Let My People Pee In Scotland

Here we go again with cis people tripping about a trans woman peeing in the ladies room.  The latest report of this BS comes from Scotland.

Hannah Leith has been transitioning full time for less than a year and after doing some window shopping around noon local time handled her business in the ladies room at the Paisley Centre.

She has done this countless times since starting her transition, but on this occasion  Leith was stopped by an overzealous security guard who obviously isn't aware of the 2010 Equality Act.  She was advised by the guard someone filed a complaint about her using the bathroom and told she was only to use the men's or disabled toilets.  

When she pointed out the Equality Act says otherwise, the guard responded with if she attempted to use the female bathrooms she would be banned from the center.

Leith went on to say to PinkNews.com.uk:“It was not made clear whether a staff member or a member of the public had made this complaint… I have lived full-time as a woman since last August and this disgusts me.”

FYI, the 2010 Equality Act (as the radfems are painfully finding out) bars discrimination based on gender reassignment, sex and sexual orientation. 

Leith went to a nearby library and printed out the pertinent sections of the Equality Act in an attempt to civilly discuss the matter with mall management but no one was available.   She was stopped by a different Paisley Centre security guard when she attempted to use the bathroom again.

UK Stonewall and the Scottish Transgender Alliance were appalled by the news and pointed out in the Pink News article that “refusal to allow use of sanitary facilities appropriate to the gender in which the person is living”, is in breach of the Equality Act.

It's also a breach of common sense, decency and humanity.   Let my people pee, Scotland!.

Let Damian Walk In Male Cap And Gown MoveOn.org Petition

A MoveOn.org petition has been created by Torrey Moorman in support of Albuquerque, NM transteen Damian Garcia.

The petition was created with the goal of getting St Pius High School to allow Damian to walk in his rapidly approaching May 22 graduation in the  black cap and gown for male students.

Here's what I posted when I signed the petition, which has over 20,000 signatures at the time I compiled this post
: 
This is a no brainer situation.   Damian identifies as a male, has been presenting as one for over a year,and his classmates, faculty and family recognize him as one.

You only graduate from high school once, so why not let Damian walk in the black male gown?

Why not indeed, St Pius High School?  Your transphobic resistance to doing the decent and right thing and trying to hide behind the policy excuse only makes you look more bigoted to the rest of the world and reinforces the disturbing decade long pattern of the Roman Catholic Church being hostile to trans people.

TransGriot Update: The petition reached its goal of 25,000 signatures and is now shooting for 30,000.

Israeli School Firing Award Winning Trans Teacher For Coming Out

The international trans community discovered thanks to Dana International's 1998 Eurovision win that transpeople exist in Israel.

Because of the subsequent media attention Dana, other Israeli trans women and the Paper Dolls documentary garnered, Israel on the surface has the reputation in the international trans community of being the most trans friendly spot in the Middle East compared to its regional neighbors. 

But disturbing news is coming out of that nation that is making people in the international trans community question the trans friendly perception.

This one also concerns me as a proud teacher's kid.

According to Gay Star News, an award winning mathematics teacher named Marina is facing dismissal after she openly talked to her students about being a trans woman.

Marina has been and outstanding teacher and mentor for the last three years and says that Israel’s Center for Educational Technology (CET) wants her fired for merely discussing her gender identity.

Marina is justifiably shocked that this is happening especailly since there have been no complaints filed against her.  She pointed out in a Channel 2 Israel interview: ‘I tried to explain that I am a human being just like they are and that it has no bearing on me being professional, and they need to accept people as they are’


She also pointed out ongoing work with pupils includes small talk, and she refuses to hide her identity, ‘coming out should encourage teachers to come out to students to teachers so that neither teachers nor students feel ashamed of themselves’.

Eran Dey of Israel’s LGBT community Facebook page, told Gay Star News: ‘I think transgender people are the least well treated out of the LGBT community in Israel. Employees make their life a living hell if they even manage to make it through a job interview, due to prejudice.


'I find it crucial for cases like Marina’s to go before court to ensure that future employers in Israel would treat transgender and genderqueer people with dignity, equality and respect’.

Yadin Sapir, chair of Ha’vanaa, an organization dedicated to fighting against homophobia and transphobia told Gay Star News: ‘It is particularly insulting to hear a claim as if she wasn’t ‘qualified’ to speak with her students; a claim that hints that the fact she’s a transgender woman is ‘embarrassing’ to CET and requires a ‘special qualification’ when it comes to being discussed with students.

‘This highlights the need not only to bring the institution to court but also to conduct diversity training to employers in Israel’.

Canadian Trans Woman Discriminated Against At Bridal Shop

All Rohit Singh wanted to do when she stepped into Jenny's Bridal Boutique in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with her fiance was buy a dress for her upcoming wedding.

After perusing a few outfits she liked she asked to try one on.  Unfortunately Jenny Correia, the transbigoted owner of the shop refused to let her do so because of her impression that Singh was a man.

"She said, sorry we don't allow men to wear dresses here," Singh recalled. "I said I'm not a man, I'm transgender."

Correia was unrepentant according to a CBC article on the incident.

"To me it doesn't matter," Correia said. "He looked like a man. There was quite a few brides in the store. If you see a man trying on dresses, you're going to feel uncomfortable."

Um Jenny, it does matter, and you're going to find out soon enough when you get hit with that formal complaint about your nekulturny behavior Singh is filing with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.

She did find a red bridal gown at the My Lynh Bridal shop in Saskatoon that did value her business and according to Singh, gave her excellent customer service on top of it.

She also now happily married and continuing her gender transition.

Now, what is the moral of this story trans people and allies?   Having airtight public accommodations language in your trans human rights laws matters.  This is why C-279 is needed and continued pressure needs to be put on the Conservative dominated Canadian Senate to pass it.

TransGriot Update: A protest and rally attended by Singh and dozens of supporters was held in front of the transphobic bridal shop May 4.

Washington DC Shelter Drops Trans Ban

Lakiesha Washington was homeless and needed help when she showed up April 3 at the John L. Young Shelter for Women.  But instead of help, because she is a girl like us she got denied entry.

An unidentified female employee at the shelter located three blocks from the US Capitol building asked Washington, “Are you a woman or a man,” the lawsuit says. “Ms. Washington replied, ‘I’m a transgender woman.’ The employee then asked Ms. Washington if she had any documentation, to which Ms. Washington replied that she did not.”

The lawsuit says the employee then told Ms. Washington, “We don’t do transgenders here. You have to leave.”

Never mind the fact this is a violation of the DC Human Rights Act that since 2005 prohibits discrimination against people based on gender identity or expression.  The John L. Young Center was dealing with a previous Office of Human Rights complaint of anti-trans discrimination filed back in February by the DC Trans Coalition's Andy Bowen that had reached the investigation and mediation stage.  

New Hope Ministries executive director John Shetterly was advised of that on March 18 by Sterling Washington, the director of the DC Office of Human Affairs according to a story in the Washington Blade and still took no action to bring the center into compliance with the DC Human Rights Act. 

The center is run by Woodbridge, VA based New Hope Ministries, but because it is receiving funding by the DC government, that makes it subject to the Act. 


The DC Trans Coalition along with Ms.Washington filed a lawsuit against the center April 5 and negotiated a temporary restraining order that allows her and future transwomen into the shelter. 

In addition, the staff of the John L. Young Center will undergo trans sensitivity training conducted by Earline Budd's organization Trans Health Empowerment and the Mayor's Office of GLBT Affairs.   Ms. Bowen will withdraw her complaint as part of the agreement and the John L. Young Center will improve the privacy of its bathrooms and showers so no one gets outed on the basis of their genitalia.

“This is a great day for all transgender people,” said Washington. “Nobody should have to face discrimination and humiliation, and thanks to this case, homeless transgender people will be now be safer.”


“DC has great nondiscrimination laws, but good laws do not equal adequate enforcement,” said Bowen. “This case showed the need for more vigilant enforcement, and if DC Trans Coalition has anything to do with it, enforcement’s gonna happen.”

And it's nice to see the arc of the moral universe quickly bending toward justice for Ms. Washingon and all trans people in the District of Colombia. 

Thousands Call On Smith College To End Trans Applicant Discrimination

GLAAD, students, alumni voice support of trans-inclusive admissions policy

New York, April 11, 2013 - GLAAD, the nation's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy organization, today announced that it has joined more than 3,000 Change.org petition signers and student organizers at Smith College to call for an end to the school's policy that unfairly rejects the admission applications of some transgender women. That petition is available here: http://change.org/smithadmissions In March, Smith denied admission to Calliope Wong because the gender marker on her FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Financial Aid) form did not match her stated gender identity of female.  Despite Smith's reputation for being inclusive, this policy turns a blind eye to the many complications and challenges trans people - especially youth - sometimes face when attempting to correct gender markers on personal identification documents. "Through the pressure from this petition and the campaign in general, I hope that Smith College becomes a more responsible and transparent institution," said Wong. "What that means to me is that Smith College will no longer use arbitrary and legally dubious bars against transwomen in the application and admissions process." "Thousands of Smith's supporters are telling the school that it needs to end its policy of refusing to consider the applications of women whom they decide aren't 'woman enough' based on inconsistent documents," said GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz. "Smith is setting a poor example to all of its students by not even accepting the applications of women like Calliope." "To me, the inclusion of trans women at women's colleges is a feminist issue. Trans women experience misogyny on multiple levels, making it all the more important that they have access to affirmative women's spaces like Smith," said Smith Q&A member and student Elli Palmer. Smith Q&A organizer Ollie Schwartz agreed, saying, "While Smith admissions policies remain muddled, one thing is becoming clear: our communities will not stand idly by while trans women are treated differently." Blogger and Yale student Sarah Giovanniello has been writing about Wong's story. She noted that, "the support the petition has received in just a few days is overwhelming. I hope that the widespread attention Calliope's case has gotten communicates to the Smith administration how important trans women's rights are and should be to the college's mission. Ideally, the college would commit providing trans women with the same level of support as any other applicants." For more information, visit http://glaad.org/smithadmissions ### About GLAAD: GLAAD amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD on Facebook and Twitter.

Colorado Transteens Battling Bathroom Drama

Colorado is one of the states that has had a trans protective rights law on the books since 2008 but it seems like some of the haters and the clueless haven't gotten the message yet.

First it was Bobbi Montoya and her request to join a Girl Scout troop being denied and now this latest drama over the porcelain throne room.

16 year old transteen Dionne Malikowski and her friend 16 year old transman Kurt Peters are catching flack from Fort Collins High School officials over the bathroom..

She and Kurt were asked to use the staff restrooms, but as Dionne pointed out, staff bathrooms are not spread out over the entire school campus and when you gotta go, you gotta go.  Dionne used a non staff bathroom and was suspended for three days from school because of it.    Kurt was in the same situation but was only given a warning. 

What do they want them to do, pee in the hallways if they aren't near a staff bathroom? .

"I cried," Malikowski said in a KUSA-TV9 interview . "I told them that it was really messed up for them to do that to me, and they were like, 'We've warned you before,' and I was just like, 'Obviously you don't understand what it's like.'"

They sure don't, Dionne.

The Poudre School District says there is not an across-the-board policy for bathroom use by transgender students.  

Well, here's a suggestion for you.  If the transteen in question is presenting as female, they go to the female restroom.  If they present as male, they go to the male restroom.

It's so simple even the GEICO caveman can comprehend it.

Fort Collins High School and Poudre School District, let my transpeople pee and stop the transphobic hassling of these transteens over the fracking bathroom.   You can't live up to your district's motto of Educate Every Child Every Day if you're sending transkids home on suspension because they used the bathroom appropriate to their gender presentation.

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