With the start of a new legislative session in Maryland right around the corner, this report from Sharon Brackett, Board Chair for Gender Rights Maryland, is welcome news indeed: Last evening I had a brief moment to chat with Governor O’Malley just after he had finished a rare and wonderful performance with his band O’Malley’s [...]

Note from Laurel: On 9/20 I invite you to join us for a moment of silence to honor our transgender brothers and sisters who, despite the repeal of DADT, are still forced to serve in silence. Let’s let them know that they are not forgotten and that we LGB people are as committed to their [...]

A vigorous debate was sparked by my recent diary about the anti-trans letter that Cathy Brennan and Elizabeth Hungerford submitted to the United Nations. However neither Brennan nor Hungerford were willing to participate in a meaningful dialog on Pam’s House Blend. Instead they’ve opted to post a response to some of the criticisms their letter [...]

Note: Last week I wrote a diary similar to this one. It and other diaries and comments posted over a period last Friday-Saturday got scrubbed from the database due to a glitch in an upgrade conducted by Soapblox (our current host platform). I didn’t have a backup copy of the diary. Since it doesn’t appear that it will be restored any time soon, I have re-written it from memory and with the help of fragments captured on other websites.

---

Responding to a Call for Communications: Human Rights Violations Affecting the Status of Women posted by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women, lesbian attorneys Cathy Brennan and Elizabeth Hungerford submitted a letter last week opposing laws prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations based on gender identity and expression.

[The] proliferation of legislation designed to protect “gender identity” and “gender expression” undermines legal protections for females vis-a-vis sex segregated spaces, such as female-only clubs, public restrooms, public showers, and other spaces designated as “female only”. Females require sex-segregated facilities for number of reasons, chief among them the documented frequency of male sexual violence against females and the uniquely female consequence of unwanted impregnation resulting from this relatively common form of violence.^xxi

Brennan & Hungerford are alleging that laws protecting all our rights — but in particular trans women’s rights — to use public bathrooms and locker rooms puts non-trans women at greater risk of predation by men. It’s “bathroom bill” rhetoric dressed up to look like feminism.

The problem for Brennan & Hungerford is that their allegations about the consequences of including gender identity in anti-discrimination laws are not only dehumanizing to trans people, they’re based on intellectual dishonesty and the same fear mongering used by the radical religious-right.

Like Brennan & Hungerford, I am a lesbian born with a female brain and a female body. (For a trans woman’s take on the letter, read Mercedes Allen’s post at Bilerico.) Unlike Brennan & Hungerford, I demand solid reasoning from anyone who would seek to deprive a class of people of their civil rights. So when I see members of my demographic jumping on the international stage, engaging in intellectual dishonesty while seeking to deprive others of their rights, I am compelled to call them out lest my silence be interpreted as tacit support. It is not.

GenderQueer Chicago has launched an initiative to have friendly Chicago businesses identify themselves to trans customers.  Talk about turning the bathroom meme on its head.  It’s positive, it’s proactive, it puts the lie to the bathroom meme…I think I like this idea!  What say you, transfolk? CHICAGO- In an unprecedented effort to make the city [...]

Last week when I watched videos of the prayer breakfast that Equality Maryland sponsored for pro-equality faith leaders, I realized that although it’s probably happened before, it was the first time the I’d seen clergy making public statements in support of gender identity and expression anti-discrimination legislation.  I wanted to hear more from these folks [...]

This has me absolutely fuming.  Once DADT has been repealed, Harvard University will reopen its campus to ROTC.   I look forward to pursuing discussions with military officials and others to achieve Harvard’s full and formal recognition of ROTC. I am very pleased that more students will now have the opportunity to serve their country. [...]

Greetings blenders from balmy Atlanta, where the 20th annual Southern Comfort Conference is about to get underway. There is something for everyone on the SCC. Whatever your connection to the transgender community – whether you are transsexual, a cross dresser or in between; a spouse, a partner or a family member; straight, gay, bi or [...]

“An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes” (H. 1728/S. 1687) got a hearing last July in the Massachusetts Joint Committee on the Judiciary.  Then, nothing.  In light of the recent poll showing that 76% of Massachusetts voters, including 81% of women, support passing a law, isn’t it high time that the bill got [...]

This morning, Gov. Paterson signed “Executive Order No. 33 that will prohibit New York State agencies from discriminating against any individual on the basis of gender identity and expression in any matter pertaining to employment by the State.”  The EO is so new that it isn’t yet posted to the Governor’s Exec Orders page.  The [...]