Tag: transgender

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Over 14,000 Sign Petition Asking High School To Not Deadname Trans Student At Graduation

Wyatt Thomas of Fort Wayne, Indiana

A high school in Fort Wayne, Indiana, that planned to deadname a transgender student at his upcoming graduation ceremony has reversed course thanks to an online petition signed by over 14,000 supporters.

Brian Thomas, the student’s father, launched his Change.org petition after learning that the powers that be at Homestead High School in Fort Wayne planned to use the teen’s old name at commencement.

The petition, addressed to principal Park Ginder, asked that the teen’s chosen and preferred name, Wyatt, be read aloud at graduation as opposed to his deadname, which he hasn’t used in years.

“My transgender child is a senior this year and will graduate in early June,” Thomas wrote. “He has been going by his preferred name since the summer between his freshman and sophomore year. Teachers, pastors, managers, family and friends know him as a boy named Wyatt.

“But at graduation, because of an unwritten standard the school administration is unwilling to change, he will be called by his dead name. What is meant to be a celebration will instead be yet another moment of humiliation and embarrassment.”

“As Wyatt’s parents, we ask that our wishes be honored on behalf of our precious child. Call the name he will bear legally once the lengthy process of a name change is complete. Call him what his future university calls him. Call him what we and many others call him every day. Call him Wyatt.”

For many transgender people, undergoing a name change can be a powerful affirmation in transitioning their gender.

Each time it’s spoken, it gives trans folks tangible validation as they move closer to the gender they know themselves to be.

But changing names, whether on a day-by-day basis, on government-issued ID or legal documents can be a glacially-slow process in some areas.

The good news is this past Friday the school informed Thomas that Wyatt’s name will be read at graduation, and there are efforts underway to have his name on his diploma as well.

In an update on Change.org, Thomas wrote, “According to Dr. Ginder, he has been called Wyatt for three years, so why not at graduation?”

“This has been a matter of purposeful discussion and careful consideration on the part of the school, and a procedural decision has been made that benefits Wyatt,” the father added. “We are grateful the school took this request seriously and gave it the attention it deserves.”

“Thank you to all who signed this petition,” Thomas said in conclusion. “The impact of your support, encouraging words and positive vibes has been felt and received with astounded gratitude. On to graduation!”

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Tweenage Character Comes Out As Trans On NBC’s ‘Good Girls’

On last night’s episode of NBC's Good Girls, Sadie (Isaiah Stannard) told mom Annie (Mae Whitman) that they identify as a boy.
Isaiah Stannard (L) and Mae Whitman (R)

On last night’s episode of NBC’s Good Girls, Sadie (Isaiah Stannard) told mom Annie (Mae Whitman) that they identify as a boy.

Annie takes in the news in the best way possible. Watch below.

Last season, there were subtle allusions that Sadie was exploring their gender identity.

Isaiah Stannard, who plays Sadie, is an out trans boy and uses he/him pronouns.

Jenna Bans, creator of the show, spoke to Variety last summer about the casting of Isaiah.

“Good Girls” creator Jenna Bans had an eye-opening experience when casting her NBC dramedy. She had originally written Sadie, the tweenage daughter of Mae Whitman’s Annie, as a boy named Ben. When her casting director asked if she’d be interested in seeing a girl for the part of a boy, she was intrigued and hired Izzy Stannard — a young actor who, at the time, seemed to identify with the female gender assigned to him at birth. By the time filming began, Stannard made it clear that he identified as a boy and was using he/him pronouns.

“We realized we had a really great opportunity to tell a story about a character who was gender non-conforming, but at the same time not necessarily have that be what leads the story,” says Bans, who also did her due diligence and consulted GLAAD’s Adams. “What’s most important to the character and the story we’re telling between Sadie and Annie is really about the bond between Sadie and her mom. We liked the idea that the character of Sadie was exploring her gender [expression] in the show, but I think what we responded to more was that the Mae Whitman character just couldn’t care less.”

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Podcast: Buttigieg Surges, Schock Shocks Nobody, Gay Cult Movies Get Blu-Ray Treatment, Harry’s Shave Company Gets Trans Inclusive

In this week's podcast: • Mayor Pete Buttigieg continues moving up in the polls among Democratic presidential contenders • 'Totally-not-gay' former congressman Aaron Schock photographed hanging with the gays at Coachella • Three LGBTQ cult classic movies - Jeffrey, Can't Stop The Music and To Wong Foo - get the Blu-Ray treatment in time for Pride with lots of bonus features • And Harry’s shave company goes transgender inclusive with its latest ad spot

In this week’s podcast:

• Mayor Pete Buttigieg continues moving up in the polls among Democratic presidential contenders

• ‘Totally-not-gay’ former congressman Aaron Schock photographed hanging with the gays at Coachella

• Converse offers new Pride sneakers in gay pride rainbow themes and transgender pink/blue/white themes – Click here to check them out

• Three LGBTQ cult classic movies – Jeffrey, Can’t Stop The Music and To Wong Foo – get the Blu-Ray treatment in time for Pride with lots of bonus features

• And Harry’s shave company goes transgender inclusive with its latest ad spot

All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report.

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Charlize Theron Shares Her Eldest Child Is Trans

Academy Award winner Charlize Theron has shared in an interview with The Daily Mail that her eldest child, Jackson, is transgender.
Charlize Theron (image via Instagram)

Academy Award winner Charlize Theron has shared in an interview with The Daily Mail that her eldest child, Jackson, is transgender.

Theron adopted Jackson as a baby back in 2012. At the time, she believed the child was a boy.

“Yes, I thought she was a boy, too,” Theron tells the Daily Mail.“Until she looked at me when she was three years old and said: ‘I am not a boy!’”

“So there you go,” continued the South African actress. “I have two beautiful daughters who, just like any parent, I want to protect and I want to see thrive.”

It seems Jackson is very lucky to have a parent who can understand, adjust and continue with love.

“They were born who they are and exactly where in the world both of them get to find themselves as they grow up, and who they want to be, is not for me to decide,” she added. “My job as a parent is to celebrate them and to love them and to make sure that they have everything they need in order to be what they want to be.”

“And I will do everything in my power for my kids to have that right and to be protected within that,” said the 43-year-old actress.

Being open and embracing of the LGBTQ community is nothing new for Theron.

Back in 2009, she announced on The View that she wouldn’t marry her then-boyfriend, Stuart Townsend, until marriage equality was the law of the land in the U.S.

And during an appearance on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, host Andy Cohen asked her about playing a bisexual character in the film Atomic Blonde.

The response was perfect.

“It’s just so strange when we talk so much about it. It should be normalized by now,” she told Cohen. “It’s something I feel is not represented enough in cinema … I feel that when you make movies, if you’re going to hold that mirror up and reflect society, then you should reflect society.”

Folks in social media are applauding Theron’s announcement.

Transgender actress Jamie Clayton, of Netflix’s Sense8, tweeted, “@CharlizeAfrica Sending you so much love … Thank you beyond.”

And gender specialist Dr. Helen Webberley, of the online transgender medical clinic Gender GP, quoted Theron’s statement adding, “What a lucky little girl.”

Theron understands what parental love and acceptance means to children. She grew up with an abusive father who would reportedly beat her mother.

The domestic abuse continued until one day her mother had enough. One day, when Theron was 15-years-old, her father came home in a rage, carrying a gun and threatening to kill both mother and daughter.

Instead, Theron’s mother, Gerda, shot the father dead. The shooting was later ruled an act of self-defense.

So, Theron learned from a strong woman about standing up for her children and the truth.

“You can blame my mom for the fact I don’t know any better,” she shared with the Mail. “You know, I grew up in a country where people lived with half-truths and lies and whispers and nobody said anything outright, and I was raised very specifically not to be like that.”

“I was taught by my mom that you have to speak up,” she added. “You have to be able to know that, when this life is over, you’ll have lived the truth you’re comfortable with, and that nothing negative can come from that.”

What a lucky little girl, indeed.

(Source: Daily Mail)

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New Harry’s Shaving Ad Features Trans Man

Harry’s shaving company just released a new ad that causally includes a transgender man in the spot with narration that tells them, “You can shave to feel like you.”
(screen capture)

Harry’s shaving company just released a new ad that causally includes a transgender man in the spot with narration that tells them, “You can shave to feel like you.”

The one-minute spot by the men’s grooming brand, titled ‘Shave, or Don’t,’ makes it clear Harry’s has your back whether you shave or not.

The narration reads:

“Back in the day, men couldn’t always shave. Back in another day, men had to shave. Somewhere in between is a very nice thing: a choice. Now you can shave just a little. You can shave a lot. You can shave to stand out. You can shave to blend in. You can shave when you have a second. You can shave to save a few seconds. You can shave to feel like you. You can shave to feel like another you. You can shave because you’re finally, finally home. Or you can shave – maybe later.”

You’ll notice the “You can shave to feel like you” line falls on the shot of a trans man about to shave.

The comments on the YouTube page are overwhelmingly positive:

“Thank you for including a trans man in your commercial Harry’s will be switching over to support your business.”

“I got chills when I saw the trans guy thanks, highly doubt the company will see this but I recommend added woman because girls shave too.”

“Why did I get teary? Classic me Hahaha… *sobs* Thanks for including the LGBT community.”

Last year, the shaving giant announced their Shave with Pride campaign celebrating Pride Month.

The rainbow-hued shave set featured an iridescent shave handle plus cartridges and shave gel with 100% of the profits going to LGBTQ causes. 
Additionally, Harry’s is a proud sponsor of London Pride.

“Harry’s has a proud history of working with organizations that help challenge out-dated stereotypes and who aim to shift attitudes and behaviors that devalue marginalized groups,” said Harry’s co-founder Jeff Raider.

“Our support for Pride is a natural extension of that. As a company, we embrace individuality and celebrate diversity, so we’re extremely proud to be an LGBTQ+ ally.”

The men’s grooming brand also produced an acclaimed three-minute short film on the meaning of ‘masculinity’ featuring a young boy explaining how to be a man to an alien.

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Podcast: Texas, Bisexual Youth, Trump’s Trans Ban, New Netflix Series ‘Special’

Catch up on the week's LGBT headlines with The Randy Report podcast

In this week’s podcast:

• A majority of Americans say their are more than comfortable with a gay or lesbian running for president

• The U.S. House approved a non-binding resolution Thursday morning rebuking Donald Trump’s plan to ban transgender military service members

• Wisconsin couple told to remove their Pride flag or be evicted

• New data shows there are more bisexual youth and they need our attention

• GOP lawmakers in Texas approved a bill on Monday that would allow state-licensed professionals to discriminate against LGBTQ people, or anyone they want to refuse services, based on their religious beliefs

• Netflix drops the official trailer for ‘Special,’ an offbeat comedy series about a gay man with mild cerebral palsy

All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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Trans/Deaf Model Cast As Young Super Hero on ‘Titans’

Chella Man will play 'Jericho' in DC Universe's TITANS
Trans/deaf model Chella Man will play ‘Jericho’ in DC Universe’s TITANS

The world of super-heroes is about to get a lot more diverse as transgender model, activist and YouTuber Chella Man has been cast to play ‘Jericho’ in season 2 of the live-action TV series Titans.

The 20-year-old, who identifies as Jewish/Chinese-American, deaf and genderqueer, announced the news on his social media where he has developed a large following documenting his transition including top surgery and hormone replacement.

The Brooklyn-based artist has over 255k followers on Instagram, 65k on Twitter, and over 173,000 subscribers on YouTube.

In his Instagram post announcing the news of his new acting gig, Man shared, “As a trans, Deaf, Jewish person of color, I have always reminded myself of the power in my differences.”

“It is a dream come true, now, as I will be able to showcase this power on the Titans,” he continued. “HUGE thank you to all who have supported me throughout this process!”

Man’s super-hero character, ‘Jericho,’ has the ability to possess and control the body of anyone he makes eye contact with. He communicates through sign language as he was rendered mute as a youth when kidnappers severed his vocal cords.

When Jericho possesses another body, he can communicate using that person’s voice, vocabulary and language.

The character first appeared in 1984’s Tales of the Teen Titans #43, and is the son of longtime villain, ‘Deathstroke.’ Esai Morales has been cast as the father and will join the show in season 2 with Man.

While the original Tales of the Teen Titans comic books in the 1980s didn’t address his sexuality, his modern incarnation is openly bisexual and has an edgier quality.

Man joins the series which debuted last fall as the first original programming for the DC Universe subscription streaming site.

The show follows a team of young heroes led by Batman-side kick Robin, the empath Raven, alien princess Starfire and shape-shifting Beast Boy.

Director/producer Greg Berlanti (Love, Simon; Riverdale; The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), is a member of the Titans producing team.

Filming for season 2 of Titans is scheduled to begin next month.

(h/t Deadline, Comic Book Resources)

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FX’s ‘Pose’ Snubbed In NAACP Image Award Nominations

(image via Instagram/PoseOnFX)

The NAACP announced the nominees for this year’s Image Awards this week, and noticeable among those not recognized was the ground-breaking series, Pose, from super-producer Ryan Murphy.

Although the show was nominated for 2 Golden Globe Awards, 2 Critics Choice Awards, a GLAAD Media Award and a Gotham Independent Film Award, the nominating committee for the NAACP Image Awards chose to leave the FX series out in the cold.

Note: the show wasn’t nominated for this year’s Emmy Awards due to missing the cutoff date for eligibility.

Many felt principal actors Billy Porter, MJ Rodriguez and Indya Moore would have been included in the nominations thanks to fairly universal acclaim for their performances, as well as a nod for Outstanding Drama Series.

The Image Awards recognize not only performances and creative achievement of people of color, but also projects that promote diversity and inclusivity.

You would think a show like Pose, which chronicles the lives of trans women of color in the 1980s ballroom culture, would be a perfect fit. Five main characters are trans women of color, plus there’s the added diversity of other queer characters.

But, no.

Out received this statement from Robin Harrison, acting director of the NAACP Hollywood Bureau, after this year’s nominations were announced:

“The NAACP Image Awards works with networks, studios, and other industry professionals to make sure we receive nominations that promote the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts, as well as those who promote social justice, diversity and inclusion through their creative work.

“Each year, our vast field of eligible submissions are voted on by a general committee of NAACP and industry representatives. As an organization, the NAACP is proud of shows like Pose that are breaking new ground and bringing issues that impact the LGBTQ community to the forefront of public consciousness.”

That said, there were several nominations acknowledging the achievements by queer artists of color.

• ABC’s How To Get Away With Murder and Netflix’a Orange in the New Black, which feature LGBTQ characters and storylines, received nominations

• RuPaul for Outstanding Reality Program and Outstanding Host

• Tituss Burgess for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

• Amandla Stenberg for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for The Hate U Give

• Out writer Lena Waithe picked up two nods for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series for episodes of The Chi

• Justin Simien for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for Dear White People

• Janelle Monae’s Dirty Computer was recognized in both the Outstanding Album category as well as snagging a nom for Outstanding Female Artist

The 50th NAACP Image Awards will be broadcast on March 30 from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on TV One.

Click here for a full list of nominees.

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News Round-Up: February 8, 2019

(image via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk ‘Steve In LA’ wants you to remember to consider adopting from a dog rescue next time you want to expand your furry family. OMG, I want all four! 

• The Arizona state government has raised over a million dollars for a notorious anti-LGBTI group, Alliance Defending Freedom, by selling specialty license plates.

• Things got way out of hand last night at popular West Hollywood gay bar, Micky’s, when a patron being escorted out of the establishment turned and stabbed the security guard twice in the back.

• Tennessee state Sen. Joey Hensley, virulently anti-gay and professes “deeply held religious convictions,” has introduced legislation in his state that would allow adoption agencies to discriminate against same-sex couples. Hensley, who has divorced four times (sanctity of marriage my ass), was named in a divorce proceeding in 2017 for sleeping with another man’s wife. #DeeplyHeldReligiousBeliefs

• One of the highest ranking officers in the California National Guard has announced the state won’t discharge transgender soldiers from its ranks even as the Trump administration continues to move its ban on trans military service members.

• The president of Brazil has announced plans to remove all references to homosexuality, feminism, and violence against women from public school textbooks. President Jair Bolsonaro’s campaign for the presidency proudly included anti-LGBTQ policies.

• Laverne Cox was giving you LIFE as she closed the 11 Honore fashion show finale during New York Fashion Week.

The event is a first for 11 Honore as it only featured plus size clothes from designers.

Wearing a gown by Zac Posen, the Orange is the New Black star twirled on the runway, serving up glamour, and clearly having the time of her life. Get it, diva!

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News Round-Up: January 21, 2019

Diego Lozano of Spain

Some news items you might have missed:

• In case you ever wonder why folks like to visit Madrid, Spain… Meet InstaHunk Diego Lozano 🙂

• Lady Gaga called out Vice President Mike Pence during her Las Vegas concert this weekend: “Mike Pence, who thinks it’s acceptable that his wife works at a school that bans LGBTQ — you’re wrong … You say we should not discriminate against Christianity. You are the worst representation of what it means to be a Christian.”

• There was some serious lip-lock action on the premiere of The CW’s new reboot of Roswell last week.

The series follows three young aliens who live in secret in a small New Mexico town. It turns out one, Michael (played by Michael Vlamis) is bisexual, and got down smooching his former bf, Alex (Tyler Blackburn) at the end of the episode.

• The new book, Team of Vipers, by former Trump aide Cliff Sims looks to be quite the read. It’s been described as, “Not a sycophantic portrayal of the president nor a blistering account written to settle scores.”

• Bloomberg: The U.K. Labour Party is calling for a vote in Parliament that could pave the way to a second referendum, raising the possibility that Brexit could be reversed.

• Variety: The CW has released the first look at transgender actress Nicole Maines, playing a superhero named “Dreamer” on the January 27 episode of DC Comic’s Supergirl.

Maines plays the first ever transgender superhero on television in an episode that explores the source of Dreamer’s powers. Maines will appear again in a later episode airing Feb. 17.