23 Year Old Transgender Woman Killed At Washington D.C. Bus Stop

Deoni Jones, a 23 year old transgender woman was fatally stabbed on Thursday night at a bus stop at the 4900 block of East Capitol Street, N.E. in Washington, D.C.

Police issued a statement Friday saying that a Metro transit police officer was flagged down at about 8:15 p.m. Thursday to report an assault at the bus stop. “Upon arrival, the officer located a transgender female who was unconscious and unresponsive suffering from a stab wound,” the statement says. “Units from the Sixth District and D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to the scene. The victim was transported to a local hospital and was admitted in critical condition.  On Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, at 2:35 a.m., the victim was pronounced dead.”

 

Asked whether evidence exists to indicate the killing was a hate crime, Asked whether evidence exists to indicate the killing was a hate crime, Homicide Branch Lt. Robert Adler stated  “At this time we are still investigating if it is or is not a hate crime. And as the investigation proceeds we should probably get a better idea of whether that was a factor in the assault.”

Georg Elfvelin needs our heslp ans so do other Sweish Trans-people

Love needs your help to not be forced into a government mandated sterilization. Watch. Petition. Go.

If you are a transgender person in Sweden today looking to legally change your gender, in the 21st century you are still forced to undergo surgery that will render you permanently infertile and forever unable to have children. This barbaric practice of forced sterilizations has to stop! 

The majority of the Swedish parliament is in favor of modifying this law – but up until now Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has let a small conservative party block this long awaited reform.
Let’s make sure the Prime Minister knows that the majority of Sweden, and Europe – wants to see Sweden on the right side of history – by eliminating this archaic practice.

Please take one minute to sign this urgent letter to the Prime Minister of Sweden asking him to stop playing politics with the fundamental human rights of Swedish citizens. 

RuPaul To Trans Activist: Lighten Up! “I Love The Word “Tranny!”…

In an interview with Mike Signorile for SiriusXM OutQ and HuffPost Gay Voices RuPaul has become the voice of reason in an interview which I am sure is going to ruffle a few trans-activists feathers.

RuPaul talked about her reality show in which drag queens face off and weighed in on other matters, including the the latest trans controversies including the now canceled ABC sitcom, “Work It,” (canceled for low rating )in which two straight men dress in drag in order to get jobs and which has been criticized by GLAAD the HRC and  gay and transgender activists for mocking transgender women.  Even though it had absolutely NOTHING to do with any trans characters.  (Drag is the new blackface obviously to trans-activists) RuPaul is imploring the activists to calm down and :

 ”Don’t take life so seriously… Everybody’s offended by something. And it really goes back to the ego – egoic mind and the ego-based world that we live in, where everybody is, their identify is everything. And this is what drag is about — you are not who you think are, you’re born naked, and the rest is drag. It’s all a facade — you’re much more than what you think you are. So this idea of people feeling they’re not being represented — I remember on [the '70s sitcom] “Good Times,” when black activists got upset with the fact that J.J., the lead character, didn’t represent what young black men in our culture — in fact the two leads of the TV show quit the show because they felt J.J., the Jimmy Walker character, didn’t represent. Well, the truth is, kids, this is a sitcom, this is a comedy — sitcom. If you want representation, you do it yourself. It starts on a personal level. If you want to change the world, change your mind. Your mind. Not anyone else’s mind. Your mind.

And as for the word “tranny” becoming the new “n-word”  RuPaul weighed in like this:

It’s ridiculous! It’s ridiculous! Words — it goes back to grade school: Sticks and stones, you know the rest. The thing is you have to look at the ego, you have to follow the money, and the payoff. And the payoff is that the ego wants attention no matter what. It will try to get it wherever the hell it can, whether it’s positive or negative. So you have to ignore it basically — you have to starve it out. And unfortunately in our culture one person can write a letter to the network and they shut something down. It’s unfortunate. But I love the word “tranny.”

And no one has ever said the word “tranny” in a derogatory sense. In fact, you have to go to the intent of the person saying it. Of course Lance Bass, his intent would never be to be derogatory. Never. So, you know, that’s really ridiculous. And I hate the fact that he’s apologized. I wish he would have said, “F-you, you tranny jerk!”

In the ACT UP age we called ourselves queers because we earned the right, we took the word back. But in reality, once you go even deeper, you know, you have to come from intent. And black folks call themselves the n-word all the time. It’s because the intent is coming from a place of love. If the intent is coming from a place of hatred, that’s different. But you can’t legislate intent. You can’t — there’s no way to do it. So, the truth is, you have to fix that individually on a one by one basis. If somebody calls you a green martian, would you be offended by it? No, you wouldn’t be. Why? Because you know you’re not a green martian. But if you’re offended by someone calling you a “tranny,” it was only because you believe you are a “tranny!” [laughter.] So then, the solution is: Change your mind about yourself being a “tranny.”

TENNESSEE: State GOP Rep Pushes Bill To Ban Trans People From Restrooms

GOP Tennessee state Rep. Richard Floyd is so upset about Macy's, he's introduced a bill that would ban transgender people from using public restrooms and fitting rooms.

State Representative Richard Floyd drafted the legislation after an employee at a Texas Macy's store was fired in December for stopping a transgender teenager from trying on clothing in a women's dressing room. "I cannot imagine firing anybody for something like that. I just cannot, I cannot grasp that, I can't get my mind around it," Representative Floyd explained. The Chattanooga Republican said he did not want anyone in Tennessee to face a similar situation, so he drafted House Bill 2279. Floyd strongly believes a man does not belong inside a women's restroom or dressing room, not matter the circumstances. "I don't care for what reason, how depraved their mind is, how perverted their mind is, or for what reason they think a man has a right to go into a women's bathroom, or dressing room to try on clothes," Floyd said. His proposed bill would require a birth certificate to prove which restroom a person would be required to use. Violators would face a misdemeanor charge and a fine.

UPDATE: Think Progress points us to this quote in which Floyd vows to physically attack any trans person he sees in a dressing room.

“I believe if I was standing at a dressing room and my wife or one of my daughters was in the dressing room and a man tried to go in there — I don’t care if he thinks he’s a woman and tries on clothes with them in there — I’d just try to stomp a mudhole in him and then stomp him dry. Don’t ask me to adjust to their perverted way of thinking and put my family at risk,” he said. “We cannot continue to let these people dominate how society acts and reacts.

Teen Claims School Expelled Him For Dressing Like A Girl

Jamie Love, a 17-year-old high school student who was allegedly expelled for wearing women's clothes, has won his fight to return to school, the Scottish Daily Record reports.

In a separate report, Love opened up to the paper about the pain he felt following his expulsion.

"It took me years to finally open up to someone about my sexuality and now I feel betrayed by the people I trusted," Love told the Daily Record. "I have always felt different but I have never been able to talk about it. They have made me feel like a fool. I left the school in tears feeling totally humiliated and embarrassed."
Love came to school wearing knee-length black shorts, hair extensions, tights, a hair band, blouse, and school tie. Once he arrived, he was met with immediate hostility from teachers, according to STV News.

"When [I] went into the class, everything was fine and then the teacher came and got me and then took me into the school and asked me what I was trying to do to the school," he told the station. "Then they said: 'You shouldn't be dressed like that.' Then two deputies came in and said my time at Govan High was over and then I got my stuff and had to leave. I asked if I could come back as a boy and they said no."

Officials at Govan High School reversed the explosion last night, and a spokesperson told the Daily Record that Love's choice of dress was never the issue.

"We welcome Jamie's assurances to commit to his education ... Jamie's choice of clothing has never been an issue ... so he can come to school dressed as a girl if he wants to," the spokesperson told the paper. "However, it's important that we put measures in place to accommodate this decision and the school would like to meet him and his mother."

Love admits he's had "behavioral problems" in the past due to his confusion about his sexuality, but told the paper he's just ready to get back to school.

"This is great news. It is a major victory for me and all the other kids who are confused about their sexuality," he told the paper. "I'm delighted I can return to school and be myself. This is a second chance for me and I won’t mess it up. I will keep my head down and work hard to get my qualifications."

ABC "Work It" cancelled after only 2 shows

Condolences to Ben Koldyke and Amaury Nolasco, erstwhile stars of ABC's cross-dressing comedy, Work It, which ABC is reporting has been canceled after only two episodes.

Readers here will recall the weird furor inspired by the series last month, when ABC published a promo poster for Work It featuring two men in drag hoisting up their skirts at a urinal -- a tone deaf image, which either attempted to capitalize on or demonstrated a woeful ignorance of the ongoing debate in the United States about gender and public accommodations. But it wasn't a lack of political correctness that sunk Work It; it was a lack of audience. The show's debut drew an anemic 6.1 million viewers, and the next episode saw a 20% falloff. Work It will be replaced in its timeslot by reruns of Tim Allen's Last Man Standing.

Trans Candidate Seeking Pakistani Office: We’re Citizens Too

The president of Pakistan’s She-male Association, Shahana Abbas Shani, has announced that she will run for a seat on the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, the country’s most populous province.

Speaking with Pakistan’s Express Tribune this week, Shani says her goal is to bring to light problems faced by the country’s large but largely disenfranchised transgender community.
“There is no other way for us to be heard,” says Shani, “and now when the Supreme Court of Pakistan has allowed us to have an identity card, we will fight for our rights.”

In 2009, Pakistan’s chief justice ordered that the country’s estimated 80,000 to 300,000 hijras be recognized as a distinct third gender on national identity cards. But the ruling has been mostly ignored, causing hardship for many hijras, especially during times of crisis—like the country’s recent severe flooding—when identity cards are needed in order to receive government aid.

Shani says that since women and minorities already have reserved seats in Pakistan’s National Assembly, so should her community.

As Shani points out, “We are also citizens of Pakistan.”

GLAAD Bashes Transgendered People, Calls For Censorship

Over that awful upcoming ABC sitcom, “Work It.” (Trailer above.) I can objectively say that “Work It” is awful having not even seen a full episode, because, uh, hello. But can you take out a full page ad in Variety demanding that ABC pull the show from its schedule if you haven’t even seen a full episode? GLAAD thinks it can.
In addition to the call for censorship (ironic for a group that supposedly celebrates free speech, inclusion, and freedom of expression), GLAAD inadvertently attacks the people it’s supposedly trying to protect in their ad:

Next month, ABC plans to premiere the show “Work It,” featuring two men who dress as women in order to gain employment. By encouraging the audience to laugh at the characters’ attempts at womanhood, the show gives license to similar treatment of transgender women.

Oh? So, GLAAD is comparing actual transgender women to men who dress up as women in order to get jobs. Or, they’re saying that television viewers won’t be able to tell the difference and will, after tuning in to “Work It”, just assume that all trans men and women are just playing dress up, to get jobs! In this economy, I guess anything’s possible.

ABC should not air this show – plain and simple.  At the very least, “Work It” is offensive and insulting. At worst, the show is downright dangerous and sends a message that transgender people are to be laughed at, or are somehow less-than. This show would be a setback for transgender Americans, and for everyone who believes that all people deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.

Never mind the fact that cross dressing as comedy has been making people laugh since before GLAAD was even born (Some Like It Hot, Milton Berle, “Bosom Buddies,” etc.–which is not to say that “Work It” is anywhere close to those levels of comedy, because clearly it’s not)?
The people who should be offended by “Work It” are unemployed, middle-aged men, who are being depicted as bumbling and submissive clowns. Others who could possibly be offended are comedy writers and people with taste, but not transgendered women.

Newspaper Prints Transphobic Xmas Carol, Chaz Bono Got Turned Into a Man Dear

 

Go get em', Cher.

From Massachusetts’ Lowell Sun newspaper comes this deplorably transphobic “Christmas carol — with a twist.”

 

To the tune of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”:
Chaz Bono got turned into a man, dear.
Dancin’ with a woman on TV.
You might say there’s no such thing as Santa
Till you see what Chaz got ‘neath his tree.
Chastity was once a cute girl
On her parents’ TV show.
Then she stunned the whole dang nation,
When she said her girl parts had to go.
Now transgenders in the Bay State
Have a law that’s etched in black.
It says they can change their gender.
Then if they want, they can change it back.
(chorus)
Chaz Bono got turned into a man, dear.
Cher don’t care but Sonny, he would grieve.
Now in Mass., some guy who’s born as Adam
Can change his moniker to Christmas Eve.

I am completely blown away by this display of intolerance and bigotry.

Please take a moment to let the Lowell Sun know how distasteful you find their publishing of this “holiday song” in the comments HERE. No cussing, no condemning to hell. Write like an articulate grown up or don’t bother writing at all, please.

Warren Beatty's Son critizes Chaz Bono

Chaz Bono  

Stephen Ira, the transgender son of Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, recently attacked Chaza Bono in a blog post. Ira wrote that Bono is "a misogynist who does not represent us," reported the New York Post in a Nov. 17 article.

Cher’s son and ex-"Dancing With the Stars" cast member recently said that being a transgender person is "a birth defect, like a cleft palate," and "being male and having breasts is about the worst thing I could imagine."
Bono also said that "I never understood women before... but I had a tolerance for women that I don’t have now... There is something in testosterone that makes talking and gossiping really grating."
Ira has admitted undergoing hormonal treatment and blasted back at Cher’s son.

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"I don’t want any rich white trans guy...telling the media that testosterone made him a misogynist...he has some deep-seated misogyny to work through."

This isn’t the first time Bono has been under attack. The Associated Press reported in a Sep. 1 article that Cher was defending her son on Twitter. The singer says that her son was being "viciously attacked" by online blogs when the cast of "Dancing With the Stars" was announced.

"This is Still America right? It took guts 2 do it," Cher tweeted. She also wrote that she supports him no matter what he chooses to do.

Although Ira may feel as though Bono isn’t the best representative of transgender people, the community has recently seen a progression for equality

Massachusets' Passes Transgender Equal Rights Bill

Massachusetts' transgender community had a reason to feel extra celebratory this holiday weekend, as the state's governor signed legislation Wednesday forbidding discrimination based on "gender identity" to anyone seeking housing, employment or post-secondary education.

As The Patriot Ledger is reporting, the Transgender Equal Rights Bill also expands the state's hate crime statutes to include violence against transgender men and women, although the removal of a provision that would have required all "sex-segregated facilities" such as rest rooms or locker rooms to grand admission to people based on gender identity was heavily criticized by many who considered it a key component.

"No individual should face discrimination because of who they are,” Patrick said in a statement. "This legislation gives Massachusetts the necessary tools to stop hate crimes against transgender people and to treat others fairly. I am proud to sign it."

In what may have been a nod to the provision's removal, Patrick added that state lawmakers would "come back around to public accommodations," according to the Ledger.

Patrick's decision to sign the bill, which had been widely expected, drew praise from many transgender rights advocates. “Gov. Patrick was a staunch advocate of the Transgender Equal Rights Bill from the earliest days of his administration,” Gunner Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), is quoted by LGBTQ Nation as saying in a statement. “We are so grateful for his leadership in getting this bill passed and for his unwavering commitment to ensuring that all residents of the Commonwealth, including transgender people, are treated with dignity and respect under the laws of our state."

When the bill takes effect next July, Massachusetts will become the 16th U.S. state, along with Washington, D.C., to offer vital protections against discrimination to its transgender residents.

15 Die in Fire at India’s Transgender Gathering

15 more members of the global LGBT community have died by fire, though (thankfully?) burning someone to death doesn’t seem to be the motivation in this story ( which has been the case this last week in other transgender murders).

A fire broke out in the kitchen at India’s national transgender gathering, the Eunuch Gathering in East Delhi. Over 1000 of India’s estimated 700,000 transgender citizens were in attendance.

One witness, Angelie, said there was a loud short, then flames suddenly erupted and a gas cylinder exploded. Crowds of people ran to the exit from the fairground, the witness said.

 

Television reports cited fire officials as saying initial investigations suggested the fire had started in the venue’s kitchen.

“We were rescued and brought outside the community centre but we don’t know what has happened to some of our friends who we think are still inside,” one person present at the gathering told reporters.

“The police aren’t giving us the right information … They are taking the bodies out through the back door of the hall,” they said.

It’s worth noting that the term eunuch is not used in a derogatory manner in India.
Our condolences go out to those who lost loved ones in the blaze

Book Review: "Perfect Peace" by Daniel Black

One of the BEST books I have read in a while... A MUST read, if you read anything this year!  Find below a more in depth review of this incredible story!  Some spoliers are revelead, so you might want to skip all of it....

 

 

The heartbreaking portrait of a large, rural southern family’s attempt to grapple with their mother’s desperate decision to make her newborn son into the daughter she will never have.

 When the seventh child of the Peace family, named Perfect, turns eight, her mother Emma Jean tells her bewildered daughter, “You was born a boy. I made you a girl. But that ain’t what you was .....The heartbreaking portrait of a large, rural southern family’s attempt to grapple with their mother’s desperate decision to make her newborn son into the daughter she will never have.

 When the seventh child of the Peace family, named Perfect, turns eight, her mother Emma Jean tells her bewildered daughter, “You was born a boy. I made you a girl. But that ain’t what you was supposed to be. So, from now on, you gon’ be a boy. It’ll be a little strange at first, but you’ll get used to it, and this’ll be over after while.” From this point forward, his life becomes a bizarre kaleidoscope of events. Meanwhile, the Peace family is forced to question everything they thought they knew about gender, sexuality, unconditional love, and fulfillment.

 

Perfect Peace certainly can embrace the saying “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” Perfect was born male and his mother Emma Jean out of her desperation and need for a female child convinced her son he was a she. He was dressed in ribbons and dresses and often told how beautiful she was. He was not allowed to play with his/her brothers. When she would ask she was told “girls don’t play with boys, her younger brothers wanted to play with her but they were told shes supposed to do girl stuff.

At the age of eight Emma Jean takes Perfect into the woods and abruptly change Perfect from female to male(Perfect to Paul). She hacks her beautiful hair into a short cut, forces her to believe he’s a boy and must learn to act like one. She also tells Paul that he will be ok. Paul’s dad Gus is having trouble with this new information and in dealing with Paul. His mind is plagued with memories of Perfect his little girl, how does he transition his mind? How can he love a son who was once his little girl? Gus decides to let his son Authorly teach Perfect how to be a man. All six of her brothers try to help each one using their own talent and experience coupled with love of family. But its one brother that teaches Paul a lesson Jesus would be proud of.

As the family tries to heal after learning what Emma Jean has done the deception proves to be pretty strong for this family and no one can understand Emma Jeans reasoning. It’s not until the face of tragedy hits that moves this family towards healing and survival. Perfect Peace forces the reader to re-think what you feel you know about personal desires, identity, gender, and sexual orientation. Mr. Black did an excellent job of appropriating the language of our people during this time. Also if imagined how a child would handle an identity crisis that borders homosexuality amongst people who were not educated enough to have grace or mercy.

It is the opinion of this reviewer that Perfect Peace is a work of literary genius. No matter who you are we are all “perfect” in His eyes and should be allowed to live in “peace”. Next up “The Sacred Place” by the same author my library would be incomplete without The Sacred Place and “They tell me of a Home”.

Givenchy transgender ads and stories

I try very hard to try not to be  "to gay" for my readers, that there is more to me and my thinking and my life than my sexual prefernce.  With that said there are times that I feel when the right story comes along, that story needs to be told.  G-d bless Givenchy for what they are doing with the transgender/sexually ambigious ads, in my opinion its about time somebody does!  I love the ads and love Givenchy and Riccardo Tisci for doing it.

Fashion is so very often criticized for its non-inclusive nature, especially when it comes to models who walk the runway. They are so often one type: white and impossibly skinny. So much so that the modeling arena is bashed and very often for promoting unattainable ideals to women.  Though plus-size and non-white models may be getting more exposure lately, Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci calls attention to another group of society oft overlooked by fashion with his current fall campaign, in which he cast his longtime transgender personal assistant Lea T. Lea T. used to be "Leo" and is transitioning careers into veterinary medicine.
She appears alongside nine other models in the ad campaign.  WWD reports:
“She’s always been very feminine: superfragile, very aristocratic,” Tisci enthused of the former Mr. T. “She’s part of the family,” he said... Tisci explained that including a transgender person exemplifies the masculine-feminine dichotomy that has become one of his design signatures and follows co-ed casting for his Paris runway last March.

Progress that the masses weren't even clamoring for! Progress I am sure that many will have much to say something about, including but not limited to radicals on both sides of the fence. However, Tisci is not the first person to embrace transgender models. Tyra Banks made a public show of it for a brief period, casting a transgender model for America's Next Top Model and then gifting gender-reassignment surgery on her talk show. If only that stuff had seemed more organic.

 The very current Fall's Givenchy campaign was made all the more buzzworthy when designer Riccardo Tisci cast his transgender personal assistant, Lea T., to appear in the ads alongside nine other models, and of all ten faces, French Vogue chose to highlight her with a nude portrait that appears in next month's issue (August Issue).
 
Prior to this shot breaking, Lea T. modeled in Givenchy's haute couture show this month and posed, privates covered, for last month's (June Issue) Italian Vanity Fair.  By the way if one of my readers has the Italian Vanity Fair Issue I am speaking of I would love to have it and would be MORE than willing to pay for it!
 
Below for those interested in seeing the story, be forewarned there is female upper nudity (exposed breasts) and her "lower" is partially covered with her hand.  So the photograph is not for everyone.