RuPaul's Drag Race’s Exec Producer & a GLAAD Awards Nominated Blogger Both De-friended Me from Facebook for Simply Sending Them This Article: 11 Ways Men Can Be Better Feminist Allies

Last month, days after the transsexual community and allies started a boycott against RuPaul's Drag Race due to RuPaul misgendering and bullying women of transsexual history in a recent episode, I thought I'd let one of the show's executive producers and a GLAAD Award nominated blogger (both of who were 'friends' of mine of Facebook, both who are gay white men and both who have offended many women in my community in the past) what was behind the public outcry against RuPaul's anti-transsexual comments.

I sent them a non-offensive article written by Ozy Franz that I had found online, which is a resource to help men who seem to be clueless as to why why women get fed up with misgendering and sexism.

The same day I tagged both men this much needed advice they each deleted me from Facebook. And that is their right. Yet I'm not sure why they were so upset about the opportunity to actually educate themselves on how they could treat the women in my community better, especially the RuPaul's Drag Race producer, who's company (World of Wonder) and himself have many times participated in projects which exploit and demean the women in my community. Well, either the truth hurts, they didn't want their followers to read up on being better feminists or, like the national LGB media outlets, they wanted to censor the dissent of transsexual community altogether. Whatever the reason, I thought I'd repost the article on my blog so that more people can understand why women of transsexual history are fed up with some gay men thinking they can get away with bullying us.

11 Ways Men Can Be Better Feminist Allies
by Ozy Frantz

Originally posted on: http://www.rolereboot.org/sex-and-relationships/details/2012-07-11-ways-men-can-be-better-feminist-allies

1) Educate yourself. One summer, in high school, I literally read every book the library had about feminism. You don’t have to go that far, but a familiarity with concepts like male privilege, slut-shaming, and rape culture can give you a lot more understanding of how gender works.

2) Don’t be that asshole. Don’t assume that the women in the room have no idea what they’re talking about regarding gender. (If they clearly don’t, well, see #4.) Don’t expect to be thrown a parade because you’ve decided to vote pro-choice. Don’t forget that most men are not feminists and that many feminists are survivors of rape or abuse, and that you’re not sending out Beacons of Awesomeness that show that everyone has to trust you. Check your privilege.

3) Talk to your male friends. It’s sad but true: For a lot of people, men have more credence when talking about gender issues than women do. If your friend tells a rape joke or says that women just aren’t as good at science as men are, challenge them on it. A lot of times, people can’t think of anything to say in the moment; if that’s you, prepare comebacks in advance so you know exactly what to say when it comes up. Even if you forget in the moment, a simple “that’s not cool, dude” can go a long way.

4) Challenge your female friends. A lot of people say that men shouldn’t tell women when they’re being misogynistic. That’s crap. There are plenty of sexist women in the world and they should not get a free pass. If your friend starts snarking about a fat woman or saying that she’s so much better than all those silly other women that are only concerned about their hair and boys, tell her she’s full of it. Other women will thank you.

5) Consume media made by women. A lot of people listen to music made by men, read books written by men, watch movies directed by and starring men—without even realizing it. That’s stupid! It neglects women’s voices and experiences; besides, think of all the amazing talent you’re missing because of their gender. If you like comics, try Alison Bechdel or Gail Simone; if you like movies, look for Kathryn Bigelow or the late Nora Ephron; if you appreciate music, add some Bikini Kill or Nicki Minaj to your playlists.

6) Practice good consent. The general rule is that all sex should be sex that everyone involved wants. I know you, personally, would never have sex with someone who said no, but good consent goes far beyond that. Talk openly and honestly with your partner(s) about your and their sexual desires. Check in when your partner seems to not be enjoying themselves. Eschew pressure and coercion. And the same applies to you—if you’re being pressured or coerced or not having your consent respected, you are not in a healthy relationship.

7) Believe the survivor. It’s true that occasionally people falsely accuse other people of rape or abuse. This is very rare, however, and time spent figuring out the truth is time not spent supporting the survivor. Also, if there is a rapist or abuser in your social group, don’t take “I don’t do drama” as a reason to keep hanging out with them. Not being invited to parties is not a cruel and unusual punishment, and most rapists are repeat rapists. You can keep them from doing it again.

8) Support women’s bodily autonomy. On a political level, of course, one should fight pro-life initiatives, attempts to de-fund Planned Parenthood, forced sterilization efforts, etc. On a personal level, of course, it’s almost more important. If your partner gets pregnant, it’s up to her whether to have an abortion, give the child up for adoption, or raise the kid. Her body, her rules. If a woman is having sex with hundreds of people, don’t call her a dirty slut; if she’s a virgin until marriage, don’t call her a prude. Her body, her rules. If she weighs more than you think she should, don’t call her fat or tell her to go on a diet; if she weighs less, don’t tell her to eat a sandwich. It’s her body and, ultimately, what makes her comfortable in it is what matters.

9) Be a feminist because you support equal rights. Don’t become a feminist because you want to get a girlfriend or because you heard that feminist chicks are easy. Don’t become a feminist because your girlfriend is a feminist and you want to get in good with her. Don’t, for God’s sake, take women’s studies classes because it’s an easy A. Become a feminist because you believe women are people and you will not be satisfied until they are fully treated as such.

10) Be intentional. Maybe it’s best for your family that your wife sacrifice her career to raise kids. But is it really, or are you just assuming that because it’s the narrative you’re used to? Maybe you’re only attracted to 22-year-old blonde skinny women. But are you really, or have you simply not explored your attraction to other people? It’s OK to do things that look anti-feminist to outsiders...as long as it is honestly what you want, and not just falling into the patriarchal rut because you haven’t thought about the other options.

11) Don’t satisfy yourself with just being a feminist. If you are just a feminist, you’re only advocating for the rights of women—which means that you’re advocating for the rights of straight, white, abled, middle-to-upper-class, privileged women. Everyone else? They suffer from racism, queerphobia, ableism, or classism in addition to sexism. Fighting for those rights means fighting for everyone’s rights.

Ozy Frantz is a student at a well-respected Hippie College in the United States. Zie bases most of zir life decisions on Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman; identifies more closely with Pinkie Pie than is probably necessary; and blogs at No, Seriously, What About Teh Menz?

To the gay male TV and film producers who like to defame the women in my community, and to the gay male dominated 'LGBT' media outlets and 'LGBT' media watch dogs who like to censor our dissent against this defamation:

Attention "Anti-Bullying" Advocates: Gay Male Public Figures Misgendering Girls & Women Born With A Transsexual Medical Condition Is Also Bullying, So Please Stop!

Definition from www.BullyFree.com :


What Is Bullying?

Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior that is intentional, hurtful, (physical and psychological), and/or threatening and persistent (repeated). There is an imbalance of strength (power and dominance).

The above definition includes the following criteria that will help you determine if a student is being bullied:

• The mistreatment must be intentional.
• The mistreatment must be hurtful (physical or psychological).
• The mistreatment is threatening. The individual fears harms. Fear their safety.
• The mistreatment must occur more than once. However, some disagree with this. They say one very hurtful event is enough to label it bullying.
• There must be a power imbalance.

I'm glad they included that bullying can also be psychological. Bullying is not just tripping someone and taking their lunch money, or slamming their head against the locker. Bullying in the form of words can be more harmful than violence, especially words which dehumanize.

Bullying many times comes from those who were bullied themselves.

One interesting fact is that there are some high profile gay men, such as  columnist Dan Savage or drag personality RuPaul, who though they are both quoted as referring to themselves as "anti-bullying advocates", many would argue that both men use their media outlets to bully people who are different than themselves, particularly women, and even more so women born with transsexualism.

Hell, Dan Savage has even successfully promoted his brand to that of  the King of anti-bullying gurus. Despite Savage's widespread 'It Gets Better Campaign', Savage has been exposed more times then one, or one hundred really, of bullying transsexual and transgender people. He's done so by ridiculing and misgendering them, using offensive pejoratives and then ignoring or dismissing their grievances when they express how his transphobia negatively affects them. Further, his claims that bisexuality doesn't exist harms the bisexual community. Savage writing rape apologist sentiments in his column alienates female sexual assault survivors and belittles the epidemic of unjust court trials concerning assault. And so on.

On Monday RuPaul once again said some transsexual-phobic comments on his reality show, but this time he has gone too far. The targets of RuPaul's bullying, girls and women with a transsexual medical history, have organized a boycott meant to counter his misgendering. Learn more about MAGNET's boycott in our write up: http://themagnetsource.blogspot.com/2012/10/magnet-boycotts-rupauls-ongoing.html

I don't think Dan Savage or RuPaul are bad men, but they are men, and they have no right pretending to be experts on the young girls and women in our community, or to mock and make sexist and transsexual-phobic comments about us.  Whatever these grown men's unresolved personal issues are, they shouldn't use the women in our community as a punching bag to deal with those issues, they should seek professional help if that's what they need.

If they want enlightened people to take their "anti-bullying" initiatives seriously they would do well to stop behaving like bullies them damn selves.

What Intersex Awareness Week Means To Me: Stop Mutilating Our Narrative

 

 

What Intersex Awareness Week Means To Me

Intersex Awareness Week means choice. The choice for human beings to make decisions on their bodies that intersex-phobic parents and unethical doctors should not be making for them

Intersex Awareness Week means education. Diversity in biology is natural and doctors should educate parents on their options instead of caving into post-birth fears by performing surgeries without the intersex person’s consent

Intersex Awareness Week is about accuracy. Stop lumping intersex people into the concocted “transgender umbrella” ideology reservation against many of our wills, and against the science. This confuses the public on what intersex actually is and silences intersex specific voices. It’s irresponsible for so-called “allies” and non-profits to promote unfounded theories and sloppy mis-education as fact.

Intersex Awareness Week is about affirmation. The APA is one of the most phobic organizations ever. The APA is guilty of stigmatizing and alienating intersex people, and it needs to stop. I’m not down with their new “DSD” label, nor is the majority if the international intersex communities.

Intersex Awareness Week is about listening. When intersex people tell Gay, Inc. and it’s Transgender Um-Scam-Brella Subsidiary “we are not the same label stamp as transvestites and gay male drag performers”, instead of LGBTransgender (NOT ‘I’) non-profits and  TG cyber-blog-bullies assaulting us for simply wanting to be represented accurately, why not demonstrate some compassion instead of their brute-like, over-controlling and ill-political tactics meant to censor and vilify dissent?

Intersex Awareness Week is about reform. GLAAD needs to stop miseducating the media that intersex is in their intellectually and scientifically dishonest “transgender umbrella whether you want to be here or not” media [mis]guide section. It doesn’t belong there. Sorry GLAAD doesn’t feel intersex people are significant enough to have their own section. And while they are at it, they can revise their section on transsexualism as well. Some people born with transsexualism also have one of the over fifty variations of intersex. Transsexualism is medical condition, not a hobby, fetish, stage act or gender rebellion. MISGENDERING = BULLYING

Intersex Awareness Week means healthcare rights. All human being should be protected, but intersex infants, children and even adults many times are not. People want others so desperately to fit into a box so they can feel okay with their narrow ideas that they will literally force intersex people into a mold, which many times leads to depression and suicide. Intersex people should not have to deal with other people issues directed at their own bodies. Intersex Awareness Week should be every week of the year until the intersex-phobia stops.

UNITY NEWS: NLGJA's Own Title Is Exclusionary, Yet NLGJA Leaders Labeled 'UNITY Journalists of Color's' Name Exclusionary?

The following article was published on Saturday, August 5th in The UNITY News website, and was written by a UNITYstudent journalist: http://unitynews.org/2012/nlgja-to-weigh-name-change/.

NLGJA to weigh name change

BY BRANDI LICON

UNITY NEWS

UNITY, previously referred to as a coalition for journalists of color, shed that title this year to include the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.

During the opening ceremonies two presenters made a concerted effort to welcome gays and lesbians. This made Ashley Love, who was born intersex and transsexual, feel left out.

“NLGJA pressured UNITY’s board to change its name, arguing it was exclusionary and non-reflective, so shouldn’t NLGJA practice the same inclusion by adding the ‘B’ and ‘T’?” Love said.

Sexual orientation is not equivalent to gender identity or a transexual medical condition, she said during Thursday’s NLGJA membership meeting. Omitting bisexuals and transexuals [and transgender people] from the title glosses over the differences in [the] LGBT [coalition], silences voices and confuses people, including journalists, she added.

At Thursday’s NLGJA member meeting, six people spoke out in support of Love’s request and none of the about 30 people there voiced opposition.

“The issue has never been on the agenda,” NLGJA President David Steinberg told UNITY News. “It has been a topic people have raised in the last year.”

The board will discuss the issue and figure out a change that makes sense, he said.

Love said this change needs to happen soon.

“We are done waiting,” she said.

A Rose Is *Still* A Rose - Period

A ROSE is *still* a ROSE!

[Not a sub-rose, not a modified rose, not a rose impersonator, not a 2nd class rose, not only a rose on the weekends, not a rose mocker, not acting on some rose fetish, not a plastic rose, not simply "expressing" a few rose characteristics, not condescendingly "identifying" as a rose -- but from the seed, rooted as and blossomed into its natural destiny: A ROSE - inside, and out, from it's origin, always and forever, a rose, period. Please, PLEASE keep your weeds, fake chemicals and pollutants out of the garden, or don't act clueless or attack when the rose uses her protective thorns to sheild herself from entities or non-roses who would do her harm,  thank you]

The Transsexual Spring: The Tide's Shifting This Season As The Transsexual Uprising Gains Major Ground In Affirming, Accurate Education & Medical Rights

Currently The Transsexual Uprising for liberation from the anti-gender binary and anti-medical narrative reservation known as the “transgender umbrella”, which is really a concocted socio-political invention that literally impedes and erodes the rights and public understanding of those born with transsexualism, is making numerous and major advancements this Spring.

And what a beautiful and promising Spring it is! Spring into Action! The Transsexual Spring! Flowers are blooming in such abundance that they can’t be held down, and there’s nothing the honey stealing wasps and bee *colony* workers can do about it, though they are trying
                                           
Malcom Gladwell’s popular book ‘The Tipping Point’ (that I and every publicist and marketing professional have on our bedroom dresser), is about: [From Wikipedia] "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point."[1] The book seeks to explain and describe the "mysterious" sociological changes that mark everyday life.”

The re-liberation of the accurate representation of transsexualism has come into its own “Tipping Point”, which means, though there is still a lot of work to do, we have officially pierced through the 'prison cell' that seeks to hold us captive in a gender deconstructionism narrative against our will. Only a few ‘bricks’ have been removed from the captor's wall, yet that was the hardest part, the remaining bricks will be tumbling down soon enough.

And no, ghost of Virginia Prince, we don’t need yours are any other misogynistic transvestite or transgenderist/gender queer activist’s permission to preserve and inform about the accurate transsexual medical condition narrative. We are not your property, man. Yeah, we get it, apparently since Freud and other sexist white male shrinks are “experts” on women, you think that means sexist white male transvestite fetishists are entitled to colonize women born with transsexualism into some “transgender” scam-brella without our consent. If anti-transsexual ‘Virginia Prince’ cult followers haven’t noticed, 2012 is the year of the Divine Feminine, and women with transsexualism have had enough of being appropriated, spiritually assaulted, psychologically abused and misrepresented.  Let us go gently, or don’t act surprised when we have no choice but to defend ourselves, yet with an aftermath you may dislike.

Let’s examine some blessings the Transsexual Uprising has come into this Spring:

The important ruling last month by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says it’s “sex discrimination” via the 14th Amendment to discriminate against those who transition sex, and clearly states that our condition is *medical*. It’s not about “dress up, fetishes, costume balls, drag stage acts” or other transgenderist activities, hobbies or lifestyles.

Today I was online and noticed The Montreal Gazette in Canada published two pieces discussing the "transsexual, not transgender" conflict. The author agreed that's its problematic and misgendering to call transsexual people "transgender" by grouping transsexuals with drag queens, cross dressers, transvestites, gender queers and other "transgender" identities.

Last month ‘The Hunger Games’ star, Josh Hutcherson, supported MAGNET’s education rally during The GLAAD Awards when he defied GLAAD’s anti-transsexual protocol. In an interview with E! News about GLAAD, he joined our cause by disregarding GLAAD’s media guide and sound bite training. He (gasp!) said the word “transsexual”, instead of transgender! I can’t tell you how happy that made the young girls and teenagers that I mentor and play big sister to (all with a transsexual medical history), as well as us grownups that are fed up with GLAAD misrepresenting us. You see, it hurts these young girl’s self-identity and feelings when GLAAD insensitively (and inaccurately) says that these girls are the same thing and label as a cross dresser, clown or fetishist. Wouldn’t any girl or woman be offended by being called a 'man wearing a dress' just for "fun or kink"? It diminishes their womanhood and self esteem, and is a condescending slap in their face. For these children to hear bigots at school call them names and mock their gender is bad enough, but for "education" non-profits and fraudulant media guides to imply the exact same messaging that they are not "real" girls and women is devastating.

GLAAD needs to stop their disinformation campaign because it's harmfully impacting children born with our birth challenge. Um, aren’t they supposed to be about anti-bullying……?

I read an article today written by a transgender guy on “Queering The Closet” who made the distinction between transsexual and transgender.

I was talking to a mentor and dear friend yesterday who is an elder in the transsexual and intersex communities. She has resisted the attempted erasure of the TS narrative by TG Theory since the mid-90's, when this social engineering started. I learned from her that the American Psychiatric Association (APA) is getting ready to release their DSM 5 Revision that clearly draws a line between male transvestite fetishists and women of transsexual history, much to the disappointment of those who would co-opt us to push their separate and conflicting agenda.

Last week I was reading a favorite blog of mine, Enough Nonsense, which often discusses the fact that transsexualism is being appropriated and misrepresented by the transgender and cross dresser communities, as well as by Gay Inc. The site reported that last month a Minnesota judge affirmed the transsexual narrative in a ruling where he deemed a woman who had undergone SRS as legally “female sex”. Of course, the gay and transgender “news sources” and blogs remained silent on this victory, perhaps because it supported the transsexual MEDICAL CONDITION narrative, not the transgender ideology propaganda. We are not “third gender”, when will they get that?

Andrea Rosenfield, a writer of transsexualism issues, commented about the Minnesota case in the comment section of the Enough Nonsense site:

“As a silver lining, the ruling happens to provide a “finding of fact” that the LGB/TG’s ongoing “It Means Gay!” disinformation/propaganda campaign does real, tangible damage. If something had happened during that interim period before the case resolved, someone could have died. The LGB/TG can’t deny this now, it’s in the record, and it can be used in future cases. (Hint, hint.) That’s probably why the Usual Suspects didn’t want to draw attention to it, and why it’s important that you do.

More importantly, you’re quite likely looking at the end of the “specific exclusion” era. As soon as the insurance companies got the government to force everyone to buy their private insurance, they brought themselves under the 14th and related Federal statutes. That’s what the references to the national health insurance act were about. While noting that it was outside the scope of the case at hand, the judge clearly semaphored that if the insurance company tries to enforce that bizarre and contrived “natural-born” clause they added to try to weasel around covering this woman, they’ll get spanked hard by Title VII. (The Miss Universe thing was ultimately the same issue, and it’s probably why Trump backed down so fast.).” - Andrea Rosenfield - April 24, 2012

There are lot more recent developments that have happened this Spring that are supporting The Transsexual Uprising, I will try to include them on my blog later this week, but I think you get the idea: Times are changing!

On the other end, the unfortunate, yet expected, thing about The Transsexual Uprising gaining so much ground means that the attacks and anti-transsexual propaganda we have to endure is getting amped up heavily, but that’s okay, it only means we are doing something right and those who reap the benefits of our enslavement will do everything in their power to keep us 'picking cotton' in their unethical and unjust 'plantation fields' (keep us hostage in their con-brella).

For example, this Spring a few self-promoting and self-aggrandizing "transgender" bloggers, authors and "gender outlaw" entertainers (who actually financially and professionally profit from enforcing transgender socio-politics and umbrella-ism theory) are obsessing over how to stop the inevitable transsexual liberation by creating petty drama, speculating, concocting laughable and ‘out of this world’ history revisionism, taking actions and quotes out of context, presuming to know one’s intentions as if they are telepathic, unrobing and degrading the bodies of women born with transsexualism and behaving like unstable, over compulsive and anti-social personalities, fueled by their amazing male egos and desire to get attention, although it’s negative attention. Their behavior is obviously a backlash to the realization that their fantasy "transgender umbrella reservation" mandate is coming to an end. They are dealing with their ‘bubble being popped’ like most imperialists do when their colonies breaks free: Retaliating with [mental] violence, back tracking, faking evidence and agreements, mispeaking for deceased transsexuals and others, and transparent [and failed] character assassinations against numerous women of transsexual history that are being seriously listened to.

Their over the top cyber bullying is very telling of how they lack genuine facts to back up their opinion based frame work, as well as not having authentic or sincere intentions, just the typical crafty lies most politicians spit when they want to CON-vince the people of something they know dang well is hog wash. If only they could stop behaving like tyrants and discontinue hijacking our medical and patients’ rights to cater to their socio-political and “anti-gender-binary” agenda then we wouldn’t have to be so raw and even harsh in protecting ourselves with the only means we have: The truth!

I know I write a lot of blog entries discussing the problems and challenges we face as women and men born with transsexualism, but today I want to let my readers know that there is a LOT to be hopeful and happy about. Additionally, there are some very powerful developments that have and are currently happening behind the scenes that I can't write about yet, but they are all leading to women and men like us being legally recognized as, go figure: Women and Men! And that means women and men, period- not a 3rd gender status that so many gender queer, transgender, cross dressing activists and their LGB Inc funders seek to drag us into screaming and protesting.
                                    

The tide is shifting.

Segregation is (and has been!) ILLEGAL! When Gay Inc and its Transgender Um[Scam]brella Ideology Subsidiary finally grasp that segregation is illegal not just based on race, but sex as well, they will come to understand why women and men of transsexual history will never allow ourselves and our children of transsexual and/or intersex history to be othered in their proposed sub-woman and sub-man narrative plot. I would rather die of thirst than be legally forced to drink from a separate drinking fountain then other women, we are not 2nd class women. Likewise, we will never opt to "check a third box" like the gender queer contingent (who have major influence in the TG agenda) are petitioning to make a reality not just for themselves, but for non-consenting women and men with transsexualism as well!

A well-meaning message to the non-transsexual folks who seek to co-opt us: How about you guys do you, and we will do us. We care about human rights for ALL, but if you continue to misrepresent and invalidate transsexualism in an effort to promote your anti-gender binary goals we will defend ourselves by any legal means necessary, and it may not be the outcome you want. We are not your property. Stop treating us like it.

This crazy-making, dishonest and socially engineered “transgender umbrella” that was sneaked into existence does not, never has and never will accurately include women and men born with transsexualism. Our enforced inclusion in this failed experiment is nearing its long awaited finale. So please, let the curtain close gracefully, and stop misgendering and bullying us in retaliation for us rejecting your invitation to participate in this miseducation and harming of our lives.

When a woman says "no", she means "NO"! And when a male or "anti-gender binary agenda" continues to absorb her into his agenda without her consent, well, we all know what that is called: Assault

Spring into Action! The tide of The Transsexual Uprising is shifting! Yes we can! Yes we ARE!
                                   

EEOC's Ruling Is A Major Step Forward In Protecting & Affirming Americans Born With The Transsexual Medical Condition

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) ruling on April 20th clearly states that discriminating against someone who was born in the wrong body and transitions sex is considered sex discrimination as per Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Many people with transsexualism and allies have known this for decades, but some in the gender queer contingent have tried to get “transgender umbrella” rights covered under sexual orientation or “gender expression” categories, which is inaccurate and misgendering when it comes to people with transsexualism.


Though this is just an opinion ruling, it could have major impact on men and women being recognized legally as men and women under the federal law, and not as a third gender status that so many gender deconstructionism and transgenderism theory activists would seek to enroll non-consenting transsexuals into.

Many in the transgender political world weren’t too happy last December when U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit refused to edit out the word “transsexual” from their ruling in favor of only transgender ideology, which enforces the erasure of transsexualism from education.

The 11th Circuit wrote, ''We conclude that a government agent violates the Equal Protection Clause's prohibition of sex-based discrimination when he or she fires a transgender or transsexual employee because of his or her gender non-conformity.''

Many transsexual advocates, doctors, lawyers and even scientists had contacted the U.S. Court of Appeals educating why it would be problematic and sexist to censor out the word transsexual just because national and state LGBT and Transgender groups misinform that it’s acceptable. It’s actually unacceptable. We are happy the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit agreed with us.

Moving forward, it will be important for there to be accurate and affirming education in place that clearly states that this law will not give transvestites or cross dressers the right to co-opt the meaning of this law. Men will not be able to use the women’s restrooms just because they are a transvestite and have a wig on. Now is the time to highlight and refute the crazy-making and dishonest groupings of women and men with transsexualism with people that are just dressing up for entertainment, fetishes or who seek to take advantage or appropriate the legal and medical rights of people with transsexualism.

Now more than ever we have to step forward and repeal laws that could misgender and marginalize us due to the social engineered and  anti-transsexual narrative campaign that many gender deconstructionism activits are pushing.

Supreme Court Denies Brandon Teena's Murderer's Appeal; Associated Press Refers to Teena as "Lesbian" Instead of Transsexual, Misgenders Him

The Supreme Court has refused to listen to the appeal of John Lotter, one of Brandon Teena’s murderers. Though this good news, Teena has now been discriminated by once again, but this time by the Associated Press.

Teena was a transsexual man and was the subject of the Oscar winning film ‘Boys Don’t Cry’. In 1993, Teena was murdered along with two other people due to prejudice of his birth challenge by both Lotter and Marvin Nissen.

The Associated Press has blatantly mislabeled Teena as “lesbian” (Update: they have now have corrected and edited out “lesbian”), though it is well known that he was transsexual: He was born female, but felt and lived his life as a man. They also refer to him as a woman, though he should be referred to as a transsexual man. Many transphobic or uneducated people refer to FTM (female to male) transsexuals as “lesbian” or “gay”. Transsexualism is not the same thing as sexual orientation.

The Associated Press needs to educate themselves on transsexual and transgender issues. Part of the problem is the miseducation preached by GLAAD that says a gay male drag queen is the same term “transgender” as a heterosexual transsexual woman. It leads the public into thinking transsexual people are just dressing up, homosexuals who cross dress for fun, or have the fetish known as transvestitism.

No wonder mainstream doesn't get it right since our "allies" are pushing misinformation stemmed from transsexual-phobia. GLAAD must reform their intellectually dishonest and lazy media guide book's section of transsexualism and transgender.

Just because GLAAD seduces and produces drag and transgender reality TV people and fame chasing “trans spokes people” to co-sign their miseducation and bite their tongues when GLAAD does it wrong, doesn’t mean the rest of us will sell out our community for our own gain. We demand accurate education, NOW!

Brandon Teena deserves to rest in peace. Let’s respect hiM as the man he was.

ABC Cancels 'Work It'. Now If Only GLAAD & HRC's Transsexual-phobia, Hypocrisy, Inaccuracies & Constant Misgendering Could Also Be Cancelled!

Yesterday ABC cancelled the controversial sitcom 'Work It'.

I couldn't care less about this development.

What I do care about however is accuracy. GLAAD and HRC's sensational campaign against the show was unfounded. The show itself was degenerate and with a weak premise, but not for the reasons HRC or GLAAD said in their misguided and disingenuous campaign against the show. The show was about two cross dressing men, it wasn't about women with transsexualism. Yet these organizations saw the show as an opportunity to get on a soap box and appear to be doing work on our behalf by protesting it.

This couldn't be farther from the truth.

If these organizations were sincere in their reasoning for protesting the show, and if their reasons were legitmate, then why are they not protesting the hit Tyler Perry film series Madea? Or Big Momma? Or Ru Paul’s Drag Race? Or the fact that right down the street from GLAAD’s New York office the star of Broadway's Peter Pan is being played by a woman? It’s because like Work It, none of these shows are actually claiming to be stories about people with transsexualism.

GLAAD's weak excuse for unwarrantedly associating the medical condition transsexualism to the show’s plot about two cross dressing men is that "many viewers unfamiliar with the realities of being transgender will still make the connection." Hmm, actually, the only reason society is “making the connection” between cross dressing males and women with transsexualism is because GLAAD’s website and employees guide, and even demand, that they do so! In GLAAD's very own words written in their media (mis)guide they themselves misinform the public that women with transsexualism are the same label (transgender) as cross dressing male fetishists, gay male drag stage acts and gender deconstructionists. Hypocrisy much? Unbelievable! Then they have the nerve to have their pot call a kettle black. (Though in the case of 'Work It', the show was not misgendering us, it was just a stupid show about straight male drag queens). It’s BS politics on their part. If GLAAD thoroughly cared about our public perception they would stop misrepresenting and invalidating transsexual Americans.

And HRC is in no place to act as a protector of a minority they themselves have harmed in legislation repetitively, and are continuing to do so.

In GLAAD's and HRC's advertisement against the film that they placed in Varity Magazine they used a photo of controversial HRC board [token trans tom] member Meghan Stabler as a "trans model", yet just months ago Stabler sold out the transsexual community by becoming legally male in Texas just to marry, which is way more of a mockery and threat to our well-being and rights then 'Work It'. Stabler’s betrayal of the transsexual movement upset numerous respected transsexual and transgender leaders in Texas and nationally.

I haven't publicly commented once on this silly and dangerous spectacle of a campaign against Work It until today because the campaign was a mockery of our medical condition, misled the public into thinking that cross dressing was the same thing as being born with a legitimate transsexual medical condition recognized by the American Medical Association and the campaign obviously was just for show.

The campaign did more to correlate male cross dressing with transsexualism then the show did, just like GLAAD’s media guide, which HRC and all the other LGB”t” organizations deem as sacred. GLAAD and HRC need to "work it" out them damn selves and stop miseducating the public about transsexual issues.

We as women born with transsexualism are not transvestite fetishists, Halloween dress uppers or third gender separatists. We are women, and would appreciate it if GLAAD would stop denying us our medical legitimacy by misgendering and mocking our realities.

The bullying and misrepresentation of the transsexual medical condition by homosexual organizations is malpractice, transsexual-phobia and fraud.

Will GLAAD ever reform their media guide? Or will they continue to treat us as a vote-less colony?

Glenn Close's Film 'Albert Nobbs' About A Transsexual Man Is Nominated For Golden Globe For Best Supporting Actress Performance by Janet McTreer

The highly moving period drama ‘Albert Nobbs’ follows the story of a man who was born with female anatomy named Albert Nobbs, played by Glennn Close. Nobbs is a male servant who must hide his transsexual condition in order to survive.

Actress Janet McTeer, Close's costar who also plays a transsexual man, has been nominated for a Golden Globe for best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a motion picture.

I saw the film and was moved to tears. Some of my tears stemmed from pain I felt for the characters, and some of my tears were stirred by the powerful beauty of humanity that triumphed over fear and violence.

Janet McTeer is very deserving of this award. I will be planning a Golden Globes party just to root for her, stay tuned for the details!

Here’s a touching song from the film’s soundtrack written and performed by a favorite of mne, Sinead O’Conner called ‘Lay Your Head Down’:

GLAAD Says The Huffington Post is "Reinforcing Gay Stereotypes", But What About GLAAD Reinforcing Misrepresentation of Transsexual Medical Condition?!

GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) is protesting The Huffington Post for "reinforcing gay stereotypes", but what about GLAAD reinforcing misrepresentation concerning the transsexual medical condition?

GLAAD makes a lot of people with transsexualism SAAD and MAAD due to GLAAD's BAAD miseducation about transsexual issues.

"Do unto others what thee shall have done unto you"

In full disclosure, I do write occasionally on The Huffington Post about transsexual, transgender and intersex issues, but that is not why I’m writing this blog post. I'm writing on this 'GLAAD protests The HuffPost’ story just to point out GLAAD's hypocrisy. As a member of the transsexual and intersex communities, I personally suffer the consequences of GLAAD misrepresenting the transsexual medical condition

For almost twenty years GLAAD has sought to erase the term transsexual from existence and replace it with transgender. I'm sorry (actually, I’m not sorry), but what does a heterosexual married man who is a transvestite once a month, a gay male drag queen who makes fun of women on stage and a gender queer activist have to do with a woman who has a transsexual medical condition? Absolutely nothing. Yet according to GLAAD's intellectually dishonest and lazy grouping of numerous groups of people they don’t understand, they are all inaccurately labeled as "transgender" and tossed in a 3rd gender reservation. This provides numerous problems for women and men of transsexual history.

GLAAD needs to stop ignoring us. I am already hearing reports that some people in the transsexual community are getting ready to press charges in court against GLAAD if they keep up their identity theft, misinformation and transsexual-phobic media guide

We are done being misgendered, objectified, erased, mocked and disrespected by GLAAD's media (mis)guide. We are fed up with them endangering our well-being. We are sick of them implying we are the same thing as a man in a dress. And we are through with them denying our medical condition it's valid legitimacy and accurate narrative.

So the gays and lesbians (no transsexual people work there, yet they think they can (mis)speak for us) who work at GLAAD don't like how it feels when they feel people are being homophobic? Well then, they need to understand that is exactly how the transsexual-phobia in their media guide and GLAAD enforcing "transgender umbrella ideology as fact whether transsexual people like it or not" makes us feel.

What's it going to be GLAAD? Will you continue to aid the religious far right, radical feminist lesbians who are anti-transsexual and discriminatory insurance/health care companies in misgendering us?

Hypocrisy much?

Read the following articles that explain more in depth why GLAAD's media guide is very problematic and inaccurate pertaining to the transsexual medical condition:

"GLAAD Media Guide Reform — It's Time." by Andrea Rosenfield
http://www.ts-si.org/science-news/28585

'GLAAD – Stop calling us transgender' by Dana Lane Taylor
http://www.ts-is-liberation.org/blog/2011/05/21/glaad-stop-calling-us-transgender/

'Transgender Inc and GLAAD' by Suzan Cooke of 'Women Born Transsexual'
http://womenborntranssexual.com/2011/01/25/transgender-inc-and-glaad/

'Why GLAAD Doesn’t Represent Me' by Suzan Cooke
http://womenborntranssexual.com/2011/06/11/why-glaad-doesn%E2%80%99t-represent-me/

'Yvonne Cook Riley Confesses Inventing “Transgender” to Erase Transsexuality' by Cathryn Platine
http://radicalbitch.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/yvonne-cook-riley-confesses-inventing-transgender-to-erase-transsexuality-to-skin-transvestite-weiss/

'The Death of the 'Transgender' Umbrella' by Mercedes Allen
http://www.bilerico.com/2011/06/the_death_of_transgender.php

(from The MAGNET Source): 'MAGNET Protests Adam Carolla’s Transphobic Comments; Rejects His "Apology”'

Adam Carolla's "apology" is not being accepted by many advocates and community members



Producer/TV Host Eden Lane speaks out against Carolla's anti-transsexual comments



From MAGNET's website:





Adam Carrola adds to his long resume of offensive and prejudice/fear based outbursts with a new podcast where he went on a rant against people who are transsexual and transgender. He asked "When did we start giving a sh-- about these people?" He adds that the LGBT community should "shut up" about speaking out for equality because they are "ruining his life", when in reality, his fear and hate mongering is what is “ruining people’s lives”. He advised the LGBT coaltion to exchange the acronym LGBT ("Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender") for "YUCK.", again, the only thing “yuck” is Carolla’s transphobia, homophobia and sexism.



Carolla recently just made his defintion of an apology: “I’m sorry my comments were hurtful. I’m a comedian, not a politician.”





Ashley Love, an organizer with Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual & Transgender People (MAGNET), comments on Carolla's verbal violence:

“We reject Adam Carolla’s excuse of “being a comedian” as to why he was promoting transphobia, sexism and hate speech. We know many successful comedians who don’t use fear mongering and transphobia in their material. This propaganda endangers the well-being, public's understanding, human rights and the lives of people born with a transsexual medical condition. Carolla should know there is an epidemic of unemployment, violence and marginalization in the transsexual and transgender communities due to the ignorance and fear his comments are adding to. The networks, advertisers and listeners associated with Carolla now or in the future should know that transphobia and hate is not funny or acceptable.”

Eden Lane, known as “the first transsexual broadcast journalist” on mainstream television, and host of 'In Focus TV' ( program on PBS affiliate KBDI ), responded to Carolla's defamatory comments. She tells MAGNET:

“I was deeply disappointed to hear the degrading anti- transsexual remarks Mr. Carolla made on his recent podcast. Mr. Carolla might benefit from some kind of training so he understands the injury he can do to young people not only of a transsexual or transgender experience, but to his young fans who now may think Carolla’s “comedy” is an acceptable reaction to people who are born different."

Don't Get Any Ideas! Americans with Transsexualism Don’t Want "3rd Gender Status” Like Nepal Just Legislated

RESIST BEING CLASSIFIED AS 3RD GENDER.


It was just reported that Nepal will now have a "third gender status" class for people to register in. This is a victory for those who are gender non-conforming, gender-queer, or even transgender. But what about people with transsexualism who may be tossed in that reservation against their will? When insurance and health care companies, and some governments, are getting away with denying people with transsexualism their rights by saying they are not the gender that they are, it's frustrating when some gender deconstructionist activists mirror that same rhetoric when they enroll people with transsexualism into their sociopolitical agenda against their will.

Sounds like identity-theft to me, and the high majority of Americans with transsexualism also consider the co-opting and misrepresenting of their medical condition by gender deconstructionists highly problematic and transsexual-phobic.

If some extreme transgender-deconstructionist ideology activists have their way, all Americans born with transsexualism will also have to register as "third gender status" against their will like many overseas countries are doing. So forgive us people with transsexualism when we get a little feisty and resistant against Gay Inc and it's Transgender Subsidiary using their big platform to spread misinformation that harms people with transsexualism, their medical legitimacy, health care rights and narrative!

Stop the misgendering of people with transsexualism! Call the American Medical Association today and ask them to back up their statement that clearly states that our birth condition is natural, and our human rights are being violated when our medical rights are deemed “unnecessary” by insurance, health care and government officials, and sadly, even by some transgender-queer, 3rd gender and gay advocates.

Why should transsexual rights be appropriated and trampled on by gender deconstructionist agendas?

NAACP Excludes Transsexual & Transgender Panelists From 'First Ever LGB"T" Town Hall' Next Monday

The NAACP is having its first ever ‘LGB"T" Town Hall’ meeting next week at their conference, BUT it's a shame they have NO transsexual or transgender people on the panel. So why don't they just be honest and call it the "LG" Town Hall? How many times do transsexual or bisexual people get shut out of these events? There are numerous Black TS or TG advocates in LA, so there is really no excuse. I was all happy to go until I heard they SHUT US OUT, AGAIN. When the highest number of hate crime murders in the LGBT and transsexual communities are Black or Latina TS or TG women, one would think these groups would be more inclusive and on point, but I guess we are an embarrassment to some. Also, they could have had more lesbian women on the panel as well. Anyways, if you're gay, have fun at the LG Town Hall. Us "tra**ys" will be busy being INVISIBLE... as usual...sigh

Equality Maryland Fires Director, Yet the Board Members Need to Look at Their Own Transphobic & Classist History, Not Just Blame a Scapegoat!

Morgan Meneses-Sheets is the 'sacrifical lamb' of Equality Maryland's board

Last Sunday, the board of Equality Maryland fired their Executive Director, Morgan Meneses-Sheets. At first, I thought it was a good thing due to the public outcry from the state and national transsexual, transgender and intersex (TTI) communities who opposed Equality Maryland’s decision to fight for a unjust bill, H.B. 235, which implied that TTI people are second class citizens in the area of public accommodations. Her being fired showed that public opinion holds weight in LGBT leadership. I also feel she didn’t truly enroll TS/TG community buy-in regarding the decision to abandon PA protections, and she also cancelled “transgender working groups” when they were needed most, though, she could have just been carrying out the boards wishes.

However, as I pursued the situation more, I am left with a bad taste for the actual board members of Equality Maryland, and in fact, my heart goes out to Morgan. I feel for her because the truth is that the board actually makes all the important decisions concerning directions and strategy, and it was just Morgan’s job to do as she was told. It’s pretty sinister for the board to now use Morgan as the sacrificial lamb when it was truly the board that was to blame for the down fall of Equality Maryland’s reputation

This is not to suggest I agree with some of her actions, but the major issues I have are matters that the board had definitive influence and final say in, Morgan was just the messenger. So why kill the messenger? That’s what the board has decided to do, and they expect us all to buy it. Well, I don’t buy generic brands, including this stunt of the board members. The source should be held accountable.

Let's meet those really responsible:

Equality Maryland, Inc. Board of Directors: Charles Butler, Darrell Carrington, David Lublin, Rosemary Nicolosi, Lisa M. Polyak, Mark Yost, Jr.

Equality Maryland Foundation Board of Directors: Alex Hickox, Rosemary Nicolosi, Patrick L. Wojahn, Charles Butler

It was the Equality Maryland BOARD MEMBERS responsible for:

1) Allowed a “national advocacy coalition” to call shots, upsetting many state residents

2) Left former trans board member Laura Hart in the dark when they removed PA protections from the Gender Anti-discrimination Act, causing her to resign

3) Have no transsexual people on board, or staff

4) Maryland LGB and TS/TG advocates have stated that the board has many elitist, classist and transphobic sentiments and practices

5) Enforced the decision to send the marriage equality bill vote back to committee, angering many Maryland residents who said it was best to put it to a vote, if not at least to get on record where officials stood on the bill

6) Have maliciously thrown their ED under the bus, when she was simply doing what she was told, which is bad for community morale

7) Have failed to admit their wrong doing of 2001, when transsexual & transgender people were removed from the Anti-discrimination act, therefore only protecting LGB people, making TS/TG people 2nd class citizens in the LGB”T” coalition

8) Have rejected the Maryland’s LGBT community's demand for transparency throughout the last 6 months of working for both the TS/TG bill and the marriage equality bill.

9) After reports that the moderator of Equality Maryland’s Facebook page was censoring and deleting dissent, and even banning people, the board still did not change this protocol

10) Being a board member should be more than just champagne toasts, and spring rolls, it should also be about enrolling ALL the people included in their mission statement, unfortunately, the board did not do that with the transsexual and transgender communities.

So, if the board is going to fire the Executive Director for simply carrying out their agenda, they need to fire them-damn-selves! And, for them to have absolutely no transsexual people on their board or staff is appalling!

No taxation without representation!

Spin, baby, spin….that’s all this is. A PR spin job to imply that Morgan is all to blame, but the truth is that the board is guiltier then Morgan, and they should be held accountable.
Will the next Executive Director have freer rein then Morgan? Of course not! They will still have to beat to the drum of the board, which is apparently being told what to do by some mysterious “national advocacy coalition”.

Therefore, firing Morgan is just a “pass the blame game” that I refuse to participate in!

In all my articles I have written about this unjust HB 235 compromise, or the quotes I gave to media outlets, I never once placed the blame, or even mentioned either Morgan Meneses-Sheets or H.B. 235’s sponsor, Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk. This is because most of the transsexual and transgender community is aware enough to know this is about the national gay (not T) establishment and it’s common practices, not one or two people.

There is a long history of throwing TS/TG people under the bus to secure gay only rights.

There is a long history of gay organizations advising elected officials and the government on issues that are transsexual and transgender specific, without including TS/TG people in the process, or even gaining their consent.

There is a long history, starting a few years after the Stonewall Riots, of elitist gays abandoning TS/TG rights because they said their issues were “too radical”, never mind that it was trans women Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P Johnson, Miss Major and others who were in the Stonewall Inn that night and kicked things off!

Matthew Thorn, Equality Maryland’s development director, has resigned in response to Morgan’s firing. I respect him for refusing not to be a puppet in the board’s sinister PR ploy, and for him calling the board out on their refusal to take responsibility for their part in the downfall of the groups public graces. In his statement he writes:

"Not only has she [Morgan] committed time and energy away from her wife and her 5-month-old daughter, but she had the tenacity to keep fighting in Annapolis, even when all others had given up. Giving up just isn’t in her vocabulary. This past Sunday, the board of directors of Equality Maryland, in executive session voted to remove her from her position, essentially telling the organization’s staff, volunteers, supporters, funders and general community that the organization will now move in a different direction.

I fear that the direction that the board seeks to take is one that will not be a beneficial path for the community, for the organization, for the staff and especially the organization’s funders, and that is why, effective today, I am resigning from my position as director of development of Equality Maryland. I wish nothing but the best to the staff and the community and hope that we can overcome these obstacles to continue to fight for our full equality.”

So, while a few noted transsexual and transgender advocates and bloggers are publicly celebrating the termination of Morgan, I most certainly am not. I am actually saddened that this deceptive decision by the board has happened, because it suggests that the board’s hands are clean, which they are not. I won’t be celebrating until the board says:

“Mistakes were made that we had a part in. We want to enroll all members of the LGBT community in moving forward. We will actually have transsexual people on our board and staff. We will be a real LGBT coalition”.

Until the board of Equality Maryland does right by TS/TG communities, their name will continue to be tainted. Firing Morgan has only made them look dishonest, uncompassionate and traitorous to someone who was just doing their bidding, and that they are against taking responsibility for their own actions.

I hope Morgan learns from this experience, and that in her next job she lets the board know that there are consequences to leaving the transsexual and transgender community behind, and only giving them crumbs. It’s a new dawn, and the TS/TG communities are now a major player in the game, and have the ability now to let the public know where they stand. They influenced Maryland elected officials to publicly acknowledge the disconnect between Gay Inc and the TS/TG community.

I’m happy that Morgan has decided not exit the stage without calling a spade a spade, and letting people know the board ain’t Mother Teresa. In part of her statement she writes:

“It is with heavy heart that I share that today will be my last day as the executive director of Equality Maryland. While it is not my choice to leave, it is my choice to make my voice heard as I exit.

In particular the past few months have been tough to bear, not because of the hard work which I welcome and felt honored to be part of, but because of the forces within the organization and external politics that created additional and unnecessary obstacles to our forward movement and success. As I move on, I will not focus on the negative or destructive forces that created this untenable situation...”

I’m glad she acknowledged the “forces within the organization” [the board] which had a part, or in reality, the biggest part in this whole fiasco.

The Advocate Interviews Ashley Love on the Unjust H.B. 235 Compromise: 'Md. Gender Identity Bill on the Move'

I was interviewd today by The Advocate about why the compromised version on HB 235 must either be ammended or withdrawn. It's great to have a national LGBT news source tell both sides of this story. Many LGBT news sources have been censoring the dissent against this bill from the transsexual and transgender community, and only expressing the gay and lesbian (not transsexual's) leadership's POV via Equality Maryland's 'talking point' team. Article below:

Posted on Advocate.com April 05, 2011

Story Updated : April 05, 2011 05:30:00 PM

Md. Gender Identity Bill on the Move By Julie Bolcer

An endangered gender identity antidiscrimination bill has been moved to the Maryland senate judicial proceedings committee, where a hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

The Gender Identity Antidiscrimination Act, which had appeared dead for the year, was moved to the more favorable committee Tuesday morning after extended public pressure that included hundreds of constituent calls and e-mails.

Equality Maryland announced that the senate rules committee voted to send the bill to the judicial proceedings committee, where it is expected to pass and head to the full senate for consideration. The bill passed the assembly by a strong 86-52 margin last month, but in the senate it was unexpectedly assigned to the rules committee, where prospects dimmed.

"This important piece of legislation that will extend vital protections to Transgender Marylanders in housing, employment, and credit lives to see another day thanks to the tremendous leadership of Senators Jamie Raskin and Rich Madaleno both of whom were instrumental in making sure the bill moved out of the Senate Rules Committee,” said Morgan Menses-Sheets, executive director of Equality Maryland, in an e-mail to The Advocate.

“Other legislative allies, including delegates Joseline Pena-Melynk, Ariana Kelly and the LGBT caucus can also be attributed to keeping this bill alive,” she said. The seven members of the house LGBT caucus sent a letter to senate president Thomas V. Mike Miller last week urging him to allow the bill to be passed from the rules committee to the judicial proceedings committee.

“This bill would offer limited protections with respect to employment, housing and financial security,” wrote the caucus members in a copy of the letter provided to The Advocate.

“In the hearing in the health and government operations committee we learned the transgender community has double the national average rate of unemployment (14%) and 90% face discrimination or harassment at work. With regard to housing, 11% report having been evicted for being transgender and 10% have been homeless.”

The bill has divided transgender advocates, however. Some groups opposed to the measure, including Trans Maryland and Trans United, say it offers inadequate protections by failing to include the category of public accommodations, which encompasses restrooms, hospitals, restaurants, transportation, shelters, and other public areas. Delegate Pena-Melynk, the lead sponsor of the bill, said the category was excluded in order to secure passage of the bill, which has failed over public accommodations in the past.

Transgender and transsexual advocate Ashley Love called the measure a “second-class bill” in an interview with The Advocate, likening the proposal to settling for civil unions instead of marriage equality. She said that removing protections for public accommodations could set a dangerous precedent by buckling to conservative critics around the country who focus on the issue of bathrooms in trying to defeat transgender rights legislation.

"H.B. 235 passing without public accommodations protections will create a second-class status for Maryland’s transsexual and transgender community, and more dangerous, other states could follow this unjust blueprint,” she said. “It’s hypocritical that Equality Maryland refused second-class civil unions, and only first-class marriage, yet they’re accepting a second-class ‘antidiscrimination’ bill for transsexual and transgender people, when most transsexual and transgender Marylanders only support a first-class, fully inclusive bill."

Love indicated that she and others would continue to advocate against the bill.

A senate source confirmed that testimony would be heard on the bill in the senate judicial proceedings committee this Thursday at 1 p.m. The hearing time is likely to be abbreviated due to the volume of unfinished business as the Maryland state legislature approaches its adjournment date of April 11.

Maryland Senators Expose "Equality" Maryland Misrespresenting the Transsexual & Transgender Community!

Though Equality Maryland (and many other state and national LGB”t” organizations) have serious control freak issues when it comes to dominating the transsexual and transgender community’s narrative, political movement strategy, media guide suggestions, priority level in the LGB”t” agenda and how bills pertaining to TS/TG people are written or amended, it seems more and more straight allies and politicians are hearing the cries of the TS/TG community when they say:

“Gay Inc. doesn’t represent us accurately, we are tired of being thrown under the bus constantly and we will not accept a few crumbs here and there! We are taking back our voice.”

The Maryland HB 235 bill is losing ground, which is actually a blessing in disguise because the weak bill leaves out public accommodations protections, so it’s best to propose it next year in its full and original version. The bill has been sent to the Senate Rules Committee where it's expected to die.

Senator Frosh has decided not to be spoon fed what to say by Equality Maryland, and has honestly pointed out that many transsexual and transgender Marylanders disagree with Equality Maryland’s ’incremental strategy’. Yesterday, he was interviewed in the Washington Blade concerning the tainted bill:

In yet another development likely to trouble the bill’s supporters, Frosh said his office was “inundated” on Monday by calls from transgender activists opposed to the bill because it has been stripped of a provision banning discrimination against transgender persons in the area of public accommodations. “They are livid that that was taken out and oppose the bill,” Frosh said of Trans Maryland members. “So there’s a division within the transgender community apparently about whether or not it’s a good idea."

Times are changing. Our elected officials are finally realizing that there is a disconnect between LGB strategists and TS/TG advocates on many issues. Yep, the time has come to represent ourselves, and a lot of LGB groups, and their TG loyalists and apologists, aren’t too happy about it.

Maryland transgender resident, Dana Beyer, who unsuccessfully ran for Maryland House of Delegates three times, and used to be on the board of Equality Maryland, told the Washington Blade yesterday:

"We don't trust Frosh and this seems to be his way of killing it and leaving himself with clean hands," Beyer says. "Bills don't go to Rules Committee unless there's a problem with them. This is not the normal process. There really is no reason for it. I would say this doesn't look good, and there's no excuse for it."

However, many in the community disagree that "Frosh is to blame". In fact, many are grateful to Senator Frosh for acknowledging that the bill's compromised version "may not be a good idea", and that many leaders in the Maryland community, including members of Trans Maryland and Trans United, have been calling his office and telling him why the bill must either ammended to include public accomodations protections, or withdrawn.

Emelye Waldherr replied to Dana Beyer’s opinion,

"Maybe there IS a problem with the bill? A great number of people think there's a big problem with this bill. Could it be that Senator Frosh agrees with them?"

A commenter then called Waldherr “naïve and Pollyanna ” to suggest that Senators would actually reconsider the bill’s merit due to the large outcry and opposition from Maryland’s only two trans specific organizations, Trans Maryland and Trans United. TransGriot’s Monica Roberts’ rebuttal to that name calling was:

"No, what’s “naive and Pollyanna” is GL rights orgs pimping an 'incremental rights' trans legislative strategy that not only doesn't work, it is harmful to the people it allegedly is supposed to help."

Dana LaRocca, a noted transsexual journalist and member of Trans Maryland, comments on this development,

"Yusef [a political writer for Metro Weekly] writes whatever he is spoon fed by the Equality Maryland disinformation team. He has no idea what is going on around him. An article in the Washington Blade has an entirely different take on it. [Washington Blade’s] Lou Chibbaro was apparently aware that the transgender community had reached out to key players in the Senate.

It looks like we got to [Senator] Frosh. Even better it looks like Frosh got under EQMD's skin. Next year is different because we have backed them into a corner and they have seen what we can do. I'm not a Blade fan. But if they upset the EQMD folk it's OK with me

Now EQMD is whining that he [Frosh] doesn't play by the rules. Well guess what EQMD - ya'll don't make the rules."

Even Maryland Senator Rich Madaleno publicly commented on the how all the attention seems to only goes towards gay marriage, though anti-discriminations protections for transsexual and transgender people are more urgent and needed. In his statement he says:

“Although much of the media attention this legislative session has centered on marriage equality, we cannot let that debate overshadow efforts to enact these essential protections. Protection against discrimination, including gender identity discrimination, is a basic human right.”

Many agree with Senator Madeleno. Let’s be real, marriage is a luxury when you can’t even get a job because you are discriminated against, or can’t use public accommodations because of your gender identity, or get denied hospital care or health care insurance because you are transsexual. But since the gay and lesbian elitists who dominate the priorities of the LGB (lets tack on T to be PC) movement have most privileges straight people do, all they are concerned about is marriage and tax breaks, and those who are more oppressed are demanded to follow what their desires are. Never mind that a large percentage of the TS/TG communities are unemployed or living in poverty level, are frequently victims of hate crimes and have less social acceptance and understanding then gays do from society.

I want to thank Senator Frosh and Senator Madelno for having the integrity to call a spade a spade, and for them compassionately acknowledging that the LGB movement does not always do right by the TS/TG community.

The tide is shifting......

Transsexual, transgender and intersex Americans have had enough. They are exiting the back of the LGB”t” bus and buying their own bus. It’s high time we stop allowing our community to be used as a political bargaining chip by the gay establishment. Many elected officials and media outlets are supporting us in doing so.

We own our voices.

WE own OUR voices!

WE OWN OUR VOICES!!!

Trans Maryland members and supporters rally at The Supreme Court to oppose HB 235

National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association's 'Headlines & Headliners'

Ashley Love, journalist Ann Curry

(L-R) Patrick Abner, Ashley, Thomas Roberts (event host, MNBC news anchor)

Yesterday evening was "Headlines & Headliners", the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association’s 16th Annual Benefit. NLGJA is dedicated to ensuring fair and accurate coverage of LGBT issues, protecting LGBT media professionals in the work place and fostering their professional development.

It was a really lively and lovely event, held at Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, a luxury furniture store in in Manhattan. The event was hosted by Thomas Roberts, an openly gay news anchor on MNBC. News media greats such as Ann Curry and Sam Champion attended, as well as Chris Wragge, Jane Velez-Mitchell, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Matthew Taylor and Natalie Morales.

Country music star Chely Wright and her girlfriend came out to support the cause. Wright’s upcoming documentary, ‘Wish Me Away’, had a special screening the same night, at a different venue. Miss New York 2010, Claire Buffie, was there to support her friend Thomas Roberts. She is such a dedicated straight ally to the LGBT community, and I enjoy seeing her at numerous events for the community.

As a media professional, who also happens to be part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender and intersex coalition, it was really inspiring to me to be in the presence of so many people I look up to, such as Ann Curry who is such a smart woman and a longtime advocate, and Thomas Roberts who is brave enough to be out, when many in the industry are still closeted professionally. The event was bustling with so many folks who all believed in harnessing the media to enroll equality, understanding, acceptance and positive images for the community.

Mitchel Gold received a certificate from Christine Quinn, speaker of NY City Council, honoring his work. Michel Gold is not just a furniture entrepreneur; he is a civil rights advocate. His new book, Crisis: 40 Stories Revealing the Personal, Social and Religious Pain and Trauma of Growing Up Gay in America, is out now.

Times are so much better than they used to be as far as the media being more respectful and accurate concerning transsexual, transgender and intersex (TTI) representations and issues, and LGBT ones as well. But there is still so much work to be done, especially for the TTI communities. There is still a lot of mis-gendering, sensationalizing and dehumanizing of transsexual women in the media every day. With groups like NLGJA and openly LGBT media professionals, we can help inspire better media coverage.

To learn more about NLGJA, and to get more involved, visit: http://nlgja.org

w/ country star/LGBT advocate Chely Wright (L-R) Fox news anchor Kimberly Guilfoyle, Ashley Love, Fox news anchor Jamie Colby w/ Jane Velez-Mitchell w/ NLGJA Executive Director Michael Tune Miss New York 2010 Claire Buffie Blogger Andy Towle w/ New York Time's Alan Flippen Micthel Gold's company being acknowledged from the city via Christine Quinn LAGLC's Jim Key (far left), Latina Magazine's Javier Morgado (2nd from left), journalist Derrick Shore (far right) (L-R) Ashley, Emma Margoline, guest, Lana Schupbach, guest w/ NCLR's Shannon Minter w/ Fred Karger