This is great!
September 30, 2011
Activists respond to transphobic National Post advertisement [xtra.ca]
By Rob Selerno / Xtra.ca
Social media outlets lit up on Sept 29 after a transphobic ad from the Institute for Canadian Values ran in the National Post.
The ad revives the “StopCorruptingChildren.com” campaign that launched last year to protest proposed revisions to the physical and health education curriculum that would include more sex education for younger children.
Under a picture of a young girl, the ad asks “Please don’t confuse me. I’m a girl. Don’t teach me to question if I’m a boy, transexual [sic], transgendered, interesexed, or two spirited [sic].”
The ad calls on the leaders of the three major Ontario parties competing in the Oct 6 election to “stop teachers from confusing” the little girl, as she “face[s] enough in the world already.”
It then quotes extensively from a Toronto District School Board curriculum resource document called “Challenging Homophobia and Heterosexism,” presenting these optional lessons as mandatory.
Hundreds of tweets about the ad went out under the #canqueer hashtag on Twitter in less than 24 hours.
The National Post’s manager of advertising sales Enzo Loschiavo says the newspaper has received many complaints about the ad and he’s not sure how it ended up in the newspaper.
“The Post wouldn’t generally run this,” Loschiavo says. “We’ll probably take a stance on not running it again.”
Loschiavo says the Post is investigating how the ad got booked and printed without being stopped but he wouldn’t specify what the Post’s advertizing standards entailed.
“We obviously don’t want to offend anyone, but we also understand that everyone has a freedom of speech,” he says.
Trans activist Chase Joynt was quick to respond to the ad by creating a spoof of it with his own face in place of the little girl’s.
“I thought it was manipulative to use the face of a small child,” he says. “Where the ad is doing the most damage is in not only presenting trans identities in any form as invalid and shameful, but also to rely on the education system to disseminate these lies.”
The Canadian Values campaign is particularly disappointing given that the province has yet to restart consultations or reintroduce its new curriculum as it had promised when it postponed the launch last year.
At the time, the Progressive Conservatives wanted the curriculum scrapped and the New Democrats wanted it implemented. The Liberals have said that they would revise and reintroduce the curriculum following wider parent consultations. Former education minister Kathleen Wynne has told Xtra she expects the curriculum to survive consultations unchanged.
Joynt says the curriculum is necessary to help kids understand their own identities and how queer people fit into the community.
“What’s crucial about any curriculum in regard to identity politics is that it’s providing a breadth of options and potentially the inclusion of LGBT rights in any curriculum at any level is that it affords another opinion,” he says. “ While I think there is opportunity to speak to things such as when is age appropriate, the ability to learn about those identities is integral to our success as educators.”
Charles McVety, whose Canada Christian College houses the Institute for Canadian Values, says he doesn’t believe the add is homophobic or transphobic.
“We’re upset that the Ministry of Education would force our children to learn things that we don’t agree with and secondly that they will not allow us to withdraw our children [from the lessons],” McVety says. “Eight year olds are very impressionable and to confuse an eight year old is egregious.”
He also says the new curriculum is not an appropriate way to deal with homophobic bullying or the rash of gay teen suicides.
“If you are going to deal with the issue of bullying, which I think needs to be dealt with, you deal with bullying. You don’t deal with other topics in the name of bullying. My daughter has red hair, she gets bullied because of her red hair,” McVety says. “There’s so many reasons why a child can be bullied, you don’t teach every little aspect. That appears to be the wedge to get this indoctrination into our classrooms and we’re upset about it and I don’t think it’s civil I don’t think it’s respectful.“
The ad is not currently running in any other newspaper or magazine, but is viewable on the campaign’s web site. McVety says he is “not sure right now” if he’ll try to place the ad elsewhere in the future.
Joynt has created a Facebook page to organize critics of the ad to coordinate a response. More than 150 people have joined.
He says his hope is to raise enough money through the group to buy a full-page response ad in the Post.
Queer Ontario has also urged its members online to file complaints with Advertising Standards Canada, the national advertising self-regulating body.
In an open letter to the National Post, Cliks lead singer Lucas Silveira writes that he is asking the Ontario Human Rights Commission to pursue a hate propaganda investigation against the Post and the Institute for Canadian Values over the ad. Current interpretations of Canadian human rights legislation tends to exclude consideration of advertisements in the media, according to Silveira’s lawyer.
http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Activists_respond_to_transphobic_National_Post_ad-10837.aspx
September 13, 2011
Mother of transgender girl says adults, not children, taunt her [pinknews.co.uk]
The mother of a ten-year-old transgender girl in Worcester has told how adults, rather than children, taunt and harass her daughter.
The 36-year-old woman, who has not been named to protect her daughter’s identity, told the Worcester News that while the girl’s classmates had largely accepted her, other parents and adults had not.
The ten-year-old was born physically male and has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
Her family took the decision over the summer to allow her to return to school as a girl and say her headteacher has been “fantastic” about the issue.
Her mother, who said the child had shown signs of being transgender at two, said her daughter was called a “freak” by an adult when she went to a local shop during the summer.
Although she said there had been some bullying from other children, most had accepted her daughter as a girl.
But she said: “We went to a performance at the school and my daughter went as herself.
“Some of the parents were unhappy she was allowed to go into the school. They were walking past, coughing, and saying, ‘That’s that freak family. That’s that freak child’.”
She added: “I don’t expect people to understand. I just don’t want people abusing my child.
“I don’t want her to be called a freak. I want her to be left alone.”
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/09/12/mother-of-transgender-girl-says-adults-not-children-taunt-her/
July 14, 2011
Gov. Brown signs bill requiring teaching of GLBT accomplishments [latimes.com]
Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Thursday that makes California the first state in the nation to require the inclusion of the contributions of gay, lesbian and transgender Americans in school history lessons and textbooks. The legislation addresses omissions in history books, according to Gil Duran, a spokesman for the governor.
Brown issued a statement in which he called the legislation an “important step forward for our state.’’ “History should be honest,’’ Brown said. “This bill revises existing laws that prohibit discrimination in education and ensures that the important contributions of Americans from all backgrounds and walks of life are included in our history books.’’
“It’s an important step forward for the state of California,’’ Duran said. “It revises existing law to make sure people are not excluded from history books. History should reflect reality.” The bill by state Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) had sparked hot debate in the Legislature where it was pushed through by the Democratic majority. Republicans argued it forces a “gay agenda” on students, but Leno said it would reduce bullying by educating young people about the accomplishments of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, community. “Today we are making history in California by ensuring that our textbooks and instructional materials no longer exclude the contributions of LGBT Americans,” Leno said. “Denying LGBT people their rightful place in history gives our young people an inaccurate and incomplete view of the world around them.’’
The governor’s decision was criticized by Benjamin Lopez of the Anaheim-based Traditional Values Coalition, who said the schools should be focusing on doing better on important skills such as reading, writing and math. “It’s a sad day for the state of California,’’ said Lopez, legislative analyst and advocate for the group. “We have failed at our core educational mission and yet we are now going to inject gay studies into the classrooms. It’s absurd and offensive.’’
June 14, 2011
A Transition Story: The High School
It was a long time ago, and yet I remember it like it was yesterday. I prepared as best that I could. For three months I worked with the director of Human Resources to ensure that my “transition” (aka “sex change”) would go as smoothly as possible at the school district.
You see, this was back in the time when there was no legal protection about gender in the workplace. They could have fired me immediately. Thankfully, the school district chose to keep me employed. Since I was their first transsexual, I would be under a magnifying glass. If I screwed up, as the director said, “no one will save your arse.” Being 40 years old and facing myself was scary enough. Letting others see me as well, for who I am, was beyond scary.
If not for my therapist, I’m not sure how well this would have gone. I love her for that. She saved my life. She inspired me.
Those who needed to know were informed. Since I worked with nearly 700 people at the area schools that meant the principals and the direct reports who work with me needed to be informed. On D-day, after preparation and meetings, Helen showed up for work.
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Approximately three months had passed since D-day when a voice-mail was left on my phone asking for help from one of the high schools. Now this particular high school was very tech savvy and did not require much help at all. But when they did call, it was always important, and urgent. I drove over to the high school and walked into the administration building.
Within moments I was surrounded by the staff. The tension was so thick “you could cut it with a knife.” I was not allowed to go do my job. A crowd was building. In the background was one of the staff administrators on the phone. What I would learn later is that she had called my boss and said, “Please come get David Hill. He showed up in drag!”
It seemed like forever, but which was probably no more than a couple of minutes, and it dawned on me that the staff did not know about my “transition.” At this point I was fighting back tears and shaking. I said to the very discombobulated colleagues, “You don’t know, do you?” “Know what?” replied one. Their principal failed to inform them. I then gave them the 30 second spiel of my decision and my transition.
Taking a breath I said to the assembled staff, “Now, please, I’d like to go do my job.” And like the parting of the Red Sea, the staff opened a path and let me through.
After I finished I returned to my car and bawled my eyes out. I may have cried for well over 20 minutes.
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You see, it wasn’t whether or not people were good or bad; it was a question of what they knew and had been prepared to contemplate and deal with an employee making a huge change in their life that would also effect them. The principal had not done his job. It was left to me to take people who were confused and afraid and to allay their confusion and their fears. It was the most difficult thing I had ever done.
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But don’t miss the point of this story. The point of this story is NOT to stop transition. The point of this story is NOT to stop being honest. The point of this story is to PREPARE those you care about, are employed with, or otherwise interact with in your daily life, as much as possible. Because TRANSITION goes so much better when people are PREPARED!
If you hide your life, then when people are confronted with the truth, they might react as anyone would; with surprise and confusion. But if you prepare people, then you will find out how INCREDIBLY good people can be; how they can rise to the humanity one may have thought not possible. It is indeed possible.
I believe, and it has been proven to me time and again, that people are good when give the chance, when informed, and when not surprised. Their capacity for compassion, empathy, and acceptance are far more than you would ever think possible.
But are you willing to trust them that they can accept you?
Are you willing to trust that you can accept yourself?
-h .
May 11, 2011
Boy Protests No Shorts Rule at School By Wearing a Skirt [dailymail.co.uk]
By Andrew Levy
It’s not necessarily a photo Chris Whitehead’s parents will be framing and keeping on the mantelpiece.
But they are certainly proud of him. The 12-year-old wore a skirt to school yesterday to protest against ‘discriminatory’ rules which ban boys from wearing shorts.
He says it is unfair that girls can change into skirts during the hot weather, while boys have to swelter in long trousers.
This, he says, affects their concentration and ability to learn.
The schoolboy is taking advantage of a ‘silly loophole’ in the uniform policy at Impington Village College, near Cambridge, that means boys can wear skirts as the school would be guilty of discrimination if it tried to stop them.
‘In the summer months, girl students are allowed to wear skirts but boys are not allowed to wear shorts,’ Chris explained yesterday before his protest.
‘It discriminates against boys. I will march in a skirt with other boys waving banners and making a lot of noise.
‘I will be wearing the skirt at school all day in protest at the uniform policy and addressing the assembly with the school council.’
The year 8 pupil, who lives in nearby Histon, added: ‘Wearing a skirt is just like wearing shorts with a gap in the middle. I don’t feel silly at all. I don’t embarrass easily.’
The 1,368-pupil school, which was classed as good in its last Ofsted inspection in 2006, imposed the ban two years ago after a consultation with parents and teachers. Its ‘Look Smart’ dress code states students must wear ‘plain black tailored trousers or knee-length skirts without slits’ – but does not specify gender.
This means that while shorts are prohibited because they are not mentioned, girls – and boys – are free to wear skirts as long as they are ‘free moving, not tight against the legs’.
Chris borrowed a skirt from his sister Joanna, 11, and was accompanied by 30 supporters waving placards saying, ‘Cool shorts, not hot pants’, ‘Shorts for the long-term’ and ‘What’s wrong with my legs?’
And he said he intends to continue wearing the outfit.
His mother, Liz, 50, a maths teacher, said: ‘I’m delighted that Chris is taking action on what he believes in – which the school actually encourages, so he is only doing what he is taught.’
And his father, Brian, 48, who owns a publishing company, added: ‘It’s a creative and imaginative idea. I was worried about him getting picked on but he just shrugged his shoulders.’ Headmaster Robert Campbell said: ‘Our uniform policy does not state girls’ and boys’ uniforms because we can’t be discriminatory, so Chris is perfectly within his rights to wear a skirt.
‘What he has done is raise the issue in an entirely legitimate way. I think it will be right to start thinking about uniform again in September.’
An Equality and Human Rights Commission spokesman said: ‘It’s not possible to say if different uniform policies for boys and girls is or is not lawful, as it’s not been tested in the courts.’ But schools ‘should be flexible when considering students’ needs’, he added.
April 19, 2011
Suicide Rates for Gay (and Straight) Teens Higher in Conservative Areas [Associated Press]
by Lindsey Tanner, AP Medical Writer
CHICAGO (AP) — Suicide attempts by gay teens – and even straight kids – are more common in politically conservative areas where schools don’t have programs supporting gay rights, a study involving nearly 32,000 high school students found.
Those factors raised the odds and were a substantial influence on suicide attempts even when known risk contributors like depression and being bullied were considered, said study author Mark Hatzenbuehler, a Columbia University psychologist and researcher.
His study found a higher rate of suicide attempts even among kids who weren’t bullied or depressed when they lived in counties less supportive of gays and with relatively few Democrats. A high proportion of Democrats was a measure used as a proxy for a more liberal environment.
The research focused only on the state of Oregon and created a social index to assess which outside factors might contribute to suicidal tendencies. Other teen health experts called it a powerful, novel way to evaluate a tragic social problem.
“Is it surprising? No. Is it important? Yes,” said Dr. Robert Blum of Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The study “takes our relatively superficial knowledge and provides a bit more depth. Clearly, we need lots more understanding, but this is very much a step in the right direction,” he said.
Blum serves on an Institute of Medicine committee that recently released a report urging more research on gay health issues. Blum said the new study is the kind of research the institute believes has been lacking. The independent group advises the government on health matters.
The new study was published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
Previous research has found disproportionately high suicide rates in gay teens. One highly publicized case involved a Rutgers University freshman who jumped off a bridge last year after classmates recorded and broadcast the 18-year-old having sex with a man.
The study relied on teens’ self-reporting suicide attempts within the previous year. Roughly 20 percent of gay, lesbian and bisexual teens said they had made an attempt, versus 4 percent of straight kids.
The study’s social index rated counties on five measures: prevalence of same-sex couples; registered Democratic voters; liberal views; schools with gay-straight alliances; schools with policies against bullying gay students; and schools with antidiscrimination policies that included sexual orientation.
Gay, lesbian and bisexual teens living in counties with the lowest social index scores were 20 percent more likely to have attempted suicide than gays in counties with the highest index scores. Overall, about 25 percent of gay teens in low-scoring counties had attempted suicide, versus 20 percent of gay teens in high-scoring counties.
Among straight teens, suicide attempts were 9 percent more common in low-scoring counties. There were 1,584 total suicide attempts – 304 of those among gays, lesbians and bisexuals.
Hatzenbuehler said the results show that “environments that are good for gay youth are also healthy for heterosexual youth.”
February 25, 2011
The Lonely Road: Why School is Hell for Transgender Pupils
When ‘Lauren’ decided she wanted to be recognised as a girl, life at school became a nightmare. Should teachers be doing more for transgender pupils?
via the UK Independent by Rachel Pugh
The day that Lauren Quick, 11, started at the mixed comprehensive in her Yorkshire home town, an older lad stormed into her classroom at break, shouting, “Oi, there’s a tranny in here – show me where it is!”
Suddenly, Lauren, who had been insisting from the age of three that she had “a girl brain in a boy’s body”, was surrounded. She was distraught and, weeks later, made her first attempt to kill herself. Two further attempts followed in the next five months – the last in the school lavatories.
Her life, says mother Jan, had become a living nightmare. Every day, she faced shouts of “man beast” and “tranny” from pupils, as well as calls to “get your dick out” – even, on one occasion, when she was being escorted by a teacher. Lauren’s response was to self-harm on a regular basis.
The town’s police hate crimes unit became involved three times after several incidents, including one pupil spitting in her face and a mother who was picking up offspring shouting, “You fucking tranny”, through the car window as Lauren walked home from school. Lauren was more often absent than in school.
Although the school supported Lauren’s desire to be accepted as a girl, and made determined efforts to stamp out the bullying – taking the perpetrator of each incident aside to explain Lauren’s circumstances – one day, everything came to a head. Lauren was ambushed on the way home by older boys, who tried to remove her skirt in an attempt to see her genitals.
Lauren refused point-blank to return to school. Jan obtained a transfer for her to a nearby high school, which had already successfully dealt with a transgender pupil. Lauren lasted only a few weeks. Now 14, she is being educated three days a week in a unit for long-term ill and severely bullied pupils. She would like to go back to school, but she and her mother doubt that it will ever be possible.
“There are no easy answers, but the school was just handling it on the hoof,” says Jan. “There was no attempt to plan anything. The school was totally unprepared for dealing with a kid like Lauren.”
Click to read the rest of the article at the UK Independent
