East Aurora, IL School Board Caves To Hate Group

On Monday the East Aurora, IL  Board of Education unanimously adopted a groundbreaking policy hat would benefit the trans and gender non-conforming students in their district

The new policy specifically states that transgender and gender nonconforming students have the right use the restroom that corresponds to their gender-related identity that is consistently asserted at school. The student has the right to be addressed by the name they want to be called, too.
“A court-ordered name or gender change is not required, and the student needs not change his or her official records.” it's stated in the policy
…
“In no case shall a transgender student be required to use a locker room that conflicts with the student’s gender-related identity,” the policy reads.

Didn't take long for the transphobes of the Illinois Family Association, a Southern Poverty Law Center  certified hate group to jump in and start stirring up opposition to the policy. to the point in which the East Aurora school board started wavering on doing what was right.   The pushback from groups supporting the policy was just as swift.

The Trevor Project issued a statement in support of the policy. 

“The Trevor Project is fully in support of maintaining the policy adopted unanimously by the East Aurora School Board on Monday,” stated Abbe Land, executive director and CEO of The Trevor Project. “Since 2010, more than 3,000 teens from Illinois have called the Trevor Lifeline in crisis, and among their top presenting problems were bullying and harassment at school. This policy will help protect the highly vulnerable transgender student population from discrimination, fear and hate that leads to bullying, increased anxiety, and elevated safety concerns on East Aurora’s campuses, and is a step that can help save lives.”

Last night the East Aurora board held another meeting.  By a 4-0 vote with three board members absent, they caved to the chrisotfascists at the Illinois Family Association and rescinded the policy the board passed on Monday to boos and cries of "Shame" and "Cowards".

The policy had support from the overflow crowd in attendance for the meeting.   Out of the twenty people that spoke at the emergency meeting, 17 were in favor of keeping the passed policy.    One of those persons in favor of it, Victoria Beltran, who has three children in the District's schools had this to say.

“If you go against it, there’s no reason to support you guys,” she told the board. “We need to hear everyone in our district and not people outside our district.”   Ms.Beltran was referring to the haters at the IFA, who like the cowards they are didn't send anyone to speak at that meeting.  

Parents who are in favor of the policy are considering in conjunction with several organizations lawsuits to restore the policy, and I wouldn't be surprised if those board members find themselves challenged in the next election cycle for caving in the face of bigotry and hatred.

The bigots and bullies of the IFA won this round because the East Aurora, IL school board was too cowardly to stand up for what they passed Monday.   If they did so out of fear they were going to lose their seats, their actions last night to rescind the policy may be what actually costs them their seats, not supporting the trans and gender variant kids of the district .  

And speaking of those trans and gender variant kids, you rescinded the policy on Spirit Day.   It's bitterly ironic that on a day in which millions of people and allies around the country show support to trans and gender variant kids against bullying aimed at them, you East Aurora school board members caved in to the bigots and bullies of the Illinois Family Association.

That's fracked up East Aurora school board, and shame on y'all for not being tough minded enough to stand up for the trans and gender variant kids in your district.

Mr. Rogers Defends PBS

In 1969, when President Richard Nixon (R) wanted to cut funding to PBS (sound familiar?)  Fred Rogers of  the long running PBS show Mister Rogers Neighborhood headed to Capitol Hill to defend that funding in a Senate hearing  

LeVar Burton Calls Out Mittbot For PBS Debate Comments

You TransGriot readers may remember LeVar Burton for his roles in Roots or Star Trek-The Next Generation, but his more important one was as the host for the award winning PBS show Reading Rainbow that ran on the network from June 6, 1983 until November 10, 2006 that encouraged children to read.

Reading Rainbow won a Peabody Award and 26 Emmy Awards, with 10 of those Emmy's being in the 'Outstanding Children's Programming' category.

But after hearing Mittbot attack PBS during Wednesday's presidential debate in Denver, Burton went off.

Burton said in a statement published at TMZ.com, "I am personally outraged that any serious contender for the White House would target as part of his campaign the children of America in this fashion."

"Educators across the country, as well as millions of children and adults know that the programming on PBS has been responsible for significant improvements in education, literacy, math, science and life skills for generations of our children."

He joined astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson in calling out Romney and pointing out "PBS represents .00016% of our nation's budget, yet this free resource benefits kids across all economic circumstances."

Burton adds, "Defunding PBS directly punishes the less fortunate by removing this trusted and extraordinary educational resource available to all."

"On behalf of America's children, I can't stay silent. I encourage you to join me in fighting this short-sighted and frankly mean-spirited attack on our children."

HBCU Law Schools Non Discrimination Policies

While researching the Houston area back to school post I stumbled across the inclusive non-discrimination policy of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University that includes gender identity and expression 

Not only was I deliriously happy to see it, I was curious to discover if the same applied to the other five American Bar Association accredited  HBCU law schools since I have African descended trans friends who are in college right now who are considering applying to law school.

These six law schools started because African-American students were denied opportunities to study law at white dominated campuses.  These historic institutions educated many of our nation's most distinguished African-American judges, legal scholars and attorneys, and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.  

I'm happy to report that many of these HBCU law schools are more forward thinking than their main campuses in terms of having inclusive non-discrimination statements and employment policies.

So let's start with the aforementioned Thurgood Marshall School of Law at TSU in my hometown which passed this policy to my pleasant surprise in 2011.

Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age or disability in the administration of its academic or employment policies, or other school-administered rights, privileges, programs or activities. 

Texas Southern University's main campus does not have an inclusive non discrimination statement that includes sexual orientation or gender identity. and expression..


North Carolina Central University School Of Law 

North Carolina Central University is committed to equality of education opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants, students, or employees based on race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, veteran's status, sexual orientation or identity, or disability. Moreover, North Carolina Central University is open to people of all races and actively seeks to promote racial integration by recruiting and enrolling a larger number of white students.

The North Carolina Central University does not have a non-discrimination statement that includes sexual orientation or gender identity. and expression..


Howard University School of Law  policy was adopted by Faculty Resolution in February 1991

Howard University School of Law is committed to a policy against discrimination in the interviewing or employment of its students based on race, sex, religious creed, marital status, national or ethnic origin, age, sexual orientation, handicap, or political affiliation.

Howard University main campus, unlike the School of Law doesn't have a non-discrimination statement i could find on their website, but with the school being located in Washington DC is under the 1977 DC Human Rights Law that was expanded in 2005 to cover transgender people 

Southern University Law Center  

The Southern University Law Center (SULC) is committed to ensuring equal opportunity without regard to race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, actual or perceived gender, age, religion, creed, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, or parental, marital, domestic partner, civil union, military, or veteran status.

Southern University main campus statement does not include sexual orientation, gender identity and expression language in its non discrimination statement. 

Florida A&M University College of Law

Florida A&M University College of Law does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations, and veteran status as protected under the Vietnam Era Veteran’s Readjustment Assistance Act in the administration of its education policies, admissions and placement policies, and other school administered programs.

Back in February a student referendum passed seeking to add sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida A&M's non-discrimination policy.. 

University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law

In accordance with federal law and the Human Rights Act of 1977 (DC Law 2-38), the University of the District of Columbia—David A. Clarke School of Law does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibility, matriculation, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, source of income, or place of residence in its programs, activities, and employment practices. In addition, the school complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1973.

As for the University of the District of Columbia,

It is the policy of the University to prohibit discrimination of members of the University community on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, marital status, personal appearance, genetic information, familial status, source of income, status as a victim of intrafamily offense, place of residence or business, status as a covered veteran, as provided for and to the extent required by District and Federal statutes and regulations.

HBCU's, time for y'all to emulate these six distinguished law schools and get busy protecting the trans and SGL students not only currently matriculating on your campuses, but future ones as well.

You need to handle your academic business HBCU's because Black LGBT students exist, aren't going away and it's the right thing to do.

Have A Great 2012-13 School Year Houston TBLG Students!

While I was enroute back to Houston on Monday the 2012-13 school year kicked off in the various school districts in the area, at Houston Community College, Texas Southern University, Prairie View A&M University and at the University of Houston.  Rice started classes on August 20.

I hope you rainbow students matriculating in HISD schools and those college campuses I mentioned got your school year off to a wonderful start

Wanted to point out for you TBLG students in the area that in HISD the anti-bullying and employment non-discrimination policies have gender identity and sexual orientation language in them, so for you rainbow community kids matriculating in HISD schools, know you are covered if people start jacking with you.

Unfortunately the other school districts in the area have yet to follow HISD, the largest school district in Texas and seventh largest in the country's lead, but a statewide anti-bullying law takes effect September 1..

On the local college front, HCC has gender identity and expression language in its non-discrimination policy along with Rice University, which has had it since 2006.  The San Jacinto College system along with UH-Clear Lake also has gender identity and expression language in their non-discrimination policies. 

On February 15 Texas A&M's President R. Bowen Lofton added sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression to the yearly TAMU-College Station employment memo. 

"...It is our policy to not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Furthermore, we will maintain a work environment free from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression."


Although my alma mater as of yet has not yet incorporated gender identity and expression language into their nondiscrimination statement, in January 2010 the UH Vice Chancellor of Legal Affairs, Dona H. Cornell issued a memo stating that transgender individuals are protected from discrimination at the University of Houston based on the analysis of the court case Lopez v. River Oaks Imaging & Diagnostic Group.

Unfortunately neither area HBCU has sexual orientation or gender identity language in their non discrimination policies, but interestingly TSU's Thurgood Marshall School Of Law does.

Hopefully TSU and Prairie View A&M will see fit to join other local colleges and universities in the Houston metro area and the TSU Thurgood Marshall Law School to expeditiously add sexual orientation and gender identity language in their non-discrimination statements.

It would be nice for these HBCU's to set a sterling example in the SWAC and other HBCU campuses in this region and around the country of being leaders on this issue just as they have for decades produced outstanding leaders in their classrooms.  The SGL and trans students who matriculate on your historic campuses deserve it.

Houston area rainbow community students, keep working to get that education and hope you will have a fantastic 2012-13 school year.

2012 TTNS-Day Two Recap

It's Saturday, and once again I got up at 6 AM in order to get dressed and head down I-45 south with Professor Baggett to take part in the Day Two activities of the 2012 Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit on the UH-Clear Lake Campus.

Unlike TTNS Day One, which is a mix of festive opening day ceremony and activity before we get to the business end of the conference, once we finish our continental breakfast and Jenifer Rene Pool delivers the housekeeping announcements, we go straight to the concurrent seminars.

Professor Baggett and I were joined for the Day Two Bayou Building happenings by Erick, one of her students I'd met when I took part in HCC-Southeast's gender conference a few months ago

After the Day Two welcome was delivered by UH-CL's Linda Contreras-Bullock, it was time for the Saturday's concurrent sessions to begin.

It was a choice between Transgender Legal Issues by Angela Oaks, one of the partners of Frye, Steidley, Oaks and Benavidez,  a continuation of Josephine's Day One session entitled Role Play for Ethical Strategic Applications and TENT's Katy Stewart in the one that appealed to me as the child of a retired teacher in Discrimination In Education-State of Affairs and Implementation of Solutions.

Katy's seminar was a nicely paced blending of statistics and  interactive discussion focused on the discrimination that trans people face in the K-12 and university settings.  One of the interesting stats pointed out a remarkable resilience of gender variant students who were harassed in K-12 settings going on later to enroll in higher education and get degrees.   

Further study is needed to clarify that to determine if the higher prevalence of  gender variant student in higher ed is also a function of the crushing unemployment we face and so we have time on our hands to strengthen our educational credentials.

Break time came far too soon at 10:20 AM.   As always it's a lot of information and thoughtful discussion but the clock is ticking, so it was back to the Garden Room to listen to Jenifer's into of our Saturday keynote speaker Dr. Genny Beemyn of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst's Stonewall Center, the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals and the Transgender Law and Policy Institute.

Dr Beemyn, Antrece, Erick and I were already engaged in an interesting discussion about Texas politics before it had to end it in a 'hold that thought' moment to do the keynote

Dr Beemyn started off by asking the assembled TTNS audience some multiple choice questions that highlighted the fact that governments and Fortune 1000 businesses are doing a better job of protecting the human rights of transpeople than the academic world, but not by much.

Beemyn also pointed that the Internet was a game changing development for the transgender community in terms of breaking the isolation many transpeople felt, beginning the conversations to tackle how we identify ourselves and think about these issues and build community. 

After leaving some time at the conclusion of the speech for questions and answers, it was time for lunch and for me Dr Beemyn, Antrece and Erick to finish that conversation we started before the speech.

At 12:55 we went into the final concurrent session for TTNS 2012 in which we had a choice between the Transgender Case-Law one from Darrell Steidley,  another one of the partners from Frye, Steidley, Oaks and Benavidez  or Making Space for the T in the LGBTQ Organizations, a subject near and dear to my heart by Kimberly Jorgenson  from Texas Woman's University.

Jorgenson's summit was an interactive one as well that generated a lively discussion amongst the participants in Rm 2234 on such topics as the invisibility of transpeople in organizational spaces, media stereotypes, historical whitewashing and erasure, inclusion of POC voices and the importance of doing so and suggestions of practices and ways to foster that inclusion.

Once again a lively seminar which ended far too soon at 1:50 PM and meant we had to go back to the Garden Room to hear our Closing Plenary speaker in Houston area Equal Employment Opportunity Deputy Director Martin Ebel.   

I'd seen Deputy Director Ebel speak at the Houston Transgender Unity Banquet back in April, so it was a treat to see and chat with again.  

After eliciting a laugh with the 'he's from the federal government and he's here to help' opening line of his speech, he got serious and pointed out the ways that the Obama Administration EEOC was aggressively on the case for the LGBT community and apologized for the EEOC not being in previous years a muscular advocate ferreting out employment discrimination aimed at our community.

Elections matter people, because one of the new EEOC commissioners is someone I met back at Creating Change 1999 in Chai Feldblum.  She was appointed to the EEOC by President Obama  .

But back to my post     Deputy Director Ebel made it clear that the EEOC position is that LGBT people are covered under 'sex' in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.   He talked about the history of the passage of the Civil Rights Act, the Price Waterhouse v Hopkins case, the Mia Macy case and even brought up one I'd personally experienced in Denny's attempts to ethnic cleanse their restaurants in the 1980's-early 1990's.

I'd shared with the TTNS audience one of Denny's reprehensibly racist tactics in trying to charge $5 cover just to get in.

After closing the speech he took questions for the audience before our mistress of ceremonies Jenifer Rene Pool spent a few moments asking the 'What Is Next questions.  

She yielded the mic to Josephine Tittsworth for the 2012 TTNS closing remarks.  It was at times an emotional moment for her in terms of being back on the UH-CL campus where she received her undergrad degree and fought her first battle in 2003 get gender ID and expression included in the UH-CL nondicrimination statement and policies.     Josephine also pointed out that everyone in the room was an agent of change and that we get busy making it happen.  We still have much work to do to make the Lone Star State inclusive in its college and university systems.  


We had a lot of first time attendees such as Professor Baggett in the room this year.  Many are eager to come back for TTNS 2013 wherever it's held in the Lone Star State.   We have several colleges and universities wishing to host the event inside and outside the Houston area and the TTNS desire to have it not be just a Houston-centric event. 

Thanks again to the TTNS committee that did a womderful job organizing and executing another well organized and seamlessly run conference.

As to where TTNS 2013 will be held, as soon as the TTNS board tells me, y'all will know as well.   But you can bet that wherever that location is, I'll do my best to be there and report on what's happening there.
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ConGRADulations Class of 2012

In addition to May being my birthday month, it's also the month in which commencement ceremonies are taking place all over the country.   

Not only is my cousin Cyril graduating from Alief Taylor High School this month and moving on to college, but I have some friends graduating from college this year as well.  

Chelsea, one of my Texas Aggie fam who was one of the peeps who spoiled me rotten during my November 2010 visit up there is getting her degree. 

I also discovered that Amirage, one of my Louisville sisters is getting her bachelors in social work from U of L

So to all of my readers who happen to be in the Class of 2012 be it at the middle, high school, collegiate or post-graduate level, conGRADulations 

Best of luck in your future academic or life endeavors and keep me posted.  

Sam Houston State Adds Gender ID To Policy

The positive momentum in this so-called red state of Texas continues.

Sam Houston State University in Huntsville recently revised its Equal Employment Opportunity policy and nondiscrimination statement and added sexual orientation and gender identity to it.. 

Led by Vice President for Student Services Frank Parker, the SHSU President’s Cabinet voted to add the two as protected classes into three areas of SHSU policy, including Chapter V for “Component Personnel,” which outlines employment qualifications; Chapter VI for “Student Services Activities,” which outlines admissions criteria; and Chapter VII’s non-discrimination policy involving campus life and activities.

“I believe that our policies should reflect and encourage the full spectrum of diversity on our campuses and adopting this policy is just the right thing to do,” Parker said. “This policy fulfills the concept that ‘Sam Houston is a great name in education’ for all.”

It joins fellow Texas State University System member Texas State as one of two schools in the eight member TSUS system to adopt the wording.   The TSTS Board Of Regents looking at making similar changes to the system-wide policy.

Congrats Sam Houston State for making the moves that ensure that all Bearkats are welcomed on campus and protected from discrimination.  Let's hope the TSUS board f Regents continues the polsitive momentum and follows the principles lead of Texas sate and SHSU

DCCCD Policy Vote Today

With the new year comes the first news about an effort to advance human rights for the rainbow community of Texas.

Up I-45 from me the Dallas County Community College District board will hold their meeting today.  On the agenda will be the expansion of DCCCD nondiscrimination policies that cover employees and two student ones to include gender identity and gender expression.

DCCCD is seeking to join San Jacinto Community College and the Houston Community College District as Lone Star State institutions that have similar gender identity and expression language in their nondiscrimination policies.
  
The proposed policy expansion will come up for a board vote at this meeting and the good folks up there in the Metroplex would like to fill the room with supportive people not only willing to speak affirmatively for it but also wear pink to indicate they are in favor of the policy change.  

If you can be there or have time in your busy lives to do so the DCCCD administration building is located at 1601 South Lamar St.   It is south of Downtown Dallas and near both South Side on Lamar and the Dallas PD HQ.  The Cedars DART Rail station on the DART Rail Red and Blue lines is a few blocks away and the DART 26 bus line runs by it with service to and from the nearby DART Rail Cedars station. 

There is a free parking lot across the street from the DCCCD headquarters building, so if you can make it please show up at the DCCCD board meeting in pink and support what we hope will be the first policy victory in the nation for 2012

HCC Board Unanimously Passes Trans Protections

The Houston Community College Board of Trustees according to a report in Houstini.com unanimously voted to add gender identity and expression to the college's system wide non-discrimination policy

The trans protections were considered as part of a package of non-controversial policy proposals voted on during last week's HCC Board of Trustees meeting.

HCC joins the San Jacinto Community College System as the second Houston area community college system that amended its non discrimination policy to protect its trans students

The Dallas County Community College District is scheduling a meeting in January to vote on an amendment to its non discrimination policy.  
 

ConGRADulations Sahhara!

Wanted to take a moment to give a TransGriot shoutout to my sister across The Pond Sahhara, who graduated yesterday with her master's degree in digital media from London Metropolitan University

Beauty and brains.   Devastating combination.

Congratulations Sahhara on that major life achievement, proud you consider me a friend and looking forward to getting to know you better.   Wishing you much success in life, your future endeavors and giddily anxious to see what positive things life has in store for you.

Congrats Dr. Stryker!

You longtime TransGriot readers know I have much love and respect for Dr. Susan Stryker, who is one of the people ensuring that rainbow community history and the trans contributions to it are preserved and not erased as they have been.

I was pleased to hear that Dr. Stryker, who was an associate professor of gender studies at Indiana University-Bloomington is now the director of the University of  Arizona's Institute of LGBT Studies.

Dr. Stryker is an author, filmmaker, archivist and activist whose 2005 documentary, Screaming Queens, the Riot at Compton's Cafeteria tells the story of the first known instance of collective militant resistance to anti-TBLG police harassment in US history.  The 1966 Compton's Cafeteria Riot in San Francisco was led by transsexuals and drag queens and preceded the more widely known Stonewall one by three years. 

She held visiting professor faculty positions at Harvard University, the University of California-Santa Cruz, Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC and Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. 

She was the executive director of the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco from 1999-2003 and her most recent book Transgender History mentions some blogger y'all know and love. 

Congrats Dr. Stryker, and may you have much success in your new position.