Miss America 2019 Says Trans Women Should Be Allowed To Compete

Today was the day 35 years ago that Vanessa Williams, who repped New York state, was crowned as the first ever Black Miss America back in 1983.

The 92nd annual competition took place in Atlantic City, NJ on September 9.  This year's newly crowned Miss America, like the trailblazing Williams, is also a Black woman repping New York state in 25 year old Nia Imani Franklin.

Franklin is the ninth Black woman to wear the Miss America crown, and she was recently asked her thoughts during a The Clay Cane Show interview concerning whether trans feminine contestants should be allowed to compete for the Miss America title.

Y'all know what my thoughts are concerning that question.   Here's what Ms. Franklin had to say about it:

"That’s something I haven’t given a lot of thought to. I could see the organization may be going into a different direction in the future, but at this time our goal is just to focus on women who want to further their education.” 

She continued, “If trans women want to compete I think they should be able to — that’s not something I think we are really putting too much emphasis on as far as, ‘Are you trans? Check this box’ when you compete. When I competed, in my application, there was nothing that asked me if I was a trans woman or not, so we’re definitely not discriminating.”

Yes, you are when the pageant has a rule that states only 'natural born women', whatever in the hell that means, can compete in the Miss America system.  

The Miss Universe system has had since 2012 allowed trans women to compete, and later this year in Bangkok we will finally witness a trans woman competing for the Miss Universe crown in Spain's Angela Ponce. 

But the 98 year old Miss America system, despite moves to modernize the pageant and make it more relevant to 21st century life, like ditching the swimsuit competition for a current events Q&A, still bans trans women from competing.

But glad to hear the current Miss America titleholder thinks trans women who fit the pageant's eligibility requirements should be allowed to compete for this prestigious crown.

And I hope that change happens sooner rather than later.

Arizona CVS Pharmacist Denies Trans Woman Her Hormones

Ever since these so called 'religious freedom' laws were proposed by the Republican conservafools and their evilgelical accomplices, I and other non-white Americans long ago saw through the transparent attempt to reinstitute Jim Crow style discrimination and aim it at TBLGQ people.

I saw the danger of giving people the right to refuse service based on specious religious grounds, because I believed it would be aimed at the trans community and other non-white groups the fundies didn't like.

This past weekend the news broke that back in April, Hilde Hall went to her local CVS store in her Phoenix suburb of Fountain Hills, AZ to get her hormone prescription filled.

Her excitement about that happening quickly turned to anxiety and anger when the pharmacist not only refused to fill her prescription, but committed a possible HIPAA violation by loudly outing her to other CVS employees and pharmacy customers.  In addition, the transphobic pharmacist refused to give back the written prescription so she could get it filled at another pharmacy.

Hmm, wonder what right wing church this now unemployed transphobe attends?. 

FYI, CVS has a perfect score on HRC's Corporate Equality Index, which trans advocates for several year now have said has flaws when it comes to trans rights issues.

Hall's doctor was forced to call in the prescription to another pharmacy, which was filled with no drama at a nearby Walgreens.    Hall called the CVS Customer Service twice line to complain about her unjust treatment, but her concerns weren't addressed until she filed a complaint with the Arizona State Board of Pharmacists and started talking to the ACLU.

CVS to their credit, has apologized to Ms. Hall for the incident, and as I alluded to earlier in this story fired the transphobic pharmacist in question.  Too bad we don't have that pharmacist's name so they can be shamed for being a reprehensible bigot. . 

Note to you medical transphobes.   If you attended or are planning to attend a medical, nursing or pharmacy school and think your right wing 'dry as dust' fundie 'faith' gives you the right to discriminate against LGBTQ people or anyone you don't like, no boo boo kitty, it doesn't.

Our LGBTQ tax dollars pay for the upkeep and maintenance of those medical, nursing or pharmacy school you matriculated at with the implied contract that once you graduate and get licensed by the state, you would serve the health needs of the general public.

The 'general public' in this case also includes transgender people.   If your transphobic or homophobic behind can't or won't serve all citizens once you get those medical or pharmacy degrees, and you are citing BS religious freedom laws as your justification, then do society a favor and don't become a doctor, nurse, psychologist or a pharmacist in the first place

Trump's, the Republican Party and the evilgelical wing attacks on trans Americans have emboldened low level bigots to feel they can exercise their oppressor gene with impunity.

These bigots are fortunately finding out that acting on their transphobia can be a job killing exercise.

It is critically important that we stand up for our humanity and human rights, and corporations stand with us and let it be known in no uncertain terms that discrimination against anyone is a fireable offense 
 

Trump Trying To Push Medical Transphobia

One of the things that I and every Black trans person is painfully aware of is the story of Tyra Hunter. 

On August 7, 1995 she was involved a survivable SE Washington DC traffic accident.  She was unfortunately denied medical care by DC Fire Department EMT Adrian Williams and at the hospital where she was eventually transported and died as a result of the medical transphobia she experienced.

Tyra Hunter is not the only case of documented medical transphobia that resulted in death.   There's the case of Robert Eads, whose story is told in the documentary Southern Comfort.   He died of ovarian cancer because 20 doctors refused to take him on as a patient and treat the disease when it was detected in the early stages and he had better odds of surviving it

These are mine and my community's nightmare scenarios as trans persons when it comes to medical care, and it's why we cheered when the Affordable Care Act was passed with provisions in it to end medical discrimination and medical transphobia aimed at transgender Americans.

Now Dear Orange Idiot, in his never ending attempts to pander to white fundamentalists who hate the trans community, is proposing that medical personnel be allowed to deny treatment to transgender people on the basis of their religious beliefs. 

Not no but hell no will we allow that to happen

What Trump is proposing is allowing the Health and Human Services civil rights office to protect healthcare workers who don't want to provide abortions, treat transgender patients, help them transition or any other medical procedures they have a religious or moral objection to like artificial insemination a woman who is part of a lesbian couple who wishes to have a child.
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This is the use of religion to hurt people because you disapprove of who they are," said Harper Jean Tobin of the National Center for Transgender Equality. "Any rule that grants a license to discriminate would be a disgrace and a mockery of the principle of religious freedom we all cherish."

For for faith based bigots who are in the medical professions, if you didn't want to serve and provide care for all people as you Hippocratic Oath and various professional ethics orgs require you to do, then you should have NEVER gotten into those health care professions in the first place.   

If Health and Human Services goes there, see y'all in court.

NBA Sends Warning To Texas GOP About SB 6

After the NFL's Vice President of Communications sent Texas a warning about the unjust SB 6 that passage of it would put an end to Dallas or Houston hosting any Super Bowls or other NFL events, that Gov. Greg Abbott (R) whined about, the NBA has now weighed in with a warning about SB 6, or what I call the Texas Transgender Oppression Bill.

“We consider a wide range of factors when making decisions about host locations for league-wide events like the All-Star Game – foremost among them is ensuring the environment where those who participate and attend are treated fairly and equally" 

-NBA spokesman Mike Bass  

The state of Texas has three NBA franchises in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.  Dallas last hosted the NBA All Star Game at Reunion Arena n 1986, and San Antonio did so at the Alamodome in 1996.   Houston has hosted the NBA All Star Game three times.  It was played in the Astrodome in 1989, and in 2006 and most recently in 2013 at Toyota Center.

The NBA isn't playing with you Texas Republicans either and is now sending the first warning shot to our GOP controlled legislature, GOP governor and GOP lieutenant governor that SB 6 needs to die.  The league after repeated warnings to the state of North Carolina and its repressive GOP controlled legislature that the game was in jeopardy, yanked the 2017 All Star Game out of Charlotte and moved it to New Orleans because of the passage of HB2.  

I repeat.  We have three cities with competitive NBA franchises that this bill would negatively impact along with the convention and tourism business of Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.

I have to wonder if that is the intention of our predominately white, rural and GOP dominated Texas legislature to out of spite pass laws like SB 6 to intentionally hurt the folks who choose to live in our diverse cities, not realizing they are hurting themselves and this state's economy when they do so..

I ask the question once again.  How far do you want to go Texas Republican Party to prove to your base how badly you want to oppress trans people?  .