Tag: transgender

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Caitlyn Jenner Pens Op-Ed: I Was Wrong About Trump

Caitlyn Jenner

Caitlyn Jenner, arguably one of the most famous transgender people in the world, has penned an op-ed for The Washington Post saying her “outlook has changed significantly” regarding her support for Donald Trump and his administration.

“These past two years under President Trump have given me the opportunity to reflect on a lot of topics that have come up in the LGBTQ community and in our nation,” writes Jenner. “As I’ve watched and pondered, my outlook has changed significantly from what it was during my highly publicized and glamorized early Caitlyn days, when my life as an out trans woman was just beginning.”

Admitting she’s been on a learning curve since coming out as transgender, the 68-year-old shares she has “reflected on what my unique position of privilege means and how I can best use it to make a positive difference.”

Pointing to Trump’s declaration at the Republican National Convention in 2016 where he promised he would do everything in his power to “protect LGBTQ citizens from violence and oppression,” Jenner says she “saw fertile ground for change within the Republican Party on LGBTQ issues.”

With American views on LGBTQ citizens were improving, even in the GOP voter base, Jenner felt “optimistic that this was how I could leverage my privilege for change.”

After “many trips to Washington” which produced what she described as “positive” and “encouraging” conversations, Jenner felt hopeful for “positive change.”

“Sadly, I was wrong,” admits the former Olympian. “The reality is that the trans community is being relentlessly attacked by this president. The leader of our nation has shown no regard for an already marginalized and struggling community.”

“He has ignored our humanity,” continued Jenner. “He has insulted our dignity. He has made trans people into political pawns as he whips up animus against us in an attempt to energize the most right-wing segment of his party, claiming his anti-transgender policies are meant to “protect the country.”

“This is politics at its worst. It is unacceptable, it is upsetting, and it has deeply, personally hurt me.”

Jenner now feels her belief that she could work with the Trump administration to improve transgender lives was “a mistake.”

She calls the recently leaked Department of Health and Human Services memo, that reveals a plan to redefine gender in a very narrow manner that could virtually erase 1.4 million trans people in the United States, “just one more example in a pattern of political attacks” on trans people.

“I do not support Trump,” she shares. “I must learn from my mistakes and move forward.”

“I need to listen more to the members of the LGBTQ community and to learn more. I need to better use my voice, my privilege and my foundation to advocate and support our community.”

Jenner concludes with the statement: “The world needs to hear us. The world needs to know us. We will not be erased.”

Of course, the Twitterverse chimed in:

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Identical Twins Come Out As Transgender And Transition Together

Jack and Jace Grafe of Georgia

Jack and Jace Grafe, who live in Georgia, recently shared their amazing journey as identical twins who came out to each other as transgender and transitioned together.

Fox5Atlanta recently reported the story of the twins who were identified as female at birth, but came out to each other at the age of 15. That was just a year after they had even heard the word ‘transgender.’

“It’s like being in prison except it’s in your own body,” Jack told Fox5Atlanta. “And the older I got, the harder it was to swallow. And I was like, can’t do this for the rest of my life, I just can’t do it.”

Both men admit the fear of coming out was huge, but having a twin going through the same experience provided incredible emotional support.

“Fear is like the biggest thing to keep you away from anything,” Jack says. “That’s what kept me in my box.”

“I feel like we’ve saved each other from a lot of really dark and depressing moments,” added Jace. “Sometimes, I wonder if he wasn’t here, if I would have been by myself, if I would have had suicidal thoughts. I’m not saying I would have, but it’s very possible. I would have been most definitely alone.”

Study after study has shown that transgender teens are much more likely to face high instances of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.

Even though they came out to each other at 15-years-old, the two continued to present as female until they graduated from high school. “But as soon as I got out of there, I cut my hair, and I changed my clothes,” Jace says.

Both men are in long-term relationships and work as corrections officers in East Georgia. Looking to begin careers in law enforcement, Jace has already begun study at the police academy and Jack plans to follow in his footsteps.

(screen capture)

It wasn’t until they reached the age of 21 that they began giving each other male hormone injections which deepened their voices and made their appearance more masculine.

And in August of this year, the twins underwent top surgery on the same day which removed excess breast tissue and contoured their chests for a more masculine shape.

The twins turned to Georgia Plastic Surgery’s Dr. Sheldon Lincenberg for the final step in their transition.

Dr. Lincenberg told Fox5Atlanta that the surgery helps both Jace and Jack to look the way they feel inside – male.

“Their identity is set inside themselves,” Dr. Lincenberg says.  “They’re not trying to change that. They just want the world to see them as they are.”

Thanks to the gender-confirming survey, the twins were able to obtain new driver’s licenses that identify their gender as male.

“It’s real now, it’s official,” Jack says. “It’s like the biggest relief you could ever feel.”

“It’s perfect to me, I’m finally perfect to me,” added Jace. “I’m just excited to finally go out there and be exactly what I’ve been dreaming about for a long time.”

Watch the report from Fox5Atlanta below.

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Podcast: Trump Looks To Redefine Trans Americans Out Of Existence; RuPaul Wants You To Sissy That Vote!

In this week’s Randy Report podcast:

• The Trump administration is proposing a new, narrow definition of gender that would virtually erase transgender Americans out of existence

• Nancy Pelosi says The Equality Act would be a high priority for a Democratically controlled House of Representatives

• Trump voters believe straight men face more discrimination than gays

• And RuPaul wants to make sure you sissy that vote!

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

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Trump Administration Proposes Defining Transgender People Out Of Existence

The Trump/Pence administration continues it’s assault on the LGBTQ community as the Department of Health and Human Services proposes a new, extremely narrow definition of ‘sex’ that would virtually erase the existence of 1.4 million transgender Americans.

The move would exclude transgender people from federal non-discrimination protections.

From The New York Times:

The Trump administration is considering narrowly defining gender as a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth, the most drastic move yet in a government-wide effort to roll back recognition and protections of transgender people under federal civil rights law.

A series of decisions by the Obama administration loosened the legal concept of gender in federal programs, including in education and health care, recognizing gender largely as an individual’s choice and not determined by the sex assigned at birth. Conservatives, especially evangelical Christians, were incensed.

Now the Department of Health and Human Services is spearheading an effort to establish a legal definition of sex under Title IX, the federal civil rights law that bans gender discrimination in education programs that receive government financial assistance, according to a memo obtained by The New York Times. The agency’s proposed definition would define sex as either male or female, unchangeable, and determined by the genitals that a person is born with, according to a draft reviewed by The Times.

According to reports, the HHS Department is also trying to persuade the Departments of Education, Justice and Labor to adopt the policy in an effort to provide a more unified front in the certain-to-be-filed lawsuits.

The Human Rights Campaign quickly issued a statement denouncing the proposal.

“Setting a destructive precedent, the Trump-Pence administration intends to erase LGBTQ people from federal civil rights protections and eviscerate enforcement of non-discrimination laws,” said HRC President Chad Griffin.

“Defining ‘sex’ in this narrow language tailored to the talking points of anti-equality extremists is part of a deliberate strategy to eliminate federal protections for LGBTQ people,” added Griffin. “This is a direct attack on the fundamental equality of LGBTQ people and, if this administration refuses to reverse course, Congress must immediately take action by advancing the Equality Act to ensure that LGBTQ people are explicitly protected by our nation’s civil rights laws.”

The HRC suggests the administration’s policy change could have drastic consequences for LGBTQ people across the federal government. For example:

• Same-sex couples and their families could be turned away from emergency shelters
• A transgender person could have their insurance deny them coverage for transition related care
• A gay man could be harassed about being gay at a job skills training
• An elderly same-sex couple could be denied in home meal service
• A transgender woman could be turned away from a hospital for a broken ankle

The answer to all of this would be the passage of The Equality Act which adds clear, comprehensive non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people to our nation’s civil rights laws.

The legislation has 246 cosponsors in Congress, and 117 major corporations have announced their support.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who could become the Speaker of the House after the midterm elections, has publicly stated she feels the passage of The Equality Act would be a high priority and one that is very personal to her.

LGBTQ discrimination is a real and persistent problem in the U.S.

Polling by the Human Rights Campaign has found that nearly two-thirds of self-identified LGBTQ Americans report experiencing discrimination.

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Homocon Journalist Invents “Transgender Privilege” And LGBTQ Folks Were Not Having It

In the aftermath of Vermont candidate Christine Hallquist’s historic win in the Democratic gubernatorial race this past Tuesday, a gay conservative journalist accused Hallquist of winning due to “transgender privilege.”
Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Vermont, Christine Hallquist

In the aftermath of Vermont candidate Christine Hallquist’s historic win in the Democratic gubernatorial race this past Tuesday, a gay conservative journalist accused Hallquist of winning due to “transgender privilege.”

Wait, what?

Speaking to Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Wednesday night, Chadwick Moore said, “She can get away with many, many things simply by being transgender.”

“I mean, who knows if that’s even how she won this primary,” he added. “But while the entire country is fixated on the fact that she’s transgender, nobody knows anything about her policies.”

It’s patently false to claim “nobody knows anything” about Hallquist’s policies and priorities.

As I wrote earlier this week, she spent the past several months criss-crossing the state sharing her ideas on addressing poverty, promoting renewable energy and fighting climate change, spotlighting economic development in the state’s rural areas, raising the minimum wage, working toward single-payer health care, and reworking the school funding structure, as well as empowering LGBTQ Vermonters.

Whether you consider the various “bathroom bills” being introduced in multiple states meant to keep trans people from using the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity, or the Trump administration’s attempts to keep transgender service members from serving in the U.S. military, the idea of “transgender privilege” is laughable.

LGBTQ advocates and politicians were not down with Moore’s claim of “transgender privilege.”

On Twitter, folks began trending the hashtag #transgenderprivilege, attempting to spotlight the violence and discrimination that transgender Americans face on a daily basis.

A study by the National Center for Transgender Equality found in 2015 that 46% of trans folks had been the target of verbal assault in the past year.

Additionally, 30% said they had been fired or denied a promotion for being transgender.

And one in ten trans respondents admitted to having been physically assaulted by family members.

Does this sound like “privilege” to you?

Annise Parker, former mayor of Houston and now President of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, addressed the ludicrous idea of “transgender privilege” in a statement which read, in part:

“For two cisgender white men on Fox News to bemoan ‘transgender privilege’ in a conversation about one of the few openly trans candidates in the entire nation requires extraordinary ignorance, at best.

“Christine was the chief executive of a well-respected energy utility company for more than 12 years and traveled the entire state sharing with voters her progressive vision for Vermont.

“They claimed Vermont primary voters know nothing beyond her gender identity while in fact the opposite is true – voters chose Christine because of her experience and positions, not because of her gender identity, and it is an insult to Vermont voters to say otherwise.

“To say trans candidates have ‘privilege’ is simply these two pundits spewing nonsense and hate – there are only 13 trans people in elected office nationwide, hardly a privileged group.”

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Did An Airline Agent ‘Out’ A Trans Woman To Her Fellow Passengers?

Lenore Herrem (image via Facebook)

A transgender Canadian woman traveling from Calgary to Saskatoon told CBC News that she was “outed” to the other passengers by a WestJet gate agent.

Lenore Herrem says that when she presented her ID at the gate for her flight, the agent became “upset and confused.”

While Herrem presents as female, her five-year-old ID lists her as male.

More from CBC News:

“She got upset and said, ‘They don’t match,’ but her colleague said, ‘Yes, they do, it’s fine, go ahead,'” Herrem said as she described the agent’s reaction.

“So I gently and discreetly expressed to her, ‘It’s because I’m transgender, that’s why they don’t match up. But my face is the same and my ID matches the name on my boarding pass.'”

Herrem boarded the plane and was settled in her seat for about 10 minutes when she said both gate agents boarded the flight, and the agent who had been confused once again demanded her ID.

“She said something like, ‘Oh, that’s not the name I remember seeing on the computer when I looked at it,’ and she started spouting off different, other women’s names that were not mine,” Herrem recalled.

“She rolled her eyes at me and said, ‘Are you sure it wasn’t your girl name that was on the computer?’ … She outed me in front of the whole airplane.”

Herrem says the experience left her feeling “unsafe, vulnerable, belittled.”

“I was in shock, it was quite traumatizing having someone, especially the way she did it so loudly and in front of everyone, it was really unprofessional,” she added.

WestJet has emailed Herrem apologizing for the incident writing, “WestJet’s inclusive culture is a point of pride for WestJetters and our goal has always been to create a safe and inclusive environment for all.”

“We have extended our apologies to the guest and are reviewing the matter as we are continuously assessing and evolving our practices and policies to maximize inclusiveness and celebrate diversity.”

Herrem says she was “pleased” with the manner the airline dealt with the incident.

“She expressed that they will be implementing training to staff to deal with these sort of situations better in the future which was the most important thing for me to hear,” Herrem added.

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Trans People Say They Experience Discrimination At LoveLoud Music Event

Bobbee Trans Mooremon (image via Facebook)

It seems that, although the LoveLoud LGBTQ benefit concert in Utah raised $1 million for LGBTQ youth charities, some transgender people found the experience not quite as welcoming as they’d been promised.

Bobbee Trans Mooremon, a board member at Queer Meals in Provo, spoke out about discriminatory treatment at the event including having difficulty finding gender-neutral bathrooms.

Via FOX13:

The confrontation was at Rice Eccles Stadium in an area reserved for charities and supporters affiliated with LoveLoud.

Bobbee says the man was not threatening but it still created an unsafe situation. “There’s always a fear no matter what bathroom I go in I’m going to get yelled at or beat up. Which one do I want?” said Bobbee.

After conferring with other members of Queer Meals, the organization decided to pack up and leave early. So did Provo Pride.”

LoveLoud issued this statement on Facebook:

“We were saddened to hear that a few of our LGBTQ+ community members faced discrimination at last night’s festival. We have a zero-tolerance policy toward any behavior that makes anyone feel unsafe or unwelcome.

“As an organization dedicated to creating safe and affirming events for our LGBTQ+ friends and families, our staff, volunteers, and charity partners were asked to participate in an LGBTQ+ cultural competency training.

“We are committed to learning from our mistakes and will continuously work to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in our community and beyond.

“If you would like to share your experience so that we know where we excelled and where we have room to grow, please send feedback to info@loveloudfest.com. We love you. We stand with you.”

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Podcast: Homeless Gay Teen Survives & Thrives To Become Valedictorian; ‘Riverdale’ Gets A Gay Romance

In this week's podcast: • A homeless gay teen becomes valedictorian of his class. Head to www.gofundme.com/hoyaseth to contribute to his college fund. • Puerto Rico now allows transgender folks to change the gender on their birth certificates. • The hit TV series Riverdale is getting a gay romance. • The CW's Supergirl will debut television's first transgender super-hero. • Ryan Reynolds wants to see more sexuality in his Deadpool movies All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report.

In this week’s podcast:

• A homeless gay teen becomes valedictorian of his class. Head to www.gofundme.com/hoyaseth to contribute to his college fund.

• Puerto Rico now allows transgender folks to change the gender on their birth certificates.

• The hit TV series Riverdale is getting a gay romance.

• The CW’s Supergirl will debut television’s first transgender super-hero.

• Ryan Reynolds wants to see more sexuality in his Deadpool movies

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

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CVS Pharmacist Fired For Refusing To Fill Trans Woman’s Prescriptions

Hilde Hall (image via ACLU)

 Penning a personal essay for the ACLU, Hilde Hall shared a sad turn of events on what began as one of the happiest days of her life.

Hall, a transgender woman, left her doctor’s office this past April with her first prescriptions for hormone therapy as she was about to begin the journey to seeing her body reflect her gender identity.

Excited, Hall drove directly to the local CVS pharmacy in Fountain Hills, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix.

After handing over the three prescriptions from her doctor, a hormone therapy specialist, she was informed the pharmacist refused to fill one necessary to affirm her gender identity.

Without any specified reason, according to Hall, the pharmacist “kept asking, loudly and in front of other CVS staff and customers, why I was given the prescriptions.”

Embarrassed, Hall says she became distressed and nearly began to cry right there in the store.

“I didn’t want to answer why I had been prescribed this hormone therapy combination by my doctor,” writes Hall. “I felt like the pharmacist was trying to out me as transgender in front of strangers. I just froze and worked on holding back the tears.”

To make matters even worse, when Hall asked for the written prescriptions from the pharmacist so she could leave, he refused to return the written script.

Hall was forced to call her doctor’s office to intervene. But, according to reports, the pharmacist wouldn’t return the prescriptions without being told EXACTLY why the medication had been ordered.

In her essay, Hall shares she left the CVS store ‘feeling mortified.’

Eventually, the prescriptions were transferred to a Walgreens pharmacy where the meds were filled ‘without question.’

Hall adds that, after the insulting episode, she moved all of her prescriptions from CVS to Walgreens “so that I never again have to see the pharmacist who discriminated against me.”

She contacted CVS’ corporate complaint line several times but didn’t no one addressed her concerns initially.

It was after filing a complaint with the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy that CVS responded.

“CVS Health extends its sincere apologies to Ms. Hall for her experience at our pharmacy in Fountain Hills, Arizona last spring,” said in a statement to The Hill.

According to CVS, the employee had been dismissed, and assured Hall that it had not responded due to “an unintentional oversight.”

The company indicated the former employees attitude did not “reflect our values or our commitment to inclusion, nondiscrimination and the delivery of outstanding patient care,” CVS said.

It’s important to note that this isn’t a cautionary tale for just transgender people.

This easily could have been the case of a pharmacist refusing to fill a prescription for Truvada or “PrEP.” Or refusing to refill a birth control script.

At Walgreens, pharmacists are allowed to step down from filling scripts they find don’t align with their personal religious beliefs, but at least there is a company policy requiring another pharmacist step in to accommodate the customer’s needs.

This CVS pharmacist wouldn’t even return the written paper scripts. This was a guy taking out his own personal agenda against an innocent trans woman.

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FX Renews Ground-Breaking Series ‘Pose’ For Second Season

FX network has renewed Ryan Murphy's ground-breaking series POSE for a second season

And the category is: Celebrate!

Ryan Murphy’s ground-breaking new series Pose may have been snubbed by the Emmy Awards, but within hours of the nominations announcement FX picked up the LGBTQ-centric series for a second series.

The series examines New York City’s LGBTQ ball culture scene of the 1980s with a focus on the Black and Latinx LGBTQ communities that shaped it.