Recently in Trans Activism Category
Tranny-alert.com--an site aimed at alienating and attacking trans people--was taken down after a flurry of online activism this weekend. A highly effective Call to Action against Tranny Alert was started by a Livejournal user named gudbuytjane and circulated widely by GLAAD and a chorus of other blogs.
Thanks to our own community blogger basketcasey who mobilized the feministing community to do their part. We're so grateful that we have voices in our community that can lead folks into this kind of rapid response when we're not on the ball.
Update: Miriam just sent me this update and it articulates another perspective on GENDA. What do others think?
Via the Curvature, today is the state-wide call in day to get GENDA passed. GENDA is the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act and provides anti-discrimination protection under the law in the area of housing, job discrimination and other sites of potential discrimination. From the wording of the act itself, the Transgender Law and Policy Institute tell us why GENDA was written,
To ensure that transgender people are included in the New York State human rights law, Senator Thomas Duane and Assemblyman Richard Gottfried have introduced legislation that adds the category of "gender identity or expression" to the state's Human Rights law, and defined that category in the law's definition section. If passed, this statutory language will make it clear to all New Yorkers that no one should be subject to discrimination because of their gender identity or gender expression. The definition as written is very similar to the definitions used in New Mexico, Rhode Island, Boston, Baltimore, New York City and many other jurisdictions.
The passage of the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act in 2002 was not enough and doesn't apply to the rights of the trans community. Read more about it here and if in NY call your Senator today and demand that they vote for GENDA. Call in TODAY, this bill has passed the Assembly and needs to get to the Senate floor NOW.
Information on how to call-in reposted from Cara's spot via Empire State Pride Agenda after the jump.
By Julia Serano
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has been called the "bible of mental illness" because it lists and defines all of the "official" psychiatric diagnoses according to the American Psychiatric Association. The DSM is in the early stages of undergoing its 5th major revision; each previous revision has seen the total number of mental disorders recognized (some might say invented) by the APA greatly increase. Last year, trans activists were particularly concerned to learn that Ken Zucker and Ray Blanchard had been named to play critical lead roles in determining the language of the DSM sections focusing on gender and sexuality, especially given that these researchers are well known for forwarding theories and therapies that are especially pathologizing and stigmatizing to gender-variant people.
Blanchard has recently presented some of his suggestions to revise the "Paraphilia" section of the DSM. In the past, this section has generally received little attention from feminists, as it has been primarily limited to several sexual crimes (e.g., pedophilia, frotteurism and exhibitionism) and a handful of other generally consensual but unnecessarily stigmatized sexual acts (such as fetishism and BDSM) that are considered "atypical" by sex researchers. However, there are two aspects of the proposed Paraphilia section revision that should be of great concern to feminists, as well as anyone else who is interested in gender and sexual equality.
Expanding "Paraphilia"
First, Blanchard is proposing a significant expansion of the DSM's definition of "paraphilia" to include:
"any intense and persistent sexual interest other than sexual interest in genital stimulation or preparatory fondling with phenotypically normal, consenting adult human partners."
The first concern here is the term "phenotypically normal" (meaning "normal" with regards to observable anatomical or behavioral traits). Thus, according to this definition, attraction to any person deemed by sex researchers to be "abnormal" or "atypical" could conceivably be diagnosed as paraphilic. So, do you happen to be attracted to, or in a relationship with, someone who is differently-abled or differently-sized? Or someone who is gender-variant in some way? Well congratulations, you may now be diagnosed with a paraphilia!
Seriously.
You've all heard the great news - Angie Zapata's murderer, Allen Andrade, has been found guilty and last night received a mandatory life sentence. I don't know that there can ever be real justice - because Angie isn't here - but this is certainly something.
More from Pam's House Blend, Race Wire, Queerty, GLAADBlog, PageOneQ, the Human Rights Campaign, Womanist Musings, EDNAblog, TransGriot, and the Justice for Angie Twitter Feed.
Contributed by Helen Boyd, (en)gender
National Stonewall Democrats set up a page on ActBlue specifically for the trans community and its allies to donate to Barack Obama. It's exciting in so many ways: for a historically gay and lesbian organization to do something so tangible for the trans community, to help make visibile the trans community and its allies, both within the LGBT community and on the national stage, and to raise money for the only presidential candidate who will help set a tone of tolerance and non-discimination toward trans people and their families.
I'm excited. Be excited with me. If you're a supporter of Barack Obama already, or a trans person and Democrat, or an ally, friend, or family member of a trans person, this is a great way to stand up and be counted: no matter how small the donation, it's the number of donors that matters most. Help make the trans community visible politically.
Other posts about Trans for Obama Day have been done by Andrea James, Kate Bornstein, Riftgirl (who does a mean Sarah Palin), A Dahl's House, and Caprice Bellefleur.
Helen Boyd is tracking all the posts and keeping everyone up-to-date.
Note: In our recent Feministing retreat, we decided that some back and forth dialogue between editors would be a cool thing, so every once in a while you may see a post title with "re:" in it - that's how you'll know it's us doing some good old fashioned feminist debating.
Miriam, I'm so happy that you posted this amazing video of An Open Letter to Alix Olson. I thought it was just incredible and I really appreciated your take on MichFest.
I have to say, though, that it really bothers me when MichFest is framed as a feminist "controversy" rather than straight up discrimination. This isn't a controversy - it's deliberate exclusion and it's shameful.
I also find the "Oh, but we're not doing genital checks"(!) just as offensive as a stated and enforced womyn-born-womyn policy. There doesn't have to be a written policy on the website for the discrimination to still be there. If MichFest wants to do the right thing, they'll be proactive and have a statement denouncing their womyn-born-womyn policy and stop hiding behind their silence on the issue.
I personally think the festival should be open to people who identify as women (or womyn), and if there are issues with safety or harrassment (which seems to be a fear) then they should be dealt with directly, not via discriminatory policies.
I totally agree, though I wanted to just point one thing out. I find the "safety" issue really uncompelling - as did Carasande in comments. Not only because it's not just penises* that rape women, but also because it uses rhetoric of the Right. As thebeatles11 noted on the Community blog, the latest anti-trans campaign (tellingly called "Not in My Shower") cites the fear that women will be assaulted as the reasoning behind their discrimination. Feminists shouldn't resort to the language (or actions!) of fear and discrimination - we're better than that!
You mentioned Julia Serano--who I think is probably the most brilliant feminist writing today--and I think that no one talks about trans woman exclusion better than she does. So I thought it fitting to end my post (though hopefully not the discussion!) with her words:
*Because the fear here does seem to be about penises, rather than "men."
This was pretty appropriate since Jessica just posted my favorite Alix Olson piece on Saturday. I found this open letter (via video) to Alix Olson at Questioning Transphobia.
It's also appropriate because this week marks the beginning of the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival (aka Michfest). It's a festival that has been going on for 33 years, an intentional community that is built out of nothing in Michigan and creates a space for womyn to come together and celebrate music.
I've never been, but the festival has also caused a lot of controversy around it's gender policy. Specifically, trans women feel they are being kept from attending the festival via the "womyn born womyn" policy. There was an incident in the past where a trans woman was removed from the festival when it was discovered (in the communal shower area) that her genitalia did not match the festival goers idea of female genitalia.
In response, Camp Trans was founded, a concurrent festival and protest of Michfest. It happens right across the road and many trans people and allies attend that festival instead. Julia Serrano has written extensively about this exclusion (including in the piece I linked last week) as have other feminists and activists.
Alix Olson, along with many other female artists and musicians perform at Michfest every year, which I assume is the reason she is the audience for this open letter. I actually had the opportunity to meet her at a performance she gave at American University last year, and I asked her about the Michfest controversy. Her response was that of all the conversations she had heard over the years about trans exclusion at the festival, the most productive or important ones had actually happened AT Michigan.
That might be a cop-out, and I know from talking to friends who have gone to the festival that it's complicated since many of them really appreciate the space and community it creates. I personally think the festival should be open to people who identify as women (or womyn), and if there are issues with safety or harrassment (which seems to be a fear) then they should be dealt with directly, not via discriminatory policies.
When: Friday, June 27, 2008 - 3:00pm
Where: Starting rally at City Hall Park, Manhattan, NY
Today is the Trans Day of Action for Social and Economic Justice, which is organized by the TransJustice working group of the amazing Audre Lorde Project. So if you're in the New York area, come out and march for trans justice.
To the folks at Morning Joe: Shame on you. What pains me is that I generally really like Mika Brzezinski, and consider her a voice of reason in an otherwise frat-boy-gross show. But this is just horrifying.
UPDATE: There's an email form on Morning Joe's website that you can use to complain, or you can check out the general MSNBC contact info.
