LGBT Link Round Up 1.6.15

A Trans 101 lesson from a mainstream US periodical 

Reporting for TIME on transgender issues (particularly for what became the cover story “The Transgender Tipping Point”), there was one maxim that pretty much every person I interviewed seemed to agree on: there is no single story about being transgender that sums it all up, much like there’s no one story about being Hispanic or blonde or short or straight that sums that experience up. But I also came to learn that there are some good rules of thumb to follow when it comes to language.

For instance, if you meet a trans person—someone who identifies with a gender other than the sex they were assigned at birth—it’s generally a good idea to ask which pronouns (he or she, him or her) they prefer and to use whatever that is. If you meet a trans person, you should not ask about the particulars of their body, much as you would likely prefer strangers not to inquire about yours. And if you meet a transgender person, you should not refer to them as “a transgender” or “transgendered.”

Referring to someone as “a transgender” can sound about as odd as saying, “Look, a gay!” It turns a descriptive adjective into a defining noun and can make the subject sound distant and foreign, like they’re something else first and a person second. This guidance is part of GLAAD’s media reference guide, under the heading “Terms to Avoid”: “Do not say, ‘Tony is a transgender,’ or ‘The parade included many transgenders.’ Instead say, ‘Tony is a transgender man,’ or ‘The parade included many transgender people.’” These key language nuances haven’t been consistently adopted by the media.

This is an example of putting people first, before their descriptors, and is important in talking about people as people.

* * * *

2014 saw transphobic crimes soar in the UK, but real number of attacks likely higher

Some of the UK’s biggest police forces have seen transphobic hate crimes soar this year – with the true number of attacks likely to be much higher.

Police data reveals victims have been subjected to assaults, verbal abuse and harassment on the street.

The Metropolitan Police saw offences against transgender people soar by 44 per cent in 2014 with 95 crimes recorded, up from 66 last year and 59 in 2012.

They included 53 harassment offences this year, 17 common assaults, seven grievous bodily harm (GBH) offences and seven assaults with injury, as well as rape, robbery, criminal damage and burglary.

Eleven forces revealed they recorded more transphobic hate crimes between January and November than the whole of 2013, according to figures released to the Press Association under the Freedom of Information Act.

However, a leading charity warned crimes against transgender people were “massively under-reported”, meaning the actual number may be much higher.

Serge Nicholson, from the charity Galop, which supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, said a third of trans people in the UK received transphobic abuse every year – thr second highest of any EU country.

“As much as 80 per cent of transphobia is not reported. So the rise in transphobic police recording can be viewed as encouraging, though it leaves us with mixed feelings. One transphobic hate crime is one too many.

(bolding mine)

That last bit there?  Bolded for truth.

* * * *

Atlanta Fire Chief fired for writing anti-gay, anti-woman, anti-Semitic book

For several months in 2009, Kelvin Cochran was FEMA’s Administrator for the United States Fire Administration. But Cochran returned quickly to Atlanta, and became the city’s new Fire Chief. Today, he’s not serving the people of Atlanta, he’s out of a job, fired after a one-month suspension, by Mayor Kasim Reed.

Last year, Cochran wrote and self-published an ugly book, Who Told You That You Were Naked?, that uses religion to support his anti-gay beliefs. Calling them “unclean,” the book compares gay people to pedophiles and people who have sex with animals. The book also has anti-Semitic and anti-women passages. Not only did he publish the book, he handed it out at the firehouse, and reportedly discussed its contents with his employees – something many might feel makes for an uncomfortable work environment.

“Might”? Chances are Cochran had worked with gay people, women, and Jews, so yeah, I think it would make for an uncomfortable (even hostile) work environment.

In the book, Cochran writes that his “job description as a fire chief of Atlanta Fire Rescue Department” is to “cultivate its culture for the glory of God.”

Somehow I don’t think that’s in his job description. In fact, proselytizing is probably not in the job description of anyone who works for the government. But for some theists, that pesky separation of church and state (as well as anti-discrimination policies in the U.S.) doesn’t apply to them (at least in their bigoted noggins).

Cochran also identified himself in the book as Atlanta’s Fire Chief, without clearing the book with the City. Mayor Reed reportedly was concerned some might think the City of Atlanta endorsed the book or its contents, which it does not.

During his suspension, Cochran reportedly made clear he would continue to make anti-gay statements upon his return.

“When you have more than 1,000 people working under your command, you can’t go around publicly suggesting that some of them are perverts on a par with those who indulge in bestiality or child sexual abuse, as Cochran did in a self-published book,” Jay Bookman at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes today. “When you serve as a top manager in a government that has pledged not to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation, you can’t suggest to workers that such discrimination might be justified, as Cochran did by distributing copies of that book to his subordinates. (Apparently, Cochran had been advised by the city ethics office against publishing the book, but chose to do so anyway.)”

Mayor Reed held a press conference explaining his decision, and issued a statement saying that Cochran’s “actions and decision-making undermine his ability to effectively manage a large, diverse workforce.”

“Every single employee under the Fire Chief’s command deserves the certainty that he or she is a valued member of the team and that fairness and respect guide employment decisions. His actions and his statements during the investigation and his suspension have eroded my confidence in his ability to convey that message.

“Chief Cochran also failed to notify me, as Mayor and Chief Executive of the City of Atlanta and his employer, of his plans to publish the book and its inflammatory content. This demonstrates an irreconcilable lapse in judgment.”

* * * *

Jeb Bush thinks respect should be shown to people on both sides of the marriage equality debate

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush just wants everyone to respect each other’s views on issues like marriage equality.

After facing criticism for his tepid statement Sunday that marriage equality should be decided on a state-by-state basis, the possible GOP presidential nominee attempted to clarify his stance in a statement to The New York Times Monday.

“We live in a democracy, and regardless of our disagreements, we have to respect the rule of law,” Bush, 61, told the Times via a spokesman Monday. “I hope that we can show respect for the good people on all sides of the gay and lesbian marriage issue — including couples making lifetime commitments to each other who are seeking greater legal protections and those of us who believe marriage is a sacrament and want to safeguard religious liberty.”

In a word: NO. I do not respect people who would deny my rights as a human being and a citizen of the United States.

For TLGB people, this is a matter of basic human rights. We’ve been denied many, many rights that are accorded other citizens of the United States (and in many cases, TLGB people have been deprived of their lives) and that is flat-out wrong. We are not second-class citizens. We deserve the same rights as everyone else, and I don’t give a rat’s ass if opposition to marriage equality (or any other fight for rights) stems from religious reasons. You can have your religious beliefs, but when it comes to the laws of the land, your belief in one particular mythology should not have any influence over those laws (note the word SHOULD). Nor should anyone be able to impose their religious beliefs and practices upon others. Don’t like marriage equality? Fine. Don’t marry someone of the same sex.

* * * *

Marriage Equality has come to the state of Florida

It’s official:  marriage equality has come to the state of Florida and hundreds of gay couples across the state lined up to get married. Even though I’m single (and have been for 12 years with no sign of an end in sight), this is still a big deal to me bc marriage equality isn’t about me. It isn’t about any one person. It’s about treating gay people as human beings with the same rights as everyone else. It’s also a diminishing of religious privilege in the U.S. (which is one reason the Right Wing is so angry).

By day’s end, just over 100 licenses had been issued in Miami-Dade County which began performing ceremonies on Monday (5 January) – a day earlier than any other county.

In Broward County, 120 couples were married throughout the day and issued an additional 63 licenses while 20 licenses were issued in Monroe County, according to figures compiled by the Miami Herald.

Photos of many of the couples began popping up on social media throughout the day including that of Broward County Sheriff’s Detective David Currie and Aeron Woodard (pictured above).

Same-sex couples can now get married in 36 states in the US plus the District of Columbia.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama was ‘pleased to see that Florida is taking a step in the direction of freedom and liberty.’

Yes, this is a step in that direction. Another step, one that is just as important, would be the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, bc Florida is one of the 29 states in the U.S. where TBGL people do not have workplace protection.

{advertisement}
LGBT Link Round Up 1.6.15
{advertisement}