Tag: transgender

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Trans Model Laith Ashley covers ‘Attitude Magazine’

American model Laith Ashley becomes the first transgender model to cover ‘Attitude Magazine’ this month!

Laith also shares some of the challenges he faced learning to accept himself:

“I would self-destruct, I would disappear because I didn’t want to be here. For a long time I prayed to God to let me die. I’d think I hate life, hate being trans, hate the world. I was very negative. I still struggle with that from time to time but remind myself I’m pretty blessed. I have a family who [is] supportive. They may not agree with who I am, but they do love me. I had the privilege of going to school. I have the privilege of this experience. I love who I see in the mirror now.”

“People were really nasty for about three weeks. I just couldn’t stop reading the comments. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I kept reading and the more I read, the worse the comments got. I’ve learned that you can’t please everyone.”

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Security Guard Charged After Assaulting/Ejecting Trans Woman From Grocery Store Bathroom

Ebony Belcher

From NBC Washington:

D.C. police have charged a security guard at a Giant grocery store with simple assault after a transgender woman said the guard forced her out of the women’s restroom.

Ebony Belcher, 32, said she went to the Giant in northeast D.C. with a friend to pick up a delivery from the Western Union.

While at the Giant, she asked a store employee to point her to the restroom and passed a female security officer standing in the hallway.

The officer came into the restroom and told her to get out, according to Belcher.

“She opened the door and came in and started calling me derogatory names,” Belcher said.

She said the officer put her hand on her shoulder and arm, grabbed her and pushed her out of the store.

Belcher said the guard told her, “You guys cannot keep coming in here and using our women’s restroom. They did not pass the law yet.”

She said she called police and reported the incident after she left the store. According to a police report, officers arrested the guard at the Giant after the confrontation.

And so it begins…

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Hillary Clinton Sends Message Of Support To Trans Woman Attacked On New York City Subway

ABC News is reporting that Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has sent a message of love and support to a transgender woman who was verbally and physically assaulted on a New York City subway last Thursday.

Hillary Clinton sent a message of support today to a transgender woman who recorded herself being verbally assaulted on the New York City subway last Thursday. Clinton, as it turns out, met the woman in mid-April at The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York.

The woman, Pearl Love, told ABC News this week she took the video last Thursday afternoon — and subsequently posted it on her Facebook page — while commuting to her new job as an outreach social worker for Translatina Network.

“I just sat down and started reading my book but then this woman across me just randomly started yelling profanities at me and saying racist things,” Love told ABC News. “I tried to just ignore it as I usually do, but this woman kept going for over five minutes. She was getting louder and more aggressive, so I started recording because I was scared.”

After hearing of the attack, Clinton posted the following on Love’s Facebook page:

Pearl, I’m so sorry that you experienced this. The all-too-high prevalence of violence and hatred faced by the transgender community — in 2016! —is a rebuke to all of us. Every single person deserves to be safe and live free from discrimination and cruelty, period. And transgender people need to hear from every one of us that you are loved, respected, and deserving of equality under the law. Know that you have my support, and I’m on your side.

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New Ad Campaign Explains North Carolina’s ‘Bathroom Law’ With Actual Trans Person

From Freedom For All Americans:

In this new ad, Zeke Christopoulos – a transgender man who lives in Asheville, North Carolina – and two of his professional colleagues discuss their concerns about the discriminatory House Bill 2, which knocked down existing non-discrimination protections for LGBT people and banned transgender people from using public restrooms.

One of Zeke’s co-workers, Patricia Hickling Beckman, shares her initial reactions to learning Zeke transitioned from female to male, and Zeke explains the absurd possibility of what could happen to him under HB 2 when a transgender man like himself uses a public bathroom.

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Target Posts Policy Statement Supporting LGBT Rights

Target has posted a statement on it’s corporate website underlining the department store’s commitment to inclusivity.

The statement is particularly “targeted” at LGBTs, and makes clear that transgender folks have nothing to worry about when looking for a rest room while shopping.

Recent debate around proposed laws in several states has reignited a national conversation around inclusivity. So earlier this week, we reiterated with our team members where Target stands and how our beliefs are brought to life in how we serve our guests.

Inclusivity is a core belief at Target. It’s something we celebrate. We stand for equality and equity, and strive to make our guests and team members feel accepted, respected and welcomed in our stores and workplaces every day.

We believe that everyone—every team member, every guest, and every community—deserves to be protected from discrimination, and treated equally. Consistent with this belief, Target supports the federal Equality Act, which provides protections to LGBT individuals, and opposes action that enables discrimination.

In our stores, we demonstrate our commitment to an inclusive experience in many ways. Most relevant for the conversations currently underway, we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.

We regularly assess issues and consider many factors such as impact to our business, guests and team members. Given the specific questions these legislative proposals raised about how we manage our fitting rooms and restrooms, we felt it was important to state our position.

Everyone deserves to feel like they belong. And you’ll always be accepted, respected and welcomed at Target.

I want to add that I’m a regular at Target stores. Friends of mine have asked why I don’t go to Walmart or similar stores. In addition to the values I find there, public positions like these make it clear where I should spend my consumer dollars.

Thanks Target!

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North Carolina Transgender Residents Share Their Shock & Frustration Over HB2

Produced by the Raleigh News & Observer, this video shares the confusion, shock, dismay and frustration of North Carolina transgender residents in the aftermath of the passage of HB2, which makes using a public bathroom which corresponds to their gender identity illegal.

Watch as these transgender residents explain the impact of HB2 on their lives.

Look at these folks – is it hard to guess which restrooms they should be using?

Imagine the men pictured here walking into a women’s room. Or, this woman strolling into the men’s room.

Once you do, I think you’ll understand the issue.

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RuPaul Explains The Difference Betweens Drag Queens And Trangender People

The fab RuPaul dropped by The Real on Fox to promote the 8th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (beginning March 7 on LOGO), and along the way was asked to explain the difference between being a “drag queen” and being “transgender.”

Said the wise and wonderful Ru:

“Well, drag is really making fun of identity.

“We are shape-shifters. We’re like, ‘OK, today, I’m this. Now, I’m a cowboy. Now, I’m this.’ That’s what drag is about.

“Transgender [people] take identity very, very seriously, in that their identity is who they are.

“But you know, I come from the school of you know, I’ll do whatever I want to do at any time and change and whatever.”

I’ve explained the difference to folks this way: drag is about performance; transgender is about how some folks view their gender identity.