Kansas Trans People Suing State For Right To Change Birth Certificates

Kansas is one of three states  (Ohio and Tennessee are the other two) that obstinately refuse to allow trans people born there  to change their birth certificates under any circumstances. 

It's BS, so four Kansas trans residents filed a federal lawsuit on October 15 to change that unjust policy.   I was happy to discover but not surprised to find out that two of the four people suing are my Kansas based BTAC fam in Luc Bensimon and Nyla Foster

The lawsuit argues that the Kansas policy violates the due process and equal protection clauses of the Constitution.   It's also arguing that the policy violates the plaintiff's free speech rights.

The other plaintiffs in the suit are a transperson person identified as C.K., Jessica Hicklin, and the Kansas Statewide Education project (K-STEP)

The defendants are Jeff Anderson, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment; Elizabeth W. Saadi, the Kansas state registrar; and Kay Haug, director of the state’s vital statistics office, a unit of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Bensimon said the state's unjust policy made it easier for people to discriminate against him, “on top of the discrimination I already confront based on my disability.”

“I’m here to seek justice,” said Nyla Foster, a transgender woman and one of the plaintiffs. “My birth certificate does not reflect the gender I identify as, and I’m here to correct it so I can move forward with my life.”|

At a press conference in front of the federal courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas, Lambda legal attorney Omar Gonzalez-Pagan explained why it was challenging the state's transphobic documentation stance.

"A birth certificate is more than a piece of paper.It's the quintessential identity document that follows a person from birth to death.  It must reflect a person's identity."

Gonzales-Pagan also pointed out that birth certificates can determine access to education, employment, healthcare, travel and impact the ability to obtain other identity documents.

Good luck to you in overturning this unjust policy.  Thanks Lambda Legal for having our backs again.

Sharice Davids Wins Kansas 3rd District Dem Congressional Primary!

This 2018 election cycle is shaping up as one in which Native American women will make potentially historic gains if things break right for them on November 6. 

Paulette Jordan captured the Democratic nomination for Idaho governor.  In New Mexico Deb Haaland won the Democratic nomination for the 1st Congressional District seat by double digits back in June, and she is favored to win in the general election.

Now in Kansas we have Sharice Davids, who knocked off a Bernie backed candidate that he and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez controversially came west to campaign for.

Davids beat Brent Welder by over 2000 votes in the Kansas 3rd District race to capture the nomination.

Hillary Clinton won this district in 2016 by a single point over Trump 47%-46%

Davids will face off against incumbent Rep. Kevin Yoder (R), a House Appropriations Committee member who has held this seat since 2011.   Yoder won his GOP primary race with only 68% of the vote after casting votes for Obamacare repeal and the steep GOP tax cuts.

That primary performance was noted by the esteemed Cook Political Report, who moved this KS-3 race from Lean R into the Toss Up category

This is another race in which a woman has beaten a male candidate on the Democratic side, and now Davids gets a shot at sending Yoder back to Kansas while making some electoral history of her own.

If she wins on November 6, she would become one of two Native American women elected to Congress.

Here's hoping that happens for her in 91 days. 
 

Black Trans Advocacy Conference Regional Summits

While we're counting down to the sixth annual Black Trans Advocacy Conference in Dallas next April, BTAC executive director Carter Brown is hitting the road for a series of BTAC regional summit events that will take place in several cities around the country.

The first one was in Topeka, Kansas August 26-27, with upcoming ones in New York on September 10, Atlanta September 24-25 at the Phillip Rush Center, and Baltimore October 7-9 at a location TBD.

As more are scheduled will pass that information along to you.




The New York event will start at 12 PM, and if you're interested, head on over to 115 W 113th St to check it out.

The goal of the BTAC summits is a multi faceted one..  In addition to getting the opportunity to meet Carter and other local BTAC leaders, it's spreading the word about the Dallas based national conference that is unique in trans conference world of being focused on Black trans people.

While this conference is focused on Black trans people, we encourage trans people of all ethnic backgrounds to come along with allies and significant others.

The BTAC regional summits summits are also seeking people interested in starting Black Transmen, Inc (BTMI) and Black Transwomen Inc (BTWI) local chapters, joining existing local chapters, participants and regional sponsors for the Black Trans International Pageantry System (BTIPS) pageants, people interested in stepping up to become leaders in BTMI/BTWI, and people wishing to help plan the 2017 BTAC national conference.

At a time in which right wing politicians are attacking the trans community and bald face lying to deny our existence combined with faux faith based resistance to our trans lives, events like BTAC are critical to building self esteem, and meeting and bonding with other trans people from around the world.    We were blessed at this year's event to have trans people from Brazil and Jamaica attend this year, and that's one pattern I hope continues for BTAC

Events like these regional summits help them get the word out about the conference and hopefully get people to come and check it out.

The 2017 BTAC Conference that will take place in Dallas April 24-30 is now in its 6th year, and is setting a goal of breaking its attendance record set earlier this year of 150 participants.

So hope that you can attend one of the regional summits when it comes you way, and even better, if you can attend the BTAC national conference that is now just eight months away from happening.

RIP Tyreece Walker

One of the things I've been afraid of with all the anti-trans hatred being pushed by Republican politicians and the conservative movement, that it will result in a spike in anti-trans hate crimes, assaults and murders.

We've lost another of our trans sisters this week when 32 year old Tyreece Walker was stabbed to death in Wichita, KS  on Sunday after an altercation in her apartment complex in SW Wichita with a 16 year old.

The 16 year old boy was arrested and charged with second degree murder, and Wichita police have ruled out hate crime charges.  Meanwhile, the mother of the arrested teen is claiming that the deceased tried to sexually assault her child.

Gee, wonder where she got that idea from?

According to Walker's friend Victoria, she told KAKE-TV that not only was that allegation false, Reecey dreamed of one day becoming a counselor so that she could help other people going through the same trans related drama she was dealing with.

"(She) wanted to get a degree in psychology or social work to try to become a counselor to help other people try to get through some of the same struggles (she) had been through," Victoria said.

Unfortunately, a 16 year old transphobe ended those dreams for her.  

And once again we have another Black trans woman under 40 who has had her life cut short due to anti-trans ignorance and hatred.  .I'm so tired of my young trans sisters being killed and the ongoing silence from mianstream Black orgs about it.   Don't our Black lives matter, too?   
Rest in power and peace Reecey!  Your trans brothers and sisters will do what we can to ensure that justice is served in this case, because your Black trans life mattered..

Split Decision In Saturday Democratic Primary Contests

It was a split decision in Saturday's contests for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. 

There were two caucuses in Kansas and Nebraska, and a primary election in Louisiana.  While Sanders won the two Democratic caucuses in once again, predominately white states, Clinton won the Louisiana primary handily fueled by once again, the African-American vote.

The end result was that Sanders lost ground to Clinton despite the two caucus wins.  Blowout win in primary state worth 51 delegates trumps (pun not intended) two caucus wins in state worth combined 55 delegates split proportionately.

Lets look at the math.  Sanders won 37 delegates in Kansas and Nebraska to Clinton's 22.  but because he lost in Louisiana, Sanders only received 12 delegates while Clinton gained 39 delegates

Sanders total delegates add up to 49, Clinton received 61 which means that she increased her lead by another 11 delegates last night.   

Drip, Drip Drip.  And while that was happening, she continued to add to that massive superdelegate lead, with more commitments coming her way in the runup to a critical week of contests starting on Tuesday.

Tuesday's contests will talk place in Michigan (130 delegates), Mississippi (36 delegates) and the Democratic caucus in Maine in which 25 delegates will be available.

And FYI,  Michigan and Mississippi have large Black populations, Maine doesn't.

This is the lead in to the five Democratic primary contests in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio in which 691 delegates will be up for grabs and once again, Sanders supporters, Black voters will have a major say in who wins those states.

And FYI, just another reminder that early voting is happening in Florida right now..

Clinton is inching closer to that magic number of 2.383 delegates, and we'll have a better idea how close she is to the prize that eluded her in 2008 after this weekend.

Equality House Gets A Makeover For TDOR

The Equality House is a home across the street from the Westboro Baptist Hate Church in Topeka, KS that was purchased by and is run by the organization Planting Peace.   

It's a 501c3 organization that challenges the hateful rhetoric of the Phelps Phamily and is usually painted in the colors of the rainbow flag.   Equality House has in the past sponsored events such as a gay wedding, a drag show and hosted a child's lemonade stand for peace in shouting distance of Phelps and his church hate clan.

On Tuesday, in honor of today's Transgender day of Remembrance, the Rainbow House got a makeover and was painted in the colors of the trans pride flag..  

“The reason we’re painting the house is to send a positive message” of acceptance and equality, said Davis Hammet, director of operations for Planting Peace.

To mark TDOR, at 6:30 PM CST Equality House along with the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Topeka, the Kansas Statewide Transgender Education Project, or K-STEP, and Equality Kansas will hold a candlelight vigil tonight. 

Stephanie Mott, executive director of K-STEP, said in a Topeka Capital-Journal report that Kansas needs more awareness of transgender issues, and people should take the time to get to know each other rather than making judgments based on gender identity.

“What I want people to understand is, who I am is in here,” she said, gesturing to her heart. “My body is what carries me around.”

And the Equality House looks good in its fresh for TDOR paint job.

Lawrence, KS Passes Trans Protective Law

Back in February Manhattan, KS became the first city in the state to pass a trans rights law.  Noting the competitive rivalry between the two cities who are homes to Kansas State and KU I wrote at the time

Since there's always been this rivalry between Manhattan and Lawrence because of the two universities they house, time will tell if Lawrence, the home of the University of Kansas, will step up to the plate and protect its TBLG citizens against discrimination like Manhattan did.

Well, can I call it or what?  Lawrence, KS just passed a trans protective law on a 4-1 vote last night.

The Lawrence City Commission during a two hour meeting in front of an overflow crowd of 70 people added gender identity to the city's anti-discrimination code, making it illegal for employers, landlords and most businesses to discriminate against people who are transgender.

The lone NO vote was from Lawrence City Commissioner Mike Amyx, who said he was not comfortable overruling two previous votes by the city's Human Relations Commission that recommended the ordinance not be adopted.  

Mayor Aron Cromwell had an opposing viewpoint from Amyx, and stated the vote to change the city code was a matter of opposing discrimination.
 
"This is not about morality," Mayor Cromwell said. "It is about discrimination."

It sure is Mayor Cromwell.   Congratulations for stepping up in the civil rights game and matching the 'Little Apple' in protecting the civil and human rights of the trans citizens of Lawrence. 


TransGriot Note: Was just advised Manhattan, KS has regressed on the TBLG inclusive law they passed originally on a 3-2 vote.  Tea Klux Klan legislators ended up on the Manhattan City Council in April and reversed what had positively been done.  

Elections matter people, and it's much harder to keep your rights than it is the get them in the first place, especially when you have religious zealots and bigots that wont rest until you have none.