6/1/13

Puerto Rico's New Anti Discrimination Law Is A Transgender Screw Job

Monica Roberts post WTF Just Happened In Puerto Rico With SB 238? piqued my curiosity. Didn't Puerto Rico just pass a anti discrimination bill including public accommodations provisions for transgender people.

Monica wrote:
"Who the hell LGBT activist wise was watching the Puerto Rican legislature and the governor's office to ensure the tougher bill was the one that received Governor Garcia Padilla's signature? Instead of doing the civil rights job right the first time you'll now have to (like Massachusetts is painfully doing right now) go back to the Puerto Rican Legislature and refight the pitched battle you just fought to have those categories the Senate just stripped out added back into the law."

"A human rights law without public accommodations language in it is not only unjust, it's a worthless law."

It was all over the Internet via Gay media and the NGLTF saying they passed a inclusive law. Heck, even Mara Keisling said they did....Or did they?

It was really difficult to find out. The Puerto Rican Legislature website has no direct links to bills and nether does the Puerto Rican governments. So I had to trace the bill through both houses using multiple media reports.

I found out what happened not by what was announced, but what was not talked about. We were quietly thrown under the bus.

Apparently the House bill was stripped of public accommodation provisions in a deal with right wing politicans and fanatical religious zealots to get Bill 488 passed, amending the "Law of Prevention and Intervention in Domestic Violence" providing equal protection to all couples regardless of marital status, sexual orientation or gender identity.

To answer Monica's question, Pedro Julio Serrano a native of Puerto Rico and communications director for the NGLTF was the one we trusted to watch over the bill.

Serrano's May 16th video recorded his reaction when the Puerto Rican Senate on Thursday approved the non-discrimination bill that would ban anti-LGBT discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and government services in the U.S. territory.



But there was little fanfare when the house passed the legislature and subsequently signed by the Governor,  only this announcement and this press release on May 24th making no mention of what was sacrificed:
Statement by Pedro Julio Serrano
Founder, Puerto Rico Para Tod@s
Communications Manager, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

"Today is a thrilling day in Puerto Rican history. A decade ago, LGBT Puerto Ricans were criminals under the sodomy law, today we're second-class citizens and when this bill is signed into law, we will be closer to achieving the first-class citizenship that we deserve. Equality is inevitable. Puerto Rico will be for all."

Statement by Rea Carey, Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

"We celebrate with the Puerto Rican LGBT community this amazing milestone. The nondiscrimination bill that will become law with the signature of Gov. GarcĂ­a Padilla is a testament to the resiliency and steadfastness of the Puerto Rican LGBT community and its allies.

"The Puerto Rican LGBT community has endured an epidemic of anti-LGBT violence that has taken more than 35 lives in the past three years. Nonetheless, this community has continued to stand strong in the face of adversity and today can celebrate this glorious victory. We thank all the activists that have been part of this effort, especially our own Pedro Julio Serrano, who has been a steadfast and uncompromising leader in this struggle."
The question then becomes "who is watching the NGLTF? We did it it in 2010 when the NGLTF and HRC tried to trade a non discrimination bill sans public accommodations for gay marriage in Maryland.

Equality Maryland left that battle with their tail between their legs, their lies exposed, humiliated with members deserting them by the hundreds. They learned the hard way not to fuck openly with the trans community. A lesson evidently not lost to Gay.com this year in Puerto Rico. Do it quietly. Keep it hushed, trans people will wake up under the bus not knowing what hit them.

It's a sad state of affairs when we as poor trans people without the resources that these behemoth gay.coms have must fight, scratch and claw, THEM for our most basic rights.

Like Monica said. What the fuck.



5/31/13

Tampa Teen Charged as An Adult With A Hate Crime After Shooting Transgender Woman

Tavares Spencer is charged with attempted murder, robbery and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. The charges carry enhanced penalties because officials are considering this a hate crime.

Spencer met the victim Coco McDonald, at a party April 9th and invited her to meet a week latter at 5014 N Winnie St. in Tampa. The house was vacant and the meeting turned out to be a trap. Coco told Bay News 9 "I tell anyone, whether its platonic, intimate, I let everybody know because I'm not ashamed of who I am. I'm very confident about my sexuality,” said McDonald. "I'm transgender, if you really don't want to have any dealings with me I understand, but I'm just letting you know so there's no confusion."

Coco makes it clear that she makes no bones about being transgender, a fact that is at odds with the the majority of news media articles which inevitably state she is a man and imply that she tricked Spencer into meeting her believing she was a 'real' woman.

*Trigger Warning: There are many transphobic media reports about this, some that I have used as sources that blatantly use problematic verbiage to revictimize Coco. The embedded video from ABC was the only one I could find that made any attempt at using the AP Style Guide in stark contrast to the highly problematic accompanying online article TPD: Tampa teen charged with a hate crime after shooting a man in woman's clothing

WTSP reports "Police say Tavares was already in jail, arrested for an unrelated crime when they charged him."

"A warrant enabled them to check his cell phone, which they say contained text messages making defamatory statements about Coko's lifestyle transgender status. The messages were sent within an hour of the crime."

"It was enough to charge him with a hate crime... for which he did not seem sorry, say detectives."

"He wasn't willing to make a lot of statements, but my detectives were taken by his lack of remorse in this incident. He showed very little to none," said Sgt. Michael Stout.

5/30/13

Ground Breaking Kenyan Transgender Short "HOW TO SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE MARIA"

kujitambua na kujiamini.

Maria a transgender woman from Kenya explains how HRT and transitioning has affected her saying  "I feel complete now, I'm complete now I know I am, complete, complete. Her movie, the first in a series about transgender people in the east Africa premiered today at the 4th Regional Changing Faces Changing Spaces Conference in Naivasha, Kenya.

The conference brought together activists from the sex worker and LGBTI movements in East Africa, as well as activists working in other regions of Africa, and allies in the health and legal professions, human rights activists and organisations, and donor partners working in the Region (Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi).

For the past 4 months Scottish film maker Tristan MG Aitchison has been working under commission documenting the transgender and intersex community of Nairobi. Six brave members opened up and shared their experiences of being transgender and intersex in Kenya - Living on the edge of the edge of society.



Learn more about at transgender kenya.com



Middleborough Mass. High School Embraces First Transgender Prom Queen


Transgender senior Cody Tubman tells myfoxboston the day after prom "It was surprising and it was exciting, cause I was like, we're coming really far."

Even Principal Paul Branagan was excited about her acceptance telling Fox News "This is a community and a school community in particular that is very accepting and I think that's a true testament to that."

It is so nice to have a positive story about prom this year. Now Cody will be able to go to college secure in the knowledge she is respected and valued in her hometown.





Holder wants to reveal new press coverage guidelines "off the record"

The Attorny General of the United States, Eric Holder, wants to meet with news organizations to discuss guidelines governing investigations that involve reporters, off the record.

The review of the guidelines called for last week by President Barack Obama come as the Justice Department deals with an outcry over its secret gathering of AP reporters' phone records and the emails of a Fox News journalist, and the AP.

The planned meetings are to take place over the coming weeks. The department said Holder plans to engage with news media organizations, including print media, wire services, radio, television, online media and news and trade associations. Discussions are to include news media executives and general counsels as well as government experts in intelligence and investigative agencies.

So why is this story appearing on here on planetransgender? Because it is read in 168 of the 179 countries rated by Reporters Without Borders where the United States is ranked 32. Although virtually unheard of in mainstream media planetransgender has had nearly a half million page views and is a trusted source.

"I'm aghast commented kelli Busey", a practically unknown blogger and columnist from Arlington Texas. She explains, "so let me get this right. Holder wants to have meetings with the press, meaning anyone on the media food chain from the AP, New York Times all the way down to planetransgender, where he could without repercussion, dictate the terms we cover their investigations of us, with one condition, we don't talk about the meetings? Well you know I won't go to those meetings" (as if she was invited).

And then nether will the AP or the New York Times unless they can report on what is said there. Good on them. Holder's 'meeting' should be boycotted untill he starts to respect us. It's a sad day in America when that option is the only one left to the media.







5/29/13

Obama "Needs Me" to Give Him more $. I need him to Make That Possible

North Texas activists and friends Daniel Cates, C.d. Kirven and Rafael McDonnal protesting at the Exxon shareholders meeting today.~ Dallas Voice

C.d. emailed me via GetEqual explaining why they were protesting with a preface to a petition "This morning, I was out on the streets in Dallas, protesting ExxonMobil's continued efforts to legally discriminate against LGBT employees."

"Every year since 2010, we've held demonstrations at ExxonMobil's annual shareholder meetings -- calling on the company to pass shareholder resolutions to add LGBT workplace protections to their policies. Each year, those resolutions have been voted down by wide majorities".

In fact, back in 2010, ExxonMobil wrote GetEQUAL a letter, specifically noting:

"Where we operate in countries in which the national laws require specific language regarding nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity be included in policies, we have amended our policies as appropriate."

It's clear that ExxonMobil will not ban LGBT workplace discrimination until the United States government tells them to. And, given that the federal government -- via taxpayer dollars from you and me -- has spent almost $8 billion dollars on federal contracts with ExxonMobil since 2000, the government could easily fix this problem.


No sooner than I signed my friend C.d. Kirven's petition calling for President Obama to sign a Executive Order barring LGBT workplace discrimination by federal contractors than I opened a email from the DCCC telling me I had set myself up for a "Express Donation" to Obama. The email had links for donation levels starting at $10.00 progressing to $100.00 and ending with Obama begging for 3 bucks. You're going to shame me for three dollars Obama? Try living on nothing for years. I did after I transitioned into the "Kelli TransAdvocate Busey" your email was addressed to.


I never have set up a political 'express donation account' with anyone much less gave my credit card number out knowing it would be passed around between multiple organizations for fund raising.

Yes, I have seen those adverts that appear on the side bars of news articles with sublimely anti Obama messaging appearing for all the world like legitimate news and understand that by all appearances they are factual to the uninitiated but...

If you pull this shit on me again Obama, yes your name appears on that email, you will never, ever get another penny from me or my vote for that matter. I am serious. You need to be the fierce advocate you said you are. And sign the fucking Executive Order, would you please. Stop jacking us around.

Thank you very much.
Kelli TransActivist Busey