GLAA Forum

All witnesses support birth certificate bill at D.C. Council hearing

About 20 witnesses testified at the May 16 hearing on Bill 20-0142, the "JaParker Deoni Jones Birth Certificate Equality Amendment Act of 2013," and all were in favor. It was a joint hearing by the Committee on Health and the Committee on Public Safety and Judiciary. Read GLAA's testimony, in which we endorsed the bill with the changes requested by the DC Trans Coalition.

With the recommended changes, this is going to be model legislation and help fulfill DC's promise of trans equality. Kudos to all, especially Andy Bowen, Lisa Mottet, Bob Summersgill, our Council allies, and Health and Judiciary committee staff. I am so proud of our coalition. And the three students from Cesar Chavez Public Charter School who testified were great.

BTW, one of the Cesar Chavez students was a friend of JaParker. And JaParker's parents testified. So the hearing took on the aspect of a memorial in addition to a legislative hearing. I thought it was rather remarkable that not one person showed up to oppose the bill. The haters are obviously out there; but they did not crawl out from under their rocks to attend the hearing.

The practical question is whether the changes can be made to the bill and a markup scheduled to allow for the two requisite readings of the bill is legislative sessions before the summer break. It's iffy. Then there's the much more complex surrogacy bill, which will almost certainly not be done and passed before the break. But the Judiciary staff are working apace.

Transgender Health Empowerment in financial crisis

The Blade reports. This is disturbing news. T.H.E. has been the key organization providing services to the trans community in D.C. Like several people quoted in the article, I had not heard about this crisis until this week. I would like to advise community members who want to support them on what to do; but we will have to wait for guidance.

Speech of the night from GLAA reception: Jason A. Terry

Congrats again to all five honorees from GLAA's anniversary reception on April 25. For me, the highlight of the evening was this inspiring speech by the remarkable Jason Terry of the DC Trans Coalition.

JASON A. TERRY
REMARKS TO GLAA AWARDS RECEPTION
25 APRIL 2013

Thank you to GLAA, and especially to Rick, Charles, Kevin, Gary, and Alison, for this distinct – and truly undeserved – honor. Thanks also to those who have shaped me, guided me, and inspired me all through life: the fierce and fearsome Appalachian women who raised me; my three grandfathers who taught me patience and calm; the teachers, choir directors, and old school activists who lit my path, taught me discipline, and gave me hope; and to my beloved and ever-growing community of rabble rousers here in DC who make this city more livable, and bring us closer to peace. Chief among those, I have to thank Ruby Corado for teaching me everything I know. And, of course, I must thank my partner Elijah Edelman, who is with me not just in life, but in an ongoing journey towards justice, and who, without his unending support, absolutely incredible intellect, and remarkable strength, I would be less than half the activist I am.

D.C. shelter accused of rejecting trans women

Lou Chibbaro reports in the Blade:

A shelter for homeless women located three blocks from the U.S. Capitol is violating the D.C. Human Rights Act by refusing to admit transgender women unless they provide “documentation” of a legal name change or gender reassignment surgery, according to separate complaints against the facility by two transgender women.

In a lawsuit filed April 5 in D.C. Superior Court and a complaint filed with the D.C. Office of Human Rights on March 22, the two women charge that employees at the John L. Young Women’s Shelter at 119 D Street, N.W. said they could not be admitted because of their status as transgender women.

An attorney with the D.C. Trans Coalition filed the lawsuit on behalf of Lakiesha Washington against New Hope Ministries, Inc. of Woodbridge, Va., which owns and operates the John L. Young Women’s Shelter.

The lawsuit says Washington, who was homeless, attempted to gain admission to the shelter on April 3, when the lawsuit says the alleged discriminatory action took place.

Brava to Lakiesha and Andy for doing this. It is long past time for the city to obey its own laws.

March 30 - Rally for Trans Health Equality and Economic Justice

This just in:

Rally for Trans Health Equality and Economic Justice
Date: March 30, 2013
Time: 4pm

Columbia Heights Civic Plaza Circle (14th and Park NW).

For more information contact:
Nico Quintana nicoquintana1 at gmail.com

For the first time, LGBT equality groups and labor unions folks are working together to advance access to basic health care for transgender people, and to expand health care insurance to cover trans-related health care nationwide. The March 30th Rally for Trans Equality and Economic Justice will bring together local trans communities, activists, union members and leaders to celebrate our victories and to continue to build momentum and power to fight for trans equality, trans economic justice and equal access to quality jobs, health care and housing for DC trans residents. Speakers will include local activists, labor leaders, artists, and poets.

Rally message: We want full coverage of all transgender health needs across all insurance policies –public and private in dc now.

Organized by: DC Trans Coalition, The National Transgender Month of Action 2013: Trans Health Care Access, SEIU, Pride at Work, DC trans organizers

House passes LGBT-inclusive Violence Against Women Act

(Rep. Lois Frankel of Florida urges passage of LGBT-inclusive VAWA.)

Big news today: a win for women, LGBT rights, and President Obama. Multiple reports/reactions:

• New York Times
• Washington Post
• Think Progress
• Politico
• Joe.My.God
• Talking Points Memo
• Roll Call
• Raw Story
• National Center for Transgender Equality
• Log Cabin Republicans

Thanks to all who made this victory possible.

Furr appealing conviction for off-duty assault

John Riley reports at Metro Weekly:

A lawyer for Kenneth Furr, the Metropolitan Police Department officer found guilty of an off-duty assault with a dangerous weapon and solicitation of prostitution, filed a notice with D.C. Superior Court Feb. 11 stating that Furr's defense team will be appealing his conviction.

Furr, who was found guilty of the two charges in October 2012, a year after the Aug. 26, 2011, incident, was sentenced to three years and 30 days in prison, 100 hours of community service and a $150 fine, which he has already paid, according to court records. But Judge Russell Canan also took into account the 14 months Furr spent in prison as he awaited trial, as well other circumstances, and suspended the prison sentences, allowing Furr to be placed on three years' probation.

Both convictions related to a series of events that included Furr brandishing a gun, and shooting at a car in which five people sat, including two transgender women.

A police officer who should be counting his blessings that he got off so lightly instead tacitly asserts his right to be above the law. If such an out-of-control cop gets away with this, the police lose moral authority. Without the self-policing that sustains their credibility as servants and defenders of the public, police are little more than frontiersmen with a bigger arsenal and a stronger network. Why would anyone but sociopaths want that?

D.C. Council introduces bill to allow transgender residents to obtain new birth certificates

Metro Weekly reports on the introduction of legislation in the D.C. Council today to make it easier for transgender people to obtain new birth certificates.

This is excellent news. The bill, which enjoys overwhelming support by Council members, advances one of GLAA's policy goals, described in GLAA's Agenda: 2013. Thanks in particular to Andy Bowen of DCTC for her efforts.

GLAA Announces 2013 Distinguished Service Awards

Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, DC
P.O. Box 75265
Washington, D.C. 20013
www.glaa.org
www.glaaforum.org (blog)

For Release:
Monday, February 18, 2013

Contact: Rick Rosendall
(202) 667-5139

GLAA Announces 2013 Distinguished Service Awards

The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, D.C., is pleased to announce its 2013 Distinguished Service Award recipients. GLAA presents awards to local individuals and organizations that have served the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in the national capital area. The awards will be presented at GLAA’s 42nd Anniversary Reception on Thursday, April 25 from 6:30 to 9:00 pm at the Washington Plaza Hotel at 10 Thomas Circle, NW. Tickets are $55 and can be purchased by contacting GLAA at equal@glaa.org or (202) 667-5139; a range of donor levels is also available.

GLAA’s 2013 Distinguished Service Award recipients are:

• Diana Bruce, DC Public Schools
• Clarence J. Fluker
• Brent Minor
• Peter Rosenstein
• Jason A. Terry

Feb. 23 - memorial gathering for Dan Massey

Our friend Dana Beyer, Executive Director of Gender Rights Maryland, has a lovely eulogy at HuffPost for D.C. activist, sexual freedom advocate, and GLAA member Dan Massey, who passed away on January 28 at age 70.

Dan was a gentle and generous soul, and will be missed by the many people he helped and inspired. Our hearts go out in particular to Dan's wife and soulmate, GLAA Secretary Alison Gardner.

Update: A memorial gathering will be held for Dan on Saturday, February 23 at 1:30 pm at the Josephine Butler Center overlooking Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park at 2437 15th Street, NW.

Remembering Deoni Jones

Tyler Grigsby posted this slide show of Saturday's vigil for Deoni Jones at 49th and East Capitol Streets with the following note:

The family of Deoni Jones (also known as JaParker), a transgender woman who was murdered last year while waiting for the bus, held a memorial and candlelight vigil at the location of the crime on Febuary 2, 2013 on the one year anniversary of her death.

Local community leaders, politicians, law enforcement as well as Deoni's friends and family gathered to remember her and rally against hate crimes in the District of Columbia.

Yes, that's me speaking with Mayor Vincent Gray in the first photo. Meanwhile, our friend Brian in Ward 5 shares these recent stories about the Metropolitan Police Department's failings:

• WJLA: Hundreds of D.C. sexual assaults not investigated, report says
• HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: DC Police Fail Rape Victims
• WASHINGTON CITY PAPER: Misfired

GLAA releases LGBT policy brief, questionnaire for special election

Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, D.C.
P.O. Box 75265
Washington, D.C. 20013
www.glaa.org
www.glaaforum.org (blog)

For Release: Monday, January 28, 2013

Contact: Rick Rosendall 202-667-5139

GLAA releases LGBT policy brief, questionnaire for special election

The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, D.C., today launches its 2013 Election Project and releases both its questionnaire for D.C. Council candidates and its policy brief on local LGBT issues in Washington, D.C., "Agenda: 2013." This updated compilation of local advocacy on a wide range of issues is intended for candidates in the April 23 special election for At-Large Councilmember as well as journalists, activists, and the general public. "Agenda: 2013" is online, in both PDF and HTM formats, at:
http://tinyurl.com/glaa2013pdf
http://tinyurl.com/glaa2013htm

GLAA's D.C. Council candidate questionnaire is online at: http://www.glaa.org/archive/2013/cqspecial.pdf

GLAA's Election Project 2013 main page is at: http://www.glaa.org/archive/2013/election2013.shtml

The "Agenda: 2013" policy brief is divided into six broad subject areas: Marriage and Family, Public Health, Public Safety and Judiciary, Human Rights, Youth and Seniors, and Consumers and Businesses. It is prefaced by a two-page Action Item Summary listing specific actions GLAA seeks from D.C. officials. Included are 88 footnotes to provide documentation and to facilitate further investigation of the issues raised.

The following are some of the legislative and oversight actions GLAA seeks from D.C. Councilmembers:

• Pass Bill 20-0032, "Surrogacy Parenting Agreement Act of 2013."
• Repeal the so-called Prostitution Free Zones (PFZs) law, which facilitates anti-transgender profiling.
• Allow for the issuance of new birth certificates for individuals who undergo treatment related to gender transition; end the requirement for publishing notice of a name change in the newspaper; and allow issuance of new birth certificates via administrative process instead of a court order.
• Ensure enforcement of LGBT nondiscrimination policies in District homeless shelters and transitional housing.
• Ensure that all health insurance policies sold and used in DC cover the full spectrum of transgender health care needs.
• Enforce the anti-bullying law in all D.C. public and charter schools.
• Ensure equal Medicaid spousal impoverishment protections for same-sex partners.
• Eliminate legal standing for ad hoc protest groups and citizens associations in liquor licensing cases, to permit input by all community stakeholders via the great weight already accorded Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.

GLAA President Rick Rosendall stated, "It is a tribute to the strength of coalition efforts in the District that 'Agenda: 2013' reflects input from allies across the District's entire LGBT community and its supporters. The resulting policy brief is the most comprehensive single document advancing LGBT issues in D.C."

On January 28, 2013, GLAA will email its questionnaire and policy brief to every candidate in the April 23 special election for At-Large Councilmember. (The filing deadline for the primary was January 23.) The deadline for receipt of candidate responses is March 7, after which GLAA will assign ratings to the primary candidates (on a scale of -10 to +10) based on their questionnaire responses and their records on LGBT issues.

For more information on GLAA and its four decades of nonpartisan advocacy, visit GLAA's main website at www.glaa.org and its blog at www.glaaforum.org.

Founded in 1971, the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington (GLAA) is an all-volunteer, non-partisan, non-profit political organization that defends the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the Nation's Capital. GLAA lobbies the D.C. Council, monitors government agencies, educates and rates local candidates, and works in coalitions to defend the safety, health, and equal rights of gay families. GLAA remains the nation's oldest continuously active gay and lesbian civil rights organization.

###

DCRA to enforce gender neutral signage requirement

The Washington Business Journal reports that the Department of Cosumer and Regulatory Affairs will has adopted rules making failure to adopt gender neutral signage for single occupancy bathrooms a class 3 civil infraction that carries the possibility of a $500 fine for non-compliance with the law.  The Office of Human Rights adopted rules requiring this but they don't have a team of inspectors to ensure compliance.  Initially the effort will be mostly educational with warnings being issued.  The was no opposition from the apartment, office building or restaurant sectors to the proposed regulations.

D.C. Court orders suspect in transgender stabbing to undergo mental observation

John Riley at Metro Weekly reports:

Gary Niles Montgomery, the 55-year-old Washington man accused of fatally stabbing transgender woman Deoni Jones, aka JaParker, at a Northeast bus stop in February 2012, appeared in court Friday morning, where his lawyers convinced U.S. Superior Court Judge Robert Morin to order Montgomery to submit to a mental-observation screening.

After hearing arguments from Montgomery's lawyers regarding their client's mental state, Morin ordered two separate hearings for Montgomery, one Jan. 24, for screening purposes only, and a mental observation hearing on Feb. 8. Last year, Morin found Montgomery competent to stand trial, based on the results of two separate mental-observation hearings.

Montgomery, who in November pleaded not guilty after being indicted on a charge of first-degree murder while armed, remains held without bond as he awaits trial, scheduled for June 10.

DCTC: Sentencing of MPD Officer Furr Devalues Trans Lives

An excellent statement by DC Trans Coalition condemning the light sentencing of D.C. police officer Kenneth Furr, who shot up a carful of trans women and gay men in August 2011.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2013
Contact:
Jason Terry or Elijah Edelman: 202.681.3282 / dctc@dctranscoalition.org

Sentencing of MPD Officer Furr Devalues Trans Lives

If roles were reversed, outcome would have been drastically different

Washington, DC – Community members expressed outrage at the sentencing of Metropolitan Police Department Officer Kenneth Furr, who was released from prison today after convictions of assault with a deadly weapon and soliciting prostitution. In August of 2011, a group that included black trans women and gay men confronted Furr after he harassed one of them for refusing his sexual advances. Furr consequently shot at the individuals involved, wounding several of them. Because the judge suspended 46 months of the 60 month sentence, Furr left jail having already served the remaining 14 months.

"This result is the product of a legal system that constantly devalues trans people's lives," said DC Trans Coalition member Jason Terry. "Officer Furr's defense team actively sought to portray the victims as somehow deserving of this violence, and apparently they succeeded. If roles had been reversed and a trans woman had gotten drunk and flashed a gun at a police officer, the results would be drastically different." It is important to note that Furr was convicted only of flashing a weapon at two gay men involved in the incident, not for shooting at the trans women and others involved.

Several studies document deep levels of mistrust toward police in trans communities. The National Transgender Discrimination Survey found that 46% of trans people are reluctant to call police when they need police services. The Move Along study here in DC noted that 78% of respondents feared the police. The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs has found that transgender people of color are nearly two and a half times more likely to face violence from police officers than other lesbian, gay, and bisexual people and trans white people. DCTC's own needs assessment found in its first phase that safety and risk is a paramount concern. DCTC expects that the results of our survey phase will reinforce these other findings.

"Officer Furr exemplifies why this fear exists," said Terry. "DC's trans communities face blatant discrimination, harassment, and violence from police officers every day, yet when an officer drunkenly shoots at trans people, accountability seems to disappear."

####

The DC Trans Coalition (DCTC) is a volunteer, grassroots, community-based organization dedicated to fighting for human rights, dignity, and liberation for transsexual, transgender and gender-diverse people in the District of Columbia. To learn more, please visit our website at http://www.dctranscoalition.org. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

DC ESPN 980 broadcasts anti-transgender rant

Outsports has covered the comments of Steve Czaban and Andy Pollin regarding transgender student athelete Gabriel Ludwig.  During the show:

• They said transgender people should not be allowed to play sports. ”Whatever you’ve got to do to scratch that inner itch and quell those inner demons, that’s fine. But don’t go playing sports then. And don’t go playing sports saying, ‘but I’ve go the rights of everyone else.’” 
• They make fun of Ludwig’s appearance, including her biceps and tattoos. Clearly reacting to photographs, they expressed deep-seeded disgust at her appearance. “That could be a Russian chick,” they said as they cackled.
• They referred to her as “he/she” and as “it.” “I think ‘it’ is the politically correct term.”

 You can listen to their comments at Outsports.  The hosts have issued a 10 second apology for referring to her as 'it' but this has not ended calls for their suspenstion without pay or firing.  You can can send an email to ESPN 980 regarding these demeaning and unprofessional comments here.

Nov. 22 - Thanksgiving at Casa Ruby

Casa Ruby is hosting a free Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day that is open to all. If you have no plans, you are welcome to join the folks at Casa Ruby between 3:00 and 7:00 pm. Casa Ruby is at 2822 Georgia Avenue, NW, a couple of blocks above Howard University. Details are attached.

Also, yesterday (Nov. 20) was the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. The one in DC was a fine event featuring beautiful music performances, moving words from the families of the victims of anti-trans violence, and was attended by hundred of people including Mayor Vincent Gray and members of his cabinet. Here are links to two Metro Weekly stories on TDOR:

Remembering and Rallying:
Large crowd at D.C.'s Transgender Day of Remembrance event hears from Mayor Gray, families of victims

LGBT-Rights Leaders Mark Transgender Day of Remembrance

McKellen participates in UK anti-bullying campaign

Good spot, except that the "T" is missing.

Nov. 20 - Transgender Day of Remembrance

Please join us at 6 pm on November 20 for the 2012 Transgender Day of Remembrance at the Metropolitan Community Church, 474 Ridge St NW.

GLAA supports Human Rights for Ex-Offenders Amendment Act

The following testimony was submitted today by email. Also available in GLAA's online archive.

Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, D.C.
P.O. Box 75265, Washington, D.C. 20013
(202) 667-5139
http://www.glaa.org
http://www.glaaforum.org (blog)

October 15, 2012

Councilmember Marion Barry, Chairperson
Committee on Aging and Community Affairs
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004

Dear Councilmember Barry:

Please accept this letter as testimony on Bill 19-0017, the Human Rights for Ex-Offenders Amendment Act of 2011, for the record of the public hearing that was held on October 5, 2012.

We are pleased once again to stand with the DC Prisoners' Project of the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs, which we honored in 2009 for its work in combating anti-transgender discrimination by the D.C. Department of Corrections. Today we express our support for B19-0017 with changes recommended by the Prisoner's Project.

We have been among the staunchest defenders of all the protected categories in the D.C. Human Rights Act of 1977 and its pre-Home-Rule predecessor, Title 34. Over the years, the list of protected categories has been expanded to keep up with the times, including by adding "gender identity or expression" and "genetic information." The need to protect ex-offenders is of growing concern due not only to preconceived notions about all people with criminal records, but to the large number of our city's residents who are caught up in the criminal justice system for a wide range of offenses, including victimless ones. The latter category includes transgender people who have resorted to prostitution for survival after being unable to find work due to discrimination. The automatic, up-front exclusion of all applicants with criminal records greatly hampers the re-integration of ex-offenders into their communities.

Voting While Trans

Early voting in the District of Columbia starts October 22  at One Judiciary Square, 441 4th Street, N.W. from 8:30am - 7:00pm.  Beginning October 27th several satelite voting locations open (one in each Ward) Polls are closed Sunday, October 28.

• Columbia Heights Community Center
  1480 Girard Street, NW
• Takoma Community Center
  300 Van Buren Street, NW
• Chevy Chase Community Center
  5601 Connecticut Avenue, NW
• Turkey Thicket Recreation Center
  1100 Michigan Avenue, NE
• King Greenleaf Recreation Center
  201 N Street, SW
• Dorothy Height/Benning Library
  3935 Benning Rd. NE
• Southeast Tennis and Learning Center
  701 Mississippi Avenue, SE

Voting by mail is another option.  Requests for an absentee ballot must be received by October 30. An absentee ballot request form can be submitted here. Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by the Board within 10 days of the election.

D.C. launches transgender rights campaign

DCist reports:

Mayor Vince Gray and the D.C. Office of Human Rights yesterday launched an ad campaign promoting respect for the city's transgender and gender-non-conforming residents. The five ads, which will appear this fall, use images of members of the transgender and gender-non-conforming and convey the message that they are no different than any other D.C. resident.

At the launch of the ad campaign yesterday, Gray admitted that while the ads themselves would not be enough to stop discrimination and acts of violence, they would serve to raise awareness and highlight legal rights and protections that members of the community enjoy under the expansive D.C. Human Rights Act.

Thanks to Mayor Vince Gray and Office of Human Rights Director Gustavo Velasquez for this important effort.

Moten Calls on Mayor Gray and DC Council to Address Rapes and Violence at DC Jail

We received this from Republican Ward 7 D.C. Council candidate and Peaceaholics co-founder Ron Moten:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Ron “MO” Moten
Phone: 202.615.0204
Email: ron@ronmoten.com

Moten Calls on Mayor Gray and DC Council to Address Rapes and Violence at DC Jail

Who: Ron Moten, Friends of Transgender Victims and Members of Check-It
Why: To Address Jail Cover-Up
Where: DC Jail Entrance
When: 12pm Thursday, August 9, 2012

Washington, DC August 8, 2012 – A source close to Ron Moten, Co-founder and former managing partner of the Peaceoholics, a non-profit anti-gang organization, tells Moten that violence and drugs are running rampant in the DC Jail and the Correctional Treatment Facility. Now Moten wants Mayor Gray and city legislators to address rapes of transgender and gay youth with the same urgency that they spoke to the Chic-fil-A matter.

Moten was contacted by a transgender youth who was violently raped while in custody at the DC Jail. Before this incident, another source told Moten that a gay youth was raped by a 32 year old inmate, who has a history of sexual assaults. The source added that the violence against inmates was not limited to other inmates, noting that another transgender youth had been sexually assaulted and one gay youth raped by this alleged serial rapist and another by a CTF staff member.

Moten said he was particularly saddened by the alleged rape of one of the young people, because he had personally worked with this transgender youth who is a member of the “Check It” Gang. Many members are now working and reenrolled in school. This young man was taking a step in the right direction as Mr. Moten encouraged and transported the youngster to turn himself in to authorities due to a warrant for his arrest.

HHS: Anti-trans discrimination barred in federal health programs

Chris Geidner reports at BuzzFeed:

Federal health-care programs and those funded with federal dollars are barred from discriminating against transgender people, a senior official with the Department of Health and Human Services told LGBT advocacy groups in July — a sweeping decision that will impact most health-care services across the country.

Although the decision does not specifically address transition-related care — surgery and other medical procedures that some transgender people undergo in the course of moving to their self-identified gender — a leading transgender advocate says the decision is a "tool" to get protections that would cover transition-related care.

In response to a letter sent by a dozen LGBT health and advocacy organizations to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in June, Leon Rodriguez — the director of HHS's Office for Civil Rights — wrote on July 12 HHS considers discrimination based on "gender identity or failure to conform to stereotypical notions of masculinity or femininity" in federal health programs or activities receiving funding under Affordable Care Act-covered programs to be illegal.

Now at Huffington Post: Cops vs. Condoms

HuffPo has just published my column, "Cops vs. Condoms," discussing the new Human Rights Watch report on police undermining HIV prevention in four cities. Here's a link.

Matrix director comes out as transgender

Larry Wachowski has transitioned to Lana Wachowski. Congrats to her, and good luck on her upcoming film Cloud Atlas, starring Tom Hanks and Halle Berry.

DC Trans Needs Assessment survey

The DC Trans Coalition has announced the Washington, DC Trans Needs Assessment survey of transgender, transsexual and gender non-conforming people living in the District of Columbia.  According the DCTC this is the first study of it's kind in over a decade.  Areas to be explored in the survey are:

• General health and access to medical, mental and trans-sensitive health care;
• Employment, underemployment and unemployment;
• Housing and homelessness;
• Interactions with police and the prisons;
• Access to education, including violence in schools; and
• Immigration and documentation status.

The survey is available for taking on-line or by paper copy in both Spanish and English.  The are also seeking members of the transgender community to identify and administer the survey to eligible people, help in promoting it, and financial assistance to compensate people who administer the survey.  Most of the organizers or “Principal Investigators” of this project are unpaid volunteers and all donations go to community members taking the survey through modest honorariums.  In addition, DCTC is  training and hiring trans community members to distribute paper surveys to their communities, friends and networks.  Donations can be made via PayPal.

DCRA should enforce the law

DC is among cities in protecting it's most vulnerable citizens.  Unfortunately getting the protections guaranteed by law enforced is more of a struggle.  One such vulnerable group is the transgender community.  And one way the are  put at risk on a daily basis is something as safe bathroom available when in public.  Everybody poops.  But transgender people frequently have to live in fear whenever they enter a public restroom.  They risk nasty stares or degrading comments at best;  at worst violent assault.

The DC Council should be commend on recognizing the problem and requiring all single use bathrooms in the city be marked gender neutral.  The task that remains is to see that the law is enforced.

One problem is that businesses are largely unaware of this requirement.  To date, the Department of Human Resources is the only body enforcing this law.  The DC Center ran the Bathroom Access Project which visited public establishments to inform them of the requuirement.  The also reported over 100 businesses that were not in comliance to the OHR.  But OHR doesn't have teams of inspectors to go into businesses and see that business are in compliance with the law.  The DC Center ran the Bathroom Access Project which visited public establishments to inform them of the requuirement.  The also reported over 100 businesses that were not in comliance to the OHR.  The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) should include  gender neutral sign compliance as part of their building inspections.  When a DCRA inspector leaves a business they can insure that it is obeying the law by posting compliant signs for use on a temporary basis.  In the interim between the next inspection the business can continue to use this sign or replace it with one that complies if they choose.  Businesses that fail to abide by the law after a warning should face fines.

In fact this issue has been discussed before with DCRA.  It's guidelines for inspectors are only updated once a year, and while in the past they have promised to include enforcement in them,  this has not been done.  DCRA will have its budget hearing April 18th.  Councilmember Yvette Alexander should get answers from Nicholas A. Majett what steps the department will take to see that this law is properly enforced.  Lives may depend on it.

I Am: Trans People Speak

I Am: Trans People Speak is affiliated with the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition  in partnership with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.   The project seeks...

to raise awareness about the diversity of transgender communities. It will lift the voices of transgender individuals, as well as their families, friends, and allies. Transgender people have a wide range of interests, experiences and backgrounds that are too often ignored because of their trans identity. Together we can make a positive change in the visibility and representation of transgender people by focusing on the full individual.

You can visit their site to see other videos offering the trangender experience, submit your own video, find a list of resources, or just to get an introduction to what it means to be transgender.

 

Vigil for Deoni Jones #trans

Deoni Jones is the transgender woman murdered at a bus stop last week.

GLAA testifies Tuesday against Prostitution Free Zone Amendment Act

GLAA will testify against Bill 19-567, the Prostitution Free Zone Amendment Act of 2011, at a hearing today, January 24, before the D.C. Council Judiciary Committee. Our testimony is here. The text of the bill, introduced by Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander, is here. The hearing notice is here. Also testifying against the bill will be the local ACLU, DC Trans Coalition, The Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance, Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive, Best Practices Policy Project, and Human Rights Watch. Thanks to my colleagues who reviewed GLAA's testimony, especially GLAA President Miguel Tuason who helped with the research.

Sign our petition against PFZs here.

Trans Mafia: Savage Glitterbombed Again

Bil Browning writes at Bilerico:

Dan Savage was glitterbombed again by trans activists. If you think that Dan Savage is the worst enemy of the trans community, you're sadly mistaken. If you think that throwing heavy objects at someone's head will make them a closer friend, you're an idiot. And if you think that you're garnering support for your cause by attacking someone over things said years ago when most of us have had to make adjustments to our thinking as we've come along the transgender road to acceptance, you didn't study the LGB history lessons at all.

Yes. It's bad enough to do it to our enemies, like Santorum. Doing it to Dan Savage is just amazingly stupid and counterproductive. The people doing it need an intervention where they are sternly told to grow up and get a clue. What they do not need is to be pandered to by soft-headed people saying how "empowering" their dumbass stunts are.

(Photo of Dan Savage)

Please sign petition opposing Prostitution Free Zones

Friends,

As you may know, the D.C. Council's Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing tomorrow (Tuesday, Jan. 24) on Yvette Alexander's Bill 19-567 to allow the police chief to make so-called Prostitution Free Zones permanent. As I will testify on behalf of GLAA, those zones violate the U.S. Constitution and in any case do not solve problems associated with street prostitution, because such police tactics merely chase the activity to other streetcorners. And giving criminal records to people who are engaged in commercial sex in order to survive only makes it harder for them to escape the streets.

Our discussion of this issue in GLAA's "Agenda: 2012" is here. We will post our testimony for the Jan. 24 hearing on GLAA's website on that morning.

Our friends Darby Hickey and Sonya Mendoza have placed a petition on change.org and tumblr.com about PFZs. Please use one of these links to add your voice to ours.

http://nopfzs.tumblr.com/

https://www.change.org/petitions/council-member-vote-against-making-dcs-prostitution-free-zones-permanent

Thanks,

Rick Rosendall
Vice President for Political Affairs
Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance

GLSEN Releases Groundbreaking Study of Bias, Bullying and Homophobia in Grades K-6

Here's a portion:

Key Findings on Gender Non-Conforming Students

• Nearly 1 in 10 of elementary students in 3rd to 6th grade (8%) indicate that they do not always conform to traditional gender norms/roles - either they are boys who others sometimes think, act or look like a girl, or they are girls who others sometimes think, act or look like a boy.
• Gender nonconforming students are less likely than other students to feel very safe at school (42% vs 61%), and are more likely than others to indicate they sometimes do not want to go to school because they feel unsafe or afraid there (35% vs 15%). Gender nonconforming students are also more likely than others to be called names, made fun of or bullied at least sometimes at school (56% vs 33%).
• Less than half of teachers believe that a gender nonconforming student would feel comfortable at their school (male student who acts or looks traditionally feminine: 44%, female student who acts or looks traditionally masculine: 49%)
• Only a third (34%) of teachers report having personally engaged in efforts to create a safe and supportive classroom environment for gender nonconforming students.

Check it out.

Anderson - Transgender Children

Our friend Alexandra Andrea Beninda shares this video with the comment, "Wonderful presentation of trans children and their families with Anderson Cooper. Thank You Anderson."

WAMU: D.C. Cracks Down On Prostitution

WAMU has an excellent story on the city's use of "prostitution free zones" and their unintended effects. Here's a portion:

Just before midnight, three people in their late teens or early twenties load a Honda minivan with supplies. This might sound like the beginning of a zany road trip, but it's not. The minivan belongs to a group called HIPS, which stands for Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive. One of the supplies they're loading is a giant box of condoms.

HIPS's mission is to make the lives of D.C.'s prostitutes safer and easier. Three nights a week, the group's staffers and volunteers drive the van to places where sex workers work, often in some of the most dangerous parts of town....

There's a reason why sex workers have been feeling more police pressure, says Cyndee Clay, executive director of HIPS. Five years ago, the D.C. Council passed a law allowing the police to designate certain streets or neighborhoods "prostitution-free zones." In these zones, officers can make arrests with a lower burden of proof. So far, most of the prostitution-free zones have been downtown, and Clay says that's had some surprising effects....

Clay says the prostitution-free zone law didn't get rid of prostitution in the District. The law simply moved it from downtown to the outskirts of the city. The Metropolitan Police Department refused to grant an interview for this story, but an analysis of the District's crime data shows that Clay is right....

"It's bad public health, it's bad social policy," says Clay. "It's not even effective judicial policy because we're not giving people the tools that they need to change their life or to make a change. We're just re-incarcerating the same people over and over again for the same thing." ...

HIPS keeps track of every sex worker it encounters, and the group is seeing roughly the same number of sex workers on the streets now as there was a decade ago. The difference is now they're more likely to get a criminal record and more likely to be working in a violent area. The sex workers are more isolated and more at risk. But they're less visible.

I will be testifying at a D.C. Council hearing on the Prostitution Free Zones on January 24. Getting our city's officials to see how counterproductive the PFZs are is going to be difficult. I am sure that GLAA's position on them is unpopular even in segments of the gay community. But no one said activism was easy. A constitutionally questionable policy that only chases sex workers into more distant and unsafe neighborhoods is no solution; and giving them criminal records only makes it harder for them to get better jobs. Thanks to WAMU for shining a light on this.

Tennessee state GOP rep pushes anti-trans bathroom bill

Joe Jervis summarizes: "Something something horses cats dogs."

I thank the Goddess that I live in D.C. I think my head would explode from this nonsense if I lived in this guy's district. It's bad enough for trans people here, but here the challenge is to make our city comply with its model human rights law, not overcome troglodyte lawmakers.

Grading Mayor Gray, one year in

John Riley in Metro Weekly takes a look at Mayor Vince Gray's performance after his first year as D.C. mayor. He talks not only to Jeff Richardson of the Mayor's Office of GLBT Affairs, who has issued an annual report for 2011, but to several activists from the LGBT community. Alex Padro, Shannon Cuttle, Ruby Corado, and I all have good things to say about Mayor Gray.

As reporter Riley notes, this positive view contrasts with the Mayor's low rating in public opinion polls. Indeed, someone posted the comment "Corrupt Scum bag" below the article under the pseudonym "Guest." It should be kept in mind that our mayoral elections occur every four years; if Gray hasn't improved his numbers two years from now, he'll be in trouble. But we're only one year in, and many of us who have worked with him are looking beyond the distractions and seeing good efforts.

Reading the article, I recognize that it sounds awfully arrogant for me to say I am better informed than people who are reacting to negative headlines. The reporter asked me how I could explain the contrast between the positive things that I and other activists were saying about the Mayor, on one hand, and the more negative view of the wider community as reflected in the polls. My point was simply that those of us who have worked with Vince Gray know about the good work that he and his administration have been doing with LGBT activists.

Those of us who are trying to change things for the better don't have the luxury of hurling dismissive insults. We are meeting with city officials to advance the interests of our community, and we are having a much better experience than we had with Adrian Fenty. BTW, I am talking about dedicated community activists, not a bunch of hacks lining their pockets. I am aware that a lot of gay people voted for Fenty; but can we please look at the full record here, and not just the scandals? The issues LGBT activists are working on include job training and placement for transgender people; impoverishment protections for same-sex couples who are excluded from federal Medicaid protections by DOMA; confronting discrimination by police; and strengthening the city's response to bullying of our youth.

I am not saying that all we should have is cheerleading, or that there are not other legitimate perspectives and concerns. But then let's air them with specificity and a constructive attitude. It won't kill us to give credit where due. If all you're willing to do is hurl anonymous insults, you're a jerk. Personally, I would like to abolish anonymous comments on web pages. I believe most people would think twice about their nastiness if they had to put their name to it.

2011 DC Center Year End Movie

Our friend (and GLAA Distinguished Service Award Honoree) David Mariner includes the following note with this slide-show retrospective on the DC Center's busy year in 2011:

Dear Friend of the DC Center,

On behalf of everyone at the DC Center I would like to wish you happy holidays. This has been an exciting year at the DC Center, and a year of many firsts:

The first year of free Second-Saturday HIV Testing for the HIV Working Group

The first year of the Friendly Visitor Program for SAGE Metro DC

The first Annual LGBT Book Festival for OutWrite

Our first Foster Parent Information night for Center Families

The first National Great American Smokeout event for the Tobacco Working Group

The establishment of our first ever arts-advisory committee for Center Arts

Programs and services like GLOV, Center Women and Center Careers continued to do great work this year, and we added new programs such as the Youth Working Group. We also established stronger online presence for the local Bisexual Community and Transgender Community.

As we look to the future, there is of course, some uncertainty. We expect that we will need to relocate to a new physical space before the end of 2012.

I can't tell you where or when we will move in 2012, but what I do know for sure is that with your continued support the DC Center will continue to grow and thrive. Your support makes this work possible.

During this holiday season, I hope you will consider financially supporting the DC Center:

Sincerely,

David Mariner
Executive Director
The DC Center

DCTC Files Brief Urging Respect for Trans Inmates’ Constitutional Rights

DC Trans Coalition reports:

On Friday, December 16, 2011, DCTC filed a friend of the court brief in the case of De’Lonta v. Johnson urging the Richmond-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to find that the Virginia Department of Correction’s housing policy for transgender inmates violates the Equal Protection, Due Process and Cruel and Unusual Punishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution. VDOC’s current policy is to assign inmates to male or female facilities based solely on their genitals, without taking into consideration where they would be safest. The failure to treat transgender women in the same way that non-transgender women are treated is discriminatory, the brief argues. Further, the brief alleges that automatic placement of transgender women into facilities where they are at high risk of being sexually abused is cruel and unusual punishment and the lack of availability of an appeal procedure deprives inmates of due process. Many jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia, have implemented policies that are more flexible and sensitive to the needs of transgender inmates, according to DCTC’s brief. The federal Bureau of Prisons is expected to follow DC’s lead by mandating individualized determinations of where to house transgender inmates and detainees when Department of Justice regulations implementing the Prison Rape Elimination Act are finalized.

Bravo to DCTC. Follow the link above to read the brief in full.