Trans News/ Issues

[Linus]

Originally Posted by weatherboi

Occupy Wall Street: NYPD Chains Transgender Man To Jail Restroom For 8 Hours

A transgender man arrested Saturday as part of the Occupy Wall Street protest at the Brooklyn Bridge was verbally and physically humiliated by the New York Police Department (NYPD), including being inappropriately patted-​down, segregated from other arrested persons, refused repeated requests for food — despite the fact that other prisoners were fed — and chained for eight hours to the wall of a restroom in an NYC jail, according to a statement he released.

“The NYC police department needs to have a protocol and train its officers on how to treat transgender people. No one should experience the blatant discrimination and embarrassment that I did,” writes justin adkins (who spelled his name in all lower-​case letters) in a statement he released that includes the following:

They took me away from the cellblock where they had all of the protestors locked up and
brought me to a room with 2 cells and a bathroom. One small cell was empty and the
large cell had about 8 men who had been arrested on charges not related to the protest.
Unlike me, these men had been arrested for a variety of crimes, some violent. When I
entered the room they had me sit down in a chair on the same portion of the wall as the
restroom, and then handcuffed my right wrist to a metal handrail. I thought that this was
a temporary arrangement as they tried to find me a separate cell as part of some
protocol regarding transgender people, which I later discovered does not exist in New
York City. After about an hour I realized that they had no intention of moving me. I
remained handcuffed to this bar next to the bathroom for the next 8 hours.

The cells, on the other side of the precinct where they had locked up the other 69
protestors, did not have working toilets so every person who had to use the toilet was brought to the one next to where they had me locked to the railing. This was not only
disgusting but also embarrassing. The smell of urine was so strong that I, and the men
locked up in the cell in the room that I was in, mentioned the odor on more than
one occasion.

Once they started bringing women in to use the bathrooms, a short young female officer,
who was in charge of people locked up in the room where I was handcuffed, harshly
turned my chair around with my arm still locked to the railing but now pinned behind my
back. She said that she knew it hurt but that they were bringing in women to use the
restroom and she could not have me watching. I had no interest in watching anyone use
the bathroom, and every-​time a male had come into use the restroom I had respectfully
turned away. This process of people coming in and out to use the restroom went on for
the full 8 hours.

I was distinctly treated differently than the other protestors during my entire time at
Precinct 90 in Brooklyn. At one point in the night all of the protestors were given a
peanut butter sandwich and water. I asked for a sandwich three times but of all of the
officers who came in and out of the room where I was handcuffed never acknowledged
my request. I think this was because when I asked for a sandwich the men locked up in
the room I was in asked for one too. I do not know when or how long those men were
being held but I was there for eight hours and had sat on the bridge for about 2 hours
and was never once offered water or a sandwich when my fellow
protestors received both.

The New Civil Rights Movement has reached out to Speaker Quinn’s office for comment.

In an unrelated statement, NY1 reported yesterday on Saturday’s protest:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the Wall Street protests “misguided” on Friday, and on Sunday, in the wake of hundreds of arrests the previous night, the mayor said the New York City Police Department is handling the demonstrators the right way.

“The police did exactly what they were supposed to do,” said the mayor. “It’s very easy to get a permit to protest, to parade in New York City, as long as it doesn’t interfere with other peoples’ rights.”

Organizers at Zuccotti Park did not want to respond to the mayor’s remarks.

Protesters claimed NYPD officers led them onto the roadway on the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday night, then detained and arrested more than 700 demonstrators.

Police said the protesters were warned beforehand.

It was the latest confrontation between the anti-​corporate group and police. A week ago, police pepper sprayed some protesters during a march in Manhattan.

If the demonstrators were expecting much support from local elected officials, they had not received much of it. On Sunday, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a leading mayoral candidate, agreed with Bloomberg’s assessment of the latest event.

“We all have the right to protest. The police, when it spills over into civil disobedience, have the right to arrest individuals who are engaging in civil disobedience, as has happened to me a few times,” said Quinn.

Additionally, adkins also states he is “a trans activist and website developer living in Williamstown, MA. He works at Williams College as the Assistant Director of the Multicultural Center where he coordinates LGBTQ programing, advises students and advocates for LGBTQ-​inclusive policies on campus and beyond.”

I don't think anyone would question the arrest. I would, however, question the treatment after the arrest. I hope he sues their asses for this!

[J. Mason]

I found this and thought maybe you guys would wanna read it, I couldn't find a good place to put it but here is a good read.

http://www.xtra.ca/public/Vancouver/...asy-10868.aspx

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by J. Mason

I found this and thought maybe you guys would wanna read it, I couldn't find a good place to put it but here is a good read.

http://www.xtra.ca/public/Vancouver/...asy-10868.aspx

Really great article. Thanks for posting.

[J. Mason]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

Really great article. Thanks for posting.

Your welcome, it kinda showed something from a femmes side of things, which I have never had to experience but its a good read in general.

[EnderD_503]

Originally Posted by J. Mason

I found this and thought maybe you guys would wanna read it, I couldn't find a good place to put it but here is a good read.

http://www.xtra.ca/public/Vancouver/...asy-10868.aspx

While I do agree that partners should be heard when they voice their concerns over a partner transitioning, there are ways to say it without reducing the word transphobia to something that trans people throw at people at random and framing trans people who call out transphobia when they see it as the "bad guys" in the situation.

I definitely do see transphobia in comments like these:

I looked for support but found very little because partners don’t generally talk about the difficulties we face in transition. Nobody wants to be the one to say, “This fucking hurts,” lest we be judged by the politically fuelled who would label us transphobic.

The Rah-Rah Tranny people on the sidelines say we’re not supposed to grieve the loss of our soulmate to a new gender. We should a) keep it quiet and support the transgender person or b) leave the relationship or c) both.

This, to me, has nothing to do with dealing with your partner's transition and voicing your feelings. I'm really tired of getting this sort of attitude from some LGB folks where other people are entitled to say all sorts of things about trans people, and when trans people respond or even mention the word transphobia, then they're "overreacting/making a big deal out of nothing," "not being sensitive," "being selfish" or trying to "guilt" people into agreeing with them on something.

It actually reminds me a lot of straight people's reactions when queer folks call them out on homophobia. Or people who make sexist comments when they're called out on their sexism. Yet somehow when it comes to trans people, some queer folks can't see how their behaviour mirrors that of those who, in turn, oppress them.

What does "Rah-Rah Tranny people" (seriously, if you're trans and identify as a "tranny", that's cool, but a cis person using the word "tranny" to refer to trans people in general is offensive, in the same way as a white person using the "N" word or a straight person calling gay men "fags") even mean? Apparently they are "politically fueled"? Again, what does that mean? Cause to me a "politically fueled" trans person is someone who fights for their own rights in a society where they don't have equal rights with the rest of the LGB spectrum. In the country the author is from, for example...

Like I said above, I have no problems with partners going through their process of coming to understand or accept their partner. But I feel the author made some comments that were transphobic (zomg, I must be a "rah rah tranny person"). I understand the frustration if the community she is a part of tells her that it's not acceptable to voice her feelings and grief over her partner's transition. I don't think that's good of them to do at all, and it's not something I would support. On the other hand, I don't think she should be expressing her frustrations while make transphobic remarks. It's like justifying homophobia because you had a bad altercation with a queer person, or sexism because you had an altercation with someone of a certain sex. Neither is acceptable in my eyes, and I don't think trans people should have to put up with anymore than anyone else should have to put up with discriminatory comments.

[J. Mason]

I am sorry I didn't see it that way, I saw it as someone who was in pain and hurting, thats the part I could relate to.

[EnderD_503]

Originally Posted by J. Mason

I am sorry I didn't see it that way, I saw it as someone who was in pain and hurting, thats the part I could relate to.

Nothing wrong with being in pain and hurting and everyone deserves a supportive environment. A lot of trans forums have sections for SOs and parents to discuss their reactions and feelings to their partner's/children's transitions. A lot of trans support groups up here also offer counseling for SOs and parents. We should all be supportive of that and if I see any SO/parent struggling with this I wouldn't think twice about helping them find a supportive environment.

My point was that using slurs and talking about transphobia like it's something trans people say to guilt trip cis people is channeling that pain into phobic language and accusations is not the way to deal with it. For example, is the parent of a recently "out" queer person entitled to call queer activists "rah rah fags" who "label" them as homophobic for their pain and difficulty in accepting their child's "new sexuality" (which is not necessarily new to the child)?

[EnderD_503]

Detroit Police investigators are searching for a transgender teen who has been missing for two weeks.

Henry Hilliard, Jr., 19, also known as Shelley or Treasure, was last seen at 1:20 a.m. Oct. 23 in the 900 block Longfellow wearing a silver dress, according to request for help issued by the Detroit Police Monday.

A cab driver that Hilliard often used for rides dropped Hilliard off at a home where three men were waiting for her, his mother, Lyniece Nelson, said today.

But Hilliard immediately called the driver back, voicing concern about the situation, Nelson said.

The driver "started to hear her say, 'What are you doing,' then scream out loud 'No,' then her phone dropped, a few muffling noises, then the phone went dead," Nelson said. "By the time he got back around the corner, there was no one in sight."

Hilliard, who models and does hair, hasn't contacted family members or posted on Facebook, both which typically happen every day, Nelson said.

Hilliard has a piercing on the left eyebrow and several tattoos including a design of cherries on the upper right arm, according to police.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detroit Police at 313-596-2200 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-SPEAKUP.

Source: http://www.freep.com/article/2011110...xt|FRONTPAGE|s

[atomiczombie]

Originally Posted by EnderD_503

Source: http://www.freep.com/article/2011110...xt|FRONTPAGE|s

OMG that's scary, I hope they find her safe and sound.

[Nadeest]

I hope to god that they find her, safe and sound, but I fear for her. If you noticed, the paper actually used the correct pronouns for her twice out of three times, which is at least an improvement, though an uneven one.

[EnderD_503]

Originally Posted by Nadeest

I hope to god that they find her, safe and sound, but I fear for her. If you noticed, the paper actually used the correct pronouns for her twice out of three times, which is at least an improvement, though an uneven one.

Yeah. The one place where they mispronouned her is kind of weird, though, cause they use the correct pronoun like quite literally directly before. Very odd. It just looks like really poor editing or something

[EnderD_503]

Unfortunately it seems that Shelley's body has been officially identified by her mother.

I'm a little confused by the reports, though. They say that she's been missing since the 23rd of October, but that they found a torso later the same day, that was only identified by the mother yesterday. It just seems a bit odd to me. If she was missing since that day, wouldn't they have considered the torso they found the same day and had it identified sooner?

Torso found in Detroit identified as missing transgender teen
Josh Katzenstein/ The Detroit News

Detroit— The Wayne County Medical Examiner's office has confirmed the death of 19-year-old Shelley Hilliard, a transgender teen also known as Treasure, after her mother identified her torso this morning.

The teen, who was born Henry Hilliard, went missing in the early hours of Oct. 23 and was last seen on the 900 block of Longfellow on Detroit's west side.

The Medical Examiner's office received her torso later on Oct. 23, and Lyniece Nelson, Hilliard's mother, identified her this morning.

Nelson said she had no idea who might've done this.

"She was loved by a lot people, a lot of friends a lot of family," Nelson said. "She just brought joy to everyone that she came in contact with. She was always there for her family."

jkatzenstein@detnews.com

(313) 222-2019

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20111110/...#ixzz1dPwSwqVq

[EnderD_503]

I've just read some more details about the murder, which is apparently more gruesome than the above article really articulated. Apparently, her torso was found burned and hidden under a mattress by a highway.

DETROIT (WJBK) - A mother is in tremendous pain after learning her 19-year-old child, who she thought was missing, was in fact murdered in an horrific way.

The body of Shelley Hilliard, a transgender also known as Henry, was found on Detroit's east side on Bewick, just a torso that had been set on fire and covered with a mattress.

"I don't know anybody that would want to do this to her, to do anything to her," said Lyniece Nelson, the victim's mother.

The last anyone had heard from Hillard was the night of October 23rd. Nelson says her daughter had a date and a cab driver dropped her off at a home in the 900 block of Longfellow.

Hilliard asked the cab driver to stay on the phone until she knew it was safe.

"She didn't feel comfortable, to stay on phone with her. He heard her saying a few phrases and heard her saying 'no,' her phone dropped and it was muffled, scuffling noises and then it went dead," Nelson explained.

However, that cab driver never called police, just a friend of Hilliard's who eventually told her mother about what happened.

A few days later, Nelson filed a missing persons report with Detroit Police.

Nelson held out hope, but nearly three weeks later her worst nightmare came true. She got a call from the Wayne County Morgue. Investigators identified Hilliard by some cherry tattoos on her upper arm.

"They showed me the pictures and that was my baby," Nelson said.

It appears Hilliard was killed some time after she was dropped off at that Longfellow address and when parts of her body were discovered on Bewick early that next morning.

"Michele's death wouldn't be the first in our community," said Laura Hughes.

She is the director of the Ruth Ellis Center in Highland Park -- a safe place for lesbian, gay and transgender youth. Hilliard had spent a lot of time there over the last couple of years.

"It's a time for us to reach out an outpouring of love to support her, her friends, her family and to really demand that within our community it's not acceptable for this to happen to a child," Hughes told us.

Hilliard's vicious murder will continue to haunt her mother, who says she will not rest until her killer is caught.

"Whoever did this, you can't hide from God. You can try, but you can't hide from God," she said.

We're told it was a police liaison that works with the morgue that was able to make the connection between the missing persons report and the body.

Source: http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news...en-20111110-ms

God, this is really sickening.

[Greyson]

Originally Posted by EnderD_503

I've just read some more details about the murder, which is apparently more gruesome than the above article really articulated. Apparently, her torso was found burned and hidden under a mattress by a highway.



Source: http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news...en-20111110-ms

God, this is really sickening.

I don't pretend to understand why and how such heartless acts, the taking of a human life appears to be so easy to do, for some. May she rest in some sort of peace and her mother, may she find some relief from the hell she must be going through.

[Nadeest]

I found this very interesting: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_N...ss_DMV_Fiasco/

I, too, wish that they would make up their tiny little minds. How on earth can they arrest her for performing a female-specific crime, when they claim that she is a male?

[msW8ing]

Originally Posted by EnderD_503

I've just read some more details about the murder, which is apparently more gruesome than the above article really articulated. Apparently, her torso was found burned and hidden under a mattress by a highway.



Source: http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news...en-20111110-ms

God, this is really sickening.

Why didn't the cab driver call 911?? Is the cab since he is the only witness giving a description of these animals to the police?? It said that this cab driver was one that she used regularly. Why wouldn't he have walked her to her door to make sure she was safe?? I personally would never allow a young lady to get out of my vehicle with 3 men standing there. I don't understand how some people can live with themselves.

[EnderD_503]

Originally Posted by Nadeest

I found this very interesting: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_N...ss_DMV_Fiasco/

I, too, wish that they would make up their tiny little minds. How on earth can they arrest her for performing a female-specific crime, when they claim that she is a male?

Lol, for sure. Honestly, if there is any logic in the American legal system she should be able to win her case easily...but that not to say that there is any such logic when it comes to how legal systems deal with trans people.

Those laws forbidding women to go topless are ridiculous anyways, imo. They should just get rid of it. They do not protect women as the law claims it does, and neither are topless women "obscene" as such a law suggests they are.

Originally Posted by msW8ing

Why didn't the cab driver call 911?? Is the cab since he is the only witness giving a description of these animals to the police?? It said that this cab driver was one that she used regularly. Why wouldn't he have walked her to her door to make sure she was safe?? I personally would never allow a young lady to get out of my vehicle with 3 men standing there. I don't understand how some people can live with themselves.

Yeah, the cab driver's story is really fucked up, too, imo. I haven't seen much follow up on him online, unfortunately, other than police say they were going to re-interview him. That he didn't even call 911 when he heard her being attacked over the phone is pretty ridiculous. Not to mention that he only called her mother after some time had passed. Even if he hadn't waited around to make sure she was safe, he should have called the cops after hearing her being attacked.

[Sparkle]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/1...n_1097476.html

Massachusetts will become the 16th state to treat transgender citizens as a protected class after legislature passed the Transgender Equal Rights Bill, which not only adds protections to the state's civil rights laws against employment, education, housing and credit discrimination, but also adds gender identity and expression to the state's hate crimes law.

http://www.masstpc.org/

Senate Passes Trans Rights Bill
November 16th, 2011

By a voice vote, the Massachusetts State Senate this morning passed the Transgender Equal Rights bill. Exactly when the Governor, a strong supporter of the bill, will sign it is not yet known. But transgender people across the Commonwealth – approximately 33,000 in number, according to the best available estimates – have cause for celebration today. And advocates can take pride in a broad coalition effort that brought about this significant victory. MTPC is grateful to all who helped make this happen, especially including those legislators who supported the bill’s passage.

[EnderD_503]

Danann Tyler, who was born male but now dresses as a little girl and has long hair, says she was bullied at school and felt hurt by other children telling her she was a boy. These stories of transgender children never cease to amaze me. See photos and watch the video of Danann here…

Follow us @MomsDirtySecret

The eight-year-old MTF (male to female) from Orange County, California, is the subject of a new feature length documentary about transgender people. In a special edition of the Anderson talk show, ‘Children &Teens Caught In The Wrong Bodies’ which is scheduled to air on Wednesday, she told journalist Anderson Cooper: ‘My school, people were telling me that I was a boy and it made me really sad.’

Danann’s parents, Sarah and Bill Tyler, who also appeared on the show, said they did not know what was wrong with their son when, from aged two, he insisted he was a girl. He never had any interest in the toys his elder brother Liam had loved. His sippy cup had to be pink. When a family friend playing dress up put him in a princess gown, he refused to take it off.

Sarah, a yoga instructor, wrote on her blog:

‘When I picked Dana up at Daycare, he was always with a group of girls, playing in the fabulous faux kitchen or with dolls, dressed in one of the many worn princess costumes that had been donated by parents from the past.’

He insisted on being bought, and wearing a pair of Target high heeled slippers -just like hers, she remembered. The family pediatrician dismissed it as a phase. But for her parents the child’s angst was heartbreaking.

Sarah said:

‘Aged about four she [Danann] said, ‘I don’t think God is so great because God made a mistake when he made me.’ Shortly after she talked about cutting off her penis and that concerned me a lot.’

By age six Danann was so unhappy she was threatening to hang herself. Doctors diagnosed the child as bipolar, dyslexic and ADHD and prescribed various medications. The Tylers consulted gay friends, who said that she was probably more than just a gay child.

Eventually the Tylers took the troubled child out of school, as she was getting bullied and was not getting the support she needed from teachers. Bill Tyler, a police officer, said:

‘They would say things like, ‘She has to stop bringing princess backpacks to school, lunch boxes. It’s confusing the kids, and it’s causing a distraction.’

When a therapist eventually showed them a DVD and told them that their child could have gender identity disorder, the Tylers were relieved. The diagnosis immediately rang true, they said, and despite her young age, the concerned parents made the controversial decision to let Danann live her life as if she were female.

Now, a year and a half on, they say it’s like parenting a new little girl. Danann said she is much happier now:

‘I am who I want to be, and that’s well, how I want it.’

The understanding parents say they want to tell their story for two reasons, to educate people and to support those who are dealing with a similar situation. The hardest part is dealing with other people’s reactions when they find out, the Tylers told Anderson. But parents should not feel personally responsible, according to Sarah.

It’s vital that transgender children are given the freedom to be themselves, Danann’s parents believe. Sarah has begun writing a blog about being a transgender parent.

The special episode saw Danann meet other transgender children for the first time. Jackie formerly Jack, Singer, and Tammy, formerly Tom Lobel.

http://mommysdirtylittlesecret.com/2...ing-as-a-girl/

There's also a short video of her at the bottom of the link.

I think this is so great how accepting her parents are. I wish the article was more consistent with pronouns, though. Media still has the annoying tendency of referring to trans people pre-"transition" as the pronouns they were assigned at birth. Especially when she even says in the interview that it hurts when people at school bully her and call her a boy. Notice how her parents use female pronouns no matter what age they refer to her, but yoga teacher and reporter use male pronouns. But overall good to see a more positive reception of trans children! I love that we are now seeing more and more cases of accepting parents.

[Linus]

*GASP* Happy employees are productive employees! Who'd thunk it?!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/1...ef=transgender