Say Hello To UK Judge Dr. Victoria McCloud

We have two trans judges here in the United States in Victoria Kolakowski of California and Houston's own Phyllis Frye, and Canada's first one in Kael McKenzie in Manitoba.

Was pleased to discover that across The Pond in the UK, we now have a trans judge sitting on the bench there in Dr. Victoria McCloud.

She has declined to speak publicly about her history making status, but she is at age 46 the youngest person to ever become a High Court Master judge and has presided over some high profile cases since her appointment in 2010.. .

While she may be reluctant to talk about it, a British judiciary spokesperson told the Daily Mail that 'British courts have an increasingly diverse workforce, and now judges come from all walks of life reflecting society in general.'

The British courts finally reflect one segment of British society in the transgender community, and by doing so, may be inspiring the next generation of British trans kids to dream big and follow those dream..

Italy Becomes Sixth Nation To Allow Trans Self Identification Without Surgery

Thanks to a recent Italian Supreme Court ruling, Italy has now become the fifth nation to acknowledge that trans people have the right to self identify without requiring genital surgery or medical intervention.

Italy now joins Argentina, Denmark, Malta, Portugal and Ireland in doing so.

The landmark ruling overturned adverse lower level  court cases and makes it clear that the official gender record can be amended without surgery or sterilization.

The plaintiff in the case was a now 45 year old trans woman who in 1999 was granted permission to undergo genital surgery but decided over time that surgical intervention wasn't necessary.to get social recognition as a  woman.

Burt a tribunal in Piacenza and the Appeal court in Bologna both said no prior to her win at the Italian Supreme Court level.

The Court stated:   The desire to align body and spirit is, even in the absence of surgical intervention, the result of a very personal journey to gender identity, supported by a range of medical and psychological treatments that will vary according to individual personality and need.

‘The moment of truth is deeply influenced by individual characteristics.

‘Ultimately, it can only be the end result of a process of self-determination towards the goal of a change of sex.’

The Court also stated in their landmark ruling: ‘The complexity of the route, which encompasses a plurality of medical treatments (including hormonal and aesthetic) as well as psychological further illustrates how that right is central to the expression of individual and social personality and social, insofar as a proper balance is to be struck between the public interest… and the limits of our legal system.

The Italian Supreme Court ruling comes one week after Ireland passed legislation to allow trans people there to self identify without surgical intervention.   It is also increasing pressure on France and Great Britain to follow suit.

At any rate, it's a wonderful day for our Italian trans cousins.   As for when it will happen in the United States, I'm not holding my breath with science denying Republicans in control of Congress right now. 

TransGriot Note:  Initial photo is of Italian girl like us actress Vittoria Schisano.  She wasn't the plaintiff in this case, but is the most well known Italian trans woman right now.

Ireland Agrees To Trans Self-Determination For Gender Recognition Bill

One of the problems that trans people around the world share is identification that matches who they are now, and barriers to acquiring that ID like requiring genital surgery.
Was nice to hear courtesy of the Transgender Equality Network Ireland that the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton, T.D. announced that, following the agreement of Cabinet, the application process under the Gender Recognition Bill will for people aged 18 years or more, be based on the person's self-declaration by way of a statutory declaration.

The Gender Recognition Bill will also no longer contain the controversial 'forced divorce' clause that Irish trans people had serious problems with..

"TENI applauds the Government for this hugely significant move. Ireland has now taken its place as an international leader in this human rights area," said TENI Chief Executive Broden Giambrone. "The Government has shown great vision and conviction in ensuring the rights of trans people. This legislation will significantly improve the lived realities of trans people in Ireland."


Speaking after the Cabinet meeting, the Tánaiste said: "Throughout the drafting of this Bill, I have listened carefully to the views of individual citizens, representative groups and public representatives. It is essential that this important legislation is in line with international best practice. That is why we are moving to a self-declaration model for people aged 18 and over. This approach will have no impact on the treatment pathway which is completely separate from the civil registration process."

TENI Chair Sara R. Phillips said after today's announcement: "This is a momentous moment. To be given the respect to self-determine our gender is true equality. For once I can believe our community are seen as full equal citizens. Today I am so proud of our country."

Belgium Has A Transgender Parliamentarian!

University of Ghent professor Petra De Sutter has become the second serving trans parlimentarian in Europe after recent elections in her nation. 

The head of the Reproductive Medicine Department at the University Hospital Ghent and associate professor of gynecology at the university ran for a European Parliament seat as a member of the Belgian Groen (Green) Party because she wanted to fight “for a more social and fairer Europe, where everyone feels at home” and against “an unpleasant mentality of everyone for themselves”.

De Sutter finished second in the May 25 balloting with 47,000 votes.   But the Greens were only able to secure one seat, and that went to current MEP Bart Staes.

Following reforms in Belgium this year, the 60 members of the Belgian Senate, the upper house of the Belgian federal Parliament are no longer elected but appointed.  50 of them come from regional and community parliaments, and the final ten are appointed by their political peers. 

De Sutter was sworn in July 10, and her appointment makes her not only the first transgender parliamentarian in Belgium, but the second currently serving one along with Anna Grodzka of Poland, the third overall in Europe, and the fourth ever internationally..  

Hopefully there will be more to come.

Denmark Becomes First European Nation To Pass Progressive Gender Identity Law

Over six decades ago Denmark was the nation in which Christine Jorgensen underwent her hormonal transition.   Now Denmark becomes the first nation in Europe to pass a progressive gender identity law that removes obstacles to legal gender recognition. 

On June 11 the Danish Parliament passed a law modeled on the one passed in Argentina in 2012 that removes the requirement of a Gender Identity Disorder (GID), Gender Dysphoria or any other psychological assessment or opinion is not necessary    The Danish Parliament also removed requirements for medical intervention, mandatory surgical intervention and mandatory sterilization.

Under the new law an application for legal change of gender is submitted to a relevant authority and after 6 months the applicant simply needs to confirm their application for it to happen..

The passage of the first in the European region law was hailed by European TBLG organizations and activists.

"This is ground-breaking for trans persons in Denmark and elsewhere. We hope that other countries will follow the Danish example and pass quick, accessible and transparent legal gender recognition legislation based on self-determination swiftly. Nevertheless, for the young generation of trans people in Denmark we hope that the minimal age of 18 years will be dropped eventually..” comments TGEU Executive Director Julia Ehrt 

Paulo Côrte-Real, Co-Chair of ILGA-Europe, added: “We are very pleased to see the Argentinian model for legal gender recognition being introduced in Europe by Denmark today. The benchmark is set high now and we encourage other European countries to follow suit and to remove unnecessary, humiliating and degrading requirements which hinder people across Europe to fully enjoy their lives in preferred gender.”

The new law will take effect in Denmark on September 1.   Here's hoping other governments in Europe and elsewhere role model it in their own trans ID policies.    

UN High Commisioner Message To 5th European Transgender Council Meeting

While me and my BTAC trans family were gathering in Dallas for our event, our trans cousins in Europe were gathering in Budapest, Hungary from May 1-4 for the 5th TGEU European Transgender Council meeting.

The theme for the gathering that drew 200 delegates from multiple European nations was Trans* Safe and Equal.  The delegates assembled in Budapest did what any sizable gathering of trans folks does when we are in a space together.  We discuss, strategize and network about ways to improve the safety, quality of life and advance equality for trans people.

The delegates at the meeting got to view this taped keynote message from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay in which the major point of it is one we marginalized people know all too well in terms of the twin terrors of prejudice and ignorance that drive anti-trans discrimination aimed at us.

UN High Commissioner Pillay's message, the first during her tenure that specifically focused it on the human rights issues that transgender people face, emphatically made it clear that the UN sees trans rights as human rights and the United Nations is on our side. .  . 

Netherlands Passes Groundbreaking Trans Identity Law!

In the Netherlands, trans rights advocates are celebrating a major win in that western European nation with the passage of a Gender Identity Law that does not require sterilization, court orders or genital surgery as prerequisites to change gender markers on documentation. 

It passed with a lopsided 51-24 vote of Dutch lawmakers in The Hague on Tuesday, and when the new law takes effect July 1, Dutch citizens aged 16 and older will only require a statement from an expert attesting to the trans person's desire to do so to match their gender identity.

The move to do so was driven by a report on the human rights of trans people in European states which called out The Netherlands over their previous unjust law and demanded a modification of it.
  
Despite the major win, there were trans rights groups who felt that the proposals pushed by Justice State Secretary Fred Teeven and enacted into law didn't go far enough.  Some parties wanted to lower the age consent threshold for SRS from 16 to 12.  Teeven said that he considered that too early and pointed out that boys in puberty often wrestle with their identity. 

"This law is a victory for transgender people in the Netherlands," the chairpersons of Transgender Network Netherlands and COC Netherlands say in a statement. "There is an end to all the humiliating situations that transgenders still daily deal with because the sex designation on their paper is different from the gender in which they live."   

There were elements of the Dutch trans community who pushed for an Argentinian style Gender Identity Law provision in which you don't need a doctor's statement to change identity documents.

Human Rights Watch also hailed the new law as a positive step.

“The new law is an important step toward equality for transgender people in the Netherlands,” said Boris Dittrich, advocacy director in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. “It puts people in a much stronger position to change their gender identity without intrusive and abusive medical requirements.” 


It's a huge improvement from the previous status quo in which a transperson seeking to change their documentation to match their gender identity not only had to be sterilized, but undergo genital surgery or other unwanted gender modification operations, followed by having to get judicial permission to do so.

That created situations in which Dutch transpeople who objected to the sterilization, genital surgery requirement or judicial intervention chose to live their lives with official documents that didn't correspond with their current gender presentation.    That created problems for them as they applied for jobs, tried to access healthcare, traveled and otherwise had to use that documentation to officially identify themselves.

Since the law had already passed the other Dutch parliamentary chamber, all it needs is King Willem-Alexander's signature to become official.

The new law when it goes into effect in July will go a long way toward solving some of those problems  .

Joanne Cassar Wins! Maltese Government Drops Objections To Her Right To Marry

TransGriot Note: E-mail this one to HRC and Karin Quimby for me will you?

After a protracted legal battle that went all the way to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France and even became an issue in the recent Maltese election, Joanne Cassar's long fight to have her marriage rights recognized is victorious.

The April 2 news that the Maltese government will amend the Marriage Act so that trans people can marry the partners of their choice according to their acquired gender was greeted with jubilation and relief.

But none were happier than Joanne Cassar, who has been battling the Maltese government in court for seven years to be able to marry her male partner.   Cassar won and lost cases in the Maltese court system and eventually took her marriage rights legal wrangle to the ECHR.

She gleefully expressed her satisfaction on social media upon hearing the news that her long battle is finally over. 

Cassar even became an issue in the March 9 Maltese election.   In a public rally March 2 before Maltese voters went to the polls then Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi announced in response to an audience question that his ruling Nationalist Party would if re-elected introduce gender recognition legislation in the next parliament.   Gonzi also claimed that the reason why the Maltese parliament never discussed the transgender recognition private member's bill tabled by then Opposition MP Evarist Bartolo was lack of time.

Never mind the fact that the Gonzi government had been fighting Cassar tooth and nail in the courts and she called him on it.     

Cassar accused the Gonzi administration of exploiting her case for political advantage.  She pointed out the hypocrisy of the same government now promising to enact these trans marriage rights fighting to keep the legal obstacles that stood in the way of her ability to get married.

She noted the Gonzi government had even filed written submissions against her right to marry in her ECHR case in Strasbourg.

Former Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Michael Briguglio then called upon the Gonzi government to stop officially opposing Joanne Cassar in her bid to marry her partner.

"Not only did the government fail to progress the legislation that was tabled through a private member's bill; but it actually fought Joanne Cassar tooth and nail all the way to the Constitutional Court to deny her the fundamental right to marry her male partner," Briguglio said. "This in spite of clear European Court of Human Rights case-law dating back to 2002 which Malta is obliged to respect."

You know how voters in any country hate hypocritical politicians who also get caught misspeaking lying, and Gonzi's party paid dearly at the polls.  The oppostion Labour Party rolled to a 39-26 landslide victory on Election Night making their leader Joseph Muscat the new Prime Minister.   The Nationalists picked up four at large seats later, but the net loss of five seats ended their 15 years in power.

The Malta Gay Rights Movement's coordinator Gabi Calleja was also happy to hear that the Maltese government finally joined the 21st century and conformed to European law. 

"I think it's about time that Joanne Cassar's ordeal was brought to an end, and that we finally conform to European law at least in so far as marriage is concerned."

The right of transgender persons to marry in Europe was firmly established in the 2002 precedent setting case Christine Goodwin vs the United Kingdom in which the ECHR held that it found no justification for barring transsexuals from enjoying the right to marry under any circumstances.
 
Details on the legal amendment will reflect the principle that, by officially recognizing a person's reassigned gender identity through documentation (ID card or driver's license), the State also de facto commits itself to acknowledging and protecting all the rights and privileges associated with that particular gender identity including the right to marry a person of the opposite gender.

Once the legal amendments are in place, the ECHR case filed against Malta by Cassar will be withdrawn, and her legal expenses will be refunded by the State.

Congrats Joanne on winning your long marriage fight that you never should have had to go through in the first place and striking a blow for girls like us around the world.   

Joanne Cassar Is Still Fighting For Her Human Rights

I've been curious to find out what has been transpiring in Joanne Cassar of Malta's life since I wrote my last post on her now seven year roller coaster battle for her right to marry that started in 2006.  

She took her case to the European Court of Human Rights where it was heard in July 2012, and she is now awaiting a ruling on it. 

Still haven't seen anything yet concerning a ruling from the ECHR, but did stumble across a recent Times of Malta article featuring her and detailing some of the foul transphobic crap that has been aimed her way in that European island nation as she fights for her human rights.

In the past the 31-year-old, who underwent gender reassignment surgery nine years ago, has even been beaten up because of who she is. The latest violent episode was three years ago when she was at a carnival party in Gozo.  

“I was walking off the dance floor. I was hit on the head with a bottle and kicked in my chest and stomach. They stole my bag,” she recalled, adding she did not see the point in filing a police report.
“What would I get out of it? I’d end up having to go to court repeatedly… and if I had to file a report each time I’m insulted, I might as well move into the police station,” she said.

“When I sense trouble I tell the bouncer or leave the club, even if it means crying myself to sleep. I try to make it look like I don’t care, but I do. Some people hate people like me and I don’t know why,” she said.

“But my greatest disappointment is that we are in 2013 and I’ve been fighting for a human right for seven years,” she said, referring to a pending case before the European Court of Human Rights where she is fighting for the right to marry.

Yeah, I feel your pain Joanne.  And that's why we're fighting all over the globe to make trans human rights a reality all over the planet so our transkids don't have to endure the crap we've had to deal with.  .

 

Trans Teen, Beauty Queen

I posted in the wake of Jenna Talackova's attempt to win Miss Canada Universe and make it to Miss Universe 2012 the story of Jackie Green's attempt to win Miss England. 

Documentary cameras were following her quest to do so, and here it is.

Femanda Milan Scheduled To Be Deported From Denmark Today

In October 2011 the European Union Parliament adopted asylum standards that stated that EU member nations must now include gender identity as a ground of persecution and take it into account when they make decisions to grant or deny asylum status to people seeking it.

There were three EU nations that opted out of the process, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark. 

Unfortunately that opting out of the trans asylum rules has had a negative effect on Fernanda Milan, a Guatemalan trans activist who was forced to flee her homeland and ended up in Denmark due to horrific anti-trans violence in her central American nation and she being considered a major trans human rights leader in Guatemala.

After arriving in Denmark, her treatment didn't get much better in the nation that once was the place in the early 1950's where Christine Jorgenson transitioned before returning to the United States in 1953.   She was housed in the male wing of the Sandholm Asylum detention camp run by the Danish Red Cross, and several men broke into her room and subsequently raped her.  She was denied the hormones she's been on since age 14. After escaping the detention camp she ended up in a brothel in Jutland for two years until it was raided by the police. 




She was scheduled to be deported today from Denmark back to Guatemala
“What I’m most afraid of when I go back isn’t being killed. What really petrifies me is being attacked and tortured,” Fernanda says, adding that she knows “no transgender people in Guatemala over 35.”

The anti-trans violence in Guatemala is a consequence of the anti-trans attitudes injected into Catholic Church doctrines at the senior levels of the Vatican by Dr. Paul McHugh, who was named a few years ago as their advisor on trans issues.   The Catholic Church has major influence in that nation, and the anti-trans attitudes implanted in Rome in 2003 are now infecting the flock.

Despite the efforts of people in Denmark and around the world, Fernanda's application for asylum was denied and she is being deported.

So if something unfortunate does happens to Fernanda Milan, there will be a lot of people who will have to answer for that.  But the folks with the most soul searching to do will be the people in Denmark who had the chance to act humanely toward her and for whatever reason failed to do so. 

Those people not only failed Fernanda on multiple occasions, but made the decision to deport her back to Guatemala and possible death in the first place.   

TransGriot Update:  Fernanda Milan's case was reopened, so she's still in Denmark for now.  But keep the pressure on the Danish government to either let her stay there or allow her to go to a nation that will accept her.

40th Anniversary Of The Munich Olympic Massacre

If you younglings are wondering why security is a major issue at every Olympic Games and what the moment of silence kerfluffle was about in the runup to the recently concluded London Games, it's because of what happened during the XX Olympic Games in Munich 40 years ago today.

On this date 11 members of the Israeli Olympic delegation and a German policeman died during a failed attempt to end the hostage standoff and rescue nine athletes being held in two helicopters at the NATO Fürstenfeldbruck airbase.  Five of the eight PLO terrorists also died during the failed rescue mission with three survivors being captured..

When Munich won the Olympic bid on April 26, 1966 to host the Games over Madrid, Montreal and Detroit concerns were expressed over the facts this would be the first Summer Olympics held in Germany since the 1936 Berlin Games and Munich was where the Nazi Party was founded and headquartered.

The (West) Germans were extremely sensitive to that history and when the Games opened on August 26, 1972 they wanted to make certain they took every opportunity to present an optimistic, happy, non-militaristic and democratic Germany to the world. 

But there were stormy political clouds intruding on that sunny picture the Germans planned to present to the world.  The IOC denied a request by the Palestine Liberation Organization for it to send a Palestinian team to the Olympic Games, and in response chatter started that retaliation would take place during the Games. There were rumblings and intelligence warnings before the Munich Games started that were unfortunately ignored that some kind of terrorist attack would take place as late as September 2. 

The Israeli Olympic delegation was understandably nervous in the runup to the Munich Games, had asked to have their own security team present, a request that for some reason was denied.   They were concerned during the Games about the lack of armed security guards patrolling the fences surrounding the Olympic Village and lax security procedures to enter and exit it once the Games started on August 26. 

In the early morning hours of September 5 eight members of the PLO terrorist group Black September scaled the two meter (six foot) fence surrounding the Olympic Village dressed in track suits, made it to the apartment building at 31 Connollystrasse housing the Israeli Olympic team, broke in, killed Youssef Romano and Moshe Weinberg, two members of the team that tried to resist the apartment invasion and took the remaining nine members hostage.  Fortunately the female members of the Israeli team were housed in a separate section of the Olympic Village, and the team members participating in the sailing events were 400 km away in Kiel.

It triggered an almost 18 hour standoff between the Black September terrorists and German authorities in which the PLO terrorists demanded the release of over 200 of their comrades in Israeli jails, Germany release the notorious Red Army Faction founders Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof and be given safe passage out of the country in exchange for the Israeli hostages.

Later that evening the terrorists and their hostages were helicoptered to Fürstenfeldbruck airbase  to ostensibly be transported by air to Egypt but in reality were flying into a planned German ambush that went horribly wrong.

A firefight ensued with Anton Fliegerbauer, one of the undermanned German police team members snipers conducting the rescue operation being shot and killed in the control tower along with five of the eight Black September terrorists. 

When the remaining terrorists saw armored cars being deployed they realized their chances of holding out were over.  They shot four of the Israeli hostages on one of the helicopters and then detonated a grenade that resulted in their incineration.   The five remaining Israeli hostages on the second helicopter were then machine-gunned by another terrorist.



In the wake of the attack and amongst mounting international pressure to do so, the IOC suspended Olympic competition for 24 hours and a memorial service was held September 6 in the Olympic stadium for the slain athletes.  The three captured surviving terrorists were later released by the German government October 29 in response to demands by terrorists who hijacked Lufthansa Flight 615.  

Two of the released Munich Massacre terrorists were later allegedly assassinated by Israeli Mossad agents and Jamal Al-Gashey, the surviving Munich Black September attacker is alleged to be still in hiding somewhere in Syria or an unnamed North African nation.

In addition to the Munich Olympic Massacre leading to heightened security at every subsequent Olympic Games, the failed rescue mission led to a German government reassessment of their anti-terrorism policies and forming the elite GSG-9 unit in response to the multiple failures of September 5.  

The Israelis in addition to the Mossad unleashed an anti-terrorism campaign called Operation Act of God with the goal of assassinating individuals in the PLO either directly or indirectly involved with the 1972 Munich Massacre.   

September 5, 1972 still remains 40 years later one of the most horrific days ever for the modern Olympic movement.  I agree with many people including the widows of those 11 Israeli athletes there should have been a moment of silence at the London Games opening ceremony.

Andre Spitzer, Kehat Shorr, Youssef Gutfreund, Amitzur Shapira, Yakov Springer, David Berger, Ze'ev Friedman, Mark Slavin and Eliezer Halfin, those of us who remember what happened on that horrific September 5 day, the world shall never forget you.  

Youssef Romano and Moshe Weinberg, we'll never forget your heroism in sacrificing your lives and giving enough of a warning to your teammates that it allowed several members of your delegation to escape. 

German police officer Anton Fliegerbauer also gave his life in order to rescue the Israeli Olympians.

And shame on you IOC for not taking the time during these just concluded games to remember the September 5 attack and all the people who died in it.

4th European Transgender Council Happening Next Week

As I've pointed out a few times, we North Americans aren't the only trans people on the planet who get together, form organizations and travel to conferences inside and outside our nations.

Transpeople in various parts of the world are having to do so like us for the same reasons we do here in the States and Europe is no exception.

While Europe may seem like a paradise to those of us deep in red-state America, trans human rights coverage varies depending on the nation you live in. 

There are some European nations in which we red-state Americans would instantly recognize the hostile faith-based negativity and repression aimed at transgender people that makes being trans just as challenging here as it can be on our side of the Atlantic.

Every two years Transgender Europe (TGEU), the umbrella organization founded in 2005 in Vienna, Austria with the mission of achieving trans equality and inclusion across Europe has been convening a Transgender European Council focused on issues specific to the European continent. 

Previous TGEU Councils were held in Berlin,Germany in 2008 and Malmo, Sweden in 2010,   It is the first and largest gathering of political transgender activists in Europe that draws upwards of 200 delegates, has well known keynote speakers and panelists, workshops and a diverse cultural program. 

The TGEU Councils serve as a forum setting the agenda for transgender politics in Europe, a celebration of a lively continental; transgender community and handle their political business. It is during this event the General Assembly of TGEU elects its board and steering committee that formulates policy for the organization.  

The 4th Annual European Transgender Council will be taking place September 7-9 in Dublin, Ireland.at Dublin City University.with the theme of 'Realizing Recognition, Respect and Equality.'  

For my European TransGriot readers across the Pond (yes I have international readers, people) interested in or thinking about attending, heres a guide put together by TENI, Transgender Equality Network Ireland.

To my transbrothers and transsisters in Europe, hope you have a wonderful and productive time in Dublin next week.

Some Euro 2012 Fans Can't Say No To Racism

The UEFA Euro 2012 tournament is being co-hosted by the nations of Poland and Ukraine June 8 through July 1.   The group play stage is winding down to its conclusion this weekend to determine the teams that will enter the knockout rounds and be in contention for the European championship.

Because it is an international game, talented players of African descent have long been integral parts of European club teams and several national clubs for years.

In the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament the national sides of England, the Netherlands and France have large visible contingents of African descended players.  Italy has 21 year old striker Mario Balotelli and the Czech Republic has Theodor Gebre Selassie as lone African descended starting players on their national teams. 

While soccer is called 'the beautiful game', one of the ugly stains it struggles with is racism in the sport, especially in European football venues.  There has been a long deplorable history of players and supporters of European based club and national teams uttering racial monkey chants, anti-Semitic epithets and throwing bananas on the pitch at African descended players. 

There were concerns expressed before the Euro 2012 tournament started by groups that monitor racist events at European football matches such as Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) about the wisdom of hosting the tournament in those two nations in light of reports that Ukrainian fans had been videotaped during matches doing Nazi salutes and aiming monkey chants at African descended players


FIFA has been engaged in a ongoing Say No To Racism campaign to clean up the bigoted behavior in the sport since 2001 which I believe also needs to be expanded to combat homophobia and transphobia as well. .  

Superstar players in the sport such as David Beckham have also been outspoken about eliminating racism in 'the beautiful game' as well.

UEFA (Union of European Football Associations, the governing body for soccer in Europe) has a zero tolerance policy and rules that make national football associations responsible for their fans' boorish behavior.   Punishments can range from warnings and a sliding scale of fines to points deductions and even expulsion from future Euro tournaments.

Reports out of the first week of Euro 2012 are justifying the concerns that FARE and other groups had when the tournament was initially awarded to Poland and Ukraine.  It seems that old bigoted habits are dying hard. 

Even before the tournament started, The Netherlands national squad was highly pissed off about their players being subjected to racist chants during an open training session in Krakow a day after they visited the nearby Auschwitz concentration camp.

Reports have surfaced that during the June 10 Spain-Italy and June 14 Croatia-Italy matches elements of the Spanish and Croatian fan bases started monkey chants aimed at Balotelli.  The Croatians took it a step further by not only doing the chants but throwing a banana onto the pitch.

Croatia has a particularly egregious history of racist abuse.  They were fined by UEFA for deploying neo-Nazi flags and shouting racist chants during a Euro 2008 quarterfinal loss to Turkey and fined by FIFA for an incident in a World Cup qualifying match in Zagreb in which England's Emile Heskey was subjected to racist taunts.

Croatia has been formally charged for the incidents in Thursday's Croatia-Italy match in Poznan and the Croatian Football Federation is rapidly distancing themselves from the bigoted elements of their supporter base.


During the June 8 Russia-Czech Republic match in Wroclaw reports are surfacing that some of Russia's nekulturny supporters aimed racist monkey chanting at Gebre Selassie, and UEFA is investigating those charges with Russia's sports minister vehemently denying them. 

If those reports are true, then it's karmic justice that the Czech Republic qualified for the knockout round despite being beaten 4-1 by Russia thanks to Greece beating the Russians.1-0 in group play.

Now that UEFA is starting to crack down, we'll see if this chills out the racist supporters of some of the national teams still left in the Euro 2012 tournament and if the threat of severe UEFA sanctions or banishment from Euro 2016 will be enough to get those fans to say no to racism at this tournament.

Rihanna Goes Off On Euro Racism

I love Rihanna, and I was not a happy camper to hear about her having to deal with two racist incidents on the European continent within mere days of each other. 

She's there for the European leg of her 'Loud' tour, and while at a hotel in Portugal before her December 18 concert date in Lisbon was incensed when a guest went on a racist rant about Black women he aimed at her.

RiRi called his bigoted behind out before getting the manager involved and reported on her Twitter feed:

"I just met the most racist **** EVER!!! This man said the craziest shit abt black women called us dogs, sluts, we don't look like s**t, we don't belong in the same hotels ... needless to say, the #NIGGA in me came out! Bajan accent and all! Lol! Turns out the hotel manager's black.


"Oh and he had the NERVE to diss black people in his Tighty whitey's!!!! SMH...and tbh a lil black wouldn't hurt him (sic)"

Then while she was still fuming about what happened in Portugal a caca storm blew up about an article written about her signature style in the Dutch fashion magazine Jackie.  It referred to her as a 'n***ab**ch" in the headline and RiRi had to put now former editor of that magazine Eva Hoeke in check as well

"@evajackie I hope u can read english, because your magazine is a poor representation of the evolution of human rights! I find you disrespectful, and rather desperate!! You ran out of legit, civilized information to print! There are 1000's of Dutch girls who would love to be recognized for their contributions to your country, you could have given them an article.  "Instead, u paid to print one degrading an entire race! That's your contribution to this world! To encourage segregation, to mislead the future leaders to act in the past! You put two words together, with the intent of abasement, that made no sense...'N---A BITCH'?!"

"Well with all respect, on behalf of my race, here are my two words for you ... F---K YOU!!!"

After a weak azz apology in which Hoeke tried to claim it was a misunderstood joke (where have we heard that bull feces before?)  she resigned as editor of Jackie magazine.

Anna Grodzka Officially Makes History

The new session of the Polish parliament opened today with not only the first openly gay MP, Robert Biedron taking the oath of office but with Anna Grodzka becoming the first trans member.

Grodzka becomes only the third trans person worldwide after Georgina Beyer in New Zealand and Vladimir Luxuria in Italy to win election to her nation's highest legislative body. 

"It is a symbolic moment, but we owe this symbolism not to me but to the people of Poland because they made their choice," Grodzka told The Associated Press. "They wanted a modern Poland, a Poland open to variety, a Poland where all people would feel good regardless of their differences. I cannot fail them in their expectations."

Best of luck and much success to you MP Grodzka in representing your constituents and the trans community of Poland.

European Parliament Extends EU Asylum Standards To Transpeople

Noting the increased levels of persecution being aimed at transpeople around the world, the European Parliament voted today to formally adopt a new set of asylum rules that takes gender identity into account as a ground of prosecution that EU member states must take into account.

The resolution adopted by the European Parliament today now specifies that “gender related aspects, including gender identity, shall be given due consideration”. The text now refers to gender identity specifically, and obliges Member States to consider gender-related aspects.

Before today EU countries could still choose not to consider aspects linked to the applicant’s gender in asylum claims.

This new resolution text applies to all EU Member States except the United Kingdom, which opted out of EU asylum policies.  Ironically the resolution was drafted by British MEP Jean Lambert. 

MEP Dennis de Jone, who is the Vice President of the European Parliament's Intergroup on LGBT Rights said, “Around the world, transgender people can be persecuted for who they are. This reviewed Directive will recognize the danger they face, and it will commit EU Member States to taking gender identity into account in asylum claims. I hope in a future revision it will also become mandatory to consider the sexual orientation of applicants.”

The new binding rules will become applicable to asylum cases after they are transposed into the national laws of the various EU members with the exception of Great Britain, Ireland, and Denmark, who opted out of the process.  Croatia is scheduled to become an EU member on July 1, 2013 and will adapt their national asylum laws to mesh with the just passed EU rules.

But this is wonderful news to transpeople who are facing persecution in their home countries just for being transgender and wish to make an EU nation their new home. 

Poland Elects Trans MP

For the first time since 2008, there will be a transperson sitting in their nation's highest legislative body.

57 year old Anna Grodzka is a member of the newly minted liberal party called Pallikot's Support Movement, which stunned the political establishment in Poland by garnering 10 percent of the vote in Sunday's election..

The party was founded by vodka tycoon Janusz Palikot who was a lawmaker in Prime Minister Donald Tusk's center-right Civic Platform until he got exasperated with the party's conservatism on social issues and broke away to form his own party.   Pallikot's Support Movement has attracted younger voters with its support for gay rights, abortion and legalization of soft drugs and with its attacks on the influential Roman Catholic Church

Grodzka is also an example of what can happen if you just step out there, put yourself in the game and get in it to win it. "I decided to be a candidate for Palikot's Movement because I want the voice of people who are excluded and discriminated against in the Polish political system to be heard," she wrote in her blog. "I believe that little by little does the trick."

She garnered 19,541 votes in the Krakow II electoral district to secure her place in the Sejm, Poland's lower house of Parliament.  She is set to become the first transperson in Poland to become an MP and the first in Europe since Vladimir Luxuria lost her seat in the Italian elections in 2008.

Georgina Beyer, the world first transsexual to be elected to their national legislative body, retired from New Zealand's Parliament after serving as a Labour MP from November 27, 1999 until February 14, 2007

Grodzka is the founder and president of NGO Trans-Fuzja, and has her work cut out for her in her stated mission of help Poles understand the problems of people who transition as she did last year.   The Polish anti-discrimination law of 2010 does not include gender identity nor gender expression as possible grounds for discrimination.

Congrats Anna on making some trans history.  May you be wildly successful in your dual missions of representing your constituents and fostering increased understanding of transpeople in a staunchly Catholic Poland.