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Congressional Forum to Investigate 'Epidemic of Violence' Against Transgender People
Congressional Forum to Investigate 'Epidemic of Violence' Against Transgender People
As the transgender community prepares to mark one of its darkest days on the calendar — the Transgender Day of Remembrance — members of the House LGBT Equality Caucus announced this morning they will hold the first-ever congressional forum on violence against the transgender community next week.
The congressional forum is set for Tuesday afternoon and will follow a morning press conference held by the LGBT Equality Caucus to officially launch a Transgender Equality Task Force.
Rep. Mike Honda of California — whose own granddaughter is trans — said in a statement he will chair this effort to raise awareness of the issues facing the transgender community.
“This week, as we seek to raise awareness of the issues facing the trans community, it is important to renew our commitment to help trans individuals be free of the fear of violence or bullying just for being who they are,” said Congressman Honda. “It is my hope that by launching this workforce and holding a first-ever forum, we will reach some of my colleagues and encourage them to stand with the trans community. It is only through social change that we can truly elevate the conversation in this country and reach a place of true understanding and embrace all people for who they are.”
To date, 21 trans women have been murdered in the United States since January, almost double the number of trans murders in all of 2014. Most of this year’s victims were trans women of color.
The move by members of the House to address this issue won praise from the Human Rights Campaign, which is scheduled to participate in the forum:
“Imagine fearing for your life every day. That nightmare is a reality for far too many transgender women, a nightmare that deserves national attention,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “At least 21 transgender people – almost all women of color – have been murdered this year. Today, transgender women are more than 4 times as likely to be murdered in the U.S. than other women. This forum will bring together a coalition of families, advocates, lawmakers, and other leaders to address the realities that conspire to put transgender people at risk. We are proud to be a part of this work and hope this forum will lead to greater collaboration and action to help end this epidemic of violence.”
The other members of Congress who will take part in the panel on the impact and causes of transgender violence chaired by Honda are Rep. David Cicilline, Rep. Barbara Lee and Rep. Joe Kennedy.
They will hear from panelists who include La La Zannell of the Anti-Violence Project and a survivor of violence, Laura Sorenson and Morris Home, the leaders of a drug and alcohol treatment facility dedicated to serving the transgender community, and Joanna Cifredo, a writer, advocate, organizer and a survivor of violence.
Another panel on policy and how to end bias-motivated violence against transgender people will be chaired by Rep. Jared Polis, Co-Chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus. Members joining him are Rep. Mark Pocan, Rep. Mark Takano, Rep. Mike Quigley and Rep. Alan Lowenthal.
They will hear testimony from Chad Griffin of HRC, Mara Keisling of the National Center for Transgender Equality, Kylar Broadus of the TPOCC, and Sharon Lettman-Hicks of the National Black Justice Coalition.
Also this morning, HRC and the Trans People of Color Coalition released an updated report on what Griffin and Rep. Honda called the “epidemic of violence” against transgender people – particularly transgender women of color., that was timed to coincide with the announcement of the forum.
The joint report focuses on the realities, challenges, and solutions for policy makers and community advocates in addressing anti-transgender violence.
“The LGBT community has long counted on our non-LGBT allies to stand beside us in the fight for equality; and right now, the transgender community needs allies more than ever as we fight for our very survival,” said Kylar W. Broadus of TPOCC. “We are proud to partner with HRC on this work, and we ask all of our cisgender lesbian, gay, bisexual and straight friends, loved ones and supporters to stand up against the continuing stigma and discrimination that is killing transgender people of color at alarming rates.”
Click here to read the joint report from HRC and TPOCC.
Dawn Ennis
Aziz Ansari: Men Need To Pay Better Attention To Women’s Experiences
Aziz Ansari: Men Need To Pay Better Attention To Women’s Experiences
Aziz Ansari has some awesome words of wisdom for men everywhere.
In a Nov. 11 interview with The Daily Beast, Ansari talked about his new Netflix show “Master Of None” and the harassment so many women face on a daily basis. The self-proclaimed feminist pointed out why it’s so important for everyone, but men especially, to recognize and learn about women’s experiences.
“Go on any famous woman’s Instagram and there are crazy death threats in the comments everywhere,” Ansari told The Daily Beast. “No one is giving Drake death threats — only female celebrities get that… If you’re not aware that it’s happening overwhelmingly more to women than it is to men, you’re an idiot who’s detached from reality.”
“Master Of None” features an episode that deals with the topic of harassment specifically. He said that the inspiration for the episode’s plotline came from one of his stand-up comedy shows.
“I’d talk about women getting followed home by creepy dudes, and I’d ask during the bit, ‘Raise your hands if you’re a woman and you’ve been followed home,’ and everyone would raise their hand,” he said.”And then all the other women would look around and go, ‘What the fuck?!'”
When Ansari asks the men in the crowd if they realized this was such a pervasive issue for women, he says they often had no idea. “They couldn’t believe it. I thought it was interesting that this is happening, yet so many people are unaware of it. And the problem is people aren’t talking about it,” he said.
He said that an important part of being a man is to listen to the experiences of others, especially women’s. “What I’ve learned, as a guy, is to just ask women questions and listen to what they have to say,” Ansari said. “Go to your group of female friends and ask them about times they’ve experienced sexism at their job, and you’ll get blown away by the things they tell you. You’ll think, ‘What the fuck? This is way darker than anything I’d imagined.'”
Well said, Aziz.
Head over to The Daily Beast to read more of the interview.
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Tim Cook tells Ireland students: Being gay is one of the greatest gifts God gave me
Tim Cook tells Ireland students: Being gay is one of the greatest gifts God gave me
To coincide with Apple announcing a major expansion of its operations in the Republic of Ireland, its Chief Executive, Tim Cook visited Trinity College Dublin on Wednesday and addressed students.
‘Apple is proud to call Ireland home,’ the Irish Independent reports Cook as saying at a packed event organised by the Philosophical Society. Cook was awarded the society’s Gold Medal, making him an honorary patron.
‘We don’t see ourselves as just a company that is in Ireland, we see ourselves rooted here.
‘This country has championed the cause of LGBT people around the world.
‘It has also been a leader in the fight for human rights and has stood up for freedom of expression on the internet. Ireland shares our values of tolerance, diversity and equal rights both inside and outside the workplace.’
Cook publicly came out as gay in November 2014, and he told students about his own experiences as standing up as an LGBT person.
‘I saw kids being bullied at school and people being fired at work because they were gay.
‘I came to the conclusion that I needed to do something. There would be no donation that could match standing up and saying that I am proud to be gay and that it is one of the greatest gifts that God gave me.
‘I think we need more people who will do that. It’s the single most important thing that they can do.’
He emphasized the importance of diversity and said that, ‘the best companies of the future will be diverse.’
Tim Cook at the Trinity Philosophical Society Q&A session
Apple is the largest private employer in Cork, and its expansion there will create a further 1,000 jobs in the region by mid 2017.
This will bring the total number of Apple employees in Cork to approximately 6,000; around a quarter of its European staff.
Some commentators have suggested that Apple’s commitment to Ireland may not be purely down to its stance on diversity.
The company’s announcement that it was expanding its base in Cork comes while EU regulators investigate whether the Irish government’s tax deal with Apple side-stepped international tax rules.
Ireland has been accused of allowing Apple – the biggest company in the world – to keep tens of billions of pounds worth of profits in return for maintaining jobs in the country.
A ruling is expected after Christmas.
However, during his Ireland visit, Cook re-asserted his commitment to the country regardless of the EU ruling and expressed confidence that the investigation would find that no ‘special’ deals had been struck.
In an interview with national broadcaster RTÉ, he was asked if Apple might scale back its operations in the country if the EU decision led to the company having to pay more tax.
‘You can tell by our announcement today, we’re all in,’ he replied. ‘If there is an adverse ruling, we’re going to appeal, Ireland is going to appeal and we’re going to support them because there was no special deal, no special arrangement.
‘I can’t say for sure what they’ll come back with but what I do know for sure is if the evidence is viewed on a fair basis, I believe strongly that it will be found that there is nothing wrong done.’
The post Tim Cook tells Ireland students: Being gay is one of the greatest gifts God gave me appeared first on Gay Star News.
David Hudson
Gospel Singer Kirk Franklin Apologizes To Gay Community For Black Church’s Homophobia
Gospel Singer Kirk Franklin Apologizes To Gay Community For Black Church’s Homophobia
I want to apologize for all of the hurtful and painful things that have been said about people in the church that have been talented and gifted and musical, that we’ve used and we’ve embarrassed… and all this other horrible crap that we’ve done. We have not treated them like people. We’re talking about human beings, men and women that God has created.
The Bible is not a book that’s an attack on gay people. It’s not a book written to attack gay people. It is horrible that we have made it where The Bible is a homophobic manual. That’s not what The Bible is. I mean you want to talk about things that God gets at… pride and jealousy and envy and arrogance. But what we also see is God sending his son to save us all, because we were all… straight, gay or whatever, lost and in need of a savior, and there’s room at the cross for all of us.”
— Grammy-winning gospel artist Kirk Franklin in an interview with The Grio
Jeremy Kinser
Linda Harvey: Gays Want To Sexually Abuse Children to ‘Convert’ Them
Linda Harvey: Gays Want To Sexually Abuse Children to ‘Convert’ Them
Linda Harvey, a demon-obsessed muck-spreader and president of listed hate group Mission America, has said that gay people want to sexually abuse children in order to turn them gay and “convert” them to the LGBT rights cause.
In her latest column for WorldNetDaily this week, Harvey pulled no punches with a particularly pernicious piece titled “They’re creating ‘gays’ by corrupting our kids.”
Citing Matt Barber’s incendiary BarbWire (not the Pamela Anderson one) as a source, Harvey argues that “the correlation between child molestation and the development of same-sex attraction for some youth is irrefutable.”
RELATED: Linda Harvey: Satanic LGBT Youth are Embracing ‘Dehumanizing Sexual Practices’
The column continues in part:
“Children, if asked, would really prefer not to be lured somewhere by a shady adult, shown pornography, given alcohol or drugs, told they ‘want this’ and were ‘born this way’ and end up in intimate contact they never chose, contact that messes with their body and soul and may take a lifetime to overcome.
“Many recover, but some go on to embrace these premature, perverted desires. Some even become advocates for overturning marriage and civil rights law to enshrine homosexuality and gender rebellion as norms.
“The movement for ‘LGBT equality’ is largely built on this quicksand. All of America is endangered if we bless the rotten fruits of criminal conduct against children. Are we insane?
“It’s time America called the homosexual activists on their Stockholm syndrome. They were not born this way, but created through sexual indoctrination.
“A vulnerable boy may be seduced by an uncle, cousin, or the guy down the street. Or if he is somehow persuaded he was ‘born that way,’ he may then show up at the local community center for ‘gay’ youth where he’ll meet older homosexuals who will take advantage of his youth and misinformation.”
She concludes that “aberrant sexual conduct is not the key to a bright future. It’s the key to the gates of hell.”
Among her many choice hateful comments, last year Harvey said that gay parents are more likely to molest their children than straight parents.
The post Linda Harvey: Gays Want To Sexually Abuse Children to ‘Convert’ Them appeared first on Towleroad.
Michael Fitzgerald
Linda Harvey: Gays Want To Sexually Abuse Children to ‘Convert’ Them
Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBT Randy Berry
Ambassador Residence posted a photo:
Distinguished American Speaker Program at the CMR with Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBT Persons, Randy Berry, Friday, November 13, 2015
WATCH: Lesbian Teacher Sues Los Angeles School District for Discrimination
WATCH: Lesbian Teacher Sues Los Angeles School District for Discrimination
Teacher Cathy Figel is suing the Los Angeles Unified School District for discriminating against her because she’s a lesbian, reports Los Angeles TV station KCAL. She is suing for $12 million.
Figel retired this year after teaching physical education at Marina del Rey Middle School for 13 years. She says the LAUSD failed to provide her with a “working environment free from discrimination and harassment,” according to KCAL. The lawsuit alleges Figel was “subjected to anti-gay language, anti-gay graffiti scrawled in her work area, verbal anti-gay slurs by students, vandalism to her car and even physical violence by a student.”
Figel says she left her position when she couldn’t tolerate antigay comments and vandalism any longer. She claims that school administrators ignored her repeated requests for help and told her to stay in the closet around students.
“I was supervising the locker room, and it was something to the effect of, you know, gotta watch that lesbian is looking at us,” Figel told the station. “I’m an adult, an authority figure. And I’m being exposed to it. What do you think is the occurrence that’s happening to the children?”
“I’m not like, oh, this is my chance for something extra. But I don’t want to wake up one day and find out a child’s been harmed because nothing ever changed,” she said.
The school district released a brief statement after news broke of Figel’s lawsuit.
“The district is committed to ensuring a hostile-free work environment for all employees. The district does not agree with the allegations or characterization of its actions, and is, therefore, vigorously defending this lawsuit.”
Watch below as KCAL reports on Figel’s case.
Bil Browning
Protesters Confront Caitlyn Jenner: 'You're An Insult To Trans People'
Protesters Confront Caitlyn Jenner: 'You're An Insult To Trans People'
Caitlyn Jenner met face-to-face with protesters who called her “an insult to trans people.”
Jenner was chosen to speak at the Chicago House Speaker Series luncheon for the Chicago House, which helps those affected by HIV/AIDS in the LGBT community, on Thursday.
Some, however, were unhappy about Jenner being the keynote speaker. A group of protesters stood outside to challenge the former Olympian. In the video above, one protester says to Jenner: “You are an insult to trans people, you are an insult to women. You have no right to represent us.”
The video shows Jenner approaching one protestor, seemingly attempting to diffuse the situation and telling her she loves her.
“The chaos outside was a great contrast to the uplifting atmosphere inside where Caitlyn had just given her speech,” Chicago radio host Showbiz Shelly told ET. “I thought she handled the situation with poise. By confronting the protesters in the way she did, she emphasized the themes she talked about in her speech. To be respectful, be brave and stand up for what you believe in.”
A Facebook page created for the protest, which has since been deleted, highlighted Jenner’s celebrity status a reason for her being a poor representation of the trans community. According to Towleroad, the page read:
Who, you may ask, did they select to speak on the issues facing trans people and especially trans women in our city? Caitlyn Jenner. Caitlyn Jenner, who lives in a mansion and has a net worth of millions of dollars, while the average trans person has a 41 percent chance of experiencing homelessness [sic] and a nearly 50 percent chance of living off less than $10k per year …
If you think Chicago House’s shameless pandering to the trans community for mediocre representation, embodied by a clueless rich white woman who thinks disenfranchised trans women of color should just pluck themselves up off the street and stop being so lazy, is an insult and a disgrace, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Meet us in the lobby Thursday to tell Chicago House, Caitlyn Jenner, and all her supporters that Caitlyn Jenner doesn’t represent trans people! Stand up and say: #IAintCait!”
A rep for Jenner was not immediately available for comment.
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BBC presenter Evan Davis: I’m too old for fatherhood
BBC presenter Evan Davis: I’m too old for fatherhood
Evan Davis, the gay presenter of the BBC show, Newsnight, has said that he considers himself too old to consider fatherhood, reports the Daily Mail.
The 53-year-old radio and TV presenter met his partner, landscape architect Guillaume Baltz, 48, in 2002. They have been in a civil partnership for the past two years.
‘We’re probably too old to think about children — maybe 20 years ago, if we were younger, it would be different.
‘There’s much more around in terms of gay parenting now than there was when I was about 35, but what can we do now?’
Instead of children, Evans said that he and his husband considered themselves daddies to their two-year-old dog, Mr Whippy.
‘I don’t tend to think of him as a child substitute, but we always say to each other, “Is he a child substitute?” and people joke about it.
‘I love my dog like I’m sure parents love kids, but it feels like a slightly different field.
‘We’re very aware he’s not a child. We do refer to ourselves as daddy but that’s about it. He’s never going to talk; he’s always going to stay at the mental age of two. But he’s so lovely.’
Gay people have been able to adopt in the UK since 2005 and it’s not uncommon for people in their late 40s or early 50s to foster or adopt.
One man who thinks Davis may be prematurely ruling out fatherhood is gay author Rupert Smith, aged 55, who told Gay Star News.
‘I became a father at 53 – something I never thought would happen – and it’s been the most rewarding experience of my life. I hope to be able to give my son at least 30 years of good parenting.
‘There’s no upper age limit for adopting, as long as you’re healthy.’
Earlier this year, the UK Government issued figures showing that adoptions by LGBT families had reached a record high, with numbers growing year-on-year since the change in the law in 2005.
Besides adoption, surrogacy is another option for same-sex couples. The UK’s most high-profile gay parents are probably Elton John and husband David Furnish, who were 63 and 48 respectively when they became fathers to their eldest son, Zachary.
The post BBC presenter Evan Davis: I’m too old for fatherhood appeared first on Gay Star News.
David Hudson
www.gaystarnews.com/article/bbc-presenter-evan-davis-im-too-old-for-fatherhood/
