[Spain/Brazil]
National Police break organized group forced foreign transsexuals into prostitution in Barcelona
The twelve detainees brought up to 50 men from South American countries, notably Brazil, to Spain where they were sexually exploited to recover travel costs

[España]
PSOE Madrid presentará proposición ley en favor de integración del colectivo transexual
COGAM reclama unidades de trastornos de identidad de género en todos los centros sanitarios de la región

[España]
Aplazan juicio a trans inyectaba silicona Canarias, ella pide trabajo para rehabilitarse
Queda aplazado el juicio a la transexual que inyectaba silicona líquida de manera ilegal

[España]
Colectivo Hombre Transexual condena el vil asesinato de Roberto y pide justicia máxima
Desde la Asociación “El Hombre Transexual”, queremos trasmitir todo nuestro afecto a todos los amigos y familiares de Roberto y nuestro apoyo moral ante el juicio por su vil y cruel asesinato.

[PR/Survey] [UK]
Trans Inclusion in the Equality Bill - ACT NOW
The next stage of the Equality Bill is the House of Lords Committee Stage which is expected to be on the 11th and 13th of January 2010.
Many trans people and their allies have been working hard to try to get the protected characteristic amended from 'gender reassignment' to 'gender identity'. Many of them are using Facebook to share the work they are doing: Trans Inclusion in the Equality Bill - ACT NOW

[Turkey]

"Public Morality" Disturbed by LTGB organization...
The governorship filed a closure case against the Black Pink Triangle association in Izmir under charges of "opposing the public morality and the Turkish family structure". The first hearing is scheduled for February next year.

[Uganda]
Outcry over Uganda anti-gay law
A proposed Ugandan law that would impose harsh penalties – including death – on gay people is facing a growing chorus of international condemnation.
Taboos Silence Opponents Of Uganda Anti-Gay Bill

[Malaysia/UK]
Fatine’s story
Things appear to be looking up for Fatine, the Malaysian transsexual who caused a furore back home over her marriage to a Briton. The 36-year-old make-up artist has just received an acknowledgement from the Home Office about her application for a Right to Family Life under the Human Rights Act in Britain.

[India]
Eunuch elected mayor of Madhya Pradesh town
History was repeated in Madhya Pradesh when Kamla Bua, a eunuch, was elected mayor of Sagar town defeating the nearest Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rival by a huge margin late Tuesday night.
This is the fourth instance of eunuchs being elected to various posts in Madhya Pradesh.

[India]
Health hubs for trangenders
Health hubs named Arokiya Vazhvu Maiyam exclusively for trangenders will be set up in government hospitals in 12 districts.

[Philippines]
Comelec rejects gay party Ang Ladlad's appeal

Commission on Elections Chairman Jose Melo's tie-breaking vote ended the gay group Ang Ladlad's bid to be included in the party-list elections in May 2010.

[Australia]
Radio row goes superNova
The row over on-air jokes about transsexuals on Brisbane’s Nova 106.9 FM has ramped up considerably, with the Australian Transgender Support Association of Queensland lodging a complaint with the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland, Nova DJ Meshel Laurie launching an extraordinary attack on trans activist Robyn Whittaker and LGBT people ‘lacking in humour’, and noted gay activist Gary Burns weighing into the issue.


[USA] [Blog/Television]
The Closer Tackles Trans-Issues With Well Written Episode
The Closer centers around Detective Chief Brenda Johnson, played by Kira Sedwick, and the Priority Homicide Unit at the LAPD. The episode “Make Over” centers around the reopening of several cases where the evidence involved has been thrown out when the lab that processed it has been discredited. In one of these cases, the evidence that sent the criminal to jail was a confession and a tox screen result of excessive morphine in the victim’s body. The last bit of evidence is no longer valid. The case goes back seven years prior to the episode and was closed by Detective Lt. Provenza, played by G.W. Bailey, and his partner Detective George Andrews, played by guest star Beau Bridges. As Provenza and his new partner Lt. Flynn, played by Anthony Denison, wait at the train station for Dt. Andrews, Provenza reminisces about the good old days with Dt. Andrews. When Detective Andrews finally arrives, it is something of a shock. Retired Detective Georgette Andrews comes as a major shock, and a problem, for the unit. (Do not read beyond this point if you do not want spoilers!)

[USA] [People/Commentary]
Girl Talk: I Transitioned From Female To Male
It was always kind of under the surface, this idea that I wasn’t quite comfortable with my body. I remember looking at this book my parents gave me when I was 8 years old and I saw drawings of what men’s bodies were like and what women’s bodies were like, and how bodies changed through puberty. And I remember identifying more with male bodies, like that was the kind of body I wanted.

[USA] [Blog/Commentary]
Network of Transgender Women of Thailand Calls For End To Transphobic Education Uniform Regulations
TransGriot Note: Yep, even in the ostensibly transgender friendly 'Land Of Smiles' we have to fight tooth and nail for our basic human rights. An interesting December 11 story from The Nation.

[USA] [Blog/Commentary]
Building The LGBT Alliance: Transphobia in the LGBT Community Part III
There is transphobia in the gay community in the US, and it threatens our political solidarity for the accomplishment of our political objectives, such as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and marriage equality. Time spent fighting among ourselves represents time wasted in the middle of a hard battle, and a reduction in the number of troops available to get the job done. Transphobia in the gay community must be addressed -- but how?

[AZ, USA]
Scottsdale transgender advocate remembered
The Scottsdale Human Relations commissioner who began the job as Ken Culver and reappointed later as Michele de LaFreniere died recently.
Although de LaFreniere is most known for her activism in the transgender community, those who remembered her said she advocated equality for all groups.
(Photo Nick Oza/The Arizona Republic - Michele de LaFreniere, the Scottsdale Human Relations commissioner whose life journey began as a man and ended as a woman, died recently.)

[CA, USA]
SF police probe death of trans woman
San Francisco police are investigating the death of a young transgender woman whose body was found last week in her North Beach residential hotel room.
Mariah Malina Qualls, 23, was found dead in the Golden Eagle Hotel, 402 Broadway Street, on Wednesday, December 9.

(Photo: Mariah Qualls. Courtesy Billie Garcia)

[MA, USA]
Taking the next step for equality
Excerpt: Finally, we must forge unity and solidarity. Shamefully, some, such as Barney Frank and the HRC, have argued that it is "more realistic" to win civil rights for LGB people by leaving our transgender brothers and sisters behind. This has created justifiable resentment within the trans community, and we should strive to make Equality Across America an organization that is genuinely inclusive of trans people, and uncompromising when it comes to their civil rights and demands.

[MO, USA] [News/Commentary]
Homosexual and ‘Transgender’ Activists Protest Outside of St. Louis Cathedral
One of the groups calls itself the 'Catholic Action Network' while itopenly dissents from the teaching of the Catholic Church

[NY, USA]
Around NY (Transgendered state workers get protections)
New York has extended anti-discrimination protections to transgender state employees.
NY bans discrimination against transgender state employees
Paterson Signs Gender Identity and Expression Executive Order

[Puerto Rico]
A common struggle for LGBT rights

Alma Torres, an activist in Puerto Rico, reports on the recent brutal murder of a gay teenager and the fight for LGBT rights in Puerto Rico as a whole.
Vigilante la Fiscalía federal a caso de joven gay
La injusticia de la "justicia"

[Honduras]
Otro espeluznante asesinato de chica trans en Honduras, hallan cuerpo decapitado y atado
El cuerpo decapitado de una persona dentro de un saco de mezcal, fue encontrado ayer por un campesino cuando caminaba por la carretera que conduce de Puerto Cortés a San Pedro Sula, a la altura de Baracoa, Honduras. (Foto)

[Honduras]
Investigar Asesinatos de las Personas LGBT / Investigate Murders of LGBT People (Human Rights Watch)
El asesinato de un trabajador comunitario de VIH/SIDA el 14 de diciembre de 2009 hace parte un patrón de violencia contra las lesbianas, gay, personas bisexuales y transgénero (LGBT) en Honduras que parece haberse acelerado en los turbulentos meses desde el golpe del 28 de junio, Human Rights Watch dijo hoy.

[Peru]
Travesti "Thalia": Me pagaron 350 soles por recibimiento de Ollanta Humala en Tarapoto
Todos pensaban que se trataba de un recibimiento improvisado, pero la realidad es que aquellos integrantes de la comunidad "gay" de Tarapoto que saludaron a Ollanta Humala días atrás, recibieron dinero para hacerle barra.
Ollanta contrató su portátil gay