Breasts right but down there!

So the business of genitalia confusion if not error during sexual negotiations has come up again. A transgender commercial sex worker found herself in exactly such a position over the Christmas/New Year’s holidays as she plied her trade in New Kingston; more commercial sex workers or persons who rely on it to make some money come out to pound the pavement. She reportedly met a man where they left the hip strip to handle business but the man after fondling her breasts went further, the victim tried the old ‘I am having my menstruation’ excuse to avoid the man going too far physically via fondling but he would have none of it. The man while not assaulting the trans woman did eventually got his hands at her genitalia area only to discover a bulge instead of an expected flat surface. 

Transsexual people experience a gender identity that is inconsistent with, or not culturally associated with, their assigned sex, and desire to permanently transition to the gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance (including hormone replacement therapy and other sex reassignment therapies).

Things got tense as the man reacted violently but thankfully the young tranny (the friendly version of the word) being petite in body was able to elude her raging attacker as she was not wearing her shoes in the form of a six inch pump. She made her way along the eastern section of Grenada Crescent judge a couple hundred yards from the infamous Shoemaker Gully where the homeless transgender/MSM reside. That part of town has always had some issues over time from shots fired at persons to men pretending to be clients but who unleash an attack when they get close in proximity to the intended target(s). How does transgender sex workers navigate this problem if you will?

Using the menstrual cycle excuse is the oldest trick in the book and is a little unethical if you ask me as it is not the truth but then again the client is seeking a fantasy to be fulfilled in the real world so the seller has to try to conform to the needs of the paying customer. Oral sex is usually the way out to avoid too much body contact and fondling, trouble with that based on engaging some persons is that some men are turned on via touching and exploration to strengthen their arousal and such. It was only December 17 this blog observed International Day against Violence towards Sex Workers and it was subjects like this that came up in an online social media group call. The ins and outs of this came out quick loudly.

I am reminded of the murder of transgender vogue queen in the US Amy Mizrahi whose body was found days later under a bed in a motel, as the news spread locally many were disturbed at the murder then in the nineties and the subject came up in terms of safety for street workers. Then the stabbing incident in 2003 of the popular and well liked “Browning” who was killed by a soldier who was a client of hers on the night in question, she too used the menstrual cycle excuse as part of negotiations to guide the client towards oral sex but the attempt failed based on the word allegedly of the perpetrator who was said to be bragging that he killed a ‘battyman’ dressed in women’s clothes. Browning managed to escape from the car and ran and scaled a fence but he pursued her until he got her. Being a soldier with a stronger frame he was able to overpower her and then stabbed her repeatedly and left the body. She was discovered by other walkers and cruisers of the day.

Folding ones penis under between the legs is not necessarily an option that works especially if the genitalia is of a larger size of 8 inches, with walking and so on things can shift and a thong or a similar clothing apparatus may not guarantee a vaginal appearing presentation to supposedly ‘fool’ or trick male clients. “Coming out” as pre-operative transgender is not an option in Jamaica just yet as the level of knowledge is simply not there when compared to our counterparts per say in Cuba. They already have a national program via CENESEX that hosts serials and TV PSAs and so on highlighting transgender issues long before the wave came in the United States and eventually worldwide. They also offer some reassignment surgery services for free essentially for qualified persons but the longstanding problem in that department is the quality of the healing and other post surgery treatments, many prefer Thailand as the place of choice for transitioning.

The US has been reaping some better success since the challenges in the eighties where breast implants would have ruptured from poor silicone gels encasements and leakage into the body causing more disastrous complications, they experts alongside manufacturers of implants have since improved the products from the shape from egg-shape or elliptical to tear drop types that hang better for nipple placement post the surgery. Vaginoplasty has also seen some leaps and bounds with better formed vaginas as it were complete with sensitive areas that act as a clitoris as the tip of the penis is reshaped to attain that. While some local efforts are being done to educate doctors and surgeons one gets the feeling some are not condoning or are receptive to the information. Surgeries locally are not available at this time in as far a vaginoplasty are concerned, breast implants are already here via plastic surgeons but some locals are not too impressed especially the ladies in the dancehall arena who have now taken on enhancement activities to enhance the optics for their careers. 

Many go overseas of pump up via Botox injections and so on. The ugly business of underground pump up actions by some is here with us in ever increasing reports, they do so by using non traditional methods and ingredients such as cooking oil, olive oil, estrogenic laced concoctions, illegally obtained syringes or burrowed/shared ones and so on which can be risky in terms of HIV transmission. Then there is the cross population concerns as gay friends may also be in the presence of some of this at pump parties or so and may also experiment in a desire to conform construct and not feel left out. Then there is the psychology of some of this as I expressed some concern recently to a leading transgender activist that some persons professing transgender may not be so, seeing that it is easier to escape homophobia in a sense by physical appearance adjustments or aesthetic but they may not feel ‘born in the wrong body’ many times after a psychological analysis they are found not to be transgender but gay and effeminate. Besides not everyone’s body can handle hormones either even transgender individuals, that all important pre-surgery physical examinations are so crucial to determine that.

Unless and until the powers that be locally allow more reassignment surgery opportunities for transgender folks who may otherwise cannot afford it fully we may have challenges such as this genitalia mishap, the young transperson has since been on the low hoping she does not come across the man again in case he decides to exact some follow up. Such are the realities of pounding the pavement; a girl has to earn her coins.

Peace & tolerance

H

Concerns Mount As Transsexual Adolescents Push Up Jamaica's HIV Rates ................

As usual the transgender community is still being lumped with MSM either by the response and by populations overall it seems and it makes the previous studies on MSM HIV prevalence rates of 32% in 2007 and others since problematic while it may be higher trans-persons who merge into the MSM community get counted as gay. The article below touches the very conflation and to think the very named agency is partly guilty of not making the stark differences between the groups even as trans voices screamed to them to pay attention.

The Gleaner carried this:

As a HIV-positive transgender youth, 22-year-old *Tory belongs to the at-risk group that is considered to be most in need of intervention if Jamaica has any hope of seeing further reductions in the number of persons living with HIV/AIDS.

According to a study that was released last week by the Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL), transgender persons who are HIV-positive are more likely to experience homelessness, stigma, forced sex and physical violence. Of the 71 transgender participants polled, more than 52 per cent were involved in sex work for accommodation and food, among other things.

"Now we are seeing where they are at increased risk more than gay men, and more than sex workers, of course, and so it's really just about how we are going to ensure that our programmes are attending to the needs of these persons," said executive director of JASL, Kandasi Levermore.

A UNAIDS report ahead of the commemoration of World AIDS Day on December 1 warned that 15-24 years is a dangerous time for women. It noted that an estimated 45 per cent of all new HIV infections globally in 2014 were among members of key populations and their sexual partners, and warned that new HIV infections are continuing to increase among people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men. The report went on to say that HIV was not declining in sex workers and transgender people.

Tory, a male who identifies as a female, has found himself in several of these categories. He became homeless at 16 years old and became a sex worker shortly after to provide for himself. His clients were mostly professional men, and at 18, he decided to go and live with a police officer who he said was a "regular buyer". He said he contracted HIV from the lawman.

"Being 16 and a sex worker, you get more clients because you are young, because you are new, because they like young people because they think you are not very smart. But I was very smart. Why I was homeless is because I was kicked out of high school because of my sexual orientation," he told The Sunday Gleaner.

MISTREATMENT AT CLINIC

He said due to the mistreatment he received at the first clinic he visited after his diagnosis, he did not take any medication for the first year. He, however, went to a different clinic where the attitude of health professionals was better, and he has since seen vast improvement in his health. He said he is now focused on becoming stable because his greatest desire now is to have a child, although he admitted that he had never had sexual intercourse with a woman.

"I am gay because I won't be in a long-term relationship with a woman," said Tory, before explaining that he is open to having sex with a woman for the sake of having a child.

"I want a child with my genes. Adoption is so hard in Jamaica at this point. She can be a lesbian or she can also be positive and virally suppressed, like myself. So there is a lot of hope to get a child if I want a child when I am ready," he said.

According to a report released recently by JASL, which was funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research, there is very little knowledge about the HIV prevalence among transgender women in Jamaica.

However, the National HIV/STI programme noted that, "In contrast with the estimated HIV prevalence of 0.4 and 0.5 per cent reported in adolescent girls and boys aged 15-19 at the national level through the UNAIDS 2014 estimates, the HIV prevalence among gay and bisexual adolescent boys is estimated to be 14 per cent, while HIV prevalence in transgender adolescents is estimated to be 27 per cent."

Renae*, who came out as a transgender at 21 years old, said he is concerned that HIV is highest among transgender youths, and blamed this on the fact that those who adopt this lifestyle were often stigmatised or forced to engage in transactional sex.

"Being gay is a taboo, but being transgender is a greater taboo, and because of that, you have a lot of parents who actually do put out their children for these type of things, and you are out on the streets, you have no formal education, you have no way to really provide for yourself," he said.

"So you have to come up with means and ways to provide for yourself, and one of those methods is to become prey to sexual predators out there, or to offer yourself up as collateral, and oftentimes it is to persons who maybe know that they have the virus, but they don't care."

Although Renae was born male, he identifies as a female and is now an advocate for those living in the transgender community. He believes that while there have been improvements in access to treatment for those who are HIV-positive, stigma and discrimination are still forcing some to go underground instead of seeking help.

"That's why I work so hard within the health sector to make things better for trans people on a whole," he said.

[* Names changed to protect identity]

ENDS

And the signs continue to show us that the forward thinking in as far as the NGOs are concerned is still lacking and why are more persons being captured way better given the resources?

The more things change the more they stay the same.

Peace & tolerance

H

also see:

Continued oversight or deliberate overlooking of Jamaican SGL Women in HIV Prevention ............ 

Continued Trans erasure/invisibility by Jamaican advocates ......... 2012

Impossible for Intersex People to be Cisgender?

Dr. Cary Gabriel Costello

"Is it impossible for intersex people to be cisgender because it is impossible in society to live completely as in intersex person with no male or female legal checkbox?"

In my experience, what you find when speaking with intersex people about this is an interesting split based upon gender identity. Intersex people who do not identify with the binary sex they were coercively assigned at birth tend to see all intersex people as forced to live trans lives. Intersex people who do identify with the binary sex label they were given at birth instead generally see themselves as cis people, and only frame as trans gender those intersex people who gender transition or who assert a nonbinary gender identity.

Personally, as an intersex gender transitioner, I fall into the camp that does not view intersex people living in our society as cis gender, even if their gender identity matches their assigned sex. Intersex children are born neither male nor female, but are forced into a binary sex category by a contemporary social ideology that says this is mandatory. Many are then subjected to infant sex assignment surgery to try to make their bodies conform to their assigned sex. What is that other than a forced sex change? Just because a person grows up to identify with the sex they were assigned at birth does not mean they will feel surgeries they were subjected to were appropriate. Loss of potential fertility and loss of capacity for sexual sensation are prices that they may not consider worth the result of a somewhat-more-sex-conforming body--note that many people who gender transition by choice choose not to get genital surgery. Thus, I believe, framing medical interventions into the reproductive organs and genitals of intersex people as trans interventions, not "corrections," is important, as it will force doctors to give us agency over what is done to our bodies, and prevent them from removing the very sexual features we may most identify with.

The problem with my framework politically is that a majority of intersex people today do live in their assigned binary sexes, growing up as we do in a society in which that is the norm. The percentage of us who mature to gender transition or assert a nonbinary gender identity is much higher than is the case for nonintersex people, although we don't know the exact degree of the difference because doctors are emphatically not collecting data on us, their sex-assignment "failures." Still, a majority do live their lives in their assigned sexes (often completely in the closet about being born sex-variant, as doctors have urged parents to train their children to be). And most such people do not identify at all as "forced to live a transgender life." That is, they identify as cis gender.

If someone says, "I was assigned female (or male) at birth, and I identify as female (or male)," then we usually call such a person cis gender. So intersex people who understand themselves as cis gender have a very valid basis for framing themselves that way. Certainly this is the way the medical field treats the situation, in claiming to assign us to what they used to call our "true" sex, and now call our "best" sex. Doctors view themselves not as imposing sex changes upon unconsenting infants, but as revealing our "real" binary (cis) sex.

I feel that understanding all intersex people who have been assigned a binary sex (which, in the US today, is all of us) as trans is useful, because it gives us a way to oppose unconsented-to infant genital surgeries. I view those intersex people who are happy in their assigned sexes as no different from people who are not intersex, but gender transition by choice and are happy as a result.

At the same time, I don't feel I have a right to tell an intersex person who identifies as cis gender that they can't do that. After all, as trans gender advocates note, every person is coercively assigned to a binary sex at birth. A person who grows up to identify as genderqueer, or with the binary sex they were not assigned, is forced to struggle with medical and legal and social forces to have their identity recognized, whether sex variant by birth or born with a body considered normative. So, viewing all cis people as coercively assigned to the sex with which they identify makes calling intersex people who identify with the sex they were assigned "cis gender" reasonable, from a trans-affirming perspective. (Of course, many people are not trans-affirming, and transphobia can motivate rejection of being labeled trans gender. But I do not believe it is either charitable or necessary to assume that an intersex person who identifies with their birth-assigned sex and rejects being labeled as trans is motivated by bigotry.)

I just feel that labeling anyone who is medically altered to change the sex characteristics of their body as trans makes the most sense, and is useful from an advocacy standpoint.

UPDATE:

I've done some additional thinking about this topic, and would like to have people consider approaching gender identity in intersex people by acknowledging that we can never address intersex experience well through binary terminology. What we may really need to do is to introduce another term.

what I would suggest doing is adding to the terms "cis" and "trans" another term often used in scientific terminology. In chemistry, which gives us the language of cis and trans isomers, there are chemicals based upon a ring structure, called arene rings. When a chemical substitution is made in the same place on the ring, this is referred to as "ipso" substitution.

If we were to add the term "ipso gender" to trans and cis gender, we could perhaps describe intersex experience more accurately. A cis gender intersex person would be one with an intermediate gender identity, since that "matches" their birth sex. An ipso gender intersex person would identify with the binary sex they were medically assigned (the social sex substituted for their intersex birth status being the same as their identified sex). And a trans gender intersex person would be one who identifies with the binary sex other than the one they were assigned by doctors.

This terminology solution is not without its drawbacks. Usually people who are genderqueer in identity are considered to fall under the trans umbrella, but in the case of intersex people, they'd fall under the cis heading, which could prove confusing. But it's also possible that confusion would itself prove productive.

It's certainly worth considering.

Dr Costello is an academic and scaler of boundary walls, intersex by birth, female-reared, legally transitioned to male status, and says he is pleased with his trajectory

Female cisgender imperative thwarted: 17y/o trans-woman murdered

Condolences to the family and friends of Dwayne, firstly;

IRIE FM reported on Monday the following:

Cross dressing teen killed by mob

A teenager was set upon by a mob and killed at a party in St. James overnight.

Reports are that between a 10:00 p-m and 3:00 this morning (July 22), there was river party being held in the Irwin community.

It's reported that the 17-year-old was dressed as a female and was dancing with a male, when a woman at the party recognized him and told other patrons that he was not a female, but a male.

It's understood that one of the men at the party, held on to the teen, searched him and discovered that he was in fact, male.

Some of the patrons reportedly set up on the teen, and chopped and stabbed him to death.

His body was then dumped in bushes along the Orange Main Road.

Police discovered the body about 5:00 this morning.

The police have said they will be increasing their presence in the Irwin community, as two brothers were also murdered there just over a week ago.

ENDS

JFLAG now jumps on it with the following:

Violence is an Affront to Democracy

J-FLAG is appealing to Jamaicans to be more respectful of persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) and encourages all persons to stand up for justice.

J-FLAG notes with deep concern the recent mob killing of Dwayne Jones, a teenager in St James who is gender non-conforming; the recent murder of two gay men at an anti-gay religious rally organized by a coalition of evangelical churches in Haiti; and the continued misuse of medical data by some members of the faith-based community to fuel anti-gay animus in society.

We send our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the teenager who was slain as well as to our friends in Haiti. We call for a thorough investigation into the murder of the teenager in Montego Bay and hope that the family and loved ones of the slained teen will find the justice they deserve. We encourage persons in the Irwin community of St. James to support the police with any information that could lead to the arrest of the perpetrators .

It is time that these murders, beatings, and evictions are seen and treated as an affront to democracy, peace, justice, harmony, and freedom of our society.

Jamaica cannot become the place of choice to raise families if we continue killing our children, expelling our most productive, and perpetuating a divisive atmosphere through the skewing of objective truth to suit subjective prejudices.

In response to the mob killing of two gay men on the weekend, the Haitian Government issued a release which is most instructive to us in Jamaica: “The country is in effect at a stage where it needs the energies of all its citizens to undertake great and true battles: the battle against extreme poverty, against illiteracy, against hunger and malnutrition, against ignorance and intolerance. In such a context, tolerance, being a necessary virtue for the establishment of a just and democratic society, becomes a patriotic duty to the extent that a society that is not just cannot progress, and there can be no justice without tolerance.”

Tolerance underpins democracy. Tolerance protects justice. Tolerance promotes harmony.

Our National Anthem beseeches ‘true respect for all’ and our National Pledge urges us all to ‘stand up for justice, brotherhood and peace’.

J-FLAG therefore urges the government, churches, and other stakeholders to join with us in our ongoing commitment to be faithful to these principles for the future of our nation.

Editors Note:

“Gender non-conforming” refers to people who do not follow other people’s ideas or stereotypes about how they should look or act based on the female or male sex they were assigned at birth (Silva Rivera Law Project).

ENDS

Also more dishonest reporting by overseas LGBT outfits that seem to want to capitalize on the homo-negaitve situation here by hopping on an old perception of Jamaica being the most homophobic place on earth as done by Queerty: Jamaica Still “Most Homophobic Place On Earth” As Cross-Dressing Teen “Chopped And Stabbed” To Death but I am not surprised as some of our advocates have prodded them to do so hence it continues.

Frankly speaking young cross dressers or indeed pre-operative transwomen in their quest for the female cisgender imperative to live their truths need to be careful of the spaces they choose to do so especially in Jamaica with a general population not yet educated or sensitized enough about such issues, if deception was the deal here where the deceased was with a man who did not know "she" was a cross dresser or pre-operative transwoman that perceived deception is used as justification to attack such persons. If the partner knew he could may have to pretend he didn't in order to avoid attack on himself as well as has happened before. Older cross dressers or pre-op transwomen know all too well this business of passing or operating in stealth and know how to do so based on experience, this young one was not so lucky.

This also shows the lack of interventions towards the groups of pre-opertaive trans and cross dressers and understanding how to use stealth or passing in a public place, there are consequences (sadly death) in this case, this is not the first time in Montego Bay there has been such an incident but we always have to wait until something goes horribly wrong then the knee-jerk reaction comes. 

To ask for the public here in this case the perpetrators to stop as such awful acts are indeed not needed without the necessary interventions towards the young transwomen and cross dressers about navigating public spaces presenting themselves as they see fit is ridiculous in my view. Taking it on a wing and a prayer and hoping that one survives in the end is not the way to go here; we must teach our younger peeps to pass easily in open spaces but be weary of enclosed spaces and events especially where one may be identifies easily by others who know such persons. We have too many examples of abuse, attacks and ghastly outcomes by attempts at passing in public spaces and places of entertainment; it is yet to be seen if proactivism and the relevant forumatic response towards younger pre-opertive transwomen and crossdressers/drag queens to avoid entertainment spots that one is not sure of and if one chooses to go to them they do so at their own risk.

One cannot be foolish and give away ones life so easily. Where are the older more experienced voices in this department to bring some enlightenment on this issue of feminine aesthetics in public? besides effeminacy in men is not proof of them being homosexual.

Justice Minister condemns killing of St James cross-dresser on  so late in the day Monday, July 29, 2013 

KINGSTON, Jamaica- Justice Minister Senator Mark Golding has condemns the brutal slaying of 17-year-old Dwayne Jones by a mob at a dance in St James on July 22.

"Given our country's history of brutality and the pluralistic nature of our society, all well-thinking Jamaicans must embrace the principle of respect for the basic human rights of all persons," Golding said.

"This principle requires tolerance towards minority groups, and non-violence in our dealings with those who manifest a lifestyle that differs from the majority of us".

It was reported that Jones was beaten to death by the mob after it was discovered that he was dancing with a man while wearing women's clothing.

"Depraved acts of violence against individuals such as Dwayne Jones have to cease. The police must spare no effort in bringing the perpetrators to justice, so that any persons who may be inclined to indulge in such vile brutality will know that they cannot do so with impunity," the Justice Minister added.

The United Nations Jamaica Office issued a statement:

UN Jamaica Statement on the Murder of Dwayne Jones

The United Nations in Jamaica condemns the brutal murder of 17-year-old Dwayne Jones by patrons gathered at a dance party in St. James in the early hours of 22 July 2013.

Dwayne was reportedly chased and attacked by a crowd of assailants after it became known that he was male and dressed in women’s clothing.

We welcome the statement issued by the Minister of Justice, Senator Mark Golding, denouncing the killing and calling on the police to spare no effort in bringing the perpetrators to justice. The Government should ensure that the investigation proceeds without delay and is conducted in an independent and thorough manner. Those responsible for this heinous crime must be held to account for their actions.

Dwayne Jones is, sadly, only the latest in a long line of individuals in Jamaica assaulted and killed apparently because of their sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

Tolerance, acceptance of diversity and respect for others are all underpinnings of any free and equal society. They are also essential for everyone to enjoy their human rights on an equal footing. The need to ensure human rights for all and to respect the principles of non-discrimination, including for people belonging to sexual minorities has been consistently underscored by the United Nations Secretary General.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has launched the Free & Equal campaign designed to raise awareness of homophobic violence and discrimination, and promote greater respect for the rights of for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality.

Here is the last video of Dwayne Jones aka Gully Queen inadvertently done by a television crew when they came across the homeless youths at an abandoned housing scheme in Western Jamaica, little did we know in death he would make such international headlines. He was laid to rest on August 25, 2013. May his soul rest in peace

Peace and tolerance

UPDATE July 2014:

One year review television special

A recent television special one year since the murder shows up the carelessness frankly of Gully Queen herself and friends that faithful night but who is going to say it openly? that in a sense she gave her own life away in a sense as they clearly thought they understood how to "pass" in public which clearly they didn't. See that documentary HERE or HERE ........ Host Dionne Jackson Miller takes a look at the issues of the murder of Dwayne Jones aka Gully Queen one year ago and some other related issues to do with homelessness, displacements and forced evictions of LGBT youths with guests, issues to do with passing in public, honesty & integrity about one's real gender scream for attention in this presentation which warrants better programs from LGBTQ advocacies & interventions specific to transgender individuals navigating public life in Jamaica as misdirected homophobic violence can lead to more incidents such as the tragic murder of Gully Queen,

H

Scottish Trans and Intersex people no longer must divorce before legally transitioning .............

In the same week as the 35th anniversary of the rainbow flag, stonewall riots 44th anniversary, the US Supreme Court strike down of DOMA, Australia's passage of a Intersex inclusive bill (1st ever) comes news for the transgender community in Scotland.

Scottish transgender people who wished to change gender markers legally were first required to divorce and resubmit a application for a civil partnership which was reserved for same sex couples. This process was stressful, costly and time consuming.

Under the new The Equal Marriage Bill, to be published today transgender people wishing legal gender recognition will no longer be forced to divorce first, however if a trans person wishes to divorce a interim certificate would be issued during the process. The full Gender Recognition Certificate(GRC) will not be issued until the divorce process is complete unnecessarily delaying transition.

The Scottish Transgender Org. posted to facebook voicing their objection to Gay Star News misquoting them about the bill writing "We have NOT "applauded the bill for being tight and clearer" and have asked Gay Star News to remove that erroneous line. 

The Alliance commented almost immediately "Gay Star News have just apologized to us and confirmed they will correct the article. Gay Star News has always made some erroneous lines in their rush to report and ingratiate themselves in the LGBT news business. They did so with the homeless MSM issue here in Jamaica aided and abetted by local voices 

some time ago and after several concerns expressed the article remains up to date. Other advocates and voices worldwide have been expressing some concerns about the efficacy of the GSN see more HERE for that, in the meantime

The article now reads:

Nathan Gale, a Development Worker for STA, said: ‘We are delighted that the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill has been launched today.

‘We are particularly pleased that transsexual people will no longer be forced to divorce in order to have their gender legally recognized.

‘There are some outstanding issues for transgender people which we will continue to press with the Scottish Parliament and Government. But this is a substantial step towards equal marriage rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.’

According to the Scottish Transgender org mailer:

What the bill means for married transgender people where they and their spouse wish to continue their marriage:

• An application to the gender recognition panel is made

o To confirm that the couple wish to remain married, a statutory declaration will be submitted by the trans person’s spouse stating that they consent to the marriage continuing after gender recognition

• If the application is successful a full Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) will be issued

• The Gender Recognition Panel will send a copy of the GRC to the Registrar General for Scotland

• Regulations will be made by the Registrar General for issuing a suitable additional revised marriage certificate to the couple (showing new name and gender)

What the bill means for married transgender people where either/both they and/or their spouse do not wish to continue their marriage:

• An application to the gender recognition panel is made without any statutory declaration from the spouse

• If the application is successful an interim Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) will be issued

• Either the transgender person or their spouse can initiate divorce using the interim GRC

• Once the divorce is completed the interim GRC is replaced with a full GRC

We are concerned that this process could lead to unreasonable delay in the granting of a full GRC if the spouse is uncooperative and seeks to delay the divorce process.

We will be pushing to prevent such unreasonable delays being possible.

What the bill means for civil partnered transgender people:

There will be two recognition routes for civil partnered transgender people to select from.

First option:

• An application is made to the panel and an interim gender recognition certificate is issued

• The couple either change their civil partnership into a marriage or dissolve their civil partnership

• The interim gender recognition certificate will be replaced with a full GRC

Thanks also to planet transgender for the heads up.

A WARNING FOR THOSE CONSIDERING Male to Female SRS

main contributed by Jamaican Transgender advocate Laura G with additional readings added
What if you “succeed” in completing a TS transition, but did it for the wrong reasons?

Yep, you get the idea! This is one place you do NOT want to go!

In the large majority of cases, transsexual (TS) transitions work out well over the long-term, as we’ve seen in the many stories documented in Lynn’s Transsexual Women’s Successes page. However, in some cases a complete TS transition may totally fail to meet very unrealistic expectations, and way too late the transitioner may realize that undergoing sex reassignment surgery (SRS) was a BIG mistake.

In Lynn’s TS Informational pages, we discussed some of the social risks that face TG and TS transitioners. In the SRS information page, we discussed some of the medical risks of the surgery itself. Here in this page, we focus on the risks involved in undergoing SRS in cases where the overall rationale for transition and/or for undergoing SRS is questionable.

Some examples of “wrong reasons” and wrong situations for undergoing SRS are (i) efforts to become a center of attention and live a “sexy life”, (ii) thinking it will “automatically turn oneself into a woman” in others’ eyes, (iii) deciding to become a woman on a whim (for example, in the midst of a mid-life crisis), (iv) doing it for autosexual “thrills”, (v) doing it while suffering from preexisting serious mental conditions unrelated to GID (depression, bi-polar conditions,…), etc.

Regrets and adjustment difficulties seem to occur especially frequently in the cases of older intense crossdressers and sexual fetishists whose drive to transition is based primarily on male sexual feelings and habits. These individuals will gradually lose their male libidinous responses to their new female body as time passes after the removal of their testicles during SRS. This loss of libidinous rewards, combined with accumulating practical, social and emotional difficulties in postoperative life, can lead to serious long-term adjustment difficulties for those who’ve “made a mistake”. (This effect is quite different from the experiencing of a heightened female libido and improvements in lovemaking capability that occur in many other postoperative TS cases).

The bottom line here is that EXTREME CAUTION is advised if you are unsure of your motives for SRS.

Examples of cases of “regrets”:

Following are stories of people who have experienced regrets and have openly talked about their particular regrets. We can learn a lot from such cases, which help clarify the nature and validity of this serious warning:

Renée Richards

Dani Bunten Berry

Sandra MacDougall

Samantha Kane

Summary

more reading:

HERE

Cuba Makes Progress in Sex Reassignment Surgery ... expects communist party to accept LGBT rights

Havana, Jan 17 (Prensa Latina) Cuban surgeons have performed 15 sex reassignment surgeries, and other transsexual people, who are assisted by a committee in compliance with international standards, are applying to that kind of procedure, an expert said on Monday.

The director of the National Sex Education Center (CENESEX), Mariela Castro Espin, explained that the first such surgery in Cuba was performed in 1988. However, it was not until 2007 that the Ministry of Public Health decided to perform sex reassignment surgeries again. As we spread this service in the media, more people going through the conflict and who do not know that they can get help will come to us, said the expert in an interview with the website Cubasi.

So far, transgender people must go through a follow-up period of two years, during which they are assisted by specialists, along with a personalized hormone therapy for the duration of the transition to the gender with which they are identified.

At the end of the process, the committee endorses those eligible for sex reassignment surgery (commonly known as sex change) and for a legal identity change, said Castro Espin.

However, she explained that surgery is not an aesthetic whim, but a scientific procedure agreed upon internationally, which benefits transsexual people.

The surgical procedure helps them to relieve the distress they experience since early childhood, as a result of prejudices that lead to misunderstanding and discrimination, she assured.

On the other hand, she noted that since 2008, Cuba has been working on an educational strategy, supported by the media, state institutions, the Communist Party and civil society organizations, to respect free, responsible sexual orientation and gender identity.

This is a profound process of cultural transformation to provide elements of analysis to dismantle the prejudices that have historically dominate people, their sexuality and their bodies.

These and other important issues will be discussed extensively in the 4th Cuban Congress on Guidance, Education and Sex Therapy, scheduled for January 23-26, at Havana's Conference Center.

The event, which will be attended by experts from the United States, Spain, Canada, Venezuela and Argentina, among other countries, will be held under the theme "Sex Education in the Processes of Social Transformation".

rma/jg/abo/msl/vm
Modificado el ( martes, 17 de enero de 2012 )

ENDS

with regards to LGBT rights in Cuba reports state:
“I believe the party conference will define an explicit policy of non-descrimination in matters of sexual orientation and gender identity and that, in turn, it will help dismantle the prejudices standing in the way of its approval,” Mariela Castro, director of the National Sexual Education Center, said in an interview on the Web site CubaSi.

She made her comments when asked about the draft bill that seeks to modify the Cuban Family Code to legalize same-sex unions, among other rights it aims to secure.

For now, according to Mariela Castro, the bill is being studied by specialists of the Justice Ministry and experts of Cuba’s National Jurists Union with the idea of including it in the 2012 legislative schedule.

For several years Mariela Castro has promoted legal reforms on the island in favor of sexual minorities.

In 2008, the Cuban government approved sex-change operations by ministerial decree, but no progress has been made in Parliament to reform the Family Code.

At certain times the sexologist has also asked the Communist Party to rid itself of anti-gay discrimination.

Cuba’s Communist Party will gather on Jan. 28 for its first National Conference, a meeting that has sparked great expectations about the possible changes and guidelines it will come up with for a generational “changing of the guard,” as Raul Castro requested at the sixth party congress last April.

But the president put a damper on such expectations last week when he told reporters “we shouldn’t get our hopes up” about the conference since this is an “internal matter” of Cuba’s only legally recognized political party.

meanwhile - VI Cuban Congress on Education, Sexual Orientation and Therapy

The National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX) and the Cuban Multidisciplinary Society for the Study of Sexuality (SOCUMES) announce the VI Cuban Congress on Education, Sexual Orientation and Therapy, to be held in Havana from 23 to 26 January 2012 in its usual venue of the Palace of Conventions in Havana. Session under the theme "Sex education in the processes of social transformation."

The purpose of this event is to contribute to interdisciplinary discussion of the notion of human sexuality, and complex process of transformation in various areas of social reality.

In parallel, develop the II Symposium Transidentidades, gender and culture , the Second Symposium of Clinical Sexology and I Consensus Chronic diseases and sexual dysfunctions .

These meetings are intended to facilitate dialogue and the system of best practices and theoretical experiences, as well as joint academic partnerships between institutions and civil society groups, regional and international organizations to contribute to the development and implementation of strategies and public policy around sexuality and sexual health, integrated into the processes of social transformation.

Sexuality education from emancipatory paradigms, compared to learned patterns of domination, presents us with a commitment to social transformation and weigh the humanist values ​​of solidarity, equality and social equity.

We count on your valuable participation.
Mariela Castro Espin
Chairwoman

ORGANIZE
National Center · Sex Education (CENESEX)
· Society for the Cuban Multidisciplinary Study of Sexuality (SOCUMES)
· Palace of Conventions in Havana, Cuba

SPONSORS
Ministry of Public Health
National Council of Scientific Societies of Health (CNSCS)
Academy of Sciences of Cuba
World Association for Sexual Health (WAS)
Latin American Federation of Sexology and Sexual Education (FLASSES)
Center for Psychological and Sociological Research (CIPS)
Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECI)
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Unite to End Violence Against Women in Latin America and the Caribbean
ONUMujeres
United Nations Program for Development
FOS Belgium
Oxfam Canada
Canadian Embassy
Nations Population Fund, United
Culture and International Cooperation

In The Life: Finding Home ... Homeless Awareness Month

This month's In The Life series I could not be late with posting it as it touches an issue that is close to me as you may have gleaned from the previous homeless posts and concerns shared, featured is the new True Colours home launched by Cyndi Lauper lending her support via celebrity and song of course her biggest smash "True Colours" Our poor advocacy on this issue and the use of the population as involuntary martyrs is just so unethical and smacks a kind of apartheid system well oiled and self protective systems. Lets look at best practices and see what we can get from this. November is Homeless Awareness Month as made known to us via this clip and is a recognition being used worldwide now in looking at this problem. A small shelter or at best a drop in centre would be a start for this fledgling group of mostly men, one hardly hears of same gender loving females fully homeless but maybe displaced for temporary periods.

There are an estimated 1.6-2.8 million homeless youth in the United States, up to 40% identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. IN THE LIFE examines the plight of LGBT youth experiencing homelessness.

True Colors Residence (00:09:15)

 Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Residence is the first permanent, affordable housing for at risk LGBT youth in New York City. IN THE LIFE meets the young people who are making it home

 Kicked Out (00:15:23)

 IN THE LIFE travels from New York to Illinois and California for a stark look at LGBT youth who are kicked out of their homes.

here is the Youtube version

also see: From The Pen of one of our homeless brothers

and

Please also see:
Hypocrisy, Continued damage control via stands or a genuine call for inclusiveness in western Jamaica?

The dark side to the homeless issue .............

3 more brothers displaced teetering on homelessness

Hypocrisy, Continued damage control via stands or a genuine call for inclusiveness in western Jamaica?

Some background to the homeless issue
As we continue to highlight a dark chapter in our LGBT history that on the face of it some would rather kept hushed this matter of homelessness among our same gender loving males and teens has created deeper rifts between supporters of the established LGBT organizations Jamaica Forum for Lesbians Allsexuals and Gays its parent Jamaica AIDS Support (for Life) and others in the trenches both NGOs were set up originally to deal with and included in their mission aspects of front-line activism for seriously marginalized individuals or groups, sadly the systems have seriously fallen down in that department with a glaring absence of psycho social interventions and at least a resident social worker to deal with the psychological and behavioural problems that has beleaguered the aforementioned NGOs from the men but what does one expect if there are no behaviour change mechanisms in place? 

see related posts on the subject as well.

Settle the Score on CVM TV’s Live @ 7 (26.08.11)…the JFLAG ad campaign

Attempted censorship from the advocates towards views on the JFLAG Ad campaign??

Rowdy gays banned by J-FLAG, JASL ………. (Jamaica Observer)

Blow to gay ad – TVJ rejects J-FLAG’s PSA ……. J-FLAG says rejection of PSA unfortunate

Doing ‘business’ in New Kingston … Jamaica Observer on MSM Homelessness ….. JFLAG should be ashamed

Complaint of “Freaky Gays” Harassing New Kingston Residents ……..

The Quietus (Safe House Project Closes) (from 2010)

Gay Ad angers Clerics 

JFLAG/AIDSFREEWORLD unimpressive show at community meeting

Very few of our homeless brothers since the civil disobedience action in August 23 and 24 2011 have been able to survive sensibly, there are some small inroads made in terms of some cash and one or two have found a job but otherwise they are still struggling, only Wednesday evening I was approached by a few at a meeting on sexuality at a popular bar where they expressed their struggle, small pocket change dole out is NOT enough. The behavioural problems also continue to be of concern.

Peace and tolerance

H

God and Christ Loves Transgender People!

Adapted from Kelly Busey with additional musings


In biblical times there were men who would exclude Transgender people (Eunuchs). This belief still exists among some men now. I just received a tweet from one of such men.

Enter the prophet of Isaiah 56. Speaking for God, he announced: "Do not let the foreigner joined to the LORD say, ‘The LORD will surely separate me from his people’; and do not let the eunuch say, ‘I am just a dry tree.’ For thus says the LORD: To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths . . . 


I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. And the foreigners who. . . hold fast my covenant -- these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. . .for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples" (56:1-7). 


An interesting piece on that verse can be found here which contrasts the "Conservative" understanding. In the book of Deuteronomy, "No one whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is cut off shall be admitted to the assembly of the Lord" (23:1). A similar passage in Leviticus declares that "no one who has a blemish shall draw near" the sanctuary, including one with "crushed testicles" (21:18-20).




"Now at the end of the days that the king had said he shouldbring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm"
Daniel 1:18-19

What is clear is the there are a number of men who presumed to speak on god and Christianity's behalf. Some were exclusionary going as far as to exclude a person with a blemish but in my opinion the vast majority of Christians welcome all "Blemishes" or not and most understand our diversity as gods blessing.

Jesus teaches welcomes and acknowledges the difficulties cisgender people would have in understanding transgender people. In Mathew 19:11 and 12 He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given 12: For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it." 

I believe that passage was a post it note from Christ just before he began his accession and not as many have come to believe it was his clarification on marriage. There is no reference to marriage contained within it, only a effort to help his more Conservative followers understand transgender people.


After Christ was crucified true to his promise God made his will be known through the holy spirit by saving a transgender man after he had been rejected by the Conservative Christians after trying to be baptised in Jerusalem. Acts 8:26-40 Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch God commands a Philip a successful pastor to travel down the road leading to Gaza. This road was a desert road rift with criminals, without a doubt a road less traveled.


Transgender women and the Bible


One may ask what made three males change their sex to females? The world system declares there are five genders: heterosexual men, heterosexual women, homosexual men, homosexual women, and transsexuals or transgender (those who undergo sex change operations). Not only do the opinions and philosophies of the world system influence individuals to undergo sex-change operations, it also reinforces the vain imaginations of a individual to desire to have a sex change. A perverse spirit deceives them into receiving the satanic lie that they are really a woman inside of a man’s body or man trapped inside a woman’s body.

How would one deal with transgender people and the Word of God from a biblical Judeo-Christian view? We just can’t stop at Romans 1:27 or Leviticus 18:22. However, Deuteronomy 23:1 says, ” He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord.” The Word of God takes a stance against the sons of the children of Israel to not engage in in practice of Baal and Asherah. They were not to perform worship that involved males crushing their testicles between two rocks and castrating themselves to transform into female priestesses of Asherah called Qedshtu. These transsexuals would engage in anal sex (sodomy) with other male worshipers, or ritualistic sex acts with artificial phalli. These castrated men lived, dressed, and acted like they were female.

The ancient pagan nations across the world reflect transsexual women. This can be seen in ancient Babylonian kurgarru where individuals called the muxe of the Yucantan of Mexico, the hijra (even currently) in South Asia. The ancient gallae of Greek and Roman society were priestesses of the goddess Cybele. These “priestesses” were males who castrated themselves with a knife, sword, or a sharp object. They also wore women’s clothing, danced in a femmine manner, wore their hair like a female, spoke like a female, perfumed themselves, and behaved in ways of women of that time [source].