Guest Post: Growing After Bias
February 10, 2009 by Mik @ GLAAD
Police investigate the hate crime. Pictured is the shattered front door to the Center.
This post was written by GLAAD’s former Transgender Advocacy Fellow, Mik Kinkead. Mik now works for the Long Island GLBT Community Center.Recently the Long Island GLBT Community Center, home of Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth (LIGALY), has been inundated with media requests. Reporters and camera operators from news stations as diverse as Newsday, WABC Eyewitness News, 1010 Wins and WNBCNews have appeared on our steps asking for footage of the Center. Calls have been flooding the office from The Associated Press, 365gay.com, and the blog Pam’s House Blend.
The reason is a disheartening, but familiar one. On Monday morning staff members arrived at work to find the Long Island GLBT Community Center vandalized. The door to the Center was smashed in, and the van used to transport youth to and from programs was destroyed. The windows on the van had been broken, the tires slashed and the mirrors mangled.
For staff such as me, the attacks represented an affront not on personal property but on our individual and collective lives – the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Long Islanders. Our decision to alert the media through the help of GLAAD’s National News and Media Field Strategy Teams was a direct result of our experience working with community members. We know that when we remain silent on the issues that matter to us, and when our issues go un-reported, that our lives are not seen as valid or important. By reporting these attacks and making the Center open to news crews we put our lives and our experiences in the spotlight and were able to frame the discussion.
In my former position as GLAAD’s Transgender Advocacy Fellow, I was directly involved in the news coverage of the sixteen known murders of transgender people in the US during 2008. I can vividly recall pressuring media in Kentucky to cover the murder of Nakhia Williams, whose story went unreported for over a month. I can recall chasing down reporters across the nation to advocate for correct pronouns, correct names, and in-depth reporting of transgender people. Too often the physical attacks on members of our community are understood to be the price we pay for living openly. Too few reporters were willing to investigate the transphobia surrounding the murders.
I admit that I feel angry when I see the numerous publications that have referenced the attacks on our Center who did not report on the police brutality and eventual murder of Duanna Johnson, the murder of Lateisha Green days before the Transgender Day of Remembrance, or even the triumphs of our community such as Diego Sanchez being appointed legislative aide to Barney Frank.
My hope is that the staff of our Center and the excellent reporters we have encountered will make the correlation between what happened to our Center and what actually happens to our physical bodies tangible to viewers and readers. We can show that when the murders of people like Duanna or Lateisha go unreported or incorrectly reported we create a culture where bias incidents like this one are allowed to thrive.
As a media analyst, and as an advocate, I know that the presence of LGBT lives in the media leads to political action, self education, and policy changes – a presence we couldn’t have accomplished without partnering with GLAAD. Already, we here at the Long Island GLBT Center have seen the effects of media presence. The quick reporting of Newsday, WNBC News, and WABC Eyewitness News sufficiently pressured the Suffolk County Police Commissioner and Suffolk County Executive, Steve Levy to make statements supporting the Long Island lesbian gay bisexual and transgender community. Only one day later Governor Paterson issued a statement calling these kinds of attacks “unacceptable” and sent the State Commissioner of Human Rights to the Center for a public forum with our community.
Without fair and accurate coverage of the bias crime in the news none of this would have been possible. Without inclusive media representation that saw our tragedy as a community tragedy we could not have received the attention from the Police Commissioner, our County Executive, or Governor Paterson.
Mik Kinkead is the Transgender Services Coordinator for the Long Island GLBT Community Center. The Center is connected to Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth (LIGALY) and Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders-Long Island (SAGE-LI) through the umbrella organization of the Long Island GLBT Services Network. All are located in Bay Shore, New York.
Diego Sanchez to Assist Congressman Barney Frank
December 19, 2008 by Mik @ GLAAD
Diego Sanchez (L) and Congressional Representative Barney Frank (R ). Photo from Pam’s House Blend.
Transgender activist and prominent AIDS leader Diego Sanchez has just been appointed Congressional Representative Barney Frank’s top legislative assistant, making him the first transgender staff member on Capitol Hill.
If his name sounds familiar, it’s because Sanchez has consistently made headlines through 2008 since his appointment as the first transgender person named to a Democratic National Committee was announced early this year. Since then he was named among the Top 100 Most Powerful Latinos in Corporate America by Hispanic Business magazine and one of the 100 most powerful Latinos in Massachusetts by El Planeta newspaper. Sanchez is also the director of public relations and external affairs for the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts and has served on numerous health-related committees.
Sanchez told the Bay Windows that his top priorities would be to advise Frank on issues regarding healthcare, veterans, labor, the U.S. Census, and LGBT rights. Sanchez also said that Frank’s top items for LGBT issues would be the passage of transgender-inclusive hate crimes legislation and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). From Bay Windows:
“I believe that the opportunity for impact is one-on-one, and Barney has consistently said that the most important part of getting an inclusive ENDA passed is getting people to meet with their representatives,” said Sanchez. “I think what this does is give us an extra opportunity. … What I envision in my head is I will find it most interesting to sit with someone and have them tell me why they think I’m less than human and why they think my community should be treated as less than equal.”
Despite Frank’s introduction on a transgender-exclusive ENDA in 2007, Sanchez told reporters he was confident of the congressman’s commitment to a fully inclusive bill for 2009.
“I think that leadership has its obligations as well as its privileges, and Congressman Frank’s leadership means that he has to ensure that the appropriate numbers, the necessary number of votes are present,” said Sanchez. “He clearly has appointed someone in the trans community who is going to be part of his initiative to push forward a fully inclusive ENDA with gender identity and sexual orientation.”
Autumn Sandeen, a transgender blogger at Pam’s House Blend has a wonderful first-hand account of Sanchez’s appointment here. In her column, Sandeen mentions that Minnesota Republican Norm Coleman has employed a transgender staffer, Susan Kimberly, as his Chief-of-Staff for several years in his home office.
Jennifer Gale, Austinite Transgender Leader, Found Dead
December 19, 2008 by Mik @ GLAAD
A memorial to Jennifer Gale at City Hall in Austin.
The people of Austin awoke to a shock on Wednesday when they heard that former marine and perennial mayoral candidate Jennifer Gale, had died early that morning.
According to Austin EMS Director Ernie Rodriquez, Jennifer, 44, died from cardiac arrest. EMS employees said that the cold might have been a contributing factor to her death, although they are not certain. Jennifer’s body was found outside the First English Lutheran Church near the Austin campus. Jennifer had been occasionally homeless, although so far reports are not indicating if she was recently homeless.
KVUE-TV reported that Fire officials received a call around 7:30 am and spent 30-45 minutes performing CPR.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Jennifer was known as “a quirky Austin personality”. Jennifer ran for mayor several times, and had already filed paperwork for the upcoming 2009 race. She had also previously run for city council, governor, and school board in Dallas and Austin.
On Friday Equality Texas released a press statement calling on the state to review the non-discrimination policies for shelters to insure that transgender people can safely use homeless shelters throughout the city. Texas Civil Rights Review reported on the statement, saying that had Jennifer been able to find proper shelter her death might have been avoided.
Austin Mayor Bruce Todd was quoted as saying:
“Jennifer was a constant presence at various public hearings, forums and meetings in Austin and displayed a great love for and interest in our city. Her well-known catchphrase was ‘Keep Austin, Austin.’ While Jennifer no longer is here to physically trumpet that slogan, her personification of that expression will never be forgotten.”
In 2007 Jennifer’s platform for Dallas mayor was the only one calling for legal recognition of gay and lesbian unions and to extend publicly subsidized health benefits to Dallas residents.
We’ll keep readers updated as we find out more about Jennifer and how people are honoring her legacy.
Intersex Issues Slowly Gaining Visibility
December 11, 2008 by Mik @ GLAAD
Recently, a high-profile article ran in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution detailing the life of Danni Lee Harris, the Atlanta Police Department’s LGBT liaison. The article details Officer Harris’ very public announcement of her newly understood intersex identity, an identity she only learned of during the summer.
Officer Danni Lee Harris. Photo by Marcus Yam.
The article in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, and the subsequent spread of online communication about her story is only the peak of the iceberg in the new wave of visibility surrounding intersex people and their stories. From Oprah to Good Morning America the stories of intersex people have been shared with growing accuracy and fairness.
On the heels of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s article came a new book by Katrina Karkazis surrounding the stories between doctors, parents, and adult intersex people.
Written by a medical anthropologist and Senior Researcher at the Center for Biomedical Ethics at Stanford University Fixing Sex: Intersex, Medical Authority and Lived Experience has a focus on intersex visibility. From an article in the Medical Center Report of Stanford’s School of Medicine:
“Karkazis has emerged from her research with the conviction that more attention needs to be paid to intersex individuals as complete people, rather than as specimens of unusual biology.”
Officer Harris’s s decision to share her story with the people of Atlanta coincides with some of Karkazis’ statements on the need for lifting shame and stigmatization. The online magazine Political Affairs profiled Officer Harris in early December. The magazine concludes that Officer Harris has:
“increased local and national discourse about intersex and minority gender constructs in a forthright and professional manner.”
Officer Harris was initially reticent to discuss her identity with the public. From the article:
“‘This was so personal… I felt vulnerable when I was presenting…[however] people have been very supportive. It’s been overwhelming. Both the personal and professional feedback have been welcoming and warm.’”
Officer Harris’ experience is exactly what Karkazis is hoping to achieve through her work, a welcoming community that sees an entire person. Karkazis, as quoted in the Medical Center Report:
‘We need to look at what contributes to the flourishing of human beings in general, and think about how to achieve that for these kids,’ she said, noting less than 1 percent of studies examining outcomes of treatment have looked at patients’ long-term quality of life.
She also thinks brand-new parents need to get the message that a baby’s intersex diagnosis isn’t a calamity. We need doctors, Karkazis said, who will tell these worried parents, ‘I’ve seen this before. It’s OK. There’s no reason your child cannot have a marvelous life.’”
You can learn more about the book by listening to a podcast between the author and Stanford’s Center for Biomedical Ethics’ Executive Director of Communications, Paul Costello.
New PSA Speaks to API Transgender Women
December 3, 2008 by Mik @ GLAAD
In what media reports are calling a “seminal” event, a new public service announcement for the 20th observance of World AIDS Day was revealed yesterday. What makes this PSA stand out is that it’s the first one developed by and aimed at the wellness of the Asian Pacific Islander transgender community.
Medical News Today reports that the PSA is:
“The first of its kind to specifically address transgender women-particularly in the A&PI community-who are at higher risk for HIV infection and face discrimination for being transgender, of color, or both.”
The spot, produced by the non-profit organization The Banyan Project, will air nationally and online. The Banyan Tree Project is a national campaign dedicated to reducing HIV-related stigma in Asian Pacific Islander communities.
HIV is a prevalent issue in transgender communities. Just this year the Chicago-based publication Positively Aware, a bi-monthly magazine that reports on aspects of HIV/AIDS, dedicated the July/August edition to transgender issues. According to the article in Medical news Today, national studies suggest that 27.7% of transgender women have HIV. Two different 2004 studies conducted in San Francisco estimated that up to 27% of Asian Pacific Islander transgender women have HIV.
The PSA focuses on reducing stigma and shame related to discussing HIV and AIDS in the Asian Pacific Islander community. From the article:
“This community is often overlooked, and many of the outreach and prevention programs servicing transgender women are in danger of dissolution due to state and local funding cuts. This PSA is one way to continue the dialogue with an underserved, high-risk community in this historically unprecedented economic environment.”
The PSA features Tita Aida, Asia Vitale, and Erica Raney. Tita Aida is a long-time AIDS activst who was recently appointed to be the first transgender woman to sit on the Commission of Status of Women in San Francisco. Asia Vitale is well known for work in the 2006 documentary Beautiful Daughters, and Erica Raney currently serves as the peer leader for the Asian & Pacific Islander Transgender Empowerment program. Read the script below, or watch the PSA:
“I am in control of who I am and how I live my life. As Asian & Pacific Islander transgender women, we are at risk of getting infected with HIV. But we can change that. We can call the shots. Be in control of your health and life. Talk to your partner about using protection every time you have sex.”
Voters Stand Behind Transgender Mayor
December 1, 2008 by Mik @ GLAAD
As GLAAD covered and blogged about at the beginning of November, voters in Oregon helped to make their own first this election year. The small town of Silverton elected America’s first transgender mayor by an overwhelming 59%.
Stu Rasmussen will be serving his third term as Mayor of Silverton, Ore, but the first term out of the closet. Rasmussen is transgender and identifies as a “heterosexual male who appears to be a female”.
In post-election coverage a Silverton reporter, Marc Beaudoin. told The Oregonian that Rasmussen is “interested in doing a great job for the community that he loves. The gender identity thing is just a total backseat thing[.]”
Despite Silverton voters being able to see more than gender identity, congregates from Fred Phelps’ anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church descended upon the city to protest Rasmussen’s election. Four people traveled to Oregon with signs declaring anti-gay epithets and slogans such as “You’re Going to Hell”. For about an hour they gathered on one side of a main road in the town.
With as much enthusiasm as they elected their mayor, 150 residents of Silverton stood in counter-protest across the way. From a separate article in The Oregonian:
“The counterprotesters were waiting across the two-lane street — men in skirts and boots, moms with babes in arm, lifelong Silverton residents alongside kids playing hooky from Salem schools. The crowd of about 150 waved and drummed and hugged. Their signs, homemade, hurriedly produced on office laser printers and painted on the back of campaign yard signs, focused on the positive.
“My love is bigger than your hate,” read one. “We love Stu (and so does God).” “Everyone is welcome in Silverton.”"
This is the second time the Westboro Baptist Church has traveled to Oregon. Two years ago they came to protest the funeral of Navy Seal Marc Lee, killed on patrol in Iraq.
Here is the original video we posted from The Oregonian:
Transgender Veteran Returns to West Point
December 1, 2008 by Mik @ GLAAD
Not once in its 206 year history has West Point, America’s oldest military academy, knowingly invited a transgender person to speak. That is, until this month when Alyson Robinson, a senior pastor, former Army Officer and transgender woman was asked to speak to two classes at the elite institution.
Rev Robinson is also a 1994 graduate of West Point, a former Baptist pastor and Army Officer. Rev. Robinson now works for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) as the Associate Director of Diversity. During this visit, she represented the Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA).
TAVA President Monica Helms and Vice President Angela Brightfeather released a statement last Monday about the historic event. According to the statement, Rev Robinson lectured at two classes in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. An essay by Rev Robinson on her experience was also included.
In the essay Rev. Robinson discussed her feelings on returning to her alma mater.
“I had been back to West Point many times since I graduated in 1994, but not since my transition. To return not as a prodigal, but rather as an honored guest, was meaningful to me in ways that are difficult to put into words. So many transgender people are (formally or informally) disavowed by organizations and institutions that had once embraced them. To know that my alma mater, my “Rockbound Highland Home,” was calling me back with honor was profoundly moving for me.”
She also discussed her interactions with the Army officials when discussing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell:
“Colonel Tom Kolditz expressed interest in having me return to speak to future classes and…asked me a question that surprised me. “What can we do for you?”
I asked him to begin considering how the Army should treat transgender soldiers and dependents in light of the imminent repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”… I suggested that this issue would soon present itself to the Army and that the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership was naturally positioned to lead the way in making the Army fully inclusive of transgender service members. He committed to considering the issue, and I urged him to seek the advice and counsel of TAVA at the earliest opportunity.”
Rev. Robinson’s return follows a growing trend of greater gay and transgender acceptance throughout the military. Recent events include the dedication of a plaque to out-gay sergeant Leonard Matlovich in San Francisco, and the statement signed by over 100 retired military generals and admirals asking for the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
Monica Canfield Lenfest – “What Does Transgender Day of Remembrance Mean to You?”
December 1, 2008 by Mik @ GLAAD
The Transgender Day of Remembrance was observed Thursday, Nov 20. To commemorate the day, GLAAD blogged about issues relevant to the Day of Remembrance throughout that week.
We asked transgender people and allies to respond to the question “What does the Transgender Day of Remembrance mean to you?” The responses are still coming in and we are posting them as they do. This response is from Monica Canfield-Lenfest.
Monica Canfield-Lenfest is the author of the Kids of Trans Resource Guide, the groundbreaking work written by and for people with transgender parents. The guide was the result of an eight-month fellowship at COLAGE - a national movement of children, youth and adults with LGBTQ parents. She has presented workshops about children of transgender parents at various transgender conferences including Southern Comfort, IFGE, Philly Trans-Health, and WPATH.
Monica coordinates the COLAGE Bay Area Chapter, organizing local events for youth and adults with LGBTQ parents. She is also working on the creation of the No Dumb Questions online community, a place for transgender people and their allies to share stories and ask questions about gender identity and expression. Monica blogs at A Seat on the SOFFA, where she continues to write about transgender families as the adult daughter of a transgender parent and an advocate for the children of LGBTQ parents.
During the Transgender Day of Remembrance service, we are reminded – these people are children, siblings, parents, friends, and lovers. As we read the names, I think of the mother mourning her transgender child’s death, the brother who will never understand how someone could take his sibling’s life. There is a small child whose parent committed suicide, an adult whose parent died because the doctors refused treatment. I don’t know their names, but anti-transgender violence has taken their family members.
In this moment, I find sadness. In this moment, I find rage.
Then, my thoughts turn to the transgender people in my life. I picture my father and her partner, the peaceful life they have pieced together in the small town surrounded by mountains. Grateful that they have a place to live, that she has a job. They are less vulnerable than many of those on the TDoR list, but still the fear creeps in. I could be that family member, holding a picture at the vigil. This year, I am not. I say a little prayer that my loved ones – family and friends – live free from violence.
In this moment, I find sadness. In this moment, I find rage.
While marching through San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, I meet a woman whose name could have been on the memorial list. She tells me her story of surviving stab wounds and being left at Ocean Beach, of the children who found her there, of her recovery just two years ago. And she is marching next to me, holding a candle just like mine.
In this moment, I find perseverance. In this moment, I find hope.
May this compassionate rage fuel our collective efforts to recreate a world where people live free from violence and discrimination.
Media Coverage of Transgender Day of Remembrance Grows, Remains Respectful
November 24, 2008 by Mik @ GLAAD
One of the most important and somber days of the year for gay and transgender communities and our allies occurred last Thursday as communities around the world commemorated Transgender Day of Remembrance.
While these events are primarily a way to memorialize and honor the lives of transgender people, media plays a key role in illuminating transgender experiences. Accurate and fair portrayals of Transgender Day of Remembrance events helps to expand public awareness and understanding of transgender lives.
This year, press coverage of the events grew in both national and local regions. Sadly, this seems to be linked to the recent murders throughout November. Coverage this year was particularly poignant in Tennessee, New York, and Florida where recent deaths shocked and galvanized communities. The recent murders of Duanna Johnson and Lateisha Green, and the recent death of Aimee Wilcoxson brought issues of anti-discrimination laws, proper health care, and community responses to violence into media focus.
One of the many news outlets that overall accurately covered the Day of Remembrance was News-10 in New York. News-10 originally had inaccurately reported on the murder of Lateisha “Teish” Green in Syracuse, however they quickly corrected their reports after outreach from GLAAD and local community organizations. On Friday, the station explored the meaning of Transgender Day of Remembrance vigils, focusing on the local one for Lateisha Green. From the article:
“Many may think that violence against transgender individuals happens in bigger cities. But that, in fact, is not the case. And the recent murder of Teish Cannon brought that to the forefront.”
Reports from Tennessee closely followed Duanna Johnson, often reporting on the pending legal case against the Memphis Police Department and the ongoing instigation into her murder by the FBI. The day before the Transgender Day of Remembrance, Nov 19, MyFOX and MyEyewitness News both reported that one of the officers responsible for her assault, Bridges McRae, had been indicted. National publications such as the New York Times also covered the assault and her death.
Reporters also covered the vigil for Duanna, which occurred on Nov 16. From MyEyewitness News:
“Back at the vigil on the streets of Midtown Memphis, those paying their respects to Duanna Johnson honored her as a woman who became the face of the fight against racism, homophobia and transphobia. They remembered her as a woman who received no justice in life, but whose life and struggle for equality will not be forgotten.”
Other local outlets included Maryland’s The Herald Mail, which focused on job discrimination.
The quarterly magazine ColorLines reported on the day in their blog, RaceWire. The blog, written by ColorLines‘ Managing Editor, focused on the reporter’s personal experience covering the murder of Gwen Araujo in 2002. Gwen was a Latina transgender woman whose case made headlines across the nation, the reporter compared Gwen’s story to the brutal and devastating murder of another Latina woman who was murdered this year, Angie Zapata of Greeley Colo.
Casual Loafing, a weekly alternate newspaper in Fort Lauderdale, Fla covered the day in their blog, Daily Loaf, as well. The blog focused on the murder of Simmie Williams, a Fort Lauderdale resident, who was murdered in February of this year. The reporter highlighted how underreported anti-transgender violence is:
“It’s definitely a problem and one that gets little coverage and even less understanding. One just has to look at the Pinellas County Commission’s decision this year to not cover transgender folks with their revamped Human Rights Ordinance. Or the circus surrounding Susan Stanton.”
Online networks and blogs also observed the day with bloggers from Jezebel, feministe, and feministing all participating in remembering the names of those murdered this year and in providing information on vigils and other events.
The Day of Remembrance was commemorated on many college campuses as well, with reports from newspapers such as Penn State’s The Daily Collegian, Purdue University’s The Exponent, the University of Georgia’s Red and Black, University of Tulsa’s The Collegian, and Towson University’s The Towerlight, reporting on the ways in which transgender lives are remembered on campuses throughout the nation. Vanderbilt University’s InsideVany reported on the campuses’ first-ever Transgender Day of Remembrance.
The University of Minnesota paper MN Daily included a long column on the importance of both remembering the dead, and working to improve the lives of the living:
“For many transgender people, the threat or the fact of physical and psychological violence is a daily reality. The fear and risk that accompany performing a non-normative gender are shaped simultaneously by their experiences of identities. The terrain of work for justice, equity and compassion for people who experience gender violence demands that we uplift and engage in all of these struggles. Thus, the challenge — and the promise — lies in working together, and in creating space to honor the multiple dimensions of each of our identities so that each person might be able to be present, to live in their bodies in their fullness.“
As we reported yesterday, international coverage has also been ongoing as the Transgender Day of Remembrance is commemorated across the globe.
Transgender Day of Remembrance’s International Scope
November 21, 2008 by Mik @ GLAAD
Our focus on the Transgender Day of Remembrance has been mostly national in nature. However, the day commemorates lives lost internationally, which this year reach tragically reach as high as 30 known transgender people lost to violence.
Recent reports from the United Kingdom are highlighting the ways in which transgender people are being remembered. Along with vigils and marches, some transgender advocates are taking the day to link the high numbers to a lack of non-discrimination laws. Among them are unions, such as the Trades Union Congress (TUC) that campaigns for “a fair deal at work and for social justice at home and abroad.”
In an article from Gay News UK, the TUC called for an end to discrimination against transgender people in the workplace. In a press release from today, the TUC stated that the murder rates of 2008 directly correspond to a lack of education and protections.
“The murderous attacks on trans people worldwide – and the assaults we know take place in Britain – show that this community faces prejudice and bigotry,” said TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said last night.
“If Britain is to be a truly equal and inclusive society we need to understand the issues facing trans people, and develop practical steps to end discrimination in workplaces, and in society at large.”
Gael Guevara – “What Does the Transgender Day of Remembrance Mean to You?”
November 21, 2008 by Mik @ GLAAD
The Transgender Day of Remembrance was observed this Thursday, Nov 20. To commemorate the day, GLAAD has been blogging about issues relevant to the Day of Remembrance throughout the week.
We asked transgender people and allies to respond to the question “What does the Transgender Day of Remembrance mean to you?” This response is from Gael Gundin Guevara.
Gael Guevara
Gael Gundin Guevara was born and raised in Panamá City, Panamá. Gael immigrated to the United States at the age of 19. Gael is an organizer for Transforming Justice, a national coalition that works to address the root causes of imprisonment, criminalization, and poverty in transgender communities.
Transforming Justice brings visibility to the voices and experiences of transgender people to build a all gender inclusive movement to abolish the prison industrial complex.
Gael also serves as the Community Organizing Coordinator and a collective member of the Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP). SRLP provides free legal services and community organizing support to low-income and people of color who are transgender, intersex, and gender non-conforming. Gael also works as a graphic designer.
The Trans Day of Remembrance is a day to commemorate the lives of the many people around the world who have been murdered because of transphobic violence. Too often transgender people face brutal violence and discrimination because of their gender identities and expressions.
Often the number of transgender people who are murdered due to transphobic violence are invisible because statistical reports do not recognize their identities. On the other hand they are often ridiculed as some kind of joke by the mainstream media to sensationalize and sell papers while portraying the lives of transgender people as disposable and insignificant.
They harm the community by stigmatizing transgender people and fueling the negative stereotypes and assumptions people make about who they think transgender people are. They often don’t realize the direct connections between systemic transphobic violence and discrimination and the high levels of incarceration, homelessness, joblessness, lack of health care and education in transgender communities.
Instead, they prefer to ignore the problem and pretend we don’t exist or don’t see us as whole people. The Trans Day of Remembrance is a day to say that the struggle is not over and that we will continue to speak out and bring visibility to this critical problem that our society faces until everyone is able to be respected and valued for the person they are regardless of their gender identity of expression.
We stand with our allies, families and friends to say, No To Transphobia! Let’s remember the lives of the ones we’ve lost and also celebrate the living and appreciate the resilience, strength and power that we have as a community to make a change.
Amanda Morgan – “What Does the Transgender Day of Remembrance Mean to You?”
November 21, 2008 by Mik @ GLAAD
The Transgender Day of Remembrance will be observed this Thursday, Nov 20. To commemorate the day, GLAAD will be blogging about issues relevant to the Day of Remembrance throughout the week.
We asked transgender people and allies to respond to the question “What does the Transgender Day of Remembrance mean to you?” This response is from Amanda Morgan.
Amanda Morgan is a photographer and writer whose work explores identity and relationships. She is particularly interested in issues of race, gender, sexuality, class, you can view her work on her Web site. Amanda is currently a Vaid Fellow for the National Gay & Lesbian TaskForce where she is working on issues of aging, bisexuality, and transgender discrimination in communities of color.
Amanda Morgan
Amanda’s response first appeared on the National Gay & Lesbian TaskForce’s OutSpoken blog. To find out more about the survey on transgender discrimination go here.
Remembrance Into Action
Transgender Day of Remembrance feels especially sad this year, with Duanna Johnson and Latiesha Green, two black trans women, murdered within a week of each other and another trans woman of color I met just a few weeks ago dead from as yet undisclosed causes.
I am often made aware of the vulnerability of our bodies when we are transgender or gender non-conforming and of color, but on this day it feels especially pertinent.
I am lucky – I have made it through my life thus having survived attacks that were not fatal or permanently disabling and having only received intimidation or threats based on my gender identity/sexual orientation. But many are not so lucky, 16 trans people have been murdered thus far this year and out of those 16, 11 are identified as people of color; the other five have not been publicly identified as belonging to any racial group. Ariel Herrera of Amnesty International has noted, “The most vulnerable are transgendered individuals of color. They are the most stigmatized in the community and often targeted by police.”
Despite this seemingly common knowledge, we are extremely lacking in terms of any real statistical analysis when it comes to the widespread discrimination and violence against trans people in this country. And without numbers, advocating for systemic change and better policies and laws to protect trans folks becomes difficult. It’s hard to get people outside the community to pay attention to our voices when our stories remain, from their perspective, merely anecdotal.
This is what motivated the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality to partner in launching a survey on the discrimination against transgender and gender nonconforming people. The survey opened in September, shortly before I began my fellowship at the Task Force. When the Policy Institute staff met to discuss what our roles would be, I already knew what I wanted to do. I volunteered to help administer the survey to people in the community without Internet access and to take the lead of people of color outreach in the New York metropolitan area.
The process of proctoring these surveys has been emotional, as I knew it would be. I have met and spoken to trans folks of color who are survivors of violent attacks, harassment and police intimidation, including false charges.
Every week, I hear the voices and stories of a community with few places to turn. Where do you go when someone in your neighborhood is leaving death threats on your door and you feel that the police can’t be counted on to value, let alone protect, your life? Like I said, I am lucky. When I was pulled over by a police officer who read me as male, all I had to put up with was a long series of condescending “young man’s,” as the officer handled me like the ignorant young black male he believed me to be, despite the information on my license. I still wonder how much worse that night could have been if he discovered my gender did not match up in the way he thought it should.
In the midst of so much, it is important to take time to grieve over those we have lost as well as for the rights we are repeatedly denied. But as often as I am reminded of how much we have lost and how much further we still have to go, I am also reminded of the hard work of healing being done by the wonderful trans folks that have invited me to their drop-in centers and support groups.
I am reminded of the bravery of each trans and gender con-conforming person pursuing the richness of a self-actualized life as opposed to one of self-denial. I think of these things and I am encouraged and I only pause for a second because there is too much to do.
If only there was some way to get this survey to every trans or gender nonconforming person in the country so not a single story would ever be lost again. Knowing this is not possible, I am doing everything I can to get the word out to transgender and gender nonconforming folks of color, because right now, in terms of survey results, our voices are the softest.
And yet, the news of murders within our community, and the subsequent media misrepresentation and degradation of said murder victims, maintains a near omnipresent hum. My wish for this year is that we don’t let the headlines have the last word.
Jillian Barfield – “What Does the Transgender Day of Remembrance Mean to You?”
November 21, 2008 by Mik @ GLAAD
The Transgender Day of Remembrance will be observed this Thursday, Nov 20. To commemorate the day, GLAAD will be blogging about issues relevant to the Day of Remembrance throughout the week.
We asked transgender people and allies to respond to the question “What does the Transgender Day of Remembrance mean to you?” This response is from Jillian Barfield.
Jillian Barfield
Jillian Barfield is the owner and director of TJobBank, the first and only employment site designed specifically to bring employers and transgender professionals together. Jillian also manages the blog at TJobBank where, most recently, she has covered how the down-turning economy is affecting transgender lives.
I remember attending my first day of remembrance event in Saint Louis years ago. It was being held at a small church in the city. There were four or five people in attendance, all of them spread out amongst the pews. And there was one transperson. Me. A powerful service was quietly held in the dark little church – to pray for those trans people who had died that year due to violence and hate – and the names were read. And there were so many! I cried for every one. I cried because their lives were stolen. And I cried because the world isn’t fair. I cried because of the lack of outrage. And I’m crying now.
Years have passed and we are denied housing. We are denied jobs. Our families shun us. Our friends turn their backs on us. And as our day – The Day of Remembrance – reflects - we are denied our very lives. At the same time some of our own purported advocates tell us that we haven’t done enough to educate people. I say we’ve done enough. Enough.
So while our congress-people and lobbyists sit in their expensive homes with their loving families on our day – on the day that we remember our dead, I hope that they take a few minutes to reflect on how not having a job, not having a home, not having family can affect a life. How the very fact that these things are denied to us with impunity can give mentally unstable murderers the impression that we are less than human, a joke. I’d like them to reflect on those of us who are left – Left to remember our dead – and those that will come after.
It’s time to stop this madness. I pray that a day will come where we won’t have to remember our dead. When we can pick a day to celebrate instead of one to remember. A day when trans-people can walk in society with their heads held high without fear of being brutally slaughtered out of hatred and bigotry. . . Where their ourstrength and their fortitude and their overwhelming will to live as they were meant to be – will be recognized by all – as the truly amazing quality that it is! A day when our brothers and sisters won’t have to die to be remembered. And that day is coming.
Elizabeth Rivera – “What does Transgender Day of Remembrance Mean to You?”
November 20, 2008 by Mik @ GLAAD
The Transgender Day of Remembrance will be observed this Thursday, Nov 20. To commemorate the day, GLAAD will be blogging about issues relevant to the Day of Remembrance throughout the week.
We asked transgender people and allies to respond to the question “What does the Transgender Day of Remembrance mean to you?” This response is from Elizabeth Marie Rivera.
Elizabeth Marie Rivera is an advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth of color. Whether serving as the Community Health Specialist for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis or as a member of the House of Latex, Elizabeth has always advocated for her community. Elizabeth has been an advocate for the health and wellness of NYC Transgender and Sex Industry workers since 1997. Her ballroom peers know Elizabeth as Elizabeth Ninja of the House of Ninja.
Elizabeth now works as the Coordinator of TransJustice, part of the Audre Lorde Project. TranJustice is a political group created by and for transgender and gender non-conforming people of color. TransJustice works to mobilize its communities and allies into action on the pressing political issues they face.
Elizabeth Rivera
The Transgender Day of Remembrance for me is not only a day to remember those who have passed on but to give thanks for the life you currently have as well. Many of us Transgender individuals have fallen victims to discrimination and violence. But we who are still here need to continue fighting for our rights and continue reminding society of those who we have lost due to ignorance.
It is sad that in this day and age we still have to hear reports like in the recent murder of Duanna Johnson from Memphis, Tennessee, who could not even be protected by the very police that repeatedly punched her in the face while she sat in the precinct for which she was suing the police department. Every year we continue to hear horrific and saddening reports that continue to affect us. We must end this discrimination.
We must continue to strive on and stay strong. It will change for all of us one day, we just need to be able to give thanks for the life you have been given no matter where it is you are at, know our passed ones have also created opportunities for change just in their own passing. Remember our passed but celebrate your life; you only get one.
I wrote this poem in the beginning of my transition to empower me and make me feel positive about who I am and the experiences I have been through. I pass it on to you in hopes that the words can make you feel as strong as I felt when I first wrote them.
My Feminine Spirit
There is a young woman inside of me
Lost in a labyrinth within my heart
A butterfly trying to break free from her cocoon
Trying to spread her wings and fly
Longing for acceptance and love
A soul alone trapped in the dark
Many have laughed and criticized her
Others have watched in silence
As this young woman holds her head up high
With courage she absorbs the cruel remarks
On the outside you may see a man
But on the inside she is a lady; a princess
Beautiful and sweet though she may be
Many tears have fallen from her eyes
But still she chooses to hold on
Knowing she will be real one day
As for her truelove
Her Knight in shining armor
He is out there; somewhere
Waiting for her to find her way
Like a bud blossoming into a rose
She blossomed from a man into a woman
This feminine spirit I have inside
A shadow of shame falls onto to her face
As she makes her way through the maze
She prays, prays to Him
In hopes that He will hear her
Forgive me father
All is forgiven
Becoming a Martyr for all to see
Fighting to survive and living to be
For no man or woman
Shall defeat the feminine spirit inside of me
Shannon Garcia – “What Does the Transgender Day of Remembrance Mean to You?”
November 20, 2008 by Mik @ GLAAD
The Transgender Day of Remembrance will be observed this Thursday, Nov 20. To commemorate the day, GLAAD will be blogging about issues relevant to the Day of Remembrance throughout the week.
We asked transgender people and allies to respond to the question “What does the Transgender Day of Remembrance mean to you?” This response is from Shannon Garcia.
Shannon Garcia
Shannon Garcia is the President of TransYouth Family Allies, Inc., a business owner, and the mother of six children, including a beautiful 9 year old affirmed female daughter who transitioned at the age of 6. She speaks at schools, social service agencies, health care facilities, universities and conferences nationwide educating and advocating on behalf of transgender and gender variant children and their families.
When I think of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, I have mixed emotions. I feel sadness and sorrow over those who have lost their lives due to senseless hatred and violence. I feel anger over not being able to help those who were taken before their time. I also feel energized and a renewed sense of commitment.
Each year at this time, I am reminded of why the work we all do in this community is so important. None of us want even one more person to die senselessly simply because they are transgender or don’t meet society’s expectations for how they should dress, act or look.
I am given a fresh sense of hope that we can and ARE indeed making a difference. We are making huge strides in educating students, educators, lawmakers, healthcare providers, work places and others all across the country on the myths and facts of what it means to be transgender. People are learning tolerance and understanding every day that will hopefully save lives.
I know as we move forward and make progress against oppression, bias and lack of education, Brandon Teena, Gwen Araujo, Lawrence King, Ian Benson and all of the other transgender angels in Heaven are smiling and spreading their wings. That makes me smile.
