9/3/09
Two Miss India Transgender Pageants in Tamil Nadu
In an attempt to raise the spirit of transgender people and to change how the public views us, a non transgender man, Mr. A.J. Hariharan, (pictured left) founder secretary of the Indian
Community Welfare Organisation (ICWO) is planning Miss India Transgender 'Beauty pageant' to be held in Chennai India.
However well intentioned at that at this time the pageant would focus on physicality and ignore the spirituality and intellectual components that are truly at the core of being transgender. This would clearly do more damage that good, as well intentioned as it may be, by contributing to the misogynistic perception that only the physically "Perfect sexual Woman" is acceptable.
Transgender Activist Kalki Subramaniam, founder of the Sahodari Foundation based in Tamilnadu, India believes that although this may a step it is a miss step and not a step up for transgender people. She has objected to this pageant and is planning a transgender pageant that would focus on the beautiful soul of transgender people.
Please email Mr.A.J.Hariharan. and voice your concerns about the focus of his "Beauty Pageant".
Indian Community Welfare Organisation (ICWO)
Sex-change for Free : Tamil Nadu India
8/31/09
ENDA S.1584 UPDATE 8/31/09 We 12 Need VOTES!
Dr. Jillian T. Weiss
Inclusive ENDA
Email 18 Critical Senators
We're almost there, kids. We have 95% of the gas we need to get there in the House, but only 80% of what we need in the Senate. Face it, you're going to have to get out and push at some point.
To help you, here the scoop on what's happening in the Senate, followed by email links and telephone numbers after the jump. Print this out and paste it on your wall. Play "ENDA: The Home Edition" by ticking off the Senators as they come on board. You'll get a prize if you collect all 60!
Okay, gang, here's what's going on. We need 60 votes to win against a likely Republican filibuster. There are 48 Senators with confirmed yes votes on S.1584. The game is a treasure hunt to find another twelve votes so it can pass. Can you find all twelve?
Thirteen of the Senators with unconfirmed positions have track records that include co-sponsorship of legislation containing the language of sexual orientation and gender identity. (See the Senate spreadsheet for info on that track record. Their local district telephone numbers are set out below so that you may contact them. If you click on the name, you will get a link to their email page.
(If you prefer to call them in DC, the telephone number is 202-224-3121.)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) 907-271-3735
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) 870-910-6896
Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D-CO) 719-328-1100
Sen. Thomas R. Carper (D-DE) 302-674-3308
Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-DE) 302-424-8090
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) 812-218-2317
Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-IN) 812-465-6313
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) 504-589-2427
Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) 336-333-5311
Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) 702-388-6605
Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) 216-522-7095
Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) 605-226-3440
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, IV (D-WV) 304-253-9704
The following five Senators are also considered potentially supportive based on their track records.
Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) 501-324-6336
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) 850-942-8415
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) 406-756-1150
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) 701-852-0703
Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) 304-264-4626
If at least twelve of these eighteen Senators come on board, as seems likely, then S.1584 will pass the Senate.
Email them, call them, get them on board for S.1584!
And, if haven't already, join our Inclusive ENDA campaign on Facebook. (Link: http://bit.ly/endanow)
Posted here on Bileric Poject Click Here To Email 18 Crucial Senators on ENDA