Here is some stuff in the news today...
You may remember in March I mentioned that one of the things that had been revealed in Hillary Clinton's State email dump was that a trans woman from Illinois was able to start her own construction business because of the passport rule, and she wrote Clinton a letter about it and Clinton wrote her back personally. Well, there is much more about that story in this Politico article, which is at turns soooo great and so infuriating. And, for the record, Clinton has indeed bragged about that passport rule. Just enough, in my opinion, so that the people who care will know, and the people who would have tried to make trouble for trans people won't. Frankly, if there's someone who would have a higher opinion of Clinton if they knew, and they're all bent out of joint that they didn't, that's not on Clinton. That's on the people who don't care enough about trans rights to know about a major trans rights milestone.
In other Hillary Clinton news: She writes a note to The Toast, on their last day. Blub. (And OMG her author profile!!!)
[Content Note: Murder; racism; video may autoplay at link] "A Baltimore judge on Thursday ordered a new trial for Adnan Syed, adding a new chapter to a two-decade-old murder case propelled to international attention by the popular podcast 'Serial.' Syed, now 35, has been serving a life sentence since 2000, when he was convicted of killing ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee the year before. ...Retired Judge Martin Welch, who had denied Syed's previous request for a new trial, vacated Syed's conviction Thursday and said questions about cellphone tower evidence should have been raised by his trial team. The ruling came four months after a hearing that included testimony from an alibi witness who had been featured in 'Serial.'" At ThinkProgress, Judd Legum explains why there will nonetheless probably not be a new trial. (Previously on Serial: Part One and Part Two.)
[CN: Transphobia] I mentioned yesterday that some of the new guidelines on trans troops seemed problematic to me. In today's Guardian, Chelsea Manning raises those concerns, too, as well as noting that the revised guidelines make no mention of trans military personnel who are incarcerated.
[CN: War on agency] GOOD: "Judge Tanya Walton Pratt of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana granted a preliminary injunction against [several provisions of Indiana's omnibus anti-abortion] law's final disposition and sex, race, and genetic anomalies ban on Thursday, just a day before the law was to take effect. ...Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky worked with the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana to file a lawsuit and request an injunction in April, according to a local ABC affiliate. Under the provisions halted by the injunction, pregnant persons across the state would have been banned from aborting a fetus based on an abnormality or race or gender-related reasons, among others."
[CN: Racism] "In the aftermath of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' board pledged to restructure its governance and increase its internal diversity. It took a major step in that direction with yesterday's (June 29) announcement of its 2016 class of new members. ...The incoming class of 683 members—the Academy's largest ever—is 46 percent female and 41 percent people of color, and represents 60 countries." That sounds like a promising start, especially given that the new class "includes several notable performers and creators of color who have vocally criticized Hollywood's erasure of people of color and structural racism before, during and after the #OscarsSoWhite outrage." Fingers crossed!
[CN: Misogyny; racism] WOWWWWW this video of Jessica Williams confronting Sanders supporters who say they'll vote for Trump. Wow.
"Donald Trump used money donated for charity to buy himself a Tim Tebow-signed football helmet." Of course he did.
OMG this may be the best Facebook status ever posted: R. Eric Thomas, commenting on a picture of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and US President Barack Obama walking down a hallway together, writes: "Whoever took this photo deserves a GD Pulitzer Prize. We may be two minutes from doomsday but thank the Lordt we still live in a universe where three world leaders can strut into a room like they're the new interracial male cast of Sex and the City. Like I have ALREADY prepurchased tickets to this film. Out here in these streets looking like Career Day Ken. Looking like Destiny's DILF." And it just gets better from there! CRYING.
And finally! "That is Quizno. This is his beach." LOL foreverrrrrrr.
In the News
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
How to Help West Virginia Flood Victims.
[Content Note: Death; exploitation] This interview with Dr. Anne Stevens, the sister of Ambassador Chris Stevens, who was killed at Benghazi, is so upsetting. His family has been saying for years now that he wouldn't want to be exploited this way; that he knew the risks; that they don't blame Hillary Clinton and neither would he. And the Republicans carry on, because his actual humanity isn't worth anything to them.
[CN: Homophobia] The hashtag "Heterosexual Pride Day" has been trending all day on Twitter. Here's what I have to say about that garbage:
"Heterosexual Pride Day" exemplifies the opposite of pride. It reflects a desperate, brittle insecurity about losing undeserved privilege.
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) June 29, 2016
[CN: Carcerality; racism] Another strong argument for carceral reform/prison abolition: "Mass incarceration damages individuals and communities in ways that scholars are just starting to explore. New research that we've published with our colleague Mary Laske Bell shows that African American men who are former inmates are irrevocably harmed by time they spent behind bars. ...African Americans constitute nearly 1 million of the 2.3 million persons incarcerated and are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of whites. One in three African American men will experience prison." Fucking hell.
Relatedly: "President Obama's administration is making a higher education much more convenient for inmates in U.S. prisons. A new plan was introduced that will provide $30 million in pell grants for up to 12,000 inmates to take college courses. 'We all agree that crime must have consequences, but the men and women who have done their time and paid their debt deserve the opportunity to break with the past and forge new lives in their homes, workplaces, and communities,' said Education Secretary John B. King Jr., according to the Washington Post. 'This belief in second chances is fundamental to who we are as Americans.' Inmates in 27 states will be able to take advantage of the pilot program which will enroll them in a variety of online courses or classes inside of prison facilities moving forward. This plan goes directly against a controversial 1994 congressional ban on federal funds being spent on prison inmates. However, a new initiative to actually prevent prisoners from becoming repeat offenders—and data that shows education lowers the likelihood of inmates returning—have turned the tide."
[CN: Torture] Donald Trump "has repeated calls for the return of waterboarding against Islamic State militants, saying: 'I like it a lot.' His comments at a rally in Ohio came hours after suicide bombers killed 41 people at an airport in Istanbul. 'You have to fight fire with fire,' said the Republican's likely nominee... 'We have to fight so viciously and violently because we're dealing with violent people,' Mr Trump said. At one point, he asked the crowd: 'What do you think about waterboarding?' They cheered as he gave his answer: 'I like it a lot. I don't think it's tough enough.'" Breathtaking. Terrifying. Indecent.
Congratulations, Misty Snow! "Utah voters picked a historic, and largely unknown, Democratic candidate to challenge Sen. Mike Lee this November. Misty K. Snow is the first transgender nominee from a major party to run for a U.S. Senate seat and she is among the first transgender people to run for Congress. Misty Plowright, a transgender woman, claimed the Democratic nomination in Colorado's conservative 5th House District on Tuesday."
And congratulations, Misty Plowright! "Misty Plowright won in Colorado's 5th congressional district, which Politico reports is 'the most conservative in the state,' and will challenge Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.)." Misty Plowright is also transgender.
[CN: Anti-atheism] Ian Millhiser on Justice Alito's Bizarre and Offensive Attack on Atheists. Spoiler Alert! Alito thinks religion is the only way to morals and ethics. Because of course he does.
Senate Democrats had to kill a Zika bill because their Republican colleagues fucked around with it so much that it became pointless. And now funding to combat Zika will be delayed even further. For fuck's sake.
In other Senate news: "A rescue package for cash-strapped Puerto Rico is likely to clear the final hurdle this week after the bill passed a test vote in the US Senate on Wednesday, by 68 votes to 32. An official vote is likely to take place later on Wednesday or Thursday. The bill would provide emergency debt relief to Puerto Rico, which is expected to default on a $2bn debt payment on Friday. But it was strongly opposed by Bernie Sanders and several other Senate Democrats. Sanders called the bill 'disastrous' and a victory for hedge funds. ...The Senate minority leader, Harry Reid, said he would vote for the legislation, though he criticized [Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader] for not allowing amendments to the bill. The House is out of session until 5 July, so the Senate will have to pass the House bill unchanged for it to head to the president's desk for his signature before the Friday deadline."
I love this so much: "A university professor in Ivory Coast baby seats for his student [a new mum] who was taking her exams."
"This skeleton robot salamander just wiggled its way into my heart." Seconded!
And finally! "American Bulldog Who Used to Fear Men Now Has 2 Daddies Who Adore Her." BLUB FOREVERRRRRRR.
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: Terrorism; death; video may autoplay at link] Fucking hell: "Three separate car bombings in the Iraqi capital Wednesday killed at least 93 people and wounded at least 165. The Islamic State group later claimed responsibility for all three bombings. In recent months, the extremist faction has lost some of the Iraqi territory it conquered in a stunning 2014 blitz. But Wednesday's carnage demonstrates the group's lingering ability to launch significant attacks across the country and in the heart of the capital. In the largest attack of the day, a car bomb ripped through a commercial area in the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City Wednesday morning, killing at least 63 people and wounding at least 85. Later in the afternoon, two more car bombs killed at least 30 and wounded 80, police officials said. One bomber targeted a police station in Baghdad's northwest Kadhimiyah neighborhood, killing 18, of whom five were policemen, and wounding 34. Another bombing In the northern Baghdad neighborhood of Jamiya killed 12 and wounded 46." I am so angry and so sad about the continued havoc and fear and injury and death that IS is wreaking in Iraq (and elsewhere). Fuck these people. My thoughts and sympathies and support are with the people of Iraq who are being targeted by this incomprehensibly cruel group.
[CN: Police brutality; white supremacy] Delrish Moss has been sworn in as Ferguson, Missouri's new chief of police. Moss "is the first Black person to run the department. Moss, 51, takes over the department as it works to implement the terms of its agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which requires a major overhaul of practices that were found to violate the civil rights of the city's Black residents." Good luck to him. I mean that with all seriousness and hopefulness.
Vice-President Joe Biden says if he'd decided to run for president, he would have been aces! "It's an awful thing to say, but I think I would have been the best president." Yep, that's an awful thing to say!
[CN: Fat hatred] "Obesity may not cut your life short after all, a new study suggests." No shit! Gotta love the entire tenor of this article: Look, science, may be proving that fat doesn't actually kill you, but let's not get ahead of ourselves! Your life will probably be terrible! And also maybe science is wrong! In any case, let's not get ahead of ourselves with any kind of wild notions that we should stop hating fat people and bullying them constantly under the auspices of concern for their health.
[CN: Racism; displacement] Wow: "The remains of at least 10 Native American children who died nearly 2,000 miles away from their homes while being forced to attend a government-run boarding school in Pennsylvania more than a century ago could soon be repatriated under an effort taken up by a South Dakota tribe. The exhumation and return of the bodies of the children who as students of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School were stripped of their culture and left vulnerable to abuse won't be an easy undertaking. But leaders of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe hope that a meeting with representatives from the U.S. Army and other tribes scheduled for Tuesday will begin the negotiation process to repatriate the remains of the 10 children, and eventually, of the dozens more who died while attending the school as part of an assimilation policy intended to rid the children from Native American traditions and replace them with European culture. 'We are hoping that the United States government will say 'Yes, let's bring your relatives home,'' said Russell Eagle Bear, the historic preservation officer for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe."
[CN: Rape culture; familial sexual abuse] Ronan Farrow, the son of Woody Allen, has written a piece for The Hollywood Reporter about, essentially, the fact that the media and lots of famous people continue to ignore his sister's allegations of sexual abuse against their father. And I have a lot of thoughts about what he wrote, none of which I feel like detailing today, but I will point out this one incredible, painful irony: "But it hurts my sister every time one of her heroes like Louis C.K., or a star her age, like Miley Cyrus, works with Woody Allen." Louis CK, of course, has been accused of sexually harassing and/or assaulting multiple female comics. But no charges have been brought, so everyone feels free to ignore them. Like, yanno, Woody Allen. It's entirely possible (and likely) that Dylan and Ronan Farrow are among the many people who have simply never even heard of these charges.
[CN: Transphobia; typical bad media language and misgendering] "Portage transgender teen places second in prom queen contest." This is where I attended high school. There are problems with the article, but I'm really glad that Dakota Yorke was given a chance to speak for herself and I was pleased to see how many of her classmates are publicly supporting her. As well as the school! Good job, PHS.
[CN: Misogyny] OMFG this article about the Ghostbusters reboot. The subhead ALONE! "It's hard to believe geek culture 'sexism' is responsible for all the bad buzz aimed at Paul Feig's female-fronted remake. Now we need Bill Murray to save the day." Of course we do. Love how sexism is in scare-quotes, btw.
[CN: Video may autoplay at link] This tickles me endlessly: "Known for her grasp of policy, Mrs. Clinton has spoken at length in her presidential campaign on topics as diverse as Alzheimer's research and military tensions in the South China Sea. But it is her unusual knowledge about extraterrestrials that has struck a small but committed cohort of voters. Mrs. Clinton has vowed that barring any threats to national security, she would open up government files on the subject, a shift from President Obama, who typically dismisses the topic as a joke. Her position has elated U.F.O. enthusiasts, who have declared Mrs. Clinton the first 'E.T. candidate.'"
[CN: Video may autoplay at link] "Move over bald eagles, the bison are coming for you. While the bald eagle may be the national bird of the U.S., President Obama today officially made the bison the official mammal of the United States by signing the National Bison Legacy Act into law. It is the first time the U.S. has designated a national mammal." Congratulations, bison!
And finally! It's generally not a great idea to surprise someone by getting them a pet, lol, but this story is absolutely terrific: "A teacher in Texas was understandably distraught when her beloved 16-year-old cat named Blondie died. But Tonya Andrews' tears of sadness turned to those of joy when her caring students at Joshua High School, in Joshua, surprised her soon after with an extraordinarily thoughtful gift: two adorable kittens. ...Initially, the teacher thought they belonged to Hanhart and that the class was just going to play with them. 'Then she held them out to me and said they were mine. My heart was filled with joy,' she added, saying she'd 'never forget our sweet, sweet Blondie,' who they'd rescued from a warehouse in Fort Worth. 'But my heart can now experience happiness again.'" Blub!
YES!
[Content Note: Transphobia.]
Yesterday, Attorney General Loretta Lynch delivered remarks at a press conference at which she announced the Department of Justice's complaint against North Carolina to halt its discriminatory anti-trans legislation, and it was pretty awesome:
The North Carolina General Assembly passed House Bill 2 in special session on March 23 of this year. ...The bill was signed into law that same day. In so doing, the legislature and the governor placed North Carolina in direct opposition to federal laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex and gender identity. More to the point, they created state-sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals, who simply seek to engage in the most private of functions in a place of safety and security – a right taken for granted by most of us.You can read the entirety of her statement here.
...This action is about a great deal more than just bathrooms. This is about the dignity and respect we accord our fellow citizens and the laws that we, as a people and as a country, have enacted to protect them – indeed, to protect all of us. And it's about the founding ideals that have led this country – haltingly but inexorably – in the direction of fairness, inclusion and equality for all Americans.
...What we must not do – what we must never do – is turn on our neighbors, our family members, our fellow Americans, for something they cannot control, and deny what makes them human. This is why none of us can stand by when a state enters the business of legislating identity and insists that a person pretend to be something they are not, or invents a problem that doesn't exist as a pretext for discrimination and harassment.
...This law provides no benefit to society – all it does is harm innocent Americans.
Instead of turning away from our neighbors, our friends, our colleagues, let us instead learn from our history and avoid repeating the mistakes of our past. Let us reflect on the obvious but often neglected lesson that state-sanctioned discrimination never looks good in hindsight. It was not so very long ago that states, including North Carolina, had signs above restrooms, water fountains and on public accommodations keeping people out based upon a distinction without a difference. We have moved beyond those dark days, but not without pain and suffering and an ongoing fight to keep moving forward. Let us write a different story this time. Let us not act out of fear and misunderstanding, but out of the values of inclusion, diversity and regard for all that make our country great.
Let me also speak directly to the transgender community itself. Some of you have lived freely for decades. Others of you are still wondering how you can possibly live the lives you were born to lead. But no matter how isolated or scared you may feel today, the Department of Justice and the entire Obama Administration wants you to know that we see you; we stand with you; and we will do everything we can to protect you going forward.
We see you; we stand with you; and we will do everything we can to protect you going forward.
The next time you hear some asshole saying that elections don't matter, that there is no difference between Democrats and Republicans, remember this moment: When a Democratic administration told transgender USians that they will do everything they can to protect them. From Republicans.
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: War; terrorism; death] Damn: "Two women shot at the U.S. consulate in Istanbul on Monday and at least eight people were killed in a wave of separate attacks on Turkish security forces, weeks after Ankara launched a crackdown on Islamic State, Kurdish and far-left militants. The NATO member has been in a heightened state of alert since starting its 'synchronized war on terror' last month, including air strikes against Islamic State fighters in Syria and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq. It has also rounded up hundreds of suspected militants at home. A far-left group that killed a Turkish security guard in a 2013 suicide bombing of the U.S. embassy in Ankara claimed it was involved in Monday's attack. The Revolutionary People's Liberation Army-Front (DHKP-C), considered a terrorist organization by the United States and Turkey, said one of its members was involved, and called Washington the 'arch enemy' of the people of the Middle East and the world."
(As an aside, I love, ahem, how every report I've read notes the shooters were "two women." As opposed to the usual "militants" or "armed radicals" or any of the genderless language traditionally used.)
This is an interesting piece by Paul Krugman about how little criticism there was for President Obama in the first Republican debate. "The shared premise of everyone on the Republican side is that the Obama years have been a time of policy disaster on every front. Yet the candidates on that stage had almost nothing to say about any of the supposed disaster areas. And there was a good reason they seemed so tongue-tied: Out there in the real world, none of the disasters their party predicted have actually come to pass. President Obama just keeps failing to fail."
[CN: Class warfare] Speaking of failures: "Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul said on Fox News on Sunday that income inequality is 'due to some people working harder.'" Hahahaha fuck you.
In good news: "Starting this fall, transgender people who work for the City of Chicago can start getting medical insurance coverage for gender alignment surgery, under a change in policy announced by Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday. ...The new policy, which is expected to get final approval from the city Benefits Committee by mid-August, will only apply to non-union workers, but Mayor Emanuel says he is working with unions to make a similar change. ...Once the policy takes effect on October 1, Chicago will become the largest city to provide transition-related care to its employees. San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. have also started including transgender-specific health care in their insurance plans." [NB: Not all trans people want, nor should any public policy require them to get, gender alignment surgery.]
[CN: Sexual assault] This is a pretty big fucking whoops, Uber: "Uber has pledged to improve its vetting procedures after admitting that a man arrested in Dallas on suspicion of sexually assaulting a passenger was granted approval to drive for the company by mistake." Fucking hell.
Here's a real headline in the world today: "You're Not Actually Seeing a Ghost on Mars."
In other news from the heavens: SPACE SALAD! "For the first time ever, NASA astronauts are set to dine today on 'Outredgeous' red romaine lettuce grown in the micro gravity environment at the International Space Station. The harvest comes from NASA's Veg-01 experiment, which is studying how plants grow in orbit—potentially giving astronauts on future long-haul missions the ability to grow their own meals and enjoy fresh produce in space." Cool!
And finally! Cats in Underpants. Yup.
Trans Teen Jazz Jennings Gets Her Own TV Show
[Content Note: Transphobia; self-harm.]
Jazz Jennings at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards on April 20, 2013.
Derrick Clifton at Mic:
14-year-old trans activist Jazz Jennings has been tapped by TLC for an upcoming reality series titled All That Jazz. Jennings, a young author and star of the documentary I Am Jazz: A Family in Transition, will be followed by cameras once again as she navigates high school and faces the joys and tribulations of young adulthood.Obviously, TLC has, ahh, a mixed record on its reality programming. There is a lot of exploitative stuff mixed in with some genuinely good programming about people from marginalized populations. I hope that All That Jazz (which is THE BEST title, by the way) falls on the better end of the TLC spectrum.
As an opportunity to increase public understanding of trans youth, the show comes at an important time. According to the 2011 report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, 78% of trans or gender nonconforming youth reported feeling harassed at school, which correlates with higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness. And with news of trans teen suicides making headlines in early 2015, the visibility created by the show could also help more trans youth feel accepted.
As The Hollywood Reporter notes, All That Jazz will also feature other members of Jenning's family, including her parents, who have been both supportive of her and vocal about the difficulties she sometimes encounters.
...All That Jazz is an opportunity for the American public to get a non-sensationalized account of what it means to be trans.
It's an opportunity to get one more voice in the mix: a trans person telling her story on her own terms.
In any case, Jazz is courageous as hell to put herself out there—and I don't mean that just because she's trans. Anyone who's willing to put their lives on display for entertainment, for education, for advocacy is a brave soul indeed.
Quote of the Day
"I have determined that the best reading of Title VII's prohibition of sex discrimination is that it encompasses discrimination based on gender identity, including transgender status."—Attorney General Eric Holder, in a statement announcing that "the Justice Department's position going forward in litigation will be that discrimination against transgender people is covered under the sex discrimination prohibition in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964."
WOW.
The decision is a reversal of the department's prior position on the matter.As it should be.
"This important shift will ensure that the protections of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are extended to those who suffer discrimination based on gender identity, including transgender status," Holder said in a statement. "This will help to foster fair and consistent treatment for all claimants. And it reaffirms the Justice Department's commitment to protecting the civil rights of all Americans."
NY Governor Cuomo Says Insurers Must Cover Trans* Healthcare
[Content Note: Transphobia; class warfare.]
This is good news (with caveats): Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has told insurance companies "that they will no longer be allowed to deny gender reassignment surgery or other treatment to change a person's gender, like hormone therapy, if a doctor has deemed that treatment medically necessary."
In a letter being sent to insurance companies this week, the governor said that because state law requires insurance coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders, people who are found to have a mismatch between their birth sex and their internal sense of gender are entitled to insurance coverage for treatments related to that condition, called gender dysphoria.And now the caveats: Because access to healthcare in the US is still primarily through insurance, and because access to insurance in the US is still primarily through employers, and typically only to full-time employees, and because trans* people still face a lot of employment discrimination and disproportionate levels of poverty, and because of a critical shortage of doctors with expertise in treating trans* patients, it's not a simple thing for many trans* people to get access to a doctor who will say their treatment is medically necessary.
"An issuer of a policy that includes coverage for mental health conditions may not exclude coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of gender dysphoria," the governor's letter says.
...The rule makes New York the ninth state to require the coverage, the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, an advocacy group, said on Wednesday. The others are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, Vermont and Washington, according to the group. Washington, D.C., also mandates it.
The group said that most insurance policies currently exclude coverage for transgender treatment, and at best include it as a more expensive rider to a standard plan.
"This is an absolute sea change in the way that insurance for transgender people will cover their health care needs," Michael Silverman, executive director of the fund, said. "This essentially opens up an entire world of treatment for transgender people that was closed to them previously."
Even a trans* person with health insurance and access to a doctor who is versed in trans* care and willing to stipulate gender/sex reassignment surgery is a medical necessity might find that, because so few doctors perform GRS/SRS (or even hormone therapy), they don't have any in-network coverage anyway.
In the best case scenario, you still have to have insurance; doctors are still acting as gatekeepers; and the trans* community is still colossally underserved by the medical community—and how underserved is hugely dependent on where you live, what your state's guidelines are, and how close you live to knowledgeable medical practitioners who abide those guidelines.
Guidelines which, by the way, don't standardize what's "medically necessary." Most (or all) insurance plans refuse to cover facial hair removal for trans women, for example. So a doctor can agree that it's medically necessary for a trans patient's health and well-being, but that can't force insurance companies to cover it.
So, this is very good progress, and is still wholly insufficient.
Two other quick things: Note that this guideline is still predicated on a mental health diagnosis of gender dysphoria. (Which itself is a whole other post.) That means that trans* patients still have to get access to a mental healthcare provider with trans* expertise as well as a physician with trans* expertise.
Also: I'm wondering how much the focus on "sex changes" will undermine trans* activism around dismantling the binary and/or not having to have GRS/SRS in order to make changes to official documents, access gender-specific resources and venues, etc. Giving people access to surgical options should not mean that people are required to have surgery. But, to many cis gatekeepers with rudimentary understandings of trans* diversity, access often translates into expectation. Clearly the objective is to create more options, not fewer.
[My thanks to Eastsidekate for contributing her thoughts to this piece.]
More Positive Momentum for Trans* Troops
Following Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's statement in May that he's willing to review the US military's policy on out transgender servicemembers, and three retired US generals speaking out in August on behalf of letting out transgender servicemembers serve, and the ACLU's summit on trans* service in October, and Army Board for Correction of Military Records' decision earlier this month to allow trans* veterans to change their names on their Release or Discharge from Active Duty docs, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, the top official in the US Air Force has spoken out in support of allowing trans* servicemembers to openly serve:
James said that the military is preparing to reassess its policies against including trans staff and soldiers in the nation's war machine.Simple. Direct. To the point. Right on.
James said in an interview with USA Today, "Times change."
The ban on trans troops, she said, "is likely to come under review in the next year or so, so I think we should stand by."
"From my point of view, anyone who is capable of accomplishing the job should be able to serve," James concluded.
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: Abduction; misogyny; terrorism] Boko Haram has reportedly abducted dozens more women and girls: "Suspected Boko Haram fighters have abducted more than 60 women and young girls in the past week in restive northeast Nigeria, a local official and a vigilante leader said Tuesday. ...The new kidnappings allegedly occurred during a Boko Haram attack on Kummabza village in the Damboa district of Borno state. The attack left at least 30 dead, according to residents who escaped the violence. ...It was not clear why news of the attack and kidnapping has taken days to trickle in, but local officials seemed to confirm to several news outlets the veracity of the information. 'Over 60 women were hijacked and forcefully taken away by the terrorists. The village was also destroyed,' one official told Agence France-Presse."
[CN: Persecution; religious intolerance] Meriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese woman who was arrested and sentenced to death for being Christian then released, has now been re-arrested "with her husband and two children at Khartoum airport on Tuesday as the family attempted to leave the country. Agents from the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) detained the family just 24 hours after Ibrahim was released on the orders of the appeal court. Her lawyer, Elshareef Mohammed, who was with Ibrahim at Khartoum airport at the time of the arrest, said more than 40 NISS officers apprehended the family as they attempted to board a plane to the US. Ibrahim's husband, Daniel Wani, is a US citizen." Fucking hell. Give Ibrahim her freedom. Fuck.
Something something Governor Chris Christie something something the Pulaski Skyway something something this guy and bridges amirite.
[CN: Militarization of police] More on the increasing militarization of US police forces. It's like declaring martial law in infinitesimal increments.
[CN: Bigotry; misogyny] The full interview with Gary Oldman I mentioned yesterday is now available here. He really sounds like a total asshole. Also, I hope someone lets Gary Oldman know someday that ladies make movies, too!
In good news: The Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge, the Episcopal chaplain at Boston University, became the first openly transgender priest to preach from Canterbury Pulpit at the Washington National Cathedral when he was a guest preacher last Sunday. Neat!
[CN: Abuse; emotional manipulation] Robin Thicke, the rape apologist behind "Blurred Lines," is using his latest album to publicly harass his estranged wife and try to coerce her to reconcile with him. This is not romantic. This is abuse and coercion.
And finally! Here is a nice story about a man who rescued an injured dog from traffic and then adopted the dog. Yay! (Hey, know who else did something like that? Deeky!)
This Is Good News
[Content Note: Transphobia.]
Last week, the World Health Organization released a report "urging governing bodies to put an end to 'forced, coercive, and otherwise involuntary sterilization' of transgender individuals," and now the American Medical Association has followed suit:
The American Medical Association on Monday adopted a policy declaring that transgender individuals should not be required to undergo genital surgery in order to update legal identification documents, including birth certificates.This is really important for lots of reasons, but chiefly because not all trans* people want to get sex reassignment surgery. And not all trans* people who do can afford it.
Just days after New York became the sixth state to allow trans individuals to update birth certificates without proof of surgery, the AMA has amended its official policies to advocate for similar action nationwide.
"Birth certificates are primarily used for legal matters, not medical," the new AMA policy states. "Requiring sex-reassignment surgery places a burden on an already marginalized population."
The nation's preeminent medical authority supports the abolition of surgical requirements in an effort "to ensure accurate gender markers on birth certificates."
Historically, the AMA's policies regarding transgender health policy have often been more progressive than actual public policy as implemented by lawmakers and courts. The AMA currently supports the inclusion of transition-related healthcare in public and private insurance plans, which remains an ongoing struggle within the U.S. insurance system itself.
As the WHO noted in their report, requiring surgery as a prerequisite for obtaining legal documents is often a coerced sterilization: "Some groups, such as transgender and intersex persons, [have] a long history of discrimination and abuse related to sterilization, which continues to this day. Such violations are reflected, for example, in the various legal and medical requirements, including for sterilization, to which transgender and intersex persons have been subjected in order to obtain birth certificates and other legal documents that match their preferred gender."
No one should be forced to submit to sterilization, or even an unwanted surgery, as the cost of acquiring accurate legal documentation.
[Note: Although this is meaningful social progress, it does not translate into a legal right. That will be up to lawmakers, who will hopefully take the AMA's influential recommendation under advisement. And there is still a long way yet to go for people outside the gender binary altogether.]
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: Racism] It seems like Samsung's new smart watch has a race problem: A Shaker who works in a Samsung call center, and who wants to remain anonymous, emailed me with a heads-up about the new family of Samsung smart watches launched in April. The watches feature a heavily touted embedded heart-rate monitor. However, the sensor is not working particularly well — especially on skin tones other than white. Shaker Anon says, as far as zie can tell, Samsung is aware of the issue, but hasn't halted sales, nor has publicly disclosed that people of color with darker skin tones may have issues with their technology. "The last I heard," says Shaker Anon, "is a vague 'it's being looked into' statement."
The uninsured rate for US adults has dropped to a record low of 13.4%: "This is the lowest monthly uninsured rate recorded since Gallup and Healthways began tracking it in January 2008, besting the previous low of 13.9% in September of that year. The uninsured rate peaked at 18.0% in the third quarter of 2013, but has consistently declined since then." Huh! I wonder what it is that could have had this remarkable effect? "This downward trend in the uninsured rate coincided with the health insurance marketplace exchanges opening in October 2013." Welp. The floor is yours, Republicans! *crickets*
(I will note, again, that I have problems with the ACA, and also observe that 13.4% uninsured is still far too high. But that doesn't mean this hasn't been a game-changer for a hell of a lot of people. More and more and more progress on access to healthcare, please!)
[CN: War; violence] The situation in Ukraine continues to deteriorate: "Ukrainian troops fought pitched gun battles Monday with pro-Russian militias occupying the eastern city of Slovyansk, and the government sent an elite national guard unit to the southern port city of Odessa as Kyiv scrambled to bring much of the country back under the capital's control. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said four officers have been killed and another 30 soldiers injured in the fighting. Gunfire and multiple explosions were heard in and around Slovyansk, a city of 125,000 people that has become the focus of the armed insurgency against the new interim government in Kyiv."
[CN: Terrorism; school violence] In Waseca, Minnesota, a 17-year-old's plan to kill his family and cause massive damage and injury at his high school was thwarted by police: "The investigation began in late March after three small explosive devices were discovered at an elementary school playground in the city of 9,400 people, about 80 miles south of Minneapolis. The youth allegedly admitted setting off practice bombs there. He allegedly told police he planned to shoot his mother, father and sister, then start a fire in a rural field to distract first-responders while he went to the school to set off pressure-cooker bombs in the cafeteria. He also allegedly planned to throw Molotov cocktails, gun down students, and kill a school liaison officer while he helped injured students. He said his ultimate goal was for a SWAT team to kill him. ...Police recovered seven firearms, ammunition and three functional bombs from the boy's home, along with black clothing and a ski mask." What a huge relief that he was caught in time. What a terrifying situation for the residents of Waseca nonetheless.
[CN: Christian Supremacy] The Supreme Court has ruled "that a town in upstate New York may begin its public meetings with a prayer from a 'chaplain of the month,'" because of course they have. Background on the case here and here.
In good news: "The United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued guidelines this week clarifying for the first time that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination against transgender students. 'Title IX's sex discrimination prohibition extends to claims of discrimination based on gender identity or failure to conform to stereotypical notions of masculinity or femininity and OCR accepts such complaints for investigation,' the guidelines state. The guidance, included in a larger document on school's responsibilities to protect students from sexual violence, also declares that schools must provide equal access to all programs and facilities for transgender students, consistent with the student's gender identity."
[CN: Sexual violence] Last month, director Bryan Singer was accused in a lawsuit of drugging and sexually assaulting a teenage boy in 1999. Another suit has been filed, alleging sexual abuse of another teenage boy. Singer's lawyer denies the allegations, naturally.
[CN: Guns; violence] The latest news from the Oscar Pistorius trial is that a neighbor testified Pistorius was upset after shooting and killing Reeva Steenkamp. I'm sure he was.
And finally, this is one of the best stories ever: After their dog Reckless was separated from them during Hurricane Sandy, the James family searched and searched for him, but couldn't find him. "Eighteen months later, the James family decided it was time to welcome another dog to their hearts and restored home. ...Charles and Elicia walked into Monmouth County SPCA to adopt their new family member but instead spotted Reckless, the one they had lost 1.5 years ago. 'I told my wife 'That dog looks like Reckless' and she said 'It is Reckless!'' Charles James told NY Daily News. 'He started jumping three feet in the air and we started crying.'" ALL THE BLUBS FOREVERRRRRR!
Philadelphia Passes Sweeping LGBT Legislation
Here is some good news to start the day!
When Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter signed legislation Thursday to afford equal rights to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, he said he hoped Philadelphia would become "the most LGBT-friendly" city in the world.It would be helpful to many residents of Philadelphia if the state legislature of Pennsylvania legalized same-sex marriage, too. At the moment, Pennsylvania is the only remaining northeast state to have failed to legalize same-sex marriage.
...Nutter, city and state lawmakers and gay rights advocates said the legislation makes Philadelphia the first city in the U.S. to offer tax credits to companies that extend the same health care coverage to LGBT employees' domestic partners and their children as they provide to heterosexual spouses and their children.
Officials said the legislation also makes Philadelphia the first city to offer businesses tax credits as a way to encourage providing transgender-specific health benefits.
Mayor Nutter signs the legislation into law.
"My goal is for Philadelphia to be one of, if not the most, LGBT-friendly cities in the world and a leader on equality issues," said Nutter, adding that the signing struck a personal note because his friend, the late City Councilman John Anderson, was a gay man and a mentor who inspired him 30 years ago to pursue a life of public service.
In addition to the business tax incentives, which were backed by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce as well as LGBT advocacy groups, and the gender-neutral restrooms, the legislation revises Philadelphia's anti-discrimination law to include transgender people, extends decision-making rights to life partners on medical and other issues, and changes city forms and websites to offer options for same-sex couples and transgender people.
..."This is a city that is truly respecting all its citizens," said state Rep. Brian Sims, a Philadelphia Democrat and the first openly gay candidate to be elected to the Legislature. "It is because of that respect that we are indeed a first-class city and we will continue to shine."
But back to the good news: In addition to the protections mentioned above, the legislation "requires that new or renovated city-owned buildings include gender-neutral bathrooms in addition to traditional men's and women's restrooms." Further: "For trans employees, the new legislation now means they have access to health benefits which include psychotherapy, hormone treatment, hair removal, and gender reassignment surgery." Which should be a basic benefit of any healthcare plan, but isn't.
Good for Philly for taking these important steps. Congratulations to all the trans, lesbian, gay, bi, and allied activists who worked so hard to make this legislation happen.
[Photo via.]
Grumpy Trans* Lady Corner
[Content note: Discussion of trans*phobia]
Last week, there was some really great news out of California. The state legislature passed a bill that requires school districts to respect trans* kids' genders. (And you know, poop on "gender identity". I mean, I get that gender is an identity, but I've always though that "gender identity" is a term that some cis* people like to throw around to distinguish "real" genders from the genders that trans* people merely "identify as.")
Really, I think this is great news.
But, um, here's how the Sacramento Bee reported the story: Senate OKs bill letting transgender students pick facilities.
When I read that, my reaction was "O HAI THANX GREAT AND POWERFUL CIS LEGISLATORS FOR LETTING FOLKS LIKE ME GO TO THE APPROPRIATE BATHROOM, WE WERE SRSLY WAITING FOR UR PERMISSIONS." (True story, after 6 pm I think in CAPS LOCK.)
Yes, I suppose part of the reason I've been indignant about this all weekend is the Bee's wording. The bill isn't about letting trans* people live our lives as much as it prohibits school districts from discriminating against us.
But there's something else at play. I really wanted to say that cis* people go to the bathroom and enjoy gender-segregated activities all the time without permission from the state, but that's simply not true. Governments have spent tons of time protecting cis* people's genders.
However, policing is the flip side of protecting. So, while I appreciate the work of the California legislature and the lives it will improve, I don't see this victory as a replacement for doing the hard work* of not policing each others' genders, of not creating and defending establishments that alternative proscribe or erase lives.
--
*In particular, this would appear to be a lot of work for many cis* people. Yes, I know trans* people that fall into the trap of policing other people's identities, but the whole "gender policing" thing is pretty much cis people's baby. Y'all need to own that shit. See also: the cool way that discussion of this bill erases the existence of non-binary genders.
Here Is Some Good News!
[Content Note: Transphobia.]
Six-year-old Coy Mathis started identifying as a girl just a few years after she was born. When she started kindergarten, her parents told the school "that their child identified as a girl and should be treated as one. Initially, the school, just south of Colorado Springs, agreed. But a few months into first grade, the district barred Coy from using the girls' bathroom, telling her parents that as she grew older and developed, some students and parents would likely become uncomfortable. It was best that Coy use staff bathrooms or a gender-neutral one in the school's health office, the district officials decided."
I love (don't love) the idea that Coy's fellow classmates would have "become uncomfortable" with a peer they had always known as a girl using the girl's bathroom, but not by their peer having to go see the school nurse every time she needs to take a piss. Children don't work like that—and no one knows (or should know) that better than school administrators, but it's just so gosh darn convenient to use children as scapegoats for the prejudices that they have to be taught by their parents and (some of) their schoolteachers and the judgmental culturein which we live.
Anyway. Coy's parents pulled her out of school and, with the help of the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, filed a complaint with Colorado's civil rights division, "claiming the district had violated Colorado's 2008 antidiscrimination statute, which expanded provisions for transgender people." And here comes the good news:
After an investigation, the division, which enforces Colorado's antidiscrimination laws, agreed. It noted that while Coy's birth certificate stated she was male — an argument made by the school district — more recent medical and legal documents identified her as female.All the blubs.
It was clear, the state said, that Coy had completely integrated into society as a girl — wearing girls' clothing, standing in the girls' line at school and choosing to play with girls.
But the state's ruling went even further, saying that evolving research on transgender development showed that "compartmentalizing a child as a boy or a girl solely based on their visible anatomy, is a simplistic approach to a difficult and complex issue."
Depriving Coy of the acceptance that students need to succeed in school, [Steven Chavez, the division director, wrote in the decision], "creates a barrier where none should exist, and entirely disregards the charging party's gender identity."
..."We knew that this was discrimination. So it was validating to get the state to say 'Yes, it is very clearly harassment,' and they were doing something they shouldn't have been doing," said Kathryn Mathis, Coy's mother.
"When I told Coy we won, she got this giant smile and her eyes bugged out. She said, 'So I can go to school and make friends?'"
Yay for Things!
Transgender Discrimination Barred Under ACA:
In response to letters from LGBTQ health and advocacy groups, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced in a letter made public yesterday that, under the Affordable Care Act, discrimination based on gender identity will not be tolerated. Leon Rodriguez, director of HHS' Office for Civil Rights, stated in a written response to the groups that federally-funded health care programs are barred from discriminating against transgender people. This inclusion does not, however, mean that trans-specific health care, such as transition-related procedures, will be included in coverage.So! After I saw this last night, I emailed Eastsidekate about it and we talked about it some, and I was all "LOL YER ENFORCEMENT?" and Kate was all, "THX FOR NOTHING!" and then we covered ourselves in ice cream and ate it off each other's heads.
The National Center for Transgender Equality's executive director Mara Keisling notes that one in five transgender people report being turned away from a health care provider. "HHS affirms our position that these abuses are now clearly illegal," said Keisling. She remarked that this position will hopefully be a tool to get to the next step of covering trans-specific health care.
Trans and health care advocates assert that it is important for trans people to know their rights [pdf] regarding health care, and to contact HHS when they experience discrimination. The HHS Office of Civil Rights will soon release guidelines for how to respond to health care discrimination. Trans activist Jos Truitt writes, "a law specifically targeting [trans] discrimination would be a valuable next step, and showing that the need exists could help make this a reality."
Because today's HER BIRTHDAY!
Okay, in all seriousness, this is, as Kate aptly described it an one of her emails, "good-ish, but meaningless." Which means, by way of an inexact parallel, that it's sort of like the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act—or, more specifically, the framing around the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which tends to overstate what it actually accomplished. Which was increasing the statute of limitations in which women who discover they are being paid unequally can sue, but not really ending unequal pay.
Similarly, this provision is good news in the sense that it provides recourse for trans* people who experience discrimination, but note the distinction between "guidelines for how to respond to health care discrimination" (which are forthcoming) and guidelines for preventing health care discrimination (which evidently are not).
What would be more meaningful is if the HHS barred discrimination and delineated good-faith practices for health practitioners, instead of barring discrimination and telling trans* people to report back if and when they're still denied healthcare.
As it stands, the policy is simply incomplete.
On Twitter last night, Kate drily noted: "My wife and I got a letter from NYS after I spent a night in my car while she was in the ER. Anti-discrimination rules aren't all bad. If that happened again because I'm trans, I'd be entitled to *two* letters."
Yeah.
I guess what it boils down to is this: As a start, it's a good one. As a best effort at a comprehensive policy, it's shit.
We'll have to wait and see what the HHS thinks it is.
Feel the Trans*mentum
Yesterday, Ontario added protections against discrimination on the basis of "gender identity" and "gender expression" to its human rights code. Versions of bill 33 had been brought to Ontario's unicameral legislature three previous times since 2007. Yesterday, it passed with the support of all major parties.
Xtra! reports:
The passage of the bill marks a changing in the tides for the trans movement in Canada. Similar bills are being considered in Manitoba and at the federal level. The House of Commons, too, seems poised to pass a similar bill after seven years of trying.
The bill has enjoyed bipartisan support that all parties have recognized as extraordinary. While the final vote was not carried unanimously, it received two very vocal Progressive Conservative endorsers in Christine Elliott -- who co-signed it -- and Rod Jackson.H/t to CaitieCat
“This isn’t the end; this is probably just the beginning,” Jackson said.
Liberal MPP Glen Murray, grinning, said, “It’s not often I get a chance to be a part of making history.”
This victory for the trans community comes on the heels of the passage of Bill 13, the anti-bullying law that will work toward including gay-straight alliances in all Ontario schools.
Trans* History in the US Congress
Zack Ford at Think Progress: "This morning, the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee held a hearing on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would extend employment protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity. For the first time in the Senate's history, a transgender witness testified on behalf of the bill. Kylar Broadus, founder of the Trans People of Color Coalition, discussed his experiences coming out trans, including mistreatment by police, workplace harassment, and employment discrimination."
At the above link, there is a powerful video of Broadus' testimony with a partial transcript. [Content Note: His testimony includes incidents of transphobia, harassment, gender policing, and discrimination.] Monica has a complete transcript here.
What's remarkable is that, as Zack notes, "ENDA has been stalled in Congress for decades," and yet this is the first time a transgender witness has been invited to testify.
At Change.org: Tell Lawmakers to Support ENDA Now!
"I do think that that would be fair."
[Content Note: Transphobic language; Miss USA spoilers.]
So, last night, Iain and Kenny Blogginz and I are hanging out and we're watching the Miss USA pageant, because the entire thing is absolutely mystifying to all of us. We're only kind of half paying attention as we're chit-chatting and trying to smile for two straight minutes without our faces hurting, and then something interesting happened: Olivia Culpo, Miss Rhode Island, drew the Twitter question during the final round of judges' questions.
"Would you feel it would be fair that a transgender woman wins the Miss USA title over a natural-born woman?" Rob Kardashian asked her.
Now, mind you, I hate this question. I hate that it uses the loaded term "natural-born woman" and I hate that it's questioning "fairness" rather than justness. Still, I waited with held breath and, if I'm honest, the expectation of a trainwreck. The dread.
Miss Rhode Island took a moment. She looked concerned. She knew she was about to offend some people. And then she said: "I do think that that would be fair. I can understand that people would be a little apprehensive to take that road because there is a tradition of natural-born women, but today where there are so many surgeries, and so many people out there who have a need to change for a happier life—I do accept that because I believe it's a free country."
Tradition isn't a reason to uphold bigotry. Hey, lots of contestants get surgeries of one kind or another. Equality is part of a happy life. This is a free country, so of course it's fair to let trans women compete. That's a lot of good ideas to squeeze into one short answer!
Hosts Andy Cohen and Giuliana Rancic declared that Culpo "nailed it!" And then, a few minutes later, she won the whole damn thing.
Earlier in the competition, pageant officials asked Culpo for her definition of beauty. "Beauty is found in the way you treat others," she said. Indeed so.
The Student Non-Discrimination Act
Senator Al Franken (D-Minnesota) has introduced legislation that would "create a federal prohibition against discrimination in public schools based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition, it would forbid schools from discriminating against LGBT students or ignoring harassing behavior. Schools that violated the act could lose their federal funding."
Representative Jared Polis (D-Colorado) has introduced sister legislation in the House.
Call your Senators, or contact them here, and ask them to support the Student Non-Discrimination Act. Contact your representative here.
This has been your regularly scheduled reminder that one of the only functional and decent elected officials in the US is a comedian.
