Connecticut Pride 6/5/10

This Saturday marked the 29th annual Connecticut Pride, held in Bushnell Park in Hartford. I can happily report (because that’s what I do) that this was one of the most trans-inclusive queer pride events that I have been to. The event itself opened with a performance by the CT Imperial Sovereign Court’s own Empress and Imperial Crown Princess, Electra Shock and Chanel Couture. As the ISC is a non-profit group that hosts drag shows to raise money for charity, you don’t get much more trans-friendly than that.

Throughout the day, the stage was graced by multiple drag performances, some campy, some seductive, some an outrageous mixture of both. In between the fun and games, of course, were the passionate speeches by everyone from teachers to social workers to pageant winners. Naturally, different groups focused on different things, but it was encouraging to hear how often the community was urged not to forget the tail end of the “GLBT” acronym. Many speakers called for help to end discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

The trans-friendly atmosphere was evident not only in the speakers but also in the groups that had tents set up around the field. Being me, I stopped at every booth that offered transgender resources or shiny rainbow trinkets—my favorites being the ones that had both! I lucked out at the CTAC/Transadvocacy table, but that was just the beginning. A few other transgender activism groups were present all day, some of which I will certainly be highlighting in the near future. One, Transcending Boundaries, is dedicated to opening minds and eyes beyond labels; others, like the Twenty Club and Transitioning and Loving Life (TaLL), are trans support organizations. It’s arguably just as important to point out that many of the groups not exclusively dedicated to the trans community made it very clear that they were trans-friendly. I won’t publish the whole list here, but stay tuned—I have SO MUCH to share with you!

If you missed it, there’s hope—Boston Pride is this Saturday, and it might be bigger than Hartford’s (don’t tell them I said that). I can’t go, so I won’t be reporting on it directly, but if anyone wants to weigh in next week let me know! And, if you haven’t been to a pride event—get out there!

TDOR 2009

It’s that time of year again. In just a couple days, Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremonies and activities will be taking place everywhere. This is probably the most depressing queer action/activism day ever, but it’s something that many transfolk and their allies view as important and necessary, and consequently, take very seriously.

Transgender Day of Remembrance—TDOR for short—is a day that focuses on transgender people who lost their lives because of prejudice. Every year, an untold number of unique gender-variant lives are lost because of bigotry. Sometimes, people are victims of hate crimes; other times, they take their own lives because they are victims of depression, bullying, harassment, sexual assault, violence, or other forms of hatred. Other times, the death is a long, horrifying story; for example, some transgender people have died due to complications with AIDS after being refused treatment from several medical facilities based on their gender identities and presentations. Being transgender in itself is NOT DANGEROUS; hatred is.

The point of TDOR is to honor the unique lives that were cut short by hatred, and also to protest the fact that we lose human lives for such a ridiculous thing as transphobia in the first place. TDOR events come in many forms, but all of them incorporate a way to remember the people who died unnecessarily in the past year. My college gay-straight alliance is going to hold a “die-in” in our school cafeteria in order to raise awareness of the issue during the day; at night, we are going to hold a Reading of the Names Ceremony. During this Ceremony, participants spend a moment in the shoes of those that have been lost, reading their life—and death—stories in the first person aloud in front of everyone. The experience is very powerful for everyone attending, especially the reader. These are two activities that are widely used in many organizations’ versions of TDOR events.

Chances are, you can find a TDOR event near you using the internet. TDOR is generally held in late November order to honor Rita Hester, a 1998 hate crimes victim, but there are TDOR events on many different days. Look for a way to get involved and for more information—and of course, if you care to share your story, you can do so on this blog!

2009 names list.
TDOR info, courtesy of Connecticut’s Transadvocacy Organization.

National March for Equality

So, about a month ago, there was a big huge march on Washington for queer rights. People wanted gay marriage legalized, of course, but there were a bunch of other things brought up over and over again—repealing the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy of the army, calling for support for ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would make it illegal to fire transfolk or disabled people on the basis of those traits), and so on. Transgender rights may not have been at the top of the bill, but they were definitely on there, including everything from ENDA to healthcare to further educating the queer community. There were even several transgender or transgender-ally speakers at the rally at the end of the march, although their names escape me because everyone from Judy Shepard to Lady GaGa took a turn at the microphone. It was great to see the National March for Equality be so trans-inclusive.

At least on the surface. Although the organizers certainly did their best to include *everyone*, I couldn’t help but notice some discrepancies in the representation of the queer community that day. Sure, everyone and their mother—literally—had a sign that read “LGBT RIGHTS!” or something to that effect. But how were people reacting to transgender issues REALLY?

A pair of people near me in the beginning of the march started up a chant about not forgetting the T in LGBT. My roommate and I picked it up for a few turns, but no one else did, and the four of us soon died down until the next chant—something about marriage, something that the whole crowd joined in on. What was that about? Was it just my imagination, or were people paying far less attention to the transgender speakers—less fists in the air, less cheers, less rainbow flags waving their approval? The thing that really made the entire issue stand out for me was a kid about my age with a sign with the transgender symbol on it. The sign read simply, “what about me?”

Whether you’ve been a transgender ally for years, or you’re just reading that phrase for the first time today, you’ve probably noticed that transgender issues and ‘gay’ issues are different. Are the communities just different, or are they entirely separate? Is the queer world as inclusive of transgender issues and interests as we would all like to think? Have you ever had an experience that would make you answer these questions one way or the other?

TLDEF Benefit for the Name Change Project

The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) is dedicated to helping transfolk achieve equality. TLDEF seeks to end discrimination against transgender people, and works on everything from national healthcare to fighting employment discrimination to individual legal cases. TLDEF creatively forms partnerships with other legal groups in order to offer helpful programs that many transgender individuals would not have access to otherwise.

One such project is the Name Change Project, which provides free legal name changes to transgender people who cannot afford it. As many of us know, changing one’s legal name is a huge step for a person who is transitioning. Many transgender people spend months or even years living with a new name, and getting the legal recognition of that new identity allows that identity to be acknowledged in ways that it was not before. A driver’s licenses, employment applications, etc. must show one’s legal name, which can sometimes be a painful or embarrassing topic for a transgender person.

Getting one’s friends and family members to embrace a new name is hard enough; legally changing one’s name involves courts, judges, and fees that are intimidating at best. The Name Change Project provides free lawyers for transgender people seeking legal name changes, and will even pay for the name change fee if the person is unable. At the moment, this great resource is only available in New York; hopefully, the Name Change Project or similar initiatives will become available in other areas soon!

Every year, TLDEF holds a Benefit to help raise funds for programs such as the Name Change Project, which has helped over 250 people since its beginnings almost two years ago. The benefit is to be held at the Vlada Lounge in New York City on June 16th. Join TLDEF for cocktails and conversation in order to raise money for the Project!

The cheapest ticket you can buy is $25, the “fixed income” price. Those of us who make minimum wage might find this cost of admission to a cocktail social a bit steep, but remember, the money is going to a terrific cause.

Even if you can’t get to the benefit, it’s good to know that resources like this are out there for our transgender friends, children, lovers and family members!

Trans Pride: Washington DC

I know most of you are probably based in New England like me, but I thought I’d pass along the fact that the Washington DC Trans Pride event is tomorrow! I didn’t even hear about this until today, so don’t feel bad if you didn’t know!

The point of the event is to “celebrate the Washington DC metro area Transgender community,” although since it’s being held in DC (Madison Hotel) it kind of doubles as an affirmation for all of us. Perhaps surprisingly, this event has been going on for the past THIRTY-FOUR years. The theme this year is “Generations of Pride: Celebrate and Remember—Stonewall at 40,” embracing the common theme of GLBT events this year and this June especially. The event schedule and registration ($10) is available online! (Check out http://www.capitaltranspride.org/)Apparently they’ve taken a lot of new steps this year to ensure that it runs smoothly and is better than ever before, so if you happen to be able to check it out, let the rest of us know what it was like!

If you know of any upcoming trans pride or educational events, lectures, and so on, please please please don’t hesitate to post about them or send me an email so that I can. We want to keep communicating, and pride events offer an opportunity like no other to do just that!

Connecticut Pride is ALSO tomorrow, and although not specifically Trans-targeted, it’ll undoubtedly be a good time and a great networking opportunity. Anyone going, feel free to let us know how it was!

April 18 2009: THLC

Guess what tomorrow is!

The third (I think?) annual Transgender Health and Law Conference!

I’m thinking I’ll get all kinds of inspiration and whatnot from the conference tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll be updating more often after that. I know, I know, I’ve been promising you that for a year now. In fact, the Health and Law Conference played a huge role in convincing me to finally go ahead and start this blog.

Hopefully, the other thing I’ll find at the conference tomorrow is some potential blog partners—writers, readers, generally interested parties…?

Well, here’s hoping. At the very least I’m sure I’ll run into all kinds of new and interesting ideas and arguments to have fun with here. I did at the True Colors Conference in March, too!

I’ll be sure to share those too. You know. Eventually.

Transgender Day of Remembrance- a brief explanation

I’d like to apologize for the obscenely long break in blogging. Initially I just took a short break from writing. And then a short break became a long one. And then… well, anyway, I’m back now. I apologize to those of you who have been reading- and, welcome back! Hopefully from now on, new blog posts will be forthcoming at an almost-regular pace.

I'd like to focus for a time on Transgender Day of Remembrance. TDOR is an action day put on by various GLBT groups to honor and remember gender-variant people who lost their lives to prejudice. The event takes place in November to honor Rita Hester, the victim of the 1998 murder that inspired a web project called “Remembering Our Dead” and, later, candlelight vigils. Rita’s murder was not the first hate crime towards a transgender person by any means, but it did spark change. TDOR events vary group to group, but they always incorporate some way to remember and honor those transgender people who have died as a direct result of transphobia in the last year.

This day is a chance for transfolk and their allies to of course mourn those who have passed on, but also to unite in the face of adversity and celebrate those things that make us unique as well as bring us together. Participants often focus on the hope of the future just as much as the sadness of the past. A slogan I hear frequently at TDOR events is, “pray for the dead- and fight like hell for the living!”

The sad reality is, our transgender friends, lovers, and family members are at risk all over the world because of other people’s prejudices. Transfolk are often denied housing, jobs, and healthcare because their gender expression confuses, upsets, or offends people who do not wish to learn about gender variance and will not accept it into their lives. Less often- but of course more heartbreaking- transfolk suffer violence at the hands of people who do not, or will not, understand them as people too. It is this ultimate manifestation of anti-transgender prejudice that TDOR mourns, protests, and seeks to change.

Transgender Pride March: Alienating Allies?

The first annual Transgender Pride March was last Saturday. The parade itself was amazing- hundreds of gender variant people and their allies marching together; people of all genders, races, ages, religions- it was wonderful. The rally afterward started out as uplifting and all-inclusive, too. Speeches were made about not leaving our members who are of minority races, homeless, “different-abled,” and other minority statuses, behind us as we push towards equality. After those speeches about inclusion and progress, however, came others- speakers who focused on what we had left to do and, worse, who to blame. Speeches focused on the gay and lesbian “backlash” the GLB community had given the T community, and boldly stated that today a transgender movement would start that did not include or need the GLB civil rights movement or anyone affiliated. I sat in my chair, stunned and hurt; I had called out of work and crossed state lines to be here, and was being told, over and over, that I wasn’t needed or even wanted. Why? Because I was a lesbian, not a transsexual. That’s right- the spokespeople for the transgender community that day were judging our non-transgender allies based on the way their gender identities corresponded to their biological sexes. I thought, am I really so wrong, offensive, and unnecessary because I identify as a woman and have female parts?

The emcee tried to make it better. “Who here identifies as transgender? Who doesn’t but is here to support someone they love? How about a round of applause for those people, huh?” It was an obvious rescue attempt but it was a good one; the problem came when, after that, the accusations kept on coming and kept getting worse.

I felt betrayed by a friend; I felt embarrassed being there, like I’d crashed the party. As the speeches increased in venom towards the gay community, I found I couldn’t take it anymore- we went out for ice cream and missed the performance of All The King’s Men, which, I’m sure, was stellar as always.

How does everyone feel about this? Has this feeling of alienation ever happened to you? What did you do?