(October 22, 2009, Washington, DC) In an historic move, the United States Senate joined the House of Representatives in passing The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which will be the first federal law to include gender identity and transgender people. Once signed by the President, this law will add sexual orientation, gender identity, gender and disability to the categories included in existing federal hate crimes law and will allow local governments who are unable or unwilling to address hate crimes to receive assistance from the federal government. President Obama has indicated that he will sign the bill into law. more...
It was an exciting weekend in Washington DC with President Obama giving a passionate speech on LGBT equality on Saturday. Sunday thousands of LGBT people and allies marched on the Capital demanding full LGBT equality. Here are some video's of the speakers from the National Equality March Rally and President Obama's address to the HRC.
An estimated 25% of North American babies receive infant formula made from processed soybeans. Parents use soy formula in the belief that is it healthier than formula based on cows' milk. Soy promotional material claims that soy provides complete protein that is less allergenic than cows' milk protein. When soy infant formula first became commercially available, manufacturers even promised that soy formula was "better than breast milk."
Parents have a right to know how these extravagant claims compare to scientific findings related to soy infant formula...
The most serious problem with soy formula is the presence of phytoestrogens or isoflavones. While many claims have been made about the health benefits of these estrogen-like compounds, animal studies indicate that they are powerful endocrine disrupters that alter growth patterns and cause sterility. Toxicologists estimate that an infant exclusively fed soy formula receives the estrogenic equivalent of at least five birth control pills per day. By contrast, almost no phytoestrogens have been detected in dairy-based infant formula or in human milk, even when the mother consumes soy products. A recent study found that babies fed soy-based formula had 13,000 to 22,0000 times more isoflavones in their blood than babies fed milk-based formula. Scientists have known for years that isoflavones in soy products can depress thyroid function, causing autoimmune thyroid disease and even cancer of the thyroid. But what are the effects of soy products on the hormonal development of the infant, both male and female?
Male infants undergo a "testosterone surge" during the first few months of life, when testosterone levels may be as high as those of an adult male. During this period, the infant is programed to express male characteristics after puberty, not only in the development of his sexual organs and other masculine physical traits, but also in setting patterns in the brain characteristic of male behavior. In monkeys, deficiency of male hormones impairs learning and the ability to perform visual discrimination tasks-such as would be required for reading-and retards the development of spatial perception, which is normally more acute in men than in women.
It goes without saying that future patterns of sexual orientation may also be influenced by the early hormonal environment. Pediatricians are noticing greater numbers of boys whose physical maturation is delayed, or does not occur at all, including lack of development of the sexual organs. Learning disabilities, especially in male children, have reached epidemic proportions. Soy infant feeding-which floods the bloodstream with female hormones that could inhibit the effects of male hormones-cannot be ignored as a possible cause for these tragic developments....
I just got home from the New England Trans United March and Rally. It was good to see some old friends and make some new. There was a good turn out for the parade and rally even in spite of the rain and drizzle.
The big thought that kept going through my head through out the rally is: This is so much more than our civil rights and social justice right now, it's about our core needs, housing and employment discrimination, appropriate medical care, and our general safety. I feel that in our advocacy we get so caught up in the civil rights and social justice aspect and loose sight of the fact that our biggest need right now is our core needs.
(Northampton, MA) Organizers of the (NETU)New England Trans United Pride March and Rally have announced the following lineup of speakers and performers for the event on Saturday, October 3, 2009 in Northampton, Massachusetts.
11:00 a.m. Assemble at Lampron Park/Bridge Street School (2 Parsons St.) Noon March steps off 12:30 p.m. Marchers arrive at Armory Street Lot (behind Thornes Marketplace) 12:45 p.m. Welcome by MC Tammy Twotone (entertainer) 12:50 p.m. Proclamation by Northampton Mayor Clare Higgins 1:05 p.m. To be announced 1:25 p.m. Lezleanne Rios (singer/songwriter) 1:35 p.m. Northampton At-Large City Councilor Michael Bardsley 1:50 p.m. Gunner Scott (Grand Marshal, MTPC) 2:00 p.m. Louis Mitchell (Minister, Recovering the Promise Ministries) 2:10 p.m. Fab 3 (surprise treat) 2:15 p.m. Ethan St. Pierre (TransFM Radio) 2:25 p.m. Announcements / Intermission 2:40 p.m. Joanna Frost (gender therapist) 2:50 p.m. Lorelei Erisis (Miss Trans New England) 3:00 p.m. Georgia Star Michaels (entertainer) 3:10 – 3:50 p.m. New England Trans United Pride Steering Committee members: Christa Hilfers, Bet Power, Brianna Harris, Vickie Boisseau, Danica Marie Ali, Yohah Ralph, Aydin Brannon, Samantha Cornell 3:50 p.m. Raffle Drawing 4:00 p.m. Deja Nicole Greenlaw (TRT columnist) 4:10 p.m. Ryan Thomas (Trans youth) 4:20 p.m. Miss Sabrina Blaze (entertainer) 4:50 p.m. 50/50 Raffle Drawing, Announcements 5:00 p.m. Rally ends
Contact: Bet Power New England Trans United P.O. Box 611 Northampton, MA 01060 Email: betpower@yahoo. com Email: Newenglandtransunited@yahoo.com Website:New England Trans United Pride March and Rally Phone: (413) 584-7616
Speakers, Performers Announced for New England Trans United Pride Regional March Set to Step Off on October 3
(Northampton, MA) The organizers of the New England Trans United (NETU) Pride March and Rally have announced a preliminary list of speakers and performers for the event. The march, which will step off at noon on October 3, 2009 at Lampron Park and proceed down Main Street in Northampton, MA, is being planned around the theme "Live Out Loud" to encourage pride in gender identity as expressed by individuals in the transgender community.
The rally, which will begin at 1:00 p.m. in the Armory Street lot, will include a variety of political speakers, transgender activists, and performers. Among those slated to appear are entertainer Tammy Twotone as MC; Northampton Mayor Mary Clare Higgins; City Councilor At Large and mayoral candidate Michael Bardsley; Gunner Scott, director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition; trans activist and minister Louis Mitchell of Recovering the Promise Ministries; and Ethan St. Pierre of TransFM radio.
"This is only the second New England-wide transgender civil rights march and, once again, it will take place in Northampton, MA" said Bet Power, a NETU organizer. "Last year's event in Northampton drew more than 1,000 participants and educated the public about the lives of transgender people and our need for critical non-discrimination and hate crimes legislation. We are very excited to present an impressive lineup of individuals who are eagerly anticipated by many people in the trans community and our allies."
Other speakers and performers will include Deja Nicole Greenlaw, The Rainbow Times columnist and musician; Lorelei Erisis, Miss Trans Northampton 2009; LezleeAnne Rios, singer/songwriter; and Ryan DiMartino, a transgender youth. The venue is accessible to the disabled, and Cat Dvar and a team of volunteers will interpret the rally in American Sign Language.
The complete rally lineup will be posted on the organization' s website later this month. For information about the New England Trans United Pride March and Rally, to donate or to volunteer to help, visit New England Trans United Pride March and Rally.
Chastity Bono, the daughter of Cher and the late Sonny Bono, will undergo gender transition to become a man, according to his publicist. “Chaz,” as Chastity now prefers to be known, and is proud of his decision. He hopes his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public on transgender issues, just as his coming out as a lesbian did 20 years ago. Chaz Bono, is an LGBT civil rights advocate, journalist, author and musician, and began the process of changing his gender earlier this year, following his 40th birthday. GLAAD and the Empowering Spirits Foundation, national LGBT organizations, were quick to offer praise and support for Bono's gender transformation announcement.
Writer and activist
Bono worked as a writer at large for The Advocate, a national gay and lesbian magazine.
Bono became a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, promoting National Coming Out Day, campaigning for the reelection of Bill Clinton for US President and campaigning against the Defense of Marriage Act.
Bono served as Entertainment Media Director for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
Books
Bono has written two books.
Family Outing : A Guide to the Coming Out Process for Gays, Lesbians, and Their Families tells the story of his own coming out, and also the stories of other gay and lesbian people.
The End of Innocence is a memoir which discusses his outing, music career, and partner Joan's death from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
I just finished watching "Running the Sahara" in TV this afternoon, and I have to say I am really inspired. As a transgender people we are tackling an amazing feat in transitioning into a gender that matches the person we are inside. We deal with all the psychological issues, hormonal changes, surgery, descrimination, family and whatever else society has to throw at us. We do all of this so that our bodies will match the person we are inside.
The thought that kept comming to my mind throughout the movie was, what am I going to be remembered for other than my gender transition? What will my legacy be? What will my contrabution to society be. Yes, I fight for transgender rights, so the generations to come don't have to go through what my generation went through. But, what is my legacy outside of transgenderism and transgender issues?
I am beginning to feel that we need to be thinking about a higher legacy. Don't let transgenderism be our legacy, but rather be just a stepping stone to something even bigger. For me, being the custodial parent of 2 children with disabilities, I want to use my advocacy skills to fight for kids with disabilites. Not that I will part from my transgender activism, but take it to a higher plain to include more than just transgender issues.
I feel we all need to spend some time thinking, what can we contribute to the larger society? As we take our eyes off ourselves, and reach out to others outside the transgender community, I believe more respect will come to us as a transgender person, and the transgender community at large.
Last week I started the process of doing a common law name change. I have to say I have been excited and yet nervous at the same time. I find myself explaining my gender identity to people I have known and done business with for many years. So far this has been a very positive experience for me and perhaps the most exciting and fulfilling time of my life.
So far everyone has been respectful of my transition. Several have congratulated me on my decision to be me. My insurance agent said "you lived the first half of your life in hell, now it is time you live your life as the person you were meant to be, congratulations." I just can't get over the overwhelming support people are showing me, whether they be a perfect stranger or someone whom has known me for many years.
I think looking back, I feel like I was my own worst enemy. I was SO afraid many were going to reject me for making the choice I made. In reality, this was not a choice at all, I could no longer go on living the lie. Even though I had a male body, I KNEW I was a female inside. For so many years I let fear rule the coarse of my life. Sometimes I ask myself, Is it my fear, or is it that society is finally coming around to accepting us for who we are? Maybe a little of both?
The thing I am realizing most right now, is coming out is truly a liberating experience. I am now experiencing a true peace like I have never experienced before in my life. My biggest regret is that I didn't do this many years ago. I feel like I am now being rewarded for waiting, as long as I did, I have full sole custody of my 2 boys and they are fully accepting of my transition. What more could a person ask for.
April 28, 2009, New York State had its Equality and Justice Day at the State Capitol in Albany, NY. I was out there lobbying for Dignity for All Students ACT, Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), and marriage equality. I was really wowed by the pure raw energy through out the day, especially during Governor David Patterson’s morning speech, and at the rally. The other thing that really caught my attention was when we were walking to the legislative office building and hearing the roar of the supporters from other states, especially Vermont, thank you Vermont!
I met with my legislators (both of whom happen to be republican), and the big message I received from both was that they need to hear from their constituents. When I asked the Chief of Staff of my Assemblyman why my assemblyman voted against the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), he replied "we need to hear from our constituents, and we vote on what the majority of out constituents want from us". My senator also told us that he votes based on his constituency and moral values.
I have been involved in a lot of activism leading up to the New York Equality & Justice Day in my community. I find that after all the media attention we have received this last year, people are eager to learn about transgender and the transgender community. The transgender literature was flying off the tables. People are hungry to know more about us, they want to hear our stories, and they want to hear it from the transgender people themselves.
Since I have been "out" in my conservative little community, the people have been just wonderful to me and my children. Sure I have dealt with small pockets of discrimination, but I find this disappears with education and time. My children’s school district has been wonderful to me, they allowed be to do a common-law name change on my children’s school records, refer to my using proper pronouns. I raise a child with disabilities and all the disability organizations we deal with have been very supportive.
You may ask, "Why do we need Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) and Dignity for All Students Act? The reason is simple, we still have serious pockets of hate and violence, transgender people are still loosing their jobs due to discrimination, transgender people are still being evicted from our homes, being denied necessary healthcare, etc. These bills will give us the tools we desperately need to continue the fight towards winning full equality.
You can make a difference, even if you can't attend the events. Hand written letters and phone calls carry the most weight. Most legislators read their mail, but email is easily deleted. Talk about your experiences, good and bad. People want to learn about us.
KNUS weekend host Trevor Carey asserted that a transgender woman murdered in Greeley had committed "fraud" in presenting herself as a woman and agreed with a caller that it was grounds for physical violence against her. Carey also stated that the victim, Angie Zapata, had "faked" the suspect into having "some sexual relations," and claimed that "rage" regarding "the fact that [Zapata] was living as a woman" had "so much to do with the murder."
April 21, 2009 We thank the New York State Assembly for voting by a wide margin today to amend the state’s human rights law to include anti-discrimination protections based upon gender identity and expression. The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA, A.5710) provides crucial civil rights protections for transgender New Yorkers by banning discrimination in housing, employment, credit, public accommodations, and other areas of everyday life.
Read the statement released by the Empire State Pride Agenda:
You may have heard already that Amazon has recently begun removing ranks and search-ability of books that are considered to have "adult content." Here's what we know:
Authors and readers began to piece together the trends over the weekend -- largely via Twitter -- and realized that many of the books that have been labeled "adult" are ones that address gay/queer/lgbt issues. (Eerily, the exception to this seems to be anti-gay propaganda, like books on preventing homosexuality in your children.)
More info can be found by putting the term "#amazonfail" in Google and/or Twitter.
The LGBT community is an respectable part to the booksellers market share and if we all boycott Amazon, perhaps Amazon will rethink the idea of censoring our books and classifying them as "adult".
Thanks to all who have written about this and for showing your support for all writers and readers who want and deserve shame-free access to LGBT books.
I just got my common-law name change done in my school district and changed on all my kids school records and paperwork. It is also noted that I am transgender and should be referred to with female pronouns.
It all started when I was talking to my attorney who was handling an school related issue with one of my children and I brought up the fact that my different on all my kids paperwork and the school was the only ones to be using my male name yet. My attorney said I can take care of that for you if you like and I agreed, so she contacted the school attorney and the school attorney said "what ever she wants". She (the school attorney) sent a memo from the top down stating that I should now be referred to as Lynn and female pronouns should be used. This memo went to all the principles, teachers involved, secretaries and everyone else involved with me or the care of my children.
While this is no great surprise to the school as I have kinda been out with the school, this now gets everything out in the open so I don't have to worry anymore and I am free to be me. It feels like someone just lifted a ton of bricks off my chest.
Nobody has to tell a transgender person going through transition the financial burden it carries. The clothes make up, personal effects, hair removal and not to mention the medical and psychological needs, most of which is not covered by insurance. As every transexual woman knows, unemployment is a major issue for many of us in our community. The cost of transitioning drives many of us into massive debt, any many loosing most everything they own.
Our federal and many of our state governments will not pass the necessary anti-discrimination legislation we need to protect us and our families. Many social service agencies do little or nothing to help us. Many insurance companies deny our claims because they fail to see this as a genuine medical issue. Where can we turn for help?
Some of us have been fortunate enough to own a business or have started websites for a source of income. I am starting this page in my website to help promote transgender owned businesses and websites, used for personal income and or transition. If you fall into this catagory of people feel free to email me with your business information and I will add it to this directory. I am doing this as a free service to help my transgender brothers and sisters, and ask for nothing in return except for a link back to me if you have a website. This helps everyone listed in this directory. Please send The name and address of your business, your contact information and a short description of what you do (about 1 paragraph).
The thing to remember is we need to support our own. If you see a product or service on a transgender website you can use, please do your best to support that website. Help us promote our websites, one way we can do this is to email the links to others whom the website may be of interest. Many groups of people have been doing this for years and this has helped them get to where they are today and we as a transgender community need to do the same.
The Wielinski family home was destroyed by the crash of flight 3407 on February 12, 2009. Let's see if we can get enough to people to join this petition and get the attention of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to select Mrs. Wielinski and her daughters as the recipients of their next home building project.
PLEASE, send letters asking to help this family out.
Lock & Key Productions C/O Family Casting P.O.Box 38670 Los Angeles, CA 90038
DONATIONS: checks can be sent to the following adress: Clarence Communtiy & Schools Federal Credit Union PO Box 657 9145 Sheridan Drive Clarence, NY 14031
*Please note: these donations are for the family, not the extreme makeover. I did not set up this fund nor do I have any affiliation with it.*
As a single mommy with full sole custody of my 2 boys, I was searching the web for a good place to network with other "mommies" like myself, and came across Cafemom.
Cafemom is an online community created especially for moms. Thousands of moms have come together online to swap stories and advice on a huge range of topics, share photos, and connect with friends. Cafemom users each get their own homepage which they can customize to show off their personality. Plus, they can start public or private groups with other moms about common interests. Moms of all ages and beliefs are now meeting, conversing, and having fun at Cafemom.
I typed the keyword transgender into the search box and was kind of surprised at the amount of resources I found for transgender moms like myself. I was reading some of the message board posts and was amazed at how accepting many of the moms were towards the transgender community. There is also a fairly decent presence of openly lesbian mommies also.
I feel Cafemom would be a great place for us who are, or consider ourselves as moms, to go in and set up profiles and groups, and let our presence be known. This would be a great place to politely educate other moms as to our issues. I also believe this would be a great advocacy tool for our community. We could also work on establishing a network for moms of transgender children.
True Selves by Mildred L. Brown, Chloe Ann Rounsley
Synopsis
Filled with wisdom and understanding, True Selves paints a vivid portrait of the conflicts transexuals face on a daily basis. The Courage they must summon as they struggle to reveal their true being to themselves and others. This classic resource offers valuable guidance for friends, families, coworkers, and professionals who are struggling to understand these people and their situations. Using real life stories, actual letters, and other compelling examples, True Selves gives a clear understanding of what it means to be transexual and offers practical suggestions for dealing compassionately with these commonly misunderstood individuals.
Praise for True Selves
"True Selves is Thorough and comprehensive....This is a serious and important book. If you know a transsexual, care about a transsexual, or are interested in understanding transsexuality, True Selves should be on your reading list." --The Transsexual New Telegraph
"The best popular introduction to transsexualism for all involved -- transsexuals, soffas (significant others, family, friends, allies), and the professionals working with and serving then -- is True Selves." -- The independent Press Book Review
"Each chapter poses questions and confronts comman misconceptions about transgendered people and offers recommendations to caregivers and family....presented in a simple, straightforward style and is easy to understand." --Gender Identity Journal
"With real life stories, letters, poems, and more, this is a first comming-out collection for the TS community." --Feminist Bookstore News
"A great resource to use in your coming out, when you just plain get tired of explaining your transsexualism and your soffas (significant others, family, friends, allies) really need to hear it from another source to validate your credibility". --Lynn's Place
The Authors
Mildred L. Brown is a clinical sexologist and therapist in private practice in San Jose, California. She is also professor of clinical sexology at the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco.
Chloe Ann Rounsley is a writer, journalist, and editorial consultant based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
"What would you do if your little boy wanted to be a little girl? Dr. Phil continues the heated topic of gender confused kids. After the last show, viewers had a lot to say about the subject, and the message boards lit up with their impassioned opinions. Now, Dr. Phil speaks with Toni, a mother who says she can’t stop grieving the loss of her son who, at 11, began to transition into a female. Toni feels like her son has died, and she’s having a hard time adjusting to having a daughter. Joining the discussion is family researcher Glenn Stanton and psychologist Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, who say it’s the parents’ responsibility to guide their children into their gender-born identities. On the opposite side are psychiatrist Dr. Dan Siegel and psychotherapist Dr. Michele Angello, who say children are born this way, and parents should support their children in their decision to transition to the opposite sex. What do you think is the best way to treat a child with gender identity confusion? Don’t miss the heated debate as Dr. Phil continues to explore this fervid and hotly contested topic".
Dr. Phil McGraw continues to provide a platform to religious idealogues masquerading as experts in working with gender non-conforming children and youth. This is the second program he's done in less than 6 months that prejudicially describes these amazing and courageous children as "gender confused". Dr. Phil McGraw clearly has his own agenda, and it goes beyond the quest for high ratings.
View The Previous Show "Transgender Children"
Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and founder of the Thomas Aquinas Psychological Clinic in Encino, CA. His specialty is treating homosexual men who are dissatisfied with their sexual orientation. Dr. Nicolosi is the author of Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality and Healing Homosexuality: Case Studies. He serves as Executive Director and Research Coordinator of the National Association of Research and therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), a scientific non-profit organization designed to educate the general public on the questions surrounding the causes and treatment of same-sex attraction.
His therapeutic approach has been discredited and condemned by both the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association.
Reparative therapy (also used interchangeably with the terms conversion therapy and sexual brokenness) is a practice the American Psychiatric Association says can “lead to depression, anxiety and self destructive behavior, and may reinforce self hatred.”
In 2006, the American Psychological Association issued a statement that expressed concern that ex-gay or “conversion therapy” was potentially damaging and might create an intolerant and discriminatory political and social climate. According to the statement: “For over three decades the consensus of the mental health community has been that homosexuality is not an illness and therefore not in need of a cure. The APA’s concern about the position’s espoused by NARTH (The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality) and so-called conversion therapy is that they are not supported by the science. There is simply no sufficiently scientifically sound evidence that sexual orientation can be changed. Our further concern is that the positions espoused by NARTH and Focus on the Family create an environment in which prejudice and discrimination can flourish.”
Glenn T. Stanton is the research fellow for global family formation at Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs. He is also directing a major research project on international family formation trends at the Institute of Marriage and Family in Ottawa. He debates and lectures extensively on the issues of gender, sexuality, marriage and parenting at universities and churches around the country. He recently served the Bush administration as a consultant on increasing fatherhood involvement in the Head Start program.
Daniel J Siegel, M.D. received his medical degree from Harvard University and completed his postgraduate medical education at UCLA with training in pediatrics and child, adolescent and adult psychiatry. He served as a National Institute of Mental Health Research Fellow at UCLA, studying family interactions with an emphasis on how attachment experiences influence emotions, behavior, autobiographical memory and narrative.
Dr. Michele Angello received her doctorate in human sexuality and her master's degree in psychological services. She is a certified clinical sexologist, and a member of the board of directors for both the Main Line Youth Alliance and the Renaissance Transgender Association. Dr. Angello is also a member of: the American College of Sexology; American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists; the Society for the Scientific Study of Sex; American Psychological Association; and the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association.
Please contact the producers of the Dr. Phil show and let them know that presenting scientifically unsupported opinions by anti-gay religious idealogues like Joseph Nicolosi and Glenn Stanton does very real harm to these children and their families. It reinforces the ignorance and intolerance that leads to teasing, bullying, harassment and violence against the children and youth who are already far too vulnerable and misunderstood.
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