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Facebook's gender trouble - trans people excluded
Facebook is asking every user to state their gender as a result of changes to the words available on the site to describe 'oneself'.
No longer will the words 'Jimmy has tagged themself in a photo' be readable anywhere on the time-sapping, rivalry-encouraging, confidence-battering phenomenon that is Facecrack; only 'himself' or 'herself' or nothing at all will be an option to describe your gender.
Picking whether you're male or female, and stating this fact, might seem to be no problem for many people, but for trans people, or those who prefer not to define their gender in narrow terms, Facebook will suddenly be one (more) big exclusion zone.
It's not that there won't be any options for those whose gender doesn't fall strictly within the 'male' or 'female' brackets: those who don't wish to pick M or F are invited to pick nothing at all. And that's the problem - gender is being presented as either male or female or nothing with Facebook's new terminology, and this totally overlooks gender complexity, and the perspectives of trans people for whom gender is most certainly not nothing.
Is this all a storm in a teacup? Do you care about gender disctinctions? Is it reasonable to expect that everyone's point of view is considered on a global social network that seeks to be popular, or should we just get on with what we're given?
Facebook is asking every user to state their gender as a result of changes to the words available on the site to describe 'oneself'. ... more -
Involuntary sex change: man is naturally turning into a woman against his will
Terry Wright, 60, is turning into a woman due to abnormally high levels of the female hormone oestrogen. Medical experts are intrigued by the unique case, but are unable to explain or reverse the sexual transformation.
About ten years ago, Wright, who has five children and works as a pub singer in Birmingham, noticed that he was losing his hair and beard. Since then, he has developed smooth skin and breasts and has complained about hot flushes. Wright, who has never doubted his male gender identity, has been wrongly suspected of secretly trying to change his sex and has been offered a sex change operation by his GP, which he refused.
Some intersex conditions are associated with involuntary and natural sexual transformations, but these changes usually take place during puberty. Mr Wright states: "Doctors call me an 'interesting case' and 'unique' but I just want to go back to being a proper man."
Terry Wright, 60, is turning into a woman due to abnormally high levels of the female hormone oestrogen. Medical experts are intrigued... more -
Intiative to ban gay marriage qualifies for Calfornia ballot
1,120,801 homophobic citizens of California would like to write discrimination into the California state constitution. Their signatures successfully petitioned for a ballot measure in November's election that would limit marriage "to one man and one woman." If successful the California supreme our decision last month that legalized marriage equality, would be obsolete. Weather marriages performed between June 17th and the November election would remain legal would have to be decided by the courts.
Protect marriage https://www.protectmarriage.com is the home of the homophobic organization that funded the petition drive. Protect marriage claims it is a Christian organization with close ties to Focus on the Family, long time rivals of LGBT rights and ridiculously full of lies. Here is an example http://90percenttrue.com/2004/12/lies-damn-lies-and-sta...
If you feel like expressing your views about homophobia. Protect marriage can be reached info@protectmarriage.com or by phone at (916) 446-5031.
If you want to support marriage equality in California, consider a donation to Equality for All http://www.equalityforall.com/ or the Human Rights Campaign www.hrc.org or Lambda Legal http://www.lambdalegal.org/
And of course, if you live in California please vote to oppose the proposition. 1,120,801 homophobic citizens of California would like to write discrimination into the California state constitution. Their signatur... more -
California's First Gay Marriage June 17
Despite objections from radical Christians, California will perform their first gay marriages on June 17. The only changes officials were told to make was to change the form from husband and wife to party A and party B.
Despite objections from radical Christians, California will perform their first gay marriages on June 17. The only changes officials ... more -
Gay Rights Hospital Rating System Launched
The Healthcare Eqaulity Index (HEI) was released by the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. The HEI has was created to help gay, lesbian and transgender citizens navigate through the often complicated and daunting medical field to find hospitals and doctors that will respect their rights and their humanity.
HRC hopes hospitals will strive to improve their annual rating, much like the way corporations responded to the Corporate Equality Index.
Response to the survey was voluntary. 88 hospitals responded nationwide. Only half the respondents received top marks.
The HEI focuses on five main policy criteria: patient non-discrimination, hospital visitation, decision making, cultural competency training and employment policies.
To review the HEI visit http://www.hrc.org/issues/hei.asp
The Healthcare Eqaulity Index (HEI) was released by the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. The HEI has... more -
Court: No benefits for gay partners
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled, "public employers are barred from providing health care benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian employees."
The court ruling was based on an amendment approved by voters in 2004 banning same sex marriage. The 5-2 decision claimed the amendment also applied to employee benefits. At issue are the words "for any purpose" in the amendment. One can only wonder what other purposes the court can claim fall under the ban. Perhaps medical care? Hospital visitation rights? Inheritance rights? Adoption rights?
"Patrick Gillen, a professor at Ave Maria Law School ( http://www.avemarialaw.edu/ )and a coauthor of the amendment, said the court was correct to understand that same-sex benefit policies are an attempt to have "same-sex partners treated as spouses ... to redefine marriage and the family in a very radical way.
Patrick Gillan can be reached at ptgillen@avemarialaw.edu or 734.827.8042
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled, "public employers are barred from providing health care benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian ... more -
Gay Rights Bill Died in FL Senate
Florida's Senate halted efforts to include sexual orientation in the State's Civil Rights Code.
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Gay Pride Banned in Moscow
Moscow's mayer prevented it's LGBT citizens from celebrating Pride with a parade this year claiming the parade would cause widespread violence. "Mayor Yury Luzhkov has been an opponent of gay pride marches, once calling them "Satan's work." A spokesperson for the mayor told reporters that a permit for the parade is being denied because of Russian society's opposition to the "gay lifestyle and philosophy."
Moscow's Gay and Lesbian community celebrated the decriminalization of homosexuality in May of 2007 with a parade. There were several incidences involving "ultra nationalists" or more accurately neo-Nazis attacking gays.
Pictured here a group of demonstrators protest the 2007 Gay Pride Parade. Moscow's mayer prevented it's LGBT citizens from celebrating Pride with a parade this year claiming the parade would cause widespread ... more -
Schwarzenegger backs gay rights
As California's gay and lesbian citizens eagerly await the California Supreme Court decision that could finally give them equal rights in the nations most influential state, something amazing happened. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Republican Governor of California split with his party, which historically supports bans on marriage equality, and told a group of Log Cabin Republicans, "First of all, I think that (such a ban) would never happen in California because I think California people are much further along on that issue." He went on to say, "And, No. 2, I will always be there to fight against that -- because it should never happen."
Schwarzenegger received an overwhelming standing ovation.
Schwarzenegger vetoed two previous bills that would have legalized marriage equality. He claimed it was a decision for the courts.
The court will make it's decision by June.
If California does legalize marriage equality, John McCain will have to make a decision. He will either support the old homophobic mentality of the current administration, or he can take the higher road and support equality for gays and lesbians. Should he chose the former, he will have to campaign in a state where a Republican governor disagrees with him on one of the most important civil rights issues today. It would be awkward to say the least.
Or McCain could do the right thing, and support every voter in the most profoundly personal decision of their lives. He could take the government roadblocks out of our way, and let us live freely, as we were born to be.
It is your choice Mr. McCain. I hope you chose wisely. As California's gay and lesbian citizens eagerly await the California Supreme Court decision that could finally give them equal rights... more -
Gay couples pay higher taxes
Tax day is just another reminder that being gay in the United States means being treated differently under the law. While a partnered couple may live in one house, the federal government will see two homes, thereby taxing the couple at a higher rate.
For example, "One is the tax rate. Take two couples where one partner has a taxable income of $20,000 and the other makes $40,000. If they can file their federal taxes jointly, the tax bill would be $8,217.50. Filing separately, the combined bill would be $9,032.50 -- more than $800 higher."
Health Insurance issues pose another unfair financial burden. Heterosexual married couples do not have to claim their spouse's health insurance as income if they use their spouse's plan. If a gay or lesbian signs up under their partner's plan, they have to pay income tax based on the value of the insurance.
"For example, Dan Jessup is a project manager at JPMorgan Chase in Indiana. His partner, Bob Chenoweth, is self-employed, running two businesses out of the couple's Mooresville, Indiana, home. So Chenoweth gets health insurance through Chase.
But Jessup is required to count the company's cost of his partner's benefits as additional income for tax purposes.
State and federal taxes on those benefits cost about $1,800 per year, Jessup said."
So to be clear, gay and lesbian Americans pay more taxes, yet are treated as second class citizens. God Bless America and happy tax day!
Tax day is just another reminder that being gay in the United States means being treated differently under the law. While a partnered... more -
Map of gay rights
The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) released it's updated map of gay rights. The new data reports 7 countries that use the death penalty to prosecute homosexuals. Countries that issue the death penalty for acts of homosexuality include Iran, Sudan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Mauritania. 76 countries imprison homosexuals for anywhere from 1 year to life.
Only 19 countries recognize homosexual unions through marriage or civil unions.
The map is color coded based on the level of protection offered in a given country. The map of the United States is mostly gray (meaning there is no specific legislation for or against LGBTs). There are small circles of color representing state or municipalities that do provide protections in the United States.
The ILGA will release a full length report on state promoted homophobia on May 17.
View the full map here: http://ilga.org/map/LGBTI_rights.jpg
The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) released it's updated map of gay rights. The new data reports 7 countries that u... more
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Intersexed
