MORE COLOR MORE PRIDE

 

Have you seen this? It's causing quite a stir this pride season. Philly launched an addition to the iconic pride flag and the world is going crazy trying to figure out how they feel about it.

Amber Hikes, director of the Office of LGBT Affairs, further explained, “We’re proud to host this celebration for the community to come together not just for Pride, but also to reinforce our strides towards combatting discrimination within our community, honor the lives of our black and brown LGBTQ siblings, and uplift our shared commitment to diversity and inclusion within our community.”

You can find out more about the flag on the website. "In 1978, artist Gilbert Baker designed the original rainbow flag. An iconic symbol of LGBTQ+ unity. So much has happened since then. A lot of good, but there’s more we can do. Especially when it comes to recognizing people of color in the LGBTQ+  community. To fuel this important conversation, we’ve expanded the colors of the flag to include black and brown. It may seem like a small step. But together we can make big strides toward a truly inclusive community."

Podcasts About Trans Health

Podcasts are in full bloom this season. Many of these downloadable programs frequently tell feature stories about transgender people. Have you missed any of these?

Radiolab: The Gondolier
We travel to Venice, Italy with reporters Kristen Clark and David Conrad, where they meet gondolier Alex Hai. On the winding canals in the most hidden parts of Venice, we learn about the nearly millennia old tradition of the Venetian Gondolier, and how Alex was forced into a 20 year battle against this job that he loved, and, in some ways, himself.

Death, Sex and Money: A Prison Guard In Transition
Mandi Hauwert thought coming out as a transgender woman while working as a guard at California's San Quentin State Prison would be "insane." She did it anyway. Find out more at Deathsexmoney.org.

Nancy, the new podcast on WNYC
BFFs Kathy Tu and Tobin Low are super queer, super fun and ready to take over your podcast feed. Join them for provocative stories and frank conversations about the LGBTQ experience today. Because everyone’s a little bit gay…
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/nancy/

Have You Read These Trans Books?

Being Emily by Rachel Gold
They say that whoever you are it’s okay, you were born that way. Those words don’t comfort Emily, because she was born Christopher and her insides know that her outsides are all wrong.

They say that it gets better, be who are you and it’ll be fine. For Emily, telling her parents who she really is means a therapist who insists Christopher is normal and Emily is sick. Telling her girlfriend means lectures about how God doesn’t make that kind of mistake.

Emily desperately wants high school in her small Minnesota town to get better. She wants to be the woman she knows is inside, but it’s not until a substitute therapist and a girl named Natalie come into her life that she believes she has a chance of actually Being Emily.

A story for anyone who has ever felt that the inside and outside don’t match and no one else will understand…

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kristin Cronn-Mills
This is Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, on community radio 90.3, KZUK. Im Gabe. Welcome to my show."" My birth name is Elizabeth, but Im a guy. Gabe. My parents think Ive gone crazy and the rest of the world is happy to agree with them, but I know Im right. Ive been a boy my whole life. When you think about it, Im like a record. Elizabeth is my A side, the song everybody knows, and Gabe is my B sidenot heard as often, but just as good. Its time to let my B side play. Winner of the 2014 Stonewall Book Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature. Praise:Every so often a book comes along that is so sharp, so moving, so real, and so good, you want to press it into everyones hands and say, Read this! READ THIS!Courtney Summers, author of Cracked Up to Be and This is Not a Test.

Whipping Girl by Julia Serano
A provocative manifesto, Whipping Girl tells the powerful story of Julia Serano, a transsexual woman whose supremely intelligent writing reflects her diverse background as a lesbian transgender activist and professional biologist. Serano shares her experiences and observations—both pre- and post-transition—to reveal the ways in which fear, suspicion, and dismissiveness toward femininity shape our societal attitudes toward trans women, as well as gender and sexuality as a whole.

Serano's well-honed arguments stem from her ability to bridge the gap between the often-disparate biological and social perspectives on gender. She exposes how deep-rooted the cultural belief is that femininity is frivolous, weak, and passive, and how this “feminine” weakness exists only to attract and appease male desire.

In addition to debunking popular misconceptions about transsexuality, Serano makes the case that today's feminists and transgender activist must work to embrace and empower femininity—in all of its wondrous forms.

Dan Savage raised over $100,000 from 5,000 people by selling t-shirts, pins and hats that read "Impeach the Motherfucker Already" or ITMFA.

"We're in for a long and ugly four years, readers. Let's raise some money for groups fighting Trump, let's bring ITMFA back into our everyday vocabulary, and let's remember that we -- people who voted against Trump, people who want to see him out of office as quickly as possible, people who are appalled by this andthis and this and this—are the majority.” — Dan Savage

And Dan is right. In his first 100 days CNN reports that "One hundred days of Trump translates into 100 days of erasure for the LGBTQ community," said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of advocacy group GLAAD. "From the census exclusion, to rescinding Obama's guidance for trans youth in schools, and lack of any LGBTQ mentions on the White House website, he has spent the early days of his administration trying to remove us from the very fabric of this country, and we must resist."

And what next? The religious liberty law pushed by the conservative Christian right is looming ever closer. A Huffington Post commentator writes, "Trump removed Eric Fanning as Army Secretary, appointed by President Obama and the first openly gay Army Secretary in history, and has now nominated an anti-LGBTQ Tennessee legislator, Mark Green, to the job ― a man who sponsored a bill allowing discrimination against LGBTQ people and who has called transgender people 'evil.”' Read the rest here.

Henry McGregor Sias

Henry McGregor Sias is a transgender attorney running for Court of Common Pleas judge here in Philadelphia. "To have the city look at me as an out trans guy and elect me would send the message that trans people are a part of our community and have a lot to contribute," Sias said in an interview with Phily.com. You can read the full interview here.

Henry Sias would be the first out trans judge in Philadelphia. On April 28th he was recommended by the Philadelphia Bar Association for the Court of Common Pleas. In an interview with Phillymag.com he talked about the landscape for LGBTQ people.

"As an out trans attorney, I think Philadelphia is improving on its handling of LGBTQ issues, but there is always room for more growth! I’m excited about the Mayor’s Commission on LGBTQ Affairs. There are so many wonderful people in that group, and I can’t wait to see what they do when they combine their talents. The citizens of Philadelphia themselves have been very kind to me, overall, especially given that I was approaching them with clipboard and pen on random street corners of the city during the petition period (and we all know how much people love being approached with a clipboard and pen!). I was warmly received by so many Philadelphians while I was loudly outing myself as trans, and that will be a great memory from the campaign trail that I keep throughout my life.

"Sometimes people in government lead, and that’s when they are at their best, and sometimes they are caught flat-footed and go into reaction mode. What happens then is seldom as satisfying and workable in the long-term. I think the Commission on LGBTQ Affairs puts the city in a good position to lead rather than react, and I am also enthusiastic about seeing Amber Hikes’s vision for her office. I love that Amber Hikes and Sharron Cooks are leading a “Pop-Up Love Party” to counter the trans deniers that are taking their ignorance on the road and possibly bringing it to Philly this weekend." Read the full interview here. 

Surpassing Certainty, Janet Mock

Janet Mock is BACK and with a brand new book to knock us off our feet. Set to launch in June Janet's book "Surpassing Certainty" is available for pre-order on Amazon and boy are we ready to read it!

A few months before her twentieth birthday, Janet Mock is adjusting to life at the University of Hawaii and finally content in her own body. It’s here that she experiences her first love story—an infatuation with Troy, a yeoman stationed at Pearl Harbor Naval Base. With Troy, she experiences several incredible firsts: he becomes the first person to whom she truly opens up, the first person to witness her embrace her natural hair, and the first person to provide for her in ways that her parents failed to do. The pleasures and perils of their union as they navigate disclosure, infidelity, and distance serve as a backdrop for Janet’s progression—her stint as a stripper, her first-generation college experience, her move to New York, and her start in journalism.

Surpassing Certainty is a riveting, rousing, and real portrait of a young woman before she became one of the world’s most respected voices in media and lauded leaders in feminism, social justice, and LGBT rights. If you are currently on your own journey towards self-discovery, Surpassing Certainty will embolden you to seek your voice, purpose, and place as you witness Janet exploring the unknown, making mistakes, learning from them, and eventually finding her place in the world.

Our Bible App

For trans Christians there is good news. There is now a bible app pending approval that will be available to LGBT Christians world wide. Our Bible App is uplifting believers of all stripes and is branding itself as offering devotionals for the outsiders. Coming June 2017 Our Bible App will offer devotionals for queer people, bible translations that are gender queer affirming, a community of chat users around the world, the ability to make friends and include Facebook friends, the list goes on! Find out more about Our Bible App today.

Trans Charities For The Holidays

Ho-Ho-Ho Happy Trump Days! Said now one ever...

Who knows what our political future holds but we do know that whatever may come we still need to protect and hold dear trans individuals in our midst. This holiday season let's all chip in and support organizations that do just that. If you are having a tough time coming up with places to donate to on your own, here are a few who are doing some remarkable work right here on the east coast.

National Center for Transgender Equality, located in Washington, DC is the nation’s leading social justice advocacy organization winning life-saving change for transgender people. Their focus issues span aging, employment, immigration, families, racial justice, policing, voting rights, youth and more.

The Attic Youth Center, located in Philadelphia, PA offers youth programming to those as old as 26 years of age. Attendees get free bus tokens and a fresh meal every day. Their programs include a life skills center, mental health counseling, supportive services, community engagement and social activities.

Trans Faith Online is located in Philadelphia, PA and offers resources to those seeking faith and religious community. Connecting individuals to community is one of the key focuses of the organization, providing leadership, allies, events, and news.

Genderqueer vs Transgender

People often ask what the difference is between transgender and transexual. We are in a stage in history of gender enlightenment  as more folks dig deep into their gender identities. Preferred pronouns were once a design of those transitioning from one binary gender to the other but as time goes on there are a wealth of folks who feel most comfortable somewhere in the middle, neither fully identifying as traditionally male or female. The question that seems to be out there now is, what is the difference between genderqueer and transgender? Who is allowed to change their pronouns and should we respect their wishes, even if the person doesn't look like a "they," or a traditional "he."

Genderqueer remains a mystery term to most, especially those who do not encounter queer identified individuals on a daily basis. The truth of the matter is that some genderqueer people identify as such because they live in the place between traditional male and female roles, physical expression, and societal norms. They may even reject the idea of binary gender altogether and believe it to all be an act or a play. Therefore those who identify as genderqueer are flexible and feel comfortable playing with the relationship between how one feels in their body and how one presents their body to the world, during sex and in traditional gender roles.

On the other hand, transgender is a term resigned for folks who feel strongly aligned with one binary gender or the other. They feel trapped in a body that expressly defies the gender they know themselves to be in their minds. You can see how different this is from being genderqueer, right?

If you're really curious here is a great glossary of terms that further outlines the tools genderqueer folks use to play with gender.

Empowered: Trans Women & HIV

There is a new video series about love, life, and HIV amongst trans women. Now available on Youtube you can hear messages of hope, of trial, and of standing in their won truths. In the first episode you can watch Alicia Keys in conversation with five inspiring women living with HIV here in America. The series focuses on black trans women but intimate partner violence is a major issue facing women in the U.S. There is a concerning connection to HIV where half of women with HIV have experienced abuse. This episode focuses on "ending the cycle." Presented as part of Greater Than AIDS and produced with the UCSF Center of Excellence for Transgender Health with funding provided by ViiV Healthcare’s Positive Action Programme, the campaign aims to give voice to transgender women a voice to share their own narrative about HIV, both the impact and response that is needed. To learn more about the women involved in these conversations, watch each of them tell their personal stories.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GreaterThanAIDS
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/GreaterThanAIDS
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/GreaterThanAIDS
Instagram: http://instagram.com/GreaterThanAIDS

Two Trans People Walk Into A Bar

The way the media handles trans stories is evolving but who knows what it will be like under the Trump administration. Many trans folks are scared, many trans youth have one more reason why they don't want to come out. But it's jokes like this Buzzfeed video that really speak to the issue.Thanks Buzzfeed. You slay every time.

International Transgender Day of Rememberance

International Transgender Day of Remembrance, which occurs annually on November 20, is a day to memorialize those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia and to bring attention to the continued violence endured by the transgender community.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was founded in 1999 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a trans woman, to memorialize the murder of Rita Hester in Allston, Massachusetts. Since its inception, TDoR has been held annually on November 20, and it has slowly evolved from the web-based project started by Smith into an international day of action. In 2010, TDoR was observed in over 185 cities throughout more than 20 countries

If you haven't participated in this event before you can join in with the folks at the William Way Community Center. Sunday, Nov 20th from 6-9 PM community members will take time away from their busy lives to honor and remember the lives of those trans men and women who were targeted by transphobia and whose lives were cut short due to unchecked violence in America. Every year the list grows but by remembering this day we refuse to let their murders to happen in vain. Together we pledge to fight for trans rights and trans visibility. You can find out more about TDoR at GLADD.com read the list of TDoR lives on the national TDoR website.

Review of Raising The Transgender Child

Review
"Raising the Transgender Child is an essential 'how to' guide for any parent or guardian of a gender fluid or transgender child. I will continue to reference this book with each new stage in Ryland’s young life. I am grateful for the tips and insight when it comes to how to best navigate the financial burden of hormones, school pushback regarding bathrooms, resistance from friends or family, finding an affirming college, and many more important issues. There are so many factors involved when raising a transgender child, and this book gives real-life resources and guidance on how to respond to challenges faced on a daily basis.”
—Hillary Whittington, author of Raising Ryland

"This wonderful book arrives at exactly the right moment, providing parents, families, and educators with an invaluable resource for raising a trans child with wisdom and love. Angello and Bowman are equal measures authors and angels, and their long roots in the community lend their voices insight and authority. What a gift this book is—abounding with meticulous research, common sense, and compassion!”
—Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of She’s Not There and Stuck in the Middle with You

“Finally, there is a definitive guide to parenting your transgender child! Whenever someone asks me about how to raise a confident and happy trans kid, I point them toward this intelligent, thorough, and delightful book. With clear and accessible language, Angello and Bowman build compassionate bridges between generations—bridges that will last a lifetime.”
—Jeffrey Marsh, LGBT youth activist and author of How to Be You

"Raising the Transgender Child is an essential 'how to' guide for any parent or guardian of a gender fluid or transgender child. I will continue to reference this book with each new stage in Ryland’s young life. I am grateful for the tips and insight when it comes to how to best navigate the financial burden of hormones, school pushback regarding bathrooms, resistance from friends or family, finding an affirming college, and many more important issues. There are so many factors involved when raising a transgender child, and this book gives real-life resources and guidance on how to respond to challenges faced on a daily basis.”
—Hillary Whittington, author of Raising Ryland

About the Author
Michele Angello, Ph.D. works with gender-variant and transgender youth and adults. She has appeared on Larry King Live, Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, and in various documentaries on transgender issues. She also developed the first graduate course in the United States that focused on clinical issues in transgender communities. She is an adjunct faculty member at Widener University and is identified globally as a transgender youth specialist.

Alisa Bowman is an advocate for transgender children and a professional writer and ghostwriter who has penned more than thirty titles, including seven New York Times bestsellers. As a journalist, she has written for many national outlets, including Reader’s Digest, Prevention, Parents, Family Circle and the parenting section of Today.com.

The Daily Show Is Handling Business

There are some people who get it. Some people who really get it. Trevor Noah and Jessica Williams of the Daily Show are just those people. In an entire 3 segment show, they made sure to discuss the phenomenon of the transgender bathroom bills being passed in some southern states. Watch the video or read the transcript below.

Jessica Williams Talks with Gordon Klingenschmitt
http://www.hulu.com/watch/927037

JESSICA WILLIAMS: Because of discrimination and profiling, at least 47 percent of black trans people will have at some point in their lives been incarcerated.

[...]

You'd think there'd be laws to correct this. But instead, this year alone, state legislatures have introduced 175 anti-trans bills. Many make it legal to discriminate based solely on religious beliefs. And then you have these bathroom bills.

[...]

Just listen to Colorado represenative and Elmer Funn lookalike Gordon Klingenschmitt.

[BEGIN VIDEO]

WILLIAMS: Should we fear the transgender community?

GORDON KLINGENSCHMITT: Well, they not only want to be confused about their own identity, but they want the rest of us to be confused with them. Now they want the government to join them in that pretense? They're making us into liars.

WILLIAMS: Wow.

[END VIDEO]

WILLIAMS: OK, I met with these so-called liars to find out what their evil intentions are.

TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: There's a notion that trans people are perpetrators in some way. That we're sneaking and trying to trick you for the purposes of having sex with you.

TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: And that's not the case at all.

TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: People just want to see male and female, like it has to fit into one of those two boxes. And if it doesn't, it makes people uncomfortable.

TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: It's surely not a choice.

TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: That's all you need to know.

WILLIAMS: Well, not according to Klingenschmitt, who thinks we're all going to get attacked in the bathroom.

[BEGIN VIDEO]

KLINGENSCHMITT: A man can go into a ladies room and assault you and your little girl.

[END VIDEO]

[...]

TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: There's no reported incidences of any trans person ever raping or assaulting anyone in any bathroom, ever.

TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: If anything, trans people are the ones getting assaulted.

[...]

WILLIAMS: The transgender community is more pressed than I could have ever imagined. So why does Gordon feel so threatened?

[BEGIN VIDEO]

WILLIAMS: Have you ever been attacked by a transgender person? Is that why this is happening?

KLINGENSCHMITT: No.

WILLIAMS: Have you ever had a traumatic experience with a trans person?

KLINGENSCHMITT: I wouldn't call it traumatic, no.

WILLIAMS: Devastating?

KLINGENSCHMITT: Yeah, no.

WILLIAMS: You haven't?

[END VIDEO]

[...]

WILLIAMS: Unfortunately, a lot of people think like Gordon. So how can we end this transphobic epidemic?

TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: Hopefully they can understand that we are striving toward becoming more of an authentic version of ourselves after a lot of soul searching and a lot of thought and sometimes a lot of trauma and tragedy.

TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: Passing these bills is absolutely going to just add fuel to the fire and ignite trans panic.

Fun Facts

Never before has there been such a consolidated effort to support transgender rights. As we all know, North Carolina is pulling some crazy maneuvering, trying to get transgender people banned from bathrooms that match their gender identity. Huge companies like Paypal are pulling the plug on their involvement with the state. This goes alongside the many other corporations that are expressing their disdain and disapproval of the discriminational basis of #HB2 We are talking Facebook, IBM, Google and Bank of America.
Meanwhile on the other side of the south, Mississippi is having a show down on LGBT discrimination. The religious freedom bill is meant to allow individuals to decide if LGBT people can patronize their businesses based solely on the religious beliefs of the customer representative. This sweeping bill would cripple human rights work in Mississippi. Come to find out it would also cripple Mississippi's income revenue. Many corporations are choosing to take their business elsewhere to more affirming and accepting states. Those who are fleeing the antiquated and bigoted laws are in disbelief of the sweeping capacity of the law's provisions.

Specifically the law would allow:

1. Hiring and firing based on religious belief and moral conviction

2. Decline to provide services from baking cakes to being a DJ

3.  Decide who they sell or rent their house to

4. State employees to opt out of duties that ask them to go against their moral beliefs

5. Can create standards about sex for restrooms, employees, students, spas and so on

6. Medical providers to decline treatment based on religious beliefs

This all with the notion that the law will protect religious beliefs and only those with moral standing will exercise these beliefs. We know that it is dangerous because it is blatant discrimination, something that the US has worked almost 200 years to do away with. Why are we choosing to go backwards?

Army Reservist Kendall Oliver

Thank you Kendall Oliver for sharing your story. Every day Christians and those from other faith backgrounds find reasons to be exclusive of LGBT people. It takes a lot of bravery to not only push back on policies that hurt us, but also to tell others what has happened to us. You did something courageous in a way. In the face of what Soulforce calls "spiritual violence," you went back to the Barbershop to confront the owner and give him a second chance. It's a shame and a pity that he could not see beyond his own prejudice to recognize you as a person, let alone a transgender person.

Read Kendall's story from the Advocate here.

Reclaiming My Gender at My Christian University

Who says that persistence doesn't equal progress?

Title IX is a law that has been swooping into conservative Christian schools everywhere. It allows Universities and Colleges to discriminate against students and faculty based on how the religion views homosexuality and gender identity. The only problem is that not all schools have decided which side of the line they fall on. While several schools have filed for Title IX provisions, other schools have decided to practice open discrimination without calling it just that.

In a blogpost published by Soulforce a young transgender woman, Kit Apostolacus, fights for her right to live in housing that suits her gender identity. She is a true trailblazer. When Kit's school said that they couldn't process her documentation based on the fact that they hadn't come up with policies for or against gender identity, she forged ahead and created documentation that validated her position.

Read the blog to find out how Eastern University reacted to Kit's therapist and primary physician both submitting letters that testified to her wellness as a trans woman.