WATCH: Catholic Couple on a Mission to Help Homeless LGBT Youth

Memphis couple Deb and Steve Word gave their gay son unconditional acceptance; now they’re offering it to other young people.

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Trudy Ring

www.advocate.com/families/2015/06/01/watch-catholic-couple-mission-help-homeless-lgbt-youth

My Transgender Life: Cover Girls and Tipping Points
What a difference a year makes!

As a transgender woman dedicated to teaching acceptance and living our own truth, I want to ask every person I meet to pinch me, to make sure I am awake and not just dreaming all of what has happened. Pinch me, please… thanks, I am awake, yes, but I am still a bit numb taking this all in.

It was only last June, that Laverne Cox was the cover girl of TIME Magazine, which proclaimed The Transgender Tipping Point, and discussed this as America’s next civil rights frontier. For many people both within and outside the transgender community, it seemed like a tree truly did tip over and when it hit the ground so many of us could feel the Earth move.

Over the past year, we have seen many models not only come out as transgender, but also transition in the public eye. The New York Times in its Transgender Today series, is now publishing the stories of as many transgender people who choose to contribute. There hardly seems to be a day going by where there is not another story or blog about one or another aspect of being gender variant (just not fitting into a strict binary, male or female construct). I know I am contributing to this right here.

Yet, with all this exposure, all this visibility, that in my mind is all good and making such a huge difference in understanding and acceptance, I know I was thinking there could not be another major magazine cover girl that could get the attention of the public in a way that occurred with Laverne Cox last June.

But now I wonder if this is true. Perhaps as Yoda told Obi Wan, (when Luke left to help Hans and Leia before his Jedi training was completed) “There is another!”

We now hear reports that the July issue of Vanity Fair will be of Ms. (“HER”) Jenner. This will be the first time we will meet her and perhaps by this time we will learn her proper name. It is reported that Annie Leibovitz will or has done this photo shoot, so at the very least, it is certain to be striking. However, we do know that Vanity Fair is no stranger to controversy so I am wondering what the captions for this cover might proclaim as the editors decide what they are going to communicate.

…

Tipping points are funny things. I learned this the hard way. Both as a boy scout, with just a small and then larger axe learning to chop down some small trees, to in later years as a homeowner, with that great and scary toy of a gas powered chain saw. I never quite learned to get the trees to fall exactly where I wanted. No matter how clever I thought I was; no matter how much I calculated the angles, it seemed I really lacked the skill to know exactly where they would drop. The impact on the surroundings was often hard to deal with. I learned to use a wedge, but I came to know that getting trees to tip where I wanted was a learned skill and took a great deal of practice. So often the learning examples were not pain free.

It took me a long time to accept that when I try something new, even after I read about it and learn everything I can, the only true learning is by “doing” and accepting the mistakes and errors that the experiences will teach. Reading Malcolm Gladwell’s books, The Tipping Point and Outliers has helped me to understand the phenomena of needing 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert. It is OK to make mistakes as long as we can learn from them. This truly came in handy for me during the early days of my own gender transition, and for anyone who will listen I will always advise take baby steps and always make sure you are on solid ground.

…

There is the famous thought experiment: If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

We know that just one year ago, the sound of the Time Magazine cover was heard very loudly around the world. The last circulation numbers I found (from 2013) showed Time at over 3 million copies. At that time, Vanity Fair’s circulation was reported about a third of that at just over 1 million copies in circulation. It should be interesting to listen to the sound — I am sure there will be one — when Ms. Jenner becomes a cover girl.

I don’t know if all the angles have been calculated and the wedges put in the proper place, to make certain that the tipping of tree lands exactly where they want it. I sure hope so, as there are so many beautiful surroundings that we really need to keep whole. Tipping points are tricky things and I sure hope we keep these trees tipping in the right direction.

###

Grace Stevens is a transgender woman who transitioned at the age of 64 and holds a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology. She is a father of three, grandparent of two, athlete, advocate and author of No! Maybe? Yes! Living My Truth, an intimate memoir of her personal struggle to transition and live her true life authentically as a woman. For more information about Grace, her speaking about authentic living with Living on-TRACK, and how Gender Variance Education and Training can help you, visit her website at: www.graceannestevens.com/. Follow Grace on Twitter: www.twitter.com/graceonboard .

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

www.huffingtonpost.com/grace-anne-stevens/my-transgender-life-cover_b_7481550.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Human Rights Campaign Foundation Partners with American Apparel to Bring #EqualityForward

Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation announced its collaboration with American Apparel.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/human-rights-campaign-foundation-partners-with-american-apparel-to-bring-eq?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Gay High School Valedictorian Reads Banned Graduation Speech At LGBT Advocacy Group Event: WATCH

Anthony Costello

www.towleroad.com/2015/06/gay-colorado-valedictorian-reads-banned-graduation-speech-at-advocacy-group-event.html

Rio de Janeiro's Trans Inmates Allowed to Choose Between Male or Female Prisons

Brazil — a country which sees a record amount of transphobic violence — is taking unique steps to reduce the epidemic in Rio prisons.

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Mitch Kellaway

www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2015/06/01/rio-de-janeiros-trans-inmates-allowed-choose-between-male-or-female-

Basotho LGBTI Youth Connect With International Activists

(Pic: Meri Hyöky)

I am sitting in a room in the State Library in Maseru, Lesotho, with about 30 other young people. We are Skyping with acclaimed South African photographer Zanele Muholi, who is jet-lagged and speaking to us from Paris. She is more than 13,000 miles away, but it feels as if she is right here, with us in the room. She is making us all laugh as she tells us about her most recent exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in New York.

“For the first time in history, they have images of black lesbians and trans-people on their walls. Never before have they had a black lesbian disorganising their space like that! My work is to mainstream our issues, to give visibility to black lesbians in South Africa.”

It is Saturday 23 May. Our conversation with Muholi is part of an all-day event organised by Matrix Support Group, the only organisation in Lesotho working to promote the rights of LGBTI people in the country. Founded in 2008, Matrix has in just a few years made significant headway in promoting an awareness of LGBTI issues in a country that is still largely conservative. Last weekend, the organisation successfully held the third pride march in Lesotho’s history.

Today’s event is being supported by the U.S. Embassy in Maseru, in conjunction with the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). The majority of the people in the room are members of Matrix, and in some way identify as part of the LGBTI spectrum. Several form part of Matrix’s core leadership team.

The aim of the event is to provide insights into the work that is being done by LGBTI activists in countries around the world. Six Skype calls have been arranged and, during the course of the day, a number of interesting themes and ideas emerge, as well as vital words of encouragement and support.

Muholi is not the only speaker to highlight the importance of visibility. Our first Skype call was with another South African activist, Germaine de Larch, who also uses photography as a means of documenting the lives of transgender people in South Africa.

“We’re not seen as human or as real, which makes it easier to discriminate against us. Through my photos, I show that we exist, we have lives, we’re not going anywhere.”

De Larch’s most powerful statement about visibility is one is that is echoed several times today: “simply being who you are, existing as an LGBTI person, is a form of activism.”

Later, we talk to Jamaican gay rights activist Maurice Tomlinson, who Skypes us from an airport in Barbados. The occasional boarding call announcement interrupts our conversation. Tomlinson is involved in a wide variety of LGBTI activism in the Caribbean, including sensitivity training with policemen, the establishment of a shelter for homeless LGBTI youth, and the challenging of anti-gay legislation, most notably Jamaica’s anti-sodomy law.

Tomlinson’s work and experiences resonate strongly with the people in the room. Lesotho also has anti-sodomy legislation, an import of British colonialism. In our case, however, in contrast to Jamaica, the law has never been used to prosecute consensual male same-sex sexual activity. Nonetheless, Matrix’s long-term goal is to pressure the government of Lesotho to revise the law. But how to change a country’s law when the majority of its citizens hold homophobic views?

“Changing the law won’t change the hearts of the people,” says Tomlinson, “but you can work on both at the same time. One doesn’t have to follow the other.”

Tomlinson’s work with religious groups is also very relevant to our situation. Lesotho is largely Christian, and homophobic views and attitudes often stem from religious conservatism. Tomlinson’s husband, Tom Decker, is an Anglican priest, and works with him to deliver workshops and trainings.

“As a priest, my husband can tell people: ‘the greatest commandment is love.’ You have to embarrass them into remembering that fact. Find influential, tolerant religious voices in your churches, and amplify them.”

Aija Salo, general secretary of Seta, Finland’s biggest LGBTI rights organisation, reminds us that any kind of change takes time. 20,000 people attended Helsinki’s 2014 pride march. Fifteen years ago, only 300 attended, a number not so different from our recent march here in Maseru.

“Change is possible, it’s not so long ago that we were struggling. Recently, we established a support group for LGBTI family members in Rovaniemi, in the north of the country. Only two parents showed up to the first meeting, but it was a start. Don’t get discouraged. These things take time.”

Tiffany Kagure Mugo, co-founder of the website HOLAAfrica, offers similar encouragement, as well as some solid words of advice for those who do activism work.

“If you’re having a bad day, know that it will get better. And be sure to never take yourself too seriously. If you do, you will focus only on the shine and the accolades, and will lose contact with the work you do.”

Our final Skype call is with North Carolina-based activist and musician Laila Nur, whose charm and good looks make her an instant hit with the female members of the audience. “There is so much fucked up in the world,” she says simply. “As long as you are able to do something about it, you should.”

The energy in the room at the end of the day is buoyant. People are smiling and laughing. Several linger behind to discuss the incredible conversations that we have had. We have spent the day in a small room in a landlocked country in Southern Africa, but it feels as if we have just taken a trip around the globe. Many of today’s speakers have promised to come and visit and to offer training and support in various ways. We have been reminded that we are truly not alone. As Maurice Tomlinson said to us earlier today: “We are on a liberation train for LGBTI rights, and although there will be some stops and some jerks and some speed humps, we are moving forward.”

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

www.huffingtonpost.com/leila-hall/basotho-lgbti-youth-conne_b_7474134.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Groups Mark Failure of Broad Legislative Assault on LGBT Community in Texas

Business, Faith Leaders, Grassroots Activists Blocked Nearly Two-Dozen Discrimination Bills from Passage in Texas Legislature. 
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/groups-mark-failure-of-broad-legislative-assault-on-lgbt-community-in-texas?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Gay Teen Forced To Have Sex With His Mom To “Cure” Him Of Homosexuality

A teenager in India was allegedly forced to have sex with his own mother in an effort to “cure” him of being gay, Gay Star News reports.

According to LGBT Collective, a gay rights group in Telangana, in southern India, there are more and more reports of “corrective rapes” being carried out by members of the victims’ own families.

Often families will handpick a cousin to carry out the act, but in one case, a gay teen was forced to have sex with his mother to “cure” him of his sexuality.

Related: Gay Indian Man Pens Heartbreaking Essay About Being Trapped In A Sham Marriage

Vyjayanti Mogli, a member of the group, told the Times of India that at least 15 “corrective rapes” have been reported in the last five years.

“We are sure there are many more cases, but they go unreported,’ Mogli said. “We came across such cases not because they reported the rape, but because they sought help to flee their homes.”

Mogli went on to explain that in many parts of India, homosexuality is not only taboo, but expressly forbidden, punishable with life in prison.

Related: Gay Man Shares His Story Of Brutal Antigay Attack By Police In India

Graham Gremore

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/Va8UqZuJxoE/gay-teen-forced-to-have-sex-with-his-mom-to-cure-him-of-homosexuality-20150601