A lot going on in the news lately.
The good news:
The Liberal/Left cooperates for Transgender Rights in Canada. Since New Democrat Bill Siksay (previous champion for Bill C-389) has decided to retire, some felt their hopes dashed regarding the passing of Bill C-389, a Bill that would recognise transgender rights Canada-wide by entering gender identity and expression into the Canadian Charter and Criminal Code.
But yesterday Hedy Fry of the Liberal Party of Canada has assured that she will sponsor Bill C-389 after the elections (Bill passed through 3 readings in the House of Commons and entered the Senate for a final vote, only to be stalled. Now that an election has been called, the Bill needs to start from scratch again).
http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/L...ent-10026.aspx
Bad news:
Recently been reported that a jail in the US was mistreating and even sexually assaulting its LGBT immigrant detainees. At least two transgender detainees (in two separate articles) have spoken out about the abuse they suffered at the hands of jailers.
Quote:
WOODSTOCK – The McHenry County Jail is named in a civil-rights complaint alleging abuse of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender immigrants while in custody at facilities owned or contracted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
On behalf of 13 people, Chicago-based Heartland Alliance National Immigrant Justice Center filed the action with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the Inspector General’s Office.
One complainant, an HIV-positive transgender who identifies as a woman, said she was groped by McHenry County Jail staff, placed in administrative and solitary segregation and denied basic privileges during that time, and constantly threatened and harassed by both detainees and jail staff, resulting in severe psychological harm.
She said she was detained in McHenry County for almost nine months and “living in hell.” She said she was isolated from the other inmates, with the only human interaction being from the guards who yelled at her, slammed doors in her face, called her names, and physically assaulted her.
In September 2009, she alleges that an officer began teasing her, including giving her the middle finger and calling her a “f-----.”
“One of the officers squeezed my breasts very hard,” she said. “I am taking hormones and because of this, it hurt a lot when he squeezed my breasts.”
She said the officers made sexual gestures and did not protect her from harassment by other inmates.
“The officers would stop by my cell to make fun of me,” she said. “They imitated my voice and fluttered their hands to make fun of my transsexual mannerisms.”
She also said she was put in a basement cell for two days on separate occasions, and while there she was not properly fed or clothed.
Officials confirmed that a transgender ICE detainee was in the McHenry County Jail during the time of the alleged abuse from July 2009 to April 2010 and was placed in protective custody.
Assistant State’s Attorney Don Leist said there was no foundation for the allegations.
“We completely and utterly deny these allegations,” he said.
Alliance leaders said the allegations within the complaint went beyond mistreatment by a few guards. They included blanket policies against the immigrants, such as the rule at the Theo Lacy facility in California that keeps all gay and transgender immigrants confined to their cells for 22 hours and the practice at a Santa Ana, Calif., jail that denies hormone treatments to transgender immigrants.
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Read more:
http://www.nwherald.com/2011/04/14/c...laint/ak1z2ks/
More bad news (why is it so often bad news?): As some may have heard, a transwoman was beaten, though thankfully not killed, by two men in San Fransisco earlier this week. But seems like there was a strong reaction by the SF lgbt community. Report of the rally against violence:
http://ht.ly/4BGwO
This just goes to show how far we have to go all over the world when it comes to trans rights. This shit should not be happening anymore.