Noose on Equality Calif. Door Police response "It's just a string" get over it.

Mel Distel picture right, Equality California volunteer facebook note
"What Happened Tonight: Hanging a Noose on Someone's Door is Not a Crime"

by Mel Distel on Friday, October 29, 2010 at 12:36am

I'm still shaking as I write this. I feel confused.

Tonight I arrived to unlock the office while Daniel was picking up scripts at Kinkos. There was a small noose(pictured left) hanging from the door handle. Being that we are an organization advocating for gay rights, I felt the message like a chill through my spine. This was intentional. At the encouragement of fellow activists, I called the Santa Ana Police Department and officers were sent out to our office.

I couldn't get the image out of my head. I smoked a cigarette outside the office
and my thoughts were spinning. I felt jumpy, and was startled when any person or car crossed my line of vision. This was a message of hate, and I felt unsafe. Inside the office, our phone bankers were shocked and hurting. They continued on with their phone bank calls (vote for Melissa Fox) and worked to stay focussed on the task at hand. (contiues after video)

KABC ABC


I could not focus. I could barely make calls. I waited for the police to arrive, believing that when they did I would feel safe and affirmed.


When the police arrived, two officers spoke to Daniel and myself outside. The male officer dominated the conversation. There was nothing they could do, of course, there was no suspect and no crime had been committed. The officer said "what it is, is a string on a door." My vision got blurry, I was embarrased and felt stupid for making the call. I took a deep breath and said "Do you see any correlation between the fact that this is a gay office and there was a noose left on our door in the wake of all of these teen suicides?" The officer said, "Sometimes you just have to live with being a victim," and proceeded to mention that his car had been broken into before. As if that's the same. As if having your stereo stolen is anything like the message "You should kill yourself." As if random theft is anything like an act meant to convey hate and stir up fear in the heart of a minority group.

I want to thank Karla for having a long discussion with the sargeant about the situation. No, it was not legally a hate crime, because there was no crime (just hate). And the officer likely did not intend to come off the way he did.

But I'm still in shock. I pray that no officer ever tells a bullied teen that, "sometimes you just have to live with being a victim." The officer made me feel foolish for being shocked and afraid. I feel stupid and unjustified. Our volunteers felt hurt, angered and confused.

I am so grateful for the excellent family of volunteers who came together tonight, supported eachother, worked through their emotions, and even made an astonishing number of phone bank calls.

I am sorry for anyone who has experienced hate or intimidation, and my heart goes out to anyone who has reported it and been made to feel stupid for reaching out for help.

Stay strong, Orange County, the fight for tolerance has not yet been won.

Yours,

Mel Distel

AC Cooper 360 McCance "I will resign" Arkansas citizens will make sure he will at least honor this promise

Little Rock AR Center For Artistic Revolution (CAR) "After a few days of intense organizing working to secure Mr. McCance’s resignation, CAR went to Pleasant Plain, Arkansas. Our purpose was to put more pressure on the school board and Mr. McCance to ensure that he resigned. We conducted a vigil at the Midland High School commemorating the lives of the 11 teenagers who took their lives in September as well as all those who have killed themselves because of being tormented by remarks much the same as those of Mr. McCance."



"Cooper asked exactly what are you appoligizing for?" McCance "It was over the top"

Cooper "Do you understand the pain you have caused with those words to bullied gay children if there is any in your school district and to those who aren't gay but are bullied anyways?" MaCance "Well that's a big what if"

"If" meaning he doesn't seriously beleive there are really and gay children in Pleseant Plains. That response is worthy of Iran's Ahmadinejad who also believes there are no gay people in his care.

He said he would resign (submit a letter in 3 to 7 days) from the school board to spare the district the bad press and distractions of dealing with the fallout from his comments.

AC 360 blog

As of Friday there has been no letter of resignation received according to the Arkasas Times blog.



CAR's Facebook's response? "...if he reneges we will go back until he does!"

So will we.

Hollywood Transgender Attackers Caught on Video Have you seen this man?

Scene outside the bar before the beating.
 

October 3rd these five people were taped running out of the Plaza a latino drag bar after a "transgender woman dressed as a man", probably a drag performer.

The main suspect is a Latino man, approx. 25 years old, white shoes, orange sweat, closely cropped hair and possiable wearing a gold medallion.

He was seen leaving the scene in a white late model suburban.

Please call the police at 213-922-9234 or 213-922-8268.

La Blog

McCance Death Wish for Queers Creates "Grave Situation"

Pleasant plains Arkansas population 267 give or take a couple of queers that kill themselves if of school board member Clint McCance has his wish.
Pleasant Plains Graveyard.

The Midlands school district website has removed all pictures and contact information. The district issued a statement condeming McCance's statement but distanced itself from him saying he acted as a private citizen.

video via Arkansas Times blog

Tens of thousands of angry concerned citizens LGBT and heterosexual agree on one thing, he should be fired immediately.




A school board member should never wish death for his students regardless if he is acting as a public official or a private citizen.

The concerned citizens also agree hate speech is unacceptable from anyone. Condemning children publicly to death is inexcusable regardless if someone is from a major metropolitan area or as in McCance's situation, a rural community. There is no excusing someone for wishing children dead. Period.

Turkey: TransAction ConVergence "Demand Freedom" for Five Transgender Activists Türkiye'nin Beş Transseksüel Aktivistler Talebi Özgürlük

Demand Freedom for five

TransAction ConVergence joins with Episcopalian TransEpiscopal in calling for the imediate release of five transgender activists beaten, gased, falsely charged and held for trial on Oct. 21 2010.

IGLHRC
For Immediate Release

(New York, October 18, 2010) Prosecutors should investigate the attacks against five transgender rights activists by police in Ankara and drop all charges against the activists, five human rights organizations said today. In a letter to Turkey’s Interior and Justice ministers, the rights organizations said that the police officers responsible for the attack should be held accountable and called for an end to violence against toward transgender people.

The five activists from the Ankara-based transgender rights organization Pembe Hayat were arbitrarily detained and beaten by police officers on May 17, 2010. Following a familiar pattern in Turkey, the five were speedily charged with resisting the police, before the prosecutor had concluded an investigation into their complaint of ill-treatment. Their trial is set for October 21. If convicted, they face up to three years in prison.

"Police ought to protect transgender people and their advocates, not attack them," said Hossein Alizadeh, Middle East and North Africa regional coordinator at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. "When police turn into perpetrators, it becomes painfully clear that official apathy allows leeway for attacks on transgender people."

The letter to the Justice and Interior ministers was signed by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), Human Rights Watch, COC Netherlands, GATE - Global Advocates for Trans Equality, and the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans & Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe).

Four police officers from the Esat Police Station stopped the car the in which the activists were riding at about 10:30 p.m. on May 17 and accused them of intending to commit sex work. The women –Yeşim (Duru) Tatlıoğlu, Buse (Bülent) Kılıçkaya, Türkan (Deniz) Küçükkoçak, Selay (Derya) Tunç, and Eser (Nehir) Ulus – phoned for help, prompting 25 local human rights observers to go to the scene. The police forced the five activists out of the car, beat them with batons, kicked them and sprayed them with tear gas. Witnesses told the human rights organizations that the police screamed at the activists, "[f]aggots, next time we will kill you!"

"The Turkish government is turning us trans people into criminals, for no other reason than existing. Being trans in Turkey means being judged and condemned just because of what we are," said Mauro Cabral, co-director of Global Advocates for Trans Equality (GATE). "We are the crime: the government abuses us and forces us to live and die outside of the law, instead of protecting us."

Police handcuffed the women, forced them to kneel, and beat their heads and legs while one policeman told them their activism would not protect them. All five women, visibly bruised, were forced into a police van and taken to the police station. Police held them in custody until the next morning. They were officially charged on June 18, 2010.
Full press release (IGLHRC) Turkey: Drop Charges Against Transgender Rights Defenders

The Rev. Cameron Partridge of TransEpiscopal has this to say:

"We stand in complete solidarity with the five transgender activists as they go on trial in Turkey . We pray for their release, for the recognition of their human dignity, and that those who have treated these women in such a dehumanizing way would be held accountable for their actions. As we move toward Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, when communities around the world remember those who have died because of their gender identity or expression, we work to transform cultures of violence into spacious communities in which all of us can be who we are."

Please join TransEpiscopal, Integrity and other major international human rights organizations by expressing your concerns to the two Turkish Ministers:


Mr. Sadullah Ergin
Ministry of Justice
Address: 06659 Kizilay, Ankara, Turkey
Fax: +90 312 419 33 70
E-Mail: sadullahergin@adalet.gov.tr
or
iydb@adalet.gov.tr

Mr. Beşir Atalay
Ministry of the Interior
Address: T.C. İcisleri Bakanlığı, Bakanlıklar, Ankara, TurkeyTel: +90 312 422 40 22
E-Mail: besir.atalay@icisleri.gov.tr
or
ozelkalem@icisleri.gov.tr

Reuters Alertnet

Walking with Integrity supports global transgender community

Turkish LGBT org. "Pembe Hayat"

Demand Freedom for Five Turkish Transgender Activists

TransAction ConVergence. Transgender, Transsexual, Intersexed, Asexual, Gender Gifted and Allied people converging on Facebook, the world's largest social network, to share news and ideas and to advocate.

Moscow Gay Pride 2011 Nikolai sez Come to the PARTY!

The lone figure in a smokey dimly lit Moscow room bent over his maps. Picking up a phone quickly sent last moment false signals after learning of a communications leak that threatened the success of the small contingents of sequestered comrades silently, impatiently awaiting for the signal move out.

Meanwhile in city hall, former Mayor Yuri Luzhkov took the bait believing the misinformation, shifted his massed riot police, committing them to ensnare his adversaries in a ten block net. The price of failure? The cities destruction according to the former mayor with a diabolical "satanic weapons of mass destruction".

Who is this mad man and who were his conspirators who since 2006 were so bent on outwitting the Moscow police?

A raving homicidal lunatic? A transgender woman? Nope, just a gay man wanting to parade.

And this year unlike the ones since 2006 its going to happen in public without fear of being beaten, held without charges and food, according to Nikolai Alekseev president of Gay Russia.com.

And everyone is invited to the par-taa!

Dallas TDOR 2010 Transgender Day of Remembrance

Sunday, November 21 · 7:00pm - 9:00pm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location Interfaith Peace Chapel
5910 Cedar Springs Road
Dallas, TX

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Transgender Day of Remembrance
Facebook Event Page
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We encourage everyone to show up a little early, between 6:30 and 7:00 pm.

The location is on DART Bus Route 39.

Map to the location: Here

For a pre-event demonstration, see also: Click here

Transgender Owned Austin City Power Sports Taking the lead

Jennifer Baggarly's thirty years of faithful motorcycle repair and multiple certifications meant nothing to potential employers after being dismissed because of her gender expression.

"They lied about my experence and employment record" Baggerly said "every interview went great untill our following contact when they declined my application after having had a conversation with my former boss."

Jennifer's career seemed in ruins as she spent the next year unemployed. Resilience defining TransAction, not to be defeated, Jennifer took the bull by the handlebars and Austin City Power Sports, her start up business venture became the answer.

Jennifer was forced into this because of transphobia, her car repeatedly defaced a
employer refusing to address her with the proper pronouns, let alone give her the respect every woman deserves.

"Our customers care about our ability to get the job done right, the first time" Jennifer explaining the shops phenomenal success "and they aren't worried if its a transgender gal or guy who gets it done."

It is ironic and wonderfull that the same bigots who forced her into unemployment now must compete with Austin City Power Sports superior operation.

Maybe one day her former employers will be asking Jennifer for a job. Who knows.

Austin City Power Sports.com

Mum wishes I wasn't a faggot but transgender, so we'd be girlfriends

Title adapted from UK S*onewall youth PSA: "Maybe my mum wishes I was a tranny then we'd be girlfriends."



Is this post's title Offensive S*onewall UK?

You bet your ass it is. So is your video offensive WORLDWIDE to transgender people in the same way.

Pink News reports "yet another bone of contention between Stonewall and the trans community – the FIT DVD, produced by Stonewall for distribution to schools, which talks about “trannies” in a manner that Trans Media Watch believes serves to normalise what is generally considered a term of abuse." Stonewall tries to rationalize "This is rejected by a spokesman for Stonewall, who claims that the DVD is meant to be illustrative of everyday language, without endorsing it in any way."

NO tranny in this context is NOT everyday language.

S*ONEWALL is attempting to socially normalize a former term of endearment by adding negative connotations to 'tranny' thereby transforming 'tranny' into a pejorative. 'Tranny' could then be used then by S*onewall to defame trans people while S*onewall continues claiming innocence. Eventually they even may begin demanding transgender people 'reclaim tranny' as gay men in America have been attempting to do.

I used to be a adult volunteer with a youth group that held weekly talk sessions much like your the one shown in this PSA. Whenever one of the male identifying youth gathered enough courage to admit to the group he liked or felt best when wearing female clothing the group leader a gay man, would look at him with a smirking incredulous look, and shout "NO WAY". A response undoubtedly moderated because I was in the room.

This would always lead to a pillows being thrown at the youth with shouts of negativity. Undoubtedly shamed, the gender questioning youth would become silent and remorse forced further back into hiding, perhaps for the rest of his life. BY GAY PEOPLE.

Like this video, at this group if a female indicated she felt more comfortable identifying as a male she was readily accepted because that's sexy and she was after all, just a confused lesbian. A precept encouraged by misogynistic men gay and straight. Because two lesbians having sex is hot and not a threat to their masculinity. They could after all be 'cured' at leisure by any man with a dick and a good fucking.

?Just like gay men could be UN homo-ed by a fixer, or a woman?

Now that IS threatening to gay men and not sexy. You will NEVER see a gay organization endorsing a PSA with that content.

You are not LGBTQI Stonewall? NO! You are gay men intent on destroying our communities sense of self respect and dignity.

Does Stonewall UK have a anti transgender agenda? You bet your ass you do.

Just two yeare ago Stonewall refused to change it's choice of transphobic Julie Bindel as journalist of the year despite the outcry from the transgender community.

This year's Stonewall's transphobic choice of transphobic journalist of the year is Sun columnist Bill Leckie who is infamously noted for this article describing his reaction to watching transgender patrons exist a bar Mr Leckie wrote: “Eight o’clock on Wednesday and an army of frighteningly ugly women are pouring into a boozer called Prism for bingo night. Or at least from a distance they LOOK like women.”

"Stonewall Scotland, which is a subsidiary of Stonewall UK, said that although such writing was “probably intended in a spirit of light heartedness”, it was “prurient” and made fun of trans issues."

Stonewall UK despite the overwhelming evidence that Leckie is transphobic unbelievably defended their decision because he had recently written a (very courageous) article about gay footballer coming out.

S*onewall folding under pressure was not a moral decision. Stonewall rescinded the choice this year's journalist of the year under threat of again being targeted by the largest transgender protest as was the result of their persisting on retaining Julie bindel.


S*onewall has demonstrated by actions and excuses it desperately needs change so the British are going forward to Demonstrate against Stonewall duplicity and transphobia

Stonewall UK a transphobic misogynistic organization is regularly called on to advise the goverment on transgender issues despite there being readily available transgender organizations.

PSA "Then am I transsexual?" asks a Q fem youth group response "Lot's of girls are tomboys when they are young but then they you know, grow out of it." Again, BULL~SHIT unbelievable.

Letter to the editor Bowling Green Tribune Vote YES against Discrimination

I am Kelli Anne Busey, Cleveland-born transgender activist and woman of faith. I founded the 5000 member Facebook group TransAction ConVergence.

I became concerned with Bowling Green's embattled LGBT human rights ordinances because of the malicious nonstop attack on innocent non-Ohioans by the local opposition’s canned mass mailing.

In response, I initiated an event asking my members to "picture themselves in Bowling Green". We now invite you into our lives, to see our faces, hear our voices, by visiting us on my blog planetransgender and meeting us!

I took it one step further and offered our event to One Bowling Green to illustrate our community's goodwill. But the ONE campaign did not accept our offer, explaining that although they appreciated our desire to help, they "felt it was very important to concentrate on the faces and voices of Bowling Green."

We have gladly complied with this request even as the opponents of the ordinances brought in multiple non-resident "experts", their appearances being hyped with national right wing media. The accusation by opponents of the ordinances that ONE Bowling Green has done the same is, in fact, dishonest.

Time after time across our great country similar attacks on equality ordinances have failed. Gainesville, Fort Worth, and Kalamazoo, plus the states of Maryland and Texas are shining examples of how people of good will vote. Conservatives, liberals and people of faith have all been led by their own personal moral imperatives to vote for equality. When given the chance, most Americans have not taken an 'easy out' or chosen to take a politically expedient “no to equality” stand. Across all demographics, people are saying “Yes” to fairness and equality.

Transgender, Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual people need only to be given the opportunity that cisgender (people born comfortable with their gender expression) and heterosexual people now enjoy. We are your neighbors, police officers, store clerks, mayors and unfortunately, mainly due to prejudice, still the most likely to commit suicide.

You, Bowling Green, have an opportunity that would make me, an Ohio native, so very proud. You have the power to be who you say you are - welcoming of all people as our American founders intended.
Please Vote YES on 7905 and 7906.

Thank you
Kelli Anne Busey
Fort Worth, Texas

Submitted to the editor Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune October 20, 2010

Anti-Bullying Rally Today at Lake Cliff Park Dallas, Texas

Now is the Time to Stand Up For All Kids
Help bring attention to the recent tragic loss of young lives, highlight opportunities to bring an end to bullying in schools, and learn about volunteer opportunities and direct services available locally.
What: Make Sure They're Here for Tomorrow: A Call to Action
When: Friday, October 15, 2010
Where: Lake Cliff Park, 201 E. Colorado Blvd, Dallas 75203
Time: 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Other: Wear purple, if possible.
Sponsored by Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance, with support from Youth First Texas, Cathedral of Hope, Resource Center Dallas, LULAC-4871, and Equality Texas. Special Guests: Dallas County School Board President Larry Duncan; Dallas City Council Member District 1, the Honorable Delia Jasso; and Texas State Representative District 104, the Honorable Roberto Alonzo.
Equality Texas advocates and lobbies for the elimination of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.

Bowling Green meet the world's Transgender people!

Dear activist friends,


You were taged on this note because you justifiably felt left out. Your picture was not present on the orignal planetransgender post introducing ourselves to BG. Your picture (hopefully I got everyone) is now included and I will attempt to explain why it was not there.

The size of a advocacy post is critical. One page down max is optimum. More than that and interest and empathetic compassion wane on the readers part and the chance that she/he takes action diminish.

After 100 pics were posted it became clear the including more would make the post's pictures seem redundant and the 'teaser effect' would be compromised.

You conveyed your displeasure n not being pictured. You are motivated passionate advocates.

I need your help on the next step.

We will be submitting a letter to the BG's local paper introducing this event. We need 5-6 peeps to tell us about how the presence of a inclusive ordanence has positively impacted your life, your city,,,,,or,,,,,:(

If you live in a place that sill has no laws tell us of how you would be positively inpacted should your city have these laws like BOWLING GREEN PRESENTLY HAS!

Make it one or two sentences I can quote you on. Post it on this thread by the 17th of Oct!

Now you wil not only be seen but heard in Bowling Green!

Love~kelli anne

Transgender led response to the hateful misleading mailer being sent to area residents. We are 200 activists of the 5000 member group "TranAction ConVergence" and we would like to introduce ourselves to you with our facebook profile picture.

You may recognize some of us as your next door neighbours, and maybe some as state residents but most of us live out of state with some far away as India and Australia! All the pictured are transgender, lesbian, bisexual, gay and allies participating in our TransAction ConVergence event "Picture Yourself in Bowling Green Action Countering Group's Hate Mailer".

We hope all Bowling Green voters recognize that no matter where we live are just like you. We are the worlds working citizens, just like you. Many of us do live in places of equality, but sadly avatars sometimes replace photos because some are persecuted still living in inequality.

Because like bowling green's "BG Citizens Voting NO to "Special Rights" Discrimination" there are people worldwide who would exclude us from all that society offers. So we want you to know, TransAction ConVergence stands with you, the good people of Bowling Green Ohio with love and ask that you Vote YES for equality!

To Bowling Green With Love from the world's Transgender people!

Transgender led response to the attack on non Ohioans with the hateful misleading mailer being sent to area residents. Pictured are some of the 200 activists of the 5000 member group "TranAction ConVergence" and we would like to introduce ourselves to you with our facebook profile picture. You may recognize some of us as your next door neighbours, and maybe some as state residents but most of us live out of state with some far away as India and Australia! All the pictured are transgender, lesbian, bisexual, gay and allies participating in our TransAction ConVergence event "Picture Yourself in Bowling Green Action Countering Group's Hate Mailer".


We hope all Bowling Green voters see that no matter where we live are just like you. We are the worlds working citizens, just like you. Many of us are fortunate becuse live in places of equality, but sadly avatars sometimes replace photos, true idenities hidden out of fear, because some of us are persecuted becuse we are still living in inequality.
Because like bowling green's "BG Citizens Voting NO to "Special Rights" Discrimination" there are people worldwide who would exclude us from all that society offers. So we want you to know, TransAction ConVergence stands with you, the good people of Bowling Green Ohio with love and ask that you vote yes on Ordinances 7905 and 7906 and vote YES for equality!



Don’t be fooled by lies and distortion. Get the facts on 7905 and 7906
YES on 7905 and 7906
Means that everyone in Bowling Green is treated fairly and equally.

YES on 7905 and 7906
Means that everyone who does their job well has the right to earn a living and provide for their family without fear of being fired.

YES on 7905 and 7906
Adds gay and transgender people, among others, to the current housing and employment laws that protect our residents based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, military status, ancestry and age (replaced by familial status in housing).

YES on 7905 and 7906
Means religious and fraternal organizations and schools can continue to abide by deeply held religious beliefs.

YES on 7905 and 7906
Means we can take action locally to protect all people who live, work and go to school in Bowling Green.

YES on 7905 and 7906
Because everyone wants a safe and private restroom.

Want to learn more? Get the facts and how you can help at onebowlinggreen.org


TransAction ConVergence is utilizing Facebook, the world's largest social network, as a tool to share news and ideas and to advocate.

Utilize this group to connect to other advocates and to inspire change. We are here waiting for you!