Baltimore ..... Here We Come

We are heading off to Baltimore for the Task Force's annual Creating Change Conference this week. Look for updates, commentary and images from the inside beginning with out arrival on Wednesday evening.

The official Creating Change Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/CreatingChange?sk=info

The official Creating Change Website http://www.creatingchange.org/

Study reveals widespread discrimination against transgender people

A groundbreaking new study reveals that transgender people suffer widespread discrimination in a variety of fields, including education, employment, housing, health care, and more.

The study, “Injustice at Every Turn,” released Friday by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), is the first large-scale national study of discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming Americans, and paints a more complete picture than any prior research to date:

This study brings to light what is both patently obvious and far too often dismissed from the human rights agenda.

Transgender and gender non-conforming people face injustice at every turn: in childhood homes, in school systems that promise to shelter and educate, in harsh and exclusionary workplaces, at the grocery store, the hotel front desk, in doctors’ offices and emergency rooms, before judges and at the hands of landlords, police officers, health care workers and other service providers.

The study was based on the results from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS), which received responses from over 6,450 participants.

Among the key findings from “Injustice at Every Turn”:

• Respondents were nearly four times more likely to live in extreme poverty, with household income of less than $10,000. 
• Respondents were twice as likely to be unemployed compared to the population as a whole. Half of those surveyed reported experiencing harassment or other mistreatment in the workplace, and one in four were fired because of their gender identity or expression. 
• While discrimination was pervasive for the entire sample, it was particularly pronounced for people of color. African-American transgender respondents fared far worse than all others in many areas studied. 
• Housing discrimination was also common. 19% reported being refused a home or apartment and 11% reported being evicted because of their gender identity or expression. One in five respondents experienced homelessness because of their gender identity or expression.  
• An astonishing 41% of respondents reported attempting suicide, compared to only 1.6% of the general population.  
• Discrimination in health care and poor health outcomes were frequently experienced by respondents. 19% reported being refused care due to bias against transgender or gender-nonconforming people, with this figure even higher for respondents of color. Respondents also had over four times the national average of HIV infection.  
• Harassment by law enforcement was reported by 22% of respondents and nearly half were uncomfortable seeking police assistance.  
• Despite the hardships they often face, transgender and gender non-conforming persons persevere. Over 78% reported feeling more comfortable at work and their performance improving after transitioning, despite the same levels of harassment in the workplace.

“By shedding light on the discrimination that transgender Americans face, this study poses a challenge to us all,” said Rea Carey, Executive Director of the Task Force.

“No one should be out of a job, living in poverty, or faced with sub-par health care simply because of their gender identity or expression. The scope of the problem is clear, and now we must come together to solve it,” she said.

You can download an Executive Summary (8 pages) of the report, or get the Full Report (228 pages) here.

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‘Living Social’ commercial: Were transgenders the butt of the joke?

By Eric Ethington

My Facebook page blew up last night after I posted about a Superbowl commercial by “Living Social” which used Transgender people as a punchline.

The 30-second spot follows the story of how a scruffy-faced man’s addiction to LivingSocial alters his life, transforming himself into a well-groomed cross-dresser as he purchases deals for everything from cupcake to spa treatments to high heels.

Watch the video below and discuss! Did you find it offensive, why or why not?



LivingSocial, based in Washington D.C., is a “deal-of-the-day” website notable for being a key competitor to market leader Groupon.

Personally? I can tell you I won’t be using Living Social any time soon.

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How Long Before Tony Perkins Calls Transgender Military Vets 'Scam Artists'?

Not content with seeing its gay brothers and sisters on the cusp of being able to serve openly in the military, America's transgender community is still longing for the day when the Pentagon won't view them as a bunch of he-shes. Banned from service by default, transgender civilians looking to serve must either mask their gender identity (hard to do if you've had below-the-waist surgery, which constitutes "physical abnormalities," making you unfit for duty), or waiting until they leave service to embark on a more complete transition, paid for by the federal government: "[T]he military’s long-standing posture on gender-identity has not prevented transgender citizens from signing up before they come out, or from obtaining psychological counseling, hormones and routine health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs once they return to civilian life." Indeed, because being transgender constitutes you as having a medical disorder, the VA will pay for your "treatment." Just don't expect to scam Uncle Sam for that sex change operation.

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Trans Trial Judge Makes History

By Advocate.com Editors

Victoria Kolakowski made history Tuesday taking the oath of office and becoming the first openly transgender trial judge in the country at a special session of the Superior Court of California.

"It's been very hard as a transgender person,” Kolakowski told Dot429.com before taking the oath of office. “We're a community that's chronically under- and unemployed and I've encountered that sort of discrimination in the past, but we're making so much more progress now. In terms of my career, I think part of it is hard work and perseverance, and part of it is good luck."

Kolakowski’s parents and wife attended the ceremony. Read more of the interview with Kolakowski here.

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For Transgendered, 10 Reasons Why 2010 Was a Watershed Year

By Sherman Leis

Dr. Sherman Leis, founder of the Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery, lists the reasons why he believes that 2010 was a watershed year for the transgender community.

1) A growing number of female-to-male (FTM) transitions.

Once only thought to be the province of males transitioning to females (MTF), a recent study showed that the transitioned male and female populations will equal each other within the next five years.

2) Growing acceptance of Gender Identity Disorder (GID) as a credible medical condition, instead of mistaking it to be a psychological disorder or perversion.

3) More conventional healthcare insurance policies are including transgender surgery and health needs in coverage, regardless of whether Obamacare is implemented or not.

4) The transgender community is gaining momentum to stand on its own and getting out from under the umbrella of the gay and lesbian community, except when it comes to fighting for human rights and dignity.

5) The U.S. is becoming a world center for transgender surgery as more trans patients from around the world are coming here for surgery. Although Asia and Europe still perform more trans surgeries overall, the growth trend is in favor of the United States.

6) More seniors are having transgender surgery. As society becomes more accepting, more seniors are making the commitment to realize their lifelong dream, including this one, the "world’s oldest transgender."

7) The most commonly performed surgical procedure for Male-To-Female transgender patients continues to be genital reassignment, although facial feminization procedures are a close second.

8) The most commonly performed surgical procedure for Female-To-Male transgender patients is breast removal and masculinization of the chest.

9) New medical innovations, such as micro surgery, the harmonic scalpel, radio-wave surgery, improved flap techniques, and new bio-medical materials like cellular dermal matrix products, will continue to make transgender surgery safer, with more realistic and functional results.

10) Trans people are becoming more accepted into pop culture, ads, TV shows, music, politics etc.

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California DMV Investigates Hate Letter

By Advocate.com Editors

The California Department of Motor Vehicles suspended one of its employees and is looking for more answers after the clerk sent a scornful letter to the home of a transgender woman seeking to change her driver's license.

The DMV put the clerk on an administrative leave in October, but the department is now conducting a full investigation, according to KABC News.

Amber Yust, 23, said she received the letter less than a week after going to the DMV in October to changer her license. Her claim is the first step toward suing the DMV for privacy invasion and violating her civil rights, according to the Associated Press.

The letter Yust received said she was an "abomination," that she made a "very evil decision," and that she was going to go to hell.

Earlier this week Yust filed a lawsuit against the worker and the DMV, seeking at least $25,000 in damages.

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