Category: politics & causes

politics, both trans & otherwise

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Monica Helms: The DNC Is Ready for Us

In this essay posted on Monica Roberts’ TransGriot blog, Monica Helms of the Transgender Americans Veterans Association (TAVA) talks about her experiences working with the DNC which she concludes by writing:

What I personally would like to see is an increase in registered Democrats in the transgender community and to see an increase in transgender people volunteering with the DNC at a local level. I would also hope to live long enough to see an openly transgender person speak from the podium at the democratic National Convention and to see an openly transgender person elected to Congress. This is truly the MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION in our lifetimes. It is time for the Democratic Party to fully recognize us a part of their party, on all levels. They appear to be doing that. Now, it’s time for us to help Democrats on all levels of government to win in 2008.

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At Long Last, They Have No Decency

The Federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has determined that the families of the now presumed dead miners in Utah cannot have the UMWA represent them in the ongoing investigation of the case.

The real kicker is that MSHA has made this ruling despite the fact that miners & their families can choose their own representation in a case like this, but because – THE MINERS HAVE TO SIGN THE REQUEST.

This is not a punchline. This is the actual federal ruling when it comes to the families of these miners, since at the time of the cave-in, the mine was not union, so these men were not union members. Had they lived & were able to sign the request, then the UMW could represent them.

As a result, area miners are considering going union again.

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Abstinence Fails Again

Yet another report has come out that abstinence-only education fails our kids; in this case, abstinence-only education has been shown not to prevent HIV infection.

So what I want to know is when we go on the offensive, and start accusing people & agencies who back this bullshit why they want to kill children. Granted, people don’t die of HIV the way they used to, but goddamn, if we can avoid having a kid get a serious, life-long compromised immune system, surely that should be enough reason to get some real sex ed taught, no?

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Julia Serano Guest Blogging on Feministing

Julia Serano, about Bailey, on Feministing today:

The fact is that when a self-appointed “expert” like Bailey claims that transsexual women transition for purely sexual reasons, and that they are lying if they state otherwise, people will believe him because of his academic/scientist status. The NY Times may try to frame the controversy surrounding Bailey’s book as an example of political correctness run amok, but the truth of the matter is that Bailey himself did exponentially more damage to the field of academic research when he misrepresented anecdotes and innuendos as though they were science.

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Pfc. LaVena Johnson

In light of the recent case brought against Cassandra Hernandez, I wish I didn’t think that the family of LaVena Johnson has a right to be concerned that the Army is sweeping something under the rug, but in this case, it’s not just rape, but murder.

The mother of Pat Tillman once put the matter in stark and honest terms: “This is how they treat a family of a high-profile individual,” she said. “How are they treating others?”

Now we know. Sign the petition to get Johnson’s case re-opened.

(via feministing)

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“Stuff I Supposed After Meeting Some People in a Gay Bar”*

* quote by Mara Keisling, when providing an alternative description of what Bailey’s book could be described as instead of as “science.”

This NPR show out of the Bay Area about the whole Bailey controversy is good listening. Joan Roughgarden (author of Evolution’s Rainbow), Mara Keisling (executive director of NCTE), Alice Dreger (author of Hermaphrodites & The Medical Invention of Sex) & Bailey himself.

& A challenging phone call from Ben Barres, who I love & who does not let Bailey not answer a direct question (with textual backup from Roughgarden), specifically, whether or not Bailey feels trans people are suited to prostitution.

The only thing that no-one said that someone should have said is that Bailey now has a history & a record of turning (at best) weak science into “controversy,” such as with the bisexuality studies that came out a couple of years ago.

I’m upset by the idea of how or if Dreger’s status as a woman – not just as an academic or intersex educator – is coming into play here. That is, is a man not sexist because a woman says he isn’t? (I don’t think so, but I think that’s coloring her defense of Bailey.)

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Dreger & Bailey, Again

& Now The NY Times has published an article about the whole Dreger/Bailey fiasco. It’s reasonably objective, even if the title of the article is ridiculously overblown.

Moreover, based on her own reading of federal regulations, Dr. Dreger. . . argued that the book did not qualify as scientific research. The federal definition describes “a systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation.”

Dr. Bailey used the people in his book as anecdotes, not as the subjects of a systematic investigation, she reported.

Which makes it not scientific at all. Either that or someone owes me a Ph.D. for My Husband Betty.

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Plan B?

For those of you who have been following the issue of pharmacists deciding not to fill hormone prescriptions due to them following their conscience, US District Court Judge Jeanne Scott of Illionois just ruled in favor of Ethan Vandersand – one such pharmacist, who refused to fill a prescription for emergency contraception.

Despite a 2005 law issued by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) that requires Illinois pharmacists to either dispense or ensure timely access to Plan B upon request, Judge Jeanne Scott ruled that Vandersand was protected under the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act. Wal-Mart and Walgreen Co. — which have both terminated or disciplined employees for refusing to fill Plan B requests — maintain that Illinois’ conscience laws do not apply to pharmacists.

From the Feminist Daily News.

I’m curious if there are any reported instances where a pharmacist refused to fill a prescription for a trans person’s hormones.

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Is This New York City?

Or Berkeley? The NY City Council apparently has resolved every other problem in New York, as now they’ve gotten around to banning words. First was the N word, & now the B word is on the list.

The B word? What is this, fourth grade? The word is bitch. & This whole idea is idiotic. Please leave our language alone, & maybe instead help women who are suffering with domestic violence, sexual harassment, or who are having a hard time raising children while working full-time.

Surely the NY City Council has some real problems to solve, or I’m going to write them a letter bitching them out.