Gender Screwed

neutrois:

Not only is this new blog “Transforming Love” announcing a book for mothers of transgender children, it is also just an amazingly inspirational blog.

gaywrites:

The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, but it did not approve a portion of the measure that specifically protected LGBT victims of violence.

VAWA, as it’s abbreviated, “organizes federal funding” to allow greater access to investigation of domestic violence and sexual assault cases and more support services for victims. A version passed in the Senate included provisions specific to the LGBT community, but the House excluded this portion, as well as a portion protecting Native Americans and undocumented immigrants.

HRC president Joe Solmonese said House Republicans were putting politics ahead of the well being of domestic abuse victims. “It is unfortunate – though not surprising – that some lawmakers refuse to acknowledge the basic dignity and respect LGBT domestic violence victims deserve,” he said in a statement shortly after the vote. “These lawmakers are leaving victims out in the cold with nowhere to turn for help, and attempting to further stigmatize many of the stereotypes associated with domestic abuse. We urge lawmakers to work together in conference so that VAWA is inclusive of all victims of domestic abuse.”

Ugh. We keep coming so close to making real progress and then things like this happen again. Disappointed. 

neutrois:

I know this is old news, but I wanted to share it again as it is super important for all transgender people to be aware and familiar with the new WPATH Standards of Care.

• “We’ve made a clear statement that gender nonconformity is not pathological,” 
• “This is no longer about hormones and surgery — it’s about health in a holistic sense”
•  ”allow for a broader spectrum of identities – they are no longer so binary.”
• “Oftentimes the standards of care were perceived as a barrier even though they were meant as access to care for hormone therapy and surgery”

gaywrites:

Tonight at 8PM EST, NatGeo TV will debut an hour-long feature about transgender people and their families. Called American Transgender, the show will follow three trans* people to get a glimpse of their daily lives:

Producers say the show aims to show us how the three manage at work, build careers, maintain friendships, and nurture lasting, intimate partnerships. And according to the NatGeo blog, the show lets Strong, Farley, and Howley tell their stories “in their own words as we follow them through life’s daily battles and victories, both large and small.”

Thoughts on this? Is a TV special about trans* folk a good way to educate people who may not know a lot about them, or does it create an uncomfortable fishbowl effect? Anyone going to watch it tonight?

gaywrites:

A Boston-based startup is hoping to tackle issues like LGBT bullying and suicide by providing a way to rate different people and places based on their gay-friendliness. 

The only site of its kind, RainbowChronicle.com allows users to rate anything from local businesses to elected politicians based on their openness to people of different sexual orientations and/or homophobia. The idea is that individuals can check in with the site before voting for a certain person or visiting a restaurant or bar, just to get a sense of how gay-friendly it will be, and therefore hopefully avoid homophobic establishments. 

It’s run by a couple of open-minded straight guys from conservative backgrounds, and it’s already taking off, with several hundred users a day:

“Businesses can be geared toward a gay clientele… I think all anyone wants for most businesses though is for sexuality to be a non-issue. I don’t want to have to think about gay or straight if I’m going to grab a beer with my friends at a random bar,” wrote RainbowChronicle used Burdette, a gay man who asked to only go by his last name. “The other factor is the patrons. Sometimes this matters as much or more than the business itself.”

Check this site out and feel free to add your own ratings. It could very well become a valuable resource for lots of people out there. 

gaywrites:

The Maryland Senate this evening approved a bill legalizing marriage equality in the state and the governor has already promised to sign it. 

The measure passed 25-22. This makes Maryland the eighth state to legalize marriage equality - the fourth to do so in the last year.

YES! YES! YES! 

gaywrites:

The New Jersey Assembly today passed a marriage equality bill for the first time ever, with a 42-33 vote.

However, Governor Chris Christie has already promised he’ll veto the bill, and there’s discussion of a referendum. Details from the Advocate:

Legislative leaders have strongly opposed the referendum suggestion, saying that civil rights should not be put to a vote. They have engaged in an escalating war of words with the governor since Christie suggested last month that civil rights leaders in the South “would have been happy” to have a referendum in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Should Christie reject the legislation as promised, lawmakers could attempt to override his veto, but it remains unclear whether they can muster enough Republican support to bypass the governor with two-thirds majorities in each chamber. Based on the vote tallies this week, another three votes would be needed to reach the threshold of 27 in the 40-member Senate, and 12 votes would be needed to reach the threshold of 54 in the 80-member Assembly.

Fingers crossed.