New pentagon transgender policy limits service members to birth gender

Trump's War on Transgenders Marches On

With all legal hurdles cleared, the pentagon has instituted a new transgender policy that largely limits the military service of transgender persons currently in uniform to their birth gender. If they are unwilling to do so, they could be discharged.

Transgender service members currently serving in the military will only be allowed to continue to serve if they adhere to the dress and grooming standards of their biological gender. Waivers will be allowed on a case-by-case basis but only from the secretaries in charge of the military services.

Read the rest of the story here at ABC News.

War on Transgenders Marches On

Sadly, Trump's War on Transgenders continues...

Education Dept. Officially Says It Will Reject Transgender Student Bathroom Complaints

The Education Department says it won't investigate or take action on any complaints filed by transgender students who are banned from restrooms that match their gender identity, charting new ground in the Trump administration's year-long broadside against LGBT rights.

Read the rest of the story here.

Read the Los Angeles LGBT Center's excellent response to the Education Department here.

Trump Not Done Trying To Ban Transgender People from of Military

President Donald Trump‘s attempts to ban transgender people from the military have failed at every turn, but he isn’t done yet. The Trump administration will unveil and defend a new anti-trans policy on February 21.

Read the rest of the story here.

GOP Defines Being Transgender As 'A Disqualifying Psychological and Physical Condition'

The Republican National Committee voted to support Trump's August order that defines being transgender as “a disqualifying psychological and physical” condition.

Read the rest of the story here.

Transgender Rights Targeted by Multiple Ballot Measures Across the United States

Emboldened by Trump's War on Transgenders, discrimination is on the ballot in Massachusetts and Anchorage, Alaska, with signatures currently being collected for a third anti-transgender ballot measure in Montana.

Read the rest of the story here.

Wearing Rebecca de Ravenel (Source: Moda Operandi)

Kamil Bijos femulating on Your Face Sounds Familiar on Polish television.

Indiana

The so-called religious freedom law is more onerous to transgender folks than LGB folks because civilians are more likely to clock transgender folks than LGB folks (and then proceed to exercise their religious beliefs against us).

Put a transwoman, transman, gay man, lesbian woman, and bisexual bisexual in a line-up and who is your average civilian most likely to pick as belonging to the LGBT crowd? The transwoman and transman, of course.

More so than the folks in the LGB crowd, a lot of folks in the trans crowd will get clocked by civilians who are scrutinizing people to determine whether or not we are discrimination-worthy. Size is often our giveaway (big transwomen and small transmen) and there is not much we can do about that.

And stop calling it a "religious freedom" law. It's a freedom to discriminate law, that is, you are free to discriminate according to your prejudices and then use religion as an excuse. How twisted is that?

Tell me, Mr. Christian, if a transwoman needed some carpentry work done, what would Jesus do?

 

 

 

Wearing Kate Spade.

 

 

 

Actor John Lithgow in the 1992 film Raising Cain.

Connecticut Trans Anti-Discrimination Bill Passes!!!

Pinch me, I must be dreaming!

Last night, the Connecticut State Senate passed the transgender anti-discrimination bill. Next the bill goes to the Governor; he promised that he would sign the bill, so it is a done deal and will take effect October 1.

The bill outlaws discrimination on the basis of gender identity in housing, employment and most public accommodations (including bathrooms). You can read all about it here: The Connecticut Mirror

I wish I could say I did my part to pass this bill. I lobbied my state representative and state senator, but they are tea baggers and voted against the bill. I will be sending them follow-up letters later today informing them that since they voted against me, I will be voting against them when they run for reelection.

Nevertheless, it is a great day to be transgender in the Constitution State!

Attention: Connecticut Trans Folks

If you live in Connecticut like I do, please pop over to my friend Diana's blog and find out what you can do to help promote transgender rights in "The Land of Steady Habits."

Vote Sam Caliguri Out of Office

I am a liberal. At work, I am probably the most liberal person in the building. (I work in an engineering design and development shop and my fellow employees tend to be more conservative than I.)

I do not mix politics and work unless I am confronted by someone who is in my face with their political views. Most people know how I lean, so they don't confront me, but occasionally someone will.

Similarly, I do not mix politics and this blog unless it has a direct connection with trans issues. (The "Femulators for Obama" button down in the lower right frame is an exceptions, but it is just sitting there on display minding its own business. I have not been in your face blogging incessantly about Obama, McCain, Biden, and Palin.)

But I will get in your face about the candidacy of the State Senator running for re-election in my district, that is, the 16th senate district of Connecticut, which includes the towns of Southington, Wolcott, and parts of Cheshire and Waterbury.

In May 2007, the Connecticut state senate passed the gender anti-discrimination bill by a 30-4 margin (it died in the state house of representatives). My state senator voted against it. He also voted against the bill when it came up for a vote in his committee (the Education Committee) and I suspect that he will vote against the bill again if he has an opportunity to do so in the future.

For that reason, I urge you to vote against Sam Caliguri if you live in the 16th senate district of Connecticut.*

I also urge you to vote against the referendum calling for a state constitutional convention. Some of the groups in favor of that referendum are against GLBT and woman's rights and I assure you that they would do no good regarding trans issues.

* Senator Caliguri irks me for other reasons. He is one of those Republicans that hides the fact that he is a Republican. I have yet to find a mention of his party affiliation in any of his campaign literature. In fact, his campaign literature gives the false impression that he is an "independent," which he is not. Also, when I wrote to him to ask him to support the the gender anti-discrimination bill, it took him eight months to respond! I guess he was too busy being independent.

if I became a man, would you pay me more?

Catherine Price writes in today's edition of broadsheet, "Researchers from the University of Chicago and New York University looked at the experiences of transgender people in the workforce -- that is, people who had either transitioned from male to female or female to male -- and analyzed how their gender switch affected their pay. The result, as Time puts it, 'suggests that raw discrimination still remains potent in U.S. companies.'"

Read all about it here.