Trans News Worldwide

[smalltownguy]

September 1, 2019

Truman VA leads the way in LGBTQ health care equality

Truman VA is one of merely 406 hospitals nationwide to earn the equality leader designation. The 2019 HEI evaluated more than 1,600 health care facilities in the United States, to include approximately 1,000 non-participating hospitals.

The HEI measures hospital policies and practices designed to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) inclusion, both for patients and employees. Participating facilities were evaluated in four areas: non-discrimination and staff training; services and support for LGBTQ patients; employee benefits and policies; and LGBTQ patient and community engagement. Facilities that scored the maximum of 100 points on the annual survey were designated leaders. Hospitals that scored between 80 and 95 points were named top performers.

“At Truman VA, we are committed to providing excellent health services for all our Veterans,” FACHE Director of Truman VA David Isaacks says. “I’m very proud that we have been designated an equality leader once again this year – not only for the Veterans we serve, but also for our staff. We want to ensure that Truman VA is a safe, welcoming and respectful place for everyone.”

The annual HEI survey, now in its 12th year, became more comprehensive in 2015 by scoring facilities on all their LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices. Implementing robust programming and increased training helped Truman VA meet the latest standards.

One of the health system’s most impactful equality initiatives is the Truman VA Safe Zone program. The Safe Zone program is a facility-wide initiative that promotes awareness, respect and support of LGBTQ Veteran patients and their families, hospital guests, and VA employees. To be active in the program, hospital employees must complete orientation and keep current with ongoing training. The program is led by Truman VA’s LGBTQ Veteran Care Coordinator, Beth Hager-Harrison-Prado, LCSW.

“An estimated one million Veterans who served our country with honor identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning,” said Hager-Harrison-Prado, who also is a Veteran of the U.S. Navy and served in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will. “I am proud that our leadership and our health system is committed to community equality. Being an HEI leader means that we provide the highest quality of care for LGBTQ Veterans, and we do that because it’s the right thing to do.”

Of those hospitals that did not participate in the 2019 HEI, only 67 percent had patient non-discrimination policies that include both sexual orientation and gender identity. Additionally, only 62 percent had an LGBTQ-inclusive employment non-discrimination policy.

Truman VA offers a full continuum of inpatient and outpatient health services to Veterans from 43 counties in Missouri, as well as Pike County, Illinois.

Approximately 40,000 Veterans receive health care at Truman VA each year from comprehensive services that include primary care, medical and surgical specialties, behavioral health, physical and occupational therapy, pharmacy services and more. As a referral center, Truman VA also provides cardiovascular care to include open heart surgery. Additionally, Truman VA outpatient clinic appointments exceed 400,000 visits annually.

[smalltownguy]

September 03, 2019

New law requires Illinois schools teach contributions of gay, transgender people: ‘It is past time children know the names of LGBTQ+ pioneers’

When Lori Lightfoot was elected mayor of Chicago this spring, the city’s school district put together a lesson guide with ideas and resources for teaching about her inauguration — without explicitly referencing her sexual orientation.

“Chicago made history by electing our first African-American woman to serve as Mayor,” the document began.

Under a new Illinois law taking effect next year, similar guides might mention another way Chicago made history: by electing its first openly gay mayor.

The Inclusive Curriculum Law, signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Aug. 9, mandates that by the time students finish eighth grade, public schools must teach them about contributions to state and U.S. history made by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

“This law will give more young people the opportunity to see themselves in those who came before us and recognize they are not alone," Lightfoot said in a statement to the Tribune.

As students return for a new school year, new education-related laws hit the books »

That includes students like Michelle Vallet’s transgender son, who is now also more likely to learn about the civil rights struggles that led to milestones such as marriage equality and the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Vallet, of Chicago, and other parents of LGBTQ students have pushed for curricula that show children like theirs the types of professionals they could become. To them, the law is a progressive, if vague, step forward. But some detractors see the state forcing local districts to promote an agenda that conflicts with their personal or religious beliefs.

Beyond including the contributions of LGBTQ people to arts, sciences and social movements — as some classes already do — it remains largely up to teachers and local school administrators to navigate when and how to bring up the gender identity or orientation of figures such as artist Frida Kahlo, astronaut Sally Ride and gay rights activist Marsha P. Johnson. At what age will kids understand the weight of the Stonewall riots? Is it enough to simply mention Lightfoot’s wife?

One of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Anna Moeller, an Elgin Democrat, said the mandate is “not prescriptive” and though various groups are working on guidance for how schools can start incorporating information into classrooms, the state does not plan to issue any more formal guidelines.

Helping compile resources for schools to draw from is Mark Klaisner, president of the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools. Klaisner said he wishes the requirement had more structure but hopes his office can be a conduit of information.

The law says merely that the teaching of U.S. and Illinois history in public schools “shall include a study of the roles and contributions of” LGBT people.

“Being that vague could mean a simple unit or a few lessons at one grade level in the school, which I think is insufficient,” Klaisner said. “On the other hand, we don’t want (state officials) to be too heavy-handed when they tell exactly what’s going to be said."

Though LGBTQ rights are often equated with other civil rights such as racial and gender equality, advocates still face opposition from conservative groups and in the state legislature, where the bill passed 60-42 in the House and 37-17 in the Senate.

Rep. Margo McDermed said she voted against the measure not because of its content but because it’s another state-imposed mandate on schools.

“It’s not ... that it’s not a good cause,” said McDermed, a Republican from Mokena. "It’s about our poor, beleaguered taxpayers.”

As far as McDermed is concerned, the state should erase all its mandates for schools and give districts “a clean slate,” with the possible exception of physical education requirements, she said.

Column: It’s the first day of school. Can I talk to your kids a second? I’m afraid we’re screwing this up. »
“As a matter of financial principle, I don’t think these mandates are useful or helpful to our schools,” McDermed said. “I vote against mandates no matter how worthy the topic may be, and of course this is a worthy topic, but how many mandates are there? ... There’s a list on the (Illinois State Board of Education) website. You, you just look at it and your eyes just roll back in your head.”

McDermed said more trust should go to teachers and school boards to teach children appropriately.

Moeller, however, said the mandate should not come at a cost to schools. Many advocacy and education groups already have relevant curriculum materials free online, and sponsors are trying to work with school districts and the State Board of Education on providing information, she said. A provision says that when schools spend money on new textbooks, they must be nondiscriminatory and include all people protected under the Illinois Human Rights Act.

“In the way schools have become required to teach about African Americans, Latinos, women, other marginalized communities, now they’ll also be required to include some mention, some discussion of LGBT,” Moeller said.

Lawmakers have tried before to enact similar legislation, and though passing the law reflects an advancement in civil rights, more still needs to be done, Moeller said. LGBTQ students are still more likely to be bullied, to report feeling isolated in schools and to attempt suicide, she said.

Less than a quarter of LGBTQ students in Illinois said they’d been taught positive lessons about LGBTQ people, according to the 2017 School Climate Survey by GLSEN, a national group that promotes inclusion in schools.

In some classrooms, nothing new
Illinois is the fifth state to pass this kind of measure, according to the advocacy group Equality Illinois. Colorado, New Jersey and Oregon passed similar laws this year, following the lead of California in 2011.

But LGBTQ contributions are already featured in Leslie Schock’s Advanced Placement U.S. history classes at Palatine High School, where she began her 17th year of teaching this month. It’s helped students make important connections, she said.

Inclusive curricula became more of a central focus in the past four years, after students started an equality club. The legalization of same-sex marriage, as well as the controversy over bathroom access for transgender students at Palatine High’s Township High School District 211 — the subject of a highly publicized ruling by the U.S. Department of Education and at least two lawsuits against the district — also accelerated the conversation, Schock said.

“I also work with a school that’s incredibly diverse and dedicated to making a place that’s inclusive so our students who have been marginalized can see themselves in the curriculum,” Schock said. “It’s important for students to find a connection with what they’re learning.”

In a unit called “Change Comes to America,” her class covers the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York, commonly heralded as the beginning of the gay rights movement. Students also learn about the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, and how the government responded.

“We cover a ton of ground,” Schock said. “I don’t know if we focus on the sexuality of every person involved in the movement, but more, everyone should have equal protection of law.”

Parents have been supportive, but resistance among less diverse communities wouldn’t surprise her, she said.

“That’s what happens whenever there is change or progress," she said. "But at the end of the day, the more comfortable students can feel in our classrooms who are not part of the white, straight narrative of history, the more included they feel in that discussion, the better it’s going to be for everybody.”

Teachers do tend to push back against the government determining what’s taught in classrooms, Schock said. She thinks more resources should be available, but not mandated.

Though the law mentions roles and contributions to history, it’s relevant to other subject areas, where such lessons have already found their way into schools. Bryan Meeker, who teaches biology at Garcia High School, a Chicago charter school, said he emphasizes female scientists and their discoveries and wants to include more LGBTQ contributions.

Along those lines, Meeker said he’d also love to see students in English classes reading works by Harvey Milk, a San Francisco politician and one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States before his assassination in 1978.

“I think anything that is going to include the achievements and work of LGBTQ individuals and women and minorities is a positive step for our schools,” Meeker said. “Students do better when they can see themselves, they can see this is something they can do. That representation is incredible. If you are a young gay kid and you learn about events in the civil rights movement that were led by gay folks, that’s huge."

He’s been trying to work in more people each year, such as Ride, the astronaut, who is often taught about without any mention that she was lesbian. “The work she did up in space, it had nothing to do with her sexuality, it was about her competency, her achievements,” Meeker said. But he does bring up sexual orientation, especially in units on gender and sexuality.

“I want to build this cultural competency in my students," Meeker said. "I feel like I have a responsibility to not just give them the narrative they’ve been taught.”

A year is a good amount of time to give educators to incorporate or add even more inclusive lessons, he said.

Age-appropriate
For younger students, it may make sense to introduce names and fewer details, and wait until around third grade to mention someone identified as gay or transgender, said Klaisner, of the regional superintendents group. Younger children tend to be more accepting but might not understand those labels, he said.

Because gender identity is separate from sexuality, Vallet said she doesn’t think it’s ever too early to bring up. The same way schools address race, they should talk about the LGBTQ experience, she said.

“The more we talk about what’s appropriate, the more we make these things shameful," Vallet said. “You can make everything age-appropriate. ... Normalizing these identities early is key, and I think the longer we wait, the more shame is attached."

Parents can always supplement classroom education with their own beliefs, Klaisner said.

“I think it’s important for children as they’re growing up to learn about diversity, complexity, but more importantly about compassion and about inclusion and empathy,” he said. "You don’t necessarily have to agree with somebody to still understand them.”

Klaisner also cautioned that it’s important to consider the pros and cons of using labels, which can sometimes lead to stereotyping.

“If we are going to use labels, we recognize those and find ways to (look) past those to the person, to the soul, to the identity of who that person is beyond the label," he said.

Two of Betsey Zemke’s children, an 11-year-old and a 14-year-old, identify as nonbinary and use they/them pronouns. One attends a private school in Chicago, while the other is in a public school in Skokie.

Zemke said she’s excited about the law, and for children to see a fuller picture of history.

Both Zemke and Vallet said they had become used to opposition.

“I think that a lot of parents and a lot of community members who haven’t considered the issue tend to overcomplicate it, and it really doesn’t take that much time to say, ‘This historical figure identified as gay ... or didn’t conform to gender norms,’” Zemke said. “I think people are afraid of answering the questions that come up as a result of that. ... I think they’re afraid of tackling that complexity and don’t want to explain that this person didn’t have what they would consider to be a normal, heterosexual life, and they have to give airtime to that.”

In Chicago, public school officials have already been addressing the issue in the Curriculum Equity Initiative, which will be implemented in phases starting this fall.

It calls for all curriculum to be “free from bias; fair across race, religion, ethnicity and gender; and culturally relevant with the mindful integration of diverse communities, cultures, histories and contributions. This includes attention to African-American, Latinx, Asian, indigenous people, women, LGBTQ, religious minorities (including Muslims), working class people and youth,” according to a presentation to the school board in May.

Lightfoot said she got where she is today because of others before her who fought to expand rights, opened doors and “refused to accept ‘no’ for an answer.”

“As mayor but also as a mother, I strongly support teaching LGBTQ+ history in classrooms," Lightfoot said. "Many notable figures who identified as LGBTQ+ have moved our society forward in countless ways, but our curriculums and textbooks failed to include their names and neglected their contributions. The LGBTQ+ movement strengthened social justice in America and contains countless stories of struggle and sacrifice. It is past time our children know the names of LGBTQ+ pioneers and learn how they shaped history.”

[smalltownguy]

09 September 2019

‘Darling’ the Pakistani Film By Saim Sadiq Wins the Best Short Film Award At the Venice Film Festival

‘Darling’, the winner of Venice Film Festival, a Pakistani film directed by a 28-year-old filmmaker Saim Sadiq is the story of a young boy and a trans girl in Lahore.
‘Darling’ a Pakistani short film has won the best short film award at the Venice Film Festival which is one of the oldest film festivals in the world. Venice Film Festivals is also a part of the ‘Big Three’ film festivals in the worlds: Cannes, Berlin, and Venice. ‘Darling’ is also the first Pakistani film to be screened on one of the ‘Big Three’ film festivals. This film has been directed by a 28-year-old filmmaker Saim Sadiq from Lahore. The producers are Mahak Jiwani, Nadia Afgan, Fahad Nabi, and Jasmin Tennuci. Mo Azmi, who has produced the iconic films like Cake and Laal Kabootar, is the director of photography for ‘Darling.’

‘Darling’ is a homage to the transgender community in Pakistan
‘Darling’ is a story of a transgender girl Alina and a boy Abdullah from Lahore. Alina is a transgender in real life as well who made her acting debut through this film. ‘Darling’ also features the actors Meher Bano and Nadia Afgan. Nadia Afgan is also one of the producers and has a strong body of work in terms of acting and direction.

This is not Saim Sadiq’s first international recognition
According to Saim Sadiq, when he had sent the film for the submission, he had no expectations that it will be chosen for screening. The award came as a much bigger surprise. Saim Sadiq’s film ‘Nice Talking to You, was an official selection at South by Southwest 2019, Palm Springs International Shortfest 2019. He won Vimeo's Best Director award at Columbia University Film Festival 2018 hence it is not the first time Saim Sadiq has been recognized internationally.

[smalltownguy]

SEP 19, 2019

Embattled Palatine high school district considers granting unrestricted locker room access for transgender students


Embattled by a four-year fight over transgender rights, a northwest suburban school district is proposing to grant transgender students unrestricted locker room access in alignment with their gender identity.

Palatine-based Township High School District 211 is scheduled to discuss the measure at a board of education meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Palatine High School, 1111 N. Rohlwing Road. No policy changes are expected to be made at the meeting.

“(In) those four years, understanding and acceptance of transgender identity have advanced — societally and in our immediate communities — for the better,” according to a statement from district Superintendent Daniel Cates.

The group D211 Parents for Privacy, which has opposed unrestricted locker room access, in a Facebook post called the proposed policy “pure insanity” and encouraged members of the community to “come out in droves” to the meeting.

“It violates the privacy and dignity and well-being of the students,” said group spokeswoman Vicki Wilson. “And rather than coming up with a solution and doing their jobs, (school district officials) have been shaming and bullying students and parents into silence for four years.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois praised the potential policy change.

“After years of resisting, we are pleased to see the district’s leadership has recognized that students who are transgender deserve to be treated fairly and equally in every way, and deserve dignity and respect in all aspects of their lives,” said a statement by ACLU attorney Ghirlandi Guidetti. “We look forward to District 211 joining the roster of schools across Illinois who provide this fair treatment for all of their students.”

The district made national headlines several years ago when a transgender teen identified as “Student A” filed a complaint against District 211 with federal authorities over locker room access; the landmark case marked the first time a school district was found to have violated Title IX based on gender identity.

Administrators agreed to let Student A use the girls locker room in accordance with her gender identity, and also installed privacy stalls.

“Our Board of Education adopted a compromise practice of granting access to the locker room of a student’s gender identity upon the student’s agreement to change clothes in a private area,” according to the superintendent’s statement. “The private changing areas would also be available to all students as desired.”

A group of parents and students filed a federal lawsuit against the school district in 2016, arguing transgender locker room access violated the rights of non-transgender students. That lawsuit was dropped in April.

In 2017, student Nova Maday filed a lawsuit claiming the district restricted her to an “unspecified private changing area within the locker room.” Maday, who graduated last year, told the Tribune in 2017 that the separate changing area singled her out and often made her late to class, impacting her grade.

“It felt humiliating,” she had said. “It really felt like they were making me stand out and pushing me off to the side, in a literal sense.”

Transgender student rights have become a flashpoint nationwide in recent years. The Obama administration in 2016 issued a controversial guidance that schools must accommodate transgender students, including permitting access to facilities based on gender identity. Then the Trump administration in 2017 rolled back those protections, saying decisions on access should be made at a local level.

District 211 serves nearly 12,000 students at five high schools and two alternative high schools, according to its website.

“In our district and countless others, students, families and staff honor, respect and celebrate all manifestations of unique differences characteristic of the human condition," the superintendent said in his statement. "Our proposed district policy reflects these advancements.”

[smalltownguy]

September 24, 2019

First Transgender Library In India Opens In Madurai

As per the 2011 census, there are 4 lakh 90 thousand transgender people in India and about 21 thousand are in Tamil Nadu.

MADURAI: For the first time in India, a transgender library has been opened as part of the transgender resource centre in Viswanathapuram, Madurai, to increase awareness about ambisexual people in the country.

"Programs for alternate-sex children should be announced in the National Children''s Policy and transgender subjects should be included in the school education system," said Priya Babu, director of the transgender resource centre in Madurai.

Launched in 2016, the centre focuses on the promotion of transgender people and making people aware of the no-binary gender.

As per the 2011 census, there are 4 lakh 90 thousand transgender people in India and about 21 thousand are in Tamil Nadu.

[smalltownguy]

SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

The world’s first transgender professional boxer is now the face of Everlast

Everlast, the leading brand in boxing, has chosen an unlikely athlete to be the new face of the brand.

The company picked Patricio Manuel for its “Be First” campaign. Manuel is the first transgender boxer to compete professionally.

As a woman, Manuel was a USA National Amateur Boxing Champion and was invited to compete in the 2012 Olympics trials.

However, a shoulder injury during Olympic qualifying changed everything, Everlast said in a news release.

While Manuel was recovering from the injury, he decided to transition from female to male. It proved to be the toughest fight of his life.

He was shunned and abandoned by his trainers and gym, and he had to fight the boxing commissions until they recognized regulations on transgender people in the sport, the news release said.

Against all odds, Manuel fought his way back into the sport and became the first person to compete in a professional boxing match as a transgender fighter. On December 8, 2018, Manuel climbed into the ring against Hugo Aguilar at the Fantasy Spring Resort Casino in Indio, California, and came out a winner.

The six-year journey proved to be worth the wait.

“I’m incredibly honored to have been selected to tell my story in Everlast’s Be First campaign,” Manuel tells CNN. “Everlast is such a fixture in the sport and to have such an iconic athletic company recognize me as I am — as a professional boxer who is transgender — is a dream come true.”

There may be no other fighter who embodies the campaign’s focus on challenging people to carve their own path to success better than Manuel, and he is paving the way for others to follow him.

“At a time when transgender people are being questioned whether we have a place in the sporting world or even being recognized by the world at large, for Everlast to endorse me is huge,” Manuel said. “It’s a bold statement and I think it personifies the saying ‘Be First.'”

“I really hope it pushes other companies to think outside the box. This world is so incredibly diverse, we all deserve to have our identities and stories highlighted.”

[Fitzcarraldo]

This is cool: https://www.autoweek.com/racing/a341...harlie-martin/

Transgender Racer Charlie Martin Making History

Set to race this weekend at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, Martin uses her motorsports and esports efforts as a platform to promote inclusivity.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Well, this was a no brainer:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/whi...y-ban-n1255522

[Stavros]

Well, this was a no brainer:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/whi...y-ban-n1255522

Indeed, but it has been done -a small step forward, and one that recognizes that citizens have an equal right to serve. This was the easy one. The other aspects of transgenders and the law are more complex, I think -and this applies to the UK where I live as well as the US. But the tone is sometimes what matters, and at the top level of Goverment, you Americans are ahead of us right now.