segunda-feira, 31 de outubro de 2011

GIRL SCOUTS OF COLORADO RELEASED STATEMENT WELCOMING TRANSGENDER YOUTH

http://www.glaad.org/blog/girl-scouts-colorado-released-statement-welcoming-transgender-youth


Yesterday, the Girl Scouts of Colorado spoke out in support of transgender children. Following the story of a child who was denied enrollment in a local Girl Scout troop despite identifying as a girl, the Girl Scouts of Colorado released a statement saying that the associate responsible for that troop was unaware of the organization’s policy. “Girl Scouts is an inclusive organization and we accept all girls in Kindergarten through 12th grade as members,” the statement says. “If a child identifies as a girl and the child's family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout.” Girl Scouts of Colorado also asserted that it is reaching out to the family of the excluded child and will be altering its training programs so that all girls are supported.

Corey Barrett of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Community Center of Colorado commented on the matter, saying that as children explore their gender identity and expression, “I think it's all about providing a healthy environment for them for that to happen. Everyone needs to be prepared or at least have an idea from a policy and procedure stand point how they're going to address that.” According to their statement, Girl Scouts of Colorado is committed to providing that environment. “Our requests for support of transgender kids have grown, and Girl Scouts of Colorado is working to best support these children, their families and the volunteers who serve them.”

domingo, 30 de outubro de 2011

Transgender Woman Expelled from Riverside University After Appearing on MTV's 'True Life'

in: http://laist.com/


After appearing on MTV's Reality Show "True Life," Domaine Javier - a transgender woman - was expelled from her nursing program at California Baptist University (CBU) in Riverside. The 24-year-old student revealed on the show that she is biologically male, inciting a major roadblock in her career path.

The private university claims that Javier was expelled for "committing or attempting to engage in fraud, or concealing identity" and for presenting false or misleading information in university judicial processes, reports The Press-Enterprise. Javier, who has identified herself as a female since she was a toddler, did so on her CBU application form.

"I didn’t do anything wrong,” said Javier. "They said, ‘On your application form you put 'female.' And I was like, 'Yeah, that’s how I see myself.'"

The expulsion became effective on August 30, just one week before Javier was slated to begin the nursing program. She had recently transferred to CBU from Riverside City College (RCC). "Devastated" by her expulsion, Javier returned to RCC but cannot enter the nursing program until next fall. "This totally ruined my career path," she said. "I've been trying to finish as soon as possible." Her graduation will be delayed by at least one year.

Mark Wood, an attorney with San Francisco-based Transgender Law Center, says that, although California law prohibits employment, housing, government, insurance and other types of discrimination based upon gender identity, private universities are generally not covered by the discrimination law.

CBU is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, which is the most conservative major Baptist denomination. Javier, aware of the university's religious foundation but unaware of its affiliation, says she "didn't know they were that extreme."

Raising awareness and support on transgender issues were two major reasons why Javier applied to appear on the reality show episode "I’m Passing as Someone I’m Not," which aired in April. Despite the detrimental backfire, she does not regret her decision to publicize her gender identity. “I’m a happier person now,” she said, having received much positive feedback from supporters.

sexta-feira, 28 de outubro de 2011

Trans Representation in the Media


in:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emerson-whitney/trans-media_b_1031747.html


Last night, I slouched in the center row of a mostly empty theatre while a gaggle of teen queers passed around a fuzzy microphone, reflecting on the importance of the Gay-Straight Alliance at their local high schools.

A teen with flamingo-pink leggings and immaculate eye makeup stood to address the crowd. "I don't know if you guys watch TV," they said, "but you've probably heard of Chaz Bono."

The audience cooed.

"Most of the things I've found online about him are ugly and bigoted and awful. People call Chaz 'she,' and people call Chaz 'it.' Chaz is not an 'it.' Chaz is a man. When is this going to stop?" the high schooler begged. "I am a transgender person. And the things I hear about transgender people and read about us in the news hurt. Treatment of gay and lesbian people have changed a lot, but respect for transgender people is really far behind."

This young-adult queer very clearly articulated to a room full of dumfounded adults how they are failed by consistently negative and uninformed media coverage of trans and gender-variant people. I couldn't help but hang my head.

I am a thread -- albeit tiny -- in the current media fabric. I work as a professional reporter and writer, and I am also a flaming gay, glitter-loving transgender person.

Last week, I was disgusted by the media's response to coverage of Tammy Lobel, an 11-year-old transgender girl who was recently featured in a CNN article titled "Transgender kids: Painful quest to be who they are." The article detailed the use of hormone blockers as part of "gender identity disorder" treatment for some underage kids.

Fox News in particular -- no surprise there -- launched an attack on Tammy's parents, who are, coincidently, lesbian-identified and therefore, according to Fox, are making Tammy into their own image of sapphic femininity. The article screamed of "child abuse."

But Fox News is only the most obvious media specter. An overwhelming majority of news media have fallen short of earnest reportage by sticking with transgender story headlines that read like: sex, hate crime, job discrimination, sex, death, jail, sex, suicide, porn, child abuse, sex, sex.

And unfortunately, using "it" as a pronoun for trans people is not at all uncommon. Recently, in an episode of the USA Network show Psyche, a main character proclaimed, "Forget about her, or him, or it -- if it's transgender." (Screen shots here.)

Last February, GLADD published an article titled "Ignorance of Transgender Issues Apparent in Media" after a now-infamous Saturday Night Live skit that openly mocked trans women on hormones.

"The media's main problem -- and its biggest responsibility -- both come from the fact that it delivers the vast majority of the messages the public receives about what it actually means to be transgender," wrote Aaron McQuade, GLAAD's Deputy Director of News and Field Media. "The simple fact is that an overwhelming majority of Americans simply don't know any transgender people. According to a study we commissioned in 2008, only eight percent of Americans said they knew someone who was transgender."

And maybe even more troubling is the percentage of actual trans people behind the making of news -- just in case you weren't sure, it's jaw-droppingly low.

As a budding reporter, the only reference point I had for a writer like me was that of a Los Angeles Times sports correspondent who came out as trans and then, horrifically, committed suicide.

Because of sheer oversaturation, I imagine that someday we will move away from the trans narrative that is now so familiar to us: a white, privileged person is "trapped in the wrong body." Questions about genital status and other bodily changes related to hormone therapy ensue. Followed by an inevitable over-sexualization, sideshow-esque curiosity, or hopeful period of normalization.

I welcome a new news, a positive, inclusive, varied account of trans people within a larger conversation of race, gender, and class.

As a trans person, I do not readily fit the description of those most often portrayed. My gender identity is androgynous. My preferred pronoun is "he," with a masculinity that is most closely related that of Shakespearian fairies -- fluid and slight. I am bookish, fay and a glam-rock fanatic.

As a reporter, I hope that new media will grow to encompass transgender and gender-variant expressions as varied as my own. Awareness of trans issues is expanding, and we deserve expansive news sources, too -- a news media that opens to a new level of earnest sensitivity and accountability for information they provide about trans/genderqueer people, if only for those teen queers looking for positive, accurate reflections of themselves in the world.

The Best and Worst Trans News Last Week

Best: The Root, "Black and Transgender: A Double Burden"

Worst: Fox News, "Male or Female? Boy Given Drugs So He Can Pick Gender"

Movimento LGBT comemora reconhecimento de casamento civil entre mulheres pelo STJ


in:
http://www.d24am.com/


Somente no Amazonas estima-se uma que quatro casais homossexuais já legalizaram a união no cartório, sendo um de Manacapuru e outros três de Manaus


O reconhecimento do casamento civil entre duas mulheres de Porto Alegre pelo Supremo Tribunal de Justiça na última quarta (25), alegrou os integrantes do movimento de lésbicas, gays, bissexuais e transexuais do Amazonas.

Essa foi a primeira vez que um Tribunal Superior analisou o assunto depois que o Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) reconheceu a união estável entre pessoas do mesmo sexo. A decisão já está fazendo com que casais gays de Manaus pensem em oficializar casamentos.

De acordo com o presidente do Movimento de Lésbicas, Gays, Bissexuais, Travestis e Transexuais do Amazonas (LGBT), Francisco Nery, só no Amazonas estima-se uma que quatro casais homossexuais já legalizaram a união no cartório, sendo um de Manacapuru e outros três de Manaus. Para Francisco Nery, esta ação é só o início do que está por vir.

"Algumas novas uniões já estão sendo realizadas a partir dessa nova decisão", ressaltou. O universitário Julio Prestes, 20 anos, comentou que agora se sente mais seguro quando for pensar em lutar por seus direitos e casar em um cartório.

"Fiquei muito feliz em saber dessa notícia, principalmente em ver que foi tão divulgada pelo Brasil. Isso é um sinal de que, aos poucos, estamos conquistando nossos direitos", afirmou Júlio.

Este não é o primeiro casal gay que consegue transformar a união estável em casamento civil. Instâncias inferiores da Justiça já autorizaram processos parecidos, de acordo com o advogado do casal de gaúchas que tiveram o casamento reconhecido em Porto Alegre, Gustavo Bernardes. Ele está em Manaus participando da segunda Conferência Estadual LGBT, realizada no Departamento de Divisão do Profissional do Magistério (DDPM) da Secretaria Municipal de Educação (Semed), localizada na Rua Maceió, no Adrianópolis, zona centro-sul de Manaus.

Gustavo foi o advogado quem fez o pedido inicial e dos devidos recursos ao STJ para que o casal de mulheres tivesse o direito de casar. " Não há menção de proibição. Então, no mesmo sentido que o estado reconhece a união estável de homossexuais, nós interpretamos que também era possível o casamento direto", explicou Gustavo. "Minhas clientes na época procuraram o cartório e o mesmo rejeitou. Recorremos, então, ao judiciário do Rio Grande do Sul para habilitarem a união. Em primeiro grau, eles disseram que era impossível, alegando que o casamento basicamente se dá entre homem e mulher.

Nós recorremos ao Tribunal de Justiça alegando a questão semântica. Lá diz "homem e mulher" e não "homem com mulher". Dissemos que não havia proibição expressa e recorremos ao STJ", contou Gustavo, sobre a conquista do reconhecimento do casamento de suas clientes. Segundo ele, já existem três cartório que realizam o casamento direto de pessoas do mesmo sexo em São Paulo.

"A lei diz que o Estado facilitará a união estável em casamento. Isso também dá o direito de casais homossexuais se casarem", ressaltou. A principal luta dos movimentos LGBT's em todo o país é para legalizar essas uniões. Gustavo afirmou que a população está reagindo de uma forma positiva a essa questão.

"O brasileiro tem uma tendência a ser inclusivo, a reconhecer o direito das minorias e abraçar essas minorias. Somos um país de imigrantes e esse espírito conciliador e acolhedor é só nosso. A minoria LGBT está pouco a pouco conquistando o coração dos brasileiros. Fazemos um trabalho importante que contribui para o crescimento da sociedade brasileira. Atuamos no comércio, na industria, em todas as áreas e queremos ser tratados com igualdade", finalizou Gustavo.

Entenda o caso A quarta turma do STJ (Superior Tribunal de Justiça) reconheceu, na terça feira, dia 25, o casamento entre pessoas do mesmo sexo. O processo envolvia duas mulheres do Rio Grande do Sul que não foram habilitadas no cartório a realizarem o matrimônio. O julgamento começou na semana passada e foi suspenso pelo pedido do ministro Marco Aurékio Buzzi, que recomendou que o caso fosse levado para a segunda sessão por questão de ordem, alegando que lá, estavam reunidos os ministros das duas urnas especializadas em direito privado.

Quatro dos cinco ministros do tribunal autorizaram a mudança de estado civil, e agora a justiça abre precedente para que tribunais de instâncias inferiores ou até mesmo cartórios adotem posição semelhante.

O último ministro que faltava votar disse que o Código Civil, que disciplina o casamento entre heterossexuais, “em nenhum momento” proíbe “pessoas de mesmo sexo a contrair casamento”. Apenas um ministro discordou da ação.

Brazil - Transgender people in Minas Gerais now allowed to use their name of choice on official documents


via: actup.org - Brazil - Transgender people in Minas Gerais now allowed to use their name of choice on official documents


Travestis e transexuais de Minas Gerais vão poder usar o nome social no âmbito da administração pública direta e indireta. O anúncio foi feito pelo secretário de Estado de Desenvolvimento Social, Wander Borges, durante a abertura da II Conferência Estadual de Políticas Públicas e Direitos Humanos LGBT, realizada nesse fim de semana, no Sesc Venda Nova, em Belo Horizonte. O decreto 8496, que estabelece a adoção do nome social, foi publicado na edição de sábado (15) do Minas Gerais. O documento foi assinado pelo secretário Wander Borges e pela secretária de Estado de Planejamento e Gestão, Renata Vilhena.

A iniciativa vai possibilitar, por exemplo, a travestis e transexuais serem chamados e identificados pelo nome que se reconhecem e são reconhecidos na sociedade, conforme ocorre com pessoas que são chamadas pelo apelido, como Xuxa e Pelé.

Para a coordenadora Especial de Políticas de Diversidade Sexual, Walkiria La Roche, a medida vai contribuir para diminuir o preconceito e acabar com o constrangimento que travestis e transexuais sofrem, por exemplo, quando vão a uma delegacia. “A partir do momento que você apresenta um documento que não condiz com o seu estereótipo e com a sua aparência, a pessoa que está atendendo, por muitas vezes, acha engraçado, debocha e isso fecha uma porta. A pessoa atendida não se sente bem naquele estabelecimento e acaba não buscando o serviço, pois se sente constrangida. Então, como forma de coibir qualquer tipo de constrangimento e de preconceito, foi adotado o nome social por meio de uma resolução”, explicou.

“É uma enorme conquista. É um avanço que outros lugares vão demorar alguns anos para entender e ter coragem de assumir essa parcela da sociedade, que também é pagadora de impostos, é contribuinte e é cidadã como qualquer outra pessoa”, frisou.

Conferência

A II Conferência Estadual de Políticas Públicas e Direitos Humanos LGBT reuniu mais de 400 pessoas de várias cidades mineiras e promoveu um debate intenso durante dois dias. Mais de 80 propostas (50 em âmbito estadual e 30 nacional) foram aprovadas e serão apresentadas no encontro nacional, a ser realizado em Brasília.

O secretário Wander Borges lembrou, durante a abertura do evento, que o processo para a garantia plena dos direitos LGBT é longo e precisa ser construído com esforço conjunto entre governos, sociedades civil e o movimento. Ele citou os avanços nas políticas LGBT em Minas, como a criação, neste ano, da Coordenadoria Especial de Políticas de Diversidade Sexual, mas reconheceu que a caminhada ainda está longe do fim.

“O Governo de Minas compreende a diversidade de gênero e sexualidade presente na vida de milhares de mineiros e mineiras e busca viabilizar o exercício do direito fundamental à vida digna, salvo de qualquer forma de desvalorização aos modos singulares de sentir e agir”, disse.

O fim do preconceito e da violência contra a população LGBT é um dos principais anseios do segmento. Carlinhos Lopes, presidente do Movimento Gay e Simpatizantes do Vale do Aço (MGS), participou da conferência estadual e também destacou a necessidade de um trabalho conjunto para colocar um ponto final na violência. “As estatísticas mostram que um gay é assassinado a cada dia no Brasil. Nós temos que mudar essa realidade É importante ter a parceria entre os movimentos sociais e o poder público. É um processo a longo prazo, mas nós já temos avançado e creio que essa situação vai mudar”, disse.

A conferência mineira teve com tema central “Por Um Estado Livre da Pobreza e da Discriminação: Promovendo a Cidadania LGBT”. A primeira conferência em Minas foi realizada em abril de 2008.

“É um momento de participação democrática fundamentalmente importante para que nós possamos avançar com as políticas públicas. Governo nenhum vai avançar se não tiver a participação efetiva da sociedade e dos movimentos”, disse a subsecretária de Estado de Direitos Humanos, Carmen Rocha.

Minas no cenário nacional

Secretário executivo do Conselho Nacional LGBT, Igo Martini, também prestigiou o encontro mineiro. Ele destacou as políticas públicas adotadas pelo Estado, especialmente na área da segurança pública. “Minas caminha bem. É um dos estados que mais se percebe avanços com as políticas LGBT. Mas a gente sabe que a política do Governo Federal, como a Mineira ainda são insuficientes diante do cenário trágico que nossa população LGBT vem vivenciando. Minas é um estado que tem uma boa política, por exemplo, na área de segurança pública, sendo reconhecido pelo Ministério da Justiça, inclusive com prêmios para o Governo Mineiro”, destacou.

Jornal Correio...

quinta-feira, 27 de outubro de 2011

Gay ex-NBA player: Homophobia rife in UK sports




LONDON - The first openly gay former NBA player says prejudice against
homosexuals is rife in British sport, especially football.
Retired British player John Amaechi on Wednesday described anti-gay sentiment
in sporting bodies and on the field as a "massive problem" that was often
ignored or "relegated".

The former player for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz
says "in sport there are institutions that haven't changed in 100 years and need
to."

Singling out football, Amaechi says "if you compare their emphasis on racism
to what they've done on homophobia it's an embarrassment."
Amaechi spoke after receiving the Order of the British Empire for services to
sport and the voluntary sector from the Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.
Amaechi retired from the NBA in 2004 and acknowledged in 2007 that he was
gay.

SAGE LGBT Senior Center In New York City Will Be Nation's First


in: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/19/sage-lgbt-senior-center-new-york_n_1020852.html



New York City will soon be home to the nation’s first full-time center for elderly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents, which is scheduled to open in January.

On Wednesday, the Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) was awarded an "Innovative Senior Center" (ISC) contract by the office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA) for the new project. The SAGE Center will be based in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood but offer a "comprehensive array of services and support" to LGBT elders throughout all five boroughs.

Though financial aspects of the deal were not released, SAGE is just one of eight providers selected as part of the ISC initiative. Others chosen for development include one facility specifically for adults with vision problems, and another offering a community gardening option. "The needs of seniors have evolved since centers were created 50 years ago and now is the time to re-envision the one-size-fits-all approach that has traditionally shaped many of our centers," Bloomberg said in a statement.

According to SAGE Senior Director of Programming Catherine Thurston, the new facility will offer its participants a variety of unique programming that, while not necessarily radically different in terms of content, will be designed to cater to the needs and interests of the LGBT community. "For elderly people who are also LGBT, going to traditional senior centers can pose a variety of unique challenges," Thurston told The Huffington Post. "Many LGBT elderly say they feel they’ve encountered discrimination, anything from simply feeling excluded to something more overt. ... If you cannot authentically be who you are at this stage of your life, it’s really tragic."

Authorities also say the center will service an estimated 300 people a day throughout the city, while its Manhattan-based headquarters will provide an anticipated 130 hot meals each day. Though SAGE currently provides similar programming at New York’s LGBT Community Center in Greenwich Village, the new contract will allow officials to extend the services to those who may not be aware or able to access them otherwise. "Obviously the impact will be much greater than that because it won’t be the same 300 people each day," Thurston added.

When it opens, the SAGE Center will follow similar facilities in Spain and Germany in catering to the elderly LGBT population. In addition, DFTA Commissioner Lilliam Barrios-Paoli said the center would be a critical step in improving New York’s image as an age-friendly city. "We are very excited that for the first time in this country, LGBT seniors will have a full-service, comprehensive center with access to supports and services to meet their specific need," she noted in an email.

quarta-feira, 26 de outubro de 2011

Brasil aprova casamento civil gay por 4 votos contra 1


in: http://mixbrasil.uol.com.br/


O Superior Tribunal de Justiça (STJ) aprovou em sessão na tarde desta terça-feira, 25 de outubro, em Brasília, o casamento civil entre pessoas do mesmo sexo – em um processo movido por um casal de lésbicas do Rio Grande do Sul. Foram quatro dos cinco votos a favor, sendo que o ministro Marco Aurélio Buzzi se posicionou contra.

Último a votar, Buzzi pediu vistas do processo na última sexta-feira, 21 de outubro, quando o casamento já tinha os quatro votos favoráveis. No retorno do julgamento nesta terça, o ministro disse que não reconhece o recurso por entender que a competência para decidir é do Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF), que em 5 de maio deste ano legalizou as uniões estáveis entre homossexuais.

O processo julgado foi movido por um casal de mulheres gaúchas que tiveram o pedido para mudar o estado civil negado pelo cartório e também pelo Tribunal de Justiça do Rio Grande do Sul. O casal então recorreu ao STJ e agora virou jurisprudência.


terça-feira, 25 de outubro de 2011

Report: 2 Million Children of LGBT Parents Without Equal Protections

in: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jp702juWOqnPvMRCwbpuIKjiHa3A?docId=69dac9da8b6f4e869b8eb6346bff96b5


According to her dads, life is good for Carrigan Starling-Littlefield, a spunky 5-year-old being raised by two gay men in South Carolina, which doesn't recognize their out-of-state marriage.

"We've found that being a family has created a lot of common ground with other families. We've not had many issues at all," said Tommy Starling, a partner in a food brokerage.

Yet he and his husband, Jeff Littlefield, who became parents through a California-based surrogacy program, remain wary as they contemplate Carrigan growing older and confronting challenges beyond their supportive community in Pawley's Island, S.C.

"We're cautious about where we go, because we don't want our daughter to see any negativity," said Starling, 39. "We have some longer-term apprehensions that she'll face issues as she gets older, and we're trying to prepare her for that ... I feel she's the type of person who will stand up for her family."

Carrigan is among a growing multitude of American children — possibly more than 1.2 million of them — being raised by gay and lesbian parents, often without all the legal protections afforded to mom-and-dad households.

Increasingly, the welfare of these children will be a core part of gay-rights strategies, as evidenced by a comprehensive report being released Tuesday. Compiled by an alliance of advocacy and child-welfare groups, it summarizes how laws and social stigma create distinctive challenges for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender families.

"There are myriad ways that our families are discounted by government at all levels, and children are hurt the most," said Jennifer Chrisler of the Family Equality Council, one of the three groups authoring the report.

The other groups are the liberal Center for American Progress and the Movement Advancement Project, a gay-rights think tank. Among other participants in the project were the National Association of Social Workers and the Child Welfare League of America.

The U.S. census does not attempt to count the number of children being raised by gays and lesbians. Demographer Gary Gates of the UCLA School of Law's Williams Institute, who has been a consultant to the Census Bureau, estimates the number at 1.2 million, while the new report uses the figure of 2 million, including children with bisexual and transgender parents.

Whatever their numbers, the families are striking for their diversity — encompassing many low-income and minority households, and spread across about 96 percent of America's counties, according to data compiled by Gates and others.

Among the barriers and inequities they face, as detailed in the report:

—Many government safety net programs use definitions of family tied to marital status which may exclude same-sex partners.

—Because of lack of legal recognition for their unions, gay and lesbian parents can face heavier tax burdens, higher costs for health insurance, and diminished financial protections in the event of death or disability.

—When same-sex parents separate, one parent may lose custody or visitation rights, even in cases where he or she had been a child's primary caregiver.

Overshadowing all these problems is pervasive social stigma, according to the report.

"Many of the challenges LGBT families face stem from a society that assumes that everyone is heterosexual and comes from a family with two married heterosexual parents," it says.

For opponents of same-sex marriage, the issue of children can prompt nuanced responses.

"Certainly children in any household arrangement need to be protected — need full support and love," said Mary Ellen Russell, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Maryland. But she said such protections should be provided without redefining the traditional concept of marriage as between a man and woman.

Many of the obstacles and inequities outlined in the new report would be addressed if same-sex marriage — now legal in six states and Washington, D.C. — were legalized nationwide and recognized by the federal government. However, the report includes numerous recommendations for less sweeping changes that would benefit children with gay parents, such as:

—Broadening the definition of "family" to allow LGBT families to benefit fully from government safety-net programs, and revise the tax code to provide equitable treatment for these families. At present, even legally married same-sex couples who can file joint state tax returns must file separate federal returns.

—Enacting state-level parental recognition laws that would allow joint adoption by LGBT parents. Even with about 110,000 children in foster care who are eligible for adoption, some states and agencies refuse to place children with same-sex couples.

—Ensuring that LGBT families have access to health insurance on equal terms with heterosexual families, and eliminate inequitable taxation of these benefits.

—Ensuring that hospital visitation and medical decision-making policies are inclusive of LGBT families.

—Expanding education and training about LGBT families for social workers, health care providers and other professionals.

Jeff Krehely, director of the Center for American Progress's LGBT research and communications project, said the report is part of an effort to counter arguments that same-sex marriage is a threat to children.

"People who oppose marriage equality have used and exploited children in a very scare-mongering way," said Krehely, who hopes the report will increase public understanding and empathy.

The report, titled "All Children Matter: How Legal and Social Inequalities Hurt LGBT Families," is being presented Tuesday at event in Washington drawing some high-level government officials.

Bryan Samuels, commissioner of the federal Administration on Children, Youth and Families, is scheduled to be part of a panel discussion, and the opening speech will be given by Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler, a staunch gay-rights supporter in a state where lawmakers will be considering a bill to legalize same-sex marriage next year.

"Same-sex marriage is a pro-family measure," Gansler said in a telephone interview.

Lisa Polyak, chair of the statewide gay-rights group Equality Maryland, says there will be a concerted effort during the legislative debate to highlight the challenges facing children of gays and lesbians.

"If you care about children, you should care that the parents don't have the legal tools to take the best care of them," she said.

Polyak and her partner of 30 years, Gita Deane, were married earlier this year in Washington. They have two daughters, Devi, 12, and Maya, 15, who testified before lawmakers last year in support of same-sex marriage in Maryland.

"The root of my activism is denial of equal treatment of my children," said Polyak, citing instances where her daughters had been hurt by other people's comments.

"One child told my daughter she was not allowed to come over to our house because we weren't really a family," Polyak said. "For them, it's a constant source of sadness and hurtfulness."

___(equals)

Online:

The "All Children Matter" report: http://www.children-matter.org

Family Equality Council: http://www.familyequality.org/

Center for American Progress: http://www.americanprogress.org/



segunda-feira, 24 de outubro de 2011

Denmark To Legalize Gay Marriage


in: http://www.advocate.com/


Legislation will be introduced early next year with the goal of allowing same-sex couples in Denmark to marry.

According to the Copenhagen Post, the government plans to introduce a bill after the New Year that would allow same-sex couples, who are currently entitled to the civil status of “registered partnerships,” to hold weddings in the Church of Denmark and be considered “married” under the law.

“The first same-sex weddings will hopefully become reality in Spring 2012. I look forward to the moment the first homosexual couple steps out of the church. I’ll be standing out there throwing rice,” said church minister Manu Sareen to the local Jyllands-Posten newspaper, according to the Post.

The proposal from the center-left government angered some local religious leaders. Others asked whether church employees, whose salaries are paid by taxes in Denmark, would be forced to marry same-sex couples. Sareen said that church employees opposed to the new law would be accommodated.

“Lots of people are mistaken in thinking that homosexual weddings are just the next step after female priests,” said Henrik Højlund, the parish priest for Løsning and Korning and chairman for the Evangelical Lutheran Network (ELN). “But it is much more consequential and beyond the boundaries for normal Christianity.”

Civil unions between same-sex partners became legal in Denmark in 1989. Recent polls show that almost 70% of the population supports allowing same-sex couples to marry in the church.

domingo, 23 de outubro de 2011

5 LGBT Documentaries to Watch After You Come Out


via:
http://www.movieline.com/2011/10/5-lgbt-documentaries-to-watch-after-you-come-out.php


Screen shot 2011-10-14 at 3.58.22 AM.png In continuation of Movieline’s LGBT History Month commemoration, we’re racking up five amazing LGBT documentaries that newly out people of all ages, genders, socioeconomic statuses should see. The short list encompasses political, religious and cultural interpretations of homosexuality, and all are must-see movies featuring proud, self-possessed queers. Let’s review the LGBT documentary past, from rallies to realness.



Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community (1984)

Greta Schilling’s powerful doc investigates the LGBT world leading up to the revolutionary riot between gay patrons of the Stonewall Inn and police offers in charge of persecuting sexual minorities. Amazing interview subjects abound, and plenty of fascinating subjects are bandied. Hope you’re in no mood to enjoy Ronald Reagan. Eventually, the film won Emmy Awards for Best Historical/Cultural Program and Best Research in 1987.

Best moment: One lesbian activist, who frequented Harlem dance balls in the ’20s, opines, “I do more bothering now with straight people than I ever did in my life.”





The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)

As Harvey Fierstein’s opening narration explains, Harvey Milk was much more than an openly gay official on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors; he was a charismatic, funny, and perceptive politician whose ambition and vision far outlasted his tragically short life. The unbelievable story of Milk’s beginnings, rise and eventual assassination alongside Mayor George Moscone at the hands of fellow supervisor Dan White is just as searing today. The definitive LGBT documentary won a much-deserved Academy Award for Best Documentary. You won’t believe it took 30 years after Milk’s death for Gus Van Sant’s 2008 biopic to happen.

Best moment: After Milk and Moscone’s deaths, the candle-lit vigil through the streets of San Francisco’s Castro district is almost unbearably moving.





Paris is Burning (1990)

Jennie Livingston’s unmatched documentary about drag queens in New York City who perform in voguing balls is just as fun, honest and devastating as it was all those years ago. You fall in love with the drag performers — especially Dorian Corey and Pepper LaBeija — and you’re left speechless when you learn the fate of meek, delicate queen Venus Xtravaganza. You’ll also never hear a more loving discussion of Dynasty characters.

Best moment: All the drag ball terms the movie defines, including “voguing,” “realness” and “house mother,” not to mention the salty commentary from the drag ball hosts.






The Celluloid Closet (1995)

Sixteen years after its premiere, The Celluloid Closet’s chronological investigation of gay portrayals (and lack thereof) on the silver screen is a startling view. If the stock characters like the “sissies” of early film — flailing types designed to make other characters look manlier and cooler — don’t intrigue you, you’ll probably still love all the gay innuendos in Hitchcock classics. Plus, Lily Tomlin narrates.

Best moment: Gore Vidal explains the gay subtext in his screenplay for Ben-Hur.





For the Bible Tells Me So (2007)

This fine documentary visits with five religious families coping with the coming-out of a gay family member. Ultimately, it’s a pretty family-positive movie, but it spares no detail when discussing the ramifications of blind faith on LGBT youth.

Best moment: Interviews with Chrissy Gephardt, the lesbian daughter of former House Majority/Minority Leader Dick Gephardt — and a helpful skewering of Leviticus.




sábado, 22 de outubro de 2011

COGAM: Hoy es el Día Internacional de Acción por la Despatologización de la Transexualidad


in: http://orgullogaymadrid.com/


Día Internacional de Acción por la Despatologización de la Transexualidad

Hoy se clebra en Madrid uno de los actos más importantes relacionados con la Campaña Internacional Stop Trans Pathologization – STP 2012


Campaña Internacional Stop Trans Pathologization – STP 2012, una campaña por la despatologización de las identidades trans. Los objetivos principales de latrans4 campaña son la retirada de la categoría de “disforia de género” / “trastornos de la identidad de género” de los catálogos diagnósticos (DSM de la American Psychiatric Association y CIE de la Organización Mundial de la Salud), en sus próximas ediciones previstas para el 2013 y 2015, así como la lucha por los derechos sanitarios de las personas trans. Para facilitar la cobertura pública de la atención sanitaria trans-específica, STP 2012 propone la inclusión de una mención no patologizante en la CIE-11.

trans1Desde el año 2007, cada mes de octubre, la Campaña STP 2012 convoca un Día Internacional de Acción por la Despatologización Trans, con manifestaciones simultáneas en diversas ciudades en el mundo. En octubre de 2010, grupos activistas de 61 ciudades de África, América Latina, Asia, Europa y Norteamérica organizaron manifestaciones y otras acciones dentro de la convocatoria de STP 2012. Actualmente (junio de 2011), la Campaña cuenta con la adhesión de más de 270 grupos y redes activistas procedentes de diferentes partes del mundo.

Aparte de las movilizaciones anuales en Octubre, a lo largo del año STP 2012 realiza actividades de información, difusión y reivindicación a favor de la despatologización trans.

El próximo Día Internacional de Acción por la Despatologización Trans tendrá lugar el 22 de octubre de 2011 en ciudades de diferentes continentes.


MANIFIESTO

Red Internacional por la Despatologización Trans

L*s activistas y grupos que firmamos este documento y formamos la Red Internacional por la Despatologización de las Identidades Transdenunciamos públicamente, una vez más, la psiquiatrización de nuestras identidades y las graves consecuencias del llamado “trastorno de identidad sexual o de género” (TIG). Del mismo modo, queremos hacer visible la violencia que se ejerce sobre las personas intersexuales mediante los procedimientos médicos vigentes.

trans2Con “psiquiatrización” nombramos la práctica de definir y tratar la transexualidad bajo el estatuto de trastorno mental. Nos referimos, también, a la confusión de identidades y cuerpos no normativos (situados fuera del orden cultural dominante) con identidades y cuerpos patológicos. La psiquiatrización relega a las instituciones médico-psiquiátricas el control sobre las identidades de género. La práctica oficial de dichas instituciones, motivada por intereses estatales, religiosos, económicos y políticos, trabaja sobre los cuerpos de las personas amparando y reproduciendo el binomio de hombre y mujer, haciendo pasar esta postura excluyente por una realidad natural y “verdadera”. Dicho binomio, presupone la existencia única de dos cuerpos (hombre o mujer) y asocia un comportamiento específico a cada uno de ellos (masculino o femenino), a la par que tradicionalmente ha considerado la heterosexualidad como la única relación posible entre ellos. Hoy, denunciando este paradigma, que ha utilizado el argumento de la biología y la naturaleza como justificación del orden social vigente, evidenciamos sus efectos sociales para poner fin a sus pretensiones políticas.

Los cuerpos que no responden anatómicamente a la clasificación médica occidental vigente son catalogados bajo el epígrafe deintersexualidad, condición que, “per se”, es considerada patológica. La clasificación médica, por el contrario, continúa aún hoy en día sin ser interrogada. La transexualidad también es conceptualizada como una realidad en sí mismo problemática. La ideología de género que actúa la psiquiatría, por el contrario, continúa aún hoy sin ser cuestionada.

Legitimar las normas sociales que constriñen nuestras vivencias y sentires implica invisibilizar y patologizar el resto de opciones existentes, y marcar un único camino que no cuestione el dogma político sobre el que se fundamenta nuestra sociedad: la existencia, única y exclusiva, de solo dos formas de ser y sentir. Si invisibilizar supone intervenir a recién-nacidos intersex (aquell*s con genitales ambiguos funcionales) con violentos tratamientos normalizadores así se hará, si de lo que se trata es de borrar la posibilidad de estos cuerpos y vetar la existencia de las diferencias.

El paradigma en el que se inspiran los procedimientos actuales de atención a la transexualidad y la intersexualidad convierte a estos en procesos médicos de normalización binaria. De “normalización” ya que reducen la diversidad a sólo dos maneras de vivir y habitar el mundo: las consideradas estadística y políticamente “normales”. Y con nuestra crítica a estos procesos resistimos también a tener que adaptarnos a las definiciones psiquiátricas de hombre y mujer para poder vivir nuestras identidades, para que el valor de nuestras vidas sea reconocido sin la renuncia a la diversidad en la que nos constituimos. No acatamos ningún tipo de catalogación, ni etiqueta, ni definición impuesta por parte de la institución médica. Reclamamos nuestro derecho a autodenominarnos.

Actualmente la transexualidad se considera un “trastorno de identidad sexual”, patología mental clasificada en el CIE-10 (Clasificación Internacional de Enfermedades de la Organización Mundial de la Salud) y en el DSM-IV-R (Manual Diagnóstico y Estadístico de Enfermedades Mentales de la Asociación de Psiquiatría Norte-americana). Estas clasificaciones son las que guían a los y las psiquiatras de todo el mundo a la hora de establecer sus diagnósticos. En ellas se comete un error poco casual: la confusión de los efectos de la transfobia con los de la transexualidad. Se invisibiliza la violencia social que se ejerce sobre quienes no se adecuan a las normas de género. De este modo, se ignora activamente que el problema no es la identidad de género, es la transfobia.

La revisión del DSM-IV-R es un proceso que comenzó hace ahora dos años, y tiene por fin determinar los cambios en la lista de enfermedades. En estos últimos meses se han hecho públicos los nombres de los psiquiatras que decidirán el futuro del trastorno de identidad sexual (TIG).

Al frente del grupo de trabajo sobre el TIG se encuentran el Dr. Zucker (director del grupo) y el Dr. Blanchard , entre otros. Estos psiquiatras, que son conocidos por utilizar terapias reparativas de reconducción a homosexuales y a transexuales y que están vinculados a clínicas que intervienen a intersexuales, proponen no solo no retirar el trastorno sino ampliar su tratamiento a l*s niñ*s que presenten comportamientos de género no-normativos y aplicarles terapias reparativas de adaptación al rol de origen. En este sentido, el movimiento trans norteamericano ha hecho un llamamiento solicitando su expulsión del grupo encargado de la revisión del DSM. La Red Internacional por la Despatologización de las Identidades Trans se une sin reservas a la citada denuncia.

La patologización de la transexualidad bajo el “trastorno de identidad sexual” es un gravísimo ejercicio de control y normalización. El tratamiento de este trastorno se lleva a cabo en diferentes centros de todo el mundo. En casos como el del Estado Español, es obligatorio el paso por una evaluación psiquiátrica en las Unidades de Identidad de Género que, en algunas ocasiones, va asociada a un control semanal de nuestra identidad de género a través de terapias de grupo y familiares y todo tipo de procesos denigrantes que vulneran nuestros derechos. En el caso del Estado español, hay que resaltar que cualquier persona que desee cambiar su nombre en la documentación o modificar su cuerpo con hormonas u operaciones debe pasar obligatoriamente por una consulta psiquiátrica.

Por último, nos dirigimos directamente a la clase política. Nuestra demanda es clara:

- Exigimos la retirada de la transexualidad de los manuales de enfermedades mentales (DSM-TR-IV y CIE-10).

- Reivindicamos el derecho a cambiar nuestro nombre y sexo en los documentos oficiales sin tener que pasar por ninguna evaluación médica ni psicológica. Y añadimos que pensamos, firmemente. que el Estado no debería de tener ninguna competencia sobre nuestros nombres, nuestros cuerpos y nuestras identidades.

- Hacemos nuestras las palabras del movimiento feminista en la lucha por el derecho al aborto y el derecho al propio cuerpo: reivindicamos nuestro derecho a decidir libremente si queremos o no modificar nuestros cuerpos y poder llevar a cabo nuestra elección sin impedimentos burocráticos, políticos ni económicos, así como fuera de cualquier tipo de coerción médica. Queremos que los sistemas sanitarios se posicionen frente al trastorno de identidad sexual, reconociendo la transfobia actual que sostiene su clasificación, y replanteen su programa de atención sanitaria a la transexualidad haciendo de la evaluación psiquiátrica una paso innecesario y del acompañamiento psicoterapéutico una opción voluntaria.

- Exigimos también el cese de las operaciones a recién nacid*s intersex.

- Denunciamos la extrema vulnerabilidad y las dificultades en el acceso al mercado laboral del colectivo trans. Exigimos que se garantice el acceso al mundo laboral y la puesta en marcha de políticas específicas para acabar con la marginación y la discriminación de nuestro colectivo. Exigimos, además, condiciones de salud y seguridad en el desarrollo del trabajo sexual y el fin del asedio policial a estas personas, así como del tráfico sexual.

- Esta situación de vulnerabilidad se acentúa en el caso de las personas trans inmigradas, que llegan a nuestro país huyendo de situaciones de extrema violencia. Exigimos la concesión inmediata de asilo político en estos casos a la vez que reivindicamos la plena equiparación de derechos de las personas migrantes. Denunciamos los efectos de la política de extranjería actual sobre los sectores socialmente más vulnerables.

- A la vez que gritamos que no somos víctimas sino seres activos y con capacidad de decisión sobre nuestra propia identidad, queremos recordar también todas las agresiones, asesinatos y también los suicidios de las personas trans a causa de la transfobia.Señalamos al sistema como culpable de estas violencias. El silencio es complicidad.

Finalizamos evidenciando la extrema rigidez con la que se impone el binomio hombre/mujer, como opción única y excluyente, binomio que es construido y puede ser cuestionado. Nuestra sola existencia demuestra la falsedad de estos polos opuestos y señala hacia una realidad plural y diversa. Diversidad que, hoy, dignificamos.

Cuando la medicina y el Estado nos definen como trastornad*s ponen en evidencia que nuestras identidades, nuestras vidas, trastornan su sistema. Por eso decimos que logo-stp20124la enfermedad no está en nosotr*s sino en el binarismo de género.

Anunciamos que la Red Internacional por la Despatologización de las Identidades Trans surge para consolidar una coordinación mundial en torno a un primer objetivo: la descatalogación de la transexualidad del DSM en el año 2013. Un primer paso por la diversidad, un primer golpe a la transfobia.

¡Por la diversidad de nuestros cuerpos y nuestras identidades!

¡La transfobia nos enferma!

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Más información:

http://www.stp2012.info/old/es


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