[International]
iPhone app helps trans find gender neutral toilets
TranSquat allows users in US, Canada and the UK avoid embarrassment by locating the nearest safe restroom

[UK]
The first (trans) lady
"People talk about the pain -- but it's a part of you, part of what makes you a person."
April Ashley's story is one of the most glamorous, heartbreaking, and trailblazing in trans history. Born a boy in England, she knew she was different, that she was in the wrong body, since the age of four.
Homotopia launches April Ashley Heritage Project
Liverpool: Two-year project on life of April Ashley launched
Ashley April project tracks UK trans lives over past 70 years

[UK]
‘Please let me be a girl’ - Transgender teen and mum hit out in school dress row
A transgender pupil from a Boston school was allegedly denied the chance to sit an exam because of the way she was dressed – until she presented the head with a copy of the Equality Act.
Ashlyn Parram, who suffers from gender dysphoria, claims she was sent home by exam invigilators at Giles Academy in Old Leake when she arrived for the test wearing a girls’ uniform.

[Ireland]
'They talk about gay or lesbian but never transgender'
In Dublin Unitarian Church, on St Stephen’s Green, last summer a married couple renewed their vows before friends, colleagues and their 17-year-old daughter. The occasion was a twofold celebration. First, it was a silver wedding anniversary: Philippa, a transgender woman, had married her wife, Helen, 25 years earlier, when Philippa was a biological male. And now, 12 years after coming out, she was about to fly to London for full gender-reassignment surgery, at Charing Cross Hospital.

[Turkey]
Protect LGBT People from Violence and Discrimination
In Turkey, where the nation is debating a new constitution, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups are working around the clock to persuade their government to include protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

[New Zealand]
Marriage not the end of the line, group stresses
Wellington-based activist group The Queer Avengers is calling for a struggle "beyond marriage", saying while it supports marriage equality, it's not the end of the line for GLBT rights.

[Canada]
Transgender rights sought
They’re a small, misunderstood segment of the population.
But they face some of the biggest hurdles toward equality.
Getting a job.
Accessing the right health care.
Even walking safely down the street can be struggles for transgender people, a provincial activist group says.

[Canada]
New Health Guide Released for Transgendered People in Quebec
On August 3rd, the group ASTTEQ, a health network for transgendered people, is launching a guidebook of health resources for queer and trans people in Quebec. "Self-Referred" will be launched at Citibar in Centre-sud with performances and presentations, and will also be launching a new website on the same day. CUTV caught up with some of the staff at ASTTEQ to talk about the guide, and some of the barriers transgendered people face in accessing healthcare.

[USA]
Obama Labor Department May Be Ignoring Protections For Transgender Contractors
The Department of Labor may not be enforcing protections for transgender employees of federal contractors — despite a three-month-old ruling by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that should be applied to such workers under current Labor policies.

[USA]
Hedwig sequel planned
I’m not sure if this has been announced anywhere or not. I had coffee-and-conversation this morning here in Greenwich Village with my old friend John Cameron Mitchell, the creator of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. He is busy putting the finishing touches on his first draft of a Hedwig sequel and will be doing a reading and recreating the role of Hedwig on September 16th at a special performance at this year’s Afterglow Festival in Provincetown.

[AK, USA]
Alaska's Lt. Governor Makes ID Change Easier for Transgender Residents
The lieutenant governor of Alaska has signed a new Alaska Department of Motor Vehicles regulation which will make it easier for transgender citizens to change their sex identifier on state ID cards.

[CA, USA]
Transgender Man Stabbed in Downtown Los Angeles
Earlier this week, a transgender man stabbed another transgender man in downtown Los Angeles, resulting in one man's hospitalization.

[CA, USA]
KPCC Forum on gender identity and sexual orientation in sports, Aug. 1 in Pasadena
Next Wednesday, Aug. 1, Pasadena-based KPCC and the Crawford Family Forum will host a forum on sexual orientation and gender in sports, focusing on the Olympic Games. Event organizers had a desire to talk about intersex athletes, stemming from an interest in South African Olympian Caster Semenya.

[DC, USA]
Latina Transgender Organization Gets Death Threats
Casa Ruby, the only Latina transgender organization in Washington, D.C., whose mission is to serve as a haven for trans folks seeking to escape violence, has been on the receiving end of death threats, according to WAMU, American University Radio.

[FL, USA]
Fatal silicone implant victim's family speaks
The family of a woman who allegedly died as a result of lethal buttocks-enhancing injections is speaking out about their loved one's death.

[FL, USA]
Challenger makes issue of Edwards' ties to business in Orange commission race
Orange County Commissioner Ted Edwards is a successful private attorney and businessman who says the two-year term he is finishing up went so well that he deserves another four years in public office.
But if his challenger, Democrat Gina Duncan, pulls an upset over the Republican Edwards, she could also make history as the first openly transgender candidate to win office.

[IL, USA]
Transmen Marry In Illinois
"John is acknowledged by his birth state of Illinois to be male and has changed his Illinois state ID and Social Security card to match.
[Commentary] Transmen Exchange Vows in Illinois

[PA, USA]
Voter ID opponents trying to chip away at new law's requirements
In Pennsylvania’s new world of voter identification requirements, Asher Schor is a conundrum.

[TX, USA]
Chaz Bono to receive Elizabeth Birch Equality Award at Black Tie Dinner
Chaz Bono will receive this year’s Elizabeth Birch Equality Award, co-chairs of the 2012 Black Tie Dinner announced today.