[Portugal]

Cabeleireiro LGBTTI-Friendly
Nunca se sentiram incomodados/as numa ida ao cabeleireiro, com olhares, comentários em surdina, risinhos?

Pois bem, para toda a comunidade, mas especialmente para a comunidade transgénero e transexual, abriu um cabeleireiro unissexo onde poderão usufruir, com toda a serenidade, os préstimos usuais em qualquer salão, sem necessidade de temer qualquer tipo de discriminação.

Chama-se Perfil D'Arte e fica situado na Rua Dom Luís de Noronha, nº24 B - R/C Esq. em Lisboa, junto à Praça de Espanha.

Os serviços prestados incluem: cabeleireiro, manicure, pedicure e estética (massagens, limpezas de pele e depilações), e pode-se fazer marcações (conveniente) através do nº 21 793 01 46.

[UK]
Woman finds long lost dad.. but, now he's a laydee
When Emily Wallis tracked down the dad she had never met they had more in common than she expected… including their taste in shoes, dresses and make-up.
Instead of the “Italian Stallion” her mum Ann had described, Clive Harrison was a lipstick-wearing, bewigged transvestite who now calls himself Chloe, and has EIGHTY-TWO pairs of high- heeled shoes. (Photo)

[Lebanon]
Lebanon's other women 'out' in force
They remain anonymous, but their voices are out in force and bold print: a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women have braved law and social taboo in Lebanon with a little pink-and-white book.
"Bareed Mista3jil," Arabic for "Mail in a Hurry," is a collection of 41 true stories of women grappling with coming out, religion, family and emigration.

[Malaysia/UK]
Transsexual staring at big change over 'wrong' photo
A Malaysian transsexual, who married a 30-year-old man in Britain, might be deported back to Malaysia after his Leave To Remain visa was rejected by British authorities over an 'incorrect' photograph. (Photo)

[India]
Intersex baby draws huge crowds
A Rare baby born in Betanoti hospital, about 25 km from here, is drawing people from far and wide. This baby has both male and female sex organs – one above another. This baby was born to Ishwar Chandra Mahanta and Ahalya Mahanta of Nandasola village in Mayurbhanj district on November 22.

[CA, USA]
Mike Penner dies at 52; Los Angeles Times sportswriter
Penner had been a columnist and covered the Olympics, the Angels, World Cup soccer, tennis and sports media for The Times. In 2007, he announced that he was a transsexual.
(A file photo of Mike Penner, and at right, Christine Daniels. (Los Angeles Times))
LA Times sports writer Mike Penner dead at 52
Journalist who made headlines with gender struggle dies
Mike Penner, transsexual L.A. Times sportswriter, dies at 52
BREAKING: LA Times sports columnist Mike Penner/Christine Daniels found dead
[Blog/Commentary] Trans LA Times Sports Columnist Mike Penner/Christine Daniels Dies At 52

[CO, USA]
Film explores death of transgendered Colo. teen
Fred Martinez was anything but simple.
He was, at various moments, a boy, a girl, a Navajo, a Montezuma-Cortez High School student, gay, transgendered, "nadleehi."
In June 2001, in a ravine just south of Cortez, he became a murder victim.

[NM, USA]
Transsexual faces charges of police impersonation
An Eldorado transsexual has been charged with impersonating a police officer by stopping a car on Interstate 25, police say.
Randey Michelle "Mikeh" Gordon, 60, is a former male high-school art teacher in Westchester County, N.Y., who caused a stir in 2000 when she took the school year off with pay to have a sex-change operation.

[UT, USA]
Transgender officer living his dream -- as a cop and a man
As a child, Kerry Bell dreamed of growing up to become a policeman -- both a police officer and a man.
Becoming a cop was relatively simple -- Bell joined the Bountiful Police Department 14 years ago. Becoming a man took more time.

(Kerry Bell is a transgender man and a Bountiful police officer. He says the police force, including the chief, have been very supportive of his coming out, which included a transition from female to male that began 18 months ago. (Leah Hogsten / The Salt Lake Tribune))

[Brasil]
Vereador em Salvador, Léo Kret muda de nome com autorização de um juiz
"Leo Kret do Brasil" passa a ser o nome civil da dançarina e vereadora de Salvador desde a publicação da sentença no último dia 18 de novembro pelo Juiz Nelson Cordeiro, da Vara de Registro Civil da Bahia. O nome original de Leo é Alecsandro. Ele assumiu a identidade feminina a partir dos quinze anos, quando o apelido Leo Kret surgiu numa brincadeira de escola.

[Brasil]
Miss Gay Mato Grosso é destituída do cargo
O estado de Mato Grosso não terá mais representante no concurso Miss Brasil Gay. O organizador do Miss Gay MT, Menetti Griggi, resolveu destituir Thayla Brunni, eleita para o posto, alegando descumprimento de obrigações contratuais.

[Brasil]
Miss Brasil Gay desabafa para o Mix
Vencedora no Melhor Traje Típico, Melhor Traje de Gala, Voto Popular e coroada Miss Brasil Gay 2009, a candidata representante do Espírito Santo, Ava Simões, conversou com o Mix e revelou como foi sua preparação para o concurso. Claro que ela falou também sobre sua relação a Miss São Paulo, Taysa Shinayder, candidata que arrancou sua peruca no fim da noite. (Foto Sérgio Oliveira: Ava Simões)

[Brasil]

SP: Aprovado texto sobre atendimento médico a trans
O Conselho Regional de Medicina de São Paulo aprovou nesta semana uma resolução que normatiza o atendimento médico a travestis, transexuais e transgêneros. De acordo com o texto, o respeito ao ser humano e a integralidade da atenção serão as bases das ações adotadas por equipes de saúde quando atendendo pessoas trans.

[UK]
Transsexual's fight for a visa
A transsexual woman married to a Derby man could face 20 years in jail if she is forced to return to her home country after being turned down for a visa.
Fatine Young, 36, who was born a man, has lived with her husband, school caretaker Ian Young, in Spondon for six months.
Ian first met her in a coffee shop in Malaysia and did not realise she was transsexual.
But despite Fatine's revelation and her refusal to have sex-change surgery, Ian says he is still in love and "can't contemplate his life without her''.

[UK]
Transvestite students allowed to cross line
Cross-dressing students at The University of Sheffield are to be allowed to join the women's committee - after the union passed a motion to treat 'self-defining women' as females.
The decision means membership of the women's committee will be open to all students who consider themselves to be female - even if they are transvestite males.

[France]
changements de sexe en retransmission mondiale
Deux transsexuels ont été opérés hier à Nice. Les interventions ont été retransmises dans le monde entier et suivies par plus de 700 médecins.

[Itália]
Trans brasileira envolvida em escândalo é encontrada morta em Roma
A transexual brasileira conhecida como Brenda foi encontrada morta em seu apartamento em Roma na última sexta, 20. Brenda era o pivô de um escândalo que derrubou o governador da região de Lázio, Piero Marrazzo. O político entregou o cargo depois de ser filmado por policiais fazendo sexo com transexuais brasileiros e consumindo cocaína.

[Turkey]
Soul-Searching in Turkey After a Gay Man Is Killed
For Ahmet Yildiz, a stocky and affable 26-year-old, the choice to live openly as a gay man proved deadly. Prosecutors say his own father hunted him down, traveling more than 600 miles from his hometown to shoot his son in an old neighborhood of Istanbul.

[South Africa]
Has media glare caused Semenya to run away?
South African Caster Semenya blazed across the world's headlines earlier this year when she won the world 800 metres championship in Berlin, but later was revealed to have exceptionally high levels of testosterone caused not by performance-enhancing drugs, but by a genetic abnormality that meant she was - to put it crudely - in some parts a man.

[Pakistan]
Eunuchs Being Treated Worse Than Animals in Pakistan
Eunuchs in Pakistan have claimed that they are treated worse than animals in the country, highlighting that there is a Government department for wildlife and animals, but no department yet exists for eunuchs.

[Thailand]
Alleged ladyboy killer nabbed in Phuket Town
The suspected killer of a ladyboy found dead in Wichit on Saturday morning was caught early Wednesday morning at a short-time hotel near Saphan Hin.
A Phuket City Police press release identified the suspect as 22-year-old Phichai ‘Muk’ Lakkor.

[Canada]
Is your child a) male b) female or c) transgendered?
The Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board is drawing heat for sending parents an H1N1 vaccine consent form that includes an option to indicate if their children identify as "other, unknown or transgender."

[CA, USA]
Veteran Times sportswriter Mike Penner dead
Mike Penner, the veteran Los Angeles Times sportswriter who made international headlines in 2007 when he announced he was transsexual and began working under the byline "Christine Daniels," has died. (Photo)
Veteran Trans Sportswriter Dies
Pioneering Trans Sportswriter for Los Angeles Times Has Died

[CA, USA]
Plaque dedicated at transgender memorial
A plaque honoring victims who were murdered for being transgender was unveiled Nov. 20 at the Matthew Shepard Triangle in conjunction with the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

[NY, USA]
Woodside men indicted in transgender attack: DA
Two Woodside men have been indicted on hate crime charges for allegedly assaulting a transgender woman in Jackson Heights this spring, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. (...)
At 4:20 a.m. June 19, Leslie Mora, 31, a transgender woman, was walking near 72-11 Roosevelt Ave. when Tapia and Ortiz, who perceived Mora to be gay, allegedly hit her on the head with a metal belt buckle, the DA said.
(Photo: Leslie Mora, the victim.)

[Colombia]
"They love us at night, they hate us the rest of the time": the story of Colombian transgender Pamela
Her name is Pamela. She is one of the dozens of transgenders selling their bodies in what the locals call "Calle del Pecado" (The street of the sin") near the historical centre of Cali, Colombia's third largest city.
(Photo: 'Pamela' is a transgender and sex worker in the centre of Cali. Pamela is also an activist helping other transgenders, very much involved in HIV prevention. She also distributes free condoms to other sex workers.)

[Argentina]
Tiene un hijo adoptivo Una transexual es "la mujer del año" en Argentina
El Congreso argentino premió a la transexual Marcela Romero luego de librar una batalla judicial para conseguir un documento de identidad con nombre femenino. La ganadora es una reconocida activista de los derechos del colectivo LGBT.

[España]
Primera operación reasignación sexo de Euskadi se realizará hospital Cruces en diciembre
Parlamento pide al Gobierno que los tratamientos necesarios para la reasignación de sexo tengan la "mayor cobertura posible"

[UK]
NHS 'pioneers' of intersex newborns
The Times has reported that the UK's NHS no longer assume that the correct procedure is to immediately operate on a child born with ambiguous genitalia. A recent Scottish survey indicates that around 1 in 4000 babies are born intersex, but historically, and still in other countries, surgeons opt to 'adjust' the gender in an attempt to 'normalise' them, sometimes without the parents knowledge. Any rushed procedure can only lead to future difficulties, but with no follow-up treatment this often goes unreported.

[UK]
Tragic story of murdered transsexual, whose uncle was one of the Guildford Four
The tragic life story of a murdered Kentish Town transsexual became clear this week when it was revealed the victim's mother had committed suicide four years ago and her uncle spent 15 years in prison falsely convicted of an IRA bombing.

[UK]
I fell for the woman of my dreams... and she turned out to be a he
When Ian Young sat down next to a beautiful woman in a packed cafe in Kuala Lumpur, he had no idea they would one day be married.
Nor did he know that his pretty companion was a man.
In just three years, Ian has gone from being a straight lad from Derby - who was with his previous girlfriend for eight years - to being in a full-time same-sex relationship.
Ian married 36-year-old Fatine, who is a pre-op transsexual, in a British civil partnership ceremony in May.

[Uganda]
Fury at Uganda proposal for gay executions
Britain and Canada today led Commonwealth protests against a law proposed by the Ugandan parliament which would introduce the death penalty by hanging for "aggravated homosexuality".
Commonwealth under pressure over homophobia
Opinion: Gay rights go global
Opinion: Unite to condemn homophobic laws

[India]
Civic body gets first eunuch boss
Having given India its largest atomic power plant and a famous Bollywood playback singer (Shreya Ghosal), it was date again with history for this otherwise non-descript municipality of Rawatbhata, in Chittorgarh district, about 64 km from Kota.

[Thailand]
Thai Department Of Health Tightens Sex Change Laws
The Thai Department of Health has amended the laws regarding sex changes in order to put a halt to the ever increasing elective surgical procedure amongst the young male population of Thailand.

[South Korea]
Transsexual Model Fights Prejudice
When it comes to sex, whether it refers to gender or sexual intercourse, Korea, built upon Confucianist ideals, has stayed very conservative.
But the strictness on sexual relations has become radically relaxed in recent years to the level that people believe women who keep their virginity until marriage are virtually "an endangered species." (Photo: Choi Han-bit)

[Canada]
Fitness club owner angered by outcome in human rights case of transgendered woman
Fitness club owner John Fulton is upset he's saddled with major legal costs, even though an Ontario human rights complaint against him was dropped.
"Not only did I not get my day in court, I was bad-mouthed," said Fulton, owner of Downtown Health Club for Women and Fulton Fitness.

[USA] [PR/Books]
New Book Offers Fresh Perspective on Transgender Life
"Transgender people have been around since the beginning of time, and there are more of us than you think," writes Joanne Herman in her new book, Transgender Explained For Those Who Are Not.
"Transgender people are very varied and diverse -- some transition genders as I did, some have an opposite gender presentation only part of the time, and some have a unique gender presentation all of the time. Contrary to common belief, few transgender people have surgery."

[MA, USA]
Should State Pay for Convict's Sex Change?
A Massachusetts inmate recently lost a bid for state-funded electrolysis treatments. But the prisoner, who has changed names from Robert to Michelle Kosilek, is still pursuing his case to have the state of Massachusetts pay for a sex-change operation in order to complete a gender transformation that started almost 20 years ago.

[Puerto Rico]
Confession Questioned in Puerto Rico Slaughter
When the remains of savagely murdered 19-year-old gay activist and college student Jorge Steven López Mercado were discovered in Puerto Rico on November 13 after he had been dismembered, decapitated, and burned in an apparent hate crime, shock and anger spread like wildfire across the United States, burning up the gay blogosphere and leading to vigils, demonstrations, and memorials all over the country, from New York City to Chicago, from Miami and Dallas to San Francisco, as well as in San Juan.
Slain Puerto Rican Teen Mourned

[Mexico]
Exigen con marcha gay en León se elimine la discriminación
Pancartas, banderas de arcoiris, consignas y música durante la protesta de lesbianas, gays, bisexuales y personas trans llamaron la atención de más de una de las personas que estaban en los alrededores. No se reportó ningún incidente.
(Foto: Colectivo León Gay - Personas de la diversidad sexual en León marcharon desde el Forum Cultural Guanajuato hasta el cento.)

[Honduras]
Grupo Latino Demanda Justicia para Gays en Honduras
En protesta de varios asesinatos de “limpieza social” hacia la comunidad lesbiana, gays, bisexuales, y transgeneros (LGBT) según por parte del régimen de facto de Honduras, una coalición de Los Ángeles tendrá una recepción con varios delegados de una amplia colación en resistencia este sábado 14 de nov. a las 6 p.m.

[Colombia]
Hoy, desfile de la diversidad sexual en Cartagena
Hoy será el Desfile de la Diversidad Sexual en el marco de las Fiestas de Independencia en Cartagena de Indias.
El evento es organizado por el Instituto de Patrimonio y Cultura de Cartagena (IPCC) y la Corporación Caribe Afirmativo, con el fin de incentivar en la ciudad el respeto y el reconocimiento por los derechos de todos los cartageneros y cartageneras en cuanto al tema de género y diversidad sexual se refiere.
Polémica por desfile “Gay” en Cartagena

[Chile]
La cuarta Gay Parade de Santiago reunió a más de 25 mil personas
Una treinta de destacados dj’s, decenas de artistas y miles de personas dieron vida el anterior sábado a “Gay Parade Chile, Open Mind Fest”, un masivo evento contra la discriminación organizado por el Movimiento de Integración y Liberación Homosexual (Movilh) en el marco de sus 18 años de vida y del Día Internacional contra la Tolerancia. (Photo)

[España]
Gobierno Vasco elimina las ayudas aprobadas para las cirugías de los transexuales

Mientras el Ararteko, Iñigo Lamarca, reclamaba ayer la necesidad de aprobar en la CAV una Ley Integral sobre Transexualidad como en Nafarroa, el Gobierno de Gasteiz ha eliminado las ayudas para cirugía de las personas transexuales aprobadas en los presupuestos para 2009. La partida de 60.000 euros ha sido desviada dejando a este colectivo sin la ayuda prevista, según han denunciado personas afectadas.

Colectivo y activistas transexuales vascos harán huelga hambre ante incumplimiento Salud

[UK] [Commentary]
Trans deaths must not be forgotten
November 20th is the International Transgender Day of Remembrance. It focuses on people who have lost their lives, usually through violence, because they were trans, or were perceived to be trans. This year the London trans community, in association with Camden LGBT Forum, held a vigil on the following day, Saturday 21st, at the 52 Club in Gower Street.

[UK]
Mum: NHS should give my son, 14, sex change drugs
The mother of a 14-year-old boy who wants to have sex change treatment says it should be allowed on the NHS before a child reaches puberty.
Carole Smith says her son wants to become a girl and should be allowed the hormone blockers now before he reaches 18.

[UK]
Trans businesswoman Kate Craig-Wood vies for Entrepreneur of the Year
Technology entrepreneur Kate Craig-Wood has been named the South East’s Entrepreneur of the Year and will now compete for the national title at a ceremony in London today.
Craig-Wood, who transitioned several years ago to become a woman, is the founder and managing director of Memset, a server provider.
(Photo: Kate Craig-Wood is in the running for Entrepreneur of the Year)

[Italy]
PM and transsexual prostitutes in nativity scene
Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, his estranged wife Veronica Lario, transsexual prostitutes and Pope Benedict XVI are among figurines featured in a mock nativity scene in the southern city of Naples. The nativity scene shows Berlusconi kneeling in front of Lario, while Noemi Letizia - an 18 year old lingerie model and aspiring actress linked to the premier - is seen behind him.
A figurine of Patrizia D'Addario, the prostitute who claims to have slept with Berlusconi in exchange for money and favours, is also featured in the nativity scene. (Photo)

[Turkey]
Activists target Turkish law
The Pink Life LGBTT Solidarity Association in Ankara, Turkey, and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission have teamed up to demand that Turkey's "Law of Misdemeanors" be rewritten to protect transgender people's rights to free expression, association and movement.

[South Africa] [Sports/Commentary]
Gender Dispute Of World Athlete Takes Interesting Turn
South African runner Caster Semenya won the 800-meter title at the World Championships in Berlin this summer. Not long after, Semenya's success was called into question after a gender-test inconclusively proved she was a woman.

[India]

Match made in heaven
A site tries making the impossible look within reach — it facilitates tansgender marraiges.
Thenmozhi, Priyababu, Deepika, Priya E, Sowmiya and Sowmiya G, may have sought the help of a matrimonial website to find their future life partners, but their demands are quite straightforward. All they want is someone who will not discriminate against them based on their gender identity, class, caste and religion.

[Thailand]
Thailand mandates waiting period, cross-dressing to make sex change surgery more difficult
Thailand has issued rules making sex change surgery more difficult - including a requirement that potential candidates cross-dress for a year - over fears that some patients are rushing into the operation, a medical association said Thursday.

[Canada]
Enza Anderson to run for city council in 2010
Flamboyant media personality Enza Anderson says she is once again planning to run for office. The transgendered activist and Metro News columnist says she will attempt to win Toronto’s Ward 27, currently held by Kyle Rae, in the 2010 municipal election.
(Photo: Enza Anderson says she plans to carry a shovel, which represents work and change, to every appearance of her campaign to join city council in the 2010 election.)

[USA] [Blog/History]
Compton’s Cafeteria Turns Violent

By the summer of 1966 in San Francisco, transsexuals were fed up with abuse by police.
A tight-knit group, the transsexuals often hung out at an all-night cafeteria called Compton’s. The management was angered that they took up tables without buying much, and often called in the cops.

[USA] [Blog/Commentary]
The F Word: Remembering Transgender Victims of Violence
In 128 cities in 17 countries last week, people gathered to remember transgender victims of violence. This year alone, more than 160 transgender people have been murdered—and that’s just the ones we know of. Because of a lack of understanding of gender identity issues, it is nearly impossible for organizations such as Transgender Europe to track down all actual cases of violence against trans people, or to determine whether they are all hate crimes, but the brutality involved in many of them implies that they are.

[HI, USA]
Allen guilty of murdering transgendered female
An Oahu jury on Wednesday rejected a man's claim that he killed a transgendered female in self-defense.
Jurors deliberated for just four hours before finding Joel Allen, 65, guilty of murder. He now faces life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Hawaii man likely to get life in prison for Makiki stabbing murder
Jury convicts man of murder in stabbing death

[MA, USA]
Transgender community remembers victims of violence
Members of Boston’s transgender community, friends and family gathered in Allston on Friday to remember those lost to violence and speak for an often-silent minority.

[MA, USA]
Wife-killing tranny denied electrolysis for time being
Convicted wife-killer Robert “Michelle” Kosilek was rebuffed again in his battle to force state prison honchos to give him electrolysis treatments, but a federal judge left the door open to the transgender con getting taxpayer-funded hair removal procedures.
Murderer's Request For Hair Removal Denied

[MD, USA]
Trans Target
Montgomery County is a little more trans-inclusive today thanks to Dr. Dana Beyer.
The transgender activist, who works as the senior policy advisor for Montgomery Co. Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg (D-At Large), was instrumental in successfully adding ''gender identity and expression'' to the county's anti-discrimination policy two years ago.
Now Beyer herself is using that protection in filing a complaint against Montgomery County's Ethics Commission, claiming that she's been under investigation because of her gender identity.

[Puerto Rico] [Blog/Commentary]
Is Undercutting a ‘Gay Panic’ Defense Worth the Possibility of Erasing a Trans Life?

A suspect, 26-year-old Juan Martínez Matos, was arrested three days after the murder, and the prosecutor in the case, Jose Bermudez Santos, told the newspaper El Nuevo Dia that Martínez confessed to killing López and mutilating his body. In his confession, Martínez claimed he’d met López while looking for a woman in an area known for prostitution, that López was dressed as a female, and that he killed and mutilated him after discovering he was a man.

[Argentina]
Sorpresa por la decisión - Una transexual fue elegida la mujer del año
Marcela Romero, quien dio una larga batalla judicial para conseguir un documento de identidad con nombre femenino fue elegida la "Mujer del año" en Argentina.
Argentine: la femme de l'année est transsexuelle
Transsexual Is Argentina’s “Woman of the Year”

[España]
Andrea Muñiz anuncia que volviera a realizar huelga de hambre 2 de diciembre
"Yo, Andrea Muñiz, en mi calidad de presidenta de la Asociación “TRANSEXUALIDAD EUSKADI”, quiero hacer públicos (tras la huelga de hambre parcial que llevé a cabo entre el 22 y el 29 de Septiembre, y que abandoné ante el firme compromiso por parte del Viceconsejero de Sanidad de que me llamaría, él mismo en persona, para facilitarme fecha de cita con el cirujano, creyendo que su palabra era sincera), los siguientes HECHOS: (...)" (Foto)

[España]

Una alumna transexual recurre la absolución de tres compañeros acusados de acoso

La defensa de una joven transexual ha recurrido la absolución de tres compañeros de su instituto de Coria del Río (Sevilla) que fueron juzgados por acoso escolar después de que la denunciante, entonces de 16 años, manifestase públicamente su identidad de genero.

[UK] [Blog/Commentary]
Lobbying for the Equality Bill – We need People Power!
The Equality Bill shortly will be making it’s 3rd reading in the House Of Commons before proceeding to the House of Lords. There are several issues that affect Gender Variant people that many of us have campaigned on, but only 2 that have had amendments tabled, these by the Liberal Democrats.
They cover:
The widening of the definition for protection in the bill to allow all Gender Variant people to be covered, and not just those currently covered under Gender Re-assignment. The amendment asked this to be changed from Gender Re-assignment to cover Gender Identity. This would give us more of a scope in protection. Some MPs see this as essential, but most do not understand that there is a difference and that Transgender is different from Transsexual…

[UK]
'Equality' lessons to protect transsexuals
Pupils as young as five will be given lessons in "gender equality" and older children will be taught as part of the national curriculum that it is wrong to hit girls.
Transsexual lessons for 5-year-olds
Primary schools to give lessons in gender equality

[Italy]
Dealer death in transsexual scandal 'suspicious'
Fresh questions are being raised in Italy about the death by an apparent overdose of a drug dealer and alleged associate of transsexuals linked to the scandal surrounding the former governor of the Lazio region, Piero Marrazzo.
[Blog/Commentary] The wrong pronoun?

[China] [Blog/Commentary]
New sex change rules for China
Here's some good news for people like Princess Phoenix and all the others in China who've ever felt like they were born the wrong gender, the Ministry of Health has released new guidelines for sex change operations.

[Thailand]
Tougher to get sex change
Punlop Tongchai is awake for the entire two hours it takes to be turned into a woman on the operating table of a Bangkok sex change clinic, realising a childhood dream.
The 27-year-old Thai cabaret dancer chats to nurses throughout the ordeal under the surgeon's knife, numbed only by local anaesthetic.
Thailand tightens sex change laws

[Canada]
Remembering those killed for gender reassignment
It may have been small, but Kelowna’s first Transgender Day of Remembrance was significant, says a local transgendered woman who attended the event Sunday at the Okanagan Rainbow Coalition Centre.

[USA]
Anti-gay motivated hate crimes increase
New statistics by the FBI show anti-gay motivated hate crimes have increased, the AP reported.
The report released Monday shows an overall 2% increase in reported hate crimes in 2008. The largest increase were those motivated by sexual orientation (11%), followed by religion (9%).

[USA] [Commentary]
Why I'm leaving the Democrats
Donna Tara Lee, a transgender activist living in Florida, retired postal worker and an organizer for October's National Equality March in Washington, D.C., describes her response to the first year of the Obama administration.

[USA] [Blog/Commentary/Film]
Gay Native Americans Reclaim Two-Spirit Culture
The Navajo used the word “nádleehí” to describe people who embodied both masculine and feminine traits. They were among the hundreds of Native communities that celebrated and revered tribe members who lived outside binary male/female restrictions. As today’s Native communities fight to revitalize the culture that was beaten out of them, gay and transgender Natives are reclaiming this aspect of their ancestry by identifying as two-spirit –- a unifying term that serves as a catch-all for the many variations of sexuality and gender identity.

[IA, USA] [Blog/News]
Iowa's first Transgender Day of Remembrance a success
Last week, members of Iowa's LGBT community gathered to show support and remember loved ones lost to violence against their transgender loved ones. Gov. Chet Culver signed the proclamation (PDF) making Nov. 20 Iowa's Transgender Day of Remembrance. (Photo)

[MA, USA]
Judge to rule on murderer seeking hair removal
A hearing has been scheduled to determine whether a convicted killer seeking a taxpayer-funded sex change operation can continue hair removal treatments.
[Commentary] EDITORIAL: This is just nuts

[MA, USA]
Transgender Protections Strongly Favored In Mass.
A new poll has found a large majority of Massachusetts voters support a transgender protections bill currently being debated by the Legislature, gay weekly Bay Windows reported.

[MD, USA]
D.C. gov’t official linked to trans bias complaint
The Montgomery County, Md., Ethics Commission — which is headed by a D.C. government attorney working in an unofficial, volunteer capacity — violated the county’s human rights law by waging a “blatant political attack” against a transgender woman based solely on her gender identity, according to a discrimination complaint filed last week.
The complaint was filed with the Montgomery County Human Rights Commission by transgender activist Dana Beyer, who works as a senior aide to Montgomery County Council member Duchy Trachtenberg (D-At-Large). Beyer plans to run for the Maryland House of Delegates next year. (Photo by Michael Key - Trans activist Dana Beyer)
Trachtenberg lashes out over search of staff member's computer

[SC,USA]
Charleston City council passes nondiscrimination ordinances
Charleston City Council passed ordinances expanding the city’s existing policy prohibiting discrimination in housing to include age, sexual orientation and gender identity.

[Puerto Rico/USA]
We refuse to live in fear
Activists report on vigils organized across the U.S. for Jorge Steven López Mercado, a 19-year-old gay man murdered earlier this month in Puerto Rico.

[Argentina]
Cámara Diputados Argentina elige a una transexual como mujer año, Marcela Romero
La vicepresidenta de la Federación Argentina de Lesbianas, Gays, Bisexuales y Transexuales, Marcela Romero, fue distinguida en el Congreso Nacional con el Premio a la Mujer destacada del Año 2009.(Foto)

[UK]
Mother fights for NHS treatment of trans daughter

The mother of a 14-year-old trans girl is fighting to get her hormone treatment on the NHS.
Carole Smith, 41, said that her child needed hormone treatment to prevent her from entering puberty as a boy.

Bournemouth teenager ‘should be allowed to have his sex change’

[UK]
April Ashley: 50 happy years for sex-swap pioneer
Britain's first transsexual is, in a new exhibition, again challenging ideas about gender, identity and DNA.
'It always makes me laugh when people say I was born a man," says April Ashley, who in 1960 became the first Briton to undergo sex-change surgery. "I was born a baby, not a man. From the year dot, I knew I was female, so as soon as I could kneel down to say my prayers, it would be 'God bless Mummy, God bless Daddy, and please let me wake up and be a girl.' (Photo: Geoff Pugh - April Ashley)

[France]
On tue des trans’. Dans le silence?
Chaque année, le 20 novembre, est célébré le TDOR, le Trans Day of Remembrance. Du coup, vendredi dernier et pendant tout ce weekend, des actions ont eu lieu dans plusieurs villes du monde entier, pour célébrer la mémoire des personnes trans’, transsexuelles ou transgenres, qui ont été victimes de passages à tabac, de viols, de meurtres, etc. Sur Internet, plusieurs vidéos (cliquez ici, ici ou là) tentent de donner quelque idée de cette violence effrayante, dont on ne parle guère.

[Italy]
Transwoman in Italian Political Scandal Found Murdered
A transwoman known only as Brenda was found murdered in her burned apartment. Brenda had been filmed having sex with a high-ranking Italian politician; the subsequent scandal ended the politician’s career.

[Serbia]
Serbia’s gays under threat

Serbia’s government should quickly take visible steps to end a spate of violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Human Rights Watch said in a letter sent November 16, 2009, to President Boris Tadic.

Human Rights Watch has called on the government to fully protect the rights of the country’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.

[Malaysia]
Malaysian sex workers using porn films to rob 'distracted' clients
A group of Malaysian sex workers are reportedly using pornographic movies to distract clients before robbing them off their belongings.
The transsexuals in Chow Kit allegedly seduce customers while another sex worker nicked valuables belonging to the victim.

[CA, USA]
Evidence From Attacks On Transgender Women Sat On Shelf While Crimes Continued

On September 10th, 2007, a transgender prostitute working in the Tenderloin was found naked and left for dead on a street across town.
Two weeks later on September 24th, another transgender prostitute was found in a similar state in the Western Addition, where she had fled following a pistol whipping from her attacker.
Over a year later on February 5th, 2008, a severely battered transgender woman was found in Potrero Hill, and spent 15 days recovering in San Francisco General.

[CA, USA]

First In Nation Transgender Memorial Plaque Unveiled In WeHo

West Hollywood unveiled the first Transgender Memorial Plaque in America last week during a commemoration of The Transgender Day of Remembrance at the Matthew Shephard Memorial Triangle in the Creative City.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance was established in order to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.

[GA, USA]
A Moral Imperative: Passing Laws to Protect Transgender People from Hate Violence
The following is from Allyson Robinson, HRC’s associate director of diversity who participated in Friday’s Transgender Day of Remembrance events in Atlanta.
Speaking at the Atlanta Transgender Day of Remembrance observance last Friday night, Georgia State Senator Vincent Fort (D-39) said, “The passage of a federal hate crimes law does not absolve Georgia from doing the right thing.” Passing laws at the state level to protect transgender and gender-variant people from hate motivated violence is “a moral imperative,” he said, and received a long round of applause in response.

[HI, USA]
Murder suspect claims self-defense

Accused murderer Joel Allen said he acted in self-defense after the victim in the case struck him, threatened to kill him and demanded $250 from him.

Allen, 65, denied having a pre-existing relationship with the victim, Jason Namauu, a transgendered female who used the names Jaylynn and Lynette Namauu.

[MA, USA] [News/Health/Medicine]
Doctor Promotes Medical View of Transgenderism
Norman P. Spack, a pediatric endocrinologist who works with transgendered youth, promoted the treatment of transgenderism as a medical condition, as opposed to a psychiatric disorder, during a talk hosted by the Harvard Transgender Task Force yesterday evening.

[MA, USA]
Transgender prisoner presses for electrolysis
Lawyers for a convicted murderer asked a judge yesterday to order Massachusetts prison officials to provide additional electrolysis treatments as the inmate awaits a decision on whether she can get a taxpayer-funded sex-change operation.
Decision due on hair removal for wife killer

[MA, USA]
Slain transgender people remembered around world...and in Boston
A year ago this month, Lateisha Green, a transgender woman, was shot to death as she sat in a car outside a house party in upstate New York. In July, a Syracuse jury convicted Dwight DeLee of manslaughter as a hate crime.

[NJ, USA]
July death of woman who came to Camden County for 'spiritual cleansing' is ruled accidental
The strange case of Lucie Marie Hamilton has been closed, but for her mother at least, the mystery surrounding her death remains.

[Brasil]
Leo Kret Do Brasil: Primeira vereadora transexual do país a mudar o nome

O seu nome de registro é Leo Kret Do Brasil: a primeira vereadora transexual do país ganha ação e tem o direito de mudar o seu nome civil.

Eu sou Leo Kret do Brasil, assertiva já conhecida por muita gente, passa a ser também o nome civil da dançarina e vereadora de Salvador, desde a publicação da sentença no último dia 18 de novembro, pelo Juiz Nelson Cordeiro, da Vara de Registro Civil.

A ação de retificação de nome foi dada entrada em dezembro de 2008 (Processo2373576-1/2009) e até então gerou expectativa, uma vez que o nome de registro, Alecsandro, sempre causou constrangimento devido a identidade feminina assumida desde os 15 anos por Leo Kret, cujo nome surgiu do apelido de nome original e uma brincadeira na escola, devido sua dança sensual.

Dançarina e Vereadora de Salvador, com quarta maior votação, Leo Kret do Brasil de Souza Santos, exulta-se com a sentença e diz “que esta é uma grande vitória e evolução, não só para mim, mas para milhares de travestis e transexuais que vivem constrangidas e excluídas de diversos meios devido a esta questão. A partir de agora passo a conviver com tranqüilidade e paz com meu nome, uma vez que ao ser chamada por um nome masculino, tendo esta identidade feminina, sempre havia um gracejo, um constrangimento e surgiam as piadinhas”.

De acordo com a sentença do Juiz Nelson Cordeiro, “cumpre lembrar que esse nosso entendimento visa a inserção social da transexual, que sofre rejeição da própria família, tendo em vista a tríade dignidade-solidariedade-igualdade. Apontamos também que o direito à opção sexual constitui um direito da personalidade, inerente a liberdade da pessoa e a sua dignidade”, conclui Cordeiro.

A Advogada Anhamona de Brito, patrocinadora da ação, ressalta que “nessa ação, demonstramos para o juízo, além de outros fundamentos jurídicos apresentados, que a alteração do nome social de Leo Kret, que vive publicamente como mulher e que, inclusive, sob essa condição conseguiu obter mandato eletivo para representar os cidadãos de Salvador, era uma medida necessária para garantir a primazia do princípio da dignidade da pessoa humana. Essa alteração impediria, inclusive, que a vereadora continuasse vivenciando situações vexatórias e constrangedoras, ao apresentar os seus documentos de identificação, os quais continham nome masculino, quando a mesma tem fenótipo de mulher, construído por força da identidade sexual que detém.”, disse Anhamona de Brito.

Para Renildo Barbosa, presidente da PRO HOMO - Associação de Defesa e Proteção dos Direitos de Homossexuais, “esta é uma decisão que deve ser comemorada pelo Movimento LGBT (Lésbicas, Gays, Bissexuais, Travestis e Transexuais) uma vez que demonstra a evolução e avanços do Judiciário da Bahia, já que no Legislativo não conseguimos aprovar leis que defendam nossos direitos.” “Servirá de exemplo e estimulo para dar dignidade a diversas trans que convivem com o incomodo de serem chamadas pelo nome civil masculino, mesmo tendo a identidade feminina, afastando-as da escola, da saúde e do convívio pacífico com a comunidade”, enfatiza Barbosa.

Paulete Furacão, trans, presidente da Laleska de Capri Associação LGBT, ri com a informação e deslumbra-se como se fosse a própria mudança do seu nome, explicando “ que sempre envergonhou-se do nome civil, pois não combina com minha imagem, com minha feminilidade. Deixei de estudar devido as gracinhas e chacotas que ouvia todos os dias, somente retornando a escola este ano, trazendo muito prejuízos à minha vida”. “Com certeza vou procurar assessoria para mudar o meu também, diz Paulete, sem revelar seu nome civil”.

A alteração do nome não servirá, obviamente, para eliminar a forte carga de preconceito que parte da sociedade destila contra as cidadãs travestis e transexuais. Mesmo assim, é um passo importante na afirmação da cidadania das pessoas que detém orientação sexual diversa da heteronormatividade vigente. “Ser vereadora em Salvador não me deixa imune de preconceitos. Mesmo assim, sei que a Lei precisa servir a todas as pessoas, sem distinção. Conseguir usar, em meus documentos, o nome como sou identificada cotidianamente é quebrar barreiras; algo que fiz durante toda a minha vida. Como legisladora da primeira Câmara do país não poderia deixar de buscar que a Lei fosse cumprida e, principalmente, primar pelo cumprimento dos princípios constitucionais que protegem a pessoa humana, independentemente de sua orientação sexual.”, disse Leo Kret do Brasil, cuja luta pela igualdade de direitos e oportunidades da comunidade LGBT não parará por aí.

Informações:
Leo Kret do Brasil, 71 3320 0430 / 9973 9148 – leokret@cms.ba.gov.br
Anhamona de Brito, OAB/BA 19.671, telefones: 9996-2222 e 3321-0079, anhamonabrito@yahoo.com.br
Renildo Barbosa, presidente da PRO HOMO, 71 8767 8219 – renildo.barbosa@gmail.com

Crédito obrigatório da foto: Clóvis Dragone/Divulgação
Adan Nascimento Assessoria de Imprensa Tel:9112-4324


[España]
Gobierno Vasco elimina las ayudas aprobadas para las cirugías de los transexuales
Mientras el Ararteko, Iñigo Lamarca, reclamaba ayer la necesidad de aprobar en la CAV una Ley Integral sobre Transexualidad como en Nafarroa, el Gobierno de Gasteiz ha eliminado las ayudas para cirugía de las personas transexuales aprobadas en los presupuestos para 2009. La partida de 60.000 euros ha sido desviada dejando a este colectivo sin la ayuda prevista, según han denunciado personas afectadas.

[España]
Transexuales reclaman el acceso a los recursos orientados a la violencia de género 'sin distinciones'

La Asociación de Transexuales de Andalucía (ATA), reclamaron con motivo de la celebración el próximo miércoles del Día contra la violencia hacia las Mujeres, que las mujeres transexuales que aún no han registrado su cambio de nombre y de sexo "puedan acceder a los recursos que existen en caso de que sufran violencia de género sin distinciones".

[UK]
'Give my 14-year-old son sex change treatment on the NHS', demands mother
The mother of a 14-year-old boy who is desperate to undergo sex change treatment has hit out at the NHS for refusing to give him hormone blockers.
She wants her son to receive the medication now to stop his adolescence from progressing.
By the time the youngster, who wears make-up and dresses like a girl, turns 18 it will be too late for him to look like a woman, the mother believes.
Let me have sex change treatment NOW, says schoolboy age 14
Boy, 14, wants sex change

La madre de una adolescente transexual británica de 14 años lucha porque se le facilite a su hija el tratamiento hormonal

[UK]
Taxpayer cash used for Wolverhampton sex-change event
A taxpayer-funded lecture to teach civil servants how to treat sex-change customers has been branded a waste of cash.
The event took place at the Britannia Hotel in Wolverhampton on Tuesday as part of West Midlands Diversity Week.
It saw 50 public sector staff given advice by seven transsexuals on their legal duties and how to treat “transgender individuals” with respect.
Yet there are less than 30,000 transsexuals in the whole of Britain, leading campaigners to question why the event received taxpayer cash.

[Itália]
Morte de Brenda assusta transexuais
Corpo da brasileira que surgiu em vídeo que levou à demissão do presidente da região de Lazio foi encontrado numa cave dos arredores. As suas amigas queixam-se da falta de segurança.
Transexual in Italy political scandal found murdered
Transsexuals to be deported after prostitute's death
Call girl in Silvio Berlusconi sex scandal claims series of attacks and threats
Mort du transsexuel qui avait dénoncé le gouverneur de Rome
Aparece muerta en extrañas circunstancias la transexual por la que dimitió político Italia

[Afrique du Sud]
Semenya va garder son titre
Le ministre des sports sud-africain a déclaré jeudi que l'IAAF avait accepté que Caster Semenya conserve son titre de championne du monde du 800 m décroché en août dernier à Berlin.
Semenya gardera sa médaille
La IAAF desmiente que haya acuerdo con Semenya
[Commentary] Caster Semenya's Story Has the Power to Educate About Intersexuality

[Pakistan]
Life's a drag act for the TV presenter challenging homophobia in Pakistan
Arifa Akbar meets the unlikely celebrity forcing an intolerant society to confront its prejudices

[India]
EC's decision comes as big reprieve for eunuchs
The formal recognition to transsexuals by the Election Commission (EC) as a special category has brought a big relief for the six million-strong community which had to compromise with its identity while exercising its right to franchise for the past 52 years.
Transsexuals win identity battle

[Malaysia] [Blog/News/Commentary]
Malaysia Report: Transgender Day of Remembrance
Held on the 20th of November every year, this day is set to commemorate transgenders who have been killed due to discrimination, prejudice and hatred towards the community. It is also to raise awareness and act against the violence, brutality and murder of gender variant or non-gender conforming individuals within the LGBT community worldwide.

[China]
Sex change rules mended
The rules about who can and cannot get permission for a sex change operation has been changed.
Only those 20 or above with documented psychological reasons will be allowed to become a transsexual. And only surgeons with at least 10 years of related experience in hospitals approved by health authorities may carry out such procedures, according to the new regulations unveiled by the Ministry of Health.

[Hong Kong] [Blog/News/Health]
Sam Winter calls for end to trans psychopathologization
In honor of the 2009 Transgender Day of Remembrance, Dr. Sam Winter has just issued a strong appeal for the removal of gender identity variance from the psychiatric diagnostic manuals.

[Canada]
New Democrats marks international trans day of remembrance
Today, on the International Trans Day of Remembrance, New Democrats join members of the transsexual and trangender communities, their, families, friends, coworkers and allies to remember victims of transphobic violence, hate and prejudice.

[Canada]
‘Inappropriate’ protest slammed
Transgender activists are calling a protest that interrupted a memorial event on Saturday “disgusting” and “inappropriate.”

[USA] [Blog/Commentary]
Why ENDA Matters: True Stories of Anti-LGBT Employment Discrimination

To illustrate why Congress must pass the Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA), a federal law that would ban discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the workplace, we will be posting the firsthand accounts of people from across the nation who have been fired, refused a job, or harassed in the workplace because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This summer the ACLU put out a call for stories, and these are just a fraction of stories they received.

[USA] [Blog/Commentary]
In Honor of our Fallen Brothers and Sisters on this Day of Remembrance

My sisters, brothers, friends and allies,
Tonight, on this eleventh International Transgender Day of Remembrance, we come together once again to honor those who lost their lives to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. Our annual Day of Remembrance was founded by Gwendolyn Smith in 1998 and is observed each November 20 in communities around the world today. Attorney and advocate Lisa Gilinger has called this tradition our holy day in the trans community.
Thank you for joining us this evening, for sharing your sorrow, your grief, your fear, your outrage and your support.

[GA, USA] [News/Video]
Photos from Atlanta Transgender Day of Remembrance, and of those we lost
This is a short video put to music of photos takes at the Atlanta TDORevent, November 20, 2009. Also included are photos of those we lost,at least the ones we had photos of.
Kevin MacLeod's "With the Sea" provided the perfect background musicto this video.

[NY, USA]
Acusan a dos latinos de crimen odio por agresión a una transexual en Estados Unidos
Dos fueron acusados hoy de siete cargos de asalto como crimen de odio, intento de asalto, posesión criminal de un arma y hostigamiento contra un transexual. hombres latinos del condado de Queens

[RI, USA]
Daughter wants jury to hear of David Swain’s troubled past
Excerpt: Swain was born in Louisville, Ky., one of three children of Betty Jane and Donald Swain. The couple quarreled often, and Donald had a record involving violent crimes. Betty Jane worked as a product development researcher for the Pillsbury cereal company. Donald Swain later changed his name to Diane after a sex-change operation in the early 1970s. He left the family when David was between 7 and 10 years old.

[CO, USA] [News/Film]
Film about Cortez youth explores transgenderism
Fred Martinez was anything but simple.
He was, at various moments, a boy, a girl, a Navajo, a Montezuma-Cortez High School student, gay, transgendered, nadleehi.
In June 2001, in a ravine just south of Cortez, he became a murder victim.
Now, he's the subject of a movie, and, if the filmmakers have their way, he will become a window onto a view of gender that is at once new to American society and older than America itself.
(Photo: Courtesy of Say Yes Quickly Productions - In a scene from the documentary “Two Spirits,” Pauline Mitchell, mother of slain Cortez teenager Fred Martinez, sits at the site in Cortez where he was killed in 2001. The film made its world debut at the Starz Denver Film Festival on Saturday afternoon. It tells the story of the teenager’s murder because he was a transgender.)

[IN, USA]
One person’s joy: Living as woman ‘felt like home’
Leslie Ryan knows the question you’re about to ask.
That’s because the first thing you might notice about Ryan isn’t her clothes (ankle-high boots, jeans, cardigan) or her hair (long, blond and able to make even the most confident among us sneer with jealousy).
Nope. The first thing you may notice about Leslie Ryan is that she’s tall. (Photo)

[MA, USA]
Transgender murderer renews electrolysis request
A convicted murderer serving a life sentence goes before a judge to ask for electrolysis treatments as she seeks a taxpayer-funded sex-change operation.
Wife murderer back in court

[FL, USA]
Transgender victims honored in Day of Remembrance
Wearing black arm bands emblazoned with the transgender symbol and holding flickering candles in the cool November air, more than 40 people gathered Friday on the Plaza of Americas to remember.

[Ecuador]
Cambio sexo lleva 37 años en Ecuador aunque el primero sin CRS fuera hace un mes
Noviembre 11 de 1989. Wendy Calle Alvarado es estrangulada en Guayaquil. Era un crimen más hasta que en la sala de autopsia de medicina legal se descubrió que la anatomía interna de su cuerpo no concordaba con su nombre, con las redondeces femeninas de su apariencia ni con su genitalidad externa de mujer.