The Obama Administration Continues to Show Its Commitment to Equality

by Cheryl Courtney-Evans
posted May 25, 2012

"abitchforjustice": From the moment President Obama began campaigning for the office of the President in 2008, I was totally impressed by the way he practiced inclusion of ALL Americans in his speeches; he specifically named lesbian, gay, bisexual AND transgender citizens with regard to EQUAL treatment & respect in the United States [Sec. of State Clinton has since expanded this conversation to other countries; this has been unprecidented].

In recent weeks, Pres. Obama has voiced his support of marriage equality, prompting TIME magazine to feature him on its cover as the United States' "first gay president" (in what I consider a little 'tongue in cheek' mag-selling moment)...but let's face it; it takes a self-confident heterosexual to be so public in his support of gay issues...

Anyway, I continue to be completely impressed by the way this administration continues to be so committed overall to its efforts at inclusion and equality for the TBGL community, and never more so than when I received the following transmission via my email inbox yesterday...

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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Good morning,
This week, I am proud to tell you about ongoing efforts at the White House and across the Administration to ensure the health and well-being of LGBT people – such as speaking out in support of LGBT provisions in the Violence Against Women Act and working to protect LGBTI and gender nonconforming people in confinement facilities.
I hope you will read more about these developments and share the news with others in your networks.
Gautam Raghavan
Office of Public Engagement
The White House
Serving and Protecting LGBT Victims of Domestic Violence
Earlier this month, the House of Representatives approved legislation to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994, but failed to include critical provisions that would ensure that all victims of domestic violence can access vital services and protections.

The bipartisan VAWA reauthorization bill passed by the Senate in April would remove barriers faced by LGBT victims, whose needs often are overlooked by law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, and victim service providers. The Senate bill would authorize States and service providers to ensure that VAWA protections extend to all victims - including LGBT victims - of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.  The Senate bill also includes provisions that would help LGBT victims access VAWA-funded services.

Read more about the importance of ensuring that LGBT victims of domestic violence have access to these critically needed services and protections

DOJ Releases National Standards to End Prison Rape & Abuse

by Cheryl Courtney-Evans
posted May 19, 2012

"abitchforjustice": FINALLY! Someone has listened and taken action to provide transgenders who find themselves in the penal system, incarcerated (whether warranted or not), with protections and means of grievance if they are sexually assaulted or abused by other inmates or guards while there! The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) has done a phenomenal job in convincing the Department of Justice to take this action; now we'll just have to see how long it will take to fully go into effect and how far it will go to insuring the safety of transgender inmates, that they only have to worry about doing their time, without the added punishment of said abuse and torture (both mentally and physically) sustained in prison.

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Advancing Transgender Equality
The blog of the National Center for Transgender Equality

May 17, 2012

VICTORY: The Department of Justice Releases National Standards to End Prison Rape and Abuse

Today, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released National Standards to Prevent, Detect, and Respond to Prison Rape. The Standards include specific provisions that will work to protect transgender and gender nonconforming inmates in the fight end sexual abuse in prisons. These standards were built on recommendations provided by NCTE and several allied advocates.

Specific provisions to address abuse towards transgender people and those with intersex conditions include:

• Requiring a case-by-case consideration for housing in a male or female facility that is not based on genital status, meaning more trans women will be housed with other women.
• Limiting the use of isolating “protective custody” that can amount to torture.
• Limiting the use of segregated LGBTI units that are often treated as a quick fix and can stigmatize individuals.
• Requiring staff training for professional communication with and treatment of transgender and gender nonconforming inmates and those with intersex conditions to aid in assessing inmate vulnerabilities to sexual abuse.
• Banning the search or physical examination of transgender inmates and those with intersex conditions solely for determining their genital status.
• Minimizing stigma and the threat of abuse from staff by disallowing dedicated LGBTQI units and facilities.
• Requiring facilities to have multiple channels for reporting abuse without placing a time limit on when inmates can file grievances.

"I'm Sorry For Killing Your Daughter": A MOST POWERFUL 5 Transgender Mins.

by Cheryl Courtney-Evans
posted May 18, 2012

"abitchforjustice": The following video was shared with me by my son, and I felt that I just HAD to share it with my readers! It's one of the most POWERFUL videos I've seen in a looong time, and expressing an intensity of feeling that is too common among transgender individuals with regards to their family affiliations; this transgender man shares his thoughts with his father.

It will also make you wonder how any religion based on love could cause such a rift in relations...I won't say anymore, as I think the video will speak for itself...

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"I have PLENTY of Gay Friends/Acquaintances, but my Bible tells ME.."

by Cheryl Courtney-Evans
posted May 12, 2012

"I have PLENTY of gay friends and acquaintances, but my  Bible tells ME that homosexuality is wrong, and same-gender marriages is against what God tells us" [as if He has actually talked to them]. This is one of the favorite lines of religious bigots when denying their bigotry while also trying to connect the Bible and its teachings to their efforts against and aversion to marriage equality. It runs a close second to, "Same-sex marriage will destroy the 'traditional' marriage unit...". I'm sure they've used variations of this disclaimer when fighting against black/white marriages, votes for women, and segregation, among other inequalities that have since been addressed (at least to some degree; we've still got to finish fixing some of them, like equal pay for women).

"Pastor" Joe Watkins [also former Bush (George H. W) White House aid, now Republifool strategist on MSNBC], of the Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Philadelphia, PA., claims he's not a bigot. Neither he says, are any of his family, "...they all have gay friends and acquaintances, but we all go to church (I'm a pastor) and believe in the teachings of the Bible, and the word of God there states that marriage between same-sex people is wrong..." [paraphrased] WTF???! Joe, didn't anyone tell you that atheists get married too, so what has God got to say about THAT?

Marriage is not a purely Christian/Muslim/Mormon/Catholic practice...it is a civil state of existence between two committed people.

And this goes out to you too, "pastor" Dwight McKissic, "bishop" Harry Jackson, Jr. and Franklin Graham (son of Billy), who claims, "Obama has shaken his fist at God..." and "....God is grieving..." [because of Pres. Obama's recent highly publicized support of same-sex marriage; and as if he has a personal 'hot line' to the deity].

It aggravates me to no end to witness these hypocrites yelp about "the Constitution" and "separation of church and state" when trying to make the case for eliminating contraception mandates for women included in the Affordable Health Care Act and its intrusion into the rights of Catholic institutions with regards to their employees, but cite religious considerations as the main reason to deny purely civil/legal policy with regard to same-sex marriage. After all, no one is insisting they perform these ceremonies in their churches, or demanding pastors/reverends/preachers/rabbis to perform them if they have a problem with it. Marriages can be performed in city halls by justices of the peace..."sanctity of marriage" you say? Divorce rates are at an all time high among heterosexuals,  and I can't think of a week going by when some celeb isn't in the papers or magazines that hasn't been discovered cheating (I'm sure this would double, if we found out about the "regular people"). So you all need to come down off your high horses.

It would seem to me that it's a no-brainer that everyone who's a citizen of the United States should have the same rights, whatever they are. There is absolutely no logical reason that the TGBL community should be denied the 1,138 automatic privileges/rights/legal considerations (*chuckle*, don't ask me to name all of them; it's what MSNBC and "Freedom to Marry" informs me on the television...the point is, everyone should be eligible). To deny folks of (and fight against) a policy that is inclusive of all citizens is a purely bigotted, meanspirited attitude/action, when it does not affect your life, marriage, existence or religion in any way. After all, you are still able to 'do you'...so stop being bigots, and let's get on with this thing!

Was Pres. Obama's Signature on the Hate Crimes Act Just a Waste of Time & Ink??

by Cheryl Courtney-Evans
posted May 8, 2012


CeCe McDonald

In October of 2009, President Obama finally signed into law the "Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act". This law was to address the violence visited upon the Gender Non-Conforming (GNC, aka TBGL) community. Besides providing for stiffer penalties for perpetrators of hate crimes against this community, it's purpose was to provide avenues for the FBI's Civil Rights division to take over investigation of violent crimes when local authorities lacked the resources or intention to investigate them (indeed even if the local authorities are/were the perpetrators). The CeCe McDonald case would indeed seem to be just such a case. The local authorities, and the prosecutor in the person of Michael Freeman of Hennipen County, Minneapolis, certainly seem to have maitained a miscarriage of justice against this young African American transwoman, CeCe McDonald.

As I first posted November 8, 2011, she was being held and charged with murder after she and her friends were attacked by a group of drunken hate-filled bigots. A man who was with the attackers, Dean Schmitz, was stabbed in the melee and as a result died; CeCe had sustained a cut to her face requiring 11 stitches (due to a glass being shattered in her face). But now to add insult to this injury, she is continuing to be punished for her survival! THIS IS A TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE!! The Hate Crimes Act not only did not "prevent" the crime against her, BUT IS NOT PROTECTING HER NOW! Was President Obama's signature on this Act just a waste of ink??

Transgender Woman Refused Entry to Pink Pony strip club - Atlanta

by Cheryl Courtney-Evans
posted May 6, 2012

"abitchforjustice": A couple of days ago, I read the following story in Atlanta's "the GA Voice.com", an online newspaper (below, including video of the incident). It details the refusal of the Pink Pony, a strip club in Atlanta, GA., to admit a young transgender woman; a woman who, by the way, had patronized this same club on numerous occasions.

The reason given was the "bathroom issue". THIS IS SO BOGUS! Beyond the ignorance of this club using this excuse, this same "reason" is given repeatedly to maintain discrimination against transgender individuals in the workplace. It displays a continued ignorance of the transgender status by continuing to promote our community as "other than ordinary human", possibly sexual preditors and unworthy to be treated as everyone else in our participation in society at large.

While personally yours truly would much prefer to patronize a strip club which features male dancers, I say if a transwoman wants to patronize a strip club like this (even if it's just for the way they do a steak), IT SHOULD BE HER RIGHT...after all, it IS a "public accomodation" and is not a "private/membership" club.

"Abitchforjustice" urges any and all of its readers, or straight allies of same, to refuse to give your money, via your patronage, to such an establishment!

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Trans discrimination alleged against Pink Pony strip club

by Dyana Bagby, GA Voice.com
May 04, 2012   




A transgender woman says she was recently not allowed into Atlanta's Pink Pony strip club because her driver license still has a male gender marker.


Kyrah St. James, who says she lives full time as a woman and has been to the Pink Pony several times in the past year, said she was denied entrance into the popular strip club on Saturday, April 28, when the security guard at the entrance said she would have to speak to the manager because her ID showed an "M" and not an "F."


Repeated calls requesting comment from Pink Pony management were not returned.


St. James said in a phone interview that the security guard pointed to her driver license when he told her she would not be allowed into the club until she spoke with a manager.


"As I entered he told me I could not go in and that I needed to speak to the manager because of my ID. My ID is valid and it's not like I'm trying to hide anything," St. James said.


"I've been in the place many times before. We were just trying to have a good time. I love the steaks there," she said.

A Thus Far Bloodless Coup of America??

by Cheryl Courtney-Evans
posted May 3, 2012

Every day I watch MSNBC, and am appalled at the shenanigans of the Republican Party of today. The current election and the determination to remove President Obama from office seems to have pushed them so far right so as to be virtually indistinguishable from a gang of business-suited thugs. And as I watch, I wonder if anyone (besides myself) sees that we're in the middle of what I would consider to be a "bloodless coup" of America.

One would wonder why I would say something like this. Let us then consider the chain of events that have taken place since the election of President Obama.

On the very night of Obama's inauguration, 15 Republicans met for drinks and dinner in a secret meeting to plot against him (at the Caucus Room, steak & seafood restaurant). As an insider in the House of Representatives, Robert Draper in his book "Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives", details this meeting. It was called by Frank Luntz, supposedly for them to commiserate over their common loss of the election, but it became clear as they continued to drink and talk, that he had ideas...

Present were Republican Reps. Eric Cantor (Va.), Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), Paul Ryan (Wis.), Pete Sessions (Texas), Jeb Hensarling (Texas), Pete Hoekstra (Mich.) and Dan Lungren (Calif.), along with Republican Sens. Jim DeMint (S.C.), Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Tom Coburn (Okla.), John Ensign (Nev.) and Bob Corker (Tenn.). The non-lawmakers present included Newt Gingrich and Frank Luntz. Noticeably absent from the meeting was Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) because of their admitted hatred for Frank Luntz.

The dinner lasted four hours, and they came up with these initiatives:

-- Go after Geithner. (And indeed Kyl did, the next day: ‘Would you answer my question rather than dancing around it—please?’)

-- Show united and unyielding opposition to the president’s economic policies. (Eight days later, Minority Whip Cantor would hold the House Republicans to a unanimous No against Obama’s economic stimulus plan.)



-- Begin attacking vulnerable Democrats on the airwaves. (The first National Republican Congressional Committee attack ads would run in less than two months.)

-- Win the spear point of the House in 2010. Jab Obama relentlessly in 2011. Win the White House and the Senate in 2012.

This plan, converging as it did with "disappointed" Dems and increased intensity of conservative and extreme right-wing Republicans, allowed Tea Party Republicans to take control of the House of Representatives during the mid-term elections, and the real "gumming up" of Congress began.

With this obstructionism in Congress, the recovery left to President Obama has been slow for everyone except the rich, and behind the scenes, rich folks and corporations like the Koch brother billionaires started their machinations to keep it that way by installing Republicans in offices of control. The Koch brothers also managed to get Citizens United passed by the Congress and Supreme Court, so that corporations do not have to account for or report the ammount of money they contribute to campaigns of their chosen candidates for public office.