Transgender Murder

Murder trial coverage

dreamindemon

‘Queen Raquela’ reaps int'l acclaim

By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
4/19/2009

MANILA, Philippines - When Cebuano transsexual Raquela Rios first met Icelandic filmmaker Olaf de Fleur Johannesson online, she thought he was looking for romance, like she was. He gave her a movie role instead.

She soon realized he was doing research for a movie. “He was in touch online with other Asian transsexuals, mostly Thai and Filipinos, but decided on a Pinoy because we are fluent in English,” said Raquela.

Following a barrage of e-mails, the pair embarked on the adventure that resulted in the film, “The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela.”

The shoot, Raquela recalled, brought her from tropical Cebu to frigid Scandinavia. “I never imagined I could become an actress and travel,” she said. Her inexperience initially daunted her. “I had no idea how to act, but [after a while] it felt natural. . . .Read More

Comedian David Hoyle is no drag

With scary make-up, savage wit and no showtunes,the comedian David Hoyle takes his audiences right to the edge

TimesOnLine

4/21/2009

David Hoyle tosses his head back and regards his reflection. His outfit - leather miniskirt, fishnet top and cut-off leather jacket (plus red dog collar) - pleases him, with its whiff of Nancy Spungen. “I'm quite into the S&M look at the moment,” he says airily, “I think it happens as you get older.” He glances over at me and twinkles.

We are in the Candy Store costumiers, Hoyle trying on outfits in preparation for his new show at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, the pioneering alternative gay venue in South London, which launched Lily Savage, Amy Lamé's Duckie and the comedian Scott Capurro. Dave's Drop-in Centre “is loosely inspired by a psychiatric daycare centre,” Hoyle explains, “and all the activities that go on, from occupational therapy to hobbies to empowerment, group catharsis.” Each of his six shows will have its own theme and Hoyle will collaborate with different performers from the alternative scene. “The one I'm working on with [the burlesque comedian] Fancy Chance will touch on issues of nationalism, nationality and immigration; when I'm working with Dickie Beau that will be to do with the past and childhood. I think that's going to be a very emotional show.”. . .Read More

Transgender bill not ready for prime time

Perspective

4/20/2009

AP

The transgender rights bill being considered by the Legislature aims provide a measure of human dignity for a segment of the population that we are still grappling to define.

There have been strong emotional reactions on both sides and pressure to either pass or kill it quickly.

But the complexity of the issue and unanswered questions as to its implications warrant much closer review before moving forward.

House Bill 1728 is anti-discrimination legislation that aims to fill a gap in the state's laws against hate crimes.

At it's heart is an effort to protect people being fired from jobs, denied housing just because their gender identity conflicts with the gender they were assigned at birth.

It's too simplistic to label this strictly as a "bathroom bill" that threatens the safety of women and children. . . .Read More

Transsexual runs for presidency

There is no shortage of candidates in the Indian presidential election, including one 45-year-old transsexual, who says its her sexual identity that will defeat the political heavyweights.

GW Argues Over Transgender Rights

By AMANDA HESS

16 April 2009


G.W. Argues Over Transgender Rights was originally published on The Sexist on Apr. 16, 2009, at 3:38 pm.

George Washington University student group Trans Education and Advocacy (TEA) is spearheading the campaign to add “gender expression and identity” as a protected group in the university’s non-discrimination policy. In 2006, “gender expression and identity” became a protected group under the District of Columbia’s Human Rights Act, but the university’s policy has since failed to follow suit.

G.W.’s non-discrimination policy currently reads: ”The University will not permit discrimination on grounds of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation or identity, or any other illegal basis in any University-recognized area of student life.” Even though “gender expression and identity” is officially incorporated into the university policy under D.C. law, the lack of explicit wording at the university level can make filing grievances with the University Police Department and school administrators very, very difficult (review my G.W. transgender discrimination story, “Menace to Sorority,” for a refresher). . . .Read More

Transgender woman hired as city manager for Lake Worth, Florida

April 9, 2009

Former city manager of Largo, Florida and transgendered woman Susan Stanton has been hired as the new city manager for Lake Worth. Stanton, formerly named Steven, was fired from her job as Largo's city manager in 2007, apparently when her sex-change operation became public knowledge.

Susan Stanton.
Image: personal image of Ms. Stanton.

"We said all along that we'd pick the best candidate regardless and that's what it's all about, we wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't," said Jeff Clemons, the mayor of Lake Worth. He added that the city's commission voted in favor of Stanton 4 to 1. . . .Read More

Journey to womanhood: Transgender individual tells her story

by Linda S. Mah | Kalamazoo Gazette

April 16, 2009

In 2008, Hunter underwent gender-reassignment surgery. He is now Amy Hunter.

As a man, Hunter was a fixture in the theater community, serving as production designer for both the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre and the Whole Art Theatre.

Now Hunter, 48, of Alamo Township, is the support-services coordinator for the Kalamazoo Gay Lesbian Resource Center. In this role, she has many responsibilities, among them running a support group called Trans•cend for people who think they may be transgender and helping them connect with counselors and doctors.

Today he is.

In 2008, Hunter underwent gender-reassignment surgery. He is now Amy Hunter.

As a man, Hunter was a fixture in the theater community, serving as production designer for both the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre and the Whole Art Theatre.

Now Hunter, 48, of Alamo Township, is the support-services coordinator for the Kalamazoo Gay Lesbian Resource Center. In this role, she has many responsibilities, among them running a support group called Trans•cend for people who think they may be transgender and helping them connect with counselors and doctors. . . .Read More

Transsexual Activist Makes Bid in Indian Elections

by Mark Leon Goldberg - April 16, 2009

The world's largest democracy goes to the polls today for the first phase of multi-stage parliamentary elections. By mid May, 714 million voters will cast ballots at 800,000 polling stations. There are, all told, 1,715 candidates for office. But one of these political hopefuls is unlike any other candidate India has ever seen. Her name is Daya Rani Kinnar and she is a transsexual activist.

From the Hindustan Times:

Kinnar is a popular figure in Ghaziabad and will stand for election as an independent candidate. “I don’t mind taking on all the political heavyweights. I was born in Ghaziabad and people know me. I don’t have children. I will work only for people. I am going to give a tough fight to Rajnath Singh, who is an outsider. The sitting MP did nothing for the constituency,” Kinnar said. . . .Read More

Changing Sex to Escape Death: Homosexuals Dilemma in Iran

Arsham Parsi has been on several fact-finding missions in Turkey, meeting and helping many Iranian gay and lesbian refugees, as part of his Iranian Queer Organization. He says many of them have no choice but to undergo sex change operation or face death.

TelevisionWashington

Shelters slowly adapt to help transgender homeless

By DIONNE WALKER – April 3, 2009

ATLANTA (AP) — Twelve years heading the Salvation Army's downtown homeless shelter had done little to prepare Janeane Schmidt for the recent night when a soft-spoken biological male transitioning into a female walked in.

Schmidt didn't want to refuse someone in need. Having seen few such cases, however, and with limited space that winter night, she wasn't sure where to place the transgender woman. The shelter has space for homeless men and women but not anyone in between.

"Rather than turn them away, we give them a cot," said Schmidt, whose staff allowed the woman to stay a week in the shelter's lounge — the only space they could find.

"I don't even know of another shelter that takes the transgendered" in Atlanta, Schmidt said.

Nationwide there are plenty of holes in the safety net of shelters that catches men and women who have fallen on hard times. Activists say help is even harder to find for the transgender homeless, whose nontraditional gender status raises questions about sleeping arrangements and shower facilities. . . .Read More

California court of appeals affirms right of transgender individual . . .

14 April 2009

In a groundbreaking victory for transgender people born in California, the California Court of Appeal ruled on Friday that any person can amend their California birth certificate regardless of their current state of residence. Previously, only current California residents could amend their California birth certificates.

In a unanimous decision, the California Court of Appeal held that all people born in California, regardless of where they currently reside, can petition a California court for a new birth certificate. The strongly-worded decision was authored by Presiding Judge James J. Marchiano, who stated that “we discern no compelling state interest in treating California-born transgender individuals who reside out of state differently from California-born transgender individuals who reside in California when either class seeks issuance of a new California birth certificate.”

The case was brought by Transgender Law Center (TLC) on behalf of Gigi Marie Somers. Ms. Somers, a sixty-seven year old transgender woman, was born in California and now lives in Kansas. Ms. Somers underwent sex reassignment surgery in 2005 and has lived as a woman for a decade. When she sought to have a new California birth certificate issued reflecting her female gender, she learned that out-of-state residents were required to obtain a court order from the state in which they resided. Unfortunately, Ms. Somers was not able to obtain a court ordered gender change from her county of residence in Kansas. Left in legal limbo and unable to change her birth certificate, Ms. Somers contacted TLC for help. After the San Francisco Superior Court denied her petition due to the residency requirement, TLC Legal Director Kristina Wertz represented Ms. Somers before the Court of Appeal. . . .Read More

Austin transgendered woman fights for equal rights

by Michelle Valles

15 April 2009


Meghan Stabler's past is where she likes to leave it, in the past.

Stabler used to be a man. By the age of 10, she knew something about her was different.

Stabler recalls as a child, "I remember reading the newspaper and there was a tennis player called Renee Richards. And it had this big splash in the front page that said 'Sex change: Tennis player' and it was just like a brain click. I got it, that's what's wrong with me."

But Stabler continued to live as a man. He married to a woman. They had a daughter. But the image was all a lie.

To stop thinking about her identity crisis, she dumped all her energy on being a powerful executive, living lavishly and meeting with influential people all over the world. But still, nothing made her feel like a man. . . .Read More

Delisting transgender surgery may cost province

The Edmonton Journal April 12, 2009


As both a transsexual and an Alberta taxpayer I would very much prefer to see the controversy surrounding the delisting of gender reassignment surgery resolved before anything to the degree of legal or human rights actions have to be taken.

However, something that people don't understand is that GRS is in fact a medically necessary procedure and recognized as such by the medical establishment (and also recognized by the province of Ontario, which relisted GRS last year after a human-rights ruling). . . .Read More

Post Op Surgery w/ Dr. Garramone

April 6, 2009. Post op day. Bandages come off and drains come out.

notch12

Buddhist Thoughts for The Day

8 April 2009

A brahmin once asked The Blessed One: "Are you a God?" "No, brahmin" said The Blessed One. "Are you a saint?" "No, brahmin" said The Blessed One. "Are you a magician?" "No, brahmin" said The Blessed One. "What are you then?" "I am awake."...

7 April 2009

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful. - Buddha ...

College Dems travel to Albany, lobby for transgender bill

by Carly Silver

April 8, 2009

The Columbia University College Democrats took their activism off campus last weekend, heading to Albany, N.Y., to lobby for a bill protecting the rights of transsexual and transgender individuals.

The idea for the trip originated when Dems members expressed personal motives for lobbying for the cause. Though it remains to be seen whether those students will have an impact on the passing of the bill, the Dems kept busy by meeting with state officials and receivinig lobbying training.

The current bill in the state senate is based on the Sexual Orientation-Non Discrimination Act—a similar piece of legislation—but, according to Dems Lead Activist Sarah Scheinman, BC ’12, “when SONDA became too controversial at the time for including transgender and transsexual individuals ... the transgender and transsexual provisions were dropped from the list.”

SONDA, which was signed into law in 2002, protects the rights of people of different sexual orientations, but not transgender and transsexual individuals. . . .Read More

Transgender activists fighting back after provincial budget ends funding for sex-change operations

10 April 2009

by ANDREW HANON

"This," says Kris Wells, "could be the next Vriend case."

The provincial government is about to drag all Albertans into yet another costly, shameful and needless legal battle - this time over the decision to stop funding sex-change surgery.

And like the landmark Delwin Vriend Supreme Court case that forced Alberta to protect gays in its human rights legislation a decade ago, or the former premier Ralph Klein's pigheaded - and ultimately futile - fight with Ottawa over same-sex marriage, this is one the government cannot possibly win.

After all, last year Ontario was forced to reinstate funding for sex-change surgery after losing a human rights case.

The Alberta government politicians insist their decision wasn't based on morality. They say they had to "delist" the service in order to save about $700,000 in the provincial budget.

Yeah, right.

Yes, that's the same budget that will see overall program spending hiked by $1.1 billion and a total deficit of $4.7 billion, the most profligate in Alberta history. . . .Read More

Transsexual granted right to change name to Immanuel

9 April 2009

by Charlotte West


The Swedish administrative court of appeals has granted a 28-year-old Sandviken transsexual the right to be called Immanuel. . . .

Both the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) and the county administrative court have previously denied the request for a name change on the basis that Immanuel was an unsuitable name for a woman.

This is not the first such case to come before the Swedish courts. In November, Jan-Olov Ågren, a male cross-dresser from Norrbotten in northern Sweden, was handed a similar victory in his bid to go by the name Madeleine.

But the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) had previously rejected Ågren’s application to have his name changed to Jan-Olov Madeleine Ågren on the grounds that it is not appropriate for a man to have a woman’s name. . . .Read More

First openly transgendered U.S. mayor to get reality show

by Bill Dalton

April 9, 2009

Silverton, Oregon, is the first US city to have an openly transgendered mayor. In just a matter of weeks, it might also become the first city in America to have a transgender mayor as a star of his own reality show for educational purposes, as Komo News informs and Oregon Live can confirm.

Stu Rasmussen is a 60-year-old software engineer who has over 20 years of experience in politics. He’s also in a stable relationship with his live-in girlfriend, who says they’ve been together for better and for worse for the past 35 years. . . .Read More