2/7/11

Not a Pot to Piss in: Maryland anti discrimination bill without Public Accommodations provision

Maryland gay rights group defends a transgender nondiscrimination bill striped of public accommodations provisions that uses our lives as leverage in furthering marriage agenda.

INEquality Maryland then parades out a employee quisling apologist who personally attempts to justify this injustice as necessary incrementalism.

The Maryland legislature non discrimination bill explicitly prohibits discrimination against trans people except in public accommodations! This is a concession to extremist neo-christian groups and generic transphobic so gay Marylanders may have a better chance for marriage equality this year:

HOUSE BILL 235 (pdf) introduced and read first time: January 28, 2011 prohibits workplace discrimination and ".... discrimination based on gender identity by certain licensed or regulated persons; prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity with regard to the leasing of property for commercial usage or in the provision of certain services or facilities; altering a certain exception for employers that relates to standards concerning dress and grooming; providing that certain provisions of law relating to discrimination in 10 employment do not apply to certain religious entities.."


Glaringly absent from this years years bill, unlike previous versions offered in the past years, are provisions to allow us access to public accommodations. This will mean if this bill passes transgender Marylanders will only be protected in the areas of employment and housing.


Dana LaRocca wrote in her column in the Baltimore Outloud
"During Thursday’s Kick-Off, Equality Maryland emphasized the importance of employment protection using the statistic that transgender people have an unemployment rate ten times the norm (their website says two times, however). I doubt the accuracy of any number. The places where transmen and transwomen are most often discriminated against are in public accommodations. A bill that leaves out public accommodations leaves transfolk, literally, “without a pot to piss in.”

Commenting on Pams House Blend post "Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination bill introduced in Maryland House" Danna was more explicit in her condemnation with a post tittled:
"Public accomodations were left out as appeasment to opponents."

"Unlike the bill offered for the past four years this bill excludes public accommodations, it includes only employment and housing. This is not equal treatment under the law. This is second class citizenship. It is the moral equivalent of what would have been if the Civil Right Act of 1964 had left restaurants, the restrooms, and the lunch counters segregated."

"I have seen no support for this bill within the transgender community. What I have seen is a lot of anger and a sense of betrayal."

"The die had been cast and the rights of the transgendered were sacrificed. Just as Neville Chamberlain had sacrificed the Sudetenland for a moment of peace the LGB lobby has sacrificed the transgendered. The result will not be the peace they expected. What the LGB lobbyists have shown is that they are willing to back down at fear of something like what they have called ""vicious" attacks on Montgomery County's transgender bill," which refers to a county struggle in 2007. I'm old enough to remember the Battle of Chicago in '68 and Stonewall in '69, when activists in my day said "vicious" they meant fire hoses, Billy clubs, and teargas. The name calling we suffered in Montgomery County was not "vicious."
Yet the majority of the commenter's on Pams House Blend just shrugged their virtual shoulders sending a disastrous potentially lethal message of "oh well its better than nothing".

Better than what? Its almost impossible to prove discrimination in housing or win any monetary compensation in employment discrimination cases

Reality Check.
You are on your way to work after a Starbucks and get delayed in one of the many MD traffic jams and you can't even use a bathroom for Christs sake!

Reality check.

This is worthless bill spotlighting gay.com's willingness to sacrifice transgender lives for its agenda. Transgender Marylanders, are you going to lay down for them and let the Gay.com bus run you over?

EQUALITY MARYLAND people of good faith, I have always supported you, will you be silent?

Demand Equality Maryland treat us with dignity. Add a comment on their Facebook page post congratulating themselves on our exclusion.

TWEET THIS and make the call!!!! From « ENDAblog Maryland Mariage Equality Hearings today call the six undecided senators needed to pass #EQMD #transgender

Ask the six undecided Senators to vote against the Maryland Marriage Equality bill UNTILL there is a bill, PASS OR FAIL, that respects transgender people.

2/5/11

Transgender Armed service

Transgender American Veterans Association

Trans in the military Google Docs

Rapid Action Revision (RAR) Issue Date: 23 August 2010

AR 40-501, Standards of Medical Fitness, paragraph 2-14 which I have outlined and linked below.

2–14. Genitalia

a. Female genitalia.

(5) History of major abnormalities or defects of the genitalia such as change of sex (P64.5), hermaphroditism, pseudohermaphroditism, or pure gonadal dysgenesis (752.7) or dysfunctional residuals from surgical correction of these conditions is disqualifying.

b. Male genitalia.

(5) History of penis amputation (878.0) is disqualifying.

d. History of major abnormalities or defects of the genitalia, such as a change of sex (P64.5), hermaphroditism, pseudohermaphroditism, or pure gonadal dysgenesis (752.7) or dysfunctional residuals from surgical correction of these conditions is disqualifying.
Source(s):

AR 40-501, Standards of Medical Fitness

1/31/11

Demand NBC Pulls SNL Estro-maxx skit Humiliating Transgender people



Demand SNL apologizes for and pulls "Estro-maxx" skit exploiting the most vulnerable of minorities.




In this skit Transwoman are intentionally misrepresented by male actors as gay in these enduring images of 'bearded men in dresses with penises'.

SNL has NO BALLS.

SNL achieves cheap laughs by explaining the effects that Estrogen has on a biological male physique pointedly explaining how it shrinks the testicles. This is true, but not mentioned is that estrogen also shrinks the size of ones penis. Both effects being undesirable for MTF's who are contemplating a inversion type sexual reassignment surgery (SRS) since it may limit the amount of material used for depth of the vagina during the inversion process.

Now SNL, SRS takes balls.



This attack by SNL on our image is possibly the single most violence enabling action any network could ever undertake.

I suggest SNL should GROW a PAIR and MAN UP. Heck I got a bigger pair and I've been on estrogen for five years.

Comment at NBC/Comcast about the SNL video Estro-maxx

Join with GLAAD in condemning the SNL skit Estro-maxx

1/27/11

Britain and Uganda we hold YOU accountable for Brenda Namigadde's life


SAVE THIS WOMANS LIFE!

Brenda Namigadde is going to be deported to UGANDA from the UK the 28th of January 2011. Brenda says “I’ll be tortured, or killed, if I’m sent back to Uganda. They’ve put people like me to death there.” THIS IS FOR REAL. Petition site http://allout.org/en/brenda/

David Bahati the Ugandan MP who authored the KILL GAY BILL called the author who wrote of LEZ GET REAL article alerting us to Brenda's plight saying: "He told me that Brenda should stop bad mouthing Uganda; that she would be welcome back to Uganda if she renounced her homosexuality and if she “repented.”

In light of the violent murder of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) activist David Kato on January 26 2011 Brenda's life is in serious jeopardy.

Please sign the petition at http://allout.org/en/brenda/

1/20/11

Danish Reporter Søren Østergaard Jensen: Transgender Family "Freak Show"


A Danish TV reporter while interviewing the editor of a new LGBT magazine calls a transgender people a "Freak Show" with "perverted desires".

According to AutoTrans Blogspot Danish news reporter Søren Østergaard Jensen referred to transgender people as “weirdos with perverse desires" while interviewing "Proud" magazine editor Tina Kristensen about a transgender parented family.

TV 2 doesn't think it needs to apologigize and issued this statement;
- TV 2 l East Jutland has no prejudices against either gay, transgender and other sexual minorities. Quite the contrary. We invite them like inside and that was what happened in the program Good Evening Jutland, where the presenter Søren Ø. Jensen interviewed the editor of a new gay magazine. An informative program where all viewers will learn about life as a homosexual and transsexual. Following the broadcast, both the studio host and I have been attributed several motives and I - based on a quote that was taken out of context - among other things called a biased TV2 boss. Let me stress that I and Good Evening Jutland is the exact opposite. We are interested in living for all shades of life and have great respect for the challenges of a life as a transsexual or homosexual offers, "says managing editor Eva Kvist. TV 2 Jutland East


LGBT Denmark condemned TV 2:
"- TV 2 media will appear as an exponent of marginalization, one-sided production of sex and a valuation or ranking where transgender placed at the bottom of a hierarchy. LGBT Denmark - National Association for Gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people - will find this extremely regrettable. The association believes that the news broadcast coverage to transgender was not fair and honest, " says Sebastian Svegaard trans political spokesperson for LGBT Denmark"


Wait its not over!
Martin Miller Aamand, editor of panbladet.dk a gay magazine in a example of blatant gay transphobia defends the reporters remarks Here apparently saying the transphobic remarks were taken out of context. It also appears he believes these remarks that have sparked international condemnation are simply healthy conversation.

Email TV. 2. Tell them you are not a "Freak Show" redaktion@tv2oj.dk

1/12/11

Vote for Claire Buffie First Pro LGBT Miss America Contestant!

Source: Queers United "Ms. Claire Buffie a contestant for Miss America is the first ever pageant queen to campaign on an LGBT rights platform. Having won the nomination for Miss New York the beauty queen/photographer and activist now vies for the top crown."

"Ms. Buffie has been active in educating students about respect and acceptance for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. A straight ally herself, Buffie has a lesbian sister whom she wants to see have equal rights in her lifetime."

"Visit the Miss America site to vote for Buffie, or text MANY to 24470."

Be sure to tune in on January 15th to see if she is selected to the top 15!

Thank you E at Queers United and my appoligies for cliping the entire article I didn't have time to write one myself:)