Monthly Archives: December 2015

December 2015 Trans Talk on 90.1 KKFI

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KKFI

Hello everyone! On Trans Talk this month I am going to cover a very important subject for transgender rights – military service. We are very fortunate to have three transgender soldiers coming to join us in the studio, including one who is the highest-ranking active-duty transgender military officer I know of in the world. My three guests will be talking about their lives as a transgender person in the military, and we will all discuss current efforts to expand and legalize active-duty military service for transgender persons. Finally, we will discuss criticisms of these progressive efforts of inclusion in our armed forces.

I will also give a breakdown of some of the LGBT news this week, and I will finish up the show with the community calendar update. I do hope you will be able to join me this Saturday, December 26 at 1:00 pm on 90.1 KKFI, Kansas City Community Radio! You can also stream the program live on kkfi.org.

Australian Transgender Assault Victim Stunned by Assailant’s Sentencing

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Elizabeth Andersen (a fellow hostess of “The Tenth Voice” on 90.1 KKFI) passed this news on to me: when transgender woman Stephanie McCarthy was beaten by two men in a case of anti-transgender violence, she lost the hearing in her left ear, has damaged eye sight in one eye, and has lost feeling in the top part of her face – in addition to suffering an untold emotional toll. Nonetheless, she stood brave and proud, and faced her assailants in court, where they were found guilty.

What she didn’t expect was to be victimized by the court system in Sydney, Australia, as the primary assailant was sentenced to 150 hours of community service and an 18-month good behavior bond. In short, pretty much no punishment. The other assailant remains to be sentenced, but will likely receive a lesser sentence. Even worse, McCarthy was not told of the sentencing date by the prosecutor or the court, and thus was denied her right to make a Victim Impact Statement.

From the article:

“I asked the leading investigator (Detective Nick Kenny) when the sentencing date would be and he told me sometime early next year,” she said.

“I waited five months for that day in court and giving the Victim Impact Statement would’ve been important for me.

“And I think it would’ve made a difference in the sentence.”

…

The emotional toll of the assault has also been significant as the once outgoing punk rocker and trans woman feels her life will never be the same again.

“I’m well known in [Sydney’s] inner-west and most people are very nice,” she said.

“But I’ve been spat on, bottles thrown at me and had bottles thrown at me from passing cars.

“My life will never be the same.”

Source: Assault victim Stephanie McCarthy devastated at assailant’s sentencing | Star Observer

OBITUARY: Transgender Actress Holly Woodlawn (1946 – 2015)

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My friend Eve Golden, an author, actress, and New York socialite who writes celebrity obituaries, has sent me information on the passing of transgender actress Holly Woodlawn, and I’ve added some bits from research I’ve done.

Holly Woodlawn died of cancer today (December 6) in Los Angeles. Born in Puerto Rico, Woodlawn hit New York in the 1960’s and soon fell in with the crowd of admirers and protégés surrounding artist Andy Warhol. She, Candy Darling, and Jackie Curtis were among the first openly transgender actresses in the New York stage and film world (and all of them were named in Lou Reed’s hit, “Walk on the Wild Side.” Woodlawn appeared in the films Trash and Women in Revolt, and in low-budget films such as Night Owl and Heaven Wants Out. She also had roles in the somewhat more well-known Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss and several cameo appearances on the award-winning Amazon series Transparent. In 1982, Holly was hired by the producers of Tootsie to coach Dustin Hoffman in his role. In recent years, Woodlawn worked in West Hollywood as a cabaret artist.

In 1991 she published a memoir titled A Low Life in High Heels, and in an interview in 2014 was quoted as saying “Aging is the best thing that could have happened to me…I have calmed down a gazillion compared to what I was younger. It is nice seeing all the kids around and thinking, ‘Oh God, if only they knew what is ahead of them!’ I hope they’re prepared! At least with me, it was never dull or boring.”

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A Kansas City Transgender Event – Free Screening of “The Danish Girl”

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As Caroline Gibbs, founder of the Transgender Institute announced on my Trans Talk program on KKFI last Saturday, Kansas City is honored to be presenting a screening of the Universal Pictures film The Danish Girl. The film is a semi-biographical drama of the groundbreaking journey of Einar Wegener, the husband of artist Gerda Wegener, to become one of the world’s first transgender women – Lili Elbe (I have only posted a very small amount of information about Lile Elbe on my site here).

Academy Award winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, Les Misérables) directs the remarkable love story inspired by the lives of Einar/Lili and Gerda. Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, Les Misérables) and Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina, Anna Karenina), star as Einar/Lili and Gerda, respectively.

What’s more, thanks to the sponsorship of the Transgender Institute, you can register online to receive free tickets for the screening! There are 200 seats available, and they are given out on a first-come, first-served basis. You can register for the event by clicking the link below, and you need not create an account to use it, just proceed as “Guest.” Click here to get your free tickets, while they last!

Date: Tuesday, December 15, 2015.

Time: 7:00 P.M.

Location: The Glenwood Arts Theatre, 3707 W. 95th St., Overland Park, KS, 66206.

There will be a brief introduction before the film to provide some historical background, and yours truly has been invited to deliver an introduction – so I hope to see many of you there!

A Handy Religious Groups’ Transgender Acceptance Chart

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The Pew Research Center has published a handy chart which details the transgender acceptance policies of several major United States religions. This may be used as a quick reference guide for transgender persons who are considering looking into a new or another religion.

There is much more specific information at the link below, including a separate chart showing the results of a survey conducted on 1,197 LGBT persons asking them how they feel society accepts them. Unsurprisingly, transgender persons reported by far the lowest rate of acceptance, with 80 percent of respondents reporting little or no support. (Thank you for the link, Lisa).

Source: Religious groups’ policies on transgender members vary widely | Pew Research Center

December 2nd SOFFA Meeting

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The Kansas City SOFFA group is having a joint meeting with the UMKC Trans+Allies group.  This month, UMKC is having a round-table discussion with parents of trans children and young adults, and SOFFA members are joining them to participate in the discussion.  While it is a round-table discussion, no one is obligated to speak.  We encourage parents to attend, but you do not need to be a parent, just interested in learning more about this topic.

The meeting is at UMKC Student Union in room 302, 6:00-8:00 pm.  There will be free pizza provided.  Be careful where you park – make sure you clearly display your UMKC parking tags, if you have them, otherwise, metered parking is available in the parking garage to the north of the Student Union. Some street parking is available by the School of Education at 615 E 52nd Street.

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VERDICT: Marine Guilty in Brutal Murder of Filipino Transwoman

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Jennifer_LaudeThe story plays out like a bad movie script, because we’ve unfortunately all heard it before:

  • Man meets woman and wants romantic and/or sexual relations with her.
  • Man discovers that woman is transgender.
  • Man decides to prove he’s a big, manly man and murders her in cold blood.
  • Man tries to escape justice by claiming “trans panic.”

It didn’t quite work for the “Man” in this case, as Marine Pfc. Joseph Pemberton was found guilty of homicide for strangling and drowning (in a toilet) transgender woman Jennifer Laude after they met in a hotel room for a presumed romantic encounter. While Laude’s family, loved ones, and friends did not receive the verdict they were hoping for (murder), nonetheless Pemberton was sentenced to 6 to 12 years in prison, and a fine of more than $130,000.

The case has also created a minor international incident, with the United States and the Philippines arguing over where Pemberton should serve his time, but really, that tempest in a teapot is hardly going to do anything to help the family of the murdered woman.

Source: USA Today

A Heartland Transgender Chorus May Be Forming, and You Are Invited to Join

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This message was given to me by my friend Gillian here in Kansas City, and I’m posting it on her behalf to reach out to my many readers to see if anyone is interested in joining this. I really think this could be a wonderful opportunity for an accepting group activity to build confidence and meet new friends in Kansas City. Her message follows:

A Transgender Chorus in Kansas City

For many of us, becoming who we are entails finding our voice. Voice however is different in different circumstances. Speaking on the phone is different to speaking in public to speaking to a loved one. So often our voices betray us and all too often we don’t feel like we have a voice.

I hope that we can change that in Kansas City.

I recently had the honor of meeting with and hearing the members of Boston’s Butterfly Music Transgender Chorus rehearse. It was a beautiful and moving experience that touched my heart and inspired me to work towards establishing our own chorus right here in Kansas City. I have been working to gather support and information from folks that want to help us establish the chorus. Specifically Heartland Men’s Chorus and folks at GALA. In addition to Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago are also getting choruses going.

The vision is to create a sustainable structure with good governance that over time will evolve into a place for us to sing as one and to claim our space in the world. Singing and especially choral work offers a profound opportunity for growth and discovery and a way to have your true voice heard.

Please share this post with anyone who you think might be interested in joining and participating either as a singer or as a supporter. Once a quorum of people is established on social media, we will arrange a public meeting to establish a steering committee and embark on finding our voice.

Please go to the FaceBook group setup to discuss this project and ask to join if you are interested: https://www.facebook.com/groups/KCtranschorus/