Red Lion High School says Transman Issak Wolfe will be called by his Birth name at Graduation

The world first became aware of Issak Oliver Wolfe, a transgender senior attending Red Lion Area High School when his bid for prom king was unceremoniously changed to prom queen by the school's principal Mr. Shue. There wasn't much Issak could do about that because it was done without his knowledge at the last moment. He didn't learn of the change until he went to cast his ballot!

But it was just the beginning of Issak's battle for respect. The ACLU became involved at that time demanding that Issak be allowed to attend the prom in his authentic gender as a male with his supportive girl friend Taylor. Mr. Shue relented and allowed them to attend but there is one more critical unresolved issue.

Mr. Shue has said Issak's legal name will be read at graduation. Issak is in the process of changing his name now that he is 18, but that won't be completed until after graduation.

The PA code Title 22 Education does not require schools to read a students legal name at graduation and nether does the Red Lion School District.

Read Issack's authentic name. Soon after graduation it will become his for the rest of his life. It's just a simple request. Respect not bigotry.

From the ACLU May 6th press release

On April 25, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Pennsylvania sent a letter on behalf of Wolfe, asking among other things, that the school allow Wolfe to attend graduation wearing a black cap and gown for boys, as opposed to the yellow cap and gown mandated for girls, and have his male name read at the ceremony. The letter also asked that the school adopt a policy to allow students to run for prom court in accordance with their gender identity, as well as a broader nondiscrimination policy protecting transgender students in the district. In his response, the school district's solicitor agreed to allow Issak to wear a black cap and gown but denied the rest of his requests.

"I am really disappointed that the school district doesn't want to do anything to protect transgender students," said Wolfe, a senior at Red Lion Area High School. "I want to make sure that future transgender students are not humiliated and disrespected the way I was."

Wolfe plans to take his case to the RLASD school board at their next meeting on Thursday, May 16

You can keep up to date with Issak and his wonderful girlfriend Taylor by liking their facebook page and signing The ACLU petition "Issak's Simple Message: Respect, Not Bigotry".

The Plain Dealer Ignores their commitment to follow the AP Style Guide 8 HOURS latter

Eight hours after The Plain Dealer pledged to follow the AP Style guide following their horrendous reporting of transgender woman Cemia's murder they published this problematic article breaking there word.


The Plain Dealer, OH, USA

Olmsted Township police, FBI arrest Parma man in murder of Carl Edward Acoff, Jr.

By Mark Holan, Sun News

on May 04, 2013 at 8:39 PM, updated May 04, 2013 at 8:49 PM


OLMSTED TOWNSHIP -- A Parma man was arrested this morning for the murder of Carl Edward Acoff, Jr., the 20-year-old man whose body was found in a pond on Mackenzie Road April 17.

Andre L. Bridges, 36, is being held in Olmsted Township jail following his arrest by Olmsted Township police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Fugitive Task Force.

Acoff was reported missing by his family in late March, and his body was found by a resident who lives in the apartment next to the retention pond. There were multiple stab wounds in his body, and achain and a concrete block were attached to his waist.

There is still an active investigation going on with this case, according to Olmsted Township Police Chief John Minek.

© 2013 Cleveland Live LLC. All rights reserved

http://www.cleveland.com/olmsted/index.ssf/2013/05/olmsted_township_police_fbi_ar.html

The link no longer works but the damage is irrevocable, setting back coverage of transgender murders twenty years.

Multiple articles similar to this calling Cemia a man and ignoring she was transgender have appeared some word for word since the Plain Dealer published this article.

Five Texas LGBT GetEQUAL Activists Arrested Protesting Senate Stranglehold on Job Protections Bill

Published on May 5, 2013

In the state of Texas it is legal and common practice to fire, refuse to hire, or otherwise discriminate against someone in the workplace solely based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

Texas Senate Bill 237 "The Fair Employment Act" Seeks to create a workplace safe from these types of discrimination.


After numerous phone calls, petitions, and emails SB 237 still sits in committee. Fearing that the committee would not budge
GetEQUAL TX Activists payed a visit to the 4 senators who are holding it up.

5 of those activists were arrested for daring to speak truth to power. Join the movement for full equality in all matters governed by civil law.

Man Arrested For The Murder of Ohio Transgender Woman Cemia Acoff

Andre L. Bridges, 36 was arrested Saturday at his home in Parma, Ohio by police and the FBI.

Cemia Acoff, a transgender woman was found tied to a concrete block, underwater in a pond, her body badly decomposed on April 17th.

*Trigger Warning. The source used for this post, News net5, misgenders Cemia repeatedly using her birth name and making no mention that she was a transgender person undoubtedly parroting the atrocious original article published by the Plain Dealer.

You can read the News Net5 article "Arrest made in case where dead body was found in pond, tied to concrete block/steel pipe" here.

Plain Dealer is "Stunned" at "Unbelievably Vitriolic" response to Them Degrading Our Dead Sister

Ted Diadiun the Plain Dealer Reader Representative has been left wondering and stunned at the outcry over the trans toxicity of his papers three stories describing a murdered transgender woman as the "slaying of a oddly dressed man".

Diadiun wrote "The story was in the paper when they were made aware of the change in AP style, but editors hurriedly went back into the online version, taking the words "oddly dressed" out of the headline and making the references gender neutral. Along the way, in some references to the body, "he" became "it," until that was changed -- which only served to increase the ire of some readers."

Mr. Diadiun when you die do you have anything readied to identify your body? In case you don't I have prepared a stickum note for your forehead. No reason to thank me, "it" is the least I could do. The least you could have done was to call Cemia by her correct gender and name in her death.....

Why twist the dagger of transphobia Diadiun? You reposted a mug shot of Cemia despite knowing full well your readers objected to you doing that. Why? Don't you get it? There are pictures available for you to use that show Ce Ce as a happy human trans woman. That image like her authentic name is what she wanted people to know her when she was alive. Diadiun, the least you could do would be to honor that simple wish in her death.

If the articles were about a rich cisgender woman with a few minimal legal entanglements in her past that have nothing to do with the present situation, like driving without a license or skipping a bus fare, would you have posted those irrelevant mug shots of her in three consecutive articles about her murder? That's fucking bullshit, and now you know that too.

Diadiun writes:

When the story was published, Caniglia and his editors began to get emails from all over the country, objecting to the tone of the story, the use of male pronouns, the description of Acoff's clothing and the recounting of his criminal record.

Some were cordial. Some were profane. Some were threatening. Nearly all were angry.

Caniglia was stunned.

"I was trying to be as sensitive as possible," he said. "I never had a thought to be unfair or hurt somebody who was already brutally slain."

"SENSITIVE"! OMG don't even think about playing the victim card Diadiun. Caniglia wrote three articles each progressivly more transphobic. Writing those articles that way was all about getting the public's attention, pandering to transphobs and getting free plublicity angering trans people. I will call you out on that. Bullshit.

Diadiun continues:

"The AP style change is understandable, but perplexing."

"Where do we draw the line?" said Chris Quinn, the editor in charge of the paper's local coverage. "What's a cop to do when filling out the gender form of a police report? What's a census taker to write? What about a driver's license?"

Quinn said future stories will say something like, "Acoff self-identified as a transgender woman so, for the purposes of this story, will be identified with female pronouns."

I am relivied your editor read the style guide but I am appalled he hasn't bothered with it for so many years. I hope in the future your paper will respect transgender people in life and death.

In the meantime Mr Diaium you and Mr Quinn should pay attention to what the Columbia Journalism Review wrote about your paper. You will know where to "draw the line and maybe you won't be quite as 'perplexed' about angry virtiol you received about your trans toxic articles.

You can read the whole of Diadiun's post Story of Olmsted Towhship homicide victim riles transgender advocates: Ted Diadiun

Ted Diadiun

About Me (from his profile on the PD):
As the reader representative, I encourage comments, complaints, suggestions, compliments, debates, questions about fairness or anything else dealing with The Plain Dealer that a reader might want to talk about. I respond to calls and e-mails, and write a Sunday column about whatever strikes me as the most interesting or intriguing journalistic issue of the week. You can reach me through e-mail at tdiadiun@plaind.com or by phone at (216) 999-4408.

Landlord Asks LA Times Real estate If he has To Let Newly Transitioning "Freak" stay

Question found on the LA times Real Estate page:

I have been renting an apartment to a man named Michael, who recently asked me to start calling him Michelle because, he says, he now identifies as a woman. He has also started wearing makeup and women's clothing.

Both the name change and the change in dress make me uncomfortable, and I'm worried that it may make my other tenants want to leave. At least one of the other tenants has commented about the "freak" in Apartment 201 and has asked me if the "freak" has any plans to move out.

Michael has been an otherwise good tenant for several years. I don't really want to terminate his tenancy, but I don't think I should be forced to call him anything but the name he listed on his rental application. I also don't want him to stay if his behavior will provoke the other tenants. What am I allowed to do?

Continue reading the LA Times for the answer. The Times did not include the links to the laws below.

In California It shall be unlawful for the owner of any housing accommodation to discriminate against or harass any
person because of gender identity. Cal. Gov’t. Code Section 12955(a)

"Thirteen states (California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington) protect
transgender people from discrimination in housing. These laws require that a tenant or homebuyer’s transgender status not be used as a basis for refusing– or offering less favorable terms in – leases, mortgages, homeowner’s insurance, and home sales.
Many housing and real estate non-discrimination statutes prohibit landlords, sellers, and real estate brokers from requesting information about a tenant or homebuyer’s transgender status." ~ National Center for Lesbian Rights

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