Category: LGBTQ

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NYC: Queer Immigrants’ Rights Panel – 3/4

This sounds cool:

(IN)VISIBLY AMERICAN – The Personal is Political in Queer Immigrants’ Rights – Thursday March 4, 2010, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM:
A special panel discussion about LGBT immigrants’ rights. We’ll hear stories from LGBT Asian American and South Asian immigrants, updates about immigration policy, and ways we can join the fight for comprehensive immigration reform. Reception and Networking: 6:30 PM. Program: 7:00 – 9:00 PM. Asian American Writers Workshop – 16 West 32nd Street – 10th Floor (between Fifth Avenue and Broadway) New York, NY 10001. See the enclosed attachment for additional information.

If anyone goes, do report back!

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Superbowl Round-Up, Gender Studies Style

First, clever Twitter responses to the ridiculous amount of sexism in this year’s Superbowl commercials. One of my favorites:
Posted By: denverlen (February 8, 2010 at 5:19 PM)
This was my fav tweet of the night. Saw a couple of others that were similar as well.
mrbilldempsey: Advertising works. Buying some misogyny first thing tomorrow.

(thanks to Erica for that one)

Weird Superbowl Ad indulges in outworn femme stereotype of a gay couple, but as an Advocate reader points out, in an oddly inclusive sort of way.

An hour of Superbowl watching with Gloria Steinem & Shelby Knox (okay, even I couldn’t do it, I just couldn’t).

& As if to summarize, my friend Matty Wegehaupt wrote:
If there is any better evidence than the Super Bowl ads that popular American masculinity is in the throes of a pathetic death spiral, I haven’t seen it. The irony is that even while attacking women as withering harpies, the ads portray the men themselves as even more pathetic: illiterate boors who grunt defiantly at an “unfair” world, yearning for the nourishing respite of crap beer, fast cars, and fake boobs.

Geaux men! Honestly, I find the stereotypes of men in mainstream media horribly offensive – at least as offensive as those idiotic, sexist GoDaddy ads, which is one of the reasons I’ve been very surprised by how well Men of a Certain Age is written, and acted.

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Nepal

I’ve always wanted to see Nepal, and it seems now I’ve got an additional reason to go:

The traditionally conservative country’s Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersex are natural persons irrespective of their masculine and feminine gender and they have the right to exercise their rights and live an independent life in society.”  Nepali homosexuals are afforded all of the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts, and Nepal has even offered a “third sex” option for its national ID cards.  Gay and gay-friendly clubs now abound in Kathmandu and the Blue Diamond Society keeps the gay, lesbian, and transgendered community appraised of relevant information with a brightly-colored and cheerful website.

(thanks to Cris for the link)

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From the NYS Pride Agenda

GENDA could pass this winter – take action now!

Last week when we wrote to you about the Senate marriage vote, we told you we’d be reaching out again soon about our plans for 2010. Today, we’re updating you on our legislative priority for this winter: to pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA).

GENDA would amend the state’s human rights law to include anti-discrimination protections based upon gender identity and expression, providing crucial civil rights protections for transgender New Yorkers by banning discrimination in housing, employment, credit, public accommodations, and other areas of everyday life. It would also add gender identity and expression to the state’s bias crime laws to help protect transgender people from violence. Last month, Governor Paterson signed an Executive Order prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and expression for state employees—but our work isn’t over until ALL New Yorkers are protected by a comprehensive law banning discrimination against transgender people.

We need you to take action NOW. With just two phone calls to Senators, you can help us win:

1. Call Senator Tom Duane, lead sponsor of GENDA, at (518) 455-2451. Ask Senator Duane to bring the bill to the floor for a vote in February.

2. Call your own Senator to tell them that you expect them to bring GENDA to the floor and vote in support of it. You can find your State Senator’s Albany phone number here.

Here are some talking points for your calls:

1. Remember to tell your Senator the number of the GENDA bill (S.2406).

2. Ask your Senator to vote for GENDA, and if you are able to attend a legislative meeting, ask to meet with him or her to discuss the urgency of passing this bill right away.

3. Tell them about the urgent need for GENDA:

  • Due to difficulty with job discrimination, one-fifth of transgender New Yorkers have incomes below $10,000 a year.
  • 28% of transgender New Yorkers have experienced a serious physical or sexual assault motivated by hate.

4.  Remind them that GENDA enjoys broad support statewide, including:

  • 78% of New York voters
  • Unions representing 2.1 million working New Yorkers
  • 30 Fortune 500 companies based in cities like Rochester, Corning, New York City and White Plains
  • 547 clergy and lay leaders representing over 20 different denominations

Continue reading “From the NYS Pride Agenda”

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Renault Trans-Friendly (& Trans Family Friendly!) Advert

Okay, this made me cry, really.

The world is changing. Slowly, but it is. I have met so many really cool kids – teenagers & adults, mostly – who are cool with their parents’ gender stuff that it is really nice to see this. That’s what made me cry; just seeing a presentation of all those cool KOTs (Kids of Trans) in any medium.

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Who We Lost 2009

There are a lot of lists of who died last year, but I haven’t seen any specific to LGBTQ and feminist communities, so here goes:

  • Mike Penner / Christine Daniels – transgender sports writer
  • Michele La Freniere – transgender activist
  • Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick = queer theorist
  • Bea Arthur – gay icon/actor
  • Dr. George Tiller – abortion doctor
  • Virginia Prince – crossdressing pioneer
  • Ted Kennedy – key legislator on LGBT rights
  • Dottie Laing – crossdresser’s wife & out trans partner

Stars, all. Rest in peace.

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Breaking News: DC Makes Same Sex Marriage Legal

Ah, good news!

The Washington, D.C., City Council voted Tuesday to legalize gay marriage in the nation’s capital, handing supporters a victory after a string of recent defeats in Maine, New York and New Jersey.

Mayor Adrian Fenty has promised to sign the bill, which passed 11-2, and gay couples could begin marrying as early as March. Congress, which has final say over Washington’s laws, could reject it, but Democratic leaders have suggested they are reluctant to do so.

More at NPR.

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Bilerico Doesn’t Fail

The editors of Bilerico fired Ronald Gold & took his post down.

I firmly disagree with the opinion that posting his screed had anything to do with website hits or publicity, and I disagree emphatically.

The only remaining dilemma, in my opinion, is that Ronald Gold is not the only one, & is in fact representative of some people with queer genders who don’t understand that trans people are categorically different, in their experience of gender, than those who are not trans.

It took me a long fucking time to understand that. It was only when I met stone butches who transitioned to femmey gay men and former straight men who transitioned to geeky tomboys that I realized it had nothing whatsoever to do with gender conformity.

Trans people do not, as a whole, reject gender non-conformity. They are not trans because they are invested in the binary. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

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Ronald Gold Just Hasn’t Met the Right Woman

I mean, really, this isn’t a joke?

I’m going to say again: those of us with queer genders who aren’t trans seem to have a beam in our own eye on this one. We just don’t get it, over & over & over again. No, female & male personalities don’t exist. But male & female people DO — wither social construction & all.

It’d be laughable for a man who actively resisted being pathologized to turn around & pathologize others if it weren’t awful. Shame on you, Ronald Gold. You should know better than to distrust the narratives of people who are a minority & misunderstood, but perhaps you’ve forgotten you are one, too.

So Mr. Gold, try to dust off your brain & remember when people told you that you just hadn’t met the right woman, because the argument you make concerning trans people is about as uninformed, inexperienced & myopic. & I say that with utmost respect for what you’ve achieved.