Tag: transgender

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Bloomberg Apologizes For Transphobic Remarks

Former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg (image via campaign)
Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg issued an apology today after video clips of Bloomberg making transphobic remarks had come to light. One of the clips showed Bloomberg referring to transgender people as “he, she, or it” and “some guy in a dress” who could enter girls’ locker rooms at a forum at the Bermuda Business Development Agency in March of 2019. Another video showed the former mayor speaking at Oxford in 2016 describing transgender people as “some man wearing a dress.” The remarks were in reference to why he believed people in the Midwest would not push for greater rights for transgender individuals. Today, Bloomberg said in a statement (via The Advocate):

“Today, I spoke with leaders from the transgender community and have heard from elected officials like Mayor London Breed, and I understand that my words had caused hurt,” he said. (Breed, the mayor of San Francisco, is a cisgender woman but has a large trans constituency.)

“It was a poor attempt to describe how some who oppose transgender equality think about this issue — and those words do not reflect my unwavering support for equality for transgender Americans,” he continued. “I want to offer my sincerest apologies to the members of the transgender community.

“Given the ongoing violence that the trans community faces, including the recent killing of Alexa Ruiz in Puerto Rico, we need a president who will set the moral compass to ensure safety, respect and dignity for all trans people. As mayor, I signed a sweeping transgender civil rights bill and, as president, will promote policies that advance equality for transgender Americans who have been attacked by the Trump administration over the past three years.”

Since entering the race for the Democratic nomination for president, Bloomberg has yet to appear on a ballot in a Democratic primary or caucus. He will also not be on the ballot in the South Carolina primary Saturday, Bloomberg has focused his efforts and considerable cash on ballots next week on Super Tuesday, when voters in 14 states and one territory, along with Democrats living abroad, will vote in local primaries and caucuses. He currently is ranking third nationally in the RealClearPolitics average of polls.

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A Trans Teen Hears His Name Called At Starbucks

A new ad captures the quiet triumph of a transgender teen hearing his name being called as he picks up his coffee at Starbucks. The spot, part of the “What’s your name?” campaign for Starbucks, will air in the U.K. and online. Partnering with the U.K. trans youth organization Mermaids, the coffee giant will also sell limited-edition mermaid cookies to raise up to £100,000 ($130,000) for the group. The ad follows James as people throughout his day dead name him. On his school ID card, by family members, even at his doctor’s office. But when he orders his coffee at a Starbucks, he’s asked his name. “It’s James,” we hear the teen reply. A moment later, the employee calls out the name “James,” and the brief smile says it all. From Starbucks UK: At Starbucks, writing your name on a cup and calling it out is a symbol of our warm welcome. It’s a small gesture, but it’s symbolic of what we believe in: Recognition and acceptance, whoever you are, or want to be. We welcome everyone. We’re proud to support Mermaids, a charity supporting young transgender and gender diverse people and their families. If you need to speak to someone, you can find their helpline here: http://mermaidsuk.org.uk Several folks expressed their support for the ad spot on Twitter along with some of their own stories:

 

 

 

 

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Podcast: Grindr Hookup Goes Bad, UK Rapist Gets Life, Recapping The 77th Golden Globes

The Randy Report podcast

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' In this week’s podcast: • A Grindr hookup in Michigan on Christmas Eve goes horribly wrong • Britain’s most prolific rapist is sentenced to life in prison • Grammy winner Sam Smith posts an inspiring shirtless photo on Instagram • A transgender actress gets the lead in the upcoming reboot of ‘Saved By The Bell’ • Recapping this year’s Golden Globe Awards All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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Teen Bodybuilder Inspiring Folks To Take Charge Of Their Lives

Alex Tilinca (image via Instagram)
Alex Tilinca is a lot like other 18-year-olds in their freshman year of college. Having reached the end of his first semester as a marketing major at Hofstra University, the teen is putting all his attention on his studies for upcoming final exams. Being a good student, he’s stepped away for a short time from his favorite sport, amateur bodybuilding, where Tilinca doesn’t just compete in competitions, but he’s an award-winning transgender competitor in the sport.

Last August, Tilinca enter the Teen Classic Physique competition in the Bronx and took home the first place trophy beating out cisgender bodybuilders. “It was like the universe was telling me to keep going. Don’t stop,” Tilinca told New York Newsday. “This is what I’m meant to do with my life. It shows it’s possible to do what I want to do.” While he’s talking a breather from the sport to focus on his studies, he still has an amazing physique. In a recent Instagram post, he told his 18,000+ followers he’s letting his 5’3” body “situate” at his current weight (165 lbs)  and giving his body “a breather to really settle.”

Tilinca says he didn’t set out with the intention of becoming a bodybuilder. He started lifting after having top surgery two years ago and wanted to put on some weight. “I just wanted a little more muscle,” he told Newsday. “But I really think once you get the bug, it’s very, very hard to just stop.” “When I saw bodybuilding, I saw it as a tool of control over what you look like,” Tilinca said. “For someone being trans, that’s amazing. It’s really empowering. If you don’t like something, you know you can change it. It’s like sculpting your own body.” Newsday spoke with two-time Mr. Olympia runner-up Sadik Hadzovic, who has coached Alex, about the empowering nature of bodybuilding. “I can relate to what Alex went through,” Hadzovic told Newsday. “When I was 18 years old, I hated my body. Whether you are a man or woman or transgender or not, it doesn’t make a difference. We are all the same. We just want to improve ourselves and be a little bigger, a little faster, look a little better.” Obviously, Tilinca’s progress in the eighteen months he’s been working out has yielded incredible results. In the below post on Instagram, he weighed 130 lbs. and had 5-6% body fat.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Anyone wanna guess my waist size about 2 days out here? 🤔 . #throwback

A post shared by Alex Tilinca (@alextilinca) on

The National Physique Committee (NPC) is the largest amateur bodybuilding organization in the United States and often viewed as a stepping stone to competing at the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBF) competitions. The IFBF hosts the annual competition that awards the Mr. Olympia title. Tilinca says his ultimate goal is to become the first trans man to win the biggest prize of all in the bodybuilding world, Mr. Olympia. Newsday notes that the National Physique Committee doesn’t have any specific rules in regard to transgender competitors on its official website, and so Tilinca never told anyone he’s trans. He just put his head down and worked hard on his body. It’s important to the teen that the world see transgender people not as “victims” but as people who can “do anything they set their minds to.” And he’s proving that one bicep curl at a time. Go, Alex! Click here to watch Newsday’s video feature on Alex.

(h/t Outsports, Newsday)

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News Round-Up: November 29, 2019

Instahunks Justin and Nick
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Often, holidays don’t go quite as you planned. Justin and Nick (above) share that their Thanksgiving is starting a day late after Nick was called into work unexpectedly. Sometimes, couples have to rock and roll a bit. • KIT212: Kenneth has the low-down on the what’s what in local LGBTQ publications across the country. • The Gaily Grind: Kid Rock was dragged off-stage at his own Tennesee bar after a racist tirade about Oprah. • Instinct: The internet goes ga-ga over viral video of two gay men finding out they’re about to become da-das. • AskGayBros: A thread on Reddit inquires about advice or issues to discuss in exploring a couple’s possible first three-some. • Washington Blade: Four-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening says she’s ‘very, very proud’ of her transgender son. • NewNowNext: Jonathan James offers his insights into becoming a gay pup: “I always compare being a pup to being a drag queen: No two queens are the same.” • Cover Song: I admit to giving a side-eye to the idea of covering The Boss, but I have to say Darren Criss’ funk cover of “Dancing in the Dark” lands for me. Take a listen and let me know what you think. Happy Friday, everyone!

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Out Music: Jakk Fynn “Fire”

Transmasculine Latinx pop artist Jakk Fynn

Transmasculine Latinx pop artist Jakk Fynn Jakk Fynn, a transmasculine Latinx pop artist dedicated to redefining masculinity, dropped his latest single this week, “Fire.” Unrequited love is the subject at hand in the pop/dance track. “Oftentimes, queer individuals don’t feel wholly accepted, seen or loved for who they are,” says the artist. “When romantic feelings are so infrequently returned, this can exacerbate an already deeply internalized identity struggle.” “Attraction and love are fairly involuntary,” adds Fynn. “Our central nervous system is a massive orchestration of electrical impulses that ‘fire.’” Jakk, a descendant of Mexican immigrants, is committed to using pop music’s power to uplift audiences and challenge toxic social narratives, especially for audiences who don’t often see themselves fairly and accurately represented in mainstream culture. His previous single, “Share the Seconds,” was released in 2018. Transmasculine Latinx pop artist Jakk Fynn

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Conservatives Outraged Over Plans For Unisex Bathrooms

The city of Portland, Oregon, is currently undertaking a whopping $195,000,000 renovation of the Portland Municipal Building and one of the steps being taken is to redesign all of the restrooms to be gender-neutral. One result is the removal of all urinals. Local NBC News affiliate KGW8 reports that Chief Administrative Officer Tom Rinehart sent an email to employees explaining, “We will continue to have gender-specific (male and female) multi-stall restrooms that are readily available to any employee that prefers to use one. But, there will be no urinals in any restroom in the building.” Rinehart added, “This will give us the flexibility we need for any future changes in signage.” The plan – when all work is completed – will result in: • The building’s 1st, 3rd, and 15th floors will have large multi-stall bathrooms that men and women will use together • The other floors will have separate men’s and women’s bathrooms • Every floor will have at least one gender-neutral bathroom Pat Dooris, the KGW8 reporter who covered the story, makes a point to include “Gender and bathroom use has been a big deal when it comes to those who are transgender or gender fluid.” Well, yeah, if you are transgender and want to use a bathroom without being accosted, I would say that’s a ‘big deal.’ UCLA’s Williams Institute says research shows 9 percent of transgender people have been attacked using a public facility. Dooris also includes an interview with conservative talk show host Lars Larson who is outraged over the changes. “I think it’s ridiculous,” Larson tells Dooris. “First of all, I know that it already makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Secondly, its gonna take up a lot more space and third- anyone whose ever been to any public event – have you seen the line at the ladies’ room? Do you see any line at the men’s room?” When Larson says “makes a lot of people uncomfortable,” what he’s referring to are trans people getting to use a public bathroom. Larson also threw in a half-hearted pitch for water conservation noting that urinals use less water. Because conservatives are such environmental warriors? While Larson seems fixated on the idea that men will suddenly have to cope with lines at the restrooms, studies have shown that gender-neutral bathrooms actually creates ‘potty parity’ as they equalize the average time men and women wait to use the facilities. Plus, society has shifted and evolved on ‘bathroom policy’ for decades. For instance, until the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, it was legal to segregate bathrooms by race. It was 1990 when laws were finally passed to ensure bathrooms were accessible for people with disabilities or who use wheelchairs. And let’s face it: if unisex bathrooms were fine for the folks in the late 1990s TV series Ally McBeal, why can’t we handle them today?

Doing a quick search of the interwebs, it seems the only folks who are upset about the new bathrooms at the Portland Building are far-right conservative websites looking for something to get upset about. What do you think, readers? As new construction and building renovations occur, are gender-neutral bathrooms a step forward? (source: KGW8)

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News Round-Up: September 26, 2019

Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Fitness guy Bremen Menelli (above) took a walk in the park. A very, very wet park… 🙂 • Instinct: Openly gay sports radio host Seth Dunlap has filed a discrimination lawsuit against his station WWL after the Twitter account for the station called him a “fag.” In the 15 days since the posting of the tweet, the station has reportedly not apologized to Dunlap nor has the employee who wrote the tweet been identified. WWL Radio is alleging that Dunlap sent the homophobic tweet himself in an attempt to extort $1.8 million from the station. • NY Daily News: A gay couple eating at a Queen restaurant say they were viciously attacked by a group of homophobic guests, and neither the restaurant employees nor the security guard moved to intervene. “We asked one of the security guys to do something about it but he said that the best we could do is to finish eating and leave.” • NFL.com: Pepsi, the NFL and Roc Nation has announced artists Jennifer Lopez and Shakira will perform for the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV halftime show on February 2, 2020 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. Past headliners have included Maroon 5, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, and Madonna.

• The Atlantic: “It is impossible that the whistle-blower is a hero and I’m not. And I will be the hero! These morons—when this is over, I will be the hero.” – Rudy Giuliani • The Advocate: Dallas police Tuesday have arrested Domingo Ramirez-Cavente, 29, in connection with the shooting of a transgender woman, Rony Calderon, over the weekend. An arrest affidavit says that when police brought in Ramirez-Cavente, he admitted in an interview to shooting the victim. He has been charged with aggravated assault. • Variety: Newly-minted Emmy Award winner Billy Porter will add another accomplishment to his resume as it has been announced he will direct an episode of POSE for the upcoming Season 3 of the groundbreaking series. • Out Music: Synth-rock duo Dream Machines recently released this live performance of their latest single, “Sarajevo.” “Sarajevo” juxtaposes a catchy, upbeat synth groove with a political message about history’s tangential blindness to nationalism. The bass pounds like a juggernaut while lead singer Harry May-Kline’s vocals ask the listener, “are we over the line” in our fear of American zealotry.

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First Pro Transgender Boxer Is The New Face Of Everlast

Transgender professional boxer Patricio Manuel is the new face of Everlast's Be First campaign

Transgender professional boxer Patricio Manuel is the new face of Everlast's Be First campaign What do you do when you’ve already made history at the age of 34? You do it again. On December 8, 2018, Patricio Manuel became the first male transgender boxer to have a professional fight. When the 12-minute match was over, Manuel was named the winner over Mexican boxer Hugo Aguilar in a unanimous ruling from the judges. “I wouldn’t trade any of it,” Manuel told the Los Angeles Times after the win. “It was worth everything I went through to get to this point,” Today, Manuel makes history again as he has been chosen by Everlast (THE brand in boxing equipment since 1910) as one of the faces of the fitness brand’s global Be First campaign. Be First encourages people from all walks of life to carve out their own path to success. Previous world-class athletes who have been associated with Everlast include boxing icons like Sugar Ray Robinson, Jack Dempsey, and Canelo Álvarez. The campaign derives its title from the well-known boxing term ‘be first,’ which encourages boxers to set the pace of a boxing match forcing your opponent to follow your lead. Manuel certainly embodies that concept as part of Everlast’s “new crop of trailblazers.” Beginning his boxing career in the early 2000s as a female competitor prior to transitioning, Manuel was already a force in the boxing ring winning five national amateur championships. In 2012, Manuel took part in the Olympic trials but suffered a shoulder injury resulting in being eliminated from contention. During the recovery period, Manuel experienced depression as well which led to some soul searching and an epiphany. He realized that he was living a lie. “Once I realized that I was trans, I knew that I needed to live my life being seen as a man,” Manuel told CBNC. It would be a year, though, before he would begin to transition. Manuel had to wrap his head around the idea that in living his full, authentic life he might lose the sport he loved so much. Some of those fears were realized during his transition as he lost his coach, his gym, jobs and some friends. But the pushback just served to empower him that much more. His advice to people today is to know yourself, what it is you want in life, and how far you’ll go (or what you’ll give up) to achieve your dreams. “Regardless of what your goals are, whether you are trans, whether you are an athlete or not, our dreams have big costs to it, and it all requires risk for us to find that reward,” he told CNBC. “We only have one life to live,” explains Manuel. “As cliché as that sounds, I really try to live my life having the least amount of regrets as possible.” Watch Manuel share his journey in the video below from Everlast.

(all images courtesy of Everlast)

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News Round-Up: September 24, 2019

Michael and I visiting a church Portofino
Some news items you might have missed: • Throwback Thursday: Remembering that time Michael and I visited Portofino in 2018 and stopped by a beautiful little church (above). We were happily surprised when Michael didn’t spontaneously combust 🙂 • Tuscon.com: Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey says he’s “against discrimination in all its forms” but won’t support extending state laws to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people. He does support the recent Arizona Supreme Court ruling that allows Christian owners of a calligraphy firm to refuse to prepare wedding invitations for same-sex couples. • Sacramento Bee: The 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco ruled that a Sacramento-area transgender man can sue Mercy San Juan Medical Center over the last-minute cancellation of his hysterectomy, overturning a lower-court ruling that dismissed the case. The patient contends his surgery was canceled due to anti-transgender bias. • Politico: White House hopeful Elizabeth Warren has announced a $10 million ad buy in early voting states. • HuffPost: Focus Features’ Downton Abbey ruled over the box office competition in North America this past weekend. The big-screen continuation of the popular British TV show beat expectations with $31 million when it debuted in 3,079 theaters, setting a new opening weekend record for the studio. • Washington Post: A new study shows 78 percent of the most influential jobs in Donald Trump’s White House have turned over during his tenure, a figure higher than those for the entire first terms of the previous four administrations. • National Voter Registration Day: President Barack Obama (and I) want to encourage you to not only register to vote, but VOTE! Check to see if you’re registered by clicking over to IWillVote.com OR text VOTER to 26797 to make sure you are registered to vote and get alerts for all your elections.