10/28/12

Dallas Transgender Woman Janette Tovar Murdered

Janette Tovar a transgender woman from Dallas Texas was found dead by police responding to a emergency call October 18th who found her body at her home at 918 W. 8th St.

According to TransGriot her boyfriend,  Jonathan Stuart Kenney was arrested for her murder:

Kenney was arrested by Dallas police yesterday. According to an arrest affidavit, an investigation into Tovar’s death revealed that Kenney slammed Tovar’s head into the concrete in the 830 block of West Davis Street at 6:20 AM CDT Monday. Kenney then continued to assault Tovar when they returned home to 918 W. 8th St.

Police then responded to a 911 call at about 4:20 PM at the couple’s residence. The initial police report states that a man called 911 around 4 PM Monday after finding Tovar “not breathing and unresponsive.” Dallas Fire-Rescue and homicide detectives responded to the scene.




I want to share some pictures of Janette I found on her facebook memorial page created In Loving Memory of Janette Tovar .

After reading the comments on the Dallas Voice article it occurred to me that to many Janette's death would be just one more number for the TDOR, one more in a seemingly unending tragedy.


As awful as her murder was we should know, she was love by many. One person commented her smile lit up a room. Indeed.

All of the comments had one common thread. They will miss there beloved Janette.

Although I never met this sister who lived 30 miles away I feel the lose as well.

 R.I.P. Janette



10/27/12

Bloody Rock: Brazilian Trans Woman Stoned To Death

This day and age you might expect death by stoning to belong to a bygone era, but for transgender and transsexuals in some parts of the world that sort of brutality is almost an everyday occurrence.

In fact, we would be fooling ourselves to think we are safe from that bloody rock anywhere in the world.

Just a few days ago transgender woman Janette Tovar  who lived  only 30 miles from my home in Dallas was stoned to death.

The image is gruesome but is it excessive? No because once I too lay on top of a rock just like that near death.

Source: September 24th 2012 Infonet: "The transvestite Amos Chagas Lima, 39, one of the most popular and well known of Aracaju, who earned the nickname of Madonna, was killed with blows of parallelepiped (the) crime occurred in the early hours of last Friday, 19, in downtown Aracaju."

She didn't die right away but suffered for days having just passed on.

I want to write this post with cisgender people in mind. I want you to understand the realities of being trans. We are murdered almost daily worldwide, just for our gender expression. In fact Keila Simpson, president of the National Counsel to Combat Discrimination of the Secretary of Human Rights to the President of Brazil told Gay Star News her country has suffered 100 transgender murders since January of this year.

This is why we fight so hard against being marginalized, and defamed regardless of who, what, when or where. We are never far from the Rock. I know.

18/05/2010 - Keila Simpson, vice-presidente da ABGLT, emociona platéia presente ao seminário "Direitos Humanos de LGBT: cenários e perspectivas", no auditório Nereu Ramos, na Câmara dos Deputados. O texto que ela leu - "História de todas nós" - de Rafael Menezes está disponível no site da Comissão de Direitos Humanos e Minorias: www.camara.gov.br/cdh

18/05/2010 - Keila Simpson, vice president of ABGLT, wows audience at this seminar "Human Rights of LGBT: scenarios and perspectives," in the auditorium Ramos Nereus, the House of Representatives. The text she read - "History of us all" - Rafael Menezes is available on the website of the Commission on Human Rights and Minorities: www.camara.gov.br/cdh

Trevor Ashley Changes "trAnnie" to "trAshley" Christmas Tradition to Trash Trans Children


Drag Queen Trevor Ashley

Trevor Ashley, a Australian gay actor wrote the pantomime "trAnnie" . He planned to star in it but was forced according to the Daily Telegraph to change the title not because of the worldwide condemnation he received, but because of a threatened Copyright infringement lawsuit.

But looking at the other changes he made to the problematic plot its obvious he felt the heat but you wouldn't know that by the why he laughed it up Sept 26th on this Channel 9 Interview.

Some trans, allies and other people of social conscious on Twitter naturally assumed he had a change of heart and are expecting an accompanying sorry, didn't know 'tranny was bad' from Trevor Ashley.

Waiting for an apology from him would be like looking looking up at an attacker expecting him to lend you a hand up after he beat you down.

The new title 'trAshley', a thinly disguised aberration of 'trAnnie' will most likely be defended by him as it resembles his name, but it's a thin disguise at best. The intent remains the same, making mockery of transgender Children at Christmas a tradition for his profit and fun.

The original synopsis in a nut shell: A orphan transgender child abandoned by his/her parents is desperate for a sex change will do what ever it takes to please her/his convicted paedophile transgender care givers including secret performances for a demented older man in order to get money or his/her sex change.

The new plot:
"Ten-year-old little orphan Fannie (Trevor Ashley), has a terrible secret... one that she can’t even share with her inmates at the Sutherland Shire Girl’s Orphanage, let alone the boozy matron who runs the place: the evil Miss Trannigan (Rhonda Burchmore). The truth is: Fannie is not yet all woman. But, to get her gender-reassignment surgery, she’ll have to find her true birth parents to get their permission.

Lucky for Fannie, she meets acclaimed photographer / multi-millionaire Daddy Warlow (Gary Sweet) who promises to sponsor her! But can she survive a rigorous set of blind auditions, a very “arty” photo shoot and an appearance on evil talk-back radio personality Ellen Jones’ show before she finds her parents?

To make her wish come true, Fannie may need more than just her trusty ex-sniffer dog Bullshit (Rhys Bobridge)… she may need a Christmas miracle!

Featuring songs, audience participation, and more parody than you can poke a stick at, this brand new adults-only panto will have you in fits of laughter... and have you wishing that you too could be adopted by a sexy bald millionaire.
There are two significant changes to the plot. One "sex Change" has been changed to "gender reassignment surgery". You do NOT change ones gender with surgery! This is so indicative of the ignorance of the writers but worst, it will perpetuate that misunderstanding.

"Tranny" remains critical to luring his audience of transphobes, cisgender and gay alike, as evidenced by the retention of the name Miss Trannigan.

Billing this problematical confusion generating play as "adult only" would have flown before the Internet but if anyone was to claim the damaging stigmatization was contained to the stage to adults now, would be lying.

The only real positive concessions made was the removal pedophilia from the plot and not calling a trans child a "he/she".

What remains is worst.


There is nothing terrible about being transgender and there is nothing wrong about not having had or not wishing to have sexual reassignment surgery. Having original plumbing is always central to the bathroom meme transphobes use when spreading awful lies to fight our social progress.

 
And Ashley, you are only helping them to deny us the lives we deserve.

Ashly, what is it with your obvious disdain of transgender children you can not accept them as human? Greed? What is it about our youth that makes you think you can prey on them? What makes you so uncaring you would add pain to their little hearts on Christmas of all times? An insatiable desire for fame?

Trevor Ashley you are a child predator. You are killing transgender children with this. Our Transgender Children are NOT TRASH. Not in a pantomime, not anywhere.

10/26/12

Transgender: The New Cool

Lana Wachowski transgender Cloud Atlas director reveals pain suicide attempt on Huff Post. She talked about going to a train station, standing on a platform readying herself to jump, but held fast by the stare of a 'old man'.

*the video does not have Lana Wachowski in it but is excellent commentary.

Huffpost reader oatc commented   on the article:  “For whom would she be a transgendered role model? Would anyone want to wait until the age she transitioned, to wear a slip under boys clothes to school, to experience desire to suicide, to endure so many years of pain, and wait until half one's life had gone? She can be a role model for aspiring film people, writers, public speakers, or those who would be brave, and survive though. Of any gender." "The role models for transsexual children today are girls and women, boys and men."


The reality is given our current albeit improving social status is most of who are alive today have there own 'old man' on the train platform to thank for that.

But it is a brilliant observation by oatc and so true. We have to first envision ourselves as a success before the process of succeeding can even begin in our lives.

My old man on the platform the day I tried to commit suicide was, I don't know.

 I stole a bottle pain relievers from ironically the man who was my chief antagonist, my father, drove my old pick up to a stripper bar and downed the whole thing. The only thing I remember of the following two days was Black Sabbath Iron Man playing on my 8 track and how pissed my mother was when I dragged my teenage ass back home.

Do I expect more from myself now? Yes and I get my new life thanks to my real old man on the train platform, my LGBT people. You. I get my sobrity of the past 25 years thanks to god.




10/25/12

Trevor Ashley: Your "trAnnie" kills Trans Children


Despite of the petition, numerous complaints to the Anti Discrimination Board  answered at best with form letters, and emails to the Sydney Opera House not to show 'trAnnie' it appears they plan to go forward with this show which mocks transgender children associating  them with sexual perversity, substance abuse and pedophilia.

Why would these people make Christmas even more agonizing for trans youth by making their ridicule a yule time tradition?
Why is it conscionable to perform what is essentially black face or trans face by gay people arguably associated to transgender people by the acronym LGBT?
What rational could the Opera House, actors and the government have for helping to intensify the stigmatization of trans youth who already have an attempted suicide rate of 50%?

They all say its in good fun, we should learn to take a joke and we should stop claiming to be victims.
The plot and trailer



The lead role and co writer is Trevor Ashley, an Australian gay man who apparently spent much of his life in cabaret and garnered quite a following.

I just finished interviewing Ali, a transgender youth from Arkansas. While I was writing her article it hit me like a ton of bricks. Her narrative in the Friend Film  trailer primarily focused on the hate she endured in rural Stuttgart being forced to present as male and being called a 'faggot'.



Now that she has come out as a young trans woman, she will have to deal with being called a different pejorative one that pierces her heart, "Tranny". This youth survived her early childhood, but she and other trans girls like her, shy and unassuming, are who this production and promotion of "tRanie" puts in peril.

They are the ones we will mourn losing this Transgender Day of Remembrance  only days before this show mocks them. Mainly young woman of color, marginalized by the same stigmatization Trevor Ashly promotes with "trAnnie".

The word "Tranny" is a pejorative used almost exclusively as a weapon during beatings and murders and to describe children and adults in the pornographic industry.

Want proof?


Trevor Ashley is connecting with these predators, gay transphobes and a assortment of others on  twitter promoting his play with the hashtag "Trannie" .


A screen snip of a man responding to Trevor Ashley and few following unassociated tweets, the kind you will always find by people using the slur "trannie or tranny":


I implore you Ashley Trevor to have a change of heart. We would never know exactly how many lives would be saved by cancelling "trAnnie" but you would know you this.

 You wouldn't be contributing to the hate that kills.

10/23/12

Growing Up Trans in Arkansas: Friends Film, a Story of Hope


Meet Ali, Transgender teen.

From the beginning of her video it quickly became obvious to me Ali and I have a lot more in common than just both being trans, despite our age differences. Ali's furtive glances tell some things haven't changed in the forty years since I grew up in rural America.



Ali and Joesph, a gay High School student both live in rural deep south America. Both have bravely come out and are raising funds for a movie called Friend Film , two unique stories of growing up in small town America. This being a transgender blog I wanted to focus on Ali and was graciously granted this interview by her.

When I and my contemporaries were youth it was long before the Internet. I had heard of a story of a far off Oz like land where a "man had become a woman" but to even consider myself as special, would have been thought ridiculous not just by my family who called me a fag, but to myself. I had came to believe what I was hearing all those years, that I was of little value. Ali's story and those of us who grew up decades before are amazingly similar.

Kelli: Ali, you grew up in the Internet age. Where you allowed to visit trans friendly web sites? If so what was it like living fully aware of your gender yet being denied your right to express it?

Ali: "Well, honestly, I never really got on the Internet much growing up. When I did, it was playing computer games. I didn't start getting on the Internet until I was in 9th grade. And even then I didn't really go to trans friendly websites because I wasn't really aware of them."

"To answer the second part of this question, it was very frustrating and depressing. I went through major depression because I couldn't freely be myself. Here I was knowing who I was but I could not show it much outside of home. Sometimes not even at home."


Kelli: Did you have friends who knew and accepted you for your true self?

Ali: "I had a best friend that I grew up with that knew and accepted me. Most of the friends I’ve made since them don’t know. Before They just assume that I’m gay. Currently I have several friends now who know and love and support and accept me."

Kelli: Have you been able to talk to your parents about being trans and if so at what age? What were their reactions?

Ali: "Since the age of 3 I've been calling myself a girl, so my family already knew something was up. I didn’t know what was going on with me, I just knew I was a girl.

After we discovered that I’m trans, my nana became my biggest supporter. My mom struggled with it a lot but is doing a lot
better now.


Kelli: You mentioned you had been called pejoratives because you were forced to present as male growing up. We have that in common as well. Words can hurt. It’s probably one of the toughest parts of being trans. I know it was frustrating for you, so how you did to endure the taunts?

Ali: "I’m not a fighter, I’m a very quiet and shy person. So when someone would call me derogatory names, I would just sit there and try to ignore it as best I could. I never lashed out at them in fear they would hit me.

Sometimes I would just go cry in my room when I got home. I would also talk to my mom, nana, and friends about it but my friends would say “well, that’s the price you have to pay for being trans” and my mom and nana would help me feel better as best they could."


Kelli: Being from Texas I used to do business in Arkansas and found it in comparison to north Texas, medieval in their views towards LGBT people. Do you have any plans on returning to Arkansas when you graduate College? If you do please be careful.

Ali: "In college, I’m currently studying theater and psychology. When I graduate, I plan to move to a more trans friendly and theater oriented place. I’m still trying to get out of Arkansas. I’d love to transfer. I only plan to come back to Arkansas to visit some of my family, but nothing permanent. I’m still trying to get out of Arkansas."

Kelli: What are your thoughts on our efforts to be removed from the DSM?

Ali: "Even though there are benefits, such as therapy, for trans people being in the DSM, I am glad that there are efforts being put forth to get trans people removed from it. Being trans is not a disorder. You are born with it. You can’t get “fixed” by medication. It’s just not possible."

Kelli: Ali, you are a young advocate and trans youth will be able to identify with you. What would you like to say to those younger trans youth still living in the closet?

Ali: "First I would like to say, Be who YOU are, not who you’re told to be. With that being said, be yourself. Coming out is your own choice. Don’t let anyone make the decision for you. If you do come decide to come out, please be careful because not everyone is supportive and accepting.

Also, if you do decide to come out, know that I’m supporting you."


Thank you Ali for all you are and will do. You already are a great success.

We can help give Ali and Joesph with moral and monetary support they so deserve. They need to be fully funded by November 8th. Please give generously to Friend Film