Cecilia Chung's Blog (Old)

Moving

Cecilia Chung — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 08:58:00 +0000

I have now moved all my new blog entries back to the main site. Please visit http://www.aboutcecilia.com to catch all the latest updates and photo gallery. Thanks again for visiting :-)

Website Submission

Cecilia Chung — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 06:38:00 +0000

Just helped a client to submit his website to the search engines. The site? Monkeys For Sale

Hello From Santa Barbara

Cecilia Chung — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 00:26:00 +0000

Still on vacation in Santa Barbara, a beautiful place but the pace here is way slower than I would like to be. The great part - Santa Barbara is under two hours from Los Angeles and we were able to drive down to L.A. and visited the spectacular Getty Museum and to Malibu to visit the Getty Villa. The rest of he pictures belong to our trip to the Court House and Old Mission.

When Kids Don't Listen to Their Parents

Cecilia Chung — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 17:08:00 +0000

"To occupy Iraq would instantly shatter our coalition, turning the whole Arab world against us and make a broken tyrant into a latter-day hero ... assigning young soldiers to a fruitless hunt for a securely entrenched dictator and condemning them to fight in what would be an un-winnable urban guerilla war. It could only plunge that part of the world into even greater instability."

George Bush Sr, in A World Transformed, 1998

Transgender Law Center Fundraiser - September 5, 2006

Cecilia Chung — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 20:58:00 +0000

Transgender Law Center Presents: “A Movement in Motion”
California transgender civil rights organization celebrates 4 years of solid results

San Francisco, CA - August 15, 2006 – Forty years after the transgender community stood up to police harassment at Compton’s Cafeteria in the heart of San Francisco, the Transgender Law Center (TLC) brings community members, allies, clients, and policy makers to the Tenderloin on September 5th to celebrate our own four years of creating social change for transgender civil rights.

Hosted by Crash Nightclub, San Francisco’s newest hipster ultralounge, A Movement in Motion is TLC’s annual fundraising event. Recognizing that the seeds of TLC were planted at the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot and nurtured since then by thousands of transgender people throughout California, the event celebrates that past and energizes attendees for the work yet to be done.

A Movement in Motion comes at an important time for the transgender civil rights movement in California. From the dedication of a permanent plaque commemorating the Compton’s Riot on the street corner where it happened, to the adoption by the City and County of San Francisco of the Comprehensive Transgender Employment Initiative, to a nationally recognized conference on violence against transgender women and gay men, to the most transgender inclusive Pride parade in the country, the Summer of 2006 marks a turning point in the momentum of the movement.

As always, TLC will take time at the event to recognize individuals and organizations for the work they’ve done in getting the movement to this critical juncture. TLC is thrilled to feature Sister Mary Elizabeth as our Vanguard Awardee. Sister Mary Elizabeth was a driving force in establishing California as one of the most progressive states in the country in recognizing transgender people’s ability to get birth certificates and driver’s licenses that reflect their true identity. TLC will also be honoring Judy Van Maasdam, the Horizons Foundation, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, the Ark of Refuge, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and Equality California.

Event Details:

A Movement in Motion, September 5th, 2006
6:30 – 8pm at Crash Nightclub, 34 Mason (at Market)

Tickets: $50, $100, $150 (available online at www.transgenderlawcenter.org/event2006 or by calling 415-865-0184). Lists of Sponsors, Event Captains, and Host Committee members are available at the above link.

San Francisco District Attorney’s Town Hall

Cecilia Chung — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 03:50:00 +0000

You’ve probably seen hype about this already, but I wanted to make sure folks have it on their radar. Kamala Harris, SF’s District Attorney, has put together a historic town hall meeting for this upcoming Thursday night. It coincides with a conference she is organizing on the use of transgender and gay panic strategies.

I realize that living in, or near, San Francisco, we can sometimes get numb to things like this, but for context let me tell you what happened in Fresno in late 2005. After the Fresno County District Attorney’s office agreed to a 4 year plea bargain for a guy who stabbed a transgender person to death with a pair of scissors, community members in Fresno asked for a meeting. After being threatened with national media coverage, the DA finally agreed to a closed door meeting so long as no one living outside of the county attended. And despite some promises to the group, the DA has yet to deliver anything.

In contrast, the SF DA is organizing a cutting edge legal conference (for which over 200 law enforcement folks from around the country have registered) and backing it up with this town hall. It’s a first-time chance for our elected “top cop” to hear directly from community members about what she and her colleagues can be doing better to protect our communities from hate violence.

It’s now up to us to show up and make this event a huge success so that other law enforcement officers from around the state and the country will be inspired to follow her example. Here are the details:

San Francisco District Attorney’s Town Hall

Kamala Harris to talk to community about Hate Crimes

When: July 20th from 6:30 – 8pm

Where: LGBT Community Center (1800 Market Street at Octavia)

What: Historic meeting of San Francisco District Attorney with LGBT community members about Hate Crimes and protecting our communities. The Town Hall will also feature:

Sylvia Guerrero, activist and mother of Gwen Araujo

Robert Haaland, community leader and brand new SF Commissioner

David O’Malley, former Police Chief in Wyoming who oversaw investigation of Matthew Shepard’s murder

Assemblymember Sally Lieber, author of the Gwen Araujo Justice for Victims Act

Free and Open to the public

Hate Crimes: Combating Gay and Transgender Panic Strategies

Cecilia Chung — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 16:16:00 +0000

Dear B.A.R.:

We’re writing in recognition of the hard work of the San Francisco District Attorney’s office in planning the upcoming symposium Hate Crimes: Combating Gay and Transgender Panic Strategies. Building on the work started by the Atlanta DA’s office in 2005, this symposium expands on that effort by adding cutting edge training on transgender panic strategies.

We believe that the symposium, an excellent learning opportunity for criminal justice professionals, is another sign of advancement for transgender civil rights. While the too often justifiable tension that many transgender people feel in regard to law enforcement is not solved by this symposium, the work of SF’s DA Kamala Harris and her staff is a large step in the right direction.

For that reason, we strongly encourage all community members and allies to attend the free town hall meeting that the organizers of the symposium have planned for the evening of July 20th from 6:30 – 8pm at the LGBT Center. It will be a great opportunity to talk about violence against LGBT communities and share thoughts about what law enforcement professionals need to know about us in order to better protect our communities.

Sincerely,

Aidan Dunn
Allison Laureano
Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club
Amber Gray
Bionka Stevens
Cecilia Chung
Community United Against Violence
Connie Champagne
Gayle Roberts
Jamison Green
JoAnne Keatley
Jordy Jones
Kelly Dugan, Vice President, Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club
Martin Rawlings-Fein
Melnenie Eleneke
National Center for Lesbian Rights
Nikki Calma aka Tita Aida
Robert Haaland
SF TEAM
Shannon Minter
Shawna Virago
Tamara Ching
Taylor Morrison
Theresa Sparks
Transgender San Francisco

San Francisco Makes Transgender History, Again!

Cecilia Chung — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 21:59:00 +0000

Media Contacts:
Supervisor Bevan Dufty, San Francisco Board of Supervisors (415) 554-6968
Cecilia Chung, Transgender Law Center (415) 865-0184

San Francisco Poised to Make Transgender History, Again!
Board of Supervisor’s Budget Committee recommends $300,000 in 2006 budget to increase opportunities for transgender employees and entrepreneurs

San Francisco, CA – July 10, 2006 – When the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget Committee present their proposal to the full Board tomorrow night it will include an historic $300,000 commitment to turning around high rates of poverty in San Francisco’s transgender communities. Thirteen years after San Francisco outlawed discrimination against transgender employees, the Committee has earmarked funds to improve employment and entrepreneurial opportunities to overcome high rates of unemployment and underemployment among transgender people in the city.

“The Comprehensive Transgender Employment Initiative is a great investment for San Francisco,” said San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty. “Too many well qualified transgender people who want to work or start businesses are frozen out of the market. The Initiative is a vital first step in making sure that this community can fully participate and contribute to the wellbeing of our great city.”

Receiving unanimous support from the Budget Committee, the initiative is important and timely. Joining Supervisor Dufty in voting for funding the Initiative was Committee Chair Chris Daly, Board President Aaron Peskin, and Supervisors Ross Mirkarimi and Sean Elsbernd. “This commitment is overdue,” said Daly. “For too long, transgender people in my district and throughout the city have been isolated from living wage jobs and career opportunities. This initial investment signals an end to that reality and a strong step forward in full inclusion.”

Community members hail the vote and the support of elected officials. “It’s a great time to be living and working in San Francisco,” said Cecilia Chung, Deputy Director of the Transgender Law Center. “This historic vote reinforces the city’s role as a national leader in the transgender equality movement. Just five years after the city began offering health insurance equality for city employees, this initiative will set a new milestone in transgender history by creating full and fair employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for our community.”

Funding for the Initiative will be managed by the City’s Human Services Agency (HSA) which oversees workforce development. HSA Director Trent Rhorer added, “We are excited to be part of a public collaborative developing this much needed effort.” San Francisco’s Airport and the Public Utilities Commission collaboratively contributed $100,000 to the Initiative so that some of the employment training programs will be specifically geared to meet their employment and hiring needs. The remaining commitment comes the for city’s General Fund.

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Transgender Law Center (www.transgenderlawcenter.org) TLC is a civil rights organization advocating for transgender communities through direct legal services, education, community organizing, and policy and media advocacy. Thanks to support from the Women’s Foundation of California, TLC and the San Francisco Bay Guardian recently released Good Jobs Now!, a report on the economic health of San Francisco’s transgender communities. It is available for free at TLC’s website.

Press Release: Transgenders Claim FEMA Sex Change Scandal Fabricated, Fraudulent

Cecilia Chung — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 05:56:00 +0000

For Immediate Release: July 8, 2006
From: The National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC)
Contact:  NTAC Chair, Vanessa Edwards Foster ntacmedia@aol.com
Contact Phone: 832-483-9901
Website: http://www.ntac.org

Transgenders Claim FEMA Sex Change Scandal Was Fabricated, Fraudulent

Last month, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) testified before a House Homeland Security subcommittee to spotlight $1.4 billion fraudulent waste of Emergency Assistance Funds (EAF) to Hurricane Katrina victims. The unprecedented level of Federal Emergency Management Agency fraud was blared over television newscasts and emblazoned on newspaper headlines: "FEMA funds paid for a sex change."

However, the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC) is now publicly calling the media and authorities on this claim, demanding proof that this occurred and calling the press on this claim "fabricated" and "fraudulent." In reviewing both House subcommittee testimony and the GAO report (www.gao.gov/new.items/d06844t.pdf) that uncovered the fraud there was neither reference of a sex change, nor any surgery of any type being paid for by FEMA funds.

"It appears [the sex change] story was prime red meat for conservatives looking to turn attention away from the President, and onto Katrina victims and FEMA," said NTAC President Vanessa Edwards Foster. "It also appears there's no veracity to the story that EAF funds were used for gender reassignment surgery. These press claims are what's fraudulent."

House Homeland Security Investigations subcommittee chair Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) called the discovered waste "criminal" but never mentioned anything about sex changes. However Rep. Charles Dent (R-PA) did note the sex change claim shortly after the House testimony, commenting, "I don't understand how this could happen."

How the sex change allegation originated remains unclear. The June 14, 2006 story by Larry Margasak of the Associated Press noted a sex change in a laundry list of items scammed from FEMA. While outlets as diverse as Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, ABC News, MSNBC, Bloomberg Report carried the story, the more conservative news outlets such as Wall Street Journal or Fox News made no mention of the sex change accusation.

When questioned about the story, the GAO's Office of Public Affairs stated "there was no reference to that allegation … because we cannot confirm it."

"The press reported on fabricated claims of sex changes paid with FEMA funds, but no media ever mentioned $2,000 paid to a Christian Broadcast Network from EAF payments," Foster of NTAC commented. The GAO report listed $2,000 paid to Colorado-based LeSEA Broadcasting Network.

After anguishing over the initial FEMA news reports, NTAC Vice President Courtney Sharp said she "was shocked to discover that the [GAO] report didn't mention anything about anyone misusing funds to have gender reassignment surgery."

A New Orleans resident who lost nearly everything during Katrina, Sharp said she listened as co-workers and friends disparaged the person who used FEMA funds to obtain a sex change. "[It] was extremely hurtful to realize that someone had embellished the GAO report and was probably using the negative stereotypes about transgender people [for] media attention."

Sharp said she now feels the public was "bamboozled" by the news report.

"There's an inherent media bias in this story," NTAC's Foster continued. "If you have transsexuals having sex changes it's great press - even if it is uncorroborated! But a confirmed report of emergency victims' funds paid to a faith-based broadcaster is deemed not press-worthy." While acknowledging many Americans have no problem with faith-based groups receiving money, she noted that they would likely not be keen on funds intended for needy victims in an emergency being given instead to a broadcast group to spread the gospel.

"I smell a rat behind the fabrication of this news report. It's very Karl Rove," Foster commented.  "It uses an unwitting transgender community to bludgeon Hurricane Katrina victims." She called the uncorroborated claim in the press "despicable."

"Ten months after Hurricane Katrina, residents of the Gulf Coast continue to struggle to rebuild their lives," NTAC's Sharp observed. "The impact has been truly unimaginable. Like the majority of residents, transgender people are responsible, productive, law abiding members of the community and they are also playing important roles in rebuilding the devastated areas.

"The media attack on the transgender community," Sharp finished, "served as my fifth personal "tidal surge" post-Katrina."

Whether originating from Congress, the press or an administration press operative, NTAC urges the responsible party to own up to, and publicly apologize for unfairly portraying the transgender community, and for deceiving the American public.

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Founded in 1999, NTAC - the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition - is a civil rights organization working to establish and maintain the right of all transgender, intersex, and gender-variant people to live and work without fear of violence or discrimination.

Health Foundation Makes Record Commitment to Transgender Health Care Equality

Cecilia Chung — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 17:10:00 +0000

Media Contact:
Christopher Daley, Transgender Law Center (415) 771-7304

Health Foundation Makes Record Commitment to
Transgender Health Care Equality
Grant of almost $140,000 supports Transgender Law Center’s Health Care Access Project

San Francisco, CA June 29, 2006 – The Transgender Law Center (TLC) is proud to announce that The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, has made a historic $138,000 commitment over two years to continue their partnership with TLC’s Health Care Access Project. The grant, one of the largest ever made to a transgender civil rights organization, will be used to increase the cultural competency of health care services available to transgender people in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles County.

“We are committed to removing barriers to appropriate and equitable health for all underserved communties, including transgender individuals and their families,” said Ignatius Bau, Program Director at The California Endowment. “This grant provides TLC with resources to educate community members about their rights to culturally competent care and to help health care providers better serve the health care needs of transgender people.”

In addition to supporting accessible and broad-based education, the grant will make possible the launching of the state’s first coordinated community organizing effort targeting health care access. “Our communities have been organizing informally for civil rights for decades,” said Masen Davis, President of TLC partner FTM Alliance of Los Angeles. “The community’s deep rooted desire for culturally competent health care provides us with a historic opportunity to transform these informal efforts into sustainable initiatives to win equality in health care and, eventually, all aspects of our lives.”

At the top of the organizing agenda is an increase in the number of clinics that offer transgender specific clinic hours. “The experience of transgender-specific health care clinics in San Francisco and San Diego is that community members are more likely to be seek out care when they know they’ll be treated well and get sound medical advice,” said Cecilia Chung, TLC’s Deputy Director. “We’ve also seen how having a transgender health care clinic in San Francisco has advanced knowledge about transgender specific health care needs and increased the pool of health care professionals trained to competently serve transgender patients.”

The grant period runs from July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2008. The Liberty Hill Foundation of Los Angeles also recently approved a $25,000 grant to FTM Alliance of LA and TLC for similar health care access work in Los Angeles County.

*** 30 ***

More info:      The California Endowment (www.calendow.org)
          FTM Alliance of LA (www.ftmalliance.org)
          Liberty Hill Foundation (www.libertyhill.org)
Transgender Law Center (www.transgenderlawcenter.org)

Gwen Araujo Justice for Victims Act Advances in CA Senate

Cecilia Chung — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 06:38:00 +0000

Press Contact:
Christopher Daley, (415) 865-0176

Gwen Araujo Justice for Victims Act Advances in CA Senate
Araujo’s mother, Sylvia Guerrero, testifies at hearing

June 28, 2006 – San Francisco – California took another step towards becoming the first state to meaningfully respond to strategies that blame transgender people for their own murders. The Gwen Araujo Justice for Victims Act (AB 1160), authored by Assemblymember Sally Lieber and sponsored by Equality California, passed through the Senate Public Safety Committee on a 4-2 vote yesterday afternoon. Sylvia Guerrero, testifying about the bill named after her murdered transgender daughter, spoke about the need for educating juries about bias in order to prevent defendants from successfully blaming their victims for their own murders through use of the so-called “panic strategies.”

“Since my daughter was killed, my family and I have spent literally thousands of hours working hard to make sure that California is a state where everyone is respected and treated fairly. The Gwen Araujo Justice for Victims Act will really help us in our work,” said Guerrero. “[The bill] will give jurors the information they need to better understand their obligation to make decisions free of bias against the victim.”

AB 1160 now moves to the Senate Appropriations committee for consideration of a new provision earmarking $125,000 for the creation of educational materials about panic strategies to be distributed to District Attorneys’ office throughout the state. This provision responds to a 2005 decision by the Fresno County District Attorney to agree to a plea bargain resulting in a 4 year sentence for a person believed to have stabbed a transgender person 20 times with a pair of scissors. When asked about this light sentence for a homicide, an attorney from the DA’s office is reported to have attributed it, in part, to use of panic strategies.

“Outcomes like these turn our state’s hate crimes and anti-discrimination laws on their heads,” said Christopher Daley, Director of the Transgender Law Center. “The Gwen Araujo Justice for Victim’s Act is a logical step forward in ensuring that such outcomes, based on the bias we’ve already outlawed in employment, housing, education, insurance, and public accommodations, don’t put transgender people and others at risk for violent crimes.”

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Transgender Law Center (www.transgenderlawcenter.org) TLC is a civil rights organization advocating for transgender communities through direct legal services, education, community organizing, and policy and media advocacy.

Compton's Cafeteria Riot Commemoration

Cecilia Chung — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 05:54:00 +0000

Capturing the moment - video by Dina Boyer

National Activists Highlight Transgender Civil Rights Commemoration

Cecilia Chung — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 23:21:00 +0000

For Immediate Release

Media Contact: David Perry, 415-693-0583, news@davidperry.com

National Activists Highlight Transgender Civil Rights Commemoration

(San Francisco, CA) – June 19, 2006 – A memorial plaque commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot will be installed at Noon this Thursday, June 22nd, at the corner of San Francisco’s Turk and Taylor Streets.  The 1966 riot was the first known instance of transgender resistance to police harassment in the U.S.

National and local community leaders present will include The Reverend Cecil Williams of Glide Memorial Church, author/activists Leslie Feinberg and Jamison Green, National Center for Transgender Equality Executive Director Mara Keisling, and representatives of the San Francisco Mayor’s Office, SF Human Rights Commission, and SF Police Commission.

Among those honored will be several transgender individuals who were active in the community 40 years ago, and retired SFPD Officer Elliott Blackstone, the first SFPD liaison to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities.

Sparked by the riot, San Francisco activists and allies began their own civil rights movement in 1966, three years prior to the famous rioting at New York’s Stonewall Inn, popularly credited as the start of the Gay Freedom Movement.

“In many ways, we can attribute our success in the transgender civil rights movement and the larger LGBT movement to our courageous predecessors at Compton’s Cafeteria,” said SF Human Rights Commissioner Cecilia Chung.  “Unexpected allies, like Sgt. Blackstone, fought by our side against prejudice and stigma at a time when our cries seemed to be ignored, and helped to create a ripple of positive change.  Today not only do we see transgender, gay, lesbian and bisexual people serving on the police force, but we also witness the wave of positive transformation in laws and policies in governments and institutions across the country and around the world.”

Filmmakers Susan Stryker and Victor Silverman, co-producer/directors of the film “Screaming Queens,” which documents the social conditions that led to the riot, will also speak.  Their film recently won a Northern California Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement, Historical/Cultural Program Special, and will be screened on KQED at 9:30pm on June 29th, and several times on June 30th.

The commemoration event, to be held at Oshun Center, 101 Taylor Street, is sponsored in part by Good Vibrations, San Francisco’s legendary destination for accurate information about sex.

For more information about this event and the history behind it, please visit www.comptonscafeteriariot.org.

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An Unsung Hero

Cecilia Chung — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 16:14:00 +0000

An Unsung Hero by Susan Stryker

Sgt. Elliott Blackstone was an SFPD for 26 years, from the 1950s-70s. He was a pioneer of what's now called community-based policing, but was then called the Police Community Relations Unit. He was the first SFPD liaison to what was then called the "homophile community," starting in 1962. His first job was to make nice with the gay community after the so-called "Gayola Scandal" in the early 1960s, when several SFPD officers were arrested for taking bribes and kickbacks from gay bar owners. This is the scandal that resulted in the formation of the SF Tavern Guild.

As a result of these efforts for the homophile community, Blackstone became very active in trying to change police procedures related to bathroom entrapment and other issues of concern to the gay community. He worked closely with Mattachine, Daughters of Bilitis, and Glide's Council on Religion and the Homosexual, and was deeply involved with homophile community activism to establish the Central City Anti-Poverty Program in the Tenderloin in 1966, a pioneer multiservice agency funded through the Johnson-era War on Poverty, which was largely staffed by gay and lesbian activists like Mattachine leader Don Lucas and African-American lesbian community elder Jeannie Bowie.

Blackstone considered himself a "social worker with a badge" and thought it made more sense to try to change bad laws than to punish people for doing things (like gay sex) that were criminalized but not wrong.

Blackstone was assigned by the police department to mediate the grievances that led to the Compton's Cafeteria Riot in 1966, in which drag queens and gay hustlers banded together for the first time in US history to fight back against police oppression. Prior to this time he had no experience working with transgender people, or queer street youth, but he quickly rose to the task, mentoring leaders of the Vanguard gay youth group, and becoming the most important advocate for transgender people in the city.

At a time when the city would not prescribe hormones to transsexuals through city-funded public health clinics, Blackstone took up a collection at his church to buy hormones and distribute them to transgender women free of charge. This was only one instance of his remarkable leadership on this issue. He was the linchpin of a network of early transgender activists and advocates that took shape in 1966, after the Compton’s riot.

He helped facilitate the first peer-support group for transgender people, Conversion Our Goal, which began meeting at Glide in 1967. He was given a grant by the wealthy FTM philanthropist Reed Erickson, whose generosity built much of the early transgender medical services’ infrastructure beginning in 1964, to oversee the first peer-staffed transgender services agency in the world, The National Transsexual Counseling Unit(NTCU), beginning in 1968. He did all this work while remaining on the payroll at SFPD, and considered these activities to be part of his job to promote good relations between the LGBT community and the police.

In 1973, reactionary elements in the SFPD raided the NTCU offices, arrested the two peer counselors, and planted narcotics in Blackstone's desk in an effort to frame him and end his progressive activism within the Department. Elliott was able to avoid criminal charges, but his career was irreparably damaged. He was reassigned from his job as community relations unit liaison to the gay community, and worked his last two years on the force as a beat cop, walking a foot patrol. Coincidentally, his beat covered the Castro, which was just them becoming a gay neighborhood, and he became friends with a local businessman who had a camera store on Castro Street, a man by the name of Harvey Milk.

Blackstone's retirement dinner in 1975 drew all the leaders of gay community, who deeply appreciated his work on their behalf. In retirement in Pacifica, Blackstone continues to do advocacy work on behalf of LGBT concerns, and other diversity issues, within the Presbyterian Church at the national level.

Blackstone is a featured interviewee in Victor Silverman and Susan Stryker's recent public television documentary SCREAMING QUEENS: THE RIOT AT COMPTON'S CAFETERIA. At the 2005 world premiere at the Castro Theater, Blackstone received a standing ovation from a sold-out crowd of more than 1000 people, when he answered an audience member's question; asked why, as a straight man, he had worked so hard on behalf of LGBT rights, he said, "Because my religion teaches me to love everybody."

In this 40th Anniversary year of the Compton's Cafeteria Riot, Elliott Blackstone richly deserves recognition for his vital yet poorly remembered contributions to our community.

Note: On Thursday, June 22, 2006, from Noon to 1pm, a short program will be held at 101 Taylor to honor Elliott Blackstone. It will be followed by the unveiling of the historical marker to memorialize the heroic resistance of the transgender women and gay men at Compton’s Cafeteria.

Transgender Petition to UN

Cecilia Chung — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 21:19:00 +0000

Transgender Petition to the United Nations

As citizens of the world, we petition the United Nations to revise the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from "all women and men" to "all people". The United Nations stands for human equality and freedom from discrimination for any reason, including gender. Yet the term "women and men" is exclusionary of all people whose gender cannot be described by either category.

We also urge that you include the term "gender", within Article 2, "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status." This addition is suggested to protect transgender people, whose human rights are being violated because of their exhibited gender, not their biologic sex.

The transgender population of the world is emerging, and in doing so, faces grave misunderstanding, prejudice and injustice on a daily basis. In the absence of recognition as a distinct and equal subset of humanity, transgender people do not receive equal protection under common law or human rights. Many instances can be referenced where transgender people were not afforded equal rights nor freedoms, and have been subjected to atrocious and inhumane treatment at the hands of law makers and society at large. (See links at right)

We urge the United Nations to take a leading role in including the transgender population through use of the phrase "all people", rather than excluding them by using the term "all women and men". This simple step would go a long way in setting precedents for the equal recognition and protection of all human beings of the world.

EXISTING TERMINOLOGY

Preamble: "Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women."

Article 2: "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status."

Article 16(1): "Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family.

PROPOSED TERMINOLOGY:

Preamble: "Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of all people."

Article 2: "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, gender, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status."

Article 16(1): "People of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family.

SIGN THE PETITION

Hero

Cecilia Chung — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 17:30:00 +0000

What would you do? You make the choice! Don't look for a punch line; there isn't one! Read it anyway. My question to all of you is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

"When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. "I believe that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the way other people treat that child. Then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, Do you think they'll let me play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."

Shay struggled over to the team's bench put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his Father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing the other team putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever ran that far but made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!"
Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to second base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay"

Shay reached third base, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and those watching were on their feet were screaming, "Shay, run home! Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.

That day, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world.

Shay didn't make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his Father so happy and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND, NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people think twice about sharing. The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.

If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people on your address list that aren't the "appropriate" ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the "natural order of things." So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up that opportunity to brighten the day of those with us the least able, and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?

A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.

You now have two choices:
1. Delete
2. Forward
May your day, be a Shay Day, sunny today tomorrow & always!

Pomona College Professor Wins Northern California Emmy Award; Documentary 'Screaming Queens' to Air Nationally on PBS in June

Cecilia Chung — Wed, 24 May 2006 19:46:00 +0000

CLAREMONT, Calif., May 24 (AScribe Newswire) -- Victor Silverman, a Pomona College history professor, won a prestigious Northern California Emmy Award in the category of Historical/Cultural Program or Special, for the documentary "Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria," which tells the story of the long-forgotten, but first-known act of militant transsexual resistance to social oppression.

The award was presented to Silverman and his co-producers Susan Stryker and Jack Walsh, at the 35th Annual Northern California Emmy Awards ceremony, of the National Academy of Television Arts and Science - San Francisco/Northern California Chapter. The event was held at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre and Exploratorium in San Francisco, on May 20, 2006.

Screaming Queens will have a national broadcast on PBS stations in June 2006. Regional stations that have announced air-dates include WETA Television 26 in Washington, DC; WGBH Television 44 in Boston; KQED Television, the documentary's Bay Area partner, in Northern California; and WNET Television 13 in New York City.

The riot at Compton's occurred in 1966, three years before the more famous uprising at New York's Stonewall Inn. Transgender street prostitutes in San Francisco's impoverished Tenderloin district fought back against a police raid at Compton's Cafeteria, a popular all-night neighborhood hang-out.

"They started the movement for transgender rights, really for basic human rights, to be who you are, to wear what you want to wear, and to live the way you want to live," explains Silverman. "The riot was the point at which the movement crystallized. From that point on, transgender and transsexual people were willing to fight for their rights. The riot really marked the beginning of a broader movement to support freedom of gender expression. ... The Emmy is a great honor for us and a real recognition by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences of the importance of recovering the lost history of transgender militancy."

On May 16, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution officially acknowledging the role of the riot at Compton's Cafeteria in the city's progressive political history. At noon on June 22, a historical marker will be installed near the site of the riot at the corner of Turk and Taylor.

"As a historian," says Silverman, "I knew that I could take history, really solidly researched history and, working with Susan, come up with a story that was really entertaining, important and historically accurate. ... These are people who seized opportunity, a moment in history. ... They were able to take that for themselves and change the really tough lives that they lived. That's the way we can learn from history. We can take lives where you're the most marginalized people in the city ... and you can change that. That's the lesson of this story, more than any other."

The film has been shown at Film Festivals in London, New York, Miami, Iceland, Sydney and many other cities. It's television premiered at the San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival in June 2005 and on KQED Television (San Francisco) that same month. It has also been shown at universities and conferences throughout the U.S. and around the world.

At Pomona College, Silverman teaches The U.S. Since the Civil War; U.S. Labor and Working Class History; History of the United States Right; The United States, Palestine and Israel; The United States and the world from 1890 to the Present; and International History of the Cold War.

- - - - CONTACTS: Victor Silverman, Professor of History, Pomona College and Producer, Screaming Queens; cell 510-543-5464; Victor.Silverman@pomona.edu or Screamingqueens@comcast.net National Academy of Television Arts and Science, San Francisco/Northern California Chapter; 650-341-7786 or 415-777-0212; Web: http://www.emmysf.tv/

SCREAMING QUEENS BROADCAST DATES:

June 2 - Fresno-Visalia, CA, KVPT-18, 11 p.m.;

June 9 - Bloomfield and Lafayette, IN, WTIU-30, 10 p.m.;

June 17 - Washington DC area, WETA 26, at 11p.m.;

June 17 - Broomfield, CO, KBDI TV, at 10 p.m.;

June 18 - Boston area, WGBH 44, at 10 p.m.;

June 19 - Atlanta, WPBA TV, 11 p.m.

June 20 - Rohnert Park, CA, KRCB-22, 9 p.m.

June 25 - Detroit, WTVS-56. 11:30 p.m.

June 29 - Northern California, KQED TV - 9, at 9:30 pm;

June 30 - Northern California, KQED ENCORE, at six different times;

June 30 - New York City area, WNET 13, at 10 p.m.; and

July 4 - New York City area, WNET 13, at 3:30 a.m.

As more dates are announced, the producers will post them on their website www.screamingqueensmovie.com.

ABOUT POMONA COLLEGE Pomona College, located in Claremont, CA, is one of the nation's premier liberal arts colleges. Its hallmarks include small classes, close relationships between students and faculty, and a range of opportunities for student research. Visit Pomona College on the web at www.pomona.edu.

- - - - CONTACT: Cynthia Peters, Pomona College Media Relations, 909-621-8515 , 909-621-8515

Transfigurations

Cecilia Chung — Wed, 24 May 2006 19:00:00 +0000

Check out Transfigurations by Jana Marcus and prepared to be impressed. It is a collection of photos and stories of trans folks from all walks of life.

Jana is one of my heroes - she is covering the cost of this project out of her own pocket - with your help and support, she may well be on her way to educate the world on who we really are.

May 19 is National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV Awareness Day

Cecilia Chung — Thu, 18 May 2006 14:38:00 +0000

Q. What is the Banyan Tree Project?
A. The Banyan Tree Project (BTP) is a community program designed to fight HIV-related stigma in Asian & Pacific Islander (A&PI) communities across the nation. Funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the Banyan Tree Project is led by San Francisco-based Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center (A&PI Wellness Center) plus a growing number of partners across the country including community-based organizations (CBOs) that have close connections within the A&PI communities, particularly those individuals at-risk or living with HIV.

Q. Why is it called Banyan Tree Project?
A. In many Asian and Pacific Islander cultures, the banyan tree – with branches that continually shoot out new roots into the ground – symbolizes anchorage and building community. It is also the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment.

Q. What are the goals of the project?
A. Spanning the five years of the life of the project, the objective of the BTP is to reduce HIV-related stigma and discrimination in A&PI communities that delays or prevents access to critical HIV prevention and care services.

Our goals are:

To recognize an annual national awareness day and campaign
To foster national and regional leadership among popular opinion leaders (including celebrities, political, religious, business and community leaders incuding families and individuals living with HIV)
To sensitize the media about HIV and HIV-related stigma
To encourage access to HIV-related health care services, particularly HIV testing and care

Year I of BTP culminated with the first-ever National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day– Thursday, May 19, 2005 – with a flagship event in San Francisco at the Yuerba Buena Center for the Arts and simultaneous events in 9 other cities. These cities included: Boston, New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Honolulu.

This year the campaign has 15 cities holding events with the flagship event at San Francisco lead by A&PI Wellness Center. A special event this year is the Surgeon general’s visit to A&PI Wellness Center to take a tour and address members of the press recognizing the agency’s work and extending his support to the A&PI community.

Q. Who’s involved in the Banyan Tree Project?
A. A&PI Wellness Center, along with a national coalition of A&PI HIV and health nonprofit agencies and community partners are leading this pioneering national HIV awareness and stigma-reduction campaign targeting A&PI families and communities.

Our partners include:

Life Foundation
LA’s Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team
Chicago’s Asian Health Coalition of Illinois
Boston’s Massachusetts Asian & Pacific Islanders (MAP) for Health
Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) in Washington, DC and San Francisco

Q. What is the 2nd annual National A&PI HIV/AIDS Awareness Day about?
A. This national awareness day are designed to call attention to, and strike down long-standing stigma and discrimination towards A&PIs who are at-risk and/or living with HIV in our communities and to increase access to health resources. The day focuses on the critical role of families and friends in stopping the silence and shame around HIV/AIDS in the A&PI communities.

The A&PI Wellness Center will host a free, exciting art show open to the public. The exhibit will have a special focus on young people featuring original works by A&PI artists interpreting the fight against HIV-related stigma and increasing acceptance of HIV in A&PI communities. This will be a great opportunity to interact with A&PI artists and include Jenifer Wofford, Sakura Haru, Joel B. Tan, Diego M. Rios, Tranh “Trevor” Nguyen, Steven Chu, Ravinder Singh Rangi, Ghee Phua and Dennis Mallillin.

The event will also feature prominent film actor Jason Scot Lee and TV artist Honey Labrador. Miss San Francisco, NAME will also be present at the event to extend her support. This year is also very special as A&PI Wellness Center celebrates the beginning of its 20th year providing HIV services within the community.

There will be concurrent events in observance of the NAPIHAAD in more than 15 partner cities including Honolulu, Boston, Chicago, Washington D.C., New York, Detroit, Philadelphia, San Jose, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Santa Ana and Seattle to name a few) as well as screenings of this year’s TV PSAs promoting the Banyan Tree Project campaign.

Related films on stigma and discrimination will be distributed including “Coming Out, Coming Home,” about A&PI gays and lesbians, produced by A&PI Parents and Families of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and “There is No Name for This,” by A&PI Wellness Center.

Q. Why is an awareness day needed?
A. A&PIs are the fastest growing racial/ethnic population in the United States, increasing 95 percent from 1980-1990 and another 43 percent from 1990 to 1999. The A&PI population is expected to reach 37.6 million or 9 percent of the U.S. population by the year 2050.

HIV/AIDS is increasing among A&PIs; a community which many formerly believed was immune from the disease. Statistics collected by the U.S. Centers from Disease Control & Prevention offer significant evidence supporting the spread of HIV/AIDS among A&PIs. They include the following:

The estimated number of AIDS cases diagnosed among A&PIs in the U.S. increased by 34 per cent.
Through 2002, an estimated 6,924 A&PIs worldwide had been given a diagnosis of AIDS. Among adults and adolescents with a diagnosis of AIDS, 87 percent were men and 13 percent were women.
In the A&PI community, HIV/AIDS has disproportionately impacted gay and bisexual men. A total of 77 percent of all AIDS cases among A&PIs are among men who have sex with men. Furthermore, in the 33 states and U.S. Jurisdictions reporting HIV infection from July 1998 to June 1999, men who have sex with men represent 55 percent of new HIV cases among A&PI males.
It is significant to note that a large number of female A&PIs who are HIV positive or who have AIDS, consistently report not knowing their at-risk status or report an unwillingness to divulge that information.
Most HIV/AIDS cases in the A&PI community (78 per cent) occur in five states: California, Hawaii, New York, Texas, and Washington.

Q. What is the anti-stigma campaign about?
A. Jonathan Mann, former AIDS director of the United Nations said, “HIV is one deadly disease, AIDS is another. The stigma surrounding HIV can be a more deadly disease.” The fear, shame guilt and stigma that surround HIV have been shown to be a critical factor in the spread of the disease in A&PI communities.

The campaign is about breaking the silence around HIV/AIDS in A&PI communities and to provide support and services to those living with the disease. We are reaching out to A&PIs, at-risk or living with HIV/AIDS, their families and communities. We want to inform, teach and set an example with outstanding role models for our community, medical and health providers, the media, political, religious and key opinion leaders.

Our hope is to begin the long and difficult process of changing attitudes towards HIV/AIDS to stop the epidemic. Love, acceptance, support and understanding are the factors that will reduce stigma and discrimination. Ultimately, this campaign is designed to encourage greater access for our communities to services we need and deserve, thus reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Q. (For A&PIs living with HIV/AIDS) Have you experienced discrimination as a result of HIV/AIDS and how have you dealt with it?
A. (Interviewee to speak of own personal experiences with stigma, discrimination, fear, shame, loss of face, etc. in the A&PI community and how he or she has overcome or not been able to resolve these issues.)

Q. (For A&PIs spokespeople) How and why did you become involved with HIV/AIDS?
A. (Interviewee to speak of own personal experiences and reasons for involvement with fighting the disease, stigma and discrimination.)

Q. What are some of the activities around the national awareness day?
A. We’re building community coalitions, recruiting numerous A&PI celebrities, community spokespeople, key opinion and religious leaders as well as elected officials and sponsors to gain their endorsement, support and participation.

We're promoting Banyan Tree Project and the annual national awareness day with an exciting media and marketing campaign including public service announcements (PSAs) that will air starting May and run through June, 2006, on national TV as well as locally in 15 cities. We’re creating a variety of communications materials—from posters and giveaways to a Banyan Tree Project web site—www.banyantreeproject.org, promoting the national awareness day, providing information on the project, downloadable versions of the Banyan Tree pledge as well as the PSAs, materials for prospective partners who wish to join the BTP, donations page, a press room and links to other A&PI community and health organizations.

Together, we believe we will send a tremendously powerful message about fighting discrimination, stigma and HIV/AIDS in A&PI communities.

Q. Will you offer free HIV testing?
A. We have partners in 15 cities, some of whom are direct service providers, others which offer education and referrals. Each regional partner will respond to questions, offer information, and provide services and referrals as requested. You can call 1-866-5BANYAN for more information.

Q. What can people do if they want to support the national awareness day?
A. We believe there is no clearer and more powerful act than an individual lending his or her name in support of an important cause, especially when the cause is about fighting stigma and discrimination.

We have created a document called the Banyan Tree pledge, which summarizes the major goals of our campaign.

The objective is to gather as many signees’ to the Banyan Tree Pledge as possible. As it grows, this list of names will be posted and updated on A&PI Wellness Center’s and the BTP web site (www.banyantreeproject.org), publicized widely through the media, especially the ethnic press, and form part of an art display and backdrop to the National A&PI HIV/AIDS Awareness Day event on Friday, May 19, 2006, at the AT&T Ball park in San Francisco.

Use your brains - Message from A Mother

Cecilia Chung — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 06:47:00 +0000

The following is a very strong and moving letter written by the mother of a gay boy in Vermont...
----------------------------------------------------------

"Many letters have been sent to the Valley News concerning the homosexual menace in Vermont. I am the mother of a gay son and I've taken enough from you good people. I'm tired of your foolish rhetoric about the "homosexual agenda" and your allegations that accepting homosexuality is the same thing as advocating sex with children. You are cruel and ignorant. You have been robbing me of the joys of motherhood ever since my children were tiny.

My firstborn son started suffering at the hands of the moral little thugs from your moral, upright families from the time he was in the first grade. He was physically and verbally abused from first grade straight through high school because he was perceived to be gay.

He never professed to be gay or had any association with anything gay, but he had the misfortune not to walk or have gestures like the other boys. He was called "fag" incessantly, starting when he was 6.

In high school, while your children were doing what kids that age should be doing, mine labored over a suicide note, drafting and redrafting it to be sure his family knew how much he loved them. My sobbing 17-year-old tore the heart out of me as he choked out that he just couldn't bear to continue living any longer, that he didn't want to be gay and that he couldn't face a life without dignity.

You have the audacity to talk about protecting families and children from the homosexual menace, while you yourselves tear apart families and drive children to despair. I don't know why my son is gay, but I do know that God didn't put him, and millions like him, on this Earth to give you someone to abuse. God gave you brains so that you could think, and it's about time you started doing that.

At the core of all your misguided beliefs ! is the b elief that this could never happen to you, that there is some kind of subculture out there that people have chosen to join. The fact is that if it can happen to my family, it can happen to yours, and you won't get to choose. Whether it is genetic or whether something occurs during a critical time of fetal development, I don't know. I can only tell you with an absolute certainty that it is inborn.

If you want to tout your own morality, you'd best come up with something more substantive than your heterosexuality. You did nothing to earn it; it was given to you. If you disagree, I would be interested in hearing your story, because my own heterosexuality was a blessing I received with no effort whatsoever on my part. It is so woven into the very soul of me that nothing could ever change it. For those of you who reduce sexual orientation to a simple choice, a character issue, a bad habit or something that can be changed by a 10-step program, I'm puzzled. Are you saying that your own sexual orientation is nothing more than something you have chosen, that you could change it at will? If that's not the case, then why would you suggest that someone else can?

A popular theme in your letters is that Vermont has been infiltrated by outsiders. Both sides of my family have lived in Vermont for generations. I am heart and soul a Vermonter, so I'll thank you to stop saying that you are speaking for "true Vermonters."

You invoke the memory of the brave people who have fought on the battlefield for this great country, saying that they didn't give their lives so that the "homosexual agenda" could tear down the principles they died defending. My 83-year-old father fought in some of the most horrific battles of World War II, was wounded and awarded the Purple Heart.

He shakes his head in sadness at the life his grandson has had to live. He says he fought alongside homosexuals in those battles, that they did their part and bothered no one. One of his best friends in the service was gay, and he neve! r knew i t until the end, and when he did find out, it mattered not at all. That wasn't the measure of the man.

You religious folk just can't bear the thought that as my son emerges from the hell that was his childhood he might like to find a lifelong companion and have a measure of happiness. It offends your sensibilities
that he should request the right to visit that companion in the hospital, to make medical decisions for him or to benefit from tax laws governing inheritance.

How dare he? you say. These outrageous requests would threaten the very existence of your family, would undermine the sanctity of marriage. You use religion to abdicate your responsibility to be thinking human beings. There are vast numbers of religious people who find your attitudes repugnant. God is not for the privileged majority, and God knows my son has committed no sin.

The deep-thinking author of a letter to the April 12 Valley News who lectures about homosexual sin and tells us about "those of us who have been blessed with the benefits of a religious upbringing" asks: "What ever happened to the idea of striving . . . to be better human beings than we are?"

Indeed, sir, what ever happened to that?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you believe that homosexuals deserve the same rights as everyone else, repost this, and pray and thank God that there are people like this mother, cause without them, where would we be?

First National Foundation Dedicated to LGBT Scholarship and Mentoring Announces Opening of 2006 Application Period

Cecilia Chung — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 19:09:00 +0000

For Immediate Release
Monday, January 9, 2006

Contact:
Simon Aronoff, (202) 822-5200 ext. 222,
saronoff@fenton.com

The Point Foundation and Matthew Shepard Foundation Announce Unique Collaboration to Safeguard Gay Youth

mtvU, MTV’s College Network, to Again Co-Sponsor Scholarship

First National Foundation Dedicated to LGBT Scholarship and Mentoring Announces

(Chicago, IL) — The Point Foundation, the first and largest national foundation to support academic achievement in higher education among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students, has opened its 2006 application season by announcing more than a dozen named scholarships, including an exciting new partnership with the Matthew Shepard Foundation. The Point Foundation will also continue its partnership with mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network. Recently featured in TIME Magazine and on the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Foundation has experienced exponential growth and anticipates 5,000 applicants this year. In 2005, only one out of every 100 applicants was awarded a Point Scholarship. To meet the overwhelming need of LGBT students, Point is actively seeking funds to increase the number of scholarships it can offer in 2006.

A Point Scholarship is the most substantive academic award of its kind, in most cases covering the cost of tuition, books, supplies, room and board, transportation and living expenses. The comprehensive scholarships allow students to excel in the classroom, on campus and in their communities. In addition, Point Scholars are matched with mentors from the professional world who serve as positive role models and provide personal support, ensuring that students build a foundation of leadership skills they can use throughout their careers.

“I am proud to be part of the Point Foundation's tremendous growth this past year, as we expand and work with more students who would not otherwise have the financial and emotional support necessary to pursue their dreams,” said Judith Light, actor and longtime activist who joined the board of the Point Foundation in 2005. “Our commitment to Point scholars represents the best that our community can do for young people in a society that still discriminates, still marginalizes and still closes the door of opportunity for far too many outstanding individuals,” Light concluded.

This year, the Point Foundation will partner with the Matthew Shepard Foundation to offer a slate of new named scholarships, awarding $10,000 to three Matthew Shepard-Point Foundation Scholars. The Matthew Shepard Foundation was founded by Dennis and Judy Shepard in memory of their 21-year old son, Matthew, who was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in Wyoming in October 1998. The foundations share a mission of empowering the LGBT community and educating others about equality. Vance Lancaster, executive director of the Point Foundation, will personally fund one of these new scholarships. The Point and the Shepard Foundations will partner to raise additional funds so that even more students can be helped.

“Judy Shepard and I are both about changing hearts and minds through education and turning around situations, making a positive out of what appears overwhelmingly negative,” said Lancaster. “I often think of Matthew and the terrible outcomes and crushing despair that too many LGBT youth still face. These scholarships aim to create a powerful legacy for our future leaders.”

“We are thrilled to partner with the Point Foundation and contribute to their work through the Matthew Shepard-Point Scholarships,” said Judy Shepard, Executive Director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. “Our family and Foundation are proud to create an educational legacy that honors Matthew's commitment to service and equality,” concluded Shepard.

Additionally, mtvU—the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students—will for the second consecutive year support a named scholarship in the amount of $10,000. The mtvU-Point Scholarship is available to students attending any of mtvU’s more than 730 affiliate schools, and the application and additional information can be found at mtvU.com.

“mtvU and the Point Foundation understand that paying for college isn’t easy, and that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students face unique challenges that can make covering this financial burden even more difficult,” said Stephen Friedman, General Manager of mtvU. “We’re proud to join with the Point Foundation again and help empower LGBT students to realize their dreams.”

Annually, the Point Foundation selects a range of students who are racially, ethnically, geographically and academically diverse. The students selected for Point Scholarships will earn their undergraduate and graduate degrees at some of the nation’s most prestigious institutions of higher learning and pursue studies in a range of academic areas.

The application deadline for this year's scholarships is March 1, 2006. The application process is open to all LGBT students and student allies nationwide regardless of level of education. For information on how to apply, please visit: www.thepointfoundation.org/apply.html

About The Matthew Shepard Foundation The Matthew Shepard Foundation was founded by Dennis and Judy Shepard in memory of their 21-year old son, Matthew, who was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in Wyoming in October 1998. Created to honor Matthew in a manner that was appropriate to his dreams, beliefs and aspirations, the Foundation seeks to “Replace Hate with Understanding, Compassion & Acceptance” through its varied educational programs and by continuing to tell Matthew’s story. For more information, please go to www.MatthewShepard.org

About mtvU

Broadcasting to over 730 colleges across the country, with a combined enrollment of over 6.8 million, mtvU is the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they hang out, through a three pronged approach—on-air, online and on campus. mtvU focuses on content including music programming, news, student life features, events, pro-social initiatives and more. For more information about mtvU, and for a complete programming schedule, visit www.mtvu.com.

California has Most Transgender Friendly Laws in U.S.

Cecilia Chung — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 00:34:00 +0000

For Immediate Release

Media Contacts:

Danny Kirchoff, Equality California
(415) 572-1659

Christopher Daley, Transgender Law Center
(415) 771-7304

California has Most Transgender Friendly Laws in U.S.
AB 1400 and AB 1586 add to strong set of existing anti-discrimination laws

San Francisco, CA --On January 1, 2006 two new laws solidified California’s leadership role as the most protective state for transgender rights in the nation. The laws, sponsored by Equality California (EQCA), were AB 1400 (the Civil Rights Act of 2005) and AB 1586 (the Insurance Gender Non-Discrimination Act). AB 1400, authored by Santa Cruz Assemblyman John Laird, amended California’s public accommodation law to make clear that transgender people are protected. AB 1586, authored by Assemblyman Paul Koretz, prohibits discrimination against transgender people by the insurance industry, including healthcare insurers.

“By protecting transgender people and our families in education, employment, housing, foster care, insurance, and public accommodation, the legislature is saying very clearly that California supports diversity and inclusion,” said Danny Kirchoff, EQCA’s Transgender Equality California Project Manager. “Across the state, employers, schools, businesses, and government agencies are taking common-sense steps to create non-discriminatory environments.”

After decades in which transgender people had little protection against even the most flagrant acts of discrimination, these laws establish that California embraces transgender people equally and provides effective remedies for discrimination. A 2003 report released by the Transgender Law Center (TLC) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Trans Realities, documented the high rates of discrimination experienced by transgender people. Survey respondents reported discrimination in employment (49%), public accommodation (38%), housing (32%), and health care (31%).

“Even today, transgender people face discrimination in virtually every institution in the state, but these laws provide incredibly powerful tools for creating lasting social change,” said Christopher Daley, Director of TLC. “While it will take some time for the effects of these laws to be fully felt in individuals’ lives, California’s elected officials are to be commended for once again leading the nation on fairness and equality.”

### 30 ###

Equality California (www.eqca.org) EQCA is California’s LGBT civil rights and advocacy organization. Equality California leads efforts for LGBT civil rights at the state level through an array of strategies including sponsoring legislation and leading efforts to ensure their passage, lobbying legislators and other government officials, building coalitions, and empowering other organizations and individuals to engage in the political process.

Transgender Law Center (www.transgenderlawcenter.org) The Transgender Law Center (TLC) is a civil rights organization advocating for California’s transgender communities. TLC utilizes direct legal services, community organizing, media and public policy advocacy, and educational opportunities to advance the rights and safety of diverse transgender communities.

Two Weeks To Save HIV Programs

Cecilia Chung — Sun, 16 Oct 2005 02:53:00 +0000

TWO WEEKS TO SAVE KEY PROGRAMS FOR PEOPLE WITH HIV/AIDS

Call Monday and Tuesday -- Tell Congress To Get Its Priorities Straight!

Last month, Congress postponed final work on the federal budget due to Hurricane Katrina. After that disaster, our nation saw how badly we need safety net programs for poor and disabled people – including Medicaid, Ryan White and housing aid.

Since then, C2EA has joined other health and social justice advocates to urge Congress to take planned cuts in vital health care and social programs (including $10 billion in Medicaid cuts) off the table so we can help those in need.

But powerful voices in Congress are now calling for even deeper cuts to domestic programs, including Medicaid, supposedly to pay for the Katrina/Rita cleanup. They’re even moving to slow down global AIDS initiatives!

Congress is going to try to make the cuts in the next two weeks – we’ve got to stop them!
Please join a national call-in campaign next Monday and Tuesday, October 17 and 18 and tell Congress “NO CUTS, NOT NOW!”

TAKE ACTION: On October 17 or 18, call the U.S. Capitol toll-free at 888-802-1207. Ask to speak to one of the senators from your state and say:

“My name is ____ and I live in ______. Senator (name) must oppose cuts to programs for people with AIDS and people in need, including Medicaid, Ryan White, housing aid and global AIDS initiatives. It’s a matter of life and death for people with AIDS. Get your priorities straight: don’t cut healthcare and survival benefits for people with AIDS and others in need.”

Then use the toll-free number (888-802-1207 or 800-426-8073 if you can’t get through) and call your other senator and your representative. Give them the same message.

Congress has its priorities all screwed up: they want to cut health care, food, and important services for people in need, while extending tax cuts for profitable corporations and the very wealthy. It’s time to call our Members of Congress one more time and demand that they stop these cuts now!

If you don’t know who represents you in Congress, go to www.vote-smart.org

And click here to register for the C2EA Advocacy Day in Washington DC on November 8.

Justice for Gwen Araujo

Cecilia Chung — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 23:21:00 +0000

Media Contacts:

Cecilia Chung, 415-902-0216
Deputy Director

Christopher Daley, 415-771-7304
Director

For Immediate Release

Justice for Gwen, Part I

Transgender Law Center applauds convictions and calls on Alameda County DA to continue efforts for conviction of Jason Cazeras

San Francisco, CA September 12, 2005 - Members of the transgender community can rest more easily as a Hayward, CA jury brings back convictions against Michael Magidson & Jose Merel in the re-trial of the murder of Newark teen, Gwen Araujo.

"These verdicts have been a long-time coming," said Cecilia Chung, Transgender Law Center Deputy Director. "Of course, our hearts go out to Gwen's family and friends as they continue the long wait for Cazeras to be held accountable for his action on that night. Our community will continue to stand along side Gwen’s family until the final justice is served.."

After several days of deliberation, the jury found defendants Magidson and Merel guilty of 2nd degree murder. They were unable to reach a verdict on Cazeras. The verdict followed a re-trial that starkly contrasted with the 2004 trial. As attorneys for the three defendants moved away from the unified front used last year, their overall reliance on "transgender panic" tactics subsided as well.

"TLC applauds the nearly unprecedented efforts of the Alameda County District Attorney's office in twice prosecuting this case and in securing these verdicts," said Christopher Daley, Director of TLC. "Gwen’s murder in 2002 was a stark reminder of the high risk that transgender people face for violence. The actions of Gwen’s family and friends, the D.A office and community members over the last three years are significant steps toward reducing that risk.”

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The Transgender Law Center, an independent non-profit, was founded in 2002. TLC uses direct legal services, education, community organizing, and policy and media advocacy to transform California into a state that recognizes and supports the needs of transgender people and their families

Transgender Guidelines for Evacuation Shelters

Cecilia Chung — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 17:15:00 +0000

For Immediate Release Contact: Mara Keisling September 9, 2005 Phone: (202) 639-6331

Guidelines for Evacuation Shelters Released

Making Shelters Safe for Transgender Evacuees aims to assist shelters in serving transgender evacuees

Washington, DC, September 9, 2005 -- The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) has released a one-page document with guidelines for shelters, entitled Making Shelters Safe for Transgender Evacuees. The document was a joint project of Lambda Legal, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and NCTE. The organizations hope this document provides useful information for shelters around the country who are housing transgender people impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

Every effort will be made to ensure that the publication will reach shelters, LGBT community centers and transgender support groups in effected areas. Topics covered include respecting an evacuee’s stated name and gender, maintaining privacy around a person’s transgender status, and safe and dignified access to bathrooms and shower facilities. NCTE is asking activists and allies in the states housing evacuees to ensure the local shelter has this document by hand delivering copies to shelters.

According to NCTE Executive Director, Mara Keisling, this document is urgently needed. “Unfortunately, we already know of at least two transgender women who have faced intolerable circumstances in shelters in Texas. In the case of one of the women, she was arrested and held on $6,000 bail in isolation in jail for six days for taking a shower. No one should have to face that,” she said.

The document refers readers seeking additional assistance and referrals to Lambda Legal’s National Help Desks in Dallas at (214) 219-8585 or in Atlanta at (404) 897-1880. Lambda can help with legal issues, provide information about local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community centers that can help LGBT evacuees, and provide information relating to hormones and other prescription drugs including HIV/AIDS medication.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (The Task Force) contributed to the document using their expertise in making homeless shelters safe for transgender people. The 2004 manual, Transitioning Our Shelters: A Guide to Making Homeless Shelters Safe for Transgender People produced by the Task Force and the National Coalition for the Homeless has helped innumerable homeless shelters learn to house transgender people more humanely.

Transgender people or others who are facing difficulties with evacuation shelters may contact NCTE at 202-639-6332 or ncte@nctequality.org.

Making Shelters Safe for Transgender Evacuees is attached as a pdf and available for download on NCTE’s website at http://www.nctequality.org.

For The Task Force’s publication devoted to making all shelters safe for transgender people, see Transitioning Our Shelters: A Guide to Making Homeless Shelters Safe for Transgender People at http://www.thetaskforce.org/downloads/TransHomeless.pdf.

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The National Center for Transgender Equality is a social justice organization devoted to ending discrimination and violence against transgender people through education and advocacy on national issues of importance to transgender people. By empowering transgender people and out allies to educate and influence policymakers and others, NCTE facilitates a strong and clear voice for transgender equality in our nation’s capital and around the country.