[International]
Protecting Prostitutes, United Nations Style
In November 2003, 54-year-old Gary Ridgway admitted at his trial for first-degree murder that he was indeed the Green River killer, the long-sought culprit behind the murders of 48 women, mostly street prostitutes. Nearly all his victims were strangled in Seattle, Washington, from 1982 to 1984. His unapologetic statement to the court read, "I picked prostitutes as victims because they were easy to pick up without being noticed. I knew they would not be reported missing right away and might never be reported missing... I thought I could kill as many of them as I wanted without getting caught."
It's the 7th Annual Day Against Violence to Sex Workers

[Thailand]
PM urged to rethink arbitrary killings vote
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights advocates have called on the prime minister to move to protect people worldwide from extrajudicial execution based on their sexual orientation.
Last month, LGBT and human rights activists were deeply disappointed at a United Nations General Assembly vote which removed sexual orientation from a resolution on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

[Canada] [Commentary]
GRS: the Main Criterion?
In Quebec, as in many other places, for a person to officially change gender designations, it is necessary to have gender reassignment surgery. No problem for me: I wanted the surgery, and the medical and therapy professions felt it was necessary in my case. Green light . . . go!

[USA] [Film]
US actress Glenn Close plays a man in latest film role
Acclaimed US actress Glenn Close plays a man in her latest film role, Albert Nobbs.
Based on a short story by Irish novelist George Moore, the forthcoming production features Close, 63, as an English woman who disguises herself as a male butler to find work in 19th century Ireland.

[USA] [Commentary]
The DMV Damns a Transgender to Hell
Have you had the joy of a Department of Motor Vehicles trip recently?
{Groan}
It's okay. There are very few of us out there that compare a trip to the DMV to anything less than a root canal.

[TX, USA]
Texas inmates getting sex hormone pills
Your tax dollars are paying for sex hormones for people who are in the Texas illegally. And some of them are convicted felons.
With every drop of the gavel there is debate over your tax money. How to spend it, how to save it and how to make sure it isn't wasted. Case in point, a troubling dose of viagra.