Trans News/ Issues

[Nadeest]

This article seems very interesting, and would be of interest to ftms, I would think. http://openmindedhealth.com/2013/04/...anssexual-men/

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Nadeest

This article seems very interesting, and would be of interest to ftms, I would think. http://openmindedhealth.com/2013/04/...anssexual-men/

Thanks for posting this, very interesting.

Recently, I have been interested in the similarity of brains differences in trans vs cis brains (both in form and in function). They find transwomen's brains more similar to cissexed women's than cissexed men's. Less studies have been done for transmen, of course, but there are some small ones done.

The article you linked helped me find this one. It is a bit dense, but worth the read in my opinion. Thanks!

http://openmindedhealth.com/2012/01/...brain-studies/

[Nadeest]

That link that you posted was most interesting. Thank you for sharing it!

[alexri]

A Navy SEAL member, who was part of the Seal Team Six (the team that captured and killed Osama Bin Laden), has come out as transgender and has written a book. The book is available on Amazon Kindle.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/natio...-memoir/65823/

[EnderD_503]

http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/F...tee-13707.aspx

Federal trans rights bill C-279 was adopted unamended at a Senate Committee on Human Rights meeting June 10.

The bill aims to add gender identity to the list of grounds protected from discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act.

Witnesses who testified include Rebecca J Bromwich and Robert Peterson with the Canadian Bar Association; Noa Mendelsohn Aviv, a director of the equality program of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association; Susheel Gupta, acting chair person of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal; N Nicole Nussbaum, president elect of the Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health; and Sara Davis Buechner of the University of British Columbia.

Diane Watts of REAL Women of Canada also appeared as a witness.

In November, Watts testified against the bill at the Parliamentary standing committee on justice and human rights, saying that if the bill passed children would be put at risk by pedophiles using the bill to their advantage.

The bill’s originator, NDP MP Randall Garrison, called Watts’ testimony “offensive.”

The bill will now go to third reading in the Senate. If C-279 passes third reading, it will then require royal assent before becoming law.

C-279’s Senate sponsor, Senator Grant Mitchell, is hopeful the bill will pass third reading. He told Xtra last month that he has confirmation from 16 Conservative senators that they will vote in favour of the bill.

“But you don’t know until you actually get there. If all 16 voted with us then it would pass. It would be a little bit close but it would pass,” Mitchell said at Ottawa trans support group Gender Mosaic’s 25th anniversary reception, May 29.

Xtra is following this story.

Still unsure how I feel about it, and it won't actually change much for a lot of trans people when it comes to housing and employment...in most cases people don't tell you to your face that they won't rent to you or hire you/fired you because your trans and this kind of stuff only really helps in the "obvious" cases. It's society and the education system itself that needs to change so that people aren't such assholes generally, and I don't think this piece of legislation will really help it do that.

[Linus]

Originally Posted by EnderD_503

http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/F...tee-13707.aspx



Still unsure how I feel about it, and it won't actually change much for a lot of trans people when it comes to housing and employment...in most cases people don't tell you to your face that they won't rent to you or hire you/fired you because your trans and this kind of stuff only really helps in the "obvious" cases. It's society and the education system itself that needs to change so that people aren't such assholes generally, and I don't think this piece of legislation will really help it do that.

It won't change people but at least it will protect trans when this can be proved (akin to discrimination that's happened to various gays in Canada, vis-a-vis gay marriage). It really should be a two-pronged approach but given who's in charge of the gov't, I'm impressed that this is even being considered at this point.

[EnderD_503]

Originally Posted by Linus

It won't change people but at least it will protect trans when this can be proved (akin to discrimination that's happened to various gays in Canada, vis-a-vis gay marriage). It really should be a two-pronged approach but given who's in charge of the gov't, I'm impressed that this is even being considered at this point.

Thing is to me, even since it passed in Ontario there hasn't been much change (which doesn't make much difference in Toronto since the city already had its own policy beforehand). Still regular/blatant discrimination by health care providers on basic checkups, still lots of homeless and unemployed trans people. The government passes legislation like this, and then they go and try to make cuts to ODSP or do little to force the Catholic school board to follow provincial discrimination laws and backed down from school reforms to include queer and trans people in the curriculum, the minute Conservatives complained. It just seems like a little fluff to try to appease trans people so they can now say "oh look, you have your rights" like they did with gay marriage (you know, "you can get married now, what more do you want?"), meanwhile making cuts to social services that many trans people need to survive or don't address other ways employers/landlords can easily dodge discrimination claims.

[Ms. Meander]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this. Please let me know if you can think of a better place.

I want to help encourage awareness about these queer and trans refugees who are living in dire circumstances and need. Please take a look and help in any way you can, if only to help spread the word.

Health Care For Queer And Trans Refugees In Turkey

https://www.facebook.com/notes/sima-...51634484873422

"Dear Friends,

I visited Iranian queer and transgender refugee applicants in several Turkish towns last month and was struck by the lack of affordable health care for refugees. Turkey extends protection under the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees only to persons originating in Europe. However, the Turkish government allows non-European asylum seekers to remain in Turkey temporarily while their cases are pending with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Refugee applicants are required to register with the Turkish Ministry of interior and with the UNHCR, while waiting to be interviewed several times in a span of several years. If approved as true refugees, they are allowed to apply for resettlement to a third country of asylum. Upon registration with the UNHCR, the applicants are assigned to small “satellite cities” where they are registered by the Turkish Police and are required to stay during the time they are interviewed by the UNHCR and the embassy of the country of asylum. The registration process with the UNHCR, registration and assignment to small satellite towns in Turkey, interviews with the UNHCR for refugee status determination, and interviews with the third country of asylum take years, during which time asylum seekers are required to pay for their own expenses. Queer and trans refugees who have no choice other than working “illegally” face discrimination and exploitation. Many lose their jobs or face violence if they are “outed” as queer and trans to their employers. While the Turkish government provides limited social and medical services to refugee applicants, this requires a fee-based foreign number/blue book (kimlik), which costs 198 TL (around $100). This card will not be issued unless the applicant pays a $50 “temporary resident permit,” which needs to be renewed every 6 months. Many refugee applicants cannot afford the kimlik fee and therefore do not have access to necessary health care. While the current refugee application processes bind healthcare to strategies of surveillance through a foreign ID card, currently this is the only way for refugee applicants to have access to basic health services.

I have been in touch with a group of queer refugees who are willing to volunteer their time to identify people who urgently need to buy kimlik in order to receive healthcare. We need to raise at least $12,000, but are hoping to raise more funds to reach out to as many queer and trans refugees as possible. There are at least 537 queer and trans refugee applicants who are currently living in Turkey, 470 of whom are from Iran. While I am only in contact with Iranian queer refugees, we will certainly reach out to other queer and trans applicants (mostly from Iraq and Afghanistan), in order to increase the life chances of people who fall through the cracks in the international human rights regimes. We choose not to receive funding from states or organizations that serve the neocolonial agendas in the Middle East, nor do we wish to become complicit with any kind of pinkwashing propaganda that claims to save or liberate queers. We believe that social change will happen through grassroots politics and organizing, and not from above. That is why we have chosen crowdsourcing to raise funds for the Iranian queer and trans refugees who are living under dire conditions and are not receiving sufficient support from the "liberating” states and human rights NGOs.

We hope that you can participate in this fundraising effort. http://fundly.com/health-care-for-qu...olks-in-turkey

Thank you,

Sima Shakhsari"