UPDATE: Police Claiming Long Island Vandalism Not A Hate Crime
February 10, 2009
As an update to the recent post by former GLAAD Transgender Advocacy Fellow, Mik Kinkead, Newsday.com is reporting that the incident is not being classified as a hate crime. From the article:
The Suffolk County Police Hate Crimes Unit investigated last week’s incident at the Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth Center as a hate crime but determined it was not, police said Tuesday.
Police arrested three men and a woman, all from Bay Shore, Monday in connection with the vandalism and charged each of them with second-degree criminal mischief. None of the four was charged with a hate crime.
The Long Island GLBT Center plans to issue a statement soon. We’ll update this post with that statement once it is made.
UPDATE: The Long Island GLBT Community Center has released it’s statement. Here is an excerpt:
Over three years ago, two of the four people arrested were former clients of LIGALY. The individuals regularly displayed inappropriate and disruptive behavior toward staff and other clients. This behavior made many of our clients feel unsafe, and the organization responded appropriately by discharging them from our services. We are saddened to hear that the individuals arrested continued to act out in hatred and violence, as these attacks illustrate.
While the vandalism is no longer being investigated as a bias crime, we feel that the investigation and the attention paid to these crimes by public officials and media was appropriate. Vandalism of this magnitude is intended to send a message of fear. The Center stands as the most public declaration of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender pride on Long Island. As the most visible symbol of GLBT presence and pride, the vandalism was indeed interpreted and felt as an attack on these already vulnerable communities.
Guest Post: Growing After Bias
February 10, 2009
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.
Intersex Issues Slowly Gaining Visibility
December 11, 2008
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.
Media Coverage of Transgender Day of Remembrance Grows, Remains Respectful
November 24, 2008
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.
EXCLUSIVE Video: Jennifer Beals Introduces Ilene Chaiken at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards
September 26, 2008
As promised yesterday, before Bravo re-airs the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards (Monday, September 29th @ 6pm EST/PST and Friday, October 3nd @ 2am EST/PST), GLAAD is releasing a few EXCLUSIVE and never-before-seen clips that didn’t make it into the broadcast.
Yesterday you got to see Graham Norton from the awards in New York City. Here you can watch Jennifer Beals’ speech presenting her boss and The L Word creator, director and executive producer, Ilene Chaiken, with GLAAD’s Davidson/Valentini Award.
The Davidson/Valentini Award is named after Craig Davidson, GLAAD’s first executive director, and his partner Michael Valentini. The award is presented each year in San Francisco to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for our community.
Later today we’ll be posting a clip of Candis Cayne from Dirty Sexy Money and then on Monday you’ll get to see the acceptance speech Ilene Chaiken gave after this introduction by Jennifer Beals.
And remember, GLAAD announced a fantastic contest to encourage people to watch the re-airing of the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards on Bravo (click here for all the details).
One lucky viewer who watches the re-airing of the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards on Bravo on Monday, September 29th @ 6pm EST/PST or on Friday, October 3nd @ 2am EST/PST (check local listings) will win a trip to London courtesy of VisitBritain!
(Click on the “ShareThis” link at the top of this post to spread the word to your family, friends, and coworkers!)
By broadcasting the awards on Bravo an estimated 84 million homes get the opportunity to watch the best portrayals of the LGBT community in media and see celebrities step out to support our community.
Enjoy the video below – an EXCLUSIVE clip of Jennifer Beals’ speach introducing Ilene Chaiken at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in San Francisco:
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And here is some of what you can expect to see on Monday, September 29th @ 6pm EST/PST or onFriday, October 3nd @ 2am EST/PST (check local listings) when Bravo re-airs the show:
Check back later today for a clip of Candis Cayne and on Monday for Ilene Chaiken.
And don’t forget to spread the word, watch the show and enter to win!
Top Stories Today – 09.26.2008
September 26, 2008
National News:
- Associated Press – Levi’s Joins Fight to Defeat Marriage Ban
- Los Angeles Times – OP-ED: Stopping Same-Sex Unions Protects No One
- Reuters – Gay Stars Thriving But Await A – List Company
- ABCNews.com – Clay’s Coming Out Turns Off Some Claymates
Regional News:
- The Star-Ledger (NJ) – Opponents of Same-Sex Marriage Call Civil Union Commission “Biased”
- The Detroit News (MI) – COLUMN: Activist Tries to Break Cycle of Gay Teen Suicide
- Marin Independent Journal (CA) – OP-ED: Prop. 8 Is a Vote for Social Justice
- Palm Beach Post (FL) – Palm Beach Atlantic Turns Down Gay Rights Group’s Request for Visit
- Ventura County Star (CA) – Lawyer Named as a Guardian for McInerney
- New York Daily News (NY) – Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: OK, We May Have a Few Gays But We Still Hate U.S. and Israel
International News:
- Reuters (Bosnia) – Bosnia’s First Gay Festival to Close After Attacks
From the Blogs:
- Politics Blog (San Francisco Chronicle) – Gay Marriage Fight Good News for California Channel
- The Bilerico Project – Why Do We Leave Our Youth Out of Our Youth Work?
- Queerty – Pepsi Co. Gives $500,000 to Gay Group
- Opinion L.A. (Los Angees Times) – The Swan Song for Prop. 8?
Gay neighbors come out on billboards in Wisconsin
September 12, 2008
A lot of the time, when people aren’t sure how they feel about issues facing our community, it’s because they feel that they don’t know any lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people in their own communities.
A group of advocates in southeastern Wisconsin are setting out to change that. They’ve developed a public education project called The Gay Neighbor Campaign to raise visibility about these issues and introduce community members to their LGBT neighbors.
The campaign is a project of southeastern Wisconsin’s Cream City Foundation and is the first large-scale effort aimed at raising visibility in the area. Since mid-August, more than 30 “Gay Neighbor” billboards have gone up across Milwaukee, Waukesha and Jefferson county. The billboards feature photos of real-life LGBT people and their families that live in the area.
GLAAD has been fortunate enough to be involved in the Gay Neighbor campaign from the beginning, at first by giving feedback on campaign concepts and ideas, and then by supporting the Cream City Foundation’s press conference where they announced the campaign. We were also able to help out with pitching the story to local, national, mainstream and LGBT media outlets.
The story has been picked up by more than 40 media outlets, and the campaign’s website received more than 120,000 hits in the first week.
The Gay Neighbor website is designed to be a space for LGBT families and allies across the country to share their stories. The stories shared on the website include neighbors’ first names and zip codes to show that LGBT people and their families live, work, raise families and go to school throughout the state of Wisconsin.
And the next time a parent of an LGBT son or daughter is driving from the Jefferson or Waukesha suburbs to their job in downtown Madison or Milwaukee, they’ll see billboards along I-94 with messages and photos from local parents like Dave and Georgia, showing their support for their gay son, Nathan. And we know that it’s pictures and stories like these that have the power to change hearts and minds and help LGBT people everywhere feel empowered to be open about their lives and their families.
Check out some of the media coverage of the Gay Neighbor campaign that GLAAD helped secure:
- Campaign in Milwaukee, Waukesha challenges stereotypes of gays, lesbians
- New Billboard Campaign Launched
- Meet Your Gay Neighbors
- “Gay Neighbor Initiative” Billboards Unveiled
