Baltimore County Votes Tuesday on Transgender Bill: At Risk Public Accommodations

Baltimore County votes Tuesday on whether to include transgender protections. There has been considerable opposition to including public accommodation provision. A bill without public accommodations provisions is nothing more that a Jim Crow Law.

Please take a moment and contact these council members!

Contacting Baltimore County Council Members .
Please feel free to email any and all of the Councilmembers.

If you are not sure what you would like to write we have offered you a sample email below. Please personalize it as needed. If you are a resident of Baltimore County we urge you to say so. If you are unsure of who your Councilmember use this link to find out. These same themes can be used in a phone call.

Councilman Tom Quirk
council1@baltimorecountymd.gov
410-887-0896
410-887-3386

Councilwoman Vicki Almond
council2@baltimorecountymd.gov
410-887-3385


Councilman Todd Huff
council3@baltimorecountymd.gov
410-887-3387


Councilman Kenneth N. Oliver
council4@baltimorecountymd.gov
410-887-0784
410-887-3389


Councilman David Marks
council5@baltimorecountymd.gov

dmarks@baltimorecountymd.gov
410-887-3384


Councilwoman Cathy Bevins
council6@baltimorecountymd.gov
410-887-3388
410-887-5223


Councilman John Olszewski
council7@baltimorecountymd.gov
410-887-7174
410-887-3383


Baltimore County Council

400 Washington Avenue, Room 205
Court House, Second Floor, Mailstop 2201
Towson, Maryland 21204

Internet: http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/countycouncil
E-mail: countycouncil@baltimorecountymd.gov
Phone: 410-887-3196

Example email:

Dear Councilmember __________________,

I am writing you in support of bill 3-12. I am a firm believer that all people should be treated equally under the law. This should be the case regardless of any factor including Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation. These are basic civil rights and it is important that we secure them for all members of our community. It is important the people have a right to a job, a place to live, to be treated fairly with credit and most importantly in public accommodations. These rights are not novel or new, they have been in place in 16 states and over 150 municipalities including Baltimore City for the last decade, and Montgomery and Howard Counties.

I urge you not to be swayed by a very vocal and fearful minority who have opposed these rights. As has been the case with every civil rights movement there are always people who are afraid of progress and equality for all. I know I can count on you to support this bill for the people of Baltimore County

More at Gender Rights Maryland

Paddy Power Video Ad Campaign: Transgender Woman Are "Dogs" Others Just "Pussy"

This advertisement for ladies day at a Irish race track invited attendees to engage in singling out transgender woman by spotting the "Stallions from the Mares" calling the ones perceived as unattractive or transgender, "dogs".

Since drunk men are known to make subjective judgments of femininity based solely on perceived sexual attraction this cruelly objectifies females and invites rape and violence against all womankind including those perceived as 'dogs'.



This add is found on Paddy Power's Horse Racing page by clicking the picture on the right titled "new tv ads".

Find this offensive? First report the video to youtube then report it to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)

It appears Paddy Power has already begun to feel the heat as its facebook link no longer functions and links supplied by others to its profile do not work.

But you can still add a public comment mentioning @paddypower on Twitter.

Transgender Sex Offender X GSA Leader Released From Prison

"A convicted sex offender who used his position as a Girl Scout leader to sexually assault young girls now is living in Benton County."

"John D. Babcock, 60, was released Tuesday as an untreated transient sex offender, said Benton County sheriff's officials. He does not have a permanent address, but is required to check in weekly at the sheriff's office."

"Babcock is a Level 3 sex offender, meaning he is considered by law enforcement officials as highly likely to reoffend. He also identifies himself as transgender and uses the name Sarah Babcock."

"He did not participate in a sex offender treatment program offered by the state Department of Corrections while he was in prison, said Dianne McCants, who handles the sex offender registrations for the sheriff's office."

Read more at Tri-City Herald,: Convicted sex offender lives in Benton County

Benton County Sheriff Dept Search link

Missouri School District Blocks LGBT Positive sites as Sexually explicit

The same web filtering service employed by the district allowed sites to be viewed by students that portray LGBT people negatively categorizing them as religious!

Source stltoday.com: "Judge orders district to stop filtering LGBT sites".

"Camdenton schools use urlblacklist.com to categorize web addresses. The company, Laughrey wrote, assigns categories to websites. Ones that express a positive view toward LGBT individuals are put into its "sexuality" category, which Camdenton blocks. Ones expressing a negative view toward LGBT individuals fall into the "religion" category, which Camdenton does not block."

The district has 30 days to comply. Not "oh whoops, our bad". Heads should roll.

Why do Maryland Dem's think Transgender people are Hapless Idiots?

I'm sure Maryland Democrats and some Equality Maryland board members would have been happy if I hadn't picked up on a heterosexual media story about Democratic Tom Quirk's proposed amendment to Baltimore law allowing Employers to determine Public Accommodation Access.

To my knowledge at that time there was no mention of that amendment in gay media.

Now Quirk and company are trying to spin the story so everyone thinks it was their intention to include public accomidations in the original bill.

That is simply not true. It was Quirk's intention from the begining to require transgender people to use the restrooms other than the ones that are inline with our gender presentations putting us at incrediable risk.

From the PDF of the original bill:

"Public accommodations means any place which holds itself out as inviting the public to utilize its goods and services, whether or not for profit. PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS DOES NOT INCLUDE ACCOMMODATIONS THAT ARE DISTINCTLY 8 PRIVATE OR PERSONAL."

But they lost the advantage of suprise they had last year when Equality Maryland tried to force a law on Maryland trans folk that would not have given transgender people a pot to piss in.

This is bullshit. Again Democrates? If you don't have the conviction, backbone or political need to write laws protecting your constiguants then, QUIT IT! We do not need you to write laws that would enable transphobic haters to BEAT US IN THE BATHROOM LIKE THEY DIDChrissy Polis.

Transgender Child Asks Media Not to Hurt Her With "Tranny"

When this ten year old transgender girl Livvy James asks the world "please don't let anyone else die of this" she's pleading for people to stop using defamation such as "Tranny".
Sadly this abuse began when she went to the store on break before transitioning at school and suffered "adults" abuse when they called her a
freak

This loving ten year old girl is only asking for a chance at life since those episodes have brought severe depression even suicidal thoughts. How COULD anyone live with themselves knowing their words contributed to her killing herself?

Please sign the Change.org petition her family started: Stop the Press using Transphobic terms and deliberately mixing pronouns. Transphobia Kills, help those like this little girl live the life they deserve.

How could we do any less? We love you child. You are our shining star and we need you to grow strong and proud.

Queer Caucus OWS to Protest HRC Goldman Sachs 1% Gala Feb 4th

Rolling Stone columnist Matt Taibbi described Goldman Sachs as great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money."

Transgender people have been saying that very same thing about HRC for years!

HRC holds extravagant party fundraisers sucking the cash out of a community then they slither back to their lairs to wait for the next party all the while ignoring grass roots advocates, supplanting their advocacy and making policy decisions strictly out of political necessity.

"A feeling of jealous proprietorship towards suffering is as despicable as the cause of the suffering and twice as dangerous to those oppressed." ~ Kelli anne Busey

Their New York City Gala corporate "Equality Award" is going to Goldman Sachs!
The company that has laid waste to our country's financial system, was given millions of tax payers money without repaying, laughed at the 'judicial system' and destroyed the lives of so many of us!

The Queer Caucus will not let them party in peace! I am sure the protesters will experience the same things we did after HRC screwed us over with Barney Franks ENDA. The Mercedes, Lexus's Ferrari's will roll into the Astoria the occupants eyes downcast in shame or looking disparagingly, the protesters standing proudly with purpose and pride.

Date:
February 04 2012

Location:
The Waldorf = Astoria Hotel
301 Park Avenue
New York, New York

Hour:
5:00 pm

Transsexuals Want Out of DADT? Get Out of the DSM! No Short Cuts!

In response to the Out Serve article Transgender the New DADT there have been a number of transgender bloggers making a case that our exclusion from the DADT repeal was because gay people wanted it to happen so bad they pushed us from the table to get it done.

This time it wasn't a fault of gay peoples action or inaction we did not advance our agenda's simultaneously.

It's our fault. We have sucked at getting off our asses away from the keyboards to make ourselves visible.

Out of the DSM out of DADT! No short cut to that happening.

As founder of the growing online group Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies I stood alone in front of the hotel the Texas APA convention despite lobbying heavily for members to attend. No one else bothered to show up. Our european community has made headlines why can't we in the states?

Gay people set the stage for the repeal of DADT by their hard work, protesting and educating which eventually led to the 1973 removal of homosexuality from the DSM. The following membership vote demanded by those opposed validated the Boards decision.

A retired Army Staff Sergeant's opinion on how to eliminate DADT for Transgender people in the service. One, We must continue laying the ground work changing society's perceptions of us.

Two, We must focus as much energy as we can getting ourselves OUT of the DSM.

Transgender people are barred from the Army by Reg. 40-501:

Paragraph 3–35. Personality, psychosexual conditions, transsexual, gender identity, exhibitionism,
transvestism, voyeurism, other paraphilias, or factitious disorders; disorders of impulse control not elsewhere classified."

Which references our pathologization by the APA as the
authenticating medical journal..........

"DSM–IV
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Revised, American Psychiatric Association
(Cited in paras 3–30j and 4–23. This manual may be ordered at www.appi.org.)"

AR 40-501 pdf

IF TRANSGENDER PEOPLE WANT TO SERVE IN THE MILITARY WE MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE DSM. THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS!!!

Start by signing the Change.org petition Remove Transgender from the DSM-5

Together with Amnesty International the Danish Transgender petition against psychopathologizing has now reached 10.000 signatures.

Education and protests are seriously changing Europe with a all out effort to remove transgender people from the ICD-10.

In the states we have in comparison done nothing and the window of opportunity is quickly closing.

Join with 5,000 others on the Facebook event

Find out where the APA conventions are in your state. Let them know we are alive!There is a vocal growing discontent from the APA's own membership as to the process of amending the DSM but not a mention of transgender people has been made in anything I have read!

The onus is on us! Act now!

planetransgender Takes on "Tranny" Part 2

Tranny. Faggot, are words that harm equally those they are meant to offend. Not using them is a simple request that's generally respected with a few exceptions.

However, many high profile gay people feel its their right to defame transgender people and have long done so despite our requests, then demands and most recently glittering.

And as absurd as it is many Gay people are offended that we take exception to this defamation. Lord forbid we should post stories about actions taken against gay icons highlighting our angst over being defamed.

Demand the Dallas Voice Stop Using "Tranny"


A gay man, Steven Publicover commented that I should stop shrieking like a 'harpy' on my facebook profile when I posted about the recent glittering of Dan Savage and other transgender responses to gay misogyny.

"If trans activists don't want our help, fine. I'm tired of all the bitching and complaining and shrieking like a harpy. Think you can do better alone? Go for it.

Having never heard the term "harpy" before I looked it up thinking it was a slur against Jewish people but as it turns out its Gay misogyny personified in the dehumanization of the sacred female as a "filthy beast" who is a "a scolding, nagging, bad-tempered woman".

If their ever was a insult this is it so I will turn that around. I feel a personal attachment to this transformed woman fighting her for life with only her wings of feathers to defend herself against this man's gay blade.

As she valiantly fights you can't help notice the vultures circling like gay media waiting for the next opportunity to pick a transgender person apart.

There is a response online. I begun a petition asking that Logo drop RuPaul's drag race for his sensationalistic commercialization of "tranny". Although there are only a few signatures at this time they are from all over the world representing not just US activists but a consensus from our worlds population.

Tranny hurts.

What, RuPaul the Clown again?

Bring in the clowns, or as Marty so eloquently wrote at the TransAdvocate Rupaul: Fuck You You Silly Faggot

Seems Rupaul's is trying to drum up support for the next season of the tired drag show and as usual he's doing so by offending the sensibilities of the transgender community.

But this time he feels like the one being offended attacking GLAAD who FINALLY begun calling out gay men for using defamatory language.

RuPaul compares his show business acting career comically imitating woman with the presidential race:

"Politicians are really like show people, people in show business -- except that they have not as good costumes in politics. You have to appeal to the masses in show business. You appeal to Betty and Joe Beer Can. For someone like Obama to survive -- he's a very smart man -- he's had to do some dumb things because people don't want the truth. It's the same thing with drag."~Huff Post

In essence Rupaul says politicians and actors are the same in that the abdicate morality to play a popularity contest. I'm sure there's at least a few actors and politicians who would also say you are not speaking for them!

I couldn't have made my point any clearer than a comment published by Don Charles a advocate without borders and gay man on Towleroad

"RuPaul is an opportunist and a tool of the oppressor, with her tired-ass drag diva stereotypes. Thank God we have an increasingly activist Transsexual population that takes crass exploitation seriously. Their high degree of consciousness puts the so-called "Gay community" to shame."

Don Charles blogs over at Ignorance is Plentiful, and like me has been banned from commenting on many gay rags for speaking up.

Rupaul is much the same as the gay man, Sand in the Crack who recently featured in the Tampon ad. Both are perfectly willing to sell their souls for a dollar regardless of the consequences to other human beings.

But RuPaul is extraordinary horrible in that he tries to speak as a authority for transgender people.

You're nothing but an immoral gay clown RuPaul who's good at playing the popularity game appealing to the same.

Sending that clown away with a flick to the forehead. flick.

ABC Work It is Axed! WE WIN!

ABC PULLS WORK IT AFTER TWO EPISODES!!

We can't take all the credit for Work It's demise, it was just god awful. But we will bask in this victory. Work It's problematic transphobia inspired people internationally to consider our shared humanity and after reading our petition they signed by the thousands in solidarity.

People came from all corners of the globe to stand shoulder to shoulder with us making our planet just a little more friendly to everyone.

We couldn't have done this alone. We were stagnated around 200 signatures until a article written by Emerson Whitney was published on Huffington Post. That kick started our petition and coupled with the Dallas Transgender Advocate and Allies event and a Care2 guest post I was so graciously invited to write, our cause began to gain some legs.

Then HRC and GLAAD stepped in and added their support but sadly without mentioning the grass roots advocacy that had preceded their involvement.

But our victory highlights just exactly what transgender people can do when we take possession and responsibility for our condition. We can change the world!

Now I hope that the president of ABC Paul Lee is a little more understanding of what made Work It so very offensive. Paul Lee stated it's in his contract he's obligated to produce "cross Dressing" shows. If he attempts a show about gender diversity again lets hope he does it with intelligence, insight, compassion and reality.

The reality is Paul Lee, the world demands it.

Rep. Richard Floyd, Tennessee Legislator Promises To "Stomp A Mudhole" In Me

The face of hatred of all that is gender gifted, Rep. Richard Floyd author of the Tennessee house transgender hate bill HB2279 is quoted as saying:

“I believe if I was standing at a dressing room and my wife or one of my daughters was in the dressing room and a man tried to go in there — I don’t care if he thinks he’s a woman and tries on clothes with them in there — I’d just try to stomp a mudhole in him and then stomp him dry,”

The same day that Floyd's threat was made public Tennessee Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson who had sponsored the Senate version of the house hate bill abandoned Floyd, withdrawing the bill. Watson said he sponsored the bill as a standard courtesy to local House members, but there was more pressing issues and he didn't want to get "Side Tracked". The truth is Watson agrees with Floyd, he's just trying to say his pathetic political ass.

What does Stomp a Mudhole and walk it dry" mean? The Urban Dictionary defines it as: "To tear someone a new ass, to beat them to near death or to otherwise hurt someone to the point that they can not fight back."

This threat by a Tennessee Representative towards people he was in trusted to protect must not go unpunished let alone dismissed as unimportant as Senator Watson wishes. When this article went to press the people of Tennessee have voted in a poll by a margin of 88% in favor of letting transgender people use the public accommodations that are in line with our gender presentation.

To do otherwise for transgender people would be to invite beatings as Tennessee Legislator Rep. Richard Floyd promised he would do to me.

This is personal. Floyd, I live in Arlington Texas. I am a transgender woman. I will be at a dressing room of your choice at a time you designate. Just a friendly invitation to the Yellow Rose.

I'm buying a Case of Girl Scout Thin Mints For Equality

Everyone is sure to have read the heartwarming story of the transgender girl, Bobby Montoya, who after initially being turned away by the Girl Scouts was later invited to join.


Well, its not over yet as one Girl Scout has initiated a campaign to ruin the annual Cookie fund raiser as her way of protesting the Girl Scouts inclusivity.



A Girl Scout's video response to the proposed boycott:



Ellen Braverman authored a Care2 petition Thanks Girl Scouts! This Year I'm Eating Thin Mints for Equal Rights.

"Dear Girl Scouts of America,

Thank you for standing up for equality, LGBT rights, and the right of every girl to have a welcoming, supportive community behind them. Please ignore any bigoted people threatening the boycot cookies sales this year. Those of us who know how important it is for ALL kids to feel loved and supported will eat enough thin mints for everyone."

I think equal rights is at issue here but most importantly we must consider what affect this transphobic hyperbole has on young girls, be they cisgender or transgender. That being said, our contribution to the well being of these youth begins with signing and sharing the petition and eating Thin Mints for Equal Rights.

I always buy at least one box of thin mints every year. This year I'm buying a case.

Click here to find the closest location of these delicious cookies!

Baltimore Democrat Proposes Law allowing Employers to determine Public Accommodation Access

The proposed amendment by Maryland Democratic Tom Quirk apparently supported by Gender Rights Maryland AKA Equality Maryland would empower employers to discriminate.

According to the Columbia Patch "the primary aim of the bill is to protect transgendered workers from discrimination and firing because of their sexual identity."

Really, sexual identity? The article references the Chrissy Pollis McDonald's attack as the motivation for the bill.

Chrissy was not covered under McDonald's non discrimination policy had she been a employee there. And theres still nothing in the McDonalds employees handbook educating people about transgender people despite 250,000 people signing a petition asking that McDonalds do so!

Clearly its up to the government to mandate equality.

Possibly as a bone to the opponents a provision would be added allowing employers to determine if transgender people could use a public facility.

"The bill will also contain language dealing with the use of public accommodations, including public restrooms. The language in the bill will allow employers the flexibility to set their own rules on the use of restrooms, Quirk said."

The proposal redefines public accommodations:

"Public accommodations means any place which holds itself out as inviting the public to utilize its goods and services, whether or not for profit. PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS DOES NOT INCLUDE ACCOMMODATIONS THAT ARE DISTINCTLY 8 PRIVATE OR PERSONAL. Click for the PDF of the bill

Presumably this is what would allow employers the option on whether of not to allow trans people into restrooms.

Even though the Maryland bill that was defeated last year DID NOT have public accommodations the article for SOME reason blames public accommodations for its defeat on the floor.

That's not what happened. Transgender people of Maryland rejected that bill.

Once again Equality Maryland AKA Gender Rights Maryland is seeking the easy way Out.