Military Lifts Transgender Ban

Recently the military has lifted the ban on Trans people who can serve in the military. While my friend (who was an active member of SPARTA ) was happy about the lifting, they also mentioned that there is still work to do on some of the policies and that this only signified a milestone in the endless battle. How do you all keep going? Read more about the lifting of the Ban here.

Testing, testing.... 1, 2, 3?

Hello all. When my friend and I created this blog we wanted to encourage discussion about gender in Lexington, Ky. It seems that people are interested, event though we haven't been updating. Please leave a comment and let us know what you would like to discuss. Mervin

Gynecologists told to prepare to treat transgender patients

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology has come out with a new statement for their members: it’s time to prepare to work with transgender patients.

To address the significant health care disparities of transgender individuals and to improve their access to care, ob-gyns should prepare to provide routine treatment and screening or refer them to other physicians, according to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College). In a Committee Opinion published today, The College also states its opposition to gender identity discrimination and supports both public and private health insurance coverage for gender identity disorder treatment.

Their statement specifically addresses the gynecological needs of transgender men, who may still require cervical and breast cancer screenings, as well as other gynecological (and even obstetric) care.

“We need to make our offices settings that treat all patients with respect,” said Dr. Buyers. The College offers ob-gyns suggestions on how to create an office environment that is welcoming to transgender patients. For instance, asking patients their preferred name and pronoun, posting non-discrimination policies, ensuring confidentiality, and offering sensitivity training for staff are all steps that signal acceptance and let patients know that they will be treated with dignity. “We want the transgender community to know that we, as ob-gyns, care about their health.”

 Now let's see how quickly this catches on in Lexington (and the rest of Kentucky for that matter).

DeLas

Transgender day of remembrance

First, let me apologize for the seven month absence. We've all been super busy and let the blog slide to the back burner. I'm going to try to get this thing going again because A. I think it's important and B. It's not too shabby and C. It's fun.

On that note, let's all take a moment and recognize that it is transgender day of remembrance.

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) is a day to memorialize those who have been killed as a result of transphobia, or the hatred or fear of transgender and gender non-conforming people, and acts to bring attention to the continued violence endured by the transgender community^. The Transgender Day of Remembrance was founded in 1998 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a transgender graphic designer, columnist, and activist to memorialize the murder of Rita Hester in Allston, Massachusetts. Since its inception, TDoR has been held annually on November 20th, and has slowly evolved from the web-based project started by Smith into an international day of action. In 2010, TDoR was observed in over 185 cities throughout more than 20 countries.

There is a great article in the Huffington Post about how many LGBT groups consistently leave out the "T" when prioritizing their funding, programming etc. This is especially noticeable with groups like the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) who beleive that the most important battle to fight for the "community" is to gain the right to marriage. In light of the recent brutal murder of transgender teen Shelley Hilliard, I don't think marriage should be one of our top five priorities (this is my opinion btdubs).

I'm curious to know what you think. What do you think should be the main priorities of LGBTIQ organizations and lobbying groups?

Let us also take a moment to remember the folks who have been murdered because they didn't adhere to societal gender norms and expectations. Here are some of them. You can see more at: http://www.transgenderdor.org/?page_id=1194

Ali
Location:Iraq
Cause of Death:executed for being transgender
Date of Death:2008, Month is Unknown
Video of Ali before she was executed: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2tDVtjQNfQ

Amanda Gonzalez-Andujar
Location: Queens, New York
Cause of Death: Strangled
Date of Death: March 27, 2010
Amanda was 29 years old.
Source:http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/04/01/2010-04-01_choked_to_death.html

Azra
Location: Izmir, Turkey
Cause of Death: Shot in the back of the head
Date of Death: April 27, 2010
Azra was 30 years old.
Source:http://iglhrc.wordpress.com/2010/05/03/recognition-of-an-organization-and-the-loss-of-a-leader/

Brenda
Location: Rome, Italy
Cause of Death: Burned to death
Date of Death: November 20, 2009
Sources:http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Politics/?id=3.0.4019601050
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8370511.stm
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Politics/?id=3.0.4019601440
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Politics/?id=3.0.4019601818

Caprice Curry
Location: San Francisco, California
Cause of Death: Stabbed to death.
Date of Death: January 17, 2009
Caprice was 31 years old.

Cesar Torres
Location: El Paso, Texas
Cause of Death: Blunt Force Trauma
Date of Death: July 9, 2009
An autopsy report says Cesar died from blunt force trauma. He had cuts around his eyes, broken ribs, a broken nose, a ruptured liver, wrenched neck and several stab wounds. Cesar was 39 years old.

Estrella (Jose Angel) Venegas
Location: Mexicali, Mexico
Cause of Death: Shot in the chest and the forehead
Date of Death: December 13, 2009
Estrella was 32 years old
Sources: Estrella’s brother.

Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado
Location: Cayey, Peurto Rico
Cause of Death: decapitated
Date of Death: November 14, 2009
Jorge was found on the site of an isolated road in the city of Cayey, he was partially burned, decapitated, and dismembered, both arms, both legs, and the torso.
Jorge was 19 years old.
Sources: http://www.365gay.com/news/murder-suspect-thought-puerto-rico-gay-teen-was-a-woman/
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2397832/hate_crime_gay_puerto_rican_teen_george.html
http://www.towleroad.com/2009/11/gay-puerto-rican-teen-decapitated-dismembered-and-burned.html
http://www.towleroad.com/2009/11/man-arrested-in-horrific-murder-of-puerto-rican-gay-teen.html

Toni Alston
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Cause of Death: shot to death
Date of Death: April 3, 2010
Toni was 44 years old.
Source:http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/04/14/1375123/family-asks-for-info-in-mans-killing.html

Stacey Lee aka Stacey Blahnik
Location Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cause of Death unreported by police
Date of Death October 11, 2010
Stacey was 31 years old
Source:http://m.philly.com/phillycom/db_41090/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=rsn84XoX&src=cat

Nakhia (Nikki) Williams
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Cause of Death: Found near the dumpster next to her home, she had been shot.
Date of Death: August 20, 2008
Nikki was 29 years old..

Roy Antonio Jones III
Location: Southampton, NY
Cause of Death: Punched repeatedly and grabbed by the neck
Date of Death: August 1, 2010
Roy was 16 Months old.
Note: 20 year old Pedro Jones told police he had struck the infant several times with a closed fist. Jones said he was “trying to make him act like a boy instead of a little girl.”
Source:http://www.27east.com/news/article.cfm/Southampton/293472/Suspect-in-Shinnecock-toddler-death-pleads-not-guilty-to-manslaughter

Myra Chanel Ical
Location: Houston, Texas
Cause of Death: Many wounds and defensive bruises.
Date of Death: January 18, 2010
Myra was 51 years old.
Source:http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/100120-partially-clothed-folo

Mariah Malina Qualls
Location: San Francisco, California
Cause of Death: Blunt force trauma to the head.
Date of Death: December 9, 2009
Mariah was 23 years old
Sources:http://www.ktvu.com/news/22015154/detail.html

Lawrence King
Location: Oxnard, California
Cause of Death: Shot to death by a classmate because he liked to wear
women’s clothes. (Lawrence King was 15 years old).
Date of Death: February 12, 2008

Victoria Carmen White
Location Maplewood, New Jersey
Cause of Death shot
Date of Death September 12, 2010
Victoria was 28 years old.
Source:http://www.baristanet.com/2010/09/maplewood-murder-victim-transgender-female/
http://www.news12.com/articleDetail.jsp?articleId=261210&position=1&news_type=news

Adolphus Simmons
Location: Charleston, SC
Cause of Death: Shot to Death (Aldophus was 18 yrs. old)
Date of Death: January 21, 2008



Make sure you tell the transfolks in your life that you love them.

Marci Bowers Came to Lexington!

On Monday, March 28 Marci Bowers, M.D., a renowned surgeon who performs Genital Reassignment Surgery, came to UK to speak. She was very insightful and has done some amazing things.

What did you think of her lecture?

Read about Dr. Bowers here.

Powerful images 1.5

Jac Stringer, Jack Cofer, Julia Serano and Harvey Katz; transgender performers, writers and activist at the radical queer convergence in Columbus OH, November 2010.

Second year of the Witness project by the Lexington Art League

Working with advocates from partnering agencies, artists have collaborated with women who have experienced violence and created original works of visual art reflective of the women’s stories, often untold. Through the exhibition of works in Witness, visual art is a tool to facilitate healing for survivors, build relationships between artists and survivors, and engage the community in a very powerful way to help end violence against women and girls.

Witness is developed and produced by LAL in partnership with the Kentucky Domestic Violence Association, Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program, Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center, Kentucky United Methodist Homes for Children and Youth, and Third Street Stuff. Sponsored by The University of Kentucky Center for Research on Violence Against Women.

Lexington Reads Radically- THIS SUNDAY!

Hey all: We are having our first Lexington Reads Radically meeting this Sunday, September 19 at 4pm in my apartment. Please message me at mary dot lesch [at] gmail dot com if you would like directions. Feel free to bring snacks, but not alcohol because I live in a dry building.



We've been talking about it for a year. Now we're finally going to do it. We're going to have our first meeting of Lexington Reads Radically.

Here's how it's going to go:

1. Everyone brings a book/zine/journal article that they love.
...2. We're each going to share what we brought and why we like it.
3. Then we're going to swap w/ one another.
4. When we get together next month we'll discuss w/ each other what we read and what we liked/didn't like about it. Then we'll swap again.

Some general rules:

1. This group (along w/ the listserv) is called lexington reads RADICALLY. That means that we're going to be talking about things like gender identity, sexuality, oppression, class structure, stuff that challenges us, etc. Now that doesn't mean we won't sometimes be reading fluff (I happen to love a good fluffy read) but we're still going to analyze it.
2. You may bring both fiction and non-fiction to share
3. You MUST MUST MUST bring the books/zines/articles back.
4. People are free to come and go from the group.
5. Try to finish what you read, even if it's not something you'd typically go for. If you absolutely can't finish it, then swap it out for something else.

See you Sunday!

How to Tell People They Sound Racist, the right way.

"Am I Man Enough?" Great Article

So a cisgendered straight man decided to see what makes people understand masculine gender. He went to several places, a drag bar in washington, a therapist's couch and a psychiatrist's office. Check it out. Do you agree?

Call for Submissions : 'Dear Sister' and 'Occupied Bodies'

Hey all. Many posts to come. First, here are some opportunities for Lexington and KY voices to be heard.

Check this link for information about submitting your letters and stories of violence and more importantly how you have overcome them. They are also looking for stories specifically from people of color, so that is great. I love when people are intentional about diversity.

Another publication, 'Occupied Bodies' is looking for personal stories of perception from people of color. Very interesting.

I would encourage anyone that wants to submit but is afraid that they won't get in to do it anyway. I responded to an ad in Skirt! magazine a month ago and they interviewed me and put me in the July issue. Photo by Kelli Patrick. Get out Lexington.

Comic Con Meets the Westboro Baptist Church and Fred Phelps.

Everybody should know about this, especially Kentuckians. See, great things are happening around the country. Let's get out and show people that Kentucky is great too! As the Lexingtonian Burley says, "Don't f***- with nerds."

The article about the protest that Comic Con is holding in response to Fred Phelps.

More from the AMC

Some of our thoughts about the Allied Media Conference. Sorry about the granyness.

Allied Media Conference

Sorry that this video is so shaky. I need to work on my camera skills.

Fatal Seduction: Book Based in Lexington about the Drag Community

I just heard about this book yesterday, "Fatal Seduction" by Rena Vicini.

Here is a review from Ebay:

The chilling true account of a vicious 1986 murder. Vicini takes readers on a shocking journey from the University of Kentucky to Lexington's sleaziest underground nightclubs as she tells of two women consumed by greed, sex, drugs and depraved violence--and of the innocent young man caught in their deadly web. 12 pages of photos.

The chilling true account of the vicious 1986 murder of Mike Turpin, who was killed by his beautiful, cocaine-addicted wife, her lesbian girlfriend, and a male accomplice--an innocent victim caught in a deadly web of drugs, lust, and greed. Original.

This should be part of the book club. I'm reading this as soon as I can find it.

It is supposedly about the Drag King community in Lexington in the 80's. No wonder the Drag King community is so young and small. They are all afraid that they may become murderers.

New Stickers!!!

Hey y'all!

I want to spread the word about how awesome this blog is so I made some promotional stickers!!

I'm going to start putting them around town when I go out. If you'd like some to put up then let me know and I'll make you some. Unfortunately they're not waterproof, so inside spaces only. Some good spots might be bathroom stalls, bar walls (where all of the bands that come through put their stickers), leaving them in coffee shops and news stands so that people can just pick them up, the library (both around the other literature and even inside books!) etc. If you can think of any other spots that would be awesome!

And feel free to help promote by making your own Gendered Lexington stickers! You can buy a sheet of white sticker paper from any art supply store - then you just fancy them up w/ markers or paint and tada!!

xo,
De Las

Jackson, De Las Ondas, Mervin Sue Present- "Bless Their Hearts: Media for Queer Organizing in the American South"

If you are a participant of the Allied Media Conference, THIS POST IS FOR YOU (and for anyone that wants to know about us).

First off, I started this blog two years ago to talk about gender issues in Lexington and Kentucky. I feel like there is a conversation in Kentucky around Sexual Orientation issues, which I have participated in, as well as other things but people rarely directly address gender issues in the public sphere. This blog has grown to encompass a southern twist on a lot of isms, but at the same time at the heart of it for me is gender based experience, expression and oppression. I think that it has done really well, especially with the help of some great friends who post when they can. It had become a sorta community project. I love that. I have high hopes for it.

About Mervin Sue:
I have worked on Trans, Queer and Education advocacy for almost 10 years now. I was one of three founders of the OutSource- the LGBTQQIA resource center at the University of Kentucky as well as a bunch of other Queer things that I am sure that I could talk to you about if you would like. Facebook page for the Outsource.

About Jackson: Jackson E. Cofer is a FTM, Queer, Independent Musician, Actor and Event Organizer. After leaving EKU in 2006, Jack settled in Lexington to pursue a music career. Once realizing his trans identity, he became intensely passionate about creating a safe space in his community for himself and folks like him. In less than one year, he has organized several fundraisers through his music contacts, raising hundreds of dollars for non-profits in his community. He has also given lectures in UK classrooms, written several posts for Gendered Lexington, and is currently the Vice Chair for Lexington's 3rd annual Pride Festival. Jackson is vegan. Jackson is unapologetically Queer and extremely approachable.
To keep up with Jack visit him online at www.jackcofer.com

About De Las Ondas:
De Las Ondas is a queer, latina, vegan, musician, artist and community organizer from Columbus OH. She currently resides in Lexington Kentucky where she works as a community organizer. When she's not organizing she's playing in her band Spooky Qs, hanging out w/ her partner and her dog, cooking delicious vegan food, and writing for Gendered Lexington. To keep up w/ her check out her website at www.ondinequinn.net

BREAKING NEWS from the Allied Media Conference-Personal post

Hey all. I am currently sitting in the Art Education building at Wayne State University (ART EDUCATION BUILDING- you heard it right). I am attending the Allied Media Conference and presenting later this afternoon at 4pm. Right now I am trying to take a break from the amazingness that is the conference because I am exhausted from working with coffee people and 4-6 year olds all week.

First, check out the Allied Media Conference

Now read about what I am thinking about.

Ageism. I am 27. I look like I am maybe a young adult. Like 19-21 on a good day. I am not particularly sure why because I look like I am me. I wouldn't be frustrated except that it affects my interactions. Lately coworkers, day camp kids and potentially future employers have been making comments. I have heard "I thought you were 19.", and "You should feel blessed because you look young." It wouldn't bother me, except people have been talking down to me and surprised that I am talented, etc. I am tired. I am a hard worker. I am broke. I am trying to find a job that can pay the incredible debt that I now have from the education that I have received. I am not belittling the process or the result of my degrees, but it is hard in this economy to feel helpful when I know many people are being let go and are hopeless. (BTW, 150,000 teaching positions are being cut this year across the country. That is very very wrong) It all leaves me emotionally, physically and soully exhausted. It is good that I went to a session this morning about education because it gave me some hope for the future and for education, something I desperately needed. IT's ok. People are more worse off than I am, but I still feel bad.

Also go check out - Da Town Researchers. They are awesome and doing really great things for education in California.

I'm gonna go nap. Thanks for listening internet and people all over.

Powerful images edition 1.4 (in solidarity with DREAM act activists)

Drag in Lexington

I think this article was written to be on our blog-

It's called, "Playing with Power". It's about the Imperial Court of Kentucky, and how they have been raising money for local and national charities for years. This year they have raised over $100,000 for charity.

A new show called "Passing" shows drag as both an art collection and show.

Check it out here.

This event is monumental, both for the Lexington Art League and the Queer community. It is great that something that has been vibrant in the queer community for years is now in a more mainstream venue, and that the art of doing drag has been validated by the Lexington Art League as a viable art form. It takes a lot of work to perform gender.

Believe me, I know.