Holding Pattern For Trans Woman Humiliated, Detained and Delayed By The TSA

The Transportation Security Administration has been largely silent for more than 21 days following a series of embarrassing and frightening interactions between a trans woman and TSA agents at Orlando International Airport. 

Shadi Petosky live-tweeted her experience, garnering her instant internet fame and sparking twitter interactions from such luminaries as Jenny Boylan, which got the attention of the TSA.

.@JennyBoylan TSA takes all potential civil rights violations very seriously. We are looking into the situation now for further information.

— TSA (@TSA) September 21, 2015

Publicly, the agency issued a terse statement clearing its agents of any wrongdoing on Monday, September 21, in how it handled the security screening of Petosky, as The Advocate reported.

However, Petosky tells The Advocate the TSA statement about its “swift and thorough investigation,” and its conclusion that its agents followed “strict guidelines” based on “evidence” from surveillance cameras and “other information” is a total lie. 

She posted on Facebook last week that TSA spokesman Mike England’s claim of having investigated the incident was untrue:

“They called me three days later to start an investigation. We talked for two hours and I found out a lot. It takes 7 days to get audio/video recordings. Which are owned by the airport, not the TSA. There are many ongoing civil rights investigations within the TSA and they take 30 days minimum. They have to fly down to Orlando and talk to everyone involved.”

Our emails and calls to England and the TSA’s civil rights unit were not returned at press time. 

In addition to seeking the TSA’s response to Petosky’s claims, The Advocate also asked the agency for a response to a letter sent by 32 Democratic Congressmen, asking for policies on transgender travelers be revised. And Petosky hears that some members of Congress have done even more: “Apparently Democrats have been calling TSA members into their offices.”

The letter from the congressional Democrats asks the TSA to explain what’s expected of trans folks on its website. 

But as The Advocate reported more than a week ago, the TSA inexplicably deleted its webpage devoted to transgender travelers. A transgender woman posted on Twitter a link to what she says is the web archive of that detailed but now deleted original page. In its place is a brief “FAQ” section that touches on but does not fully explain what a transgender traveler might encounter at an airport.

Read The Advocate’s 7 Things To Do When #TravelingWhileTrans.

Petosky talked about her TSA horror story last month with Gay News Radio:

“I’m sure they’ll be a day in three weeks from now when I’ll be, wait, what? Everyone knows my business. This feels awful.”

She described how after repeatedly testing false positives for explosives she felt terrified that she might be arrested and placed in a holding cell for males based on her genitalia. 

And as she predicted, Petosky is still reeling from the incident but is far from done fighting for her fellow trans women and men who are #travelingwhiletrans, a hashtag  create by friends of Petosky that took off following her ordeal.  She tells The Advocate she’s been gathering her own TSA employee testimonials about the lack of proper training for airport agents in regards to transgender travelers:

“I’m being told that there are NO written guidleines for trans passengers and only 10% of TSA agents have infrequent trans training.” 

Petosky hailed The Advocate for being the first news organization to report on the discrepancy between her actual experience and what she says is an erroneous statement by the agency’s spokesman. “Did they investigate? What are ‘strict procedures?’” she asked, rheortirically. 

While mostly remaining silent, the TSA did tweet recently a shout out to the National Center for Transgender Equality for “ongoing discussions.”

Thanks to @TransEquality for participating in our ongoing discussions concerning the security screening process.

— TSA (@TSA) September 23, 2015

The group responded in a tweet of its own, with a GIF serving as a reminder that trans body parts need respect, too. 

.@TSA We’re always happy to discuss, but we’d be happier if your machines didn’t treat #trans bodies as ‘anomalies.’ pic.twitter.com/JRxUv2fiYQ

— Trans Equality (@TransEquality) September 24, 2015

Dawn Ennis

www.advocate.com/transgender/2015/10/13/holding-pattern-trans-woman-humiliated-detained-and-delayed-tsa

Tom Bosworth, British track and field athlete, comes out as gay

British track and field athlete Tom Bosworth has come out as gay.

The 25-year-old athlete is currently ranked number one in the UK for 20km race walker, holding three British records.

Speaking on the Victoria Derbyshire show, Bosworth said: ‘It is a big decision, but it’s not going to change my life. I’m comfortable and have been in a happy relationship for the last four and a half years.

‘This isn’t going to shock anybody that knows me. But to speak out about this, as a sportsperson, it is still news.

He added: ‘In a few years time, anyone [will be able] to do this. Anyone can succeed in sport. And then hopefully it won’t be news anymore.’

Bosworth said it was a ‘scary’ thing to come out, but felt like he was ‘really lucky’ because of the support he has had from friends and family. He said he has had ‘99% support’ from other athletes, including Mo Farah.

‘In sport I don’t think being gay is still a “normal” thing,’ he added, when asked about why it is still hard to come out in sport.

‘In sport you have to look strong, in athletics you’re out there on your own. Others might see being gay as a weakness, but I certainly do not consider my sexuality a weakness.’

Bosworth is the second British track and field athlete to come out after hurdler Robert Newton. Bosworth is expected to qualify and compete for Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

The post Tom Bosworth, British track and field athlete, comes out as gay appeared first on Gay Star News.

Joe Morgan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/tom-bosworth-british-track-and-field-athlete-comes-out-as-gay/

Watch the amazing advice a dairy farmer had for his gay son in 1959

StoryCorps’ newest animated short for National Coming Out Day shares the life-changing conversation Patrick Haggarty had with his father in 1959.

As a teenager, Haggerty, now 70, covered his face with glitter for a school assembly performance.

His brother dropped him off at school, then called their father – a dairy farmer in rural Dry Creek, Washington.

When Haggerty saw his father in halls in dirty farming jeans and boots, he hid.

‘It wasn’t because of what I was wearing,’ Haggerty says. ‘It was because of what he was wearing.’

In the car ride home, his father called him out.

‘Look, everybody knows I’m a dairy farmer,’ he said.

‘This is who I am. Now, how ’bout you? When you’re an adult, who are you gonna go out with at night?’

His father then gave him this amazing piece of advice:

‘I’m going to tell you something today, and you might not know what to think of it now, but you’re going to remember it when you’re an adult:

‘Don’t sneak. Because if you sneak, like you did today, it means you think you’re doing the wrong thing.

‘If you run around spending your whole life thinking you’re doing the wrong thing, then you’ll ruin your immortal soul.’

Haggarty says: ‘Of all the things a father in 1959 could have told his gay son, my father tells me to be proud of myself and not sneak.

‘I had the patron saint of dads for sissies,’ he said. ‘I didn’t know it at the time. But I know it now.’

Watch the video below:

The post Watch the amazing advice a dairy farmer had for his gay son in 1959 appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/watch-the-amazing-advice-a-dairy-farmer-had-for-his-gay-son-in-1959/

Taiwanese city becomes first to record gay relationships as next-of-kin in hospitals

Gays and lesbians in the Taiwanese city of Taichung have become the first to be able to formalize their relationship in some way after the local government introduced a relationship registration system for them.

Starting this month people in same-sex couples will be able to register as couples with the city, giving them the ability to sign consent forms for their partners when they go into hospital.

While non-legally binding, the scheme is the first time same-sex couples in Taiwan can record their relationships as there is no form of civil partnership available to them yet.

One of the first people to register under the scheme told HKFP that while the scheme was no substitute for being able to marry, it was an example of Taiwanese politician starting to court the gay vote.

‘The LGBTQ community … will think that they are respected and will give them their vote,’ Tsai Chia-hsun told HKFP.

‘The parties are also trying to portray themselves as friendly, progressive, inclusive and free, and people with similar values will be attracted to them.’

Taichung is the third largest city in Taiwan with a population of nearly three million people and is often nicknamed the Cultural City for its collection of museums, temples, galleries and other cultural centers.

The post Taiwanese city becomes first to record gay relationships as next-of-kin in hospitals appeared first on Gay Star News.

Andrew Potts

www.gaystarnews.com/article/taiwanese-city-becomes-first-to-record-gay-relationships-as-next-of-kin-in-hospitals/

So I got some homophobic hate mail last night. Made it cute. [x-post /r/LGBTFC]
submitted by googlethelyrics
[link] [10 comments]

So I got some homophobic hate mail last night. Made it cute. [x-post /r/LGBTFC]
byu/googlethelyrics inlgbt

Open Question: LGBT section: Why do you think Greece has changed its views?

answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20151012184631AAWXLXN

Ben Whishaw is ‘baffled’ by debate over straight actors playing gay roles

Ben Whishaw says he is ‘baffled’ by the debate over straight actors playing gay roles.

The openly gay 34-year-old, who plays Q in the Bond movies, made the comments at a screening of his new BBC mini-series London Spy.

‘With gay characters being played by straight people, straight characters being played by gay people, come on, we’re actors,’ he said.

‘I do not understand what the problem is. Actors play all sorts of things. I’ve played murderers, journalists and kings – I’m not any of them. The whole thing is a fiction, it’s about imagination, it’s play. I am baffled to why it’s such a big thing.

‘And also, I’m baffled because it feels like we’re in a time where there are lots of gay people, not just actors but in all walks of life, and let’s be where we are. We’re human beings and I don’t understand why it’s really a discussion now.’

Whishaw also addressed Matt Damon’s controversial comments on gay actors.

The 44-Martian star told The Guardian last month that as an actor, ‘people shouldn’t know anything about your sexuality because that’s one of the mysteries that you should be able to play.’

‘The Matt Damon thing, it has probably been taken out of context but I don’t understand the heat around it,’ Whishaw said.

‘It feels like a story that’s trying to be drummed up, even though there are more important things we should be talking about.’

Ellen Page was less forgiving.

‘He doesn’t have a point because he related it to sexuality,’ the openly gay actress said.

‘Heterosexual actors and actresses do not have to go to great lengths to hide their sexuality. Yes, of course, keep your private life private. Protect yourself. Have boundaries. When you’re a public person, you need to think about your safety.

‘But if it’s in relation to sexuality, then no – that’s an unfair double standard.’

The post Ben Whishaw is ‘baffled’ by debate over straight actors playing gay roles appeared first on Gay Star News.

Darren Wee

www.gaystarnews.com/article/ben-whishaw-is-baffled-by-debate-over-straight-actors-playing-gay-roles/

The Straight Guys Think Gaybaiting Will Be A Walk In The Park In #NoHomo Ep. 6 – WATCH

On last week’s episode of the new webseries #NoHomo by Nelson Moses Lassister, Ryder and Jessica (best friends to straight protagonists Tyler and Skyler) placed bets on which one of the boys will be the first to get laid by gaybaiting their way into women’s hearts.

This week Skyler and Tyler each put their plans into motion, with Skyler meeting a boy and inviting his “girlfirends” over for a house party while Tyler works his magic on a lovelorn woman looking for counsel.

Watch what happens, below:

Missed any of the earlier episodes of #NoHomo? You can catch them HERE.

The post The Straight Guys Think Gaybaiting Will Be A Walk In The Park In #NoHomo Ep. 6 – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

The Straight Guys Think Gaybaiting Will Be A Walk In The Park In #NoHomo Ep. 6 – WATCH