Read and listen to the story on NPR
Worth the time...
The first woman to circumnavigate the glove was disguised as a man for the first portion of her journey, and was brutally raped by the crew when she was discovered. It's not a pretty story.
“http://www.npr.org/2010/12/26/132265308/a-female-explorer-discovered-on-the-high-seas”
She was a botanist at the time, and is evidently the actual discoverer of the common ornamental plant, the bougainvillea.
An Open Letter to Anita Bryant
Well worth reading.
Here's Anita Bryant: Anita Bryant's bio on Wikipedia
Note: The article mentions that Florida's ban on Gay and Lesbian adoptions was overturned by the State Supreme Court, but doesn't mention that the State appealed from the ruling and the struggle continues.
Like the poor, the hateful we have always with us.
Puddin'
Well, out of organised religion…
Because of things like this:
“As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me,” Manning said. “I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female. Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible.”
Athlete Caster Semenya free to compete
South African athlete Caster Semenya has been given the all-clear to return to competition by the International Association of Athletics Federations.
The 19-year-old world 800m champion has been out of the sport for 11 months after undergoing gender tests.
"The IAAF accepts the conclusion of a panel of medical experts that she can compete with immediate effect," said a statement from the athletics body.
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And about time. Twits.
The California Supreme Court has ruled that a transgender prisoner can sue her guards and the prison system as a whole for their failure to protect her from sexual assault while held in the general male prison population.
The Prison system and the guards had claimed that they had no duty to protect or care for the inmates under their charge.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/11/...
The recent victory against in the California Superior Court shouldn't be taken for more than what it is, since it's only a regional court, but it's also not trivial. Judge Walker laid out the issues fairly carefully, and the conservative half of the US Supreme Court -- where the case is undoubtedly headed -- has a particular problem in that the case was framed very carefully to draw parallels with the laws prohibiting miscegenation (the mixing of races) that existed in many regions of the USA prior to 1967, when Loving vs. Virginia decided the question in favour of general human rights throughout the USA. He was very specific in finding that the campaign against marriage for all was motivated by animus, not reason, which is a very good thing. In specific detail, his finding of fact are almost a wish list of incontrovertible truths about the hate-filled and bigoted motivations behind the anti-gay movement.
We note with some pleasure that one of the most vicious of the Conservatives on the current court is a Black man married to a White woman, and his vote to allow the public to outlaw anything they don't like would be a vote against his own marriage. He might not care, but his wife ought to.
This is often depicted in the media as a "culture war," but that's a deliberate distortion. It's only the latest faux "issue" in a long series of "white-bigots-only" skirmishes.
The fundamentalist preacher Jerry Falwell (He's the twit who thought that the Teletubbies were gay infiltrators trying to convert American children into flaming sodomites) was still preaching White Supremacy at the time Loving became the law of the land, but soon switched to anti-gay hate mongering:
In 1984, Falwell called the gay-friendly Metropolitan Community Church "a vile and Satanic system" that will "one day be utterly annihilated and there will be a celebration in heaven." Members of these churches, Falwell added, are "brute beasts." Falwell initially denied his statements, offering Jerry Sloan, an MCC minister and gay rights activist $5,000 to prove that he had made them. When Sloan produced a videotape containing footage of Falwell's denunciations, the reverend refused to pay. Only after Sloan sued did Falwell cough up the money.*
Times are changing.
"If Chief Justice Warren and his associates had known God's word and had desired to do the Lord's will, I am quite confident that the 1954 decision would never have been made," Falwell boomed from above his congregation in Lynchburg. "The facilities should be separate. When God has drawn a line of distinction, we should not attempt to cross that line."
Falwell's jeremiad continued: "The true Negro does not want integration.... He realizes his potential is far better among his own race." Falwell went on to announce that integration "will destroy our race eventually. In one northern city," he warned, "a pastor friend of mine tells me that a couple of opposite race live next door to his church as man and wife."*
Pretty soon, real soon now, bigotry of this sort will be intolerable in civilised society.
I can hardly wait.
* From Agent of Intolerance by Max Blumenthal
Lambda Literary Award-winning author Melissa Scott often features GLBT characters, but I just ran across The Shadow Man, which explores a world of many genders, most of whom are forced into a binary model. Very interesting.
Woman wins court battle for father's approval to marry schoolfriend who has undergone sex-change operation [FtM]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/11/iran-transexual-...
from: National Public Radio
http://www.npr.org/2014/01/19/263503567/laura-jane-grace-transgendered-punk-on-life-in-transition
Prisoners of Gender by John Bushore
A Medieval-Style sword and sorcery novel of magic spells and derring-do.
Used to be free, now free loan for Amazon Prime members, which means it may be free again, but it's only ninety-nine cents in any case.
Puddin'
Note: I've fixed the link.
Oh! It's available in paperback as well, more pricey, though.
Interesting article from Salon.
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
A work of fiction, the protagonist is one Henry Shackleford, a "coloured" man "liberated" by John Brown, the famous Abolitionist and activist. In an odd development, John Brown comes to believe that "Henry," a petite young man, is actually a girl and renames him "Henrietta," which masquerade "Henry" adopts with more or less equanimity.
From Stars and Stripes, a newspaper whose audience is primarily men and women in US military service:
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=68606
Policy revisions approved to allow transfer benefit for same-sex teacher couples
By Travis J. Tritten, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, March 13, 2010
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan – Same-sex teaching couples are eligible after all for joint job transfers this year at Department of Defense schools, officials said Wednesday.
====================
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=68652
South Korea bar district offers a safe haven for gay servicemembers
By Ashley Rowland, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Sunday, March 14, 2010
Hit & Miss - Season One
DVD or BluRay
Available in PAL, NTSC, and BluRay at different price points.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AQYUY9C
Mia is a contract killer with a secret: she's a transgender woman. After a young life where she never quite fitted in, Eddie, an underworld linchpin, took Mia under his wing and created a brilliant assassin. But Mia's life is turned upside down when she receives a letter from her ex, Wendy, who reveals that she's dying from cancer - and that when they were together Mia fathered a son, 11-year-old Ryan. Now Mia is his legal guardian. Travelling to a tiny village in West Yorkshire to see the boy, Mia meets the rest of Wendy's farmhouse clan: 16-year-old Riley, 15-year-old Levi, and 6-year-old Leonie. Hit & Miss follows Mia's attempts to mix her killer instincts with her new maternal ones, in a search for her own identity. A lethal killer at the heart of a troubled family in the middle of nowhere is where the series begins. ...Hit & Miss - Season 1 - 2-DVD Set ( Hit and Miss -- Six part series)
If you have a recommendation about great speculative fiction which explores gender in some way, please send the recommendation to the Tiptree Award jury. They’re reading now for works first published (as a book -- or possibly an e-book) in 2015 only.
http://tiptree.org/recommend-works-for-the-2015-james-tiptre...
James Tiptree, Jr., as you may or may not know, was a woman.
==========
Wikipedia Entry:
James Tiptree, Jr.
Alice B. Sheldon
Born Alice Hastings Bradley
August 24, 1915
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died May 19, 1987 (aged 71)
McLean, Virginia, U.S.
Pen name James Tiptree, Jr.
Raccoona Sheldon
Occupation Artist, intelligence analyst, research psychologist, writer
Nationality American
Education BA, American University
PhD, George Washington U.
Period 1968–1988 (new fiction)[1]
Genre Science fiction
Spouse William Davey (1934–1941)
Huntington D. Sheldon (1945–1987, their deaths)
Relatives Mary Hastings Bradley (mother)
Herbert Edwin Bradley (father)
Alice Bradley Sheldon (August 24, 1915 – May 19, 1987) was an American science fiction author better known as James Tiptree, Jr., a pen name she used from 1967 to her death. From 1974 to 1977 she also used the pen name Raccoona Sheldon. She was most notable for breaking down the barriers between writing perceived as inherently "male" or "female" — it was not publicly known until 1977 that James Tiptree, Jr. was a woman.
Story from Xtra! Gay and Lesbian News in Canada
Fred Phelps' son has a new job: promoting atheism and battling homophobia.
NEWS: Son of 'God Hates Fags' preacher likes Lady Gaga and wants more gay bars in Calgary
by Neil McKinnon
National
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Suicide and Suicidal Ideations
Suicide, the threat of suicide and suicidal depression are chronic problems among transgendered folk and other sexual minorities. Suicide is about emotional pain. Emotional pain can be managed and relieved with skilled assistance. Anyone who has persistent or recurrent thoughts of suicide needs to know that their lives are valuable, that there are people who care about them, and that there are people who can help, are trained to give timely assistance, and have resources on call.
If you, or someone you know, is in immediate danger because of thoughts of suicide, please call 911, the US National Emergency Number now. You will be helped, but you have to call.
If you're not in the USA, you can call your local emergency number, or one of the short selection below.
In the USA, There are two national hotlines, plus every state and many communities have local hotlines as well. A call to directory assistance or the local emergency number will put one into contact with effective help very quickly if a number isn't readily available.
The following numbers are available seven days a week and twenty-four hours a day in the USA.
Suicide.org - Suicide Prevention, Awareness, and Support
http://www.suicide.org/
1-800-SUICIDE
1-800-784-2433
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
1-800-273-TALK
1-800-273-8255
Deaf TTY Hotline:
1-800-799-4TTY
1-800-799-4889
In the UK and the Republic of Ireland
Samaritans: http://www.samaritans.org/
UK: 08457 90 90 90
ROI: 1850 60 90 90
In Australia: http://www.lifeline.org.au/
Telephone: 13 11 14
In New Zealand: http://www.lifeline.org.nz/
Telephone: 0800 111 777 (Christchurch)
Telephone: 0800 543 354 (National)
All Other Countries
Befrienders Worldwide http://www.befrienders.org/
They offer an extensive list of national and local helplines by country.
For everyone, even if you can foresee no possible need for one of these numbers on your own, it might be thoughtful to enter one of the local numbers on your cellphone, or write one down on a scrap of paper in your billfold or wallet. Life is long -- or should be -- and you may stumble upon someone who needs it.
The Velvet Closet [Kindle Edition]
by Chandra Borden
Note: This title is no longer free.
Interesting piece originally in the SF Chronicle:
Article reprinted in the Pink Pages
A federal judge has awarded a former Army Special Forces commander nearly $500,000 because she was rejected from a job at the Library of Congress while transitioning from a man to a woman....
etc.
Turnabout, the 1940 Body-Swapping film from the original novel by Thorne Smith, is scheduled on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) at 5:00am Pacific Time tomorrow morning, if anyone is interested and has Cable or Satellite access to the channel. People who live in other timezones will have to apply the appropriate timezone arithmetic.
It’s not the greatest film, but it’s not terrible either, and (like most of his other works) is fairly droll.
If one lives in Europe, the book is out of copyright (published in 1931) and is available at the Forgotten Futures website, along with many of his other works.
A precís of the plot follows:
Tim and Sally Willows are vaguely dissatisfied with their lives, and are bickering about whose rôle in life is easier when they annoy a pagan idol from Egypt, one Mr. Ram, who swaps their bodies out of a certain malicious sense of humour. Tim is forced to cope with the complications of his wife’s life, including the amourous attentions of the local cad, whilst Sally has to manage Tim’s job as an advertising executive. Complications ensue, including the completely unplanned pregnancy of Tim (as Sally) who winds up giving birth to their child.
U.S. House Passes Inclusive Hate Crimes Bill
Updates to Federal Law Would Strengthen Law Enforcement Ability to Investigate, Prosecute Hate Crimes.
4/29/2009
Washington — The Human Rights Campaign — the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization — hailed today’s bipartisan vote of 249-175 in the U.S. House passing the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known in the U.S. Senate as the Matthew Shepard Act.
“All Americans are one step closer to protection from hate violence thanks to today’s vote,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Hate crimes are a scourge on our communities and it’s time we give law enforcement the tools they need to combat this serious problem.”
“No one should face violence simply because of who they are,” said Judy Shepard, executive director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. “This bill is a critical step to erasing the hate that has devastated far too many families.”
Yesterday the White House released a statement from President Obama calling for passage in the House and urging the Senate to follow with swift action. Along with the President, more than 300 law enforcement, civil rights and religious organizations support the bill.
“The Senate should heed the President’s leadership and quickly pass the Matthew Shepard Act,” said Solmonese. “After more than ten years and tens of thousands of victims, there should be no delay in passing this bill into law.”
This is the eighth successful vote on a federal hate crimes bill which — following a veto threat from former President Bush — died in the last Congress.
“Fair-minded leaders in Congress have for years stood strong against lies about the bill and we are grateful for their efforts,” continued Solmonese. “The leadership of Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer and Majority Whip Clyburn as well as Reps. Conyers, Kirk, Baldwin, Frank, and Polis made this incredible victory possible.”
Working in coalition with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the Human Rights Campaign mobilized its members to support the bill. The website www.FightHateNow.org gives users opportunities to contact their member of Congress, watch video testimonials on hate crimes and learn the truth about the legislation. The site will continue as a clearinghouse for information leading up to Senate action.
The LLEHCPA gives the Justice Department the power to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated violence where the perpetrator has selected the victim because of the person's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It provides the Justice Department with the ability to aid state and local jurisdictions either by lending assistance or, where local authorities are unwilling or unable, by taking the lead in investigations and prosecutions of violent crime resulting in death or serious bodily injury that were motivated by bias. It also makes grants available to state and local communities to combat violent crimes committed by juveniles, train law enforcement officers, or to assist in state and local investigations and prosecutions of bias motivated crimes.
UPDATE: The Matthew Shepard Act was, in fact, signed by President Obama on October 28, 2009. Whilst not perfect, it's a very good start.
Wikipedia Article on the Matthew Shepard Act
A web community is like any other community, and needs police.
Just as people become tired and distant from their own local communities when vandals are allowed to freely trash the buildings, cover walls with vulgar or hateful messages, and play music loud enough to destroy eardrums, people demand a minimum level of civility in the places they spend any time in.
Since ordinary users can't perform a "citizen's arrest" of vandals, they are dependent on the "cop on the beat" to control things on their behalf. In most cases, this is a site admin, or a localy-appointed monitor if the community is large enough, and the job is largely thankless.
Ignoring the policing part of creating a community will inevitably destroy it, as there are always a few putzes around, who will quickly mess up the neighbourhood if not controlled. Messy neighbourhoods, hate-filled neighbourhoods, discourage loitering, so people move on quickly.
Cheers,
Puddin'