[International]
’Stop Trans Pathologization’ campaign kicks off Oct. 17
The Trans Depathologization Network, a group committed to the removal of ’gender identity disorder’ from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases, has been joined by seven international networks and 161 trans groups in the two weeks leading up to its campaign kick-off on Oct. 17.
Manifestation contre la pathologisation des Trans’, GenreS fluideS et IntersexeS

[UK] [Blog/Commentary]
London trans activists call for boycott of sham demo on October 17th
We are a group of trans activists who wish to make known our concerns about a demo, claiming to support the depathologisation of trans people, in London on 17th of October.

The facebook group for the demo can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=147494409183

The description of the event reads:
"Being transgendered is not a mental illness. We are simply part of the diversity of humanity. Gender Identity Disorder is therefore not a valid diagnosis. Homosexuality we removed as a mental health diagnosis diagnosis in 1987. For us to achieve true liberation and recognition we need to throw off this unjust stigma. We are not ill, just different"

A large number of people were invited by the demo organiser, a non-trans man by the name of Dennis Hambridge, and some of us were initially concerned by the rationale for the demo. In particular, we were worried that campaigning for the removal of Gender Identity Disorder as a medical diagnosis without proposing an alternative mechanism by which transsexual people would be able to access medical transition resources was premature and dangerous, especially in a climate where NHS primary care trusts need only a minimal excuse to deny funding for our hormonal and surgical procedures. We do not support the labelling of our gender identities as disordered, and realise that our relationship with the medical community is far from ideal, but do not wish to support a movement which may give the impression that we seek complete divorce from the medical community.

These concerns were put to the Facebook group by a number of trans activists. Rather than address them, Mr Hambridge entrenched his position, making claims that gender dysphoria was an artefact of society and the medical community, and that removal of any form of classification of gender dysphoria by the WHO was "non-negotiable".

In moves more reminiscent of the actions of transphobic radical feminists than supposed allies of trans people, Mr Hambridge started deleting some of the comments from those trans people who were concerned about our future access to hormones and surgery. Subsequently he banned a number of those trans people from the group, silencing them in that space.

To reiterate - Mr Hambridge, who is organising a demo which is allegedly supporting the rights of transsexual people is using his position as a group organiser to silence and shut out the voices of the very people he claims to support.In light of Mr Hambridge's intransigence and refusal to listen to the voices of actual transsexual people, we are calling on all activists who support the concept of transsexual people having a say in our own medical care to boycott this demo.

We further call on Mr Hambridge, who is not trans himself, to stop claiming to speak on our behalf when he is ignoring our protestations and silencing our voices, and to call off his demo.
[Blog/Commentary] Important Community News
[Blog/Commentary] Please Stop Being On My Side!

[España]
Jefe de Unidad Genero Barcelona; Dr. Mañero: "Transexuales ....se trata de una Enfermedad"
Hace escasos meses incidía en lo mismo. Por lo que la Coordinadora del Area Transexual de la FELGTB y Presidenta de ATA, Mar Cambrolle, emitió una carta publica en contra de tal manifestación caduca y fuera del contexto de lucha actual. Cuestión que hoy volvemos a ver en la segunda noticia de este Diario Digital Transexual, donde ATA se suma a la Campaña de la Despatologización . En plena campaña hacia el 2012, a favor de la despatologización de la Transexualidad -es cuanto menos preocupante- que quien mantenga semejantes tesis, sea el jefe de la Unidad de Género del Hospital Clínico de Barcelona. La homosexualidad dejó de ser considerada una enfermedad en 1990 por la OMS, es lamentable que aun hoy en día desde algún sector se sigan considerando a las personas transexuales como trastornado mentales.
La operación de cambio de sexo es mejor antes de edad adulta, según cirujano

[España]
La Policía investiga el homicidio de una transexual en un piso de Alfareros
El cadáver de Linsia C.C., de 40 años y origen sudamericano, fue encontrado tendido en el suelo del salón, con evidentes signos de violencia pese a su avanzado estado de descomposición.
Investigan la muerte de una transexual en su domicilio de Burgos

[France]
Marche transsexuelle et transgenre à Paris
Environ 600 personnes ont participé samedi à Paris à la 13e édition des "Existrans", la marche des personnes transsexuelles et transgenres, entre le métro Jourdain (XIXe arrondissement) et la place de la République. (Photo: APF)
L'ExisTrans a réuni à sa marche 2000 transsexuelles à Paris
13e marche « Existrans » : alors que le ministère de la santé propose enfin des avancées, la lutte pour faire aboutir les revendications des trans continue
Une loi pour respecter l’identité de genre !
13e marche Existrans: «Un psy, non merci!»

[UK] [News/People/Books]
New book tells extraordinary tale of sex change nurse
A 76-year-old ex-soldier who underwent a sex operation before becoming a nurse has had her life story published.
Miranda Ponsonby’s remarkable story follows her journey from mixing with royalty as a son of one of the UK’s oldest familes, to being female nurse of 20 years’ standing - via a stint in the military, a marriage, and fathering two sons. (Photo)

[Bermuda]
Sybil paints the streets pink for charity
The Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre rearranged its Wednesday night annual fundraising walk due to high winds and the threat of rain.But Bermuda's very own drag queen was ready and raring to go and refused to change his plans. Determined Sybil, aka Mark ­Anderson, did his own thing and walked the 3k route around Hamilton.
(Photo: Pretty in pink: Despite the threat of high winds and rain, Sybil Barrington, aka Mark Anderson, dressed head to toe in pink and did the postponed 3k charity walk in Hamilton to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month.)

[Italy]
Italy's gay rights pledge as hate crimes rise
As tens of thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Italians prepared to demonstrate tomorrow against a string of homophobic attacks, Silvio Berlusconi's government announced a ground-breaking €2m media campaign against discrimination.

[Nepal]
Nepalese mark 15th National Condom Day
Nepalese transgender activists with inflated condoms take part in an AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases awareness rally organized to mark the 15th National Condom Day in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, Oct. 10, 2009. (Photo)

[Vietnam]
Gender-bending the rules
Like many young people, Lam Thi wanted nothing more than to walk the stage at a glamorous beauty contest.
But the options are limited for gay men such as Thi, who identifies herself as a woman.
So when Thi heard about Miss Angel, a beauty contest strictly for gay men, she did everything she could to compete, and win.
But it was more than self-interest that inspired her, she also wanted to bring greater acceptance to the gay community.
(Photo: Pre-game jitters: Contestants prepare backstage at Miss Angel, one of many gay beauty contests becoming increasingly popular in Ho Chi Minh City. Though not officially licensed by local authorities, such events have heightened the sense of dignity in the gay community, organizers say.)

[Australia/New Zealand]
NZ's top drag queen celebrates 74th birthday
She's been in drag for 60 years, living in Sydney for 30, and today Carmen Rupe, the most recognised New Zealand queen, came back home to celebrate her 74th birthday.
Impossible to ignore and never one to shy away from a grand entrance, Carmen came back to Wellington in style.
It's a style that came from trying on her mother's dresses as a kid, and honed where you'd least expect it - military training school. (Photo)

[Canada] [Blog/Commentary]
Toronto hosts pro-surgery conference with Ex-gay researcher, Dr. Kenneth Zucker
The Organisation Intersex International wishes to express its disappointment that the City of Toronto is hosting a conference which will further stigmatise and promote non-consensual surgery and hormonal treatments for intersex children. This conference gives no real representation from intersex people themselves and it treats us as “disorders” of sex development, a very offensive way of speaking about us.

[Canada]
Firing "blindsided me": trans teacher
When Alberta substitute teacher Jan Buterman told his public school board employer that he had been diagnosed with gender identity disorder, their response was to treat it as a medical issue and file the appropriate paperwork. It did not affect his employment with them in any other way.
(Photo: Speaking up. Jan Buterman at an Edmonton rally earlier this year, protesting the province's cuts to gender reassignment surgery funding. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAaVsnwE7LA))

[USA]
Gays question Obama 'don't ask, don't tell' pledge
Excerpt: He expressed strong support for the HRC agenda of ending discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people but stopped short of laying out a detailed plan for how to get there.

Obama apoia reivindicações dos homossexuais nos EUA

[USA]
House Approves Hate Crimes Provision in Defense Bill
The House voted Thursday in favor of expanding hate crimes protection to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. The bill was attached to the 2010 Defense Authorization bill.

[USA] [Commentary]
Rights Still to Be Won
The civil rights struggle for legal equality in America today is no less necessary, nor worthy, than a similar struggle fought by blacks several decades ago. Now, as then, Americans are denied rights simply because of who they are. When lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans gather in Washington on Sunday for the National Equality March, they will invoke the unfulfilled promise in our Constitution that they, too, are due equal protection under the law.

Miles de personas marchan en Washington por la igualdad de los derechos gay

[USA]
Social Conservatives Mount Last-Ditch Effort to Stop Hate Crimes Bill
Social conservatives opposed to a hate crimes bill that would extend federal protection to gay and transgender victims and nearing passage in Congress are mounting a last-ditch effort to defeat it.

[USA] [Blog/Religion]
Trans Faith Links
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. -- Genesis 1:27
I talked about faith in a recent post. If you're wanting to get your praise on and be part of a welcoming and inclusive faith community, here are some links to find them.

[IL, USA]
Police: Woman tried to enroll as boy at school
Police in the southern Illinois city of Marion say they've arrested a 24-year-old woman who tried to enroll in the local high school as a 15-year-old boy.

[OR, USA] [Blog/News]
Basic Rights Oregon Takes Up Trans Issues In Health Care Debate
The hot topic of health care reform hits everyone differently. From the perspective of Basic Rights Oregon, one ignored group is transgender people, so BRO announced this week that it’s building a campaign for transgender people to get better health care coverage.

[Blog/News] [GA, USA]
Facebook supporters rally behind Cobb County cross-dressing teen
Jonathan Escobar may have chosen to wear wigs, skinny jeans and make-up as a form of expression. But the administration at North Cobb High School wants him to go express himself somewhere else.
According to the AJC, Escobar recently relocated from Miami to the Atlanta area to live with his sister. After attending the Cobb County school for only three days, the school’s assistant principal told him he should dress more “manly” or consider home schooling.
Escobar refused to compromise his personal style and withdrew from the high school.

[KS, USA] [Blog/Commentary]
Kansas State Diversity Fail
The Student Senate at Kansas State University at Salina has rejected a request to fund a transgender speaker.Transgender male speaker Ryan Sallans was to speak at the university Nov. 23. But the university's Student Governing Association on Tuesday rejected a request for $1,000 to pay Sallans' fees and expenses.

[OH, USA]
Ohio makes it easier to change gender on licenses
Excerpt: The change does not affect the prohibition on correcting Ohio birth certificates. Ohio remains one of only three states, with Florida and Idaho, that will not change a birth certificate or issue an amended one, even for post-surgical transsexuals. To do that would require an act of the state legislature.

[México]
Alfonso De Nigris negó tener secuestrado al travesti
Apenado por las declaraciones niega conocer a Dennis y espera presentar una demanda por difamación.