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Who
are we? Mahu defined
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Welcome to
Bay Area Multi-Cultural
Transgender Page
hosted by Aunty Anita,
Ambassador of Aloha
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Community Events
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The 4th Annual Trans March (June 22, 2007) is
designed to bring together all
the fabulous diversity of the transgender and
gender-variant community along
with our allies, in a celebration of our
mutual support and our political
struggles. Last year's March brought
together 10,000 transgender people and
allies, featured a 3-hour performance
stage with over 20 different
gender-variant musicians, political speakers and
lives bands, and a march to
Civic Center. www.transmarch.org
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June 09, 2007 Saturday 8:00PM
Mt. Hamilton Grange Hall # 469 2840 Aborn Road San Jose, CA 95135
If any of you want to run as a contestant we can work out
thesponsorship part! Hehehehe
This is a state wide event with many amazingly beautiful
contestants from around the country! We'll be the beneficiaries next year,
and this year all proceeds are going to the Neil Christie Living Center of
the Health Trust...
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CHARMAINES' BEEF STEW & RICE ON SUNDAY, JUNE 10,
2007
Hi Everyone...
I am selling tickets for Charmines Beef Stew & Rice Benefit... it is
$10.00 in advance & $12.00 @ the door...
Contact me for more info...
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HONOLULU RAINBOW FILM FESTIVAL
DATES: Thursday-
Friday, May 24 – 27, 2007
www.hglcf.org
HONOLULU - The 18th Annual 2007
Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival (fka Adam Baran Honolulu Gay & Lesbian Film
Festival), presented by the Honolulu Gay & Lesbian Cultural Foundation
(HGLCF a 501 c 3 non-profit organization), is rapidly approaching and we are
delighted to announce that we will again be presenting exceptional films from
around the world. HRFF will be presenting films beginning, Thursday - Sunday,
May 24-27 at two extrardinary locations: Doris Duke Theater - Honolulu Academy
of Arts and at the Cupola Theater – Honolulu Design Center.
The HGLCF
fundraiser-Gala Benefit Reception will be held Saturday evening, May 26th
beginning with laughs from the best comedians known around the world with
the screening of “LAUGHING MATTERS….the men” by Andrea Meyerson. We will
have all of our honorary guests from around the world and our special guest
keynote speaker: Kim Coco Iwamoto, Esq. This year HRFF presents a Hawaii
& West Coast Premiere screening presentation of “ALEXIS ARQUETTE: She’s My
Brother” and “OUT RUNNING; Stories from the Campaign Trail” by Victory Fund
Organization and Hawaii's very own OH MARY! dramedy with cast and crew. Join us
at our annual Gala Benefit Reception featuring excellent films, actors,
filmmakers, music, drinks and cuisine of selections from Hawaii’s world famous
restaurants.
The HGLCF is a non-profit 501 c-3 organization whose mission
is to educate and raise awareness of the community at large about gay &
lesbian culture, arts and lifestyle. HGLCF also works toward instilling a sense
of pride and respect among the members of the Gay community, as well as to
highlight the unique cosmopolitan ambiance of the city of
Honolulu.
Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival Ticket information online at: www.hglcf.org
HONOLULU
RAINBOW FILM FESTIVAL Sneak Peak Line-up 2007
OPENING NIGHT
Thursday,
May 24 7:30pm
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A BARBARA WALTERS REPORT: LIVING
AS – AND WITH – A TRANSGENDER KID, ON ABC NEWS’ “20/20,”
FRIDAY, APRIL 27
From the moment we are born, our gender identity is no
secret – we are either boys or girls. As we grow
up, most of us naturally fit into our gender roles. But for some children, it’s
not so simple… they insist they were born into the wrong bodies. Barbara Walters
reports on some of the youngest transgender kids, including a six-year-old girl
who was born a boy, a 10-year-old boy who lives as a girl and a 16-year-old-boy
who was born a girl. Walters talks to these transgender children, all diagnosed
with gender identity disorder (GID), as well as to their parents, who are
allowing their children to live in the gender they identify with in order to
save them from a future of heartache and pain. They are sharing their personal
stories to increase future understanding of transgender children. But how can
someone so young really know his/her true gender identity? Walters’ eye-opening
report airs on “20/20,” FRIDAY, APRIL 27 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC
Television Network.
JAZZ, 6 -- On the surface, Scott and Renee and their
four children are a typical American family. But their youngest, Jazz, is a
six-year-old transgender girl, one of the youngest documented cases of an early
transition from male to female. At only 15 months, Jazz would unsnap his onesies
to make it look like a dress, and at two he asked his mom when he would become a
girl. He was only three when their pediatrician told them Jazz had a serious
problem. When he was diagnosed with GID, the Jennings wanted to do everything
possible to avoid having their child suffer. They let their then five-year-old
biological boy begin living fulltime as a girl – Jazz grew her
hair out, pierced her ears, and now wears dresses everywhere, even to
kindergarten. ”We felt that it would be a good time for her to come out of the
closet. Because she's starting a new school, doesn't know anybody in her class,
and this is a perfect opportunity for her to switch the pronoun,” says
Renee.
RILEY, 10 -- “She has a birth defect. And we call it that.... She
talks about the day she'll have a baby. That's not in her future,” Stephanie
says about her transgender child, Riley, who was born a twin boy named Richard.
From the beginning, the twins were different – Richard wanted
to be just like his twin sister, Allie. For years he secretly dressed up in her
clothes. In 2004, at age seven, Richard’s parents allowed him to transition from
a boy to a girl. He -- now she -- eventually changed her name legally to Riley.
But living as a girl has brought on other problems, including taunting and
teasing at school. Riley is now on the cusp of puberty, a difficult time for a
transgender child who wants to identify with the opposite sex.
JEREMY, 16
-- On December 19, 2004, 14-year-old Rebecca wrote a startling letter to her
parents. By the end, she was no longer “Rebecca” but “Jeremy.” After years of
struggling silently, Jeremy, with his parent’s consent, began to transition into
a boy. He cut his hair short, bought male clothing and began wearing a lycra
vest that painfully flattened his breasts. Jeremy was generally accepted by his
classmates, but beneath his clothing, Jeremy was a girl in puberty. “From the
time that I found out what it meant to be transgendered, I knew that there were
physical changes that I could make… and I also knew that there were surgeries
that could be done,” Jeremy tells Walters.
But Jeremy’s parents were
cautious. They allowed him to dress as a boy, but refused to let him start
injecting testosterone. Without the male hormone, Jeremy felt trapped between
genders. A year after coming out, he started to physically hurt himself when he
discovered that his mother still hoped for her daughter to return. For his
parents, the threat of losing their child crystallized the urgency Jeremy felt
to masculinize his body and last year, Jeremy, then 16, began injecting
testosterone.
The report also features interviews with sex and gender
experts, including the therapist who confirmed Jazz’s diagnoses and the doctor
who is treating Jeremy. Experts are divided about when to start hormone therapy
treatment, which is not without risk, as well as the question of whether and
when to have sex reassignment surgery; some fear that gender non-conforming
children could change their minds about their gender identity later in life.
Walters reports on the first study to quantify the harmful effects rejection has
on gender non-conforming young people: Researchers found that youths who were
highly pressured by their families to conform to gender expectations were nearly
four times as likely to attempt suicide and use illegal drugs, and twice as
likely to be at high risk for HIV infection. But for those accepted by their
parents, these risks were dramatically reduced.
These parents also talk
about the importance of the unconditional love they have for their children.
“I've talked to many adult transgender people… And they said ‘if only my mother
or father had done what you're doing, my life would have been completely
different.’… The bottom line is you want a happy, healthy child to enjoy life,”
says Renee. “This is not easy…it would be the last thing I would wish on anyone.
But the first thing I'd say that people should stand up and recognize is your
child's right to be who they are,” says Stephanie.
Why are these families
exposing something so personal on national television? “I want to pave the way
for a better life for her (Jazz), and any trans kids. They didn't ask to be born
this way,” Renee tells Walters. “I want Riley to have a good life... and for
more people to understand the way she is. And that it's no fault of her own, or
anyone else's,” Riley’s father, Neal, tells Walters. His wife, Stephanie, adds:
“We have to support her -- but we don't walk in her shoes. And people who look
at her and know her... will, I hope, realize what it takes for her to be her
every single day.”
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"The California Dreamin
Transgender Convention" includes presentations designed for BOTH MtFs and FtMs
this year!
If you don't know, this is the
major TS event in Northern California each year and is open to, and appropriate
for, all TG/TS folks and all providers who either serve these populations or
want to serve them. check it out at.......http://www.california-dreamin.org/index.html
Namaste...Sat Nam...Om Shanti......Peace B'Ahava v'Shalom,
u'Vrachot
<>
Stephen L. Braveman, M.A., L.M.F.T., D.S.T.
Licensed Marriage &
Family Therapist # MFC 28926
AASECT Certified Diplomate of Sex
Therapy
AASECT Certified Supervisor and Certified CE Provider
Gender
Specialist - Clinical Member of HBIGDA
Tantra Facilitator-Practitioner
AASECT Western Region Representative
CAMFT Past President - Monterey
Chapter
Author:
- "Innovative Methods of Treating Patients with
Sexual Trauma" in "Innovations in Clinical Practice: Focus on
Sexual Health, 2007"- "CPR for Your Sex Life: How to Breathe Life Into a
Dead, Dying or Dull Sex Life" (Co-Author: Mildred Brown,
Ph.D.)
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http://www.omhrc.gov/hivaidsobservances/index.html
A&PI Wellness Center's TOFU (Testing Options
For U) Program is excitedto announce our participation in a pilot program
with City Clinic to provide confidential STD testing (Gonorrhea, Chlamydia,
and Syphilis) to men who have sex with men who may have been exposed since
their last STD test. We will provide free onsite treatment for
Gonorrhea and Chlamydia and partner packs for partner-administered treatment
- participants will be referred to City Clinic for Syphilis treatment.
As always, participants are encouraged to include a free rapid HIV test as
part of their screening.
<>Note: STD pilot program participants may only test
confidentially forHIV. If they choose to test anonymously for HIV, STD
testing cannot be performed.
<>As of March 14, 2007 STD testing will take place
during regular testing hours. For more information, please contact
Anthony, Jason, or Ming
<>
Thank you for helping us spread the
word!
Ming Ming Kwan, MSW
Health Education Program
Coordinator
A&PI Wellness Center
730 Polk Street, 4th Floor
San
Francisco, CA 94109
Tel: (415) 292-3400 ex: 347
Fax: (415) 292-3404
TTY: (415) 292-3401
www.apiwellness.org
HIV Care & Prevention
2007"Changing
Paradigms - Moving Forward"
A regional
conference for physicians, nurse practitioners, prevention specialists, and
other healthcare providers
DATE CHANGED!
Tues: May 1,
2007
Double Tree
Hotel, San Jose
Sponsored by
San Jose AIDS Education & Training Center, a program of Community Health
Partnership, and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
Lydia
Guel
Program
Manager
Healthy Futures Program, San Jose
AIDS Education & Training Center
programs of Community Health
Partnership
100 N. Winchester, Ste. 250, Santa
Clara, CA 95050
408.556.6605 x220
fax 408.556.6617
The Diversity Center offers a FTM (female-to-male)
discussion and support group. Meetings will be held the 2nd Wednesday and 4th
Thursday each month
7:30 - 9pm. The group mets at The Diversity Center,
1117 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz.
This group is open to anyone who was labeled female
at birth and no longer feels that is complete or accurate. Group members may
identify as or be exploring identities including: FTM, transman, guy, man,
male, transgender, transexual, genderqueer, intersexed, gender-questioning,
crossdresser, male- to-male, transbutch, boi, drag king, bigender,
genderless, trannyfag, etc. Wednesday meetings are open to FTMs, partners,
friends and family members.(2nd wednesday) Oct 11, Nov. 8th and Dec 13
(holiday potluck)
Thursday meetings are open to FTMs as described above (4th
thurday),
Facilitator Antonia Broccoli, (a Social Worker and
an Activist) has been a proud members of the LGBTQI community for
nearly thirty years. Antonia is committed to providing a compassionate, safe
space for individuals on the FTM spectrum to receive support, network, and
socialize with peers in an environment that is unique for female-to-male
trans persons on all points of gender identity and emergence.
For more information call or email antonia@cruzio.com (831)
425-4409. While drop-ins are welcome, please try to RSVP.
Teresa Antonia Broccoli, MSW, ASW
Associate Clinical Social
Worker
 
Aloha,
If you do not know your HIV status,
and would like to, or simply haven't been tested in a while, why don't you call
Life Foundation to set up a free anonoymous HIV anti-body test today? If
you would prefer, one of our HIV testers can meet you wherever you are on O'ahu.
The test is free, anonymous, and absolutely confidential.
Please call
521-2437 and ask to speak to someone in Prevention to set up a
test. 808-521-2437
Aloha!
COMMUNITY ALERT ABOUT A RECENT HATE CRIME
PLEASE POST WIDELY
An open letter to our communities
from “Elliott” (a pseudonym), Kate Loewe (stopsexualviolence@riseup.net),
Kathy Ni Keefe (nikeefe@riseup.net),
Samuel Lurie (slurie@gmavt.net), and Eli
Clare (eclare@gmavt.net):
We
are writing to let our communities know about a recent hate crime that occurred
in New Mexico. We are writing to break silence, to create resistance to violence
and space for healing, and to build support for the survivor. We are writing in
hopes that we can take care of each other, undercut the community-wide fear that
comes with hate violence, and work toward justice.
Please note
that what follows contains some graphic details, which could be triggering.
Also, the survivor is a parent of two children, and this information MUST NOT
reach them.
On September 2, 2006, Elliott, a cognitively disabled
transman, was raped in a barbershop in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The attack
started with the barber taunting Elliott, “You’re not a man.” He quickly
assessed Elliott as disabled, asking, “Where’s your helper.” Throughout the
rape, he called Elliott “freak,” “bitch,” and “retard,” holding a straight razor
against Elliott’s throat, and when Elliott tried to run, threatening him with
scissors at his eyes.
This brutal sexual assault intertwined
transphobia and disability oppression (ableism). First, Elliott was targeted as
a transman who is visibly gender variant. And then the perpetrator pegged
Elliott as a disabled person, who, because of ableism, was seen as weak,
vulnerable, and not believable if he ever tried to speak out. Throughout the
attack, the rapist spewed transphobic and ableist hatred and acted with
confidence that there would be no repercussions for his violence. This rape was
not a random act but part of historic and current patterns of hate violence that
target and terrorize both disabled people and trans people.
As we
deal, both individually and in community, with the aftermath of this brutality,
we urge you to take care of yourselves and each other. And again, we remind you
that this information MUST NOT reach Elliott’s children.
We are
writing this letter and distributing it widely to end our isolation, to
challenge the secrecy and shame that survivors are often forced to live with,
and to find community support. We are also writing to raise consciousness about
ableist hate violence, which is virtually ignored outside the disability rights
movement. In order to end the pervasive violence faced by disabled
people—violence ranging from verbal harassment to being forced to live in
nursing homes to attacks like the one Elliott just experienced—queer and other
progressive activists need to add disability issues to our social justice work.
We need to be aware of commonly used ableist language and how these words can
quickly escalate to physical and sexual violence. One way you can support Elliot
is by educating yourself about disability issues and doing anti-ableist activist
work. (See resources below.)
There are many ways—big and small—to
support Elliott and his family during this time. Please contact us at stopsexualviolence@riseup.net if
you have questions or can help in any way. This email address will also get
messages to Elliott.
Ways of supporting Elliott and his family:
For local people in New Mexico (many local people will know who
Elliott is):
• Helping with Elliott’s children (childcare, reading,
homework, hanging out)
• Providing meals
• Running errands
For everyone:
• Giving money specifically to support Elliott’s
recovery (i.e. rest, acupuncture and therapy)
• Educating yourself and
others about ableism and transphobia
• Volunteering with anti-violence
programs
There are two ways to donate money to Elliott’s Survivor
Fund:
1) Go to http://www.tgtrain.org/elliott.html
and donate via the PayPal link you’ll find there.
2) Pay via
check. Make it out to “R.U.1.2.? Queer Community Center” and send it to
R.U.1.2.?/SafeSpace, P.O. Box 5883, Burlington, VT 05402. Please write
“Elliott’s Survivor Fund” in the memo section of your check. R.U.1.2.? and its
anti-violence project SafeSpace (http://www.safespacevt.org) will pass your
donation to Elliott.
Elliott requests the following when people
offer support:
• Respect Elliott’s process.
• Questions about the
police, reporting, and prosecution are not helpful.
• It’s ok to ask Elliott
how he’s doing.
• Be aware of how you offer support and what you say about
the violence Elliott experienced when his children are present.
• Physical
touch may not be helpful. Please ask first.
• Be yourself.
• Reach out.
Check in. Elliott needs community support.
Let’s take care of each
other and resist hate violence in all the ways we know how. Again you can
contact us and send messages to Elliott via stopsexualviolence@riseup.net.
In grief, rage, and hope,
Elliott, Kate, Kathy,
Samuel, and Eli
Resources about disability issues and ableist
violence:
http://www.accessiblesociety.org/casindex.shtml
http://www.raggededgemagazine.com/
http://dawn.thot.net/violence_wwd.html
http://www.notdeadyet.org/docs/articles.html#viol
Resources about trans issues and transphobic violence:
http://www.transgenderlawcenter.org/
http://www.survivorproject.org/
http://www.tgijp.org/
http://www.srlp.org/
http://www.gender.org/remember/
contact us @ myspace.com/viva_tropicana
Mimi Marks the Miss International Queen 2005
recently crowned the current winner of the Miss International Queen
2006 in Thailand. The winner is Erica Andrews of
Mexico
 
Current Ms. TG San Francisco 2007 " Bonnie"
CURRENT ANDTHIRD MILLENNIUM FOUNDATION
SEEDS OF TOLERANCE
Make a Video, Make a Difference
Current is trying to change the way we see each other.
In partnership with the Third Millennium Foundation, Current is
unveiling “Seeds of Tolerance,” an opportunity for aspiring young
journalists and filmmakers to
produce short-form videos, or “pods,” on
the issue of unlearning intolerance and understanding diversity.
Beginning June 15, our audience is encouraged to submit stories,
thoughts, poems, and anecdotes on the concept of tolerance. The video
pieces can relate to
racism, sexism, homophobia, economic or social
class, disability, age or religion. We’re asking our audience: what
does tolerance means to you?
$100,000 for the Producer
Out of all the entries, five semifinalists will air on the network, and
the grand prize winner will earn $100,000 cash, along with an
additional $15,000 to a relevant
charity of his or her choice.
Two finalists will walk away with $10,000 each. All of the
entries are eligible to be aired on the network.
Judges
Current has confirmed the following judges: Edward Norton, Margaret
Cho, Melissa Etheridge and Paul Haggis to help select our best videos,
and will help select
our semi-finalists along with a panel of Current
and Third Millennium staff that reflects diversity in race, gender,
ethnicity and sexual orientation. The final vote will
be cast by our
viewers, who will select the grand prize winner and two finalists
online at www.current.tv/tolerance.
Song That. Radio
<>     
 ALOHA.........Please join us anytime....
Join us at TRANSUNIDAS.........Our group caters to the Latina,
Asian, Afro American ,Pacific Islanders & 2 Spirit Native American Transgender Women . We
are TransPowerment Program with The Community Health Partnership
....We are the only Transgender Program in San Jose & in Santa
Clara County
We welcome our straight allies & transwomen/transmen who looking for multi cultural support group!
The Aloha Spirit (Love) is alive and well in the South Bay......Please forward to our community
ALOHA.........Please join us
anytime.... Our next meeting is on Friday March.
16th
Together We're Making a Difference! We Meet every Third Friday of
Each Month From 6-8 PM
at 100 N.Winchester Blvd Suite #250
Santa Clara, Ca 95050
Dinner is Provided
For More Info Call 408-556-6605 ask for Danielle Castro
Aunty Anita 510-449-8257
Seeking lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
people of color
Are you. . Lesbian, gay, bisexual, or
transgender?. African American/Black, Native American/American
Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Asian American, Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian,
Middle Eastern, Latina/Latino/Hispanic, Biracial or Multiracial? . Age
18 or older? If this sounds like you, then we invite you to participate in a
study focusing on your life experiences as an LGBT person of color, the
challenges you have faced, and how you deal with these challenges.
Participants will have the opportunity to enter a drawing for one of three
cash prizes of $100. The goal of the Rainbow Project is to better understand
and promote the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
adults. Results of this study will be used to improve our survey
questions, better understand the links between LGBT-specific experiences and
health outcomes, and to develop culturally-sensitive programs to promote health
among LGBT people.
We are especially interested in hearing the diverse voices
within our communities. This is an anonymous, web-based study run
through the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington. For more
information, please go to http://depts.washington.edu/rainbow2/survey.html or
contact the Rainbow Project office at rainbow2@u.washington.edu or (206)
543-9862. Please remember that we cannot guarantee the confidentiality of
any information sent by email.
The RAINBOW PROJECT
Listening to LGBT
voices
Documenting our diverse life experiences
The Rainbow Project is funded by the National
Institute of Mental Health and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social
Issues.
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Ease into 2006 with those
friendly
folks at the FTMs & Friends Wednesday night social, every
Wednesday,
from 6:30-8:30 pm.
We welcome friendly folk of all
persuasions,
trans-identified or otherwise...so come on down, and bring a friend.
Muddy Waters Coffee House
262 Church Street (btw 15th & Market), San Francisco
Look for the red balloon!
Sign up for our announcement
list to stay in touch.
DeFrank Weekly Programs
The DeFrank Center offers a wide range of programs that meet regularly.
To see a complete list, click here.
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Greetings Friends & Supporters of "Transfigurations"
Happy holidays to everyone. As we ring in a New Year I want to thank all of you for your support and kind words during 2006! Here's the latest update:
"Transfigurations" will be opening at the I Gallery in Manhattan! Jan 19 - March 31st, 2007.
Artist Reception: Feb 2, 5-7 pm (cocktail fundraiser for gallery) & 7-9 pm (public).
WHERE: I Gallery, 39 West 14th Street - Suite 205
On Saturday Feb 3, I'm giving an artist talk at NYU with participants from my show, from 3-6 pm. More info on the IGallery website:
http://www.igallerynyc.org/exhibitions/jana-marcus-transfigurations/
Also watch for these upcoming national articles: The Advocate (mid January) Flaunt Magazine (February)
Coming up: The HotHouse Gallery in Chicago: June 1 - July 14, 2007
Best to you all,
Jana Marcus Photography www.jlmphotography.com
<>
© Jana
Marcus
2006. All Rights Reserved. From the
documentary "Transfigurations.
 For
decades, the mahuwahine have been sex
workers in Hawaii.
32 years ago, when I transitioned in Hawaii, there were no services or
support organizations for the mahuwahine (male-to-females). I
came from an upper-middle class family of social standing and brought
shame upon them. So, at 21 I left and became a sex worker. More
often than not, the sex industry was the only road available to trans
girls back then. In the 1960s and early 70's it was against the law to
cross-dress, so the "T" girls were forced to wear buttons that read "I
am a boy," and were only
allowed to work in a four block radius in downtown Honolulu. If you
were caught without a button you were beaten by the cops and thrown in
jail. This is how it was‹no one cared about us.
At 25, after my surgery, I started presenting myself as a biological woman; no one knew about my past
history. I had no marketable skills so
I made money performing in burlesque, working around the country and
overseas as a Vegas headliner. It was fun dressing-up every night and
being glamorous I was a
diva but I dreamed of a different life for myself. I wanted to be
married and live as a straight woman, but I didn¹t know how
to make that happen and I didn¹t believe I had any skills to pull
myself out of the adult industry. I met a man, when I was stripping,
who worshipped the ground I walked on. When he asked me to marry him
I decided not to tell him I was trans. At the time I thought I was
making the right decision, and I would take my secret to the grave.
I carried that burden for 17 years.
Each stage of my life has been about lessons learned. This year I
decided to come out to my husband and
I¹m fortunate that he loves me unconditionally and supports
the confidant woman I am today. I¹m in a stage of my life now
where it isn¹t all about me anymore I want to help others. My new
quest is to educate, as few working girls are strong enough
to get past a life filled with substance abuse, beatings, and possibly
contracting HIV. I was lucky I came out of it alive. My dreams have
come true and I try to teach the girls that they don¹t have
to be on the streets to use their brains and get an education. Those
sisters who were beaten by the cops, had beer bottles thrown at them,
and were murdered they paved the road that we walk on now. We can all
have a better life today. With the spirit of my sister mahuwahines
speaking
through me, I am now here to help and I¹m not hiding anymore.
Ha`a he`o I ka nani mahuwahine e` mahulani *
Aunty Anita, 52
*The beauty of
pride is
to share with you, brothers and sisters.
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 Glade Reunion
Hawaii June 2007
For information and events please visit the Newsletter
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Sensitivity
Training Power Point Presentation My Two
Mothers Gone Fishing
Tropical
Trannie
Scholarship Fund for Transgender
Youth
Please forward to anyone or
any lists you think may be interested. Thank you!
Greetings
Friends,
As most of you know I’ve been
working at Larkin Street Youth Services for the past 3 years. Larkin
Street is a non-profit agency in San Francisco that
supports homeless youth in receiving the care, resources and attention required
to generate stability in their life and overcome the factors propagating their
cycles of homelessness, poverty and trauma. It is a highly effective
agency that conducts its life changing work through the financial assistance of
generous, compassionate people like yourselves.
I’ve been inspired to join the
fundraising cause through the unique relationships I have forged with our youth,
and witnessing first hand the difficulties they face in getting off the streets
permanently. I have bought some new running shoes and will be running more
than I’ve ever run before. I will be training for and racing in the San
Francisco Half-Marathon in July and am seeking your sponsorship to ease the pain
of running up some very steep hills, to continue the great work done by
Larkin Street and to begin something exciting and new for
our most vulnerable youth.
Specifically, I am running to
raise funds for the creation of a Scholarship Fund for Transgender
Youth. Transgender youth are a
segment of our population who are most at risk for the worst conditions this
society has to offer: survival sex work, drug abuse, homelessness, jail,
infectious diseases, rape and murder.
According to Riki Wilchins,
Executive Director of the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (GenderPAC), “Gender
non-conforming young people – who have often been shut out of employment,
housing, and safe environments because of their gender identity or expression –
are dying at a rate of about one every three months.”
During these past few years I
have met many brave youth, especially transgender youth, who are struggling to
overcome societal and institutionalized prejudice, internalized shame, abuse and
addictions, to make a better world for themselves; one that does not place their
life in danger on a daily basis and cause them to become just another
statistic.
I know many of you give back to
your communities in one form or another, but here’s a chance to be a part of
something tangible and innovative. This is the first time I've asked
friends for donations but it's for a highly worthy cause. So please join me
in creating this Scholarship Fund that will provide support to a young person
working hard to alter their life course; from one of pain and sadness to one of
dignified self-realization and salubrious sustainability!
or you can send me a check
made out to Larkin Street Youth Services
with my name (Chandra Sivakumar) in the memo section, to : 720 Fell, #8,
San Francisco , CA 94117
Many thanks! Be well and
and remember no amount is too little!
Chandra
Sivakumar
Less than a week after Largo City Manager Steve Stanton announced he
was transgendered, the small Florida community's city commission fired
him. This is workplace discrimination, plain and simple. Click here to
sign our 'Stand with Stanton' petition.
When the Commission fired Stanton, they ignored his excellent 14-year
record as an energetic and effective leader. Stanton has received
consistently positive performance reviews from the City Council and
the Mayor while managing over 1,200 employees and the city's
$130-million budget.
Stanton said, after being fired, "It's just real painful to know that
seven days ago I was a good guy and now I have no integrity, I have no
trust and most painful, I have no followers." Stanton needs our
support. City officials have received hundreds of e-mails about the
controversy, most calling for his removal. Together, we can raise our
voices to counteract their voices of intolerance -- sign our 'Stand
with Stanton' petition today.
The promise of America is that if you are a good employee, you should
be rewarded for it regardless of your race, creed, disability, gender
or sexual orientation. But this basic American promise did NOT carry
the day in Largo, Florida. Here are a few quotes from the hearing on
Stanton's future:
Ron Sanders, pastor of Lighthouse Baptist Church of Largo: "If Jesus
was here tonight, I can guarantee you he'd want [Stanton] terminated.
Make no mistake about it."
Peggy Schaefer, citizen of Largo, FL: "I don't want that man in
office. I don't think we should be paying him $150,000 a year...we
don't believe in sex changes or lesbianism. They have their rights,
but we do, too."
Stanton's firing was an un-American display of workplace
discrimination and this injustice should be reversed. Sign our 'Stand
with Stanton' petition that we'll deliver to the City Commission in
Largo, FL.
Sincerely,
Gilbert Herdt
Director of the National Sexuality Resource Center
A Preview of the Trans Year to Come
By Jacob
Anderson-Minshall
Published: January 4, 2007
Many of the notable trans
folks I featured in 2006 are planning even more exciting work in 2007, and
the upcoming year promises a plethora of cultural contributions in the fields of
music, art, film, publishing and theater. Be on the look out
for:
Publishing
A new stack of memoirs, including Matt Kailey's
follow-up to his 2005 Just Add Hormones: An Insider's Guide to the
Transsexual Experience, Helen Boyd's sophomore release about her transgender
spouse (She's Not the Man I Married), and trans politico KJ Jackson Prince's
I Want My Daddy Back (which, Prince says, "depicts the life of someone who
is both male and female …[and] one little boy who refuses to let go of his
daddy"). Lesbian author Cris Beam chronicles her experiences among LA's
transgender teens in Transparent: Love Family, and Living the T with
Transgender Teenagers.
A national study of transgender identity
development by scholars Sue Rankin and Brett- Genny Beemyn will be released
in book form (as The Lives of Transgender People) as will the results of
TransAcademic.
com founder Eli Green's Community Needs Assessment Survey
Project. In preparation for their 2008 book, Femmes of Power: Exploring Queer
Femininities, trans photographer Del LaGrace Volcano and writer Ulrika Dahl
will be interviewing and photographing femmes around the globe.
Trans
feminist Julia Serrano's essays will be assembled in Whipping Girl: A
Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity; trans
veteran Janice Josephine Carney's essays and poems collected in Mantras from
the Great Void; disabled trans author Eli Clare's poetry and prose will be
released as The Marrow's Telling: Words in Motion.
T. Cooper's novel
Lipshitz Six, or Two Angry Blondes, comes out in paperback and when s/he
isn't touring Germany (where the book is an enormous hit) Cooper will
participate in Michelle Tea's RADAR series, and join Kate Bornstein for an
event at Harvard. (Cooper's girlfriend, Felicia Luna Lemus, also has a new
novel coming—Like Son—with an FTM
protagonist.)
Trans academic
Jacob Hale's latest article will argue that the Harry Benjamin Standards of
Care's therapy requirement is ethically unjustified. Hale also hopes to
complete his historical work on 1953 reactions to the Christine Jorgensen
"phenomenon" by transvestites (including Virginia Prince) who "disavowed the
desire to undergo bodily changes."
Films
Trans individuals
continue to be both the subjects and filmmakers in documentaries about trans
lives, and other trans and genderqueer auteurs explore broader issues and
experiment with the medium. Trans filmmaker Jules Rosskam (TransParent)
argues, "the narrative voice in many [transmen's coming out films] is a
disempowered one." He explores this conclusion in his own autobiographical
film tentatively titled Remember: Repair: Retell.
Another
transman Luke Woodward, follows up his docu-porn Enough Man with the
"queer/ trans bicycle porn" Tour de Pants, while Female to Femme's
lesbian director Kami Chisholm is producing Godspeed, based on Lynn
Breedlove's novel.
Andy
Twibell's new film Transcending Stereotypes profiles Midge Potts, a trans
politician and former Navy sailor who garnered over 4,000 votes in a
Republican primary election. Meanwhile, trans Cuban American Mark Angelo is
filming a documentary interviewing transkids, their parents, and medical
professionals.
Australian trans producer Patricia Church's feature film
about human trafficking, The Jammed, will be released in early 2007, and her
mockumentary about terrorism and false arrest, Terry and Asim, will hit
theaters later in the year.
Rosskam is in post-production on his film F.
Scott Fitzgerald Slept Here, and is in collaboration with Sam Feder
(director of Boy I Am), on a film that explores the exclusion of
transwomen—especially lesbian-identified transwomen—from women-only and
lesbian spaces.
On the small screen, trans performer Candis Cayne
joins the cast of CBS's CSI—at least for one night—on Jan. 24..
Art,
Theater and Performance
Exploring the intersections of race, gender and
global warming using the metaphor of Antartica as "the white continent,"
trans photographer Del LaGrace Volcano's pictures will be incorporated into
artist Mojisola Adebayo's performance piece Moj of the Antarctic: an
African
Odyssey.The performance piece will premier in at U.K.'s Queer Up North
festival in May, before touring the U.S., while Mark Angelo's one-man show,
Transman on a Mission, will debut at Miami's upcoming winter party.
For June's National Queer Arts Festival in San Francisco, Julia Serrano
will curate a spoken word event that feature an all-transwomen cast speaking
about the difficulties associated with living as a woman with a "penis" in
our culture.
Gunner Scott, the trans producer behind Boston's Gender
Crash open mic, launches a monthly queer/trans dance night, The
Neigh-borhood, that will feature live bands and guest DJs and a portion of
proceeds will be donated to a queer/trans-friendly non-profit.
Music
and Comedy
With a new CD, Won't Stop Now, under his belt in April, trans
singer Joshua Klipp, will tour with trans hip-hop artist Katastrophe. Rocker
Shawna Virago is producing her first album and the all transwomen band
Lipstick Conspiracy will return to the studio sometime this year.
And
this might be the year trans comic Ian Harvie's dreams come true—it looks like
he'll bring his comedy routine to an Olivia Cruise.
Activism
Once again, trans activists will continue improving the lives of the
disenfranchised.
African American transman Imani Henry is facilitating
the 2nd Annual New York City Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color
Job and Education Fair being held January 20. Filmmaker Luke Woodward will
collaborate with other San Francisco activists to start a transitional
housing program for trans parolees. Meanwhile, transgender cop and founder
of the online group TCOPS, Julie Marin, plans to incorporate the
organization into a non- profit advocacy, resource, and support group.
Two FTM attorneys with National Center for Lesbian Rights, Shannon
Minter and Jody Marksamer, will educate child welfare professionals about
trans youth issues and reach out to parents with trans children, family
court attorneys, and judges, to "keep kids from being exposing to damaging
parental rejection and therapists who are trying to suppress their
transgender identity."
And that's just a few of the fascinating plans
for 2007. What's your story? Email me at
jake@trans-nation.org.
Trans writer Jacob Anderson's co-authored Blind Eye mystery series
premiers March 2007 with Blind Curves.
A bearable wellness of being
Searching for a healthy community in the
New Year
BY TERESE
FARMEN
As if engaged in
some
onerous battle with the soul – or, at the very least, the inner child –
people tend to want to grow, change and emerge from the struggle of
another year gone by. It may be a coincidence that this introspection
comes to many following the overly festive, terribly capitalistic and
mostly dysfunctional winter holiday season, but somehow the emergence
of these intense feelings lead people to want to better themselves in
the new year. New Year’s resolutions tend to be slung with little or no
true intention, but, at the very least, most people are listening to
those inner demons and wanting a little peace of mind.
It is in
this nexus of self-motivation that people can really work toward a
state of wellness. Of course, wellness in not only about losing a few
pounds or being nicer to loved ones; it is a multi-faceted and lovely
unfolding of each element that binds us to humanity: our bodies, our
spirits, our emotions, our sexuality, our self-esteem and mostly, our
ability to allow ourselves deep introspection.
Experts
agree that it is important for a cultural group or entity to define
health for its own community. This means finding the root causes of
unhealthiness; finding what brings wellness to the community and
helping all members of the community to fall in line and continuously
redefine that definition. Guatemala: Transgender People Face Deadly
Attacks
22 Feb 2006 00:31:07
GMT
Source: Human Rights Watch
(New
York, February 21, 2006)- The Guatemalan government must take immediate steps to
stop a pattern of deadly attacks and possible police violence against
transgender women and gay men, and end impunity for these crimes, Human Rights
Watch said today in a letter to Guatemalan President Oscar Berger. One
transgender woman was murdered and another was critically wounded on December 17
when they were gunned down on a street in Guatemala City. Paulina (legal name
Juan Pablo Méndez Cartagena) and Sulma (legal name Kevin Robles) were stopped by
four men on motorcycles at an intersection in Guatemala City's Zone One, the
center of the city.
Eyewitnesses reported that the assailants were wearing police uniforms
and riding police motorcycles that identified them as members of the national
police. The assailants shot Paulina twice in the head, killing her immediately.
They shot Sulma three times, and she is still recuperating from her injuries.
Paulina, a former sex worker, worked for the Organización de Apoyo a una
Sexualidad Integral frente al SIDA (OASIS), a nongovernmental organization that
works to prevent HIV/AIDS and to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender (LGBT) people. Sulma is a volunteer with OASIS and a sex worker.
Since the attack, Sulma and other transgender sex workers have reported
being subject to undue police surveillance, causing them to fear for their
lives. According to Sulma's report to OASIS, police warned her that, as witness
to the attack, her life is in danger. OASIS said that its office and personnel
have been under undue police surveillance. According to OASIS, the Office of the
Public Prosecutor has made no further investigations into the attack since
preliminary investigations in late December.
"These cold–blooded shootings are just the latest tragedy in Guatemala's
pattern of deadly violence based on sexual orientation or gender identity," said
Jessica Stern, researcher in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights
Program at Human Rights Watch. "The police have not done enough to protect
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and now there is concern that
they may be responsible for someone's murder."
LGBT people in Guatemala regularly face attacks and threats. In 2005, at
least 13 transgender women and gay men were murdered in Guatemala. On December
21, two men in an unmarked car with tinted windows robbed two gay male sex
workers at gunpoint in Guatemala City.
In the space of a single month, three gay men were murdered in Guatemala
City late last year. Luis Sicán was shot to death on November 6 in Guatemala
City's Zone One. Flavio José Morales was shot to death in Zone Three of on
October 12. Héctor Osmín García was shot to death by a security guard on October
7 while distributing flyers for a beauty salon. According to OASIS, there have
been no prosecutions in any of these cases.
In its letter to Guatemala's president, Human Rights Watch outlined
several steps that the government should take to end the violence and
intimidation targeting LGBT people in Guatemala.
First, the government must ensure prompt, thorough and impartial
investigations of the December 17 shootings - as well as other similar attacks
reported over the past year. The authorities must also ensure that those
responsible for these crimes are brought to justice.
In addition, the Guatemalan government should end any undue police
surveillance of Sulma and other transgender sex workers, of OASIS and other NGOs
advocating for the rights of LGBT people in Guatemala.
Human Rights Watch recommended that national police work with
representatives of LGBT and sex worker communities to introduce sensitivity
training in accordance with human rights principles to end discrimination
against LGBT people and sex workers.
"Sulma has good reason to fear that the people who attacked her could
strike again,"said Stern. "Guatemalan authorities must take immediate steps to
protect LGBT people and hold their assailants accountable."
Human Rights Watch sent letters today detailing these human rights abuses
to President Oscar Berger, the Office of the Minister of the Interior, the
Office of the Public Prosecutor, the national police, the Solicitor for Human
Rights, and the Representative of the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights in Guatemala.
Sexual
Metamorphosis
“An Anthology of Transsexual
Memoirs”
Edited by Jonathan Ames
Vintage Books, $13.95
Jonathan Ames has put
together a very sweet, and slightly poignant, selection of auto-biographical
memoirs of transsexual stories. He presents stories that span more than a
century from one of Kraft-Ebing’s patients in the 1800s, to today. Both
male to female and female to male stories are included.
Personally, I found the older stories of Patient
129, Lili Elbe, and Christine Jorgenson to be the most interesting. These people
were true pioneers, venturing into totally unknown futures. Many people
have transitioned since then, but they have knowledge of the success of others
to buoy them through. Their courage in the face of the unknown is still
inspiring today.
Each story is just a snippet from more
extensive writings that are available elsewhere. In choosing his
selections, Mr Ames, has highlighted many of the common elements of
transition: Christine’s unwanted fame and publicity, Calpernia Adam’s
tragic loss, and the family battles and crises expressed in many different
ways.
Overall, these are uplifting stories of courage and
triumph. Each selection is only a small look at one life. The full
stories of these individuals are fascinating, and more interesting, in my
opinion, for the pain and setbacks that had to be conquered. Some
selections do include the darker details, but overall these are rosy glimpses
into their lives.
In his introduction, Ames
writes “The third act to these stories – first act: gender dysphoric childhood;
second act: the move to the big city and the transformation – is the aftermath
of the sex change”. I think he has identified the third act correctly, but
his selections are weakest on this point. We don’t see these lives as
complete, only incomplete fragments. I want to know how each life
has turned out. For myself, it is a wonder and miracle of life and science
together.
Submitted by D. Anne Bruetsch (Male to Female,
1975).
Hula Girl Productions
a Glade Project Update Glade Project.doc
Connie M. Florez - Director/Producer
Connie is the founder and CEO of Hula Girl Productions, the production
company currently working on The Glades Project. Connie produced the
feature documentary, Ke Kulana He Mahu: Remembering A Sense Of Place,
which premiered at the Washington D.C. Asian Pacific American Film
Festival in October of 2001 at the Smithsonian Institute. It was a
sellout favorite at both The Hawaii International Film Festival in 2001
and The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival in
2002. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is currently utilizing
Ke Kulana He Mahu as part of their Civil Rights Program curriculum
training. The film was also a recipient of the 2002 Frameline/Horizons
Film and Video Completion Fund Award; Astraea Lesbian Action Fund for
Justice. In June of 2003 Ke Kulana He Mahu was broadcast by WNET in New
York (PBS).
She was Executive Producer for the award winning short, Constructions,
which was juried the First Place award winner and Audience Award winner
in the short documentary category at the First Annual QSFA 2000
(sponsored by Planet Out/IFilm). Constructions also received
recognition among the Best Films of 2001 (short film category) at the
Sapphos Movie Awards (Girlfriends Magazine) and the Adam Baran Award
for best short film 2001. It received distribution by the National
Asian American Telecommunications Association-NAATA (A PBS National
Minority Consortia).
Connie’s most recent works include the following: work as the
Director/Producer/Writer of Ho’oponopono, a short film, completed
entirely in Hawai`i; work as a Producer/Assistant Director of Ka ‘Upena
Kiloi, a short film funded by Pacific Islanders in Communications-PIC.
Both films are currently in post-production. Other work experience
includes work as a 2nd2nd Assistant Director for The Fishbowl Project,
directed by the late, Kayo Hatta, scheduled to air on National Public
Broadcast & PBS Hawai`i during the spring of 2006. Other recent
works include pre-production manager for the U.K. feature film titled,
The Killing of John Lennon in 2005.
Debate arises on teacher sex
change
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on
02/22/06
BY BRIAN PRINCE (609) 978-4537 or bprince@app.com
MANAHAWKIN
BUREAU EAGLESWOOD —
For Mark Schnepp,
it's a matter of religion; for Scott Rodas, a matter of fairness.They
are two of many parents debating the prospect of a substitute teacher
who is possibly undergoing a sex change leading their children's class.
School
officials plan to discuss the matter Monday. The issue came to the forefront when a parent questioned the Board of
Education last week about rumors that a substitute teacher is undergoing a sex
change. School Board Attorney Paul J. Carr said Tuesday the teacher, whose identity
remains publicly undisclosed, has been given notice that the situation is on the
agenda. Carr added that the board is letting the teacher decide whether that
discussion is held in public or at a private executive session.
Any action taken by the board, however, will be conducted in public, Carr
said. At issue are the teacher's "terms and conditions of employment in the
district," he said. Carr added the individual has worked as a teacher in the
district in the past, but authorities wouldn't say when or for what duration.
The teacher hasn't worked in the current school year, Carr said.
Schnepp, 39, said he has two
children in the district, which has classes from
pre-kindergarten to sixth grade. He said he had asked to be notified
when the
teacher would be in school so that he could pull his children out of
the
building during those times. The district officials refused, Schnepp
said. "That's my biggest problem," he said. "They are violating my
rights."
A Methodist, Schnepp considers the school board's actions a blow to his
religious beliefs, and took out a full-page advertisement in a local newspaper
last week urging other parents to attend the meeting. "I'll be there," said Rodas, 40. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." Rodas, who has a son in second grade, offered a different take than Schnepp.
He is not overly bothered, he said, by the idea of a teacher undergoing a sex
change leading a class. The board, Rodas added, must by law treat the teacher as
it would any other employee, whether or not members uphold the right to have a
sex change.
"My son doesn't have a problem with it either," he said. "We discussed it." Rodas remembered joking once with his son that he should be more like one of
his friends, to which his son's friend replied, "Everybody's different."
"I can't understand why a second-grader can say that and some adults don't
realize it," Rodas said. "God loves everybody, regardless."
The Crane Center
(between San Carlos and Naglee)
105 N. Bascom
Ave. , Suite 101
San Jose , CA 95128
(408) 885-7000
We offer
the oral test (known as ORASURE), which does not require needles or blood!
WALK-IN CLINIC—NO APPOINTMENT
 
FREE! NO BLOOD, NO PAIN!
Oral HIV Testing: Tests for HIV antibodies by gathering an
oral mucosal transudate sample in the mouth. Simply speaking, we use a device,
with a flat, cotton-like pad, and gather the sample by gently swabbing it
across your outer gum line. We have two types of tests:
- Rapid – you
will get your test result in 20 minutes
- Standard – you will get your
test result in a week
Privacy: We respect your right to privacy. All your
records are held in confidence. You can choose to have either Anonymous or
Confidential testing:
- We offer
Anonymous HIV Testing if you do not feel comfortable giving your name.
However, we will not be able to give you a paper copy of your results.
<>We
offer Confidential HIV Testing. This means you give your name that we keep
confidential. We are committed to ensure you to feel as safe and
comfortable as you can. If you choose a confidential test, we will be able
to give you a paper copy of your test result.
Counseling and Support for You: We provide highly trained, certified,
and multilingual HIV testing counselors. Our counselors are
compassionate, and we are ready to help you assess what activities put
you at-risk for exposure to HIV. We can work with you to reduce your
risk, show you how to use condoms and other safer sex devise, provide
referrals to other health services. There's no being shy with us! Just
ask. Whatever your results turn out to be, we are here to support you.
Diversity: We honor diversity. A&PI Wellness Center's testing
counselors are as diverse as our Asian and Pacific Islander
communities: we speak various languages; we are adults and youth; we
are lesbian, gay, bisexual & straight; immigrant, refugee and
U.S-born; female, male and transgender. You choose who would feel most
comfortable talking to.
Own Your Health. Get Checked Out.
http://www.lgbthealth.net/awarenessweek06/resources.html#transmen
Privacy Protection for People Living with
HIV
The Center for Disease Control (CDC), the
federal government agency in charge of HIV epidemiology and prevention program
funding, is in the process of implementing an intrusive and troublesome data
collection system called PEMS, which will require all federally funded HIV
prevention programs to gather highly personal information on the clients they
serve.
If PEMS goes forward as planned, people attending a prevention
workshop, peer support group, "prevention for positives" program, or even
getting an HIV test will be asked detailed questions concerning their sex
practices and drug use. CDC is proposing that this sensitive information be
entered into a national on-line database. There are minimal security
requirements for how agencies handle this data, which could expose people living
with HIV to discrimination or criminal prosecution. The intrusive data
collection process also threatens to disrupt the delicate provider-client
relationships that are key to effective HIV prevention interventions.
Due
to community pressure, the CDC has delayed implementation of this system, and
has convened a workgroup to fix it. In order to help inform their deliberations,
CHAMP is circulating a community sign-on letter (attached below) endorsing four
core recommendations. Join us and tell the CDC they must do better.
We
are collecting both INDIVIDUAL and ORGANIZATIONAL sign-ons to this letter. To
make sure your voice is heard on this important issue, please send an email to
sean@champnetwork.org by Friday, April 21st with the following:
THANKS!
For more background information on this issue, please
visit:
http://www.champnetwork.org/i
COMMUNITY
SIGN-ON LETTER TO CDC
Robert S. Janssen, MD, Director
Division of
HIV/AIDS Prevention
National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention /
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
Corporate Square Building 8, Room 5170, Corporate Square
Boulevard
Atlanta,
GA 30329
Lifetime channel plans to air movie on slain
transgender teen in June
By Eleni Economides, STAFF WRITER
Inside Bay
Area
NEWARK The story of slain Newark transgender
teen Gwen Araujo has been told in court, on TV and in the newspapers. Now,
it will appear in movie form.
The Lifetime channel, in conjunction with Sony Pictures Television,
began production of the film April 2 in Vancouver. It is expected to air
in June. Currently titled "The Gwen Araujo Story," the film's creators
hope to educate people about the struggle of gender
identity.
Executive producer Philip Krupp believes the film will break new
ground for audiences previously unaware of the notorious murder.
"I think this is an important film because it's a tragic tale of fear
and ignorance (followed) by a tragic result. It's worth telling that
society cannot be intolerant about people who look or act differently,"
Krupp said.
Araujo, who was born male but lived as a woman, was beaten, strangled
and buried in a shallow grave in the early hours of Oct. 4, 2002, after
her attackers learned that she was biologically male. Within weeks, Jason
Michael Cazares, 26; Michael Magidson, 25; Jose Merel, 26, and Jaron
Nabors, 23, were arrested for their involvement in the crime, after Nabors
led investigators to Araujo's grave in the Sierra foothills.
The murder received nationwide media coverage, as did the two trials
that followed. Magidson and Merel ultimately were convicted of
second-degree murder in September and were sentenced in January to 15
years to life in prison.
<>Four
months after the group originally was charged with murder, Nabors
pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for his
testimony. He is expected to be sentenced on May 22 to 11 years in
prison. The two juries deadlocked on Cazares, who later reached a plea
agreement with prosecutors. He began serving a six-year prison term
last month.
Following the film, a brief public service announcement will air from
the Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, or PFLAG.
The announcement will focus on respecting differences, and Lifetime's
Web site will offer viewers links to organizations such as the Gay &
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the transgender law center, and
PFLAG.
<>Guerrero said she is happy that Araujo's story will be told to a
larger audience. "I have faith and trust that this will be positive. This is an
important story that has made a difference in the world," said Guerrero,
who spent nearly a week familiarizing the screenwriter with the family's
tragedy.
Staff writer Eleni Economides can be reached at
eeconomides@angnewspapers.com.
Posted: May 3, 2006 06:08 PM
New law protects transgenders from discrimination in
public places
Marisa Yamane
Over the years, Civil Rights activists have pushed for equal rights for
women, minorities, and homosexuals.
Now, a new state law protects transgenders from discrimination in public
places.
"I'm very excited and very pleased that Hawaii's legislature, the Governor's
Office, that everyone in their own way supported Civil Rights, equal rights,"
says Kim Coco Iwamoto, Civil Rights attorney.
As a Civil Rights attorney and a transgender, Kim Coco Iwamoto sees and hears
about discrimination first hand.
"I would get numerous calls about discrimination on the basis of public
accommodations, and because the Civil Rights laws at the time, that had no
recourse," says Iwamoto.
Now under state law, transgenders, gays and lesbians have added protection.
"It basically prohibits discrimination in public accommodations, so hotels
and restaurants won't be able to exclude people based off of their sexual
orientation or perceived gender," says Representative Blake Oshiro, D-bill
supporter.
"It provides a legal protection and then sets the standard for acceptable --
what's acceptable in our community. And discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation or gender identity is wrong," says Eduardo Hernandez, executive
director of 'The Center.'
But not everyone sees this as a positive move. | |
