Two arrested for attacking and stripping transgender woman on a MARTA train

Two of the men who attacked the transgender woman last week on the MARTA train have been arrested. The ensuing fight which resulted in one of the woman being stripped naked made global news.

Source The Alanta Journal-Constitution:

MARTA Police have arrested two men for their alleged involvement in a fight last week that was caught on video and went viral on the internet.
Frederick L. Missick and Luther L. Thomas were charged with disorderly conduct and have been suspended from the transit service, MARTA officials said.

Two passengers said the fight began after they were harassed by Missick and Thomas because they are transgender, MARTA officials said. Although the brawl was taped by other passengers, MARTA officials say the investigation was hampered by a lack of witnesses willing to come forward.
Missick, 35, was arrested today, according to jail records. Thomas, 34, was arrested Thursday. Both are being held at the Fulton County Jail on $2,500 bond.
Jail records show that Thomas has been arrested twice before by MARTA police. In December 2005, on charges of simple battery, theft by taking and criminal reproduction and sale of recorded material.

Feds spend $200K to find out why transwoman on Facebook get HIV/AIDS and addicted at disproportionately high rates.

From the are you out outta your fucking federated mind file.

The Free Beacon  reports that  "The Friends Research Institute", based in Maryland, received $194,788 last month to begin the project operating on the premise that due to “transphobia” transgendered women are forced to use social media as an outlet, often leading to risky sexual behaviors."

“As a result of discrimination/stigma, prejudice, and individual and structural forms of transphobia, transwomen form dense communities comprised primarily of other transwomen,” it said."

"The latest government research project argues that transwomen use social network websites to “develop social support structures, connect with members of their community, receive positive and re- affirming perspectives on their gender identity, and inform behavioral norms.” They also use online groups to gain illegal hormones and find “sex work partners,” according to the grant."

The grant will enable researchers to understand why our using Facebook as a medium for socializing leads to drug addiction, barebacking, wild drug parties and prostitution.

The sound of screeching brakes followed by a thick blue cloud of WTF?

OK, maybe I don't travel in circles that encourage chasers or drug use and I'm sure there are groups of people on Facebook who leave themselves open to suggestions for said activities, but as a preponderance of purpose for us to facebook I'm like, are you outta of your ever loving federated minds?

When I lived on the street the last thing I had money for was Internet. Seriously feds, get a grip.

Or am I just naive? You tell me. Is there an increased risk of HIV infection should I click the facebook icon?

I know I'm a constant target for predators there, and I suppose if I were young dumb and full of estrogen I might have actually met one of those men who have tried to engage me. Today someone started a PM and quickly asked if I wanted to 'party' and see pictures of him. Was that one of the fed's hand puppets?

Or was that a missed opportunity to become re-addicted to sex and drugs?

In any case I feel like I am being spied on by the federal government in the only safe space I know of. Hey feds I got a message for you. FUCKING FUCK OFF and leave us alone. Yes this is the only safe place we have to gather. DUH? Put that in your study and smoke it.

Or is this study a good idea? Supposedly this study will be contained to "IPAD Studies" and not entail  casually trolling our pages like I'm sure that they did in the first place in order to get the idea for the grant.

Is Laverne Cox helping or hurting transgender people?

This magazine rip off is not a exercise in narcissism. I just fit all of the parameters.

With the recent plethora of gorgeous gender conforming trans spokes people, I have a question. What about the 99%? The people who nominally fit stereotypical gender expectations? Or what about those of us who don't fit at all.

And what of those of us who refuse to conform at all? Those people were once covenanted for their nonconformity as pioneers. Will they now be considered pariahs?

Personally I think this has been great, like riding a social tsunami triggered by the overwhelming female humanity of Laverne Cox.
But what happens after we are washed up 100 miles inland stranded alone in our personal realities dealing with anxiety, the kind that convinces so many us to get 'pumped'?

One gender therapist warns us to be aware of the machine that is making this happen saying

And how can we not be left with our mouth agape at the head-to-toe shot of actress and trans activist Laverne Cox. The caption reads, “Laverne Cox, a star of Orange is the New Black, is one of an estimated 1.5 million Americans who identify as transgender.” I have watched hundreds of my social media friends in the transgender community commenting on this cover story with astonishment, joy, and hope. My own initial reaction was one of shock, followed by great excitement.

However, as the day progressed on, and the news continued to spread, and the comments continued to pour in, I felt something…unsettling come up for me about it. I couldn’t put my finger to it until I had a conversation with one of my clients, when I asked her what she thought of the upcoming cover story.
Laverne Cox is now the “face,” and therefore the voice, of the Transgender Population in the eyes of many Americans.

Now…let us not forget that Ms. Cox also just happen to be drop-dead gorgeous.
So let’s be honest about what that means as we look at this snapshot of this moment in time (no pun intended).
There was a conscious decision made to put Ms. Cox on the cover of TIME magazine. Not a montage of “everyday transgender folks” that included persons having many different experiences, including those who transitioned from female-to-male and who are gender non-conforming.
This is a glamorous photo of a very feminine, well-dressed, television actress who happens to be transgender. This photo represents the entire “transgender civil rights movement.”

Continue reading what DARA HOFFMAN-FOX says via her facebook post. Its thoughtful, respectful and insightful......

Post by Conversations with a Gender Therapist.

RuPaul's Drag Race winner Bianca Del Rio tells Carmen Carrera to "stick whats left of your dick in your mouth and STFU"

Drag queen Bianca Del Rio, pictured left, crowned winner of Rupauls drag race on May 19th wasted no time putting his contempt of transgender people on full blast.

Del Rio told  the audience "I think Carmen Carrera should stick whats left of her dick and shove it in her mouth"

Del Rio raised his arms as the audience clearly recognized he went to far.

What could have caused Del Rio to attack her so viciously? Carmen Carrera was a contestant on Season 3 of Rupauls Drag race and afterwards has enjoyed success as a transgender model. Is that the only reason? No it is not. Carman has gently been trying to ask that  Rupaul stop using transgender defamation.

Bianca Del Rio sees that as a betrayal of gaydom. He sees Carmen as a turncoat, but more than that. Del Rio now sees Carrera as a target, less than human to despise and denigrate. Del Rio sees Camen as transgender.

I posted Del Rio's comments unedited because of how his words actualize the hatred being spewed by RuPaul and his gay fans toward transgender people. What he said:

Post by Rupaul's Drag Race Family.

Carmen Carrera comes out as transgender on "What would you do".



Once again I have to ask. Does LOGO want to be branded with this hate? And oh yeah, where's GLAAD?

Post by Carmen Carrera.

Post by Carmen Carrera.

Drag show "Tranny Shack" rebranding to "T Shack"

Heklina, the owner of the drag show formely known as "tranny shack" has announced that it will be known in the future as "T Shack". She say she has done so becuse society has come to understand that transgender people find the word 'tranny' offensive.

Heklina posted the following message to Facebook:

Hey everyone! I just thought it was time for me to chime in and have my voice be heard. There’s been a lot of discussion, and a lot of it has been great to read, as this, for me and so many others, is a timely issue. Poor Brian Daniel Peters and LA Kendall LaBree have been dealing with the drama and speaking on my behalf, but now it’s time for me to chime in. I generally loathe to be political, but whether I like it or not the very name of my legendary nightclub has become political.
First, a little history about the name Trannyshack, and the club itself. When I started the club (waaaaaay back in 1996) the word “tranny” did not have the charged weight to it that it has today. Simply put, it was not (arguably) considered a slur word, and not even thought of on the same level as the words “dyke” or “faggot” (two words which, maybe ironically, have somehow become less charged and have been “reclaimed” to a certain degree-for instance, leading the Pride Parade in San Francisco every year are the Dykes On Bikes. I can’t imagine in this day, a contingent called Trannies On Bikes). There are people who might argue this, but I’m sorry it just was not a word thought of as a slur on the same level as today. It was just not. I considered the name transgressive, and cutting edge.

The club itself? It became a legendary San Francisco institution. A bastion of alternative drag and diversity. Every walk of life came to, and performed at, Trannyshack. Gay men, lesbians, drag kings, drag kings, M to F’s, F to M’s, Faux Queens, and yes, even straight people. It won every award for Best Drag show in SF every year, and is generally thought to have redefined drag on the West Coast. It didn’t matter (and still does not) what gender you were, or what you had between your legs, if you were a great performer you were welcome on the Trannyshack stage. It grew to mean a great deal to a great many people.



I am, and will always be, immensely proud of what I have accomplished with Trannyshack. It’s given me so many great experiences, it’s afforded me the great luxury of not having to live in the 9 to 5 world (which would kill me), and I have had the even greater luxury of working with and meeting the most incredible people. It’s no exaggeration to say it’s been my life’s work.
However. Increasingly, and in the past year especially, it’s become clear to me the meaning the word tranny has taken on. I’ve tried to avoid the issue because I’ve spent almost 20 years branding and promoting my club. But more and more, I am asked on the street, in interviews, and online about my thoughts on the word, and the name of my club. I’ve given the answer “Oh, my club is different, it means so much to so many people, it’s this it’s that, etc.”, but it’s been nagging at me. I started to talk to people close to me about the need for a rebrand. What really was the clincher for me was a post I saw on Facebook by a performer at my club . I wasn’t tagged in the post, but came across it anyway. He said how excited he was to be performing at my club but, out of embarrassment, he couldn’t type the name of it, and something along the lines of “you all know where it is”. Ouch, OK. Time for a rebrand.

I am in the business of (hopefully) entertaining people. It’s never been my intention to hurt people. I am not another Shirley Q. Liquor, wanting to offend just for sake of it. Also, on a purely business level, I don’t want to be viewed as archaic, out of step with the times, like an ostrich with my head in the sand.
OK, a rebrand. How to go about it? Time to test the waters. But, where to start? When Brian asked me to bring Trannyshack to Seattle for Pride, I thought this was a good place to start. I suggested the name T-Shack. Let’s see how this works, I thought. As expected, many people familiar and loyal to the Trannyshack brand were up in arms, and I received several messages along the lines of “You caved in to pressure” and “You sold out” (? Not sure what that one means). OK. I can deal with this.
But, I was taken aback by the response from many in the trans community. It seems I cannot win with some people. They are not happy when I call it Trannyshack, and they are not happy when I try to rebrand (granted, there were some aspects of the roll-out for the Seattle event that were a bit clunky, but still). This to me does not seem right.

Just to clear a couple of things up. The event on Friday June 27 is not “Trannyshack presents T-Shack” as some people have said (and I would invite anyone to show me where it says this on any of the materials). It plainly says who is actually presenting it. The word Trannyshack appears on the materials to let those familiar with the brand know what the event is. When the full rebrand happens this kind of wording will be necessary initially (i.e. “AKA Trannyshack”, then “Formerly known as Trannyshack”) until we can phase it out completely. It’s also unrealistic to expect everyone to stop using the name Trannyshack right away when they discuss it online , or even in person. As preciously mentioned , I’ve relentlessly promoted the brand for almost 20 years, so it’s ingrained in people’s consciousness. It will take time. To use a ridiculous comparison, it’s like when Kentucky Fried Chicken decided to only be referred to as KFC. It took awhile. I know, I told you the comparison was ridiculous.
When will the full rebrand happen? Most likely not until the beginning of the new year. In San Francisco, it’s going to require focus groups, a press campaign, all that stuff. It really is that big of a deal here. Also, I have not as of yet decided what the final name will be. I used T-Shack for the Seattle event because that is what the insiders of my circle of friends have always called it, so I’m trying it out. Other names have been thrown around. Drag-Shack does not seem right. Maybe simply The ‘Shack. I don’t know, that’s why it will take a few months.
Ultimately, when it happens I will need the support of EVERYBODY. That means all of those loyal to the Trannyshack brand , as well as the Trans community.
As I see it, there’s two ways we can deal with this. We can see this as progress and a step forward, or we can engage in fighting and divisiveness. Whichever one you choose I am going for progress, and away from hurt and anger. Please also know that I do not engage in Facebook “threads”, as I simply do not have time, and they tend to become masturbatory and a contest of who will have the last word. If you post a comment under this post I will not reply to it.
But! For those interested in having a face to face dialogue, I would LOVE that. I have a “date” with Danielle Niki Askini when I am in Seattle to sit down for coffee and go over ideas, and just talk. If you would like to join us please email me directly at heklina@earthlink.net (I guess I am archaic after all, I’m still on earthlink). We haven’t figured out a time yet. Best time for me would be Monday morning after Pride weekend
Xoxo
Heklina

Two Trans woman attacked and stripped on a MARTA train police looking for Perps

Tuesday two transgender woman were followed by a group of men as they boarded a MARTA train in Atlanta. The men had been harassing them and when the train departed it became worst. One of the woman took a more defensive role and one of the men attacked her.

I have posted the unedited version because the censored one does not show the faces of the attackers. If you have any information on this attack please contact MARTA police.

Click here to watch *Trigger Warning Must be 18

Channel 2 Ryan Young spoke with the women and MARTA officials about the video.

The women told Young they were walking to the Five Points MARTA station when a group of men approached them and started yelling at them. They said the strangers followed them into the station and waited on the platform next to them while taking pictures. They said they believe the strangers targeted them because they are transgender.

“[They] just kept of asking us was we real,” said Janell Crosby. “Like really trying to get us. ‘Are you real?’ 'Are y’all this or that?’ Just trying to embarrass us.”
"They were trying to find out if we are men or women,” said Tyra Woods. “I shouldn’t have to disclose who I am to an innocent person who I’m not even interested in talking to.”
Crosby and Woods say they were harassed, attacked and embarrassed, and no one came to give them any help.
“I really didn’t want to fight, but he just kicked me and tried to make a big scene,” said Crosby.
“It’s all over the internet and like, I’m naked,” said Woods. “I felt like since it was in a public transportation, we should’ve felt like we should’ve been secure.”
Officials said they won’t stand for that type of behavior and have opened an investigation into what happened on the train. They are actively searching for the two men who may have started the fight.

MARTA:
Non-Emergency: (404) 848-4910 Email: martapolice@itsmarta.com

If this requires immediate attention, please contact MARTA Police at (404) 848-4911, pick up the blue and white customer assistance telephones located in the stations, or use the MARTA See and Say App. This email address is checked once a day during normal business hours, Monday through Friday.

MARTA Police Headquarters: (404) 848-4900

Detectives:(404) 848-4584

Rupaul already despised by the trans community excommunicates himself with 'tranny'

There is sort of a communion within the transgender community, respected by most, even those who don't believe in the umbrella. We have a unspoken credo, do no harm. Even if we are deeply offended or disagree, speak freely but do so in a way that doesn't inflict injury That can be difficult at times because we are in what I see as an adolescence, the CDDTIQA community, transitioning to adulthood, earning respect from one another and in the process the world as a whole.

Two spirits, transgender, transsexual, Intersex, Questioning, Asexual, Cross Dressers and Drag among others...

Arguably, drag queens have a place under the trans umbrella. Most artists are great people but then there's Rupaul.

Hudson Valley LGBT center.org

Rupaul, who identifies as cisgender gay man, said some highly offensive things last week. Clearly, there's no longer a place under the transgender umbrella for Rupaul.

Marc Maron asked Rupaul on his podcast Wednesday about the most recent flare up over gay people saying tranny. I assume Maron was alluding to the Australian transgender community's request that gay men use remove the defamation 'tranny' from "Tranny Bingo" or could it be his unwillingness to learn from Neil Patrick Harris, Lance Bass, and Kelly Osbourne?. Or perhaps his belief that the difference between a trans person and a  drag queen is $25,000 and a good surgeon?. Or could he have been asking in reference to his employer's reaction to his latest transgender defamation?



Whatever. Rupaul went on the attack telling him it wasn't the trans community who are upset over his defamation. It was a 'fringe element' looking to reinforce their 'victimhood'. Rupaul could not have said a single more offensive thing than that.

A clear majority of trans people object to "tranny" being used by cisgender people as our 2010 survey indicates.

"No, no no its not the transsexual community. These are fringe people who are looking for story lines to strengthen their identity as victims."

Rupaul continues "recently my show got into a..these are four people who have a wifi connection sit behind a computer in god knows where and deliberately misinterpret our verbiage and decide we're ah, you hurt me." Then in his best mealy mouth weaselly voice. "We didn't do anything to hurt you that's how you decided to interpret it."

Last year Rupaul screamed bloody murder when Amanda Bynes called the writers at people magazine FAGGOTS. Of course Huffpost GAY came to his defense,

Derogatory slurs are ALWAYS an outward projection of a person's own poisonous self-loathing @AmandaBynes
— RuPaul (@RuPaul) June 2, 2013

@RuPaul meet kelli Busey I'm just a regular girl shopping work & sometimes I use my WiFi. #RuPaul We wont be Silenced pic.twitter.com/PWnyfdTdJt
— planetransgender (@kellibusey) May 26, 2014

Post by Wipe Out Transphobia.

Had a wonderful day touring @NASAJPL by @tweetsoutloud with @RuPaul and @RevoLucian #sissythatplanet pic.twitter.com/J1W344oZUV
— Justin Root (@JustinWRoot) May 24, 2014

Rupaul having a grand guy old cisgender male privileged time at the JPL.

Yes it is a hard road dealing with ignorance like his. But you Rupaul are by far the most ignorant men the transgender community has ever encountered mainly due to your previous proximity to us. It was just days ago that the LOGO network, you're employer, told you to stop with the defamation and yet here you go again.

Just weeks after LOGO appoligized and pulled the highly offensive 'shemail' episode Rupaul is back at it with all of that defamation:

According to Buzzfeed

"Logo TV, which airs the widely popular show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, is distancing itself from comments host RuPaul Charles made during a May 19 interview in which he defended the use of a term some find transphobic and offensive."

Trust! @LogoTV hasn’t “distanced” itself from me, not while I’m still payin’ the f%kin’ light bill over there
— RuPaul (@RuPaul) May 24, 2014

My intention is to always come from a place of love, but sometimes you just have to break it down for a motherf%ker
— RuPaul (@RuPaul) May 24, 2014

Does LOGO know its name is being dragged through the dirt by Rupaul? Look at the right corner of the violent video retweeted by Rupaul. LOGO, do you approve of this violence? It would appear that you do.

. @Rupaul just bitch slapped @Buzzfeed like they were Tyra Sanchez http://t.co/qkHIblIHI2
— Samantha (@SamanthaNWho) May 24, 2014

Rupaul you will not lessen or cheapen our existence. For the record its not four people and no this is not a joke. Granted there are a few within the trans community who claim 'tranny' as something less than detrimental. That is their right. They live authentically 24/7 and pay a personal price for lowering their life expectations, but you Rupaul are not transgender. You are a gay cisgender man who profits from hurting transgender people.

"Derogatory slurs are ALWAYS an outward projection of a person's own poisonous self-loathing" ~ Rupaul Charles.

planetransgender first took this slur to task  in 2009 and was beat on by gay media who interviewed  Rupal who said he "approved of tranny."

Personally I hope LOGO realizes that Rupaul is a liability, incapable of either education or redemption and fires him.

Man gets 23 to life for murder of NY Transgender woman Camila Guzman

Source DNA Info

NEW YORK — A New York City man convicted of killing his girlfriend in a brutal attack with knives, a candlestick and a pillowcase around her neck has been sentenced to 23 years to life in prison.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced Equan Southall's sentence Thursday.

The 28-year-old Southall was convicted last month of murder in the August 2011 death of Camila Guzman, a Chilean immigrant. The two lived together in East Harlem.

Prosecutors say Southall stabbed Guzman the back and torso, used a candlestick to bludgeon her in the head and finally strangled her with a pillowcase.

Vance says the case shows domestic violence "can escalate in a heartbeat."

Southall's lawyer didn't immediately return a call Thursday. - WSJ

Swift Justice. 98.9 The Buzz suspends then fires two for transphobic rant

In what could only be described as swift justice 98.9 The Buzz has announced that Kimberly and Beck were suspended for a 12 minute transphobic screed. Towleroad broke this story Wednesday Morning and by that evening justice was served.. Thank you to our LGBT family's quick respone and an extra special thank you is due the Empire State Agenda.

The rant that got the two miscreant suspended then later (updated) this morning fired.

(1/3) This morning Entercom fired Kimberly and Beck effective immediately. Their hateful comments against the transgender community...

— 98.9 The Buzz (@989thebuzz) May 22, 2014

Via Rachel Barnhart WROC-TV The following can be attributed to Empire State Agands's Executive Director Nathan M. Schaefer:

“The ignorant and transphobic segment that recently aired on Rochester’s radio show, “The Breakfast Buzz” with Kimberly & Beck, is highly offensive to New York’s LGBT community. The segment, aired in response to Rochester’s announcement at our Spring Dinner on Saturday that municipal employees will have access to transition-related healthcare, contains sound bite after sound bite of misinformation and hate speech.

Not only did the hosts conflate sexual orientation and gender identity and make the ill-informed leap from medically-necessary care to elective surgery, they also degraded LGBT identities more generally, including the outrageous contention that transgender people are “nut jobs.”

Transgender individuals face disproportionate disparities when it comes to their health and well-being, including this type of harassment as we’ve seen on “The Breakfast Buzz.” The American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association and many other organizations agree that transition-related health care is medically necessary and should be covered under public insurance plans. Providing transgender New Yorkers with medically necessary health care is actually a cost-saving measure. Taxpayers will likely see savings related to mental health, suicide attempts, HIV, substance abuse and other costs that occur when transgender people cannot get their transition-related health care needs met.

Rochester’s announcement that city employees will be covered is positive news that should not be misguided by the ignorance of radio hosts looking for ratings. This offensive segment underscores the need for increased education and for the passage of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), so that all New Yorkers know it’s not acceptable to discriminate against someone just because of who they are.

We call on the radio show and its hosts to issue a formal apology immediately and to seek the education we’re extending on issues of importance to its transgender and gender non-conforming residents.”

As a result of Kimberly and Beck’s hateful comments against the transgender community we have suspended them indefinitely.
— 98.9 The Buzz (@989thebuzz) May 22, 2014

MDPETITION.COM Claims they have 1/3 of the signatures needed for referendum drive

If this is true (and who knows?) the haters will have to collect 13,500 more signatures by May 31st. That's not a impossible if they focus on people like the elderly tea putzer like the one in this video.

But if they ask informed people like the young man, (ouch whats with the 'T' word?) they don't stand a chance.

Source Your4State.com: Organizers with mdpetitions.com only have about a fourth of the signatures they need by May 31. They have a lot of work ahead of them but say they're confident they'll get the signatures they need to continue to referendum.

Delegate Neil Parrott, the chairman of mdpetitions.com, is hard at work going door-to-door trying to get signatures for a petition drive.

"We have a May deadline to get signatures, I've got the signatures pages right here, for the 'Bathroom Bill,'" said Parrott, (R) - Washington County.

The Maryland General Assembly passed a bill this session the governor signed into law last week making it illegal to discriminate against transgender people in employment, housing, credit, and public accommodations.

Opponents refer to the law as the "Bathroom Bill" over fears of what they say could happen in women's restrooms.

"It allows men, if there's a guy who's dressed just like me, he could walk into a restaurant and use the women's restroom as long as he sincerely believes in his heart he's a woman. That's what the bill language says. If anyone would challenge him and say, 'You can't go in there,' they could be successfully sued,'" Parrott said.



How much of what Delegate Neil Parrott says is truth? I don't want to get sued for slander so lets just say nothing, not one thing, nada. For folks on the fence you can read "Debunking MDPetition.com Neil Parrott falsehoods for opposing the Fairness for all Marylanders Act" to clear the air.

ARCADE FIRE Video "WE EXIST" is a real drag.

We? Do you have a mouse in your pocket?

I had a whole lot of emotions surging through me as I watched this video for the first time. I'm going to be blunt. It looked like a dude, Andrew Garfield. of spiderman fame, decided to put on a really bad wig and a skimpy top and to go the one place where she's knew she'd get beat up, a redneck country bar on dollar long neck night.

Then she struts in like a man, shoulders out, all macho. I mean what's up with all that?

MTV's article proclaimed, "We Exist" the new LGBT "Anthem," but sometimes when we write our thoughts are betrayed technology. Such is the case with MTV's article with the HTML link "http://www.mtv.com/news/1825966/andrew-garfield-drag-gay-acceptance-dancing-we-exist-arcade-fire-video/ " conflating transsexualism with sexual orientation.

OK so it's a Gay/Drag anthem. I can live with that. But using a hot cisgender actor for sensationalistic reasons instead of a of a trans woman? PQ says its because Arcade Fire has a Messiah complex. But wait this isn't The Dallas Buyers Club, there was a trans woman who coached him.and Lady J didn't wait months to tell us.

Mouse's anyone?

Of course, I am speaking as someone who made that first step a decade ago. Have I forgotten how traumatic that was or how ridiculous I looked in my really bad wigs and makeup the first days? I guess I have. Well, maybe that mouse in your pocket could be me. But WHAT was Arcades Fire's intended message?

According to Billboard Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler said "We Exist" is a song about a son trying to tell his father that he's gay. At Coachella last month, during the concert as a pretext to the video being recorded, Butler urged the crowd to get behind the same-sex marriage movement in a more demonstrative way saying "The right to marry anyone you want is a human rights issue."?

But couldn't we just stay with MTV's first take on this and call it a drag gay same sex marriage anthem without seeming overly sensitive?

Transgender teen's move to a "cottage" at Niantic Prison called "interim" by DCF

A Cottage. An Apartment. Connecticut DCF has used these terms to placate the community and lead us to believe that Jane is now in a homey place with TVs exercise equipment, fluffy bed and a kitchen all her own.

Please. Jane's been moved from one isolation cell to another solitary cell. Looking at the google map of York I would dare anyone to tell a welcoming place exists within its walls.

“She’s deteriorating,” attorney Aaron J. Romano told The New Haven Register

The girl, 16, who has been identified as Jane Doe to protect her identity, is not charged with any crime. State Department of Children and Families officials say she has to be at York Correctional Institution in East Lyme because she allegedly physically attacked staffers and other residents at juvenile psychiatric treatment centers.

He was dismissive of the decision to move her to what DCF officials have called a “cottage” or “apartment” at York. DCF spokesman Gary Kleeblatt released a statement describing a bedroom, private bathroom and a “programming/recreation area.”

“She is not in a ‘cottage,’” Romano said. “That word creates the illusion of Mother Goose.”

As for it being an “apartment,” Romano said, “She’s in prison! It’s a disgrace to see DCF again attempting to distance themselves from what they’ve done: putting a child in jail. They’re trying to cover it up with their use of language.”

The move was described as "interim" by DCF.

The May 15 editorial by the Hartford Current wants to know exactly how long is interim?

ll parties to the controversy seem to agree that moving the 16-year-old transgender girl called Jane Doe from the mental health unit of York Correctional Institute, where she had been housed since April 8, to a cottage on the grounds of the prison in Niantic is an interim step.

Her living conditions also seem to have been improved.

But the move to the cottage can be considered positive only if "interim" means a very short time.

Jane Doe can't be allowed to languish at York, either in a cell or a cottage, while lawyers, bureaucrats, politicians and advocates continue to argue.

******

Its way past time for Jane to be freed from solitary. Its way past time for her release from prison. Interim has expired.

Get Jane out of prison now.

"Tranny Bingo" Dissembling gay privilege down under

Indi waving the trans flag from Australia 

Transgender woman Indiana (Indi) Kelly Edwards has asked that a group of Australian drag queens change "Tranny Bingo" to a name that is not a defamatory slur. It seems like a reasonable enough request but one we know is difficult to accomplish. Planetransgender has been "taking on tranny" for years. Even though there has never been a moment when we could declare victory, in the process we have changed the way we and others think about the trans community. We have gained respect not just from the gay community but from society as a whole in the UK and the USA. A fact not missed by the drag and gay community in Australia.

The conflagration came to notice when the Herald Sun published a 'news' article "Sydney drag queens fight trans-gender warrior Indiana Kelly Edwards over right to use the word tranny". It wasn't a news article in the sense that it only projected one side of the story spun in a way that made transgender people's objections insignificant and inconsequential.

I will now deconstruct Penny Tration Trans misogynistic excuses he used in the Sun article

“In Australia there are few negative connotations attached to the word ‘tranny’, unlike in America,” he says.
“I think the campaign is being waged by people who are trying to involve American activists in an Australian debate.
“We have events in the gay community called Poof Doof and Fag Tag."

Mr. Tration does not get to nationalize slurs, not in this day and age. He acknowledged that America has come to understand that 'tranny' is defamation but he failed to note the same is true for the UK . Australian gay men have the same obligation to do no harm the same as the rest of the world's gay population.

And apparently a Poof Doof is a gay dance rave and Fag Tag is when a group of gay men take over a normally hetero venue for a night, which has absolutly nothing to do with trans defamation.

Mr Tration continues:

Claims the campaign is being led by a “small group of people who are making a lot of noise. But if you do the research there’s not a lot of support behind it”.

He says the activists argue that when drag queens remove their costumes, they can easily blend into society.

“Well, guess what, when we remove our wigs we become gay boys who have faced homophobia our whole lives,” insists Penny Tration.

Number one, it is a small group of people making noise. In fact we are less than 1% of the worlds population and to the best of my estimate only a 10th of those individuals are in a place or have a will to confront the seemingly endless onslaught by gay and straight people.

Yes the violence and suicides experienced by transgender people is that extreme so our voice might sound weak to you Tration.

But we are so sick of gay people cavalierly using defamation that offends us we're forced to speak up. It's not a popularity contest where the one with most votes wins and its not a freedom of speech issue as the tranny bingo ">petition would lead one to believe. Why oh why don't you call it "Faggot bingo"? Why? Because it wouldn't be amusing for you personally Mr Tration.  You self identify as a gay cisgender male and it wouldn't be 'sexy' for you to use defamation that you hear before someone beats the shit out of you.We will not accept this.

As far as taking off your wigs goes. Using the homophobia that you have encountered does not give you license to use defamation that hurts another minority. Not all gay Australian men are endeared by as 'faggot'

This drag queen didn't change before leaving the bar
and was called a "Dirty Tranny" as he was being beaten in a McDonald's.
Welcome to our world Alexei Paige.

Indi appeared on the Australian morning show Tenlive Tuesday. After the hosts warmly welcomed Penny Tration to the show and talked about how fun tranny bingo is they looked over to Indi as if to say, well I guess we have to hear from her for it to be story and allowed her a moment to speak.



Indi told planetransgender ""firstly for the record I never claimed it (the moniker 'transgender warrior'). [It] was imposed on my by the Herald Sun who interviewed Verushka Darling."

Saying that she felt she was up against a seasoned performer she wanted to explain that "Privilege in context of this interview I was actually referring to cis gender privilege. it seems we are being dictated to by people who have cis gendered privilege on what is or isn't offensive or harmful to us. As key stake holders I feel we should at the very least have a say in this. What I am hearing from gay men and /or the drag community is that we don't and we need to shut up. IMO its not their call to make. I would in this case and all things considered err on the side of safety."

So one of the largest Australian gay media sites is hosting a conversation about the word 'tranny'. Reportedly, some trans people aren't allowed to speak. Guidetogay.com denies these accusations saying the comments might appear to disappear after they are indexed by Facebook.

Post by Guidetogay.com.

The Charing Cross is delighting in defaming transgender people. Here's what you can do about it. Write a review on the facebook pages of the establishments that are hosting 'tranny bingo' and ask your friends not to patronize them.

Coopers Hotel Facebook
The Town Hall Hotel Facebook
The Charing Cross Waverley Facebook
The Sugar Mill Sydney facebook
Please sign the Petition asking that "tranny" not be used for commercial gain

Post by Charing Cross Hotel Waverley.

How do you feel Carrera's photo shopped naked Life Ball posters?

There's a few different ways a person could react to artist David LaChapelle's posters of Carmen Carrera. According to LaChapelle, the posters are inspired by the Life Ball’s theme, “’The Garden of Earthly Delights’ and Hieronymus Bosch’s utopia of a diverse society, living together passionately and peacefully, as if the Fall of Man had never happened and people had never been expelled from Paradise.”

“Gender lines are blurred and every person is unique in how they see themselves,” LaChapelle explained in a statement. “For me the body is more than something to be looked at as an object of sexual gratification. The body is a beautiful housing for the soul that we are celebrating in this picture.”

Carrera points out that the artwork’s statement, “I’m Adam, I’m Eve, I’m Me” has a special resonance for her. “Your gender should not matter in your heart or in the way you express your personality... My message is: beauty has no gender. At the end of the day beauty is beauty.”

The Life Ball is an annual HIV/AIDS charity event that this year will take place on May 31 in Vienna, Austria. It seeks to showcase the variety of ways and expressions individuals are using to fight HIV/AIDs.

When trans people look at those images, we invariably feel shock that a trans woman would allow her body to be put on display in a way which plays to haters memes. Especially so soon after she and Laverne Cox tore Catie Couric a new one for having the unmitigated gall to ask if they had sexual reassignment surgery.

Imagine Cuoric is feeling a little but put apon right about now. And how will this affect media coverage in the future?

In any case it  sends a really mixed message to the media erasing the advocacy they had accomplished just months before. For most of us in the real world it makes a world of difference how people perceive us, so in that sense her posters did us no favors.

The low road....

The Daily Mail wasted no time taking the conversation to the lowest denominator, and if you read the comments, its clear they reached their intended audience. But in the end its a waste of time trying to appease the haters, but giving them ammunition to take shots at us?

So what is the "Life Ball"? I  don't think I've heard of it before and if I had I didn't pay it any mind and probably wouldn't have now, were it not for Carrera's posters. It looks like a huge gay party fundraiser, HRC style but lets give it a chance.  I downloaded to Scribe the sites info........

Trans woman Carmen Carrera graces the Life Ball 2014 posters representing both genders

Houston Mayor capitulates to haters throwing transgender people under the bus?

Mayor Parker capitulated to haters allowing businesses owners to subjectively
discriminate and demonize transgender people after amending her proposed
"human rights" ordnance.

The pressure was too much for Mayor Annise Parker. The mayor a political aspirant for state office appeased the haters changing her proposed human rights ordinance Tuesday to allow proprietors to decide if a person is truly transgender. This will allow proprietors to subjectively bar trans people from public accommodations.

This is an outrage. What if the bill were to be amended to allow business owners to determine if a person was white enough to use their public accommodations.

Who wait, that was how it used to be in Houston? So Parker please remind me again why you call this a human rights ordnance?

The amendment  didn't appease opponents who protested after Parker's announcement.
Look at these people Parker. These are the people you are giving permission to
discriminate against us.

The Houston Chron reports

Mayor Annise Parker and supporters of her proposed nondiscrimination ordinance announced a compromise Tuesday in hopes of deflecting controversy over a small provision that had dominated discussion on the measure.

A paragraph specifying that no business open to the public could deny a transgender person entry to the restroom consistent with his or her gender identity had outraged conservatives. Church and Republican political leaders have used the clause to claim the ordinance "provides an opportunity for sexual predators to have access to our families."

Members of the gay, lesbian and transgender community were equally outraged, however, by a clause that would give businesses an out if the defendant had a "good faith belief" that the person's claim of being transgender was disingenuous.

The proposed amendment would remove that paragraph of the expansive ordinance. Transgender people barred access to a restroom still would be able to file a discrimination complaint to the city's Office of Inspector General under the process outlined for all protected characteristics, such as race and veteran status.

"The base ordinance is still the same," Parker said. "It says you can't discriminate."

Houston Mayor @AnniseParker capitulates to haters throwing transgender people under the bus http://t.co/TNeiHHo9LD Your spin Parker? #FAIL
— planetransgender (@kellibusey) May 14, 2014

How about if you ammend it to allow a propritor to decide if you are too gay and allow him to bar you Parker?

Trans teen Jane Doe's 33rd day in solitary despite the Govenors call for her transfer. Why?

"I can’t take another month of this." Jane Doe tells Governor Malloy. She's talking about her confinement to solitary which amounts to nothing more that torture.



The below is the letter Jane sent to Malloy via Cool Justice:

Dear Governor Malloy,

"I am writing you to let you know that today is my anniversary. I have been sitting in this prison for a month now and there is no plan to get me out. I am suffering in here. I’m having trouble sleeping and I’m not eating much. I cry in bed every night. I can’t be myself in this place. I feel forgotten and thrown away. As you probably know, these feeling are not new for me. This is the way my life has been going since I was a little kid. My lawyer says that Commissioner Katz is the only one who can fix this but when I wrote her a letter it didn’t help. She has given up on me. If you’re her boss you can do something, right? Everyone says I need to be somewhere where I can get help and Katz keeps telling everyone that she is working to get me out of here but I don’t believe her. I think this is just another one of her stories that isn’t true. I want to call her a liar but people tell me that I shouldn’t say that about someone important like her. All I know is that she has said a lot of things about me that aren’t true. She was on TV telling people I blinded someone and broke their jaw. That was a lie. She said that she never asked that I go to Manson. That was a lie. She told everyone that I should be going to that new girls program at Riverview. That was a lie. Now she is telling people she is trying to get me out of here but nothing is happening. I hear people talking and they are saying that I am going to be here till I’m 18. I am done with DCF. They just want to make up stuff about me so that everyone thinks I am some kind of wild animal. Is it Ok for them to do this? To just lie about me and throw me in prison and forget about me? If I was in charge I wouldn’t let this happen. If you’re the Governor then you are in charge of everyone who works for the state. DCF is supposed to be helping me, right? If this is helping me then I’m all set with being helped. I would be a lot better off being on my own. It seems like you’re my last chance to get out of here. Don’t forget about me. I can’t take another month of this."

Jane Doe

Governor Malloy told Katz to get her moved...

Malloy spokesman Andrew Doba said in an emailed statement, “the Governor has spoken with (Department of Children and Families) Commissioner (Joette) Katz, and the Commissioner agrees that Jane Doe must be moved to another setting as quickly as possible.

But Jane Doe's attorney hasn't seen anything hopeful yet saying...

“I think the DCF is playing a game, they’re stalling for time to keep her in there, they are refusing to negotiate,” Bloomfield attorney Aaron Romano said Friday. “They are not sitting down at the table with Jane Doe’s lawyers. The only person who can make anything happen at this point is Governor Malloy. My phone line is open.”

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel says transgender service ban "...should be reviewed"

AP:  The prohibition on transgender individuals serving in the U.S. military "continually should be reviewed," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Sunday.

Hagel did not indicate whether he believes the policy should be overturned. However, he said "every qualified American who wants to serve our country should have an opportunity if they fit the qualifications and can do it."

A panel convened by a think tank at San Francisco State University recently estimated that about 15,450 transgender personnel serve in the military and in the National Guard and Reserve.

But its not going to be easy especially since most of enlisted common areas are communal more than likely making sexual reassignment surgery a prerequisite.

In 2010, Congress passed legislation allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly. Hagel said the issue of transgender serving in the military is more complicated. He said "these issues require medical attention" that at times cannot be provided in austere locations.


ABC US News | ABC Entertainment News

I served on mountain tops and lived in caves before I transitioned. It can't get much austere than that. However, that was before the end of don't ask don't tell and long before the word 'transgender' was ever said by a secretary of defense. Did we have females with us? Yes, we did. They changed the jobs classification from combat to admin after I reenlisted. How did they do? Not so well generally speaking but that had more to do with racism, sexism and cronyism than their actual abilities as soldiers.

CONGRATULATIONS Conchita Wurst for Winning the EuroVison Song Contest!!!

Such a tribute to gender diversity and acceptance as never seen before as the talented by Conchita Wurst won the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with a score of 290. Ms Wurst has recently become an object hate for the Russian legislator (reads Putin's Puppets) who wrote the county's draconian propaganda law.

Conchita simply thanked him for the attention and that she disn't care what they thought.

I can't think of a more spectacular way for the west to show we care about acceptance of gender diverse peoples. That a a rocking good songstress! CONGRATULATIONS CONCHITA!!

Here she is in todays win. This is a win for the entire free world!

Indian Hijra blessed Seatbelt crew video go's Viral

The women are considered sacred in India's culture and their blessings are often sought - especially for newborns and newlyweds - because they're believed to bring luck and fertility.
In the video, the Hijra dress in matching saris and act as flight attendants and they fill the lanes between cars at a busy intersection during a red light.

"May I have your attention please? If you're going to drive like a pilot then you should know some things. Your car doesn't have an oxygen mask. Under your seat you won't find a life jacket," a woman asks using a megaphone. "But you do have a seatbelt. So why aren't you wearing it, honey?"

Most motorists are pleasantly shocked at first. But the Seatbelt Crew is always met with smiles.
The Seatbelt Crew then gives her simple instructions to put it on.

"Your pretty face won't look so good after an accident," she warns and then chides some motorists for filming her instead of wearing the seatbelt.

As the light turns green the cars drive off, and the Hijra give out their blessings as promised to those who are wearing their seatbelts.



Published on May 5, 2014
We wanted to remind reckless motorists about a very basic safety procedure they'd forgotten.
In rather unforgettable fashion.

A public service initiative by VithU and Ogilvy and Mather, Mumbai.
Read more: Daily News

Police searching for Drag queen Larry Bernard for homicide charges filed Tuesday

Drag queen Brad Hall, (Breneisha) died after
toxic chemicals were 'pumped' into him to feminize
his body

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) - An arrest warrant has been issued for a transsexual pageant queen accused of illegally injecting silicone into a transgender woman who later died.

In January, 25-year-old Brad Hall (aka Brenisha Hall) died after receiving illegal silicone injections which put her in a coma months earlier.

33-year-old Larry Tremell Bernard, who also goes by Armani Nicole Davenpoort, is accused of giving Hall the medical procedure.

Last year, New Orleans police arrested Bernard for practicing medicine without a license. She has since been out on bond and is currently living in Dallas, Texas.

Once apprehended Bernard will be booked on one count of negligent homicide.

Negligent homicide carries a penalty of up to five years behind bars.

If you have information into the whereabouts of Larry Bernard (Armani Nicole Davenport) you’re asked to call Crimestoppers (504) 822-1111. You can remain anonymous.