[España]
¡La transexualidad no es una enfermedad!

8 colectivos LGTB+ (lesbianas, gays, transexuales, bisexuales y más) [Col.lectiu Gai de Barcelona (Païos Catalans) Guerrilla Travolaka (Païos Catalans) JAG (Païos Catalans) Acera del Frente (Madrid) Towanda (Aragón) Stonewall (Aragón) EHGAM-Gaytasuna (Euskal Herria) Maribolheras Precarias (Galiza)] están desarrollando una campaña a nivel estatal para exigir que se deje de considerar la transexualidad como una enfermedad.

[Mexico]
Ella o el, el o ella

En efecto, ella es él. Nació hermafrodita y en lugar de esconderse, explotó a su favor el error de la naturaleza en su concepción. Hermafrodita, seudohermafrodita, así se definen a esas personas que posen doble sexualidad (femenina y varonil). Las investigaciones médicas y científicas informan que cuando alguien es hermafrodita es porque existe una discrepancia entre los genitales internos y externos (los testículos o los ovarios).

[Chile]
GRAN AVANCE: LEY DE IDENTIDAD DE GENERO FUE INGRESADA AL CONGRESO NACIONAL

Un gran paso para la igualdad de las personas transexuales se dio en el Parlamento, donde se discutirán nuevos mecanismos para los cambios legales de nombre y sexo sin necesidad de cirugías y con la menor burocracia posible. Un nuevo camino se inicia, y desde el movimiento de minorías sexuales ya se diseñan acciones para hacer realidad el sueño de esta ley.

[Canada] [Blog/Commentary]
Communities of Ones

Like some others in the discussion, I do feel a need to say a few final words on the Old Guard (HBS) versus deconstructionist battle in the transgender community, and then move on. I am undecided about any further participation in anything trans, beyond this post.

[FL, USA] [Blog/Commentary]
Trannies gather in Gainesville

City Hall was buzzing Monday night with both protest and support for a proposed city ordinance that would include gender identity as a class of people protected from discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodation.

[USA] [Blog/Commentary]
The (lack of) space between homophobia and transphobia

Through an unlikely chain of blog posts, Waymon's entry about a gender identity inclusive anti-discrimination ordinance in Montgomery County, Maryland, started a discussion that made it halfway across the blogosphere to one of the more popular radical feminist blogs out there. Heart, the aforementioned radical feminist blogger, writes about the real transbigotry in an attempt to take advantage of the T-folks' internal disputes to distinguish the good transwomen from the bad ones.

[USA]
Transamerican Love Story Reality Dating Show

The transgender bachelorette, Calpernia Addams, is being wooed by eight handsome men. With the advice of her trans best friend Andrea combined with multiple challenges and dates, Calpernia will shave down her group of suitors until she finds her prince charming.

[Israel]
MK Zeev: Gay 'plague' could destroy Israel

Excerpt: Zeev went as far as comparing the gay movement to a "plague that may destroy Jewish Israel", adding that this "plague" should be dealt with "just as the Health Ministry is dealing with bird flu."

[Israel]
Religious MKs seek end to all J'lem gay parades
Religious Knesset Members attempted to put an end to all gay pride parades in Jerusalem, submitting a series of bills on Tuesday that would amend the Basic Law of the city.

[TX,USA]
Transgendered woman finds supportive community
For the first 58 years of her life, successful insurance executive, parent and community activist Ronnie Whitman lived life as a man.
Two years ago after a lifetime of what she called personal turmoil and reflection, he became a she. Whitman, of Conroe, went through the complicated medical, emotional and personal steps necessary to achieve her new lifestyle.

[FL, USA]
Transgender debate draws crowd
City Hall was buzzing Monday night with both protest and support for a proposed city ordinance that would include gender identity as a class of people protected from discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodation.
City commission votes to make gender identity discrimination illegal
The City Commission listened to more than 100 citizens comment on a policy to make discriminating based on gender identity illegal, as 98 cities and counties nationwide have already done.

[MN, USA]
Transgender candidate runs for Republican endorsement in Brainerd
You could call Chrissy Nakonsky a candidate of change.
Until about five years ago, Nakonsky, who recently announced she's running for the Minnesota Legislature and will seek the Republican endorsement in her Brainerd-area district, was known as Jeff Nakonsky.
Photo: Larry Oakes, Star Tribune
“If people vote for or against me, it should be because of my values,” Chrissy Nakonsky said.
Transsexual Seeks GOP Nomination For Minnesota Legislature
Chrissy Nakonsky is hoping to become the first transsexual elected to a state legislature.

Carta aberta

Associações LGBT apelam ao governo português, União Europeia e autoridades turcas
A LAMBDA ISTAMBUL não deve ser ilegalizada!

Ao Primeiro-Ministro,
Ao Governo,
Ao Ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros,
À Comissão Europeia,
À Embaixada da Turquia em Lisboa.

Na próxima quinta-feira, 31 de Janeiro de 2008, o Supremo Tribunal turco retoma um processo judicial que visa a dissolução da associação lésbica, gay, bi, trans e intersexual (LGBTI) turca Lambdaistambul, e a condenação dos seus responsáveis. A LambdaIstambul é uma associação activa na defesa dos direitos das pessoas LGBTI, organiza a Marcha pela visibilidade em Istambul, e trabalha no apoio às pessoas LGBTI mais isoladas, bem como na prevenção da Sida e outras Infecções Sexualmente Transmissíveis.

Na primavera de 2007, a LambdaIstambul tentou registar-se como ONG, ao que o governo de Istambul exigiu a sua dissolução, recusada pelo procurador-geral. No entanto o governo local levou a exigência de dissolução ao Supremo Tribunal, que aceitou processar a LambdaIstabul.

Desde Junho de 2007, a pressão judicial, as ameaças de dissolução da associação e de condenação dos seus responsáveis são incessantes, sendo que a própria legislação turca não criminaliza as pessoas LGBTI. Duas audiências já tiveram lugar em Julho e Outubro de 2007.

Esta é a primeira vez que a Justiça Turca se vai pronunciar sobre o direito de reunião e associação de pessoas com base na orientação sexual ou identidade de género, num processo cuja argumentação de base é a alegada “imoralidade” dos fins da associação, que seriam contrários ao código civil turco. A decisão sobre a legalidade ou não da existência da LAMBDAISTAMBUL é uma decisão que afectará o conjunto das associações LGBTI naquele país, que se encontram a funcionar legalmente há vários anos, arriscando condenação o conjunto dos seus responsáveis.

A existência das associações e colectivos LGBTI é uma necessidade evidente e uma questão de Direitos Humanos, não apenas na Turquia, mas em todo o mundo, face à universalidade da marginalização e discriminação a que estas populações estão sujeitas, como é reconhecido por inúmeros organismos internacionais de renome, como a Amnistia Internacional.

Estando a Turquia em aproximação conhecida à União Europeia, e a possibilidade da sua futura adesão em debate – e associando-se a uma campanha de solidariedade internacional - a associação ILGA Portugal e o movimento Panteras Rosa – Frente de Combate à LesBiGayTransfobia vêm por este meio apelar ao governo português e à Comissão Europeia para que tomem em conta estes factos e exprimam junto das autoridades turcas a legítima preocupação relativamente ao processo judicial em curso contra a LambdaIstambul.

O impedimento do direito de livre associação, e de pertença a uma associação, atenta contra os fundamentos da democracia, da mesma forma que indica um sério declínio do respeito e do exercício pelos Direitos Humanos.
ASSIM, APELAMOS IGUALMENTE À JUSTIÇA E ÀS AUTORIDADES TURCAS A QUE ABANDONEM AS PERSEGUIÇÕES CONTRA A LAMBDAISTAMBUL, E PARA QUE RESPEITEM O DIREITO DE ASSOCIAÇÃO DAS PESSOAS LGBTI.


Manifesto Internacional de apoio à LambdaIstambul


28 de Janeiro



Associação ILGA Portugal
Intervenção Lésbica, Gay, Bissexual e Trangénero

não te prives
Grupo de Defesa dos Direitos Sexuais

Panteras Rosa
Frente de Combate à LesBiGayTransfobia



[España] [Opinión]
Ley de identidad para transexuales, un disparate más
EL Gobierno aprueba la Ley de Identidad para transexuales. Ahora uno puede elegir el propio sexo y sin haberse operado. Por lo menos una persona con el sexo operado tiene algo que demostrar, aunque sea por lo cruento de la apuesta. Pero a partir de ahora, con expresar el deseo y convencer al psicólogo será suficiente. Un disparate más de este Gobierno.

[UK]
Stunning model has sex change
With her long blonde hair and green eyes Katherine Dalton had a body most women would die for. She worked as a top model and starred in pop videos.
Yet Katherine has now spent £30,000 on a sex-change operation after feeling trapped for years as a gay man in a woman's body.

[UK]
Calls for hormone block drugs for trans children
A Labour politician is backing a change to guidelines that stop young people who have Gender Identity Disorder being treated with hormones to forestall the effects of puberty.

[Sweden]
Anti-Discrimination Laws to Change
The seven anti-discrimination laws currently in place in Sweden will soon be combined into one all-encompassing law.
The announcement came in Swedish newspaper, Dagens Nyheter. The minister for Integration and Gender Equality, Nyamko Sabuni, writes that age and gender identity will be added to the existing discrimination laws regarding gender, religion, ethnic identity, disability and sexual orientation.

[México]
Sexualidad
El término es poco preciso. Cuando decimos cambio de sexo pareciera que es algo así como cambiarse de pantalones o de vestido y no.
El asunto es mucho más complejo. Nos ocupamos del tema porque en fechas recientes se ha informado que un grupo de legisladores y especialistas en sexualidad se han dado a la tarea de revisar algunos aspectos relativos a la identidad y otros aspectos jurídicos de los llamados transexuales.

[Thailand]
Sex-change operation: The earlier, the better?
Kun is now 28 years old. She is scheduled to undergo a male-to-female sexual operation on Valentine's Day. Before reaching decision, Kun spent six years looking for information and seeking advice from different experts.
Today her story is considered a very rare case, because many teen Thai transvestites believe the earlier they get the operation, the more beautiful they will become.

[USA]
Transgender teens: Doctors refine hormone, other therapies
Puberty can be scary for many children, but doctors say it's absolutely terrifying for transgender youth.

[USA] [Blog/Sports/ History]
Stella Walsh's Secret
When the Beijing Olympic Games kick off in August we will hopefully see history made with the first open transgender athlete to win a medal.

[USA] [Blog/Commentary]
Transgender Rights Could Be Divisive in Florida
Haven't we learned anything from the failure of the ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) in Congress last year? Didn't we see how the delection of protections for gender identity didn't move the bill forward and still caused great and ongoing division between GLBT advocates?

[FL, USA]
GLBT groups clash over state anti-bias bills
Disagreement over transgender inclusion mirrors federal fight

[GA,USA]
Trans city councilwoman speaks
Michelle Bruce is no stranger to intolerance -- she was born intersex and now identifies as transgender. So it was a shock when she ran for a seat on the city council of Riverdale, Ga., in 2003 and her political platform -- creating a neighborhood watch program and a police bicycle patrol -- made headlines instead of her sexuality.

[España]

Un año y 9 meses de prisión por falsificar y alquilar tarjetas telefónicas

Cuando uno se encuentra a miles de kilómetros de su tierra, una tarjeta de teléfono puede ser un tesoro. Dayanara N. M. M, transexual ecuatoriana de 37 años de edad, era consciente de esa necesidad y, por ello, ideó una tarjeta telefónica de las que se utilizan habitualmente en los teléfonos públicos y la alquiló en repetidas ocasiones a sus compatriotas.

[UK]

Transsexual trucker was not treated unfairly, tribunal hears

A TRANSSEXUAL trucker allegedly hounded out of her job when she started dressing as a woman was treated no less favourably than other staff, an employment tribunal heard.

[Iraq]

New Disappearances in Iraq

Seven gay and three transgendered Iraqis have disappeared in the past month and a half and are presumed to be the latest victims of the lethal campaign of sexual cleansing by anti-gay Shiite death squads, according to the London-based group Iraqi LGBT.

[Kuwait]

Arrests in Kuwait Target Transgender People

Authorities should immediately release more than a dozen persons jailed under Kuwait's new dress-code law, Human Rights Watch said last week.

[India]

Transgenders thank government for setting up welfare board

Members of the transgender community on Thursday expressed their gratitude over the government's move to start a separate welfare board for them, at the valedictory of the week-long celebration of 'Aravanigal Dhinam.'

[Thailand]

Two Transsexuals arrested and accused of stealing mobile phone from French Tourist

In the early hours of Saturday Morning, Police Captain Witayar from Pattaya Police Station arrested two transsexuals suspected of stealing a mobile phone belonging to a French Tourist. (Photo)

[FL,USA]

Beating victim critical after assault in West Palm Beach alley

Someone attacked a 45-year-old man who was dressed as a woman, beating his head with a brick and leaving him in critical condition.

[MA,USA]

Trans-HRC schism widens

Excerpt 1: Trevor Thomas, a spokesman for HRC, responded to Bay Windows's request to comment on Keisling's allegations, saying,"While a small number of critics continue to spread misinformation surrounding ENDA, the Human Rights Campaign is working with its allies in Congress to educate members and pave the way for a fully inclusive bill that protects the entire GLBT community."

Excerpt 2: Thomas confirmed that HRC notified members of Congress on Nov. 6 that they would receive a positive score on HRC's scorecard for voting yes on the sexual orientation-only ENDA bill and a negative score for voting against it.

[CA,USA]

Living with honor

Excerpt: In less sympathetic times, "trannies" were thought of as just "gays-to-the- extreme," a fetish gone out of control.

[GA, USA]

Max Beck’s meaningful life

Excerpt: Beck, who was born intersexed and lived most of his life as a woman, was 41 when he died of vaginal cancer. He is survived by his family, including his wife, 7-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son.

[USA] [Blog/Commentary]

Crumbling the Cookie Cutter

In a stunning decision, Federal District Court Judge Michael W. Mossman issued a temporary restraining order postponing Oregon's domestic partnership law from going into effect. It's been a tough year for human rights and equality if you happen to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or, particularly, trans. I witnessed Joe Solmonese lie about the Human Rights Campaign's commitment to a trans-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act before an audience of 1,000 trans human beings.

[CA,USA]

First Transgendered Person Nominated To Democractic National Committee

Diego Sanchez is "truly humbled" as he becomes the first transgendered person to grace the Democratic National Platform Committee.

[NV, USA]

NORM: Ex-Miss USA pulls out of Jet event (JAHNA STEELE R.I.P.)

Las Vegas transgender legend Jahna Steele has died, according to her close friends.

(Photo)

[IL, USA]

Transgender case goes to top court

A transgender female, wanting to legally change her name from Donald to Daunn, is going to the Illinois Supreme Court in her effort to get a waiver of court fees based on her low income.

[FL, USA]

Controversial Ordinance To be Voted On In Gainesville

A controversial ordinance dealing with transgendered people and their right to use the bathroom of their choosing will come before Gainesville' s City Commission on Monday.

[USA]

Trans-Feminism (Transgender Feminism)

Tran feminism is a form of feminism that includes transgender and transsexual rights and issues, especially those of transwomen. Trans feminism has also been described as a social force working for the rights and goals of transsexual and transgender individuals.

[UK] [PR/Health/Medicine ]
UK Doctors 'failing' children trapped in gender limbo

Gender disordered children as young as ten are being denied desperately needed hormonal drugs leading to bullying, violence and even suicide according to new research.

[UK]
Transsexual trucker 'forced from job'

A transsexual truck driver was humiliated and forced out of a job when he started to dress as a woman, a tribunal heard yesterday.

Trans truck driver begins legal action against employers

A transsexual who claims she was hounded out of her job as a trucker after she began her transition from her former male gender is seeking thousands of pounds in damages from her former employer.

Transsexual trucker banned from using ladies toilets

A TRANSSEXUAL truck driver claims she was prevented from using ladies toilets after she "changed gender" and dressed as a woman.

Transsexual Trucker Sues Former Employer

A transsexual woman who claims that she was forced out of her job as as trucker after she began to transition is seeking thousands of dollars in compensation.

[Mexico]
Pareja de transexuales confía en que la Iglesia y la ley les permitan casarse

Tras cambiar de sexo, Mario "N" contraerá matrimonio con Diana Laura, quien también se sometió a tratamiento para dejar de ser hombre. Mario, quien en el pasado vivia atrapado en el cuerpo de una mujer.

[Chile]
INEDITO: HOMBRE TRANSEXUAL PRESENTA PRIMER RECURSO DE PROTECCION CONTRA UN MINISTERIO CHILENO POR FALTA DE PROGRAMAS DE SALUD EN IDENTIDAD DE GENERO

La acción legal , liderada por la Agrupación de Apoyo a la Disforia de Género (AADGE), busca una atención digna en el Hospital Carlos Van Buren de Valparaíso, así como sentar precedentes para garantizar una buena asistencia a la población transexual en todos los servicios públicos de salud.

[Bahrain]
Sex change op success for woman

A BAHRAINI woman, who has successfully undergone sex change surgery in Thailand, has been declared a man by doctors in Bangkok.

[Koweit]
Piden derogar Ley que penaliza con la cárcel a transexuales en Kuwait

De acuerdo a la asociación de Human Rights Watch de New York, Kuwait "debe liberar inmediatamente a más de una docena de personas que han sido puestas en prisión en el mes de diciembre bajo el nuevo régimen de vestimenta de Kuwait".

[India]
Welfare Board for Transgenders

The Tamil Nadu Government has decided to establish a separate welfare board for Transgenders, Governor S S Barnala announced in the State Assembly today.

[India]
Transgenders conduct AIDS campaign in Coimbatore

A group of transgenders in Kinathukadavu village near Coimbatore have recently conducted a campaign through cultural programme to spread awareness about HIV and AIDS.

[Malaysia]
Found dead at apartment block

A suspected transvestite in his 20s was found dead with injuries along an alley beside Likas Square building in Likas, early Tuesday.

[New Zealand]
HRC plans dialogue with Intersex NZers

Following the recent publication of the New Zealand's Human Rights Commission Transgender Inquiry, the commission believes Intersex people are another group in urgent need of their attention.

[USA] [Blog/Commentary]
HRC's Not Even Close To The King Legacy

"The Human Rights Campaign salutes the enduring legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His courageous leadership continues to inspire us in our work to fully realize his vision of fairness and justice for all people".

[KS, USA]
Trannyweb Celebrity Interview - Bennie Lee Ferguson

Trannyweb member Bennie Lee Ferguson has recently announced her candidacy as an independent for the office of President of the United States. Bennie will also be challenging Republican incumbent Michael O'Neal for the Kansas House of Representatives seat in Kansas District 104.

[IL, USA]
Chicago Judge Refuses to Waive Transgender Woman's Filing Fee in Name Change Petition

A transgender woman is currently asking the Illinois Supreme Court to order Will County Chief Judge to permit her to file a name change petition without filing costs. The woman, who is indigent, wishes to change her name to "reflect [her] identity." Her appeal to the Supreme Court asserts that the judge "told her the name change was 'something that she wanted, not something that she needed,'" and therefore denied her request.

[MD,USA]
Woman: I Was Attacked For Being Transgendered

Attacks against minorities are on the rise, but experts disagree when it comes to how much. Adam May reveals why state and federal statistics are different and why hundreds of local cases might go unreported.

[MN,USA]
Republican, transgender and running for Minnesota House in Brainerd

Chrissy Nakonsky announced her bid to represent District 12A in the Minnesota House of Representatives last week. Her candidacy is unusual in politics and almost unheard of in the area:

She's transgender and running for the Republican endorsement. Poverty and education top her list of campaign issues in a challenge against newly elected John Ward, DFL-Brainerd.

[Turkey]
Turkey's Transexuals Fight Hard For The Country's LGBT

In mostly Muslim Turkey, 3 out of 4 find homosexuality to be "distrubring" . The rampant and widespread homophobia is often accompanied by violence, and is exactly what a group of transgendered women are hoping to change. Together, a small-but-effective group has put on a controversial and empowering theatrical production to spotlight the human rights issues transgendered Turks face. Their play, "Pink and Grey", has been well-received by boisterous crowds, thrusting the two main actresses of the show, Derya Tunc and Sera Can, into the strengthening LGBT rights movement in Turkey.

Turkey: transsexuals take to the stage to defend their rights

A unique play in an Ankara theatre ended with a standing ovation this week as the little-known actors -- transsexuals and gays raising their voice against discrimination -- fought back their tears on stage.

[Kuwait]
Islam bans cross-dress behaviour: Al-Shimmari

Member of the Islamic Constitutional Movement and MP Duaij Al-Shimmari in reply to a proposal by the human rights organization to do away with the law which forbids men behaving as women and vice-versa quoting the Holy Quran said, 'Non-believers have their religion and we have ours', reports Al-Rai daily.

‘Cross-dressing alien to Kuwaiti society’

A leading Islamist member of parliament hit back on Sunday at human rights group criticism of a crackdown by Kuwaiti authorities on men who dress as women in public.

[New Zealand]
The Transgender Inquiry: New Zealand reacts

The Human Rights Commission's groundbreaking and world-first Transgender Inquiry report, which makes several recommendations to Government which would improve the safety and wellbeing of trans New Zealanders, has received much attention since its release on Friday -but not all of it positive.

[USA]
What’s Happening Now

A transgender woman in San Francisco is suing a Catholic hospital for refusing to allow her plastic surgeon to perform breast enlargement surgery there, according to a report from the Oakland Tribune.

[MI, USA]
BREAKING NEWS: No parking

Wyandotte denies parking appeal for club for cross-dressing and transgendered men.

[USA] [Books]
I'M LOOKING THROUGH YOU by Jennifer Finney Boylan

A quick glance of Jennifer Finney Boylan's latest memoir, I'M LOOKING THROUGH YOU, would give the impression that the book focuses on growing up in a haunted house. But a closer look reveals, as the subtitle states, that it is about "growing up haunted." This is an important distinction.

[USA] [Blog/News/Commentary]
Susan Stanton in the Whirlwind of Separatist Controversy

Susan Stanton, the transitioning transsexual woman who first became the subject of the news media when she was fired from her job as City Manager by government officials in Largo, Florida, was quoted in an article I found on Google, in The Ledger (a newspaper published in Polk County, Florida) on January 4, 2008 in an article - you can find it at: http://www.theledger.com/article/20080104/NEWS/801040352/1023

[USA] [Blog/Commentary]
Not Ready for Prime Time or How the TG rights movement went insane by talking only to themselves

Let me begin by placing myself on the identity politics scale so you understand the perspective I write from. First I am a woman followed by a feminist then one born intersexed and lastly a surgically constructed (at birth) transsexual.

[France]
L'ancien marin bien dans sa vie au féminin

Victoria la transsexuelle a littéralement « coupé les amarres ». Étonnant voyage que celui de cet ancien marin de Saint-Malo.

Photo: Victoria, l'ancien marin malouin, a bien bourlingué et a essuyé quelques coups de chien dans la vie, avant de s'affirmer sous l'identité de femme. : Ouest-France

[France]
Quand le cinéma se met en « trans »…

Paris possédait déjà son festival de films gays et lesbiens, et un festival plus spécifiquement destiné aux lesbiennes, Cineffable. Désormais, la capitale accueille également un festival de cinéma ayant pour thème les identités transgenres et transsexuelles, rarement abordées au cinéma et à la télévision - si ce n'est sur le mode pathologique et lacrymal.

[Turquie]
Les transsexuels turcs sur scène pour défendre leurs droits

Des transsexuels devenus comédiens et ovationnés debout: fait insolite cette semaine à Ankara à l'occasion d'une représentation de théâtre contre la discrimination dont la communauté homosexuelle fait l'objet au sein de la société turque, foncièrement conservatrice.

[Kuwait] [PR/News/Commentary]
Repressive Dress-Code Law Encourages Police Abuse

Authorities should immediately release more than a dozen persons jailed under Kuwait's new dress-code law, Human Rights Watch said today. The law, approved by the National Assembly on December 10, 2007, criminalizes people who "imitate the appearance of the opposite sex."

Kuwait urged to free cross-dressers from jail

Human Rights Watch urged the Kuwaiti authorities on Friday to release from prison 14 men jailed in recent months for having dressed as women in public.

[New Zealand]
Human rights for all humans, not just angry extremists

The Green Party entirely supports the Human Rights Commission's call for better recognition of the rights of transgender people, Green Party MP Metiria Turei says.

Resources needed to back transgender findings

PPTA president Robin Duff welcomes the release of the Human Rights Commission's transgender inquiry and hopes government resources will be provided to help implement its findings.

Transgender report meets mixed reaction

A Human Rights Commission report which calls for greater recognition of the rights of transgender people has met a mixed reaction.

NZ First opposes transgender law changes

New Zealand First has strongly rejected recommendations for law changes to help transgender people.

Arthur Or Martha? Let The Commission Decide!

The Human Rights Commission's latest nonsense on the rights of so-called 'transgendered' people is another example of the creeping insanity of social and sexual engineering, says New Zealand First Deputy Leader Peter Brown.

[Canada]
Cross-dresser gets second shot at refuge

A transgender Mexican who claims he'll be killed in his homeland for dressing like a woman is getting a second shot at refugee status in what may be the first case of its kind in Canada.

[GA,USA]
Midtown crime sparks action from neighbors

Excerpt: Neighborhood group leaders have a habit of moving next to well established gay clubs and then complaining about noise and crime until the clubs are forced to close. The members seem to use the most pejorative descriptors available - "bum," "gang," "infestation" - and even make up new ones like "transvestitutes, " which they use to describe transgender prostitutes.

[IL,USA]
Transgender woman seeks name fee waiver

A transgender woman who wants to change her legal name from "Donald" to "Daunn" asked the state Supreme Court Thursday to order Will County's chief judge to waive about $450 in court fees because of her low income.

Illinois County Accused Of Thwarting TS Name Change

The Illinois Supreme Court has been asked to compel a county court to follow state law and allow a low-income transgender woman with the means of changing her name.

[USA] [Commentary]
Don't Forget Transgender Day of Rememberance

Originally, I was going to write a column reviewing the events of 2007, just like so many other writers. But then something happened in Kansas City. Well, to be honest, it's more like something didn't happen.

[UT, USA] [Film/Events]
Sundance film documents Iranian culture mysteries

When Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced to a heckling Columbia University audience that there were no homosexuals in his country, he neglected to add the punch line: they all get sex-change operations instead.

[UK]
Teen appears in court over transexual murder

A 17-year-old charged with the murder of transexual Kellie Telesford appeared in court yesterday.

[Europe]
E. Europe Still Anti-Gay Bloc
Excerpt: This [Hungarian] survey cited as typical "the case of a gay couple who were asked to leave a concert, because they were kissing, or the story of a secondary school student who was assaulted by one of his teachers because he is transsexual, " according to UK Gay News' reporting.

[Australia] [Books/People]
Phoenix rising

Local trans author Katherine Cummings, 73, has experienced highs and lows in her gender journey. She spoke with Katrina Fox.

[New Zealand]
Transgender report demands law change
The Human Rights Commission is calling for a simple amendment to the Births, Deaths and Marriages Act that would allow trans people to obtain birth certificates and passports that reflect their gender identity and sex.
Discrimination against transgendered widespread: study
The Human Rights Commission is releasing what it says is a world first inquiry into discrimination against transgendered people.
New Zealanders may be able to change their sex on passports
New Zealanders may soon be able to change their sex on their passports and birth certificates without having to have costly sex change surgery.
A two-year inquiry by the Human Rights Commission has found that transgender people, who identify as having a different gender than their physical bodies, are discriminated against at school, at work, in accessing health services and in the community.

[New Zealand]
Constable's story puts face to study

On September 9, 2005, Christchurch Police Constable Stephen Lurajud became Constable Sarah Lurajud. The date is etched in her mind.
Senior Constable Sarah Lurajud is the only police officer in New Zealand to have a sex change. Photo / Simon Baker

[USA]
Transgender movement at a crossroads

Recent developments in the transgender movement suggest an internal conflict between methods proven successful and misdirected anger that only gets in the way.

[USA]
Trial by fire

Talk about hitting the ground running. Gunner Scott took the reigns of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) as the organization' s first paid director this week just as a controversy over MTPC's association with the Human Rights Campaign was attracting national attention.

[MD,USA] [News/Commentary]
Man uses women's facility at members-only health club

A "trial run" has been launched for a new law in a Maryland county that arguably would allow coed locker rooms in public accommodations, and women aren't pleased with the results.
Transgender bill facing new round of opposition
Reports that a man dressed as a woman entered a locker room at a Gaithersburg gym Monday have given new ammunition to a conservative group’s efforts to overturn a bill that extends anti-discrimination rights to transgendered people.

[CA,USA]
Transgender woman sues hospital

A transgender San Francisco woman is suing Seton Medical Center in Daly City for refusing to perform breast augmentation surgery.

[CA,USA]
Steps Toward Tolerance

Excerpt: The reason for his dedication to the transgender community: Lee Morento was born a female.

According to current statistics, about one in 12,000 females and one in 30,000 males are transgender.
Photograph By Phil Carter. Lee Maranto, Santa Cruz transsexual/transgender advocate.

[NY,USA]
Supplying a sanctuary
If behind every great man there is a great woman, the opposite may be true for Andrea Adams.
In June of 2006, Adams, a transgender woman, incorporated the nonprofit Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender education and awareness community center, The Bridge. Nineteen months later, the center's membership is growing and its name building in the North Country.

[USA] [Health/Fashion/Style]
Do My Breast Implants Have a Warranty?
A NAKED woman, her left arm strategically draped over her nipples,grins beatifically at readers in an advertisement for cosmetic surgery that equates breast implants with a more durable commodity: jewels.

[USA] [Commentary]
My transgender husband and you
Try for a moment to imagine an America where equal opportunity really does mean everyone — even people who are transgender. That was the legislative vision the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) was supposed to uphold. But then came the recent Congressional shenanigans that have threatened to leave transgender people in the lurch and out of the bill.

[MA, USA]
Pilot columnist takes aim at LGBT youth programs
Excerpt: O'Leary, who last year published a book called One Man, One Woman: A Catholic's Guide to Defending Marriage, deploys some of the most well-worn arguments used by anti-gay activists, claiming that homosexuality can be cured, that it is frequently caused by a childhood gender identity disorder, and that "an extremely high percentage" of gay adults were molested as children. It also claims that transgender identity is "problematic" because "no one can change their sex."

[MA, USA]
Sciortino transgender bill testimony heard
Soon after he started to transition between genders in 2003, Ethan St. Pierre was fired from his job as a security manager for a protection services company. Since then, St. Pierre, 46, of Haverhill, has been between jobs, which he says are hard to come by because the company keeps providing bad references for him. "I'm constantly out," he said. "My field is closed off to me. They think there's something wrong with me."

[Portugal]
Perigo: Estudo revela 19 mil norte-americanos mortos - Superbactéria mata homossexuais nos EUA

Uma variante da bactéria Staphylococus aureus, multirresistente a antibióticos, incluindo a meticilina (um dos mais poderosos), já há alguns anos conhecida nas unidades de saúde, começou a aparecer fora do meio hospitalar nas comunidades homossexuais de São Francisco, Boston, Nova Iorque e Los Angeles, segundo um estudo da Universidade da Califórnia, a publicar em Fevereiro na prestigiada revista científica ‘Annals of Internal Medicine’.

[Cuba]
Cuba, por el respeto a la identidad sexual

El Partido Comunista de Cuba ha sido el principal protagonista en facilitar propuestas relativas al respeto a la identidad sexual, expresó Mariela Castro Espín, directora del Centro Nacional de Educación Sexual (CENESEX).

[Cuba]
Estudia Cuba ofrecer cirugías de cambio de sexo gratuitas

Cuba anunció este martes que está a punto de ofrecer cirugías gratuitas de cambio de sexo a unos 27 transexuales diagnosticados, un proyecto impulsado por una de las hijas del presidente interino Raúl Castro y apoyado por el gobernante Partido Comunista.

[México]
Legales, bodas entre transexuales: juristas

El matrimonio entre personas transexuales —hombre y mujer—, no está prohibido por ninguna norma, por lo que es legal y en caso de que un juez de lo civil se niegue a efectuar la ceremonia estaría incurriendo en una violación y podría ser sujeto de una demanda penal por discriminación, advirtieron el profesor emérito de la Facultad de Derecho de la UNAM, Raúl Carranca y Rivas, y el abogado especialista en temas de diversidad de género, Víctor Hugo Flores.

[México]
Continúa debate sobre ley para las personas transexuales; Especialistas trabajan en coordinación con la el PASC en la ALDF

Con la participación de especialistas en sexología, en derecho y activistas por los derechos de la diversidad sexual, continúan las reuniones de discusión para el proyecto de ley que reconocería los derechos de las personas transexuales en la ciudad de México.

[MI,USA]
Tranny space

Excerpt: But it's not exactly business as usual, because the proposed club will be for cross-dressing men and transgender people. Club owner Janet Law (a self-described tranny who legally changed her name from Tom to Janet) and her lawyer say the case is more about dirty politics, the First Amendment right to assemble and discrimination against transgendered people.

[UT, USA]
Pappas: No dream for LGBTQ youth

Excerpt: Statistics are especially troubling in teenagers. Every day, 13 Americans between the ages of 15 to 24 commit suicide. Thirty percent of them will be lesbian or gay. Fifty-three percent of transsexual youths surveyed had attempted to take their own life.

[UK]
Man labels Wigan most racist place in Britain

Excerpt: And, in a reminder that hate crime is not just a race issue, a Wigan transsexual has told of the disturbing and threatening encounters she has had with strangers.

[UK]
Hate crime laws to be tightened

Excerpt: She [Morag Alexander of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights] said: "If you have a mental health problem or a learning disability, of if you are gay or transgendered (cross dressers, transvestites and transsexuals) , you are more likely to have experienced abuse, threats and violence, simply because of who you are. This is unacceptable. "

[Hungary]
Gays, Lesbians, Bi, Transgender People Are Discriminated Against in Hungary – Report

Hungarian LGBT people who openly declare their sexual orientation face discrimination, a report by Patent Association concludes.

[Morocco]
Morocco court upholds jail for 6 for homosexual acts

A Moroccan appeal court on Tuesday upheld the convictions of six men jailed for homosexual acts after video images of a man dressed as a woman dancing at a party sparked street protests and a police investigation, lawyers said.

[Israel]
More Israeli women changing gender

An increasing number of Israeli women are undergoing the sex-change procedure.

[Chile]
MENOR DE EDAD HABRIA ASESINADO A TRANSEXUAL

En una acción coordinada con el Movimiento de Integración y Liberación Homosexual (Movilh) la Brigada de Homicidios de la Policía de Investigaciones informó sobre la captura de un menor de edad como el principal sospechoso de asesinar el pasado 28 de septiembre a la transexual Alejandra Albornoz.

[USA]
Becoming a Black Man

Louis Mitchell expected a lot of change when he began taking injections of hormones eight years ago to transition from a female body to a male one. He anticipated that he'd grow a beard, which he eventually did and enjoys now. He knew his voice would deepen and that his relationship with his partner, family and friends would change in subtle and, he hoped, good ways, all of which happened.

[DC, USA]
Gay Rights Legislation On Agenda As Congress Returns

Members of Congress began returning to Washington on Monday with three LGBT rights bill still in play - the Matthew Shepard Hate Crime Act, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

[USA] [Commentary]
A One-Issue Year

Excerpt: On the broader transgender rights front – in spite of their being a great many other stories worth discussing – there has been one issue alone to discuss. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and how Sen. Barney Frank (D-MA) and the Human Rights Campaign jettisoned the needs of transgender people in a doomed-from-the-start attempt to get an exclusionary bill passed into law.

[USA]
FDA cracks down on Internet hormone sales

Government health officials began cracking down Wednesday on Internet sales of custom-mixed hormones for menopausal women, a market created when doctors deemed prescription estrogen therapy too risky for many patients.

[USA] [Blog/Commentary]
America's NEVER Ready to Expand Rights

Like many peeps in the transgender community I was incensed, but not surprised by Susan Stanton's unfortunate and ignorantly naive comments. She echoed crap that I've heard for over a decade from Barney Frank and HRC when she stated that America isn't ready for transgender civil rights.

[MD,USA]
Controversial Law on Gender Identity Tested

A man dressed as a woman walked into the women's locker room at the Rio Sport and Health Club in Gaithersburg Monday, spawning concerns over a new controversial law designed to protect transgendered people.

[USA] [OPINION]
Stanton’s betrayal

Our 'Uncle Toms' are 'Aunt Trannies' and Susan is their ringleader.

[NH, USA]
Transgendered Youth: School children face unique difficulties

For a highschooler who was born female but felt, dressed and acted like a boy, it didn't feel right to use a girl's bathroom.

[USA]
Equal Access for All

Excerpt: Transgender patients face the greatest barrier to care with some healthcare providers refusing to treat them. According to the HEI report, some providers are insensitive to their physical and mental health needs and as a result, transgender patients will neglect healthcare all together.

[AZ, USA]
Moving in the right direction

What a time to get writer’s block! After weeks of struggling to decide whether I should expose my very weaknesses for the world to read, to pour out the contents of my life transgender before a new audience, this decision does not come effortlessly. In fact, I wasn’t even able to train my mind’s eye on this.

[Portugal]
EXTINÇÃO DA ASSOCIAÇÃO ªt.

A associação ªt., decidiu a 31 de Dezembro de 2007 a cessação da sua actividade e respectiva extinção definitiva em consequência da sua actual inactividade.

EXTINÇÃO DO BLOG DA ASSOCIAÇÃO ªt.
Em consequência da extinção da associação ªt., este blog deixará de representar a respectiva associação e o seu conteúdo futuro passará a ser da exclusiva responsabilidade e autoria de Jó Bernardo a titulo exclusivamente pessoal.

[UT, USA]
Transgender Utah Woman Fired For Making Complaints

A woman who said she suffered discrimination at work because she is transgender has been fired as a nursing assistant.

[USA] [Blog/Commentary]
Stanton Speaks Out

Susan Stanton has finally responded publicly <http://www.washblad e.com/2008/ 1-11/news/ national/ 11852.cfm> to the fallout to horrible St. Petersburg Times article. Lou Chibbaro Jr. of the Washington Blade interviewed Stanton, saying:

'Susan has said all along that she's not like other transgender people,' feature writer Lane DeGregory wrote in the St. Petersburg Times article. 'She feels uncomfortable even looking at some, "like I'm seeing a bunch of men in dresses," ' DeGregory quoted her as saying.

[USA] [Blog/Commentary]
The Ongoing Divide Between The HRC And Transgender Activists

It doesn't seem to be going away — this horrible, public divide between the HRC and the transgender community's activists.

Actos de protesta contra la ilegalización de Lambda Istambul 18 y 26 de enero

18 de enero pase del vídeo El terror transexual . Corto realizado en el 2007 por Lambda Istambul : diversos testimonios explican la situación actual en Turquía, en el local de las Magdalenas + cena vegana.

26 de enero concentración frente al consulado de Turquía en Barcelona.

Convocamos:

- a acciones publicas de solidaridad con Lambda Istanbul, particularmente el fin de semana del 26 y 27 de enero (También hay acciones previstas en Strasbourg, Lyon, Grenoble, Bruxelles, Namur, Toulouse, Marseille, Lisboa, Barcelona, Nancy, Paris, Lille )

- al envió masivo de correos de protesta a las instituciones turcas

Una visibilidad internacional es mas que necesaria ya que la represión judicial contra Lambda Istanbul esta siendo muy poco mediatizada, tanto en Turquía como fuera del país.

El objetivo es inmediato para todas las personas LGBTI en Turquía.

[España]
Un transexual y su novio salen de prisión para casarse

Eran compañeros de celda, pero ahora ya son marido y mujer. Eso sí, la luna de miel tendrán que pasarla entre rejas.

[UK]
Sex-swap Woman Ordered To Pay For 'Vexatious' Campaign Against College

A sex-swap woman has been stung with a £5,000 legal bill after a tribunal decided she had waged a "vexatious" campaign of abuse against City College Plymouth.

[Alemania]
¿Era hombre o mujer?

Una intersexual alemana de 48 años se querelló hoy, ante la Audiencia Provincial de Colonia, contra un cirujano que hace tres décadas le extirpó los órganos femeninos para transformarlo en hombre.

[Brazil]
Baby taken away from Brazilian gay couple

A government official who successfully fought to take an adopted baby away from a gay couple in Brazil has said that "gay couples are abnormal."

[Indonesia]
Activists demand equal rights for transvestites seeking work

Groups fighting for the rights of transvestites have demanded the government be more supportive of the minority group, especially as they try to secure employment in the formal sector.

Transvestites fight an uphill battle

Ienes Angela remembered back to a long time ago when she sat in a church and felt uncomfortable. It was an unpleasant experience. She felt as though she didn't belong because people were staring at her.

[MI,USA]
Officials keep club for cross-dressers shuttered

Wyandotte says parking is a problem; owner plans appeal.

[USA]
Transgender activists turn on one of their own

Less than one year after being fired from her job as city manager of Largo, Fla., because of her status as a transgender woman, Susan Stanton has come under fire from transgender activists, who have called her a sell-out to their cause.

[NJ,USA]
Former transsexual cop opens up

In the spring of 1995, Hoboken motorcycle police officer John Aiello told his superiors that when he returned from his leave, it would be as a woman named Janet.