10/23/09

ENDA Movers and Shakers Getting The Message Send Yours TODAY!


Jillian Weiss sent a message to the members of Inclusive ENDA.

----------------
Inclusive ENDA almost at 5,000

Dear Inclusive ENDA members:

Our group is almost 5,000 strong. People in DC tell me that we have been having an impact on co-sponsorships and support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and we are close to our goal of eliminating job discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Our work is being discussed by the movers and shakers.

Would you please help take this over the 5,000 mark? Please forward this to a couple of friends who are interested in job fairness, and ask them to join our group. They will receive an email from me about once a week, with updates on the bill. The Inclusive ENDA group can be found Here

FYI, we're currently at 212 likely yes votes in the House (we need 216) and there are 35 unconfirmed. In the Senate, there are 57 likely yes votes (we need 60), with another 15 possible yes votes. You can find more info at our spreadsheets:HERE A hearing will be coming up in the Senate on the bill, and a vote in the House is expected soon as well.

Thank you for the work you have been doing.

Jillian
Co-Chair, Inclusive ENDA Facebook
--------------------

To reply to this message, follow the link below:
Inclusive ENDA Facebook

10/22/09

Transgender Inclusive Hate Crime Bill Passes Senate


Source NCTE: VICTORY: Hate Crimes Bill Passes;
First Federal Bill to Protect Transgender People


(October 22, 2009, Washington, DC) "In an historic move, the United States Senate joined the House of Representatives in passing The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which will be the first federal law to include gender identity and transgender people. Once signed by the President, this law will add sexual orientation, gender identity, gender and disability to the categories included in existing federal hate crimes law and will allow local goverments who are unable or unwilling to address hate crimes to receive assistance from the federal government. President Obama has indicated that he will sign the bill into law."

"Transgender people have been waiting so many years for assistance from the federal government in addressing the rampant and disproportional violence that we face," noted Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. "Today we move one step closer to our goal of ending violence motivated by hatred. Everyone in America deserves to live free of fear and of violence. We know that the dedicated leadership and hard work of Senator Kennedy and Representative Conyers and many other legislators made the passage of this bill possible. Words can't really express our gratitude for their commitment to equality for all people."

"In the past, federal law has only mentioned gender identity in a negative context, such as explicitly excluding transgender people from the Americans with Disabilities Act. The passage of the hate crimes bill marks a significant turning pointfrom the days in which the federal government contributed to the oppression of transgender people to today when federal law takes action to protect our lives."

"The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act will have a number of positive impacts. First, it will help educate law enforcement about the frequent hate violence against transgender people and the need to prevent and appropriately address it. Second, it will help provide federal expertise and resources when it is needed to overcome a lack of resources or the willful inaction on the part of local and/or state law enforcement. Third, it will help educate the public that violence against anyone is unacceptable and illegal."

"Transgender people continue to be disproportionately targeted for bias motivated violence. Thirteen states and Washington, DC have laws which include transgender people in state hate crimes laws."

National Center For Transgender Equality

10/20/09

Rev. Delores Berry to sing at Trinity MCC Arlington TX

Rev. Berry, first recipient of the Rosa Parks award at the UFMCC, describes herself as a Christian, Gospel Singer, African-American and Lipstick Lesbian. Her ministry was created in the name of Jesus to proclaim the wealth of love and blessings that God is begging and willing to give to Lesbians, Gay men, Bisexuals, Transgender, and Heterosexuals who refuse to hate LGBT people. Her ministry offers Spiritual Inspiration, Guidance, Hope, Humor, Compassion, Wisdom and Love.


Concert information

Date: October 23, 2009
Time 7:00 pm
Admission: No cost a free will offering will be taken.

Location: Trinity Metropolitan Community Church
1846 W. Division Street
Suite 305
Arlington, TX 76012
Google Map
(817) 265-5454
Trinity MCC.org

Rev. Delores Berry.com

10/19/09

TransEpiscopal powerful Christian Transgender Advocacy


From TransEpiscopal web site"... is a group of transgender Episcopalians and our significant others, families, friends and allies dedicated to enriching our spiritual lives and to making the Episcopal Church a welcoming and empowering place that all of us truly can call our spiritual home."

What have they done for transgender people who are not religious or prescribe to a different faith? TtansEpiscopal is significantly influencing perceptions, changing hearts and making the world a accepting place for all humans by personally involving themselves in politics and religion at this historic time.

It is extremely important that LGBT people recognize that yes, we have been unjustly discriminated against by the major religions for millennium, but this is changing. It is safe for your heart to venture back to faith.

The spirit entered my being one day with such a force that standing on my two feet at that moment was impossible. As I crumbled my transgender friends on ether side of me physically kept me from collapsing. I am both desperate for Christ and content in waiting for him. Amazing.

Maybe you have not experienced a moment like this yet, but I promise it is waiting for you in your LGBT church and you will be changed, forever.

On Line at TransEpiscopal.com

Jesus proclaimed;

"For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it."

-- Matthew 19:12

GLSEN Dallas Ally Week


Everyone needs allies.
And in school - whether it's teammates in sports, or just a friend at the lunch table - having allies improves every student's chances at success.For LGBT students, allies are harder to come by. Despite substantial societal progress, it probably won't surprise you that, by and large, it's still not safe to be gay in school. It's why thousands of LGBT or questioning young people endure silent suffering or risk harassment by being "out."It's also why GLSEN sponsors Ally Week every year: to call attention to - and increase the support for - LGBT young people who are living in fear and isolation.
Ally Week is October 19th - 23rd: Will you stand up for LGBT Students by signing our Ally Pledge today?

Since 2005 - When a small group of students on GLSEN's Jump-Start National Student Leadership Team came up with the idea - Ally Week has steadily grown. Ally Week now includes hundreds of thousands of participants who pledge their commitment to safe and effective schools for all and encourage students to take action. You can help it grow even more, by signing the pledge today.

Maybe you remember being lonely or afraid in school, or perhaps you know someone who was. Either way, this is your chance to provide critical support to thousands of young people struggling with their sexuality, gender expression or gender identity.I can't stress enough the great hope for the future students experience when they know that people like you are on their side. So, please sign up to be an ally and give that hope to thousands of LGBT students today.

Thanks for being an ally,

GLSEN Dallas

10/17/09

AC Cooper MEEM اندرسون 360 نساء ، والمدونين ومثليون جنسيا يؤدي التغيير في العالم العربي

Are you unafraid and fearless? LGBT people are the portal that the world may view it's self without the military's talking heads condemning each other and committing us to war.

Watch this and think. Decide.



"Bareed Mista3jil" will be launched by the Feminist Collective and IndyAct at Masrah Al Madina on Hamra Street, Beirut on Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 6pm. Selected stories from "Bareed Mista3jil" will be read in English and Arabic at the launch and the book will be available for sale for the first time. The event is open to the public. For more information, please email us onbook@bareedmista3jil.com or check the Facebook event page."

"Bareed Mista3jil" is a brave new book published byMeemin Beirut, Lebanon. The book, available in both English and Arabic versions, is a collection of 41 true (and personal) stories from lesbians, bisexuals, queer and questioning women, and transgender persons from all over Lebanon. The introduction to the book is a 30-page analysis of the general themes presented in the stories."

"What sort of diversities exist in human sexuality? How do bisexuals come out? What kinds of discrimination do lesbians face? How does it affect their self-esteem and their sense of community? What are their relationships with their families, friends, and each other like? How do people of different sexualities deal with religion and faith? Is it a struggle to identify as non-heterosexual? Or do people just know? Are there gender identities other than man and woman? How has life for lesbians in Lebanon changed over the past 10 years? Is emigration their only choice?"

"This long-awaited publication comes to dispel the myths surrounding these questions and to reveal a glimpse of the lives existing invisibly and silently in different Lebanese communities. The stories are about love, pain, identity, suffering, overcoming, and the intricate complexities of the human heart. And above all, these stories are about hope."

Meem On Twitter

Anderson Cooper اندرسون 360 نساء ، والمدونين ومثليون جنسيا يؤدي التغيير في العالم العربي


Meem is a community of Lesbian, Bisexual, Queer and Questioning Women and Transgender and Transsexual individuals in Lebanon.