transenoughblog

[transenoughblog]

Letter to our community of followers

Trans*Enough was starting from the idea that you are enough, as you are, right now. We believed that however you identify is right for you, and that you didn’t need surgeries or hormones or outside approval to make it so.

We started with the mission of celebrating individuals who identify as transgender, genderqueer, and gender non-conforming. We worked to engender mutual respect between many diverse communities and allies, and towards the creation of an environment where every person may live their life with the dignity that is their due. We sought to provide and maintain safe space for individuals to explore and dialogue about their experiences, and offered interactive spaces where individuals could freely express themselves. Trans*Enough also partnered with individuals and organizations to strengthen our community in an effort to enable all people access to those tools which help them attain their personal goals and come into themselves.

The make up of Trans*Enough has changed dramatically over the years. The original founding members were Del Rapier, Executive Director, and Nik Rapier, Creative and Content Manager. In the beginning we brought lots of original content, including content from several monthly columnists. We created TransFaces, which provided a visual representation of the diversity of trans* communities. However, over the years, interest in contributing to a 100% volunteer organization declined. And we totally understand! It’s hard to put in all the work of creating new and original content for no pay. In 2011, Del Rapier became the sole foundation of Trans*Enough. Over the remaining years, Trans*Enough has had various behind the scenes contributions from a variety of amazing folks. As Del has been pursuing their academic goals of getting their doctorate in clinical psychology, keeping up with the day-to-day operations of Trans*Enough has become more and more of a challenge. We began to lose the ability to continue bringing you original content and instead focused on our third goal of partnering with individuals and organizations, and in effect became a source for bringing together trans* content from a variety of outside sources. We feel that, without the ability to be an active source of new and original content, Trans*Enough is no longer living up to the whole of its original goals.

Because of these reasons, it is with a heavy heart that we at Trans*Enough have made the decision to come to an end. We have been humbled and honored by all of the support we have received over our four-year run. We have greatly enjoyed getting to know so many of you and watch the various communities grow and change. We have struggled with expanding our own definitions of what it means to be trans* (or trans) and deeply valued that struggle. We have been blown away by all of the political and personal victories trans* people have gained over these years. We have also been deeply disappointed by all the losses trans* communities have sustained. The annual Transgender Day of Remembrance reminds us that we still have so far to go.

Effective today, we will be closing down our Facebook page. Over the next week we will be closing down our Twitter page. We will be leaving up our website as an archive of our history. We will not be renewing our transenough.com URL, which will expire later next year. At that time, you will be able to reach this archive by going directly to http://transenoughblog.tumblr.com/.

Thank you to you all for four amazing years! 

[transenoughblog]

By Dawn Ennis

SOURCE: Advocate

The act of transitioning should not be a fireable offense.

Late last month in the west central Florida city of Lakeland, a locally owned eye clinic got some eye-opening news straight from Washington, D.C. Something the owners of the Lakeland Eye Clinic did three years ago had earned them a place in the history books, and it was something so commonplace that it’s happened at businesses across the country for decades without anyone making a fuss. But this year that eye clinic and a Michigan funeral home found themselves on the wrong end of two landmark lawsuits.

For the first time ever, a federal agency filed suit on behalf of two transgender women who were fired because they dared to transition from male to female at work. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission determined that not only were Brandi Bronson of Florida and Aimee Stephens of Michigan discriminated against because of their sex under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, but that their employers were wrong to dismiss them for dressing and appearing in their true gender.

This means the right to be transgender and undergo a gender transition at work is going to be defended in a federal courthouse by lawyers representing the United States government.

[Read More]

[transenoughblog]

SOURCE: Haaretz

New policy to help transgender soldiers from the time they get first draft notice through getting gender-appropriate uniforms and housing.

The Israel Defense Forces has decided to institute a new approach to dealing with transgender recruits by offering them extra support from the time they get their first draft notice at age 16 through their army service.

The new policy intends to make army service easier for transgender soldiers, regardless of whether they intend to undergo gender reassignment surgery, according to a report in Yedioth Ahronoth, which cites the army's Bamahane magazine.

According to the report published Thursday, transgender soldiers have had to ask for assistance from commanding officers in order to get uniforms and housing for their preferred gender, as well as hormone treatments.

Maj. Iris Wagman, head of the mental health unit in the army's Medical Corps, said the army reached out to the Israeli Center for Human Sexuality and Gender Identity to help it become more familiar with the needs of transgender recruits.

Transgender recruits who have not begun the gender-reassignment process but would like to will be drafted according to their biological gender, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

Immediately after their enlistment, they will get personal assistance from the army in transitioning and will be addressed using the pronoun of their choice.

[transenoughblog]

By Alex Burness

SOURCE: Daily Camera

Before her third birthday, Shannon Axe already had an inkling that something was off.

Shannon Axe, 14, left, laughs with her friend Emily Soder, 15, while shopping at the FlatIron Crossing mall in Broomfield on Tuesday. (Jeremy Papasso / Daily Camera)

She was born male but, even as a toddler, never felt comfortable with gendered clothing or toys, and didn't like being called by her birth name.

The word "transgender" was still years away from entering her lexicon, but, by kindergarten, she was certain that's what she was.

"People say, 'Oh, that's too young," said Shannon, now 14 and midway through eighth grade at Boulder's Horizons charter school. "But if you realize something this important, you know who you are. And I knew I was a girl."

[Read More]

[transenoughblog]

We at Trans*Enough support research efforts to expand understanding and inclusion of trans* ranges of experience. We are happy to support our Executive Director, Del Rapier, in their efforts to challenge the status quo in how researchers think about who "counts" as transgender.

They are hoping to get 50 more participants! If you have not done so already, please consider adding your voice to this important study.

Call for Participants

I hope you will consider adding your voice to my dissertation research. This research has been approved by the Pacific University Institutional Review Board (#117-14). The survey for my dissertation is entitled Redefining Trans* Persistence and Desistence Toward A More Inclusive Account of Trans* Populations is now live.The purpose of this project is to examine from a social justice approach what, if any, impact access to surgical transition procedures have on trans* gender identity. I will be seeking to understand the following:• The importance of access to surgical transition procedures on trans* gender identity?• What barriers trans* folks experience related access to surgical transitions procedures, including: • health, • race/ethnicity, • religious and/or spiritual beliefs, and • socioeconomic status.Participants will have the opportunity to identify other barriers as well.I need your help in two ways:• Please consider taking the survey. Participation will take 15 - 20 minutes and will involve responding to two brief questionnaires presented online. All data related to your participation will be kept anonymous.• Please consider spreading the word with as many folks and/or groups that you think might be interested. To participate in this study, you must be at least 18 years of age, self-identify as a trans* individual (this is meant to be inclusive of both binarily identified folks and gender nonconforming folks), live in the United States, and read and comprehend English.NOTE: I am especially interested in getting more participation from and perspectives of trans* folks of color. I understand there are many valid and historic reasons for communities of color to distrust research. As a result, however, most research primarily represent those in the dominant and privileged majority.

Click Here to Participate

[transenoughblog]

SOURCE: MyNewsLA

A 63-year-old man was behind bars Wednesday on charges of fatally stabbing a transgender woman in Santa Ana in 1989.

Doug Gutridge, held on $1 million bail, made his first appearance in court Thursday when his arraignment was put off until Jan. 2.

Gutridge’s arrest on Dec. 9 is the first for a newly formed Orange County cold case task force.

On Thursday at a news conference, detectives will discuss the task force and the Gutridge arrest.

Gutridge, charged with one count of murder, is accused of killing 35- year-old Carla Leigh Salazar on June 28, 1989, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Larry Yellin.

Gutridge and Salazar were acquaintances, according to Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.

Through advances in technology, authorities linked the defendant to the crime through DNA, Bertagna said.

[transenoughblog]

SOURCE: The Guardian

The United States embassy in Manila has turned down a request from Philippine authorities to hand over a marine accused of the killing of a transgender Filipino, a move that could spark anti-American protest in the former US colony. 

The marine, Joseph Scott Pemberton, who is being held at a US facility at the main Philippine army base, was charged with the murder of Jeffrey Laude, known as Jennifer, who was found dead on 11 October in a hotel in Olongapo City, north-west of the capital. 

“The United States will retain custody of Pemberton as provided by the United States-Philippine Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA),” the embassy said in a statement on Wednesday. 

“The United States has the right to retain custody of a suspect from the commission of the alleged offense until completion of all judicial proceedings.” 

Manila and Washington signed the Visiting Forces Agreement in 1998, to allow US forces to hold military drills in the Philippines to test the readiness of the allies, and the pact sets legal rules on how to treat erring servicemen.

The Philippines formally sought custody of Pemberton in a letter from the foreign ministry to the US embassy after his arrest was ordered by the Olongapo City trial court on Monday. 

“There was a warrant of arrest issued by the court,” the presidential spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, told reporters in the Philippine capital. “We have to enforce the warrant.” 

In a statement, the foreign ministry said, “In accordance with the Visiting Forces Agreement, we look forward to the full cooperation of the US government in ensuring that justice is secured for Jeffrey Laude.” 

Anti-US activists urged the government to terminate its pact with Washington after failing to enforce its sovereignty. 

“The US embassy refusal to turn over Pemberton is an insult to our nation and our people,” said Renato Reyes, leader of the leftwing Nation movement, vowing to hold a protest outside the US embassy. “The Aquino government must terminate the VFA.”

The justice secretary, Leila de Lima, and Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago said the American authorities should hand over the US marine and transfer him from detention in a US facility to a Philippine jail.

[transenoughblog]

SOURCE: National Center for Transgender Equality

The federal Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) this week reported national statistics for the first time on sexual abuse of transgender people in US prisons and jails. BJS estimates there were over 3,200 transgender people in US prisons nationwide in 2011-12, of whom 39.9% reported sexual assault or abuse in the last year by either another prisoner or staff. BJS also estimated there were over 1,700 transgender people in US jails in 2011-12, of whom 26.8% reported sexual assault or abuse in the last year. Transgender prisoners were victimized at rates nearly ten times those for prisoners in general (4% in prisons and 3.2% in jails).

The findings are similar to previously released research, including a California study finding that of transgender women held in men’s prisons, 59% had ever been sexually assaulted by another prisoner. While BJS did not break down transgender statistics by gender or type of facility, most prisons and jails continue to house essentially all transgender women with men despite 2012 federal rules calling for individualized placements. Previously released statistics from the same surveys found that gay, lesbian, and bisexual prisoners also face very higher rates of sexual assault behind bars—though the transgender rates are the highest by far.

These stark federal findings come as NCTE joined over 100 organizations this week in a letter urging the President to stop the practice of routinely holding LGBT immigrants in detention centers pending deportation hearings. As recently as last month, Department of Homeland Security policy has recognized that certain groups generally should not be held in detention centers—which often include county jails and private corporate prisons—due to their vulnerability. This latest data on abuse rates for transgender prisoners underscores that LGBT immigrants should be considered one of these groups.

Earlier in 2014, NCTE published an advocacy guide for reforming state and local prison policies toward LGBT people and reducing LGBT incarceration.

[transenoughblog]

SOURCE: Huffington Post

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint with the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education Thursday after a Virginia school district adopted a policy barring a transgender boy from using the men's bathroom.

Earlier in December, the Gloucester County School Board approved a motion stating that the district will "provide male and female restroom and locker room facilities in its schools, and the use of said facilities shall be limited to the corresponding biological genders, and students with gender identity issues shall be provided an alternative private facility." The board adopted the motion with a 6-to-1 vote, reported local outlet The Daily Press.

The motion was adopted in response to a request from a transgender male student to use the men's restroom. In a press release, the ACLU explained that Gavin Grim is a 10th-grader who was assigned female at birth but identifies as a male. While Grimm initially used a unisex bathroom after coming out as transgender over the summer, he began using the boys' bathroom in October.

[Read More]

[transenoughblog]

SOURCE: NPR Storycorp

StoryCorps' OutLoud initiative records stories from the LGBTQ community.

Kiyan Williams, 23, grew up in a rough neighborhood in Newark, N.J. During childhood, Williams felt isolated and different from other kids — something Williams' family began to notice around age 4.

"Me and my mother are at a friend's house, and Mary J. Blige is playing," Williams tells his friend Darnell Moore during a StoryCorps interview in New York City. "Mary was my girl at that moment — she knew all my life struggles."

[Read More]

[transenoughblog]

SOURCE: Buzzfeed

Yuri Gripas / Reuters

Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department’s position going forward in litigation will be that discrimination against transgender people is covered under the sex discrimination prohibition in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The decision is a reversal of the department’s prior position on the matter.

“This important shift will ensure that the protections of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are extended to those who suffer discrimination based on gender identity, including transgender status,” Holder said in a statement. “This will help to foster fair and consistent treatment for all claimants. And it reaffirms the Justice Department’s commitment to protecting the civil rights of all Americans.”

[Read More]

[transenoughblog]

SOURCE: LGBTQNation

December 20, 2014

WARREN, Mich. — Michigan’s LGBT community and police in Warren, Mich., are seeking the public’s help locating a transgender man who has been missing for ten days.

Jay Ralko

Jay Ralko, 22, disappeared on Dec. 10 after he left behind a note for his roommate indicating there was an emergency, reported the Detroit Free Press. 

Since his disappearance, there has been “no record on his phone, no record on his bank statements, no record on his Blue Cross Card,” said Ralko’s mother, Sherri Amorello.

The note Jay left behind asked his roommate to take his dog out. “Won’t be here tonight, an emergency,” the note says, according Amorello, adding that Ralko rarely leaves his dog Xena behind.

Amorello said her son is bipolar and suffers from depression, but was on medication at the time of his disappearance.

Ralko is 5 ft. tall, 120 lbs., and drives a charcoal gray Ford Escape, license plate number CJK 7951. Anyone with information is asked to call Warren Police at 586-574-4700 or Equality Michigan at 313-466-4345.

[transenoughblog]

cis feminists know when they’re being objectified when men reduce their personage to their genitals but don’t recognize the harm they do to trans women and to themselves when they reduce their womanhood to genitals …? 

[transenoughblog]

SOURCE: Rebel Circus

In recent years, more and more inspiring stories of transgender children have been featured in news stories, as prominent television characters and in film.  While many of their appearances have been met with controversy, all of them have made us sit up and take notice of just how special each of our children are.  Here we salute 12 news-makers that happen to be transgender children.

Which of these inspiring stories of transgender children inspires you the most? Let us know in the comments below.

1. Coy Mathis. Coy identified as a girl from the young age of 18 months and made headlines after not being allowed to use a Colorado elementary school girls' restroom. Mathis' parents quickly slapped the school with a complaint helmed by the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund. Coy was home-schooled, but returned after the school upheld new rules allowing Coy to use the restroom respective to her gender identity.

[Read More]

[transenoughblog]

We at Trans*Enough support research efforts to expand understanding and inclusion of trans* ranges of experience. We are happy to support our Executive Director, Del Rapier, in their efforts to challenge the status quo in how researchers think about who "counts" as transgender.

If you have not done so already, please consider adding your voice to this important study.

Call for Participants

I hope you will consider adding your voice to my dissertation research. This research has been approved by the Pacific University Institutional Review Board (#117-14). The survey for my dissertation is entitled Redefining Trans* Persistence and Desistence Toward A More Inclusive Account of Trans* Populations is now live.The purpose of this project is to examine from a social justice approach what, if any, impact access to surgical transition procedures have on trans* gender identity. I will be seeking to understand the following:• The importance of access to surgical transition procedures on trans* gender identity?• What barriers trans* folks experience related access to surgical transitions procedures, including: • health, • race/ethnicity, • religious and/or spiritual beliefs, and • socioeconomic status.Participants will have the opportunity to identify other barriers as well.I need your help in two ways:• Please consider taking the survey. Participation will take 15 - 20 minutes and will involve responding to two brief questionnaires presented online. All data related to your participation will be kept anonymous.• Please consider spreading the word with as many folks and/or groups that you think might be interested. To participate in this study, you must be at least 18 years of age, self-identify as a trans* individual (this is meant to be inclusive of both binarily identified folks and gender nonconforming folks), live in the United States, and read and comprehend English.NOTE: I am especially interested in getting more participation from and perspectives of trans* folks of color. I understand there are many valid and historic reasons for communities of color to distrust research. As a result, however, most research primarily represent those in the dominant and privileged majority.

Click Here to Participate

[transenoughblog]

SOURCE: Huffington Post

2014 has been a whirlwind year for mainstream transgender visibility.

As we approach the end of this historic year for individuals identifying across the transgender spectrum, one magazine is celebrating the women who are living authentically and openly at the forefront of the battle for transgender rights.

For its 8th issue, Winter 2014-2015, C☆NDY Magazine brought together fourteen of the most prominent women who have become the faces of the transgender movement.

From left to right: Laverne Cox, Janet Mock, Carmen Carrera, Geena Rocero, Isis King, Gisele Alicea, Leyna Ramous, Dina Marie, Nina Poon, Juliana Huxtable, Niki M'nray, Pêche Di, Carmen Xtravaganza and Yasmine Petty 

C☆NDY cites itself as "the first transversal style magazine" and is reportedly named after Candy Darling, the Andy Warhol superstar.

Luis Venegas, founder of C☆NDY, told Style.com that the shoot found inspiration from Vanity Fair's Hollywood Issue. “It’s the first time such a large number of trans women have been featured on the cover of a magazine," he stated. "Is it too daring to say that we’ve made history? Time will tell.”

We absolutely love this. Check out two individual shots with Laverne Cox and Geena Rocero below.

[Read More]

[transenoughblog]

By Gail Marlene Schwartz

SOURCE: Parents Canada

When your son says he’s a girl, or your daughter says she’s a boy, how do you handle it?

Wren Kauffman, who was born a girl, remembers being three years old and wanting to wear Spider-Man pyjamas. In grade school, female classmates asked why he planned to be The Thing for Halloween instead of a princess, as they all were. And after seeing The Incredibles, he asked everyone to call him Dash, a male character in the film. His parents asked him why not Violet, his sister?

“At first we thought these were preferences, that this child was confused,” says Wren’s mother, Wen Kauffman. “That’s the place you operate from, ‘this is so cute, Wren thinks she’s a boy.’ But when Wren, whose given name was Wrenna, persisted in his preferences, and at age six began asking his parents when does he get to be a boy, both his mother and father slowly realized it was more than a phase.

[Read More]