3/19/13

Arizona Amendment to S.B.1432 Seeks to Criminalize Undocumented Trans Potty Goers

Rep. John Kavanagh has submitted an amendment to the states disorderly conduct classification effectively making transsexuality illegal. This amendment is being snuck into a bill that has to do with providing an executive director to the board of licensing for massage therapists.
Many believe the amendment is in response to Phoenix adding trans protections which was seen as a stab to the heart by some the most venomous anti LGBT groups in the nation such as Az Policy Institute which happen to be based right in Rep. Kavanagh's back yard.

Rep. Kavanagh told KNAU public radio"...it will not be necessary for people to carry that (a birth vertificate) around, any more than it's necessary for someone entering a men's room or women's room now to produce documentation. "But if you go into a public shower," Kavanagh said, "and you're a male and it's a female public shower, and the police are called, well, you'd better be able to prove that you're a female and not a male. Otherwise, you're going to go to jail, which is where you belong."

The amendment gets it'd first hearing today.

NGOs Urge Japan: Halt Forced Sterilization Of Transgender People

In Japan the right to legal sex change in case of transsexual has been approved by legislation in 2004. The legislation only allows the person who has no children in addition to having undergone the sex reassignment surgery. The condition is amended in 2008 to "those who has no child under 20 years old", but still sterilization and sex reassignment surgery is compulsory to legal sex change.

Compulsory sterilization, also known as forced sterilization, programs are government policies which attempt to force people to undergo surgical sterilization. In the first half of the 20th century, several such programs were instituted in countries around the world, usually as part of eugenics programs intended to prevent the reproduction and multiplication of members of the population considered to be carriers of defective genetic traits. Widespread or systematic forced sterilization has been recognized as a crime against humanity by the Rome Statute in the Explanatory Memorandum. This memorandum also defines the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.[1][2] Despite international agreement concerning the inhumanity and illegality of forced sterilization, it has been suggested that Government of Uzbekistan continues to pursue such programs.[3] Also, in many countries, transgender people are required to undergo sterilization before gaining legal recognition of their gender. ~Wikipedia


Joint statement by the International Lesbian and Gay Association, Gay Japan News and Rainbow Action Delivered by Azusa Yamashita March 14, 2013.

Thank you Madam/Mr. President, This statement is also on behalf of Gay Japan News and Rainbow Action. We welcome the responses of the Japanese government to the recommendations made by the governments of Argentina, Canada, Norway, Switzerland and the United States requesting to prohibit and eliminate discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. We appreciate that the Japanese government has taken positive steps in recent years towards protecting the rights of LGBT people by changing relevant policies. Such changes include issuing the legal document certifying one’s single status when one attempts to marry abroad whether it is same-sex or opposite-sex couples. Inclusion of mental health of sexual minority population in the national policy on suicide prevention is also one of these changes. However, sterilization requirement of transgender people in the Law on Special Provisions for Handling People with Gender Identity Disorder, lack of anti-discrimination legislation including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity as well as social stigmatization remain great challenges towards achieving equality and wellbeing of LGBT people. We are also concerned by the government’s decision to reintroduce the supplementary teaching materials for moral education in elementary and junior high schools that says being attracted to someone of the opposite sex is natural. This reinforces heteronormativity and excludes non-heteronormative pupils. We call on the government of Japan to take concrete steps to implement the recommendations to protect all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. We will be happy to share our expertise in this regard. Thank you Madam/Mr. President. Azusa Yamashita March 14 2013

3/18/13

Lonesome's Pizza Removed "Tranny Breadsticks" From their Website Menu!

This is too awesome! Everyone who contacted the restaurant about this have the good people at Lonesomes Pizza to thank for listening to our concerns. After reading about "tranny breadsticks" on Reddit and how upset some peeps were about this I decided to call them too. I talked with a really cool manager, John, who said he'd talk to everyone about our concerns. A screen grab from the original post Portland Oregon's Lonesome Pizza "Tranny Bread Sticks".


Noah, a owner at Lonesome's pizza posted this comment to the original srticle:

Noah Antieau Owner at Red Truck Gallery

oye... been going back and forth on this one all morning... -ultimately, we've decided to change the menu name. the absolute last thing we ever want to do is upset somebody who's already got a rough road. the idea of doing that makes us all feel pretty horrible. so, if you're transgender, we're all apologies. christ, both me and nik (I'm 7 ft tall and he's 3 foot 6) have been listening to shit our whole lives, and to think that we're heaping it on to somebody who deals with exponentially more shit on a daily basis makes us both feel like dicks... so, again, long story short, we'll come up with some other sophomoric, hopefully inoffensive name (anybody with an idea for a breadstick name is more then invited to throw something out).

-but I've got to say one other thing here, I know this isn't going to be awesome for pizza sales, ...but we don't sell any pizza anyway, so what the hell... the ONLY thing that caused us to hesitate about changing the menu name is the notion that we might be placating a particular group of Portlanders who we so very, very much dislike... -there is in our little town a small, but loud minority of folks who are in a constant search for platforms for there own sanctimony. just douchebags who like the sound of there own pretentious voices. on behalf of everyone at our pizza place, we'd like you to know that you suck. order from Dominoes or somebody. seriously. you suck. -that being said, if you're an outlier, if you're anywhere near feeling like your on the margins, we really want your business, you're why we dig (and identify with) this town. you're the best thing about it. again, we really are sorry to all the transgender folks. we're dumb, no question, but we're learning.
-the dudes from Lonesome's Pizza.

And true to his word Lonesome Pizza's new web page and menu:


Thank you dear people at Lonesome's Pizza. You definitely rock:)

Lonesomes Pizza's looking for suggestions so they can name their breadsticks. You can call get a pizza and suggest a new name at 503-234-0114.



Sun TV Host Michael Coren's Vile Attack on our Little Sister, Coy Mathis

Sun Tv host Michael Coren knows his screed attacking 6 year old Coy Mathis would invoke a response from reasonable intelligent people. I almost feel like I'm playing into his hand by acknowledging his existence. Almost. There must be a rebuttal to ignorance even if its as pathetically transparent as this is.

As a friend of the Mathis family I am ill after watching this video. How could anyone say these awful things about such a loving family and dear daughter?

Coy is a girl. She knew she was a girl as did I in my earliest recollections. The real harm will come one day because Coy will watch this video and if she had any doubts that some people are ignorant assholes, she won't after watching this video. Want to know how people are responding to the screed? There's a well written article and a discussion over at Pink News.

3/17/13

Milan Boudreaux, Murdered Metairie La. Trans Woman's Memory Desecrated By The Media


Trigger warning! There's a lot of problematic reporting initiated by the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs office which as a law enforcement agency is obligated to use official records in reports. This was then broadcasted by much of the media without consideration to the victims transgender identity.

Reading the comments on the Sheriffs facebook page it becomes clear that Milan Boudreaux, the slain transgender woman would have wanted to be remembered as such, not as Morris Williams or as a transvestite as reported by much of the media.




Please click pause after viewing or this video or will continue to run and run and run:(

Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office (Official) Facebook March 13.

Sheriff Newell Normand announces the arrest of Melvin Miller, B/M, 20, of 7332 Townsouth #2 Baton Rouge, for two counts of second degree murder.

You may recall on February 14, 2013 JPSO deputies were called to 2209 Edenborn Apt. 3, regarding two badly decomposed bodies inside the apartment. The two victims were Morris Williams (36) of Metairie and Akeen Boudreaux (33) also of Metairie. Investigators determined Williams’ silver Pontiac was missing as well as a lap top computer and an iPhone.

On February 19, Detective Rhonda Goff got word of Baton Rouge Police responding to a domestic call of a fight between a man and a woman. The woman turns out to have been a transvestite, AKA “Jasmine.” The man who fled the scene was Melvin Miller. Miller was driving Morris Williams’ stolen silver Pontiac.

Miller denied being in New Orleans during the estimated time of the murders. However, cell phone records placed Miller in the area where the murders occurred. Detective Goff also learned Miller arrived in Baton Rouge driving Williams’ car and had his possession the victim's computer and cell phone. Miller told Goff, he obtained the vehicle from an unknown black male in Baton Rouge.

Detective Goff got an arrest warrant for two counts of second degree murder. Miller was booked into the East Baton Rouge Jail on a parole violation immediately following the interview by Detective Goff.



Portland Oregon's Lonesome Pizza "Tranny Bread Sticks"

Update! Click here to read about awesome Lonesomes Pizza decision to remove the word 'tranny' from there website menu.

I just talked with a very nice man, John, a manager at the Lonesome pizza and asked him about the use of the word 'tranny' on the restaurants website. He said the 'tranny' bread sticks promotion were the idea of co owner Nik, who identifies "as trans and a midget". I asked him if he had received any negative feedback from the trans community about using the word 'tranny' and he said no he hadn't.

I then explained that the word 'tranny' is widely regarded as defamation by the transgender community but John said it was ok because Nik, who he said does not identify by ether gender pronouns said its ok.

I understand Oregon is on the leading edge of trans inclusively affecting societal norms but I think the wishes and sensibilities of the vast majority of the trans community should be taken into account. I think the word 'tranny' should be removed from there website.

What do you think? Am I acting like a word police troll or am I making a rational request?
Lonesome Pizza a very cool restaurant with a very problematic breadstick 503-234-0114