5/30/11

Russian Governments Assassination and Beatings Not Stopping Elena Kostyuchenko

Another Novaya Gazeta reporter attacked by Russian authorities. Elena Kostyuchenko was beaten and hospitalized at the 2011 Gay Pride.

According to TV reporter Olga Bakushinskii's personal Journal, a eye witness saw the police and 'counter demonstrators' act comradely after arriving on the same bus.

Just don't bother searching for news of the Pride on the Russian TV. It's mission states it does not report on controversial topics. Just as the Kremlin demands.

In 2009 I wrote a commemorative about continuing assassination of the reporters of the last remaining Russian free press newspaper, the Novaya Gazeta. In 2009 it was a fluke I even saw the Russian article. There were very few news reports from Russia.

Times have changed and we remain unafraid. But reporters still remain the target of the Russian governments hate. The difference now is we do not have to wait to mourn to celebrate a life of someone who dares to be faithful to humanity.

Meet Elena Kostyuchenko,peace activist and reporter . Elena who recently announced her love for Anna Annenkov writes in her Journal why she wanted to attend the Pride Parade. For this she suffered a concussion.

I hope Putin reads this. I would be honored if planetransgender would companion Novaya Gazeta as the most hated by the Kremlin. Hey Putin, got balls? Come take a shot at me. But leave your thugs at home. Just you and I Putin, behind the shed.

Please sign the LETTER TO (Russian)POWER: GIVE EQUAL ACCESS TO ELECTIONS FOR ALL POLITICAL FORCES

5/29/11

Russian Revolution Begins with LGBT Русская революция начинается с ЛГБТ


Русские диктаторов и тиранов продолжать угнетать их лесбиянок, геев, бисексуалов, транссексуалов и Queer соотечественников, но больше не могут ли они сделать это безнаказанно.

Russian dictatorial tyrants continue to oppress their Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and transgender and Queer countrymen but no longer can they do it with impunity because now the world watches.

You are about be a witness to the brutality of the Russian government. The men attacked by the police are LT Dan Choi, Nikolai Alexeyev and others The ruse offered by the city for cancelling the 2011 Moscow Gay Pride Parade's permit was concerns for public order. Unbelievably the Russian government claims to be protecting the Pride participants. You decide.



I urge you to add your name to the Americablog open letter to Hilary Clinton.

5/28/11

Royal Wedding, Censorship and Hate Crimes By the UK Police

A group of LGBT folks from Britain called the Queer Resistance - UK together with a number of other organizations planned to commemorate the Royal wedding with a ghoulish picnic in Soho.

This celebratory picnic was intended to contrast the money spent on the wedding and the inequity of the proposed spending cuts targeting the poor being considered by Parliament. At first glance this article could be a lighthearted humorous look back at the Royal wedding as narrated by someone named Chris who also shamelessly promoted his book.

However there is truly a nefarious dark side to this whole affair. Things quickly went bad. Many of the left wing publications that promoted the picnic were shut down one week prior and the organizers arrested without warrants.

The remaining queer picnickers oblivious of officialdom's anger over their audacious plan confronting classism were rounded up just before in a cafe. There smiles quickly turned to looks of worry as the seriousness of the arresting officers set in.


One cannot ignore the implications of these actions.Sure, mainstream media will have no problem ignoring a couple transgender woman groped by police in the name of bourgeois heteronormative marriage but in these times of increasing governmental Internet control and right wing's corporate stranglehold of the Internet the British response paints a worrisome portrait.





During the arrests two of the group who are transgender were intentionally misgendered and illegally searched by the police in a way that can be construed as a hate crime. This attack by the officers was done to send a clear message to a class of people that the British government would assault us in the very worst ways imaginable if we dare to participate with the larger community in confronting it.

Now lets bring this into context. I write a activism column for FROCK which is read in the UK and worldwide. This article in one form or another will appear in the July edition. It's just a matter of circumstances FROCK was not shut down also. If FROCK was published on a different schedule and if I had any inkling of the British governments heavy handed response I would have more than likely written an article about it then.

Do you know of a event in the future that will likely cause such oppressive response against queer folk? Email me at kellibusey@yahoo.com.

For additional links also posted on planetransgender and Transexual Menance.

5/27/11

Senator Jim Kyle files bill to Reverse HB600 the Tennessee Anti Equality Bill


From the Tennessean In Session Inside Tennessee Politics:"Kyle’s bill would repeal the Equal Access to Intrastate Commerce Act, or HB 600, which Gov. Bill Haslam signed into law this week. HB 600 effectively repealed a Metro ordinance passed in April that required city contractors to follow Metro policies that bar discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation."

Kyle’s bill, SB 2121, would put the issue back on the agenda in January. He said he brought the measure after being contacted by officials in Shelby County, which he represents, who were looking into proposing nondiscrimination ordinances like Metro’s.

Kyle also said he wants to keep the pot stirring through the long summer and fall until legislators come back to Nashville.

“It keeps the discussion going,” he said. “It seems like the business community was late to the party. To me, it merits a second look.”


Thank you Senator for listening to your constituents. Yes the Chamber was VERY late in announcing their opposition to HB 600 but now they have we welcome them to the party.

5/26/11

Demand "Psychology Today" apologize for Article Inferring Black Woman are Ugly

Our diversity, our treasure extends way beyond gender and our political will increases tenfold each time we stand-up for ourselves. Please sign the Change.org petition Demanding "Psychology Today" apologize for the article inferring our black sisters are anything other than perfect.

@@@UPDATE 5/30/2011: Success! Psychology Today Apologizes for 'Black Women Less Attractive' Post

From Change.org:

A week ago, the magazine Psychology Today published an article titled "Why Are Black Women Less Physically Attractive Than Other Women?” on its website. Within hours, following widespread outrage and criticism, the post disappeared.

(It can be still be read here at Somethingawful.com)

Colleagues and peers of Satoshi Kanazawa, the article's author, have since analyzed his same data and unanimously (and unsurprisingly) found his conclusions in error.

Yet Psychology Today has remained silent. They have refused to apologize or even explain why they published the article.

Articles like Kanazawa's are more than offensive or spurious—they're deeply harmful because they promote racist and sexist stereotypes as science.

That’s why documentary filmmaker Aishah Simmons and academic Alisa Bierria are leading a petition on Change.org to call on Psychology Today to apologize and take transparent steps to prevent the publication of racist and sexist material in the future. Click here to sign Aishah and Alisa's petition.

Kanazawa's article never would have survived a thorough and responsible editorial process. In fact, the author himself doesn't stand up to review.

Kanazawa has a history of pushing discredited research and is particularly notorious for making meritless claims about race and gender. (He is also known as the mind behind the much-mocked book Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters.)

In an attempt to defend previous publications, Kanazawa wrote, “If what I say is wrong (because it is illogical or lacks credible scientific evidence), then it is my problem. If what I say offends you, it is your problem.”

Well, as Khadijah Britton of Scientific American put it, “Satoshi Kanazawa has a problem.” So does Psychology Today.

Prominent women’s rights advocates, including Gloria Steinem and Beverly Guy Sheftall, former President of the National Women's Studies Association, have already declared their support for the campaign.

Click here here to add your name to theirs:


Thanks for taking action,

Shelby and the Change.org team