut not to be left out…

Executive Order bans state-funded travel to North Carolina
WTNH
By Mark Davis, News 8 Chief Capitol Correspondent
Published: March 31, 2016

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Governor Malloy is once again inserting himself into national controversy over a law in another state. Even though he is up to his ears in red ink and about to layoff perhaps thousands of state employees, the Governor is dipping into the national controversy centering on a controversial new law in the state of North Carolina.

Signing an Executive Order Wednesday banning any state funded travel to North Carolina, saying the new law is discriminatory to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens. Especially placing transgender citizens at risk. “People who are in the process of changing from one gender to another are very vulnerable and to tell a person what bathroom they have to use is a very dangerous position,” says the Governor.

So why is there a rash of these anti-LGBT and anti-trans laws? It can be traced right back to the top, the Republican National Committee.

RNC endorses anti-trans bathroom bills
Washington Blade
By Chris Johnson
February 25, 2016

Amid consideration in state legislatures of “papers to pee” bathroom bills aimed against transgender students, the Republican National Committee has approved a resolution endorsing the legislation. The resolution, approved under the chairmanship of Reince Priebus, condemns as “governmental overreach” the Obama administration’s interpretation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to prohibit discrimination against transgender students

The resolution says,

RESOLUTION CONDEMNING GOVERNMENTAL OVERREACH

REGARDING TITLE IX POLICIES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

WHEREAS, A person’s sex is defined as the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined at conception, identified at birth by a person’s anatomy, recorded on their official birth certificate, and can be confirmed by DNA testing;
WHEREAS, Transgender policies deal with students who choose to be designated by their desired gender identity; an identity that conflicts with their anatomical sex;
WHEREAS, The U.S. Congress has never included gender identity within the Title IX Federal Law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity and that mandates allowing students of one biological sex to play sports designated for the opposite biological sex;
WHEREAS, Federal courts have ruled that Title IX does not extend to claims of discrimination based on gender identity and that schools can maintain separate restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities on the basis of sex where privacy is a concern;
WHEREAS, The Obama Administration’s Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights released an updated policy letter stating that Title IX’s sex discrimination prohibition extends to an individual’s chosen gender identity of male or female;
WHEREAS, Federal courts have ruled that the U.S. Department of Education’s interpretation of Title IX is not legally binding because the Department lacks authority to promulgate such an interpretation; and
WHEREAS, Policies of the Obama Administration, presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and public schools that allow any students to use the restrooms, locker rooms, or other facilities designated for the exclusive use of the other sex infringes on the rights of privacy and conscience of other students; and therefore be it
RESOLVED, The Republican National Committee calls on the Department of Education to rescind its interpretation of Title IX that wrongly includes facility use issues by transgender students;
RESOLVED, The Republican National Committee encourages State Legislatures to recognize that these Obama gender identity policies are a federal governmental overreach, a misinterpretation of Title IX policies, and an infringement upon the majority of students’ Constitutional rights; and
RESOLVED, The Republican National Committee encourages state legislatures to enact laws that protect student privacy and limit the use of restrooms, locker rooms and similar facilities to members of
the sex to whom the facility is designated

So all of you who think that I am picking on the Republicans, please explain this.