This site is the most comprehensive on the web devoted to trans history and biography. Well over 1400 persons worthy of note, both famous and obscure, are discussed in detail, and many more are mentioned in passing.

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Showing posts with label 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2011. Show all posts

24 December 2011

Some Events of the year 2011. Part 5: Doctors, Medicine, Genetics.

Some events of 2010.  Some events of 2009.  Some Events of 2008.

Part 1:  Organizations, Legislation, litigation.
Part 2:  Persons.
Part 3:  Spouses and Family, Trans Kids, Political, Celebrities, Sports.
Part 4:  Nemeses, Internet.
Part 5:  Doctors, Medicine, Genetics.
Part 6:  Deaths
Part 7:  Art, Fashion, Music
Part 8:  Theatre & Cinema
Part 9:  News Media, Journals
Part 10:  Books.

Doctors & Sexologists

The conference, Transgender: Time to Change was cancelled after complaints that it was giving a platform to Julie Bindel and Az Hakeem and excluding the opinions of trans people themselves.

Seminar at Chennai University: “Transgender – the Forgotten Gender”. March 2011.

WPATH: September 2011: 7th Version of Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People. Definitely less pathologizing for trans persons: Treatment aimed at persuading congruence with birth sex now regarded as unethical. States that being trans is diversity, not pathology; Psychotherapy is not a requirement; Removal of required 3 months RLE before hormones. However pathologizes intersex persons by using DSD terminology, and requiring counselling for intersex persons who reject birth assignments. No intersex input was solicited.

Another reaction to the WPATH SOC.

APA May 2011: Released 2nd Proposal to Replace GID in the DSM-5. GID replaced by Gender Dysphoria. Identities and expressions still described as mental illness and sexual deviance.

The British Psychological Society. Responds to the DSM-5 and finds it based on unsound methods.

A disgruntled double transplant patient shot dead the top surgeon who saved his life because he believed his operation was about to fail and wanted revenge. No sex change patient has been that unreasonable. Ever.

Robert Spitzer, DSM III and Bipolar kids.

Medicine & Genetics

A manufacturing delay that has created a shortage of the injectable testosterone drug Delatestryl has inconvenienced many trans men.


National University of Distance Education in Madrid, brain-scanned in four regions, 18 trans men before treatment and found a male distribution of white matter. 18 trans women had white matter half-way between male and female. Volume 45, Issue 2 of the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

US NIMH’s study of boy and girl brain development.

Neuroscientists discussed sex brain differences, reality of, and innate vs social at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
1) Fear of sexism has produced a bias against conceding sex differences, which gets in the way of frank discussion and investigation.
2) Hormones matter, but so does socialization.
3) The effects of sex difference on behavior and performance vary.
4) Women perform worse at mental rotation (compared with other women) when they’re told that men are better at it. The greater danger is that single-sex education, by preaching and practicing segregated socialization, may exacerbate the differences.
5) Sex differences don’t show up as separate clusters. They show up as “overlapping distributions”.
6) Not that boys are better than girls at math on average, but that boys are more spread out, with lots of boys scoring very high or very low compared with girls, who tend to cluster more in the middle.
7) The hard part is figuring out what these differences mean. Yes, the brains of male fetuses and boys get bathed in testosterone. But does this really affect their math skills or their ability to communicate and process emotions, as some theorists assert? Yes, men have more gray matter, and women have more white matter. The fishy part of neuroscience isn’t the data. It’s the spin we put on the data in the guise of explanation.
8) Today’s differences may not have existed yesterday and may not exist tomorrow. So while scans may show differences between men’s and women’s brains, that doesn’t prove the differences are innate.
9) “most of our behavioral sex differences are quite a bit smaller than [sex differences in] height” obscures the curious fact, that boys and girls differ more in toy preference than in height.
10) Boys scored “an itty-bitty bit better” than girls in math in the United States, Taiwan, and Japan, but she pointed out that the bigger difference is between the three countries, with Taiwanese and Japanese girls outscoring American boys. Summary in Slate, Nov 17, 2011.

Cambridge University/Medical Research Council: trans men have a higher than average number of autistic traits. "If such girls do believe they have a boy's mind in a girl's body, their higher than average number of autistic traits may also mean they hold their beliefs very strongly, and pursue them to the logical conclusion: opting for sex reassignment surgery in adulthood."

Angelique Chrisafis. “France's faulty breast implants scandal: More than 30,000 women have had breast implants filled with industrial silicone instead of medical-grade fillers” Guardian, 14 Dec 2011.

Statistical correlation between the percentage of women using the pill, intrauterine devices, condoms and vaginal barrier contraceptives in 87 countries, then examined the incidence and deaths from prostate cancer. Globe & Mail, Nov 14, 2011. But maybe 1. Pill use is correlated with the industrialization level. 2. Industrial chemicals are responsible for prostate cancer.

What is genius? Is it learned? How the game is stacked against women? The case of Judit Polgar who reached the quarter finals of men’s chess in Khanty-Mansiysk.

Sexual orientation and handedness are both natural variants, but etiology likewise unknown. Slate, Oct 29, 2011, taken from Rik Smits. The puzzle of Left-Handedness. London : Reaktion Books, 2011.

Amaegarite. “Born this way?” The Functional Form, 08/20/2011. The speculations re gay causality are almost the same as those re trans causality. “If Ray Blanchard’s completely un-based theory were true, then we could stop mothers from birthing gay boys. And we’d implicitly place all blame and responsibility on her. In this way, “Born This Way” intensifies misogynistic social currents that are ever-present. Is THIS a happy ending to GaGa’s Madonna-stolen melody? That Mom f’d up?”.

A new definition of addiction by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) makes it a) neurological b) not a choice. How long before someone applies this to trans persons.

Did your pheromones change with your sex? This article says: “No scientific study has ever proven conclusively that mammals have pheromones”.

An article about thousands of pregnancies aborted for 'abnormalities' including cleft palates and Down's syndrome. If a biological marker for transsexuality could be established, we could be included.

22 December 2011

Some Events of the year 2011. Part 4: Nemeses, Internet.

Some events of 2010.  Some events of 2009.  Some Events of 2008.

Part 1:  Organizations, Legislation, litigation.
Part 2:  Persons.
Part 3:  Spouses and Family, Trans Kids, Political, Celebrities, Sports.
Part 4:  Nemeses, Internet.
Part 5:  Doctors, Medicine, Genetics.
Part 6:  Deaths
Part 7:  Art, Fashion, Music
Part 8:  Theatre & Cinema
Part 9:  News Media, Journals
Part 10:  Books.

Nemeses

Michael Bailey was reprimanded by Northwestern University President after he had a guest speaker achieve orgasm with a mechanized sex toy in an after class session.

Brian Souter, the Stagecoach billionaire, who gave £1 million in support of the homophobic Section 28, was knighted in the Queen’s birthday honours list. 2,500 signed a petition to rescind the honour.

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Former Memphis police officer Bridges Sutton McRae was sentenced to two years for beating a transgender prisoner and for evading taxes.

Craig Nash, former San Antonio police officer, as part of a plea agreement pled guilty to misdemeanor rape of a trans woman sex worker, and was sentenced to one year in jail and loss of his job.

A trans man in St Paul, Minneapolis was robbed and raped. The perpetrator, Demetrius Miller has been sentenced to minimum 27 years.

Jason Lewis Ronoff, Queensland, ordered to pay $15,000 after threatening to burn down neighbour’s house.

Philip Robertson, of Streatham, jailed for 7 years for raping a trans woman in 1990.

Teonna Brown, who attacked Chrissy Polis in the ladies toilets of a McDonalds in Baltimore, was sentenced to ten years in jail with five years suspended, plus three years of supervised probation. Her 14-year-old accomplice remains in a juvenile detention facility. The McDonalds employee who filmed the attack was fired.

Soldier Terry Porter in Perth & Kinross admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner likely to cause fear and alarm and also admitted that the offence was aggravated by prejudice towards transgender status. He was fined £200 for breach of the peace, plus an extra £150 for the transgender prejudice.

Two men, Wayne Blair and Stephen Currie, fined for verbally harassing two trans women.

A trans woman was attacked by a mob in a shopping area in Fredericksburg, Virginia
 
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Colorado Court of Appeals upheld the 2009 convictions of Allen Andrade for the hate-motivated murder of Angie Zapata.

Alrashim Chambers, who was arrested after a month on the run for the shooting death of model Victoria White in Maplewood, New Jersey, has been charged with murder.

Arnold Waukazo of Minneapolis was convicted of 2nd degree murder of his girlfriend Krissy Bates.

Brandon McInerney, who shot Larry King in 2008 for being too feminine, pleaded guilty to second degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and use of a gun.

Kenneth Furr, a Washington, DC cop, fired a gun into car containing three trans women and two men, apparently after failing to solicit sex.

Leon Fyle of Catford, London, had his conviction for the murder of Destiny Lauren ruled unsafe. However at his retrial he was again found guilty, and is sentenced to 21 years.

Lucky Ward/Lawayne Jackson has been linked by DNA to 5 murders including two of trans women.

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Gender Trender, mainly written by Gallus Mag and BevJo Von Dohre, has allowed its transphobia to become an obsession, just as much as DirtyWhiteboi. On the other hand Gallus Mag defined Genderism as
“A political philosophy, movement or regime based on the supernatural belief that certain unrelated traits are caused by an individual’s physical sex” – a sentiment that many trans persons will agree with.
Cathy Brennan and Elizabeth Hungerford tendered a paper(summary) to the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in which they oppose the extension of basic human rights to transsexuals, in that such erodes womens' rights. This was rebutted by Beth Elliot, but Jennifer Usher, Suzan Cooke, Dana Lane Taylor supported Brennan & Hungerford.

Sheila Jeffreys. “The need for feminists to challenge the practice of transgenderism”. Radfem Hub, May 31, 2011. http://radicalhub.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/guest-post-sheila-jeffreys. 
 “There are similarities and some dissimilarities between [sterilization of the unfit and transgenderism]. The similarities include the forces that created the practice, scientists and the medical profession, the explanation, biology, the support from ‘progressive’ sectors of society, in some cases a similar set of victims, lesbians and gay men, and the aim, social engineering,. In the case of transgenderism the social engineering should be abundantly clear. The practice straightens out those who are a problem for the politically constructed gender structure that founds male domination. Those who do not conform to gender rules, and homosexuals, are surgically reconstructed to fit in. A whole industry and politics has developed to carve ‘gender’ onto the bodies of adults and children. Maintenance of the gender system is vital to the survival of male domination. Any challenge to the idea of gender threatens the main justification for the subordination of women.”
Dale O’Leary continued her diatribes against trans persons. More, more

Keith Ablow, contributor to Fox News, criticized J Crew catalogue for its image of a mother painting her son’s toenails pink, and urged parents not to watch Dancing with the Stars with Chaz Bono.

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Malaysian Fatwa council. Malaysian trans persons had limited freedom until 1983, when Perak mufti besar Harussani Zakaria and other issued a fatwa banning both gender surgery and cross-dressing for those who Muslim. Zakaria has recently said: “You cannot be transsexual, you are either a woman or a man. Why do they want to go against Allah? If God has created you as a boy, then act like a boy.” This resulted mak nyahs being arrested by the religious police and being abused and humiliated in prisons. This went further this year when the government established boot camps for gender variant boys. Ayu, 44, was beaten and arrested at a bus station for the offense of “men dressing up as women in a public space” which is punishable by a a RM1,000 fine, a six-month prison sentence or both.

Vatican: voiced strong opposition to March resolution by UN in that ending discrimination against gays, lesbians, and transgender persons would make those who oppose such human rights the real victims.

Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute: redistributed a 2009 paper by Richard Fitzgibbons, Philip Sutton and Dale O'Leary, “The Psychopathology of ‘Sex Reassignment’ Surgery”. Trans people are mentally ill, and by implication need therapy not rights; it asserts that there is no evidence that trans identity, or indeed gay identity, is innate.

Institute for Canadian Values ran an advert during the Ontario provincial elections in The National Post with the picture of a little girl: “Please don’t confuse me. I’m a girl. Don’t teach me to question if I’m a boy, transexual, transgendered, interesexed, or two spirited.” The Post apologized. The same ad was then run in The Toronto Sun which refused to apologize.

Connecticut State Missionary Baptist Convemtion: said they take particular objection to the prospect of enhanced transgender protections.

National Organization of Marriage: campaign against gender identity lessons in Oakland.

Massachusetts Family Institute put out inflammatory adverts against the new Massachusetts law.

Media Research Center objects to any positive representation of trans people.

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Thomas Moutame, mayor Taputapuatea, Tahiti, convicted of abuse of power because he refused a to marry Claude Simon and Pero Mareva (trans) in 2007.

Internet

Two transgender activist’s (Kathy Padilla and Katrina Rose) who contribute regularly at Pam’s House Blend questioned Lurleen Blogovitch, an admin and front page blogger there and why she was using an anonymous account instead of her real name. It turned out that Lurleen was actually Laurel Ramseyer, Communications Director for Equal Rights Washington, with a history of fighting for gay and trans rights.

Carolyn Petit, associate editor of Gamespot and video reviewer.

Gay Girl in Damascus, Amina Abdallah Aral al Omari, a blogging lesbian heroine in the Syrian uprising turned out to be Tom Macmaster, a male heterosexual American in Edinburgh. Syrian gay activists feel that real people were put in danger by this prank.

LezGetReal, a lesbian news site run by Paula Brooks, who turned out to be a man, Bill Graber.

Charlotte Goiar sponsored a care2 petition: Harry Benjamin's Syndrome is not transgender!

The Charlotte Goiar HBS forum was discontinued, and its active members moved to a Facebook group.

The HBS writer variously known as Courtney Holder/Donna Reiser/Purple Speaks/Plum is emphatically rightwing. I have never seen any of the other HBS/not-TG writers disassociate from her positions. On an article about the struggle for trans rights in Maryland she posted:
“As a transsexual who believes homosexuality is an immoral choice and that non-op transgenderism is a mockery of women and makes true-TSs look bad in the eyes of the mainstream and face even more discrimination from them, I will vote AGAINST *ANY* law that will supposedly help those of us with this medical condition, if it ALSO supports homosexuals, lesbians, and gender-variant persons. It is one thing to support mainstream women born with a birth defect that robs them of their rightful plain in mainstream society as women. However, it is another to support men sodomizing other men and pretending it is love, another to support women degrading each either in a fashion similar to the sodomites, and another to support a man who acts like a man and wants male privilege, all while dressing like a woman of the night and modeling in porn as a “woman” with his parts hanging out. I never was a part of the LGBT, and I want none of its rights, privileges, or protections.”
Transhistory.net and transhistory.org are now both advertising sites (erectile dysfunction and car accidents).

First Cristan Williams (Ehipassiko, 2011 June 2, 28, 30, July, 5, 6, 9, 11,12,14,21) and then Zagria explored the rich history of the term ‘transgender’. Both writers amply demonstrated that the misconception that Virginia Prince coined ‘transgender’ is exactly that: a misconception. Zagria concluded:
Therefore, I think that we can see that the idea of Prince being falsely nominated as the creator of ‘Transgender’ comes from an attribution error in Docter, a political inflation of her achievements by IFGE, a disinformation campaign by Cook-Riley and an injudicious and unsupported sentence in Feinberg. By this time Prince had started claiming to have coined the term when she felt that the audience wanted her to, but at other times made fun of the claim when that seemed appropriate. The misinformation was propagated by lazy academics who repeated the sentence in Feinberg and never bothered to fact check and search for the actual citations as they should have done.
Lisa McDonald, commenting at Bilerico, severely twisted both Zagria’s article on Leslie Feinberg and Richard Ekins writing about Carol Riddell to conclude “as an umbrella term Transgender has been based on Communism”. It would seem that Lisa is unacquainted with the history of ideas, and amongst other errors refuses to distinguish humanist Marxism from Soviet Communism. It is interesting to juxtapose her with Tracie O’Keefe who rejects ‘transgender’ as an Americanism.

Zagria initiated a discussion on cis gender variance.

Pauline Park argued for ‘transgendered’ rather than ‘transgender’.

Julia Serano. “A “Transsexual Versus Transgender” Intervention”. Whipping Girl, Sept 8, 2011. http://juliaserano.blogspot.com/2011/09/transsexual-versus-transgender.html.
Apparently discontinued blogs (but some such do return after a break):
Riding the second wave
TransBoutique
Trans Fried Fluff
Dyssonance
Grace and Wild Roses
Bitterness Barbie
Hijda Eunuch Blog
LGBT Latest Science
Confissões Agridoces [de uma sereia trans]
Battybattybats' Cave Of Rationality
whittl(e)ings: Thoughts Of An Equalities Activist
Gender Lines
Michelle’s Reality
Normal is a Sociological Construct
Elaine’s T* Art Blog
Calie’s T-Tunes
Blogs moved:
The Adventures of Jessica Sideways --> Moving on Up a Little Higher
The Stranger --> Tarald Steins
Patent Pending --> Jillian Page
Blogs changed:
Womenborntranssexual has become a political digest

21 December 2011

Some Events of the year 2011. Part 3: Spouses and Family, Trans Kids, Political, Celebrities, Sports.

Some events of 2010.  Some events of 2009.  Some Events of 2008.

Part 1:  Organizations, Legislation, litigation.
Part 2:  Persons.
Part 3:  Spouses and Family, Trans Kids, Political, Celebrities, Sports.
Part 4:  Nemeses, Internet.
Part 5:  Doctors, Medicine, Genetics.
Part 6:  Deaths
Part 7:  Art, Fashion, Music
Part 8:  Theatre & Cinema
Part 9:  News Media, Journals
Part 10:  Books.

Spouses and Family

(We have several female spouses and lovers of trans men and trans women. But where are the male spouses and lovers?)

The wife of a self-declared Irish autogynephilic granted an annulment in B (formerly known as M) -v- L.   James Barrett of Charing Cross GIC, medical inspector, used an earlier report by Richard Green.

Andrea & Papi.

Danielle Brown and her father.

Diane and Lina

Fanny’s husband’s father transitioned at Stanford in the 1970s.

Helen Boyd is now a Lecturer of Gender and Freshman Studies at Lawrence University, and was awarded a Community Activist Award.

Nicola & Meg

Tomomi Sakura Osaka,

A grateful mother celebrates her son.


Trans Kids

“Children & Teens Caught In The Wrong Bodies”. Anderson, Season 1, Episode 48. Warner Bros. December 15, 2011. With Danann Tyler, Domaine Javier and Kyle Allums. Preview.

Transgender Kids. CBC, Oct 30, 2011. Complete.

I am Jazz: A Family in Transition. OWN, Nov 27, 2011

  • Wallace Wong. When Kathy is Keith. Xlibris, 2011. Newsitem. “He was inspired to write this book because many children he counselled had difficulty finding “things they could relate to” and their parents also had trouble finding books about these issues.”. 

Roberta Staley. “When boys would rather not be boys: Kids are being diagnosed—and identifying themselves—as transgendered younger than ever before”. Macleans, Aug 12, 2011. www2.macleans.ca/2011/08/12/when-boys-would-rather-not-be-boys.

Lornet Turnbull. “Kids challenge gender identity earlier — and get support”. The Seattle Times, July 30, 2011. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015778687_trankids31m.html.

Fundamentalist Parents Who Have Attacked Their Own Gay/Trans Child.

“Born in the wrong body: how gender-identity issues affect children”. Irish Times, Dec 10, 2011. www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2011/1210/1224308848909.html.

“Children of 12 to be allowed gender drugs to prepare for sex change”. The Mirror, 10/04/2011. www.mirror.co.uk/news/health-news/2011/04/10/children-of-12-offered-gender-drugs-to-prepare-for-sex-change-115875-23050335.

“Some transgender youths look to black-market hormones”. AM New York, 4/5/11. www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/some-transgender-youths-look-to-black-market-hormones-1.2802396.

Kai Smith. “Supporting Transgender Children in the Primary Classroom: A Reflection”. Gender & Education Association, 16 Feb 2011. www.genderandeducation.com/issues/supporting-transgender-children-in-the-primary-classroom.

“All Children Matter: How Legal and Social Inequalities Hurt LGBT Families”. Center for American Progress, Oct 25, 2011. www.americanprogress.org/events/2011/10/LGBTfamilies.html.

Trans Youth Family Allies YouTube Channel

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10-year-old girlin Worcester was permitted to start new school year as a girl.
Alex at summer camp.

Cris Beam, author of I am J, mother to a trans daughter, and who spent years working with trans teens in New York.

Danann Tyler, featured in documentary ”Children & Teens Caught In The Wrong Bodies”

Hailey, featured in "Transgender Child: A Parent's Difficult Choice" on OWN.

Jackie’s 16th birthday present from her mum was a sex change operation.

Jazz - featured in the documentary.

Nicole, and her cis identical twin brother in Maine are going to school. She and her family were awarded by the ACLU.

Tammy, who has two mothers.

Tyler Littlejohn, New York,

A Mother’s Transition Story – in 3 parts.

A trans girl wanted to join the Girl Scouts which has caused confusion for the organization.

Sarah Hoffman and her son: “Because the problem ain’t Barbies. It’s bullies.”



Political Candidates & Parties

National
Anna Grodska, of Poland’s Palikot party, was elected to Parliament as a list MP.

Spain: Izquierda Unida-Verdes (United Left-Greens) proposed a bill to guarantee the rights of transsexuals.

Australia’ ruling Labor Party voted to support the introduction of equal marriage despite the opposition of Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Brigitte Goldberg is the Avenir 2012 French Presidential candidate. Avenir 2012 grew out of Trans-Europe, but is not exclusively for trans persons.

Öykü Özen, who attempted to be a Turkish Republican People’s Party parliamentary candidate, and is head of GökkuÅŸağı DerneÄŸi (Rainbow Association), attempted suicide but was talked out of jumping from the fifth floor where GökkuÅŸağı DerneÄŸi is located, after a fight with her husband.

Shahana Abass, chairperson of the Punjab Shemale Protection Association (PSPA) hopes to run as a Pakistan Peoples Party candidate.

Swedish Christian Democrats voted to retain sterilization as part of a sex change.

Swedish Liberal Party to push for a removal of the requirement for compulsory sterilization for those undergoing a sex change.

US Democratic National Committee has elected Babs Casbar Siperstein to its executive committee.

Also: Openly gay Elio di Rupo now Prime minister of Belgium. The second only gay Prime Minister after Iceland’s Johanna Sigurdardottir.
Provincial
Both Kalki Subramanian and Rose Venkatesan considered running, for different parties, in the Tamil Nadu elections.

Brittney Novotny ran to become a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. She received 35% of the votes in very conservative area.

Christin Milloy was a Libertarian candidate in Mississauga–Brampton South in the Ontario Provincial election.

Iowa Republicans: “We support an amendment to both the U. S. and Iowa constitutions that states that all marriages should be traditional one natural male and one natural female, omitting transgendered.”.

The Rashtriya Viklang Party in Uttar Pradesh has decided to field 50 trans candidates, including Shobha Bua for the chief ministerial candidate.

Also: Open Lesbian Ruth Davidson elected leader of Scottish Conservative Party.
Cities and towns
Bharathi Kannamma, computer programmer, ran for mayor of Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

Carla Antonelli was elected to the Madrid Assembly as a List PSOE member.

Carol Mapley, ex-cop, announced that she will be running for the Castle Douglas and Glenkens seat in Dumfriesshire in next year’s council elections.

Donna Milo ran for Miami City Commissioner.

Jenifer Rene Pool ran for an at-large position on the Houston city council.

Jenny Bailey, previously mayor of Cambridge, and her partner, Jennifer Liddle, ran for the East Cambridgeshire District Council.

Kamala Kinnar elected mayor of Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, in 2009 with a margin of 43,000 votes over nearest rival from the BJP. Two years late her election was declared "null and void" because the mayor's seat was reserved for a 'woman' belonging to scheduled caste category.

Katherine Haque-Hausrath, elected to council of Helena, Montana.

Marla Murphy, previously on Rapid City, South Dakota, council as Tom, ran again as Marla.

Sarah Brown is a Cambridge city Councillor, and on IOS Pink List.

Sandra Dunn came 3rd in mayoral contest in Amarillo, Texas.

Tony Briffa, previously deputy mayor, now elected mayor of Hobsons Bay, Melbourne, Victoria

Also: Houston Mayor Annise Parker re-elected to a second term.


Celebrities

Chaz Bono. His autobiography and a film on his transition were released; he was a competitor on Dancing with the Stars.

Stephen Beatty, son of Warren Beatty: "Chaz is a misogynist...This man doesn't represent our community. He especially does not represent those of us who are non-binary, non-op, women, or feminist men. Chaz needs to do some hard thinking about what it means to appoint oneself representative of a whole group without considering the desires of all the group's members."

Lady Gaga performs as Joe Calderone, and taunts fans by saying: “It’s not that I’ve been dishonest, it’s just that I loathe reality... The beginning of the story I never told you.”

Trans porn star Kayka Coxx calls cops on artist Allan D Hasty.

Peaches Geldorf talked about how she had dated a trans man.

Former New York Republican Rep. Chris Lee advertised for trans women on Craigslist.

Reality star, Kelly Osbourne ungraciously dumped fiance who was having an affair with a trans woman.

Liv Tyler taken for a transsexual. No big deal.

Sofia Vergara pleased to look like a transvestite.


Sports

Kye Allums, who continued playing on a womens’ basketball team before taking hormones, suffered a series of concussions, and had to stop participating.

The Chicago Outfit Roller Derby League now permits trans women to join.

Lana Lawless settled her suit against two golfing organizations that had barred her with ‘female at birth’ rules. They have now lifted the ban.

Chris Mosier, New York triathlon,

Samoa footballer Jonny Saelua part of American Samoan team in its World cup victory over Tonga.

20 December 2011

Some Events of the year 2011. Part 2: Persons.

Some events of 2010.  Some events of 2009.  Some Events of 2008.

Part 1:  Organizations, Legislation, litigation.
Part 2:  Persons.
Part 3:  Spouses and Family, Trans Kids, Political, Celebrities, Sports.
Part 4:  Nemeses, Internet.
Part 5:  Doctors, Medicine, Genetics.
Part 6:  Deaths
Part 7:  Art, Fashion, Music
Part 8:  Theatre & Cinema
Part 9:  News Media, Journals
Part 10:  Books.

Public & Private Events

Africa:
A trans man and a trans woman, by chance on the same plane from Amman. Jordan to Egypt, both without revised passports, were refused entry and sent back to Amman.

Justine-Paula Howard, Durban, finally got her ID changed.

Natasha Saitoti, founder of Transgender Foundation, and in transition.

Patricia Dludlu, school teacher, sentenced to 7 years for abusing a 25-year-old, raped in jail and refused medical attention.
 
Americas:
Acey Mercer, New York State, client advocate.

Alejandro Iglesias, Argentina, disclosed that he was trans on Big Brother reality show Dec 2010; in April 2011 he became one of a few trans to get his ID changed, and active in campaign for gender identity law.

Allyson Robinson, associate director of diversity for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) flies frequently with an M on her ID.

Amber Yust, who went to the Department of Motor Vehicles in San Francisco to record her sex change - and then got a letter from a DMV clerk saying homosexual acts were "an abomination that leads to hell" - will receive a $55,000 legal settlement.

Anastasia St. Clair-Hannah, executive housekeeper fired after a background check outed her. She is suing.

Andrea Jones, Tennessee, who was refused a change of her driver’s license because she is a man, took off her top and as Mr Jones was charged with indecent exposure (a law that applies only to women). She spent 23 days in jail.

Andrea Viveros prom queen.

Ashley Yang, airport screener, forced to be male, fired, won compensation.

Avery Mitchell, Calgary, winner of breast implants in competition by AMP 90.3 Radio.

Beth Elliott, released a revised edition of her autobiography, and wrote a rebuttal of the Brennan-Hungerford letter to the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

Biancah Melanie Ortiz awarded the David Acosta Revolutionary Leader Award by the Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative.

Bradley Manning, political prisoner, is being held in solitary confinement in Quantico brig in Virginia. Each night, he is forced to strip naked and sleep in a gown made of coarse material. He has been made to stand naked in the morning as other inmates walked by and looked. His trial finally started in December.

Brittany Roche, in geography liaison, has completed transition successfully.

Brooke, is a New York firefighter.

Chris Cochrane, Halifax, was shot in the arm during an attempted home invasion.

Chris Goldman, Maryland, completed transition.

Chrissy Polis was attacked in April in the restroom of a Baltimore McDonalds, and in December was arrested for disorderly conduct after calling the police to report a robbery.

Christy M, who had been rudely ejected from a Ross Dress for Less store in 2011, was informed that the store has now issued special instructions to staff to not do so.

Claudia Vásquez Haro, teacher at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, obtained her revised identity certificate.

D.B. Karron must repay $4 million after using grant money for sex changes for self and three others.

Dallas Denny revived Chysalis Quarterly. In it she has raised serious questions about what has happened to IFGE.

Dana Beyer, Maryland, cleared of ethics charges resulting from political activities.

Dana Peterson, police lieutenant, Hartford, Connecticut, refused canine certification.

Domaine Javier, who appeared on an MTV reality show, “I’m Passing as Someone I’m Not”,was then expelled from California Baptist University for having ‘falsely’ claimed to be female on her application.

Drew Cords, Albany, completed transition.

El’Jai Devoureau, New Jersey, who has lived as male for 20 years, was hired by a drug treatment centre to watch men giving urine samples for drug testing, and then fired on the second day, after an acquaintance informed his bosses.

Florencia de la V, of Argentina, appears in a series on the Disney Channel in Spain.
Catholic school teacher Jan Buterman in Alberta, dismissed for "not being aligned with the values of the Catholic Church", rejected $78,000 cash settlement.

James Scott, Texas, disabled house husband. Wife applied for voiding of marriage on grounds of transsexuality. Judge ruled that a divorce was appropriate.

Janet Mock, editor at People.com, shared her transition story.

Janis Stacey sued Agere Systems & LSI.

Ja'Von Crockett becomes a pastor and is on television.

Jovanie Saldana, who has been 14 months in a women’s prison in Philadelphia, complained about being forced to give oral sex to a prison officer, and the prison authorities then noticed that she is trans and transferred her to a men’s prison.

Juani Santos, Cuba, diagnosed as a trans man 1972, finally has surgery.

Justus Eisfeld, of Global Action for Trans Equality, received revised diploma from University of Amsterdam as its president was on a trip to New York.

Katie Hill, Tulsa, portrayed in local newspaper.

Kissy Bates , Minneapolis, was stabbed multiple times and left to die by her boyfriend, Arnold Waukazo.

LaShawn Peterson and her husband, together for 14 years, received an apology that their application for a marriage licence had been turned down.

Lyralisa Stevens, serving 50 years to life for murder in California, wants surgery and transfer to a women’s prison.

Malcolm Himschoot, married father of three, installed as pastor at Parker United Church, Denver.

Meggan Sommerville, of Oswego, Illinois, in transition with drivers licence changed, has filed two charges of discrimination in that her employer will not allow her to use the ladies’ toilets.

Morgan Page, Toronto activist, Community Services Co-ordinator, sex worker, Lukumí priest.

Nikki Araguz, Texas, honored at the Harvey Milk rally in Austin, rode in the Houston Pride, is still appealing the ruling that she and her husband were not legally married, and has been charged with stealing a Rolex watch.

Oneal Ron Morris, Florida, arrested for pretending to be a doctor and ‘pumping’.

Ophelia De'lonta, inmate in Virginia, again attempted self-castration, sued to state to pay for a sex change, without success.

Pauline Park called for transgendering higher education.

Rachel Tudor, English professor, Southern Oklahoma State University for 7 years, denied tenure and fired.

Ray Clarke is in transition.

Ray Grosz, transitioning to male at Barnard, an all-female college.

Rebekah Brewis is an involuntary inmate in a male ward at Oregon State Hospital.

Robin Mathy, who filed an ethics complaint against Michael Bailey in 2008, did so again after his sextoy demonstration.

Ruth Wood, lay minister, Calvary United Church, Kingston, Ontario, completed transition

Sandy Battista, Massachusetts inmate, has received the right to receive female hormones.

Spencer Cullen, Phoenix, robbed Walmart to pay for surgery.

Susan Stanton accused of homophobia, firedas Fort Worth, Florida, city manager, and hired as Canton city clerk.

Susan Stryker, historian, is now director of the University of Arizona's Institute of LGBT Studies in Tucson.

Tenika Watson, who was in the car crash with Teddy Pendergrass, is interviewed.

Toby Hemker, Michigan, transitioned.

Tona Brown, Baltimore, violinist, is working on an album.

Trudie Jackson, ex prostitute and inmate, is doing a public policy degree in Phoenix.

Valerie Villalta, escaped death threats in El Salvador, and is now an activist for gay and trans Latinos.

Vandy Beth Glenn, of Georgia, fired state legislative aid. Supreme Court of Appeals ruled in her favor of District Court.

Victoria Kolakowski became a trial judge in California.

Wendy Iriepa quit her job at the Cuban sex studies centre after Mariela Castro objected to her boyfriend, but then she and Ignacio Estrada of Cuba were married on Fidel Castro’s birthday.

Asia:
It was reported from India that some parents are having daughters, aged 1- 5, surgically reassigned as boys, to avoid future dowrys. Although this was later denied.

An Afghan transvestite (ezak?) is humiliated by the police, and her image put on YouTube.

Abdul Qawi Jamil, Malacca, arrested by religious police for cross dressing.

Adi, Tel Aviv, fired for transitioning, awarded 30,00 NIS.

Ayumu Mogi, Osaka, has got a job at a nursing home.

Bhawana Dhakal, Nepal, still without citizenship papers despite 2007 Supreme Court ruling.

Bhumika Shrestha, represented Nepal at the UN, despite a stoppover at Qatar where the discrepancy between her appearance and her ID was questioned.

Fouzia Janah, Bahraini lawyer, took on more intersex cases.

Hender Gercio, Diliman, Quezon City, objected to being referred to as male, but the administration decided otherwise.

Jin Xing was dropped as judge on a TV talent show in Zhejiang Province because “transgender identity could have negative effects on society”.

The recently married Kamran and Wajahat of Karachi were murdered.

Patarchokchain Sarawit fell in love with a Kashmiri shawl salesman, lived with his family for two years and supplied 36 lahk rupees. While she returned to Germany for surgery, her fiance became engaged to another woman.

Randi, a beggar in New Delhi, was released from a two-year sentence at the beggars home because transgender.

W, Hong Kong, appealing to refusal to let her marry.

In Dera Gahazi Khan, 3 hijra, Mona, Matu Reema & Kansal Mastoi, were abducted from a wedding and raped.

Europe:
2,500-year-old skeleton found outside Prague is male-bodied but buried in the female way.

Abi Hamilton (previously Jan) is having problems transferring her army pension to the Strathclyde Police plan, and with colleagues treating her as a man.

Adriana, of Valencia, unable to get work or accommodation as a woman, has returned to being a man.

Aleksa Lundberg, Swedish actress 29, who transitioned at 18, objects that she was sterilized, and that she has to pay attention to her voice. She has played a theatre piece based on her own life all over Sweden.

Ayla Holdom, helicopter pilot, on UK royal wedding guest list.

Cathy Daniels of Burnley, Lancashire, has had genital surgery, but NHS East Lancs does not fund breast enhancement.

Scottish prisoner William Wallace, 5 years for dealing drugs, became androphilic in jail, changed name to Cassie, and has applied for a gender change.

Chloe Avrillon, France, went to court for judicial recognition of her marriage which pre-dated her transition. It was refused.

Chloe Oliver, ex-bodybuilder, father of five, after 17 years living in France, completed transition at age 60.

Chrisie Edkins, of Southampton, previously a 16 stone bodybuilder, now works as a model, and had recorded an album.

Diane Hughes wants to stay married.

Dominik Sejda, a Czech, left her husband and son 15 years ago on becoming a man. Now his son is becoming a woman.

Fatine Bahari granted a visa to stay in the UK, and then left her husband.
Gina Philbin, grandmother in Gainsborough.

Joanne Cassar, Malta, lost appeal and still not able to marry. Next step, the European Court of Human Rights.

Kerry Marshall impersonated Kate price at the bank and withdrew £9,000.

Kim Oakland of Carlisle, endures prejudice and prepares for surgery.

Kristy Cass of West Sussex almost bled to death after an attempt at self-surgery. She will soon have proper surgery.

Lee Brooks of Perthshire has been charged with obtaining sexual contact by fraud, in that he deceived two women.

Louise Lamb, ex-soldier, now a train driver.

Lucinda Ferguson, Galashiels, shocked by the level of abuse she has received from both men and women of all ages since setting up home in the region.

Natasha Gray, ex-Navy, now pole-dance teacher

Oliver Danes. His mother paid for his breast removal.

Nicole Sanders has spent £200,000 in 12 years transforming her body: five breast operations, four nose jobs, a brow lift, cheek implants, jaw surgery, chin implants, calf implants, filler injections in her lips, botox jabs and sexual reassignment surgery.

Nina Kanagasingham, charged with the murder of Sonia Burgess, has been held in a men’s prison, has been found guilty to manslaughter.

Robin White, barrister, London.

Miss Sahhara, from Nigeria, living in London, was named Miss International Queen runner-up at the Tiffany contest in Pattaya.

Sandra Buljubasic, a Dane with Bosnian roots, was attacked in Koprivnica, Croatia.

Two drag queens, Lady Shaun and Calvin Fox were attacked in separate incidents in Liverpool’s gay quarter.

Stephanie Booth, Business woman, proposed to take over Wrexham football club, her hotels went into administration, and was burgled.

Stephanie Collinsof Surrey told to use disabled toilets at Sainsburys supermarket. Sainsburys quickly apologized.

Tina Cook, of Darlington, told by JobCentre to dress as a man to get a job.

Victoria Saxe-Coburg of Poole, Dorset, who transitioned 20 years ago, was told off at Poole Stadium for using the ladies’ toilets and told to use the disabled instead.

HBS author Rose White of Calderdale Yorkshire, who last year initiated a complaint to the ECHR re the NHS spending too much on her sex change, completed transition at age 63, continued her legal case, and wrote to her local paper objecting to drag persons in local Pride parade.

Kerry Whybrow, ex fireman, civil unioned.

Oceania:
Partial paraplegic, Donna Macklan of Albury-Wodonga, NSW-Victoria, attacked by couple with a shovel who severely damaged her and her wheelchair. Graeme Loxton and Christie Keighran also shouted ‘hermaphrodite’. They have been convicted and ordered to pay $2638 compensation for damage to the wheelchair.

Marcelle, Canberra, appealled and got a passport with an F.

19 December 2011

Some Events of the year 2011. Part 1: Organizations, Legislation, litigation

Some events of 2010.  Some events of 2009.  Some Events of 2008.

This is just some of what happened in 2011.

Part 1:  Organizations, Legislation, litigation.
Part 2:  Persons.
Part 3:  Spouses and Family, Trans Kids, Political, Celebrities, Sports.
Part 4:  Nemeses, Internet.
Part 5:  Doctors, Medicine, Genetics.
Part 6:  Deaths
Part 7:  Art, Fashion, Music
Part 8:  Theatre & Cinema
Part 9:  News Media, Journals
Part 10:  Books.

Each year that I do this feature, it gets longer, partly because I know more places to look, but mainly because there is so much going on.  Good things, bad things.  Political, personal, media.  I try to gather them all together at year end.

Organizations

Africa:

Transgender and Intersex Africa – specifically for black persons, to deal with the inherited cultural problems of Africa.

Transgender Foundation, Kenya.

Americas:
Exposures Festival, Edmonton. Carol D. Allan discussed her own struggle (and victory) with the Alberta Board of Education in the late1980s to continue teaching and expressed her disgust and disappointment that 20 years later, Jan Buterman (who was himself a part of the packed crowd) finds himself having to take on that same fight. Laine Mandlis’, a PhD student in the University of Alberta’s Department of Sociology spoke about the fight to remove gender identity disorder from the DSM. Lucas Crawford spoke about the complex relationships between identities like queer, trans and fat. Dean Spade spoke about the importance of questioning the social and political imperatives to “document gender” and the relationship between being able to prove one’s gender and citizenship

IFGE – no more annual conference
- Transgender Tapestry no longer published
- bookstore no more
- walk-in center in Waltham, Boston, closed
- webpage now requires a login.
- the separate Winslow Street Fund seems to have been raided for its money.

- Runs a Facebook news page.
Rikki Swin Institute. In 2000 the RSI purchased the purchased personal papers of Virginia Prince, Betty Ann Lind, Ariadne Kane, and Merissa Sherrill Lynn, and the next year with much fanfare those attending the IFGE conference were invited to an opening. In 2002, both the RSI and Ms Swin disappeared. The collection is now available as part of the University of Victoria Libraries, Vancouver.

Transsexual Menace was revived.

As there was no mention of transgender or transsexual in the 2011 Vancouver Pride Guide, Tami Starlite organized a separate Trans Celebration & Liberation March.

Genderqueer Chicago signed up local businesses to sign a pledge to keep their restrooms welcoming for people of all genders. Participants display a decal.

Silueta X, in Guayaquil, Ecuador; Diane Rodriguez fighting to changing gender on ID.

Sylvia Rivera Law Project did a teach-in at Occupy Wall St.

Transgender Health Empowerment runs Wanda Alston House, Washington, DC.
Trans Health Conference, Philadelphia.

LGBTA Youth Awards. Kim Pearson awarded Vanguard Award for her work on behalf of gender-variant youth and their families.

First TransFaith In Color Conference, Charlotte, NC, July.

Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund won the right to paid medical leave for facial feminization surgery.

Asociación de Travestis, Transexuales y Transgéneros de Argentina & Federacion Argentina Lesbianas, Gays, Bisexuales y Trans campaigned for the Ley de Identidad de Género with an excellent video.



Asia:

Blue Diamond Society, Nepal, reports that of 200,000 transgender persons (out of 30 million) only 5 have obtained citizenship.

Samapathik Trust, Pune, Maharashtra, opened a beauty salon for trans persons.
TransFemale Association, Thailand, Sister’s Hand Project. Has obtained sponserships from the private sector, and is able to pay for gender surgery.

Arus Pelangi have gone to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) re the murder of Shakira Harahap.

Gender Interactive Alliance explained that while the Pakistani supreme court directed the government to issue third-​gender ID cards in 2009, none have been given out yet. As a result, many transgender citizens lack any identification documents at all.

All-Pakistan She-Male Association welcomed the right to vote.

Europe:
STP 2012. More

Trans-Aide accused the French minister for justice, Michel Mercier, of hypocrisy when he confirmed that the state will not recognise a change of gender identity without proof of “irreversible sterilisation”, in that France had supported Council of Europe resolution 1728 the previous year that sterilization was not required. They are continuing their struggle through the French legal system, which is the necessary precursor to taking the issue to the European Court of Human Rights.

Press for Change website is back up after problems.

WightConnect – a new group in the Isle of Wight.

TGEU has received significant funding from the Netherlands Government, and also from the Open Society Foundations.

TGEU, Interights and ACCEPT organized a Workshop on Transgender Rights in Central and Eastern Europe/former Soviet Union (CEE/fSU). “Recurring issues were absent or defunct gender recognition legislation; lack of knowledge by public officials. Medical specialists play a crucial role but expertise, facilities and treatment are rare. Given deficiency in funding and trans-friendly structures, support through having a trans community is crucial for trans people in the region”.

TDOR in Kiev brutally attacked.

The Independent on Sunday Pink List 2011 includes Sarah Brown, Christine Burns, Jay Stewart, Roz Kaveney, Bethany Black and others. www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/the-ios-pink-list-2011-2374595.html

Oceania
UNAIDS withdrew its funding from the Adi Senikau pageant in Fiji, which will now be the Yellow Tail Adi Senikau Pageant.

The Pacific and Asia Trans and Intersex Hui, Wellington, NZ, held ahead of the AsiaPacific Outgames.

OII: 14 days of Intersex.

Australian Mental Health, Human Rights and Law Reform Coalition gave its Bruce McGuinness award to Sally Goldner.


Equal marriage & civil unions

For a full history of the move towards equal marriage legislation see: http://ukgaynews.org.uk/marriage_timeline.htm. This issue is important for trans people, especially in the US where upon widowhood or divorce, a trans person often finds that s/he has no legal standing.

The changes in what marriage is across time and cultures. Alternet, Nov 4, 2011.
Why rational conservatives would support equal marriage. New Statesman, 23 Sept 2011.

Why conservatives should welcome gay marriage. The Spectator, 5 Oct 2011.

UK Civil Union recognized as equivalent to marriage in Spain, but not in Canada.

Prime Minister Cameron on gay marriages. Even Conservatives are to the left of Obama on this issue. His proposal for a Tax Relief for married couples will include same-sex civil unions.
-------
Americas
Brazil: Supreme Court voted 10-0 for gay civil unions.

California: three years after Proposition 8 removing equal marriage rights, the issue is still before the courts.

Delaware: approved Civil Unions.

Illinois: Civil Unions for both gay and straight couples.

New York: Senate voted 33-29 for gay marriages, and Governor signed the bill immediately.

Nova Scotia: Legally partnered same-sex couples in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Canada, can now obtain a blessing from the country’s Anglican Church.
Rhode Island: Civil Unions for gay couples.

Louis Marinelli, formerly of the National Organization for Marriage, has changed his mind and is now pro equal civil marriage.

Suquamish tribe, Washington State approved same-sex marriages.

Europe
Ireland: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 came into effect

Lirchtenstein: voted 68% in a referendum for Registered partnerships

Scotland: consultation on whether to rewrite the traditional definition of marriage so that people of the same sex can marry found 60% in favour.

UK: the coalition government has stated that it intends for same-sex civil marriage to be legal in the United Kingdom by the next election.

Oceania
Tasmania voted in favour of same-sex marriage, but needs federal approval.

Other Legislation, Litigation, other government and corporate actions, etc

UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution 23-19 calling for universal rights for GLB and T persons. The resolution was introduced by South Africa which was accused by Nigeria of “breaking the tradition of African group”.

After much talk, the Commonwealth failed to stand up for GLBT rights.

Americas:
Argentina: - 2010 introduced equal marriages
- Security Ministry is allowing transsexual members of federal police and security forces to be recognized under the gender that they’ve adopted. The new ministry resolution also lets transsexuals wear the uniforms and use the facilities matching their adopted gender.
- by 167 votes against 17 and 7 abstentions, the Argentinian Lower House passed a gender identity bill. Under this law, trans people will be able not only to have access to gender recognition by a simple administrative procedure, without any kind of requirement, but also to hormonal and surgical treatments within the public health system with the only requirement of informed consent. To become a law, the bill has to be ratified next year by the Senate.

Canada: - a bill to add gender identity and gender expression into the Human Rights Act was passed by the House of Commons and was awaiting Senate approval when the election was called, and it died. It has been re-introduced by both an NDP and a Liberal MP, but is opposed by the ruling Conservatives.
Ontario. Despite Liberal Party support for adding gender identity to Canadian Human Rights Act, the governing Liberal Party of Ontario refused Parliamentary time to debate Toby’s Bill which would do the same thing in Ontario.
- London, Ontario: farmers' market that evicted a local candle and incense retailer because she had a transsexual clerk.
- Canada Border Services Agency issued a directive in August telling officers that transsexual and intersexed individuals can choose whether a man or a woman will search them.
Nova Scotia: fingerprinting required for all name changes except marriage, including gender transition and abuse victims.
Chile: the Movement for the Intergration and Liberation of Gay people (MOVILH the Chilean National Health Fund (FONASA) and the Chilean Ministry of Health (MINSAL) agreed a Gender Identity Congruency Protocol. Gender affirming surgeries and hormone replacement therapies will be like any other vital health service covered by the State.

US:
- Bureau of Prisons. New rules permit a trans person not already on hormones to start taking them, and to live and dress as identity gender.
- Social Security Administration changed its gender notification policy to avoid outing workers to their employers. It had sent 700,000 no-match letters in 2010.
- State Department: further relaxed rules for changing passport gender.
- US Military: suspension of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell now permits openly gay and lesbians to serve, but trans persons still deemed unfit for service.
- Veterans Department: "Providing Health Care for Transgender and Intersex Veterans"
- American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators ( AAMVA ) recommended that transgender drivers be allowed to more easily change the gender markers on their driver's licenses.
Alaska: ACLU filed a lawsuit to the effect that denying the woman a license that accurately reflects her gender identity because she hasn't undergone surgery is unconstitutional.
California: - “gender identity and expression” added as a type of “gender” discrimination under the existing non-descrimination laws.
               - removed surgery requirement for revised birth certificate removed.
Connecticut: House of Representatives passed a bill to add “gender identity or expression” to its anti-discrimination law.
Illinois: A successful class action lawsuit was filed by the ACLU in that the state of Illinois refuses to change the gender on birth certificates of transsexual people unless they’ve undergone genital surgery.
           Cook County,announced new policy of jailing trans prisoners by gender identity rather than by birth sex.

Hawai’i: prohibited discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression as a public policy matter and specifically with regard to employment.
Maine: outlawed discrimination against transgender persons.
Maryland: House passed a bill give trans people protection from discrimination but it was quashed in the senate.
Massachusetts:
               -Governor quietly issued an executive order banning discrimination against transgender workers in state government.
                        - Transgender Equal Rights Act give trans people protection from discrimination in employment, housing and credit, but not ‘public accommodation’
Michigan: Two Republican state representatives introduced a bill Aug. 25
called the "Moral Values Bill" that would ensure no public funds could
be used to pay for sex change operations for prisoners.
Nevada: companies with more than 15 employees cannot discriminate against staff on the basis of their gender identity. They may demand appropriate dress codes and grooming standards for the individual’s preferred gender.
New York State: two trans women and one trans man are suing the city of New York over a requirement that they must have gender reassignment surgery in order to have their birth certificates changed.
North Caroline: Hospital Patient’s Bill of Rights now prohibits discrimination on basis of gender identity.
Ohio: Governor Kasich renewed executive non-discrimination order, but dropped gender identity and expression from it.
Oklahoma rejected possibility of revising birth certificates.
Oregan: - Portland: Adopts Trans-Inclusive Health Care for City Workers.
                 - Lamda Legal sued Oregan over denial of insurance for medical procedure for a state worker.

Philadelphia Transit Authority renewed its policy of gender stickers on its ‘trans pass’ and refused to consider the situation of trans persons.
Tennessee; Senate passed bill to ban all teachers in public elementary and middle schools from talking about GLBT subjects.
Texas: University of Texas in Austin has installed gender neutral toilets for trans and disabled persons.
Marriage laws :
               legal decisions in favor of James Scott and against Nikki Araguz.
                       A bill was introduced to remove proof of a sex change from the list of documents that can be used to obtain marriage licenses. While it cleared a Senate committee, it never made it to the floor.

                        A trans woman and a cis woman were able to marry.
Wisconsin: law banning hormone therapy for trans inmates struck down.
Vermont: clear statement in law that surgery is not necessary to update a birth certificate.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) now allows ordination of openly LGBT ministers, elders and deacons.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) “will allow a transgender student athlete to participate in sex-separated sports activities so long as the athlete’s use of hormone therapy is consistent with the NCAA policies and current medical standards.”
Asia:
Hong Kong: while transsexuals can marry as their acquired gender in China, Taiwan and Singapore, they cannot in Hong Kong. This was again confirmed by the High Court.

Malaysia: - High Court Judgein Taiping rejected application to order National Registration Department to alter gender on identity card of trans woman.
- boot camps set up and effeminate Muslim boys sent for physical education and religious classes.
           - The Women’s Minister described gay cure camps as traumatizing.


India: - Planning Commission taking input from Dalits, gays and lesbians and transgenders.
- Census: other category for transgender persons.
- Tamil Nadu: State government declared April 15, the date the transgender welfare board was set up in 2008, to be Transgender Day.
Nepal: census included third gender option.

Pakistan: - Supreme Court has ruled that Pakistanis who do not consider themselves to be either male or female should be allowed to choose an alternative sex when they apply for their national identity cards.
- Supreme Court ordered the election commission to collect data from the hijra community and register them as voters.
Thailand: PC Air specifically recruited katoeys.
Monks at Wat Kreung Tai Wittaya attempt to teach maleness too katoeys.
A court ordered the military on Tuesday to stop labeling transgender people as being mentally ill i
Turkey: Amnesty International report that the government has refused to back laws against discrimination and violence against GLBT persons and has allowed leading politicians to make explicitly homophobic statements.
Europe:
EU:
- adopted a new set of asylum rules that include gender identity as a grounds for persecution. This applies to all EU Member States except the United Kingdom, which previously opted out of EU asylum policies.
- EU parliament voted for Human Rights for gays and trans people. A total of 586 MEPs voted, with 442 in favour, 104 against and 40 abstentions. Text of resolution.
- European Parliament has passed a resolution calling for WHO to stop classifying trans persons as mentally ill.
- Thomas Hammarberg, EU Commissioner for Human Rights, made a speech specifically on trans rights.
Finland: Transvestism is no longer a disease.

Germany: Constitutional Court declares compulsory surgeries unconstitutional. The plaintiff, a 62 year old transsexual woman, had acquired the so-called “small solution” with a name change, but not altered the civil status due to the requirement to undergo sterilization surgery. With a still “male” civil status she and her female partner had been denied the right to enter a registered same-sex partnership.

Ireland:
- report published by the Gender Recognition Advisory Group as a precursor to legislation which will be introduced next year. It will be similar to UK law.
- Louise Hannon, of Ireland, was awarded €35,000 after discrimination at her job at First Direct Logistics Limited.
- State paid for 14 sex-change operations over five years, mainly in UK
Italy: 2 law cases in Rome: sterilisation is not to be understood as a mandatory requirement for gender reassignment; a grant of gender reassignment in a case where the applicant eventually decided not to undergo gender reassignment surgery.

Lithuania: proceeds with plans to prohibit ‘medical sex change’. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe stresses that the proposal is an explicit infringement of the fundamental human rights, contradicting the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights which includes the right to sexual self-determination, as well as being at variance with the recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member states on measures to combat discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Malta:- trans man won right to have birth certificate altered.
- Justice Ministry has announced that it will simplify the process for transsexuals.
Netherlands: Human Rights Watch says that Article 28 of the Dutch civil code constitutes a violation of international human rights instruments by making recognition of gender identity conditional on medical intervention.

Portugal: after initial Presidential veto, Parliament confirmed the legislation, the President signed it, and the Gender Identity Law is now in effect. As Portugal has equal marriage laws, no divorce is required. There are no mandatory surgical requirements.

UK:
- coalition government rejected proposals to cover a minority of trans women who are not getting their pensionat the female age, but agreed to look at the matter further.
- New Police and Criminal Act Code of Practice: Annex F: Establishing Gender Of Persons For The Purpose Of Searching.
- West Berkshire: C. The Court of Appeal rules that her Primary Care Trust was entitled to refuse funding for breast implants.
- Equifax: where a person has changed his/her name but not (yet) obtained a Gender Recognition Certificate, both names are displayed to any enquirer about credit ratings.
- England & Wales: National Offender Management Service, Ministry of Justice: New prison guidelines for trans prisoners. Where to place a post-op without a Gender Recognition Certificate, a pre-op or a non-op with a GRC, a seriously committed pre-op etc. This is expected to end trans convicts avoiding prison because it is unclear where to send them.
- Home Office has begun a consultation on allowing an X on passports for trans persons.
- The Justice Minister has announced that the "starting point" for judges sentencing in disability and transgender murder cases was to double from 15 to 30 years.
- Equalities Minister has announced support for transgender pupils in schools, measures to tackle discrimination in accessing public services and greater steps to protect transgender people's privacy, including not having their transgender identity revealed at work without their consent.
Oceania:
Western Australia: two trans men who had been refused recognition as men by the state Gender Reassignment Board appealed and are now recognized.

Australia: Gender on passports may now be M, F or X.