Berlin Trans Rights Panel Discussion

This panel discussion I'm posting was organized by the Heinrich Boll Foundation and took place in Berlin on October 5.  It was discussing the Transrespect Vs Transphobia (TvT) Project and included panelists from several nations and different regions of the world. 

One of the panelists I was delighted to discover as I watched this unfold was Naomi Fontanos, the chairwoman of STRAP, the Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines.   STRAP is the world renowned premier trans rights and trans empowerment organization based in the Philippines and Fontanos spoke about the situations of transpeople in East and Southeast Asia.

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.

2011 FIBA Americas Women's Championship Tournament In Semifinals

The FIBA Americas Championship for Women is currently being contested in Neiva, Colombia for the lone FIBA Americas ticket to the women's Olympic basketball tournament in London next summer.

After a few days of group competition the ten team field has been whittled down to the four teams left in the semifinal round that kicks off play in a few hours.   

In Group A it was Argentina and Cuba advancing to the semis.  Argentina won a critical September 27 game 65-59 against Cuba that left them unbeaten and on top of the group with a 4-0 record with Cuba finishing second.at 3-1.

In Group B it was Brazil and Canada that advanced to the semis.  Brazil beat Canada.56-39 in their group play matchup on September 25 to finish 4-0 with the Canadians finishing second in group play at 3-1 as well.

The Canadian women ballers road to the semis started with an opening Group B play 72-45 win on September 24 over Mexico.  After the loss to Brazil the next day they thumped Paraguay 77-26 on September 26.   They got a well deserved day off  before closing out group play on September 28 with their 66-49 win over Jamaica to clinch second place in Group B and face Group A winner Argentina. .    

Unlike the guys, the Canadian women have a serious shot at qualifying for London and would rather handle their business now than take their chances in what is shaping up to be a tough qualifying tournament 

In the second semifinal game Group B winner Brazil, who is also unbeaten in this tournament will face off against Group A runner up Cuba..  

The semifinal game winners move on to the October 1 championship game to decide who gets their ticket punched to London as the FIBA Americas rep.   The semifinal losers will square off in the third place game.  
  

The winner will get to exhale, savor their FIBA Americas women's b-ball championship for a moment, then begin their preparations for London. 

The second, third and fourth place teams from this tournament will still have one final chance to qualify for London at the FIBA 2012 World Olympic Qualifying Tournament from June 25-July 1 at a site to be determined  in which the last five Olympic basketball berths will be up for grabs. 

It's UN International Mandela Day

Today is the 93rd birthday of former South African President Nelson Mandela, and it is also the second observance of UN Nelson Mandela International Day. 

It was officially declared by the United Nations General Assembly in November 2009, with the first official UN celebration of it occurring on his July 18 birthday last year.   There were other groups that celebrated it on July 18, 2009. 

Here's a videotaped message from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon about today.



UN Mandela Day is basically an international call to action that celebrates the idea that each individual has the power to transform the world and make an impact. 

They ask that people take 67 minutes out of their day, equivalent to the 67 years that Mandela fought for social justice.   And to borrow from the statement that was issued for this day on behalf of Mandela, "do something to bring people around the world together to help fight poverty, promote peace and reconciliation."

Happy birthday Madiba, and let's get busy changing the world. 
 

It's Independence Day For South Sudan!

There were until a few moments ago 54 nations on the African continent, and now the Republic of South Sudan as of 12:01 AM their time becomes the latest one to be added to that list.   .

As you guessed by the name, it's the non-Muslim southern half of the nation of Sudan.  It's bordered by Ethiopia on the east, Kenya, Uganda, and Democratic Republic of the Congo to its south and the Central African Republic to the west.

Some of the more famous residents from there are current Chicago Bulls NBA player Luol Deng and the late Manute Bol

For four decades it was embroiled in a long civil war with the ruling Islamic northern half of the country that left over 2 million people dead and others scattered around the globe.

It ended with the signing of a peace agreement in Nairobi, Kenya on January 9, 2005 and southern Sudan becoming an autonomous region for six years.  In January 2011 it held a referendum that voted overwhelmingly (99% in favor) to  establish an independent Republic of South Sudan.

The party gets started in the Texas-sized landlocked nation's capital of Juba with many of the world's nations including the United States, Canada and Sudan prepared to recognize it.   The United States delegation to the independence ceremony will be led by UN Ambassador Dr. Susan Rice.

There will also be rapid United Nations action to admit it as its 193rd member nation, and they hope that expedited membership process will be completed by July 14.

But once the party is over, the new flag is raised, the new national anthem is sung and the parades are over through the streets of Juba and elsewhere in the country the Republic of South Sudan faces some serious growing pains that could make it difficult to build their new democratic nation.

Speaking of the new national anthem, just in case you were wondering, here are the words to it

Oh God
We praise and glorify you
For your grace on South Sudan
Land of great abundance
Upholds us united in peace and harmony

Oh motherland
We arise raising flag with the guiding star
And sing songs of freedom with joy
For justice, liberty and prosperity
Shall forevermore reign

Oh great patriots
Let us stand up in silence and respect
Saluting our martyrs whose blood
Cemented our national foundation
We vow to protect our nation
Oh God bless South Sudan

.

The 8 million residents of South Sudan and President Salva Kiir Mayardit face a dispute with Sudan over the Abyei region on its northern border, the fact that for now the oil that lies in South Sudan's oilfields can only reach world markets through pipelines that cross Sudan's territory, the nation has only 4000 km of paved road, 15% of the population is able to read, educational, health and other basic service delivery that needs improvement along with diversification of the predominately oil based economy. 

They have nothing but time, a lot of help and people rooting for them to successfully tackle those issues.  For now the proud residents of the Republic of South Sudan will take the day to celebrate their hard won independence courtesy of the bullet and the ballot, and the rest of us on planet Earth get to watch and marvel at the process of the birth of a new nation.