Mycroft Masada Holmes

Celebrating Victory, Pursuing Truth

2012-01-23T16:40:00.003-05:00

http://blog.transepiscopal.com/2012/01/0-false-18-pt-18-pt-0-0-false-false.html

Speeches in the Senate Reading Room

By the Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge
cross-posted atWalking with Integrity

On this bright January morning, as the hour of 11am neared, I emerged from Boston’s Park Street T stop, turned left and began walking up the hill toward the State House. Today (or rather, at this late hour, yesterday) marked the ceremonial signing of the Transgender Equality bill here in Massachusetts. This legislation, first filed in 2007, passed on November 15^th, and officially signed on November 23^rd, adds gender identity and expression to the state’s existing hate crimes law and the nondiscrimination statutes in the areas of housing, employment, education and credit. In a fitting twist, the week of its official passage was also Transgender Awareness Week, a time of educational and community events leading up to the eleventh annual observance of Trans Day of Remembrance on November 20th.

The Senate Reading Room, where today’s signing took place, was packed with observers, a joyful crowd savoring the celebration. Lawmakers were clearly also buoyed, as their inspiring comments demonstrated. “You have no idea how beautiful you are as you stand here beaming,” said state Auditor Suzanne Bump. “Remember that you are powerful,” offered Senator Brian Downing, followed by fellow Senator Sonia Chang Diaz: “it's days like this that remind us why we ran for office... Thank you for reminding us [legislators] of our own power, in addition to showing us your power.” Representative Byron Rushing, who joined Representative Carl Sciortino in co-sponsoring the bill from its very first days, declared, “this hasn't just been a discussion of gender identity but of the identity of Massachusetts, and hopefully it will become a discussion of our national identity.”

Representative Rushing, photo from masstpc.org

In his Episcopal Church context, as a longtime member of the Diocese of Massachusetts’ deputation to General Convention–Deputy Rushing inspires us to pose that question of church identity. Faith communities can ask, and indeed are asking, what do we stand for as people of our respective traditions? In the Episcopal Church we might well ask—and have asked at the 2009 General Convention and various diocesan conventions before it– what does it mean to declare in our baptismal covenant that we strive for justice and respect the dignity of every human being? In 2009 the Convention passed resolutions putting The Episcopal Church on record in support of transgender equality in the civic sphere (D012 and C048), and pledging within our ecclesial life to make administrative forms accessible to gender identities beyond male and female and to protect transgender lay employees from discrimination (D090 and D032, respectively). As our collective conversation continues, we might allow the varied lives of transgender as well as intersex people – communities and individuals whose lives are textured not simply by complex embodiments of gender but also by race, class, sexuality and ability-- to deepen our understanding of the human person. How do we interpret and live out the mystery of being created in the image and likeness of God?

At the signing this morning, I was reminded of a startling moment in the November 15 debate that I watched on my laptop. Representative Sciortino was speaking movingly in support of the legislation when he began to describe the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) held at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul the year before. He made a point of detailing the apology that my bishop, the Right Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, had offered on behalf of Christians who had condemned trans people and in the process had “misrepresented God to” us. The apology had been stunning enough in its own right, but to hear it reported, in some sense repeated, on the floor of the House of Representatives, was positively astounding. As I sat there dumbfounded—actually, calling out to my partner to come see this!-- receiving these words afresh in an unimagined context, I was reminded of a strangely parallel moment at General Convention three years earlier. The Convention had managed to pass D012, the Trans Civil Rights Resolution, on the same day that the Massachusetts Judiciary Committee was holding a hearing on its own Trans Equality legislation—an earlier version of what has now finally passed. As a team of trans people and allies worked toward the resolution’s passage in Anaheim, a fellow Episcopalian in Massachusetts learned about it (on his laptop, while waiting to testify in the stultifying heat) and shared it in the course of his testimony three thousand miles away. The Episcopal Church supports this bill, he was proud to be able to say. It all came full circle.

Also on my mind today were the words (viewable here as blurry video), offered by Bishop Shaw at this year’s TDOR. Speaking at the end of the program, he welcomed us to the Cathedral and then offered a word of gratitude that felt almost like a meditation: “because of your honesty, because of your integrity, because of the way you so pursue the truth of your identity, you tell me about the nature of God, because that is how I think God is. And so I thank all of you not only for the way that you enlighten my understanding of God but how much you preach to the rest of the world about courage, and about bravery, and about truth and about perseverance of identity. We owe all of you a huge debt of gratitude. Thank you.”

I got the sense people were both honored and stunned by his words, working to digest and contemplate them— I know I was. His comments about perseverance in pursuit of the truth of identity—language I had not heard him use before— reminded me of words from the Gospel of John that I first really took in at a middle school summer Bible camp: “you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (Jn 8:32).

From this chair, at the end of this day, looking out at the striking vista of falling snow, it strikes me how the process of knowing the truth and being freed by it is both lifelong and communal—by turns grueling and wondrous, and inextricably relational, even as it is distinctive to each person.

Governor Deval Patrick signs the bill, photo from masstpc.org

An important truth about the MA trans equality law is that it is far from perfect: it does not include protections in public accommodations—access to public gender segregated spaces. Everyone was resolved to come back and get that done. And as I think about how far we have come, how much more free we are than we were just a few short months ago, I know that what we need more than anything else is the will, the support, the conviction to keep pursuing the truth.

CP

MLK / Trans Service at All Souls UU church (Greenfield MA) THIS SUNDAY

2012-01-11T09:21:00.001-05:00

All Souls, the Unitarian Universalist church of Greenfield, MA (http://www.uugreenfield.org/) is having their annual MLK Day service this Sunday, January 15th, and it is transgender themed -- focused on celebrating the passage of the Transgender Equal Rights Bill in November.

I'm giving the sermon, and lay leader Trystan Dean is Worship Host.

Here's Trystan's Facebook event -- "Celebrating the New Trans Civil Rights Law on MLK Day in Greenfield!" -- http://www.facebook.com/events/342704142425061/

And here is All Souls' publicity blurb:

"The Martin Luther King Day service at All Souls UU Church of Greenfield on Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 10:00 am will be led by Mycroft Masada Holmes, who will deliver the sermon, “In The Image Of God – Transgender Equality in Massachusetts” Mycroft will be speaking about the state of transgender equality in Massachusetts, particularly the Transgender Equal Rights Bill passed in November, 2011 and the faith community’s vital role in its campaign.

Our worship host will be Trystan Dean. Music will be performed and led by Tina Waldron.

Mycroft Masada Holmes is an interfaith transgender leader based in hir native Boston, Massachusetts. Mycroft is Chair of the Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE), a Steering Committee member and Faith Liaison at the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), the Emeritus Founding Chair of Keshet’s Transgender Working Group (TWiG) and a board member of Congregation Am Tikva. Mycroft is also a thin ally in the fat / size acceptance and social justice movement, and a writer and artist."

I'll add the order of service / worship next week.

MA Trans Equal Rights Bill public signing next Thursday January 19th!

2012-01-10T13:06:00.001-05:00

The graphic version is misbehaving (as is a lot of other technology this week), so here is MTPC's website blog version (http://www.masstpc.org/thurs-jan-19th-gov-deval-patrick-to-hold-a-ceremonial-signing-of-the-transgender-equal-rights-bill/).

Also, the Facebook event is "Ceremonial Signing & Community CelebrationTransgender Equal Rights Bill" -- http://www.facebook.com/events/166557140116776/

Thurs. Jan 19th, Gov. Deval Patrick to hold a Ceremonial Signing of the Transgender Equal Rights Bill

January 6th, 2012

Thursday, January 19th – Signing with Gov. Deval Patrick in the Morning & Celebration in the Evening for the Transgender Equal Rights Bill

11:00 am – Join MTPC and the Transgender Equal Right Coalition for the Ceremonial Signing at the State House with Governor Deval Patrick.

Gov. Deval Patrick will hold a ceremonial signing and celebration of the passage of the Transgender Equal Rights Bill at 11am. Gov. Patrick will offer remarks about the bill as well as the work still left to be done to ensure that transgender residents of the Commonwealth are fully protected under our laws in the area of public accommodations.

This event is free and all members of our community, allies, family, and friends are encouraged to attend. Please arrive by 10:45 am at the State House which is located on Beacon St. in Boston near Park St. and Downtown Crossing T stations. Parking can be found at the garage under the Boston Commons. Exact location of the event in State House is still being determined, check MTPC website for latest information.

Also Thursday, January 19th

7:00 pm – Join MTPC for our Community Celebration & Thank You Event at Club Cafe.

Meet members of MTPC steering committee and the Transgender Equal Rights Coalition. There will be music, food, a short program, and ample time for socializing.

This event is free and all members of our community, allies, family, and friends are encouraged to attend. Doors open at 6:30 pm event ends at 9 pm. Club Cafe is located at 209 Columbus Ave, Boston.

Not ready to stop celebrating?

10:00 pm – Join MTPC at the First Event Conference for the Fabulous First Event Dance Party with DJ Greg at the Boston Marriott Peabody

There is a suggested $10 donation for the dance, but no one turned away for lack of funds. Boston Peabody Marriott is located at 8A Centennial Drive, Peabody, MA

We are excited to celebrate this milestone with our community and we hope to see you at any and all of these events on Thursday, January 19, 2012. Thank you for your support, energy, and dedication to transgender equality. Please RSVP to info@masstpc.org so we know how many people to expect.

Lowell Sun's anti-trans editorial -- faith community response

2011-12-23T15:40:00.000-05:00

The Lowell (MA) Sun published an anti-trans editorial this week -- focusing on Chaz Bono and the Transgender Equal Rights Bill -- authored by Dan Phelps and titled "Christmas Carols -- With A Twist":
http://www.lowellsun.com/portal/ci_19577635?IADID=Search-www.lowellsun.com-www.lowellsun.com&fb_source=message&_loopback=1#ixzz1h1UIAkMG

Here is the faith community's response, emailed to the Sun today. Special thanks to the Transgender Equal Rights Coalition media team for all their help!

It was disappointing to read Dan Phelps’ recent column mocking our transgender parents, siblings, children, neighbors, and friends. It was even more heartwrenching to read it during this time of year, which is typically marked with a spirit of goodwill toward all.

Transgender people bear the burden of misunderstanding and marginalization. That is why so many people of faith -- including the 2008 Diocesan Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, the Right Reverend M. Thomas Shaw and more than 150 other faith leaders around the state -- supported passage of the Transgender Equal Rights Bill, which extends basic civil rights protections in housing, credit, schools, and employment to some of the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable residents.

It is up to all of us -- particularly during this holiday season -- to recognize the dignity and worth of all people, including transgender people. We should do this within our individual faith traditions as well as within the broader community. We are a stronger, more compassionate society when everyone is valued for who they are, and treated with dignity and respect.

Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge
Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality, Episcopal Chaplain at Boston University

Marla Marcum and Rev. Leigh Dry
Co-Chairs, Reconciling Ministries Sub-Committee of the Committee on Church and Society of the United Methodist Church in New England

Idit Klein
Executive Director, Keshet

Mycroft Masada Holmes
Chair, Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality

Trans & a patient at Fenway Health within the last 3 years?

2011-12-20T13:40:00.004-05:00

I am, and so I got this email last Wednesday:

"Fenway Health is currently conducting a research study to learn about the best ways to ask patients about transgenderism and transgender identity on the Fenway Health registration form (sometimes called a patient intake form). If you are transgender, 18 years or older, and have been a patient at Fenway Health in any department at any location (1340 Boylston Street, South End Associates, or Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center) in the past three years, we invite you to take a brief survey.

The survey will ask for your reactions to current and potential alternative transgenderism/transgender identity questions on the registration form. It will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Your answers will be anonymous and will not be included or linked to your medical record. Your doctor and care providers will not be given a copy of your answers.

You make take the survey online or on paper. To take it online, follow this link to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/transregform. For a paper copy, call 617-927-6348 and we will mail it to you for you to fill out and return by postage-paid mail to us.

The information that you provide will be important and the results of the study will guide possible changes at Fenway Health. Please consider participating and/or sending this information along to a friend who might be interested. For questions or more information, please call Aimee Van Wagenen at 617-927-6348."

Marilyn Wann's wannderful work

2011-12-12T10:30:00.011-05:00

Need awesome fat-positive holiday gifts for yourself and others?

Marilyn Wann* writes: "I'm excited to announce that the 2012 FAT!SO? Dayplanner is now available exclusively from Voluptuart, Nomi Dekel's fat-positive shop! It's a year full of body-love holidays, quotes, art, survival info, and more...like Ragen Chastain dancing and doing a belly bump with me (in flipbook format). Each one comes with a fat animal paperclip and surprise gifts. ($14 plus shipping.) Please check it out and tell your friends..."

Price: $14.00

Have a fabulous year! Double pages for each month and week. Lots of blank pages (lined and grid) and sturdy cover. Original art on a fat animal theme each month by Barry Deutsch, Jill Pinkwater, Les Toil, and more. Plus: a built-in flipbook of national dance champion Ragen Chastain, body-positive tips and resources, quotes from fat pride and Health At Every Size® leaders, games, and DIY projects. Your Dayplanner comes with a fat animal paperclip and surprise gifts. (Printed on 100% post-consumer paper by worker-owned collective.)

Artist: Marilyn Wann and contributors Dimensions: 4.25" x 6"

And don't forget to scroll down for more of Marilyn's merch, like Fat!So? t-shirts and Yay! Scales.

http://www.voluptuart.com/2012-fatso-dayplanner-p-1334.html

(*More about Marilyn: "I'm a fat rights activist. I want to end weight-based prejudice and discrimination, for the good of people of all sizes and for the good of society. I aim to celebrate all kinds of diversity, including weight diversity. Since the medical establishment is a major promoter of prejudice and discrimination against fat people, I find the Health At Every Size approach necessary for health, happiness, and human rights.

In the mid-90s, I created a print 'zine called FAT!SO? and then wrote the FAT!SO? book. I'm proud to have been part of successful lobbying that resulted in San Francisco adding height and weight to its anti-discrimination laws in 2000. I have performed with fat activist groups like the Bod Squad cheerleaders, Big Moves dance, and the Padded Lilies synchro swimmers.

I have given hundreds of weight diversity talks in all kinds of settings, in the US and internationally. I also comment on weight-related topics in the media."

http://www.fatso.com

http://twitter.com/#!/MarilynWann

http://www.tumblr.com/blog/marilynwann)

Also, have you seen that Marilyn has been doing a blog for the SF Weekly's website (SF as in San Francisco)? She's done 9 pieces so far.

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/marilyn_wann/

Cartoonist Barry Deutsch & his toons re: fat, LGBT people, & much more

2011-12-08T10:14:00.002-05:00

I wanted to point out the great work of cartoonist Barry Deutsch, especially his awesome political cartoons -- which include fat- and LGBT-positive (http://www.leftycartoons.com/category/lgbt-cartoons/) ones.

I first noticed him because of his fat-positive cartoon last February -- "Top Ten Reasons Discrimination Against Fat People Is Perfectly Okay":

http://www.leftycartoons.com/top-ten-reasons-discrimination-against-fat-people-is-perfectly-okay/

I was reminded to blog about him by his toon last month -- "When I Get Thin...":

http://www.leftycartoons.com/when-i-get-thin/

Here are his sites:

http://www.hereville.com

http://www.amptoons.com

http://www.leftycartoons.com

LGBTQ Kabbalat Shabbat Service & Potluck - Cambridge MA - THIS FRIDAY

2011-12-05T05:30:00.000-05:00

THIS FRIDAY, December 9th, my shul Congregation Am Tikva is co-hosting a Celebrate LGBTQ Kabbalat Shabbat Service & Potluck with our friends Congregation Eitz Chayim of Cambridge, at their home in Central Square. I've had a good experience of Eitz Chayim -- I've done a transgender workshop there through Keshet, they've hosted Keshet's "Trew Tales" event (transgender Jewish, or 'Trewish', open mic), and they've supported the Boston Transgender Day of Remembrance, especially by providing food for its reception.

http://www.jewishboston.com/events/10561-glbtq-kabbalat-shabbat-and-potluck

FRI
DEC

7:00PM - 10:00PM

Celebrate LGBTQ Kabbalat Shabbat and Potluck

Cost: FREE - Registration not required.

December 09, 2011—07:00 PM to 10:00 PM

Congregation Eitz Chayim, 136 Magazine Street,
Cambridge, MA 02139

Congregation Eitz Chayim celebrates the LGBTQ community December 9, 2011. Join us for a joyful lay-lead participatory Kabbalat Shabbat service at 7pm, which will include readings from GLBTQ liturgy and writers. After the oneg at 8pm we will have a fabulous potluck tisch.* Bring food (veggie/dairy), a bottle of wine, a story, a song, a dvar, or a poem to share, or helping hands to arrange the tables. As we head into winter, help us create a really warm spot in Cambridge!

Our special guests for the evening include members of GLBT shul Congregation Am Tikva in Brookline http://www.amtikva.org/. Our tisch will be led by guest facilitator Yaakov Reefhttp://yreef.com/ from TBS.

We will do a short text study during the service, pondering what it was like for Dina to go out into the land, into an unfamiliar and hostile territory. There will be ample time at the tisch to dig deeper into Dina’s story or any part of Parashat Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4 - 36:43), and to hear the stories you bring to the table.

RSVPs are greatly appreciated, in order for us to plan the food, but are not required. If you can bring food, savory rather than dessert would be best. Contact Penina Weinberg at president@eitz.org to RSVP or for more information.

Eitz Chayim is an egalitarian, inclusive, non-denominational synagogue whose members are of all ages and family configurations, and who come from a wide range of religious, ethnic, class, family, and cultural backgrounds. We welcome YOU to celebrate Shabbat with us.

A parking consideration is in effect on Friday nights. Park within a couple blocks of Eitz Chayim and put a note on your dashboard that you are attending services.

"The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks." --Tennessee Williams, Camino Real

*A tisch is literally a table – but in the Hasidic world it’s much more than that! Come prepared to eat, sing, bang on the table, tell stories, teach, and learn a little, maybe drink!

My partner Julia McCrossin now has a blog too!

2011-12-01T10:43:00.004-05:00

...and in related news -- my flabulous partner (Julia McCrossin, Fat Studies scholar) has finally given in to her fans and begun her own blog! Yay!

She's named it "Ponderous Boundaries", and herself Chubmudgeon -- "Scholar in (self-imposed) exile. Queer Sphere. Battle-ax and Bulldozer in equal measure. Panda-loving dragons are my weakness." The profile photo is her handsome self during a visit to Ireland some years ago (drinking a Coke).

I am so glad that she is finally blogging. And doing so in her awesome and unique style. Every time I start to wonder if she can become any more amazing and wonderful a person or partner...she does!

http://ponderousboundaries.blogspot.com/

Popular & American Culture Associations conference (2012) - Fat Studies area - update!

2011-12-01T10:17:00.004-05:00

My partner Julia McCrossin co-chairs the Fat Studies area of the Popular & American Culture Associations with Lesleigh Owen. Here's their CFP (call for papers) for next year's national conference (April 2012, Boston -- Julia should be living here with me by then, and I plan to attend the con for the first time; I also want to present, but I probably won't have time to create a proposal).

Please note that the submission deadline has been extended a week -- from Thursday December 15th to Thursday December 22nd!

PCA/ACA Fat Studies 2012 Call for Papers

Fat Studies is becoming an interdisciplinary, cross-disciplinary field of study that confronts and critiques cultural constraints against notions of “fatness” and “the fat body”; explores fat bodies as they live in, are shaped by, and remake the world; and creates paradigms for the development of fat acceptance or celebration within mass culture. Fat Studies uses body size as the starting part for a wide-ranging theorization and explication of how societies and cultures, past and present, have conceptualized all bodies and the political/cultural meanings ascribed to every body. Fat Studies reminds us that all bodies are inscribed with the fears and hopes of the particular culture they reside in, and these emotions often are mislabeled as objective “facts” of health and biology. More importantly, perhaps, Fat Studies insists on the recognition that fat identity can be as fundamental and world-shaping as other identity constructs analyzed within the academy and represented in media.

Proposals in the area of Fat Studies are being accepted for the 2012 PCA /ACA (Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association) National Conference in Boston, MA (April 11-14, 2011, meeting after, not before, Easter Sunday), at the Marriott Boston Copley Place. We welcome papers and performances from academics, researchers, intellectuals, activists, artists, and others, in any field of study, and at any stage in their career. We also welcome panels and roundtables on a variety of topics under the heading “Fat Studies.”

Topics may include but are not limited to:

- representations of fat people in literature, film, music, nonfiction, and the visual arts

- cross-cultural or global constructions of fatness and fat bodies

- cultural, historical, inter/intrapersonal, or philosophical meanings of fat and fat bodies

- the geography and lived experience of fatness and fat bodies

- portrayals of fat individuals and groups in news, media, magazines

- fatness as a social or political identity

- fat acceptance, activism, and/or pride movements and tactics

- approaches to fat and body image in philosophy, psychology, religion, sociology

- fat children in literature, media, and/or pedagogy

- fat as it intersects with race, ethnicity, class, religion, ability, gender, and/or sexuality

- history and/or critique of diet books and scams

- functions of fatphobia or fat oppression in economic and political systems

By THURSDAY DECEMBER 22nd (recently extended from Thursday December 15th) 2011, please send an abstract of 100 - 250 words or a completed

paper to Fat Studies Area Co-Chairs Julia McCrossin (jmccross@gwmail.gwu.edu)

and Lesleigh Owen (goddess_les@yahoo.com).

Please include your complete contact information and a CV and/or 50 word bio, along with anticipated A/V needs. All submissions are welcome, but please use the information above to ensure your paper fits within the academic and political scopes of Fat Studies. Please also be mindful that Fat Studies is a political project and not merely an umbrella term for all discussions of larger bodies. Also, we encourage submitters to rethink using words like “obesity” and “overweight” in their presentations unless they are used ironically, within quotes, or accompanied by a political analysis.

Presenters must become members of the Popular Culture Association. Find more information on the conference and organization at

http://pcaaca.org/conference/national.php.

11th annual Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference (May/June 2012)

2011-11-30T09:41:00.000-05:00

The 11th annual Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference is next May 31st – June 2nd; there will probably be additional programming on the 30th and 3rd. I’m a member of the PTHC Spirituality Advisory Group, and I’m co-chairing the Jewish Working Group (J-WoG? J-WorG?) with Shelley Kapnek Rosenberg (in Philly); we organize the Jewish programming for the con. Here’s the Spirituality Call for Proposals (and the other Calls), also available at http://www.trans-health.org/2012specificcallforproposals#spirituality and as a Word document.

*******

11th Annual Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference

May 31st-June 2nd 2012 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center

(Philadelphia, PA)

a program of the Mazzoni Center

Please forward/spread the word to friends and colleagues!

*Call For Workshop Proposals in the area of Spirituality*

The *11th Annual Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference* (PTHC) will be held*

**May 31st-June 2nd 2012* at the *Pennsylvania** Convention Center

(Philadelphia, PA)*.

The Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference hosts over 175 workshops each year. In this fourth year of extended *spirituality programming* at the Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference, we continue to embrace the power of spiritual practice, reflection, and community as tools that can support personal health and wholeness.

Our programming includes a wide range of spiritual perspectives, reflecting a diverse range of spiritual and religious paths. Through multiple programming approaches, we will nurture personal strength, explore transgender experiences of the sacred, build community, and create

opportunities to (re)claim religious traditions in a transgender-friendly environment. We will also work to support spiritual and religious leaders in making the world a more supportive place for transgender people, our family, and friends.

*Leadership*

If you have never presented at PTHC in the spirituality track, then we would love to hear from you! PTHC emphasizes grassroots empowerment and we put together a variety of non-sectarian and multi-faith offerings in addition to religiously specific workshops. We are particularly eager to hear from transgender people who are willing and able to talk about their experiences in faith traditions or spiritual practices outside of Christianity, including spiritual practices that may not even be considered "religious." We would love to hear from you, if you have a perspective to

share. Please contact chris@trans-health.org or 267-507-5507 to explore possible opportunities for leadership and representation -- OR if you can help to put us in touch with other relevant people.

Meanwhile, please help us expand the circle by sharing this call for proposals with others you know who may want to participate or have gifts to share.

*Spiritual Opportunities*

We need your ideas for creative affirmations, spiritual practices, and religious observances that facilitate exploration and/or rediscovery of spiritual vitality beyond the workshop schedule. Traditional examples of spiritual opportunities at PTHC have included meditation practice (e.g.

guided or Buddhist), yoga practice, Pagan ritual opportunities, Jewish prayer service, and Christian worship and/or prayer. In past years, we have also offered non-sectarian opportunities like 12 step meetings, naming ceremonies, a celebration/gratitude table, and an artful meditation room.

With your help, we can expand our offerings to even better represent the breadth of religious experience -- as well as opening further to the amazing spiritual strength of our communities. Join in the existing conversations about Eastern traditions, Indigenous traditions, Judaism,

Black Church contexts, Islam, and Catholicism -- or help us to better represent additional traditions like atheism, ancestor worship, African traditions, Hinduism, New Thought, and more! We embrace and affirm the incredible diversity of spiritual paths and practices among transgender folks, our families, friends, and allies. We need creative conversation partners as we look at new ways to facilitate the sharing of wisdom and strength in our communities in ways that transcend religious institutions. Please contact chris@trans-health.org or 267-507-5507 to share your ideas.

*Workshops*

In the area of spirituality programming, we are seeking workshop proposals and faculty that nurture spiritual strength and expression in and around transgender communities, including:

§ Spirituality and our bodies (e.g. ritual and spiritual practice, sacred significance of body modification, how spirituality supports personal health, etc)

§ Uniquely transgender experiences of the sacred (e.g. gender-giftedness, insights from beyond the binary, etc)

§ Safe spirituality (e.g. finding your spiritual path, new transgender-friendly spiritual practices, finding/building alternative spiritual communities, etc)

§ Transgender-friendly perspectives on religious traditions (e.g. exploring Christian Scripture or Jewish texts, gender-giftedness in pagan traditions, gender diversity in Buddhism, etc)

§ Strategies for making change (e.g. how spiritual practice supports activism, how to connect with adversarial religious types, the role of moral authority in trans-activism, equipping transgender leaders to impact local religious communities, etc)

§ Innovative efforts to address transgender spiritual and religious issues (e.g. Black Church town hall meeting, seminarian caucus, transgender clergy networking, etc)

§ Your other creative ideas, nurturing spiritual strength and expression in transgender communities

We are also seeking proposals that will equip religious and spiritual leaders to better serve transgender people, our family, and friends. Examples of workshop topics include:

§ Pastoral counseling with the transgender community

§ Experiences of family and friends of transgender people in religious communities

§ How to make your religious community more trans-inclusive

§ How religious communities can make a difference for transgender people, our family, and friends

§ Your other creative ideas, nurturing cultural competency and trans-advocacy among religious leaders

*Special Events*

We are also looking for organizations that are interested in partnering with us to provide additional opportunities and impact. If your organization would like to explore opportunities for partnership or invite PTHC participants to attend a special event hosted by your religious/spiritual community during or around the conference, please contact chris@trans-health.org.

Also, please check back for more details on a pre-events being planned for Wednesday, May 30, 2012. Opportunities are also in development for Sunday, June 3, 2012.

*How To Submit Your Proposal*

At www.trans-health.org/propose-a-workshop, you can propose your own workshops as well as review a list of topics and past workshop descriptions. We are eager to hear your creative ideas!

*The workshop proposal deadline is January 15, 2012.* However, earlier submission is strongly encouraged!

There is no registration fee to participate in the Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference, but if travel expenses would prevent you from offering your workshop idea, please be in touch with the planning committee about your needs. A limited amount of funds may be available to provide travel and lodging assistance for presenters with pressing need. Go ahead and submit your workshop proposal in the online system and also contact jacsen@trans-health.org with information on what kind of support you would need to be able to attend.

*General Call for Proposals*

In addition to this specific call for proposals, we are seeking proposals in many other areas of programming. Please see the website www.trans-health.org/2012generalcallforproposals for more details about this.

*For More Information*

Please watch http://www.trans-health.org for more conference developments as plans are finalized, including details about sponsorship, advertising, and vending opportunities, as well as housing options, pre-registration, and more program details. Jacsen is the logistical coordinator on staff at the Mazzoni Center and can be reached at jacsen@trans-health.org or on the phone at 215-563-0652. Jacsen is available to answer questions as well as help people submit workshops who do not have regular access to or the ability to use computers. For questions specific to *spirituality programming* *or to volunteer with spirituality programming* please contact

Chris Paige at chris (at) transfaithonline (dot) org (chris@transfaithonline.org).

Governor signs MA Transgender Equal Rights Bill

2011-11-23T05:30:00.000-05:00

Governor Deval Patrick Signs Transgender Equal Rights Bill Today, Public Signing To Be Held in Near Future

November 23rd, 2011

Today, Governor Deval Patrick is expected to sign the Transgender Equal Rights Bill privately, as he has just a 10-day window in which to sign bills into law. The bill was passed by the legislature last week. A public signing ceremony will be scheduled for a future date. The law will take effect on July 1, 2012.

“Governor Patrick has been a vocal supporter of the Transgender Equal Rights Bill since the bill was first filed in 2007” said Gunner Scott, executive director of the Mass. Transgender Political Coalition. “We applaud the Governor because he has been a staunch advocate in recognizing the transgender community and leader in getting this bill passed.”

Gov. Patrick was a vocal proponent of the Transgender Equal Rights Bill, advocating, he has submitted written testimony in support of the bill at all three public hearings. Last February, he signed an executive order prohibiting discrimination against transgender people in state employment, which reaches 43,500 executive branch employees and 13,500 state contractors.

In 2008, Gov. Patrick appointed the first transgender person, Diego Sanchez, to a Democratic National Committee standing committee. Diego Sanchez is a former co-chair of MTPC and has since gone on to work as the first out transgender legislative staffer for Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.).

MTPC thanks the members of the Transgender Equal Rights Coalition for all of their efforts in passing “An Act Relative to Transgender Equal Rights.” Some of the 104 members of the coalition include MassEquality, MassNOW; ACLU of Massachusetts; Jane Doe, Inc., The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence; National Association of Social Workers, MA; Mass AFL-CIO; Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders; Mass Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus; Jobs with Justice; the Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality; and Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition.

The House voted 95-58, and the House vote tally is here:http://aclum.org/sites/all/files/legislative/2011/trans/mass_trans_house_vote.pdf. The Senate passed the bill on a voice vote (see MTPC Senate co-sponsor list).

MTPC encourages all community members to thank the Representatives and Senators that voted for the bill and most especially, the lead sponsors, Representative Carl Sciortino & Byron Rushing, and Senators Ben Downing, and Sonia Chang-Diaz; the legislature’s leadership House Speaker Robert Deleo and Senate President Therese Murray; and especially, Governor Deval Patrick.

MTPC will alert community members to the date and location of the public signing ceremony so community members may attend and MTPC plans to hold an additional community event on or about the same day to share in this historic moment.

THE MASSACHUSETTS TRANSGENDER EQUAL RIGHTS BILL PASSED TODAY!

2011-11-16T21:52:00.000-05:00

Contact: Gunner Scott

617-778-0519

gscott@masstpc.org

For Immediate Release

Transgender Equal Rights Now a Reality in Massachusetts

BOSTON, MA [11/16/11] – The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) is proud to announce the passing of the Transgender Equal Rights Bill in the House and the Senate extending civil rights and hate crimes protections to the state’s transgender residents.

Last night, just before 9:00 PM, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed the Transgender Equal Rights bill without any amendments. This morning by 10:30 AM, the bill passed in the Massachusetts Senate. The bill must still be approved once more in Senate the Governor can sign it. As we wait for Governor Deval Patrick to officially sign this bill into law, we can celebrate the impact this will have on our transgender youth, adults, and families across the Commonwealth.

MTPC thanks our legislative lead sponsors Representative Carl Sciortino, Representative Byron Rushing, Senator Ben Downing, and Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz; all of the House and Senate co-sponsors, and the leadership of House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray for providing vital protections for approximately 33,000 transgender residents here in Massachusetts.

This bill will give transgender people equal protections when seeking employment, housing, credit, and education. The bill also expands the state's hate crimes protections to now include transgender people; a community that experiences alarmingly disproportionate levels of harassment and violence.

The final version of the Transgender Equal Rights Bill passed by the legislature unfortunately does not include protections within public accommodations. MTPC and our coalition partners fought hard to try to get public accommodations restored in the Senate version of the bill, and were unsuccessful in doing so. Although this bill does not include public accommodations, this is a historic and important victory in the fight for achieving transgender equality in Massachusetts.

“This is not the end of our fight, and MTPC is committed to getting public accommodations protections for our transgender youth, adults, and families. MTPC plans on introducing a bill for the 2013 legislative session for those public accommodations protections,” said Gunner Scott, Executive Director of MTPC. “For now, let’s be proud of the difference this bill will make in the daily lives of thousands of people across the state who need jobs, a safe place to live and access to education.”

MTPC expresses our deepest gratitude to our community members, who have spent countless hours educating their legislators and the general public about the issues transgender people face. "It is because of the courage of our community members to come forward and tell their personal stories about themselves, their family members, and their friends that we have accomplished this milestone," said Nancy Nangeroni, Steering Committee Chair of MTPC.

MTPC thanks the members of the Transgender Equal Rights Coalition including MassEquality, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), National Association of Social Workers (NASW), ACLU of Massachusetts, MassNOW, Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus, Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association, Jobs with Justice, and Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality for their tireless work on behalf of transgender equal rights.

###

Founded in 2001, the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) is a 501(c) 3 that works to end discrimination on the basis of gender identity and gender expression. MTPC educates the public, advocates with state, local, and federal government, engages in political activism, and encourages empowerment of community members through collective action.

My "I AM : Trans People Speak" video is online

2011-11-13T20:20:00.008-05:00

"My name is Mycroft Masada Holmes --

and I'm an interfaith leader,

I'm a writer and an artist,

I'm a life partner,

and I am also a transgender person."

And -- if you've somehow missed my wonderful life partner squeeing about it -- my "I AM : Trans People Speak" video is online. YAY! You can watch it on the "I AM" site (4 minutes 8 seconds) -- http://transpeoplespeak.org/ -- or You Tube -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMNvzYPMp_Q.

I'm also in the trailer for the "I AM" project (1 minute 31 seconds): http://www.masstpc.org/?p=1167.

Here's the official announcement:

http://www.transpeoplespeak.org/?q=node/75

New national survey - majority of Americans support transgender equal rights

2011-11-07T22:12:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 3, 2011

Contact: Shannon Craig Straw

sstraw@publicreligion.org

p. 202.238.9424 c. 202.674.5921

New Survey: Strong Majorities Favor Rights and Legal Protections for Transgender People

Americans have Solid Understanding of Transgender Identity

Washington, D.C. – Overwhelming majorities of Americans, across the political and religious spectrum, believe that transgender people should have the same general rights and legal protections as other people, a new survey finds.

The August and September Religion and Politics Tracking Surveys were conducted by Public Religion Research Institute and released amid the increased attention towards transgender issues following Chaz Bono’s appearance on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. The combined surveys constitute one of the first independent studies of attitudes on transgender issues and Americans’ knowledge of transgender identity.

"Three out of four Americans say Congress should pass employment nondiscrimination laws that protect transgender people," said Dr. Robert P. Jones, CEO of Public Religion Research Institute. "This strong support is also broad, persisting across party lines and the religious spectrum."

Approximately three-quarters (74%) of Americans also favor Congress’ recent expansion of hate crimes legislation to protect transgender people. Additionally, the survey found that roughly two-thirds of Americans both report being well informed about transgender people and issues, and generally understand what the term "transgender" means.

"To explore whether Americans know what the term ‘transgender’ means, we allowed them to define ‘transgender’ in their own words," said Daniel Cox, PRRI Research Director. "More than two-thirds of Americans were able to give an essentially accurate definition of the term ‘transgender’ without any assistance."

Among the Findings:

Overwhelming majorities of Americans agree that transgender people should have the same general rights and legal protections as others.

Approximately 9-in-10 (89%) Americans—including strong majorities of all religious and partisan groups—agree that transgender people deserve the same rights and protections as other Americans.

Approximately three-quarters of Americans both say Congress should pass employment nondiscrimination laws to protect transgender people, and favor Congress’s recent expansion of hate crimes legislation to protect transgender people.

Three-quarters (75%) of Americans agree that Congress should pass laws to protect transgender people from job discrimination. This support persists across the political and religious spectrum.
Approximately three-quarters (74%) of Americans also favor Congress’ recent expansion of federal hate crime laws to include crimes committed on the basis of the victim’s gender, sexual orientation or gender identity, compared to only 22% who oppose.

Approximately two-thirds of Americans both report being well informed about transgender people and issues, and generally understand what the term "transgender" means.

Two-thirds of Americans agree that they feel well informed about transgender persons and issues, while 3-in-10 disagree.
In order to determine whether Americans understood the term "transgender," PRRI conducted a follow-up survey in September 2011 that asked respondents to report what the term "transgender" meant to them in their own words. Among the 91% of Americans who report that they have heard of the term transgender, 76% give an essentially accurate definition. Thus, overall, more than two-thirds (69%) of Americans are able to identify what the term "transgender" means without any assistance.

To read the topline questionnaire and survey methodology, click here:http://publicreligion.org/research/american-attitudes-towards-transgender-people

Both the August and the September Religion and Politics Tracking Surveys were designed and conducted by Public Religion Research Institute. Results of the August survey were based on random digit dial telephone survey of 1,006 adults conducted between August 11, 2011 and August 14, 2011. Results of the September survey were based on random digit dial telephone survey of 1,013 adults (301 were reached by cell phone) conducted between September 14, 2011 and September 18, 2011. The margin of error for both surveys is +/- 3.0 percentage points.

Public Religion Research Institute is a non-profit, nonpartisan research and education organization dedicated to work at the intersection of religion, values and public life.

###

Boston Transgender Day of Remembrance - press release

2011-10-27T11:05:00.000-04:00

For Immediate Release

PLEASE CIRCULATE

Contact: Nancy Nangeroni, 978-969-2346, nancy@gendertalk.com

www.masstpc.org/dor

BOSTON TO HONOR TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

Community Speak-Out, Vigil on Sunday, Nov 20 in Boston

Each November 20, the worldwide transgender community turns its attention to its family, friends and loved ones lost to violence and prejudice. A tradition inspired by the Allston, MA vigil for slain transsexual Rita Hester in 1998, this day has become the worldwide rallying point for a community long under siege.

In Boston, folks will gather in St Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral downtown for a program of speakers, community speak out, and a candlelight vigil on the Common. This free program begins at 4 pm and concludes with a reception featuring hot drinks and food. For more details, please visit www.masstpc.org/dor.

Boston’s Transgender and LGB community extends a warm welcome to all who would like to attend this important event to memorialize our dead and underscore the serious suffering in our communities. No persons should be subjected to violence simply because of their gender identity or expression. No persons should be denied the basic rights that enable their safety and security. No one should consider taking their own life to escape harassment and bullying. Please join with us on this day to remember those who are gone, whatever the cause of their departure.

This event will benefit the Transgender Emergency Fund, which provides assistance to low-income transgender people across Massachusetts. Sponsors include the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, TransCEND Boston and AIDS Action Committee, Boston Health Care for the Homeless, The Crossing, Human Rights Campaign, Boston Alliance of GLBT Youth and more.

Event Background:

Twelve years ago at this time, Boston’s LGBT community recoiled in horror at the discovery of the latest victim of transphobic violence. Rita Hester, a popular figure in the local rock ‘n roll scene, who also happened to be a transsexual, had been found brutally stabbed to death in her Brighton apartment. Like so many killings of gay and transgender persons, the victim was subjected to enough brutality to kill her many times over.

A local community of queer activists, rockers, family, friends and allies – over 250 of them – came together and held a speak-out and candlelight vigil in Rita’s honor, forming a human stream of light winding its way through Rita’s old Allston stomping grounds.

One year later, a memorial vigil was held in San Francisco; the following year Boston and a few other cities joined in, and this year hundreds of observances will be held in dozens of countries.

Boston’s transgender community remembers local victims Chanelle Pickett, Debra Forte, Monique Thomas, Georgette Hart, Denise Pugliesi, Monique Rogers, Lisa Daniels, CJ Garber, and Rita Hester. There have been many more, mostly uncounted and unnoticed by all but their friends and family.

Organized by the all-volunteer Boston Transgender Day of Remembrance Organizing Committee.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BostonTransDOR/

THIS THURSDAY - PFLAG transgender event w/ Joanne Herman - Wayland MA

2011-10-24T17:48:00.000-04:00

Fall 2011

Greater Boston PFLAG
Announces
Joanne Herman Author
Transgender Explained Thursday,
Oct. 27 at 7pm
Temple Shir Tikva
Wayland

Dear Friends,

Greater Boston PFLAG invites you to join us on

Thursday, October 27

7 to 9 pm at Temple Shir Tikva

141 Boston Post Road, Wayland, MA 01778

Free and open to all! Light refreshments available.

We are thrilled to introduce our Featured Speaker:

Joanne Herman, Author, Transgender Explained

Since her transition to live as a female in 2002, Joanne Herman has been active as a spokeswoman for transgender awareness and understanding. Joanne is the first transgender person ever elected the Boards of Directors of Fenway Health, Point Foundation, and GLAD, the first transgender member of historic Old South Church in Boston, and one of the first openly transgender alumnae of Dartmouth College as a graduate of Dartmouth's last all-male class.

Joanne Herman has received praise for her non-complicated explanations of transgender for almost a decade. Now she has written down her explanations for all to read in Transgender Explained For Those Who Are Not. Organized by topic into short, easy-to-read chapters, Transgender Explained is perfect for parents, relatives, colleagues, friends, allies, and even journalists who want to quickly get up to speed on what it means to be transgender.

You will also have the opportunity to hear from parents with transgender children who will share their personal experiences and talk about Greater Boston PFLAG's support group for parents with transgender children.

Finally, you will have the opportunity to take action and support the transgender rights bill.

We look forward to seeing you!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

All the best,

Pam Garramone, Executive Director

Greater Boston PFLAG

pam@gbpflag.org

781 891 5966

THIS SUNDAY - Fat Clothing Swap in Somerville MA

2011-10-21T16:28:00.005-04:00

As seen on "The List : Boston's Queer Agenda" --

http://www.queeragenda.org/:

---------------------------------

Sunday, October 23

---------------------------------

Fat Clothing Swap!

1pm-3pm

Between Davis and Ball Squares

Somerville, MA (free street parking! bus- and T-accessible!)

Admission: $5-$20 donation at door (cash) -- donate what you want/can.

All proceeds will benefit NOLOSE's scholarship fund (http://www.nolose.org/).

Want to freshen up your wardrobe on the cheap? Clothing swaps are an excellent way to purge your closets of unwanted, unloved clothes and return home with awesome new-to-you scores! If you have in-good-condition swappable clothing and wear sizes from 18/20-30/32, join the swap fun!

For more information: opnheartd@hotmail.com

TOMORROW - interfaith Transgender Education Panel at Tufts University

2011-10-19T13:37:00.003-04:00

Our very own Rev. Cameron Partridge will be a panelist at Tufts University tomorrow evening, and I'll be joining him -- here's the Facebook event (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=303824859632064):

ISA* Transgender Education Panel

(*Tufts University's Interfaith Social Action)

TOMORROW -- Thursday, October 20th

7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Tufts University (near Davis Sq. in Medford MA)

Rabb Room, Lincoln Filene (next to Braker Hall)

Did you know...

-In a 2003 survey, 55% of transgender youth reported having been physically attacked

-In a 2006 report, 33.2% of transgender youth reported having attempted suicide

-currently, it is legal in 34 states to hire someone because of their gender identity

Inspired to learn more and take action?

Interfaith Social Action is holding a panel, co-sponsored by the LGBT center, to decrease transgender discrimination through education and awareness. This will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about what it means to be transgender within a cultural and faith context.

Speakers include:

Mycroft Masada Holmes, a Jewish transgender activist who works with the Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality, the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition and Keshet.

Rev. Cameron Partridge, a transgender Episcopal priest, currently serving as the Episcopal Chaplain at BU

Michelle Figueiredo, a speaker from SpeakOUT, an organization that sends speakers out to college communities to educate students on various topics pertaining to diversity, who will be speaking about her experiences as a transgender woman and her spiritual journey

Joan Saniuk and Sharilyn Steketee -- Joan is a Reverend associated with the Metropolitan Community Church of Boston and Sharilyn is Joan’s partner, as well as her partner in ministry.

There will be time for Q&A after the speakers. Refreshments will be provided!

Contact tuftsinterfaith@gmail.com with any questions!

Ordered business cards and stickers from VistaPrint!

2011-10-19T10:28:00.003-04:00

I ordered business cards and stickers from VistaPrint yesterday! The cards are the same ones I’ve had from them twice before, just with updated text. (My primary symbol is a blue dragon, and they actually had this photo in stock. It’s an outdoor bas-relief wall in China -- see the plants at the bottom? I ran into a Chinese visitor in Harvard Square who was very surprised to see somewhere he’d been at home on my card.) The stickers are a first for me, 1.5”; they’re mostly to put on my larger artwork and the gift wrapping thereof. I didn’t reorder my matching address labels, because I plan to move in with my partner Julia early next year. I highly recommend VistaPrint – and if you say I sent you, we both get rewarded, so.

ICTE's latest message to our supporters

2011-10-14T18:53:00.001-04:00

ICTE's latest message to our supporters, published today:

Transgender Equal Rights Bill faith campaign

Happy Jewish New Year, Sukkot, Fall and all other seasons’ greetings!

The Massachusetts legislature has returned from vacation, and the next part of the campaign for the Transgender Equal Rights Bill has begun -- and we want to let you know how you can be part of it.

Here’s how we’re asking the faith community to take action:

1) Phone bank for the bill at MassEquality. Tuesdays from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Calling voters and transferring them to their legislators' voicemail boxes in support of the Transgender Equal Rights Bill. Contact Justin Lemley at 617.878.2344 orjustinlemley@massequality.org to sign up. Groups are more than welcome, and we would be happy to publicize your community’s participation.

2) Call, email, and write your legislators. They hear from the opposition every day – they need to hear from us more.

3) Participate in the 3^rd annual Transgender Awareness Week. Saturday November 12^th through Sunday November 20^th (international Trangender Day of Remembrance, http://www.masstpc.org/events/tdor/) --http://www.masstpc.org/events/taw/. Participate in an existing event (many more will be added between now and then) and/or create your own. One great resource for this is the “I AM: Trans People Speak” public education campaign --http://transpeoplespeak.org/. We can help you figure out the best way to participate in the Week, loan you a DVD of some of the faith-based “I AM” stories, and publicize your community’s participation. You can also choose to sponsor the Week, and be recognized for that.

4) Sign our Declaration of Interfaith Support for the bill. Read the current signed version as a PDF -- http://tinyurl.com/3dnkbkv -- then add your signature by emailing us at InterfaithCoalition@gmail.org.

5) Spread the word about the bill to everyone you can! We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the response. One of the most common responses we receive – including from people of faith – is a variation of “I thought transgender people were already protected by the law! We need to correct this right away!”

With your partnership, we can amend the law so that it does protect transgender people. We look forward to working with you this fall. And we encourage you to connect with us through our online homes:

ICTE blog:

http://www.interfaithcoalition.blogspot.com

ICTE FB group:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7923372429

Faith campaign FB event:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=188135257891766

Yours in great excitement and hope,

Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE)

TOMORROW - LGBTQ Community Meeting on Trans Equal Rights Bill

2011-10-12T11:42:00.000-04:00

LGBTQ Community Meeting on Trans Equal Rights Bill

October 11th, 2011

Thursday, October 13, 2011
LGBTQ Community Meeting

7:00PM at The Non-Profit Center Community Room, 89 South St. Boston, MA 02111

All LGBTQ people and allies are invited. The fight for equality in
Massachusetts is not over. You can’t spell community without the T. We will be discussing the Transgender Equal Rights Bill, specifically where it is at right now and what we can do as a community to help pass this legislation. Bring you ideas and suggestions to the table. For more information about the legislation visit www.masstpc.org

Sponsored by Mass Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), Transgender Equal Rights Coalition, MassEquality, MGLPC, The Boston Bisexual Women’s Network, The Cambridge GLBT Commission

Meeting space donated by Boston Pride Committee

Happy belated National Coming Out Day!

2011-10-12T11:31:00.001-04:00

Happy belated National Coming Out Day!

The Religious Institute has just created new worship resources in support of National Coming Out Day (October 11). They include a responsive reading, prayers, a prayer litany and more, available at www.religiousinstitute.org/lgbtqworship. They've done this as part of a call to the nation's clergy to speak out this month in support of LGBT teens and young adults in recognition of National Coming Out Day. All initial resources were written by their Scholar in Residence, Marie Alford-Harkey.

TUESDAY - National Coming Out Day at the MA Statehouse

2011-10-07T13:36:00.000-04:00

Tuesday is National Coming Out Day, and the Massachusetts Statehouse is having programming -- and it's transgender-focused.

The pretty version of the invitation is here:

http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/14243040/1110643762/name/National%20Coming%20Out%20Day%20Invite.pdf

And here's the plain text version:

Celebrate National Coming Out Day!
Tuesday October 11th
Video-Exhibition 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Speaking Event 11:30 am Nurses Hall

Please join Representative Carl Sciortino, Senator Stan Rosenberg,
Representative Denise Andrews, Representative Liz Malia and
Representative Sarah Peake to observe "National Coming Out Day" at the
State House at 11:30 am on October 11th!

Legislators, staff, and community members are welcome to "come out"
and share what it means to be out as LGBT or as straight allies.

National Coming Out Day is an internationally observed celebration
held annually on October 11th to recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender people and to promote tolerance and respect. Special
emphasis this year will be place on being allies of the transgender
community.

A video-story exhibition by the “I AM: Transgender People Speak
Project” will be shown throughout the day in Nurses Hall, sharing the
everyday experiences of ten transgender Massachusetts residents and
two parents of a transgender person.

For more information, please contact: Raffi Freedman-Gurspan in Rep.
Sciortino's Office 617-772-2013 Raffi.Freedman-Gurspan@mahouse.gov.

MTPC's 10th anniversary - press release

2011-09-28T15:17:00.002-04:00

http://www.masstpc.org/?p=1527 :

MTPC celebrates 10 years of serving the transgender community
September 27th, 2011
On Thursday, October 6th, 2011, the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition will celebrate its ten years of service to the transgender community with eXtatic: Growing on 10 Years, at Club Oberon in Cambridge, MA from 7 to 11 pm. Club Oberon is located at 2 Arrow Street in Harvard Square. There will be light refreshments, a short program of speaking and performance, and dancing til 11pm.

The event will feature performances by Second City trained performer and Miss Trans New England 2009 Lorelei Erisis; artistic director of the Femme Show, Maggie Cee; Johnny Blazes, named “one of Boston’s rising stars” by Stuff Magazine; and hosted by one of Boston’s Legendary Performers’ Ms. Lakia Mondale. Dancing to follow with DJ Tre’Andre.

Advance tickets are $15 to $50 and are on sale by calling 617-778-0519, at www.masstpc.org. Tickets will be available at the door the night of the event.

Attorneys Cole Thaler and Jennifer Levi founded MTPC in September of 2001. Its first meeting consisted of a small group of Boston area transgender community members committed to adding gender identity and expression to the Boston’s non-discrimination ordinances. MTPC launched its campaign to add statewide non-discrimination protections for transgender people in 2007. In 2008, founding member Gunner Scott was named executive director of the organization.

MTPC has grown steadily over the last decade, thanks in part to the partnership between chair Nancy Nangeroni and executive director Gunner Scott as well as MTPC’s effective and dedicated steering committee. The steering committee is made up of twelve committed activists, both transgender and allies, elected annually from among the MTPC membership.

“I consider myself lucky to be able to support the work of such a dedicated group of activists, who are all committed to promoting the welfare of transgender persons and community by their own hard work,” says Nancy Nangeroni.

MTPC will present the first annual Community Advocate Award and Community Innovator Award, to recognize the work of individuals or organizations that are striving to improve the lives of transgender youth, adults and families in Massachusetts.

This year MTPC is proud to present the 2011 Community Advocate Award to Lisa Mottet. Lisa currently serves as the director of the Transgender Civil Rights project at the National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce at Washington D.C. She has worked tirelessly for the last decade to end trans-based discrimination on the state and federal level, has published several groundbreaking books on the subject, and was named one of the ‘Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40” by the National LGBT Bar Association. Lisa Mottet first assisted MTPC in 2002 with the non-discrimination ordinance in Boston and has continued to lend her assistance on numerous occasions including with the Transgender Rights Bill.

The 2011 Community Innovator Award will be given to Jesse Pack, who lives and works in Central Massachusetts. Jesse has worked in HIV/AIDS services for more than seven years and has been involved in community activism for more than ten years. In addition to his work with AIDS Project Worcester, he is also the Co-Chair for Worcester Pride.

In 2008, Jesse created the Transgender Emergency Fund (TEF), the first organization of its kind, to provide financial support for transgender people in need. The Transgender Emergency Fund was created by and for the Massachusetts transgender community and derives the majority of its support from GLBT community members. Since its inception, TEF has distributed more than $26,000 of financial assistance to low-income trans people throughout the state of Massachusetts. To learn more about the Transgender Emergency Fund and to donate, please visit http://www.tgemergencyfund.org.

“MTPC has worked hard and grown tremendously over the past 10 years. From helping to pass the Boston City Ordinance in 2002 to filing state-wide legislation in 2007 to launching an innovative public education campaign, MTPC has been at the forefront of the trans rights movement — not just locally, but nationally,” says Theadora Fisher, steering committee member. “This event is a celebration of MTPC’s stellar achievements and a call to action for the next 10 years because we know the work isn’t done yet.”

Eastern Bank, the largest independent and mutually owned bank in New England, is the lead sponsor of eXtatic. Eastern Bank offers banking, investments and insurance all under one roof, and prides itself on working harder to understand its customers’ needs so it can deliver these services in a committed and personal way. Other sponsors include Marcia Garber, A.M. Clark, Dignity Boston, Joan M. Fund, Esq., Kathleen Henry, Ellen Rottersman, Tom Lang, Michelle Tannen, Googleplex Technologies, Deborah and Ron Peeples, Rep. Carl Sciortino, State Street Corporation, The Network La Red, Mad Femme Pride, American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, the History Project, the Boston LGBT Film Festival, Queer Asian Pacific-Islander Alliance, MassEquality, and TransCEND of AIDS Action Committee.

A special exhibit of MTPC history and memorabilia, sponsored by the History Project, will be on display throughout the night.

For more information about MTPC, to buy tickets or become a sponsor of this event, visit www.masstpc.org, email info@masstpc.org, or call 617-778-0519.

THIS SUNDAY - Squawk & Gobble : A Rad Fatty Fun(d)raiser - Oakland, CA

2011-09-23T05:30:00.000-04:00

(http://www.buzzfeed.com/akdobbins/japanese-bird-cooking-spaghetti)

THIS SUNDAY is Squawk & Gobble : A Rad Fatty Fun(d)raiser in Oakland, CA! Hosted by the flabulous Marilyn Wann (http://fatso.com/), who will be doing a webcast or otherwise sharing video, for posterity and those of us who alas can't attend unless they invent a rad fatty teleporter.

Facebook event:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=132435873513671

And here's that text:

Squawk & Gobble - a rad fatty fun(d)raiser

Sunday, September 25 · 6:00pm - 10:00pm

Humanist Hall: http://tinyurl.com/4xjfpou

390 - 27th St. (between Telegraph & Broadway)

Oakland, CA

*LIVE MUSIC*

karaoke

BAND: Nothin' But Fun

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nothin-But-Fun/153279344727244?ref=ts

Special Guest: Joe Libin on drums

Spaghetti Dinner!

(gluten-free options)

Belly bumps!

Dorky dancing & music video videotaping!

Rewriting song lyrics for body-poz content!

Live *WEBCAST* for fatties of all sizes everywhere to enjoy!

~ ~ ~

Your host, Marilyn Wann, will officially announce plans for...

- the 2012 Rad Fatty Dayplanner!

And...

- the Weight Diversity Action Lounge

(W.D.A.L. -or- waddle!)

~ ~ ~

$10 suggested donation.

Accessible facility: Entrance from 28th St.

Please don't wear scents.

"Queering Fat Embodiment" (tentative title) - anthology - call for papers

2011-09-22T10:05:00.003-04:00

Call for Papers

Tentative title: Queering Fat Embodiment

Type: Edited book

Submission deadline: January 15th, 2012

Contacts and editors:

Samantha Murray Samantha.murray@mq.edu.au (Main contact)

Cat Pausé c.pause@massey.ac.nz

Jackie Wykes wykesj@unimelb.edu.au

Scope:

Against the backdrop of the ever-growing medicalisation and pathologisation of fatness, the field of Fat Studies has emerged in recent years to offer an interdisciplinary critical interrogation of the dominant medical models of health, to give voice to the lived experience of fat bodies, and to offer critical insights into, and investigations of, the ethico-political implications of the cultural meanings that have come to be attached to fat bodies. This focus on the regulation, discipline and representation of fat bodies make it critically invaluable to the advancement of scholarship on embodiment.

This edited collection seeks to publish recent scholarship that embraces ‘queering’ as a mode of critical engagement in examining fat embodiment. Queer is a heterogeneous and multidisciplinary practice aimed at ‘bringing forth’ and thus denaturalising the taken for granted, the invisible, the normalized. This collection seeks to challenge and destabilise existing ideas of fat and fat embodiment both outside of and within the emerging field of Fat Studies. This volume will bring together scholarship from various disciplines in order to examine the ways in which fat embodiment is lived, experienced, regulated and (re)produced across a range of cultural sites and contexts. In queering established ideas about fat bodies, and presenting challenging inquiries/inqueeries into these notions, this collection will represent an innovative and critically invaluable contribution to the advancement of scholarship on fatness, and indeed on embodiment more generally.

Topics may include but are not limited to:

• fat activism and embodiment

• fat mental and physical health

• queer(y)ing ‘hard data’ on fatness/obesity science

• queer(y)ing health policies related to fat

• cross-cultural or global constructions of fat bodies

• cultural, historical, or philosophical meanings of fat and fat bodies

• fat embodiment in literature, film, music, nonfiction, and the visual arts

• fat as queering sex, beauty, gender, and other embodied performances

• fat sexuality

• fat materialities

• fat and space

• fat and biopolitics

• fat and citizenship

• fat and neoliberalism

• fatness and consumption

Please note that we are already in the process of completing a proposal to submit to publishers, which we will complete based on the submissions we receive. We have had some preliminary interest from publishers, but as yet, we have not secured a contract.

Full paper submissions are due January 15, 2012. Articles should range between 15 and 20 double-spaced pages. Please send submissions, along with an abstract of your paper and a brief biographical sketch, directly to Samantha.murray@mq.edu.au.

Popular & American Culture Associations conference (2012) - Fat Studies area - call for papers

2011-09-22T09:51:00.005-04:00

PCA/ACA Fat Studies 2012 Call for Papers

Topics may include but are not limited to:

- representations of fat people in literature, film, music, nonfiction, and the visual arts

- cross-cultural or global constructions of fatness and fat bodies

- cultural, historical, inter/intrapersonal, or philosophical meanings of fat and fat bodies

- the geography and lived experience of fatness and fat bodies

- portrayals of fat individuals and groups in news, media, magazines

- fatness as a social or political identity

- fat acceptance, activism, and/or pride movements and tactics

- approaches to fat and body image in philosophy, psychology, religion, sociology

- fat children in literature, media, and/or pedagogy

- fat as it intersects with race, ethnicity, class, religion, ability, gender, and/or sexuality

- history and/or critique of diet books and scams

- functions of fatphobia or fat oppression in economic and political systems

By December 15, 2011, please send an abstract of 100 - 250 words or a completed

paper to Fat Studies Area Co-Chairs Julia McCrossin (jmccross@gwmail.gwu.edu)

and Lesleigh Owen (goddess_les@yahoo.com).

Presenters must become members of the Popular Culture Association. Find more information on the conference and organization at

http://pcaaca.org/conference/national.php.

The 5th annual Transgender Religious Leaders Summit is November 3rd through 5th, in Berkeley California!

2011-09-16T12:29:00.001-04:00

The 5th annual Transgender Religious Leaders Summit is November 3rd through 5th, in Berkeley California!

UPCOMING EVENT

Fifth Annual Transgender Religious Leaders Summit 2011

Hosted by CLGS, The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry

Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709

November 3rd to November 5th, 2011

The 2011 Transgender Religious Leaders Summit is an ecumenical meeting of faith leaders who identify as transgender, gender-queer and inter-sexed, and their allies. It is an opportunity to connect with leaders of all faith communities and, through sharing, to celebrate our common heritage while learning to appreciate and respect our differences. This year’s Summit is a retreat-style meeting of transgender faith leaders from across the United States and Canada.

For Information and to Register with EventBrite, log onto the www.CLGS.org Site:

http://trans-religious-summit.eventbrite.com/

Complete Information at CLGS:

http://www.clgs.org/events/transgender-religious-leaders-summit-2011

The 2010 Summit was an very fulfilling and enlightening time. This year should be even better yet! If you missed last year, don't miss this year's event!

Hope to see you there!

Randall Klein Bernie Schlager
Light in the Closet Ministry CLGS

FOR INFORMATION CALL: 925-586-4651

Email: rklein@lightinthecloset.org

Light in the Closet Ministry, PO BOX 1208, Oakley CA 94561

www.lightinthecloset.org

MTPC - 10th anniversary event - October 6th

2011-09-09T10:13:00.000-04:00

MTPC's 10th anniversary event "eXtatic (Growing On 10 Years)" is Thursday, October 6th!

Website page:

http://www.masstpc.org/events/10year/

Facebook event:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=210033755711887

Today's e-newsletter:

http://community.icontact.com/p/masstpc/newsletters/mtpc/posts/its-mtpcs-10-year-anniversary-party-youre-invited

Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition

Did you know...

MTPC is turning 10 year's old and we are having a partyto celebrate!

Join us on

Thursday, October 6, 2011

7-11 pm at Club Oberon 2 Arrow St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)

Refreshments will be served; Cash bar

Featuring performances from:

Lorelei Erisis - is not just Miss Trans New England 2009 but is a Professional TransWoman, Second City Trained Improviser, Performer and Filmmaker.

Maggie Cee - is the artistic director of the Femme Show and is an artist, activist, and teacher committed to community, social change, and sequins.

Johnny Blazes - was named “one of Boston’s rising stars” by Stuff Magazine, Johnny Blazes is known for hir genre-bending, gender-blending, tongue-in-cheek performances. Ze regularly performs at TraniWreck.

Lakia Mondale - is one of Boston's Legendary Performers, she is the 2010 Boston Pride Queen, regularly performs at Jaques Caberat and for many community events and fundraisers.

There will also be a special showing of I AM: Trans People Speak videos and dancing to follow with DJ Tre'Andre of Two Trans Guys and an iPod!

Ticket Pricing:
$15 Student/Activist
$35 Individual
$50 Pair

Buy your tickets in advance at www.masstpc.org/10. Tickets will also be available at the door. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Thank you to our sponsors:

Angel:

Patron:

Marcia Garber

Promoter:

Joan M. Fund, Esq.

Kathleen Henry

If you are interested in becoming an event sponsor, please contact theadora@masstpc.org or visit our webpage.

DONATE NOW

Our Mission

MTPC is dedicated to ending discrimination on the basis gender identity and gender expression

We envision a world where persons of all genders are treated with respect and fully participate in all areas of society, free from fear of prohibition, harassment or violence based on their gender identity and/or expression.

To that end we educate the public, advocate with state, local, and federal government, engage in political activism, and encourage empowerment of community members through collective action.

LEARN MORE »

Come Join Us

Become A Donor

Be a part of MTPC and our work in making Massachusetts a state that has equal rights for all transgender youth and adults.

Join us today by donating what you can to keep us going in fighting for your friends, your family, your neighbors, and for yourself. You can make a one-time donation, become a monthly donor, or join our new Movement Builder Circle. Which every way you give, you will be helping us to change how transgender youth, adults, and their families are treated in Massachusetts.

LEARN MORE »

MTPC | PO Box 301897, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 | (617) 778-0519 info@masstpc.org

National NAAFA convention - today through Monday!

2011-08-04T05:30:00.000-04:00

The national NAAFA convention starts today, and continues through Monday! (National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.) I’m sad that I’m not going. But I’m happy that my partner -- Julia McCrossin, the Fat Studies scholar -- gets to see some of her favorite fat community members because they’ll be in Washington DC for the con.

http://www.naafaonline.com/convention2011//index.html

Welcome to The NAAFA 2011 Convention Site!!

NAAFA is the world's oldest, largest civil rights organization working to improve the lives of people of size. We would love for you to come celebrate with us in the beautiful Washington DC Area at our annual fund-raising convention.
It will be held August 4 - August 8, 2011 at the The Westin Washington Dulles Airport

Quicklinks

Massachusetts anti-discrimination bill would add weight & height!

2011-07-14T13:50:00.005-04:00

Here in Massachusetts, a weight and height anti-discrimination bill has been reintroduced! An Act Making Discrimination On The Basis Of Weight And Height Unlawful -- House Bill 539 (http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/House/H00539). It would amend state laws prohibiting discrimination in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations on the basis of race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, or ancestry -- by adding height and weight to the unlawful forms of discrimination.

The bill is having a public hearing before the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development TODAY! I can’t attend; I submitted my testimony in writing. Please call and write your legislators, and spread the word! Too many people are ignorant about the issues, especially the weight-based ones – or are supportive but assume weight and height are already included in MA law (as they should be). And there’s been too little local support since the death of the primary local anti-weight discrimination leader a few years ago. This bill is one of the projects my partner (Julia McCrossin, Fat Studies scholar) and I plan to work on after she moves here this fall.

Submit your supportive testimony as a letter to:

Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development

State House -- Room 39

Boston, MA 02133

And to:

Rep. Byron Rushing's (bill sponsor) Legislative Aide -- Tracy Choi

Tracy.Choi@state.ma.us | 617.722.2006

She is also the contact person for more information about the bill.

If you are a constituent of a committee member, call or email them -- tell them you support this bill and ask them to support it.

If you are a constituent of a sponsor of the bill, call or email them – thank them for sponsoring the bill.

Ask others to do all of the above – please feel free to use this post.

Here are my previous posts:

http://masadarts.blogspot.com/2010/01/massachusetts-height-weight-anti.html

http://masadarts.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-testimony-re-massachusetts-height.html

Here’s my testimony that I submitted today:

July 14, 2011

Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development

State House -- Room 39

Boston, MA 02133

Dear Committee,

My name is Mycroft Holmes, and I live and work in greater Boston, where I was born and have always lived. I love Boston and the rest of Massachusetts; this great city and state have always been my home and I hope they always will be.

I’m an interfaith leader, and have been for many years. I’m Chair of the Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE), a member of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition’s (MTPC) Steering Committee and Chair of MTPC’s Faith Committee, and the Emeritus Founding Chair of Keshet’s Transgender Working Group (TWiG); I’m also a board member of Congregation Am Tikva (Brookline).

I write to you in support of An Act Making Discrimination On The Basis Of Weight And Height Unlawful -- House Bill 539. I testified before you in person in support of this bill (then House Bill 1850) at its hearing during the last legislative session (last January 27th). I also read the testimony of attorney Sondra Solovay, who could not attend as she lives and works in California. I regret that I am unable to attend today’s hearing, largely due to the extremely short notice.

This bill would amend current state laws prohibiting discrimination in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations on the basis of race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, or ancestry -- by adding height and weight to the list of unlawful forms of discrimination. In all but one state and three cities in this country, weight is not included in anti-discrimination or hate crimes laws. How can Massachusetts still not be one of those states? How can we not change this during this legislative session?

My faiths teach that like Adam, the first human being, all people are made btzelem Elohim – in the image of God -- people of all sizes, shapes, weights and heights. Our infinite diversity of bodies and their changes over our lifetimes are gifts and blessings -- meant to be realized, expressed, and enjoyed. God created and loves us all. We are all created equal, and should be equally protected by the law.

In my personal and professional life, I have experienced, witnessed and researched a great deal of discrimination – especially in employment. Much of it has been based on physical appearance and information, particularly height and weight. This discrimination is wrong, terribly damaging to everyone involved, and occurs many times every day in every part of our state. It must be ended as soon as possible, and HB 539 will help end it. The bill is also an important educational tool – its implementation process will help dispel the overwhelming and growing ignorance and misinformation about height and weight. I won’t go into detail, as you will be given expert testimony about these issues from my colleagues – ample evidence of the significant and urgent need for this legislation.

My wonderful life partner and I are the same height, 5’7”, and she weighs more than twice what I do – I am 135, she more than 300; I have always been thin, she has always been fat. Despite a lifetime of discrimination and other mistreatment, much of it based on her weight, she remains happy and healthy, mentally and physically, and a good and productive citizen. She is a published academic who is very active in her field of English. She works as a entry associate at the National Cathedral and is a member of other faith communities, and gives time and money to social justice organizations. She has been and is a tremendous blessing to her family, friends, colleagues, teachers, students, and all those who have been fortunate enough to know her, or indeed know of her.

She is a native and lifelong resident of Maryland and Washington DC -- where height and weight are protected classes in the Human Rights Laws. She has been visiting me here in Massachusetts for two years; in May she graduated from George Washington University with her second Master’s degree, and plans to move to Boston this fall so that we can find our first home and begin the next part of our life together. We have much to offer my great state. But we are both challenged by employment discrimination, and we fear discrimination in credit, housing, public accommodations and public education. We need An Act Making Discrimination On The Basis Of Weight And Height Unlawful to pass into law.

I want my partner to have full civil rights whenever she’s here. I want her to be able to continue to live, work and play as well even better than she has done, contributing even more to my home state than to her own. I want this for all residents and visitors of Massachusetts. I don’t want anyone to experience discrimination – but I know that some will, and I want them to be able to take appropriate action. I urge you to do everything you can to pass this vital and long overdue legislation during this session.

Thank you,

Mycroft Holmes

{address and email}

"Fat Studies: A Journal Of Research" - call for papers

2011-07-13T10:10:00.009-04:00

"Fat Studies: A Journal Of Research" is calling for papers! The deadline for the first issue was Friday, July 1st. The deadline for the second issue is Tuesday, November 1st. The first issue will be published next year, 2012. Pricing information for subscriptions is not available yet. There will be institutional pricing and pricing for individuals. My partner Julia McCrossin is on the editorial board, and we are so looking forward to the first issue.

Here's the flyer:

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/57308795?access_key=key-yvsfmmd25u56zmyb495

And here's the flyer's text:

CALL FOR PAPERS

FAT STUDIES

A Journal of Research

New for 2012

Editor: Esther Rothblum, PhD

Women’s Studies Department, MC 6030

San Diego State University

5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182

Email: erothblu@mail.sdsu.edu

Fat Studies: A Journal of Research is the first academic journal in the field of scholarship that critically examines theory, research, and societal attitudes about body weight and appearance, and that advocates equality for all people with respect to body size. The focus of the journal is on why fat people are oppressed and who benefits from that oppression. In that regard, the journal is similar to journals from other academic disciplines that focus on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or age.

Content will include original research and overviews exploring the intersection of gender, race/ethnicity, sexuality, age, ability, and socioeconomic status on nutrition and the Health at Every Size model, legal issues, the pharmaceutical industry, psychology, sociology, cultural studies, literature, pedagogy, art, theatre, popular culture, media studies and activism.

WHAT IS FAT STUDIES?

Fat Studies is a field of scholarship that critically examines societal attitudes about body weight and appearance, and that advocates equality for all people with respect to body size. Fat studies seeks to remove the negative associations that society has about fat and the fat body. It regards weight, like height, as a human characteristic that varies widely across any population. Fat studies is similar to academic disciplines that focus on race, ethnicity, gender, or age.

CALL FOR PAPERS

Volume 1, 2012, 2 Issues

Fat Studies: A Journal of Research is looking for manuscripts for its inaugural issue.

Manuscripts should be submitted to the Editor, Esther D. Rothblum, PhD at erothblu@mail.sdsu.edu.

All editorial inquiries should be directed to the Editor. Books and other materials for review purposes should be submitted to the Editor. Authors must complete a Manuscript Submission & Limited Copyright Transfer Form.

All parts of the manuscript should be typewritten, double-spaced, with margins of at least one inch on all sides. Number manuscript pages consecutively throughout the paper. Each article should be summarized in an abstract of not more than 100 words. Avoid abbreviations, diagrams, and reference to the text in the abstract.

EDITORIAL BOARD

Fat Studies: A Journal of Research seeks to be a truly multidisciplinary and international journal. The Editorial Board represents this goal and is comprised of a variety of experts in the field of fat studies.

Elena Andrea Escalera ~ William J. Fabrey ~ Fall Ferguson ~ Janna Fikkan ~ Jacqui Gingras ~ Joyce L. Huff ~ JuliaGrace Jester ~ Susan Koppelman ~ Kathleen LeBesco ~ Lucy Aphramor ~ Linda Bacon ~ Natalie Boero ~ Deb Burgard ~ Charlotte Cooper ~ Joan Chrisler ~ Sheana Director ~ Elana Dykewomon ~ Paul Ernsberger ~ Michael I. Loewy ~ Julia McCrossin ~ Samantha Murray ~ Lily O’Hara ~ Lesleigh Owen ~ Fatima Parker ~ Cat Pausé ~ Abigail Saguy ~ Friedrich Schorb ~ Stefanie Snider ~ Sondra Solovay ~ Lisa Tealer ~ Corinna Tomrley ~ Stephanie von Liebenstein ~ Marilyn Wann ~ Bianca Wilson

Routledge

Taylor & Francis Group

[Publisher]

"Trans Forming Faith" service - First Parish Milton (UU) - this Sunday

2011-07-12T08:59:00.001-04:00

As seen in The List: Boston's Queer Agenda (http://www.queeragenda.org/). I met Jamez in April, when we were two of the panelists at Harvard Hillel's event "Transforming Faith: Experiencing Religion and Gender Identity" (http://interfaithcoalition.blogspot.com/2011/04/interfaith-transgender-panel-harvard.html). I've seen Johnny perform, and I know Melsen through his social justice and custom t-shirts (http://melsenink.com/).

Trans Forming Faith

[Sunday, July 17th, 2011]

10:30 am

First Parish Milton (Unitarian Universalist)

535 Canton Ave

Milton, MA

First Parish in Milton will host a special worship service that explores the intersections of transgender identity and religious faith. Worship will be led by Jamez Terry, founder and organizer of the nationally touring Tranny Roadshow, as well as a student at Harvard Divinity School. Guest musicians include Johnny Blazes and Melsen Carlsen.

The service begins at 10:30 am, and all are welcome.

TransFaith Peer Support Networks -- for seminarians & clergy

2011-07-07T05:30:00.000-04:00

TransFaith

On-line

Chris Paige at TransFaith Online (http://www.transfaithonline.org/) is working on creating TransFaith Peer Support Networks for seminarians and clergy. Please fill out the needs assessments (anonymously if needed) and/or spread the word. Here's Chris' message:

Hello all,

In the last few weeks (esp at HRC Clergy Call and at the Philly Trans-Health Conference), we have launched initial conversations about starting a couple of TransFaith Support Networks. Specifically a TransFaith Seminarian Support Network and a TransFaith Clergy Support Network.

Could you spread the following two surveys around your networks so we can draw in input from a variety of perspectives?

Needs Assessment: TransFaith Seminarian Support Network
http://network.transfaithonline.org/more/surveys/seminarian_needs/

Needs Assessment: TransFaith Clergy Support Network
http://network.transfaithonline.org/more/surveys/clergy_needs/

The needs assessment surveys can be filled out anonymously, if desired. They are hosted on the TransFaith Network, but a log-in is not required.

Please spread the word among transgender folks in your network, as well as allies who might know people...

Thank you!

Chris Paige

Help the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition win $25,000!

2011-07-06T17:16:00.003-04:00

The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition could win $25,000 for our "I AM: Trans People Speak" project -- our public education campaign about transgender people! But we need your help -- please vote for us and spread the word! Here's how (http://community.icontact.com/p/masstpc/newsletters/mtpc/posts/help-mtpc-win-25k):

Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition

Did you know...

MTPC has the chance to win $25,000 in the Pepsi Refresh Project and
You Can Help!

This 25K would help us fund I AM: Trans People Speak
with Bus and Subway Ads Across the State

You can vote everyday from July 1 – July 31

at least 2x and we hope that you will

Vote once a day everyday on the website:http://www.refresheverything.com/transpeoplespeak
for our idea: Build support and acceptance of transgender people through education

Also vote once a day via text message: Text* 107338 to Pepsi (73774) to vote from your mobile. *Standard text messaging rates apply.

Help Us Spread the Word

On Facebook

Example posting: Let’s win $25,000 for trans rights & MTPC vote for Build support and acceptance of transgender people through education at Pepsi Refreshhttp://www.refresheverything.com/transpeoplespeak

@Mass Trans Political Coalition

On Twitter

Example: Vote MTPC for 25K: build support & acceptance of transgender people through education http://pep.si/ivdaSo #MTPCPepsi #pepsirefresh

E-Blasts

Example: I am helping MTPC to win $25,000 in the Pepsi Refresh Contest. Join me in voting everyday for MTPC’s idea: Build support and acceptance of transgender people through education. This $25,000 would help us to fund the I AM: Trans People Speak Campaign and get our transgender participants onto subway and bus ads across the state, this would the be the first campaign of its kind in the country! You can vote everyday at least 2x and we hope that you will from July 1 – July 31. Vote once a day on the websitehttp://www.refresheverything.com/transpeoplespeak and also once a day via text message: Text* 107338 to Pepsi (73774) to vote from your mobile. *Standard text messaging rates apply.

Look for specially marked pepsi products to get a code that equal 100 votes!
Thanks and with your help we can win this!

VOTE NOW

Spread the Word

MTPC is holding our own contest to help us get votes!

The person who facebook and tweets out to the most number of people and to get us votes will win an MTPC T-shirt and Gourmet Gift Basket
2 Runner ups will win an MTPC t-shirt each

LEARN MORE »

"Fat Shame (Stigma & the Fat Body in American Culture)" - Amy Farrell's new book

2011-06-21T05:30:00.000-04:00

Amy Farrell is Professor of American Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. She is also the author of Yours in Sisterhood: Ms. Magazine and the Promise of Popular Feminism. She lives in Carlisle with her husband and two children.

Her new book is "Fat Shame (Stigma and the Fat Body in American Culture)". My partner (Julia McCrossin, Fat Studies scholar) and I are looking forward to reading it.

Here's the book's publisher's (NYU Press) page:

http://nyupress.org/books/book-details.aspx?bookId=1613

Here's Amy on "The Colbert Report" (May 4th episode):

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/383684/may-04-2011/amy-farrell

And here's the book's description:

"To be fat hasn’t always occasioned the level of hysteria that this condition receives today and indeed was once considered an admirable trait. Fat Shame: Stigma and the Fat Body in American Culture explores this arc, from veneration to shame, examining the historic roots of our contemporary anxiety about fatness. Tracing the cultural denigration of fatness to the mid 19th century, Amy Farrell argues that the stigma associated with a fat body preceded any health concerns about a large body size. Firmly in place by the time the diet industry began to flourish in the 1920s, the development of fat stigma was related not only to cultural anxieties that emerged during the modern period related to consumer excess, but, even more profoundly, to prevailing ideas about race, civilization and evolution. For 19th and early 20th century thinkers, fatness was a key marker of inferiority, of an uncivilized, barbaric, and primitive body. This idea—that fatness is a sign of a primitive person—endures today, fueling both our $60 billion “war on fat” and our cultural distress over the “obesity epidemic.”

Farrell draws on a wide array of sources, including political cartoons, popular literature, postcards, advertisements, and physicians’ manuals, to explore the link between our historic denigration of fatness and our contemporary concern over obesity. Her work sheds particular light on feminisms’ fraught relationship to fatness. From the white suffragists of the early 20th century to contemporary public figures like Oprah Winfrey, Monica Lewinsky, and even the Obama family, Farrell explores the ways that those who seek to shed stigmatized identities—whether of gender, race, ethnicity or class—often take part in weight reduction schemes and fat mockery in order to validate themselves as “civilized.” In sharp contrast to these narratives of fat shame are the ideas of contemporary fat activists, whose articulation of a new vision of the body Farrell explores in depth. This book is significant for anyone concerned about the contemporary “war on fat” and the ways that notions of the “civilized body” continue to legitimate discrimination and cultural oppression."

ASDAH -- the Association for Size Diversity And Health

2011-06-20T05:30:00.000-04:00

Have you heard about ASDAH, the Association for Size Diversity And Health? Founded the year I finally came out as a Fat Admirer and fat ally. My partner -- Julia McCrossin, Fat Studies scholar -- is a member and I donate; they're one of the organizations she asked for donations to instead of other Winter holiday gifts.

ASDAH is an international professional organization started in 2003; an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization,whose members and leaders are committed to the principles of Health At Every Size (HAES). ASDAH's mission is to promote education, research, and the provision of services which enhance health and well-being, and which are free from weight-based assumptions and weight discrimination.

The HAES movement is a continuously evolving alternative to the weight-centered approach to treating clients and patients of all sizes. It is also a movement working to promote size acceptance, to end weight discrimination, and to lessen the cultural obsession with weight loss and thinness.

Website --

http://www.sizediversityandhealth.org/

Blog --

http://healthateverysizeblog.wordpress.com/

Facebook --

http://www.facebook.com/pages/ASDAH/111760986801

Twitter --

https://twitter.com/asdah

And ASDAH is having their next conference in August in San Francisco -- "No BODY Left Behind — The HAES(SM) Approach: Ensuring an Inclusive Approach to Health and Wellness"; the early registration deadline has been extended to next Saturday June 25th:

http://www.sizediversityandhealth.org/content.asp?id=148

Transgender Equal Rights Bill UPDATE

2011-06-17T10:45:00.001-04:00

Good morning!

Thank you for your support of the Transgender Equal Rights Bill’s hearing last Wednesday, June 8th! Though shorter and sweeter than the bill's previous hearings, it was still a very challenging 8 ½ hours (1:00 – 9:30 p.m.!); but our community did an excellent job before, during and after hearing day -- especially in presenting a dozen or so themed panels of speakers.

As ICTE, we particularly want to appreciate the panel of clergy we helped organize – Rabbi Joseph Berman, Rev. Stephanie Spellers (Episcopal Church), and Rev. Sue Phillips (Unitarian Universalist Association). The faith community was also significantly represented in the 150 letters of supportive written testimony submitted to the Judiciary Committee, including Bishop M. Thomas Shaw (the diocesan bishop of the Episcopal Church). ICTE's Declaration of Religious and Faith-Based Support for the bill, with its hundreds of signatures, was also presented.

Here's MTPC’s post-hearing debrief – http://www.masstpc.org/?p=1390
And here’s the Statehouse’s video of the hearing (in two parts):
http://www.malegislature.gov/Events/EventDetail?eventId=779&eventDataSource=VideoService&videoSource=jnt
http://www.malegislature.gov/Events/EventDetail?eventId=780&eventDataSource=VideoService&videoSource=jnt

The next step is the bill’s lobby day – a week from yesterday!

Transgender Equal Rights Lobby Day

NEXT THURSDAY, June 23rd
1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
MA Statehouse ~ Grand Staircase

MTPC page:
http://www.masstpc.org/?page_id=1303
Facebook event:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=199424550095489

RSVP to Rachel@masstpc.org or 617.778.0519 -- include your name and mailing address and/or legislators’ names so we can check you in faster on Lobby Day. A limited number of transportation stipends (for no/low income) and ride shares are available – include this in your RSVP. Make appointments with your legislators for any time on June 23rd. Gather at the Grand Staircase at 1:00 for a short program of legislative supporters, policy makers, and community members – possibly including a clergy speaker. And check in to receive your Lobby Day packet.

Please attend and invite others! We need the Statehouse to see as many supporters as possible. We particularly need visible clergy, lay leaders and other people of faith – please come vested and/or otherwise “faith flared”. If you can’t RSVP, or meet with a legislator, your presence is still very helpful and much appreciated.

If you can’t attend, MassEquality has a summary of how you can help:
http://eepurl.com/eiHWA

Best wishes for your Summer,

Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE)
http://www.interfaithcoalition.blogspot.com
ICTE FB group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7923372429
Faith campaign FB event:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=188135257891766

Keshet has created Jewish LGBT Heroes Posters

2011-06-16T14:14:00.001-04:00

Keshet has created Jewish LGBT Heroes Posters -- and one is of Kate Bornstein, the transgender leader. I'm on one of the posters in one of Keshet's previous collections -- click here to see the PDF as a Google Document.

This Sunday, May 22, is Harvey Milk's birthday. And in his honor, we are celebrating!

We've created a series of posters - starting with Harvey - celebrating LGBT Jews who have given us hope, given us courage, and transformed our world in countless ways.

Our series also honors the amazing Kate Bornstein, a writer, performer, and an unwavering voice for those who feel like they don't fit in, as well as Lesléa Newman, the wonderfully prolific author who brought us the groundbreaking book "Heather Has Two Mommies."

Supporting LGBT youth means celebrating queer heroes. June is LGBT Pride and a perfect time for you to ask your synagogue, JCC, Hillel, youth group, camp, and any Jewish institution that works with young people to display these posters.

Remember, as Harvey famously implored all of us, "And you, and you, and you... have got to give them hope."

Learn more & order posters:

http://lgbtjewishheroes.org/

Who else belongs on a poster?

http://lgbtjewishheroes.org/share-your-heroes/

Read the press release and download web images:

http://ge.tt/7up6qng?c

Mazel Tov Rachel Isaacs!

Today also marks another historic occasion - Rachel Isaacs will become the first openly gay rabbinical student to be ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary. Our list of LGBT Jewish Heroes continues!!

BOSTON | DENVER | SAN FRANCISCO

www.keshetonline.org | info@keshetonline.org

Village Voice article - "Guys Who Like Fat Chicks"

2011-06-15T05:30:00.001-04:00

The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper in New York City; it's the US' first and largest "alternative newsweekly" (founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher and Norman Mailer). It's distributed throughout the US through paid subscriptions, and is also free online (at VillageVoice.com).

Last month the Voice published Camille Dodero's article "Guys Who Like Fat Chicks".

It's narrowly focused, and problematic in other ways, but it's still pretty awesome -- and all too rare. And the four photos, by Sam Zide, are flabulous (and no, that's not a typo). And I know most of the people in it -- mazel tov and thank you! Here's the online version:

http://www.villagevoice.com/2011-05-04/news/guys-who-like-fat-chicks/

And here's the first page, which links to the other five:

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Guys Who Like Fat Chicks

A A AComments (238)By Camille Dodero Wednesday, May 4 2011

Sam Zide

Dan Weiss and his girlfriend, photographed for the Voice in April 2011

Dan Weiss is 26, stands five-foot-six, weighs about 130 pounds, and has a thin chinstrap beard outlining his jaw—without the scruff, he looks 12. This Tuesday afternoon in March is the first time we’ve ever met, even though he’s a freelance music writer and we’ve been e-mailing each other professionally for years.

Sam Zide

More About

I first took an interest in him in September 2009, when he reviewed a live show of the Coathangers, a scrappy all-female grrrl-wave four-piece from Atlanta. In a note that was apropos of nothing really, he mentioned that he had taken out a description of the women in the band as “super-cute,” because, he said, he didn’t want anyone to think he was into “skinny girls.”

His Facebook profile filled in some of the blanks. He wore black-rimmed glasses and uniformly tight band T-shirts. He had shaggy black hair that fell in wiry squiggles. He played guitar and studied English at William Paterson University. There were snapshots of him posed with a beautiful young woman who appeared to be more than twice his size, wearing a French-maid Halloween costume. And there was a link to Ask a Guy Who Likes Fat Chicks, an unsigned advice-column blog “for your plumper-related stumpers.”

Entries happily, ravenously, robustly referenced double bellies, back rolls, and “big old ham thighs.” Feminine body shapes were compared to pears, apples, and one calabash squash; their weights spanned from 180 pounds to over 500. “Big Fat Sexy Kitty,” a young woman who described herself as five feet tall and 260 pounds, wrote in: “I want fat sex. I want my jiggly bits rubbed and squished and fondled sexually.”

In person at the East Village's Cafe Orlin, Dan explains that, yes, he likes round bellies. He likes double chins. He likes breasts the size of his head. He loves flabby biceps. “Fat upper arms are awesome. I would almost say I’m an arms guy,” he says, not by any means whispering. “I didn’t know that they would be that soft. I, like, fell asleep on a girl’s arm once. I was like, ‘Wow.’ ”

The blog Ask a Guy Who Likes Fat Chicks began on a whim, with Dan posting during his border-crossing bus sojourns to visit his long-distance girlfriend of two years, the smoky-eyed French maid from Toronto. The phrase “Fat Chicks” was meant to be a reversal of the college-humor slogan “No Fat Chicks.” And in the online world of Facebook groups and BBW (Big Beautiful Woman) messageboards that Dan inhabits, “fat” is preferable to “overweight,” which implies a standard, or “hefty,” which belongs to the trash bag, or “heavy,” which sounds like furniture. And “Fat Admirer” is the most frequent shorthand for straight men who prefer fat partners—the better-known term “Chubby Chaser” has become associated with the gay community.

Too lazy to consider himself an activist, but cocky enough to be the mouthy weakling “who would be getting my neck rung by the bully and still saying shit,” Dan is ego-driven enough to envision a greater purpose. “Society sucks, and society says you need male validation. If you’re trying to say fat is attractive, as a lot of women out there are, it helps to find legitimate people who find this attractive.” Or, as he put it more bluntly on his Facebook page, after contributing two pro-fat pieces to lady blog The Hairpin, “I write about my preference for fat women in hopes that other men who share my preference will make themselves known so they’ll stop being little ballsacks and let the millions of fat women in this country find them.”

In other words, Guys Who Like Fat Chicks are not make-believe. “We’re out there.”

Dear Askaguywholikesfatchicks: Why do you like fat chicks? —Sincerely, A Fat Chick
I’m so glad you asked. But the answer is: I don’t know. It’s the same I-don’t-know that pubescent boys will tell you after waking up strangely soaked from a night of dreaming about—I don’t know, Ashley Tisdale. The real question is, why are so many Fat Admirers in denial? I can’t tell you how many guys (or gals) there are like me, and a good portion of them being in the closet makes the numbers even fuzzier. Over half the U.S. is considered—DUN DUN DUN—“overweight.” Someone’s fucking all the fatties.* Be a sport and let them know.
*Contrary to popular belief, it’s not me. [January 7, 2009]

Once upon a time, if a young man wanted to see a fat girl naked, he actually had to woo her. Playboy and Penthouse didn’t publish stretch-mark-mapped centerfolds. BBW nude-model paysites like PlumpPrincess.com and BigCuties.com did not exist. Dan didn’t have that problem. “An early memory was having Entertainment Weekly, cutting out pictures ofAnna Nicole Smith in the Guess ads, and just studying her boobs.” But unlike his Fat-Appreciating forebears, he had the Internet. “I was looking for bigger and bigger boobs online, and when you looked at bigger and bigger boobs, you wound up finding bigger girls. And I was like, ‘Oh, wait. I like all of this.’ ”

The MA Transgender Equal Rights Bill's hearing is TODAY!

2011-06-08T08:42:00.000-04:00

The MA Transgender Equal Rights Bill's hearing is TODAY, at 1:00 p.m. in the Statehouse’s Gardner Auditorium. This is the public hearing before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, which we need to vote the bill onwards to be voted on by the full legislature.

Everyone is welcome to attend, and allowed to sign up to testify. However, please be aware that:

Attendance is much more needed for Transgender Equal Rights Lobby Day on Thursday June 23rd.
We ask that you not bring signs, or engage with anyone who antagonizes you.
Although the hearing should be much shorter and simpler than our previous ones (which were quite complex and several hours), we can't know how long it will be, the order or timing of speakers, etc.; there will be many other bills being heard today, though far fewer than our previous hearing days.
To make our presentation as short and sweet as possible, we need to focus on our pre-planned themed panels of speakers.
We will present all written testimony to the Committee (the letters we have been asking supporters for all year).
Although the opposition will have to follow the rules, their speakers may (as during the last hearing) say upsetting things about transgender people, (non-trans) women, etc. This can be particularly painful for allies, and for those who weren't around back when such things were much more commonly said about GLB people, women, etc.

If you can't attend, here's how you can help (yesterday's MassEquality email): http://eepurl.com/d_mA5

I will be attending, and ICTE will be presenting a faith-themed panel of three clergy. And here is my written testimony:

June 8, 2011

Senator Cynthia S. Creem and Representative Eugene L. O’Flaherty

Joint Committee on the Judiciary

Rooms 405 and 136

State House

Boston, MA 02133

Dear Senator Creem and Representative O’Flaherty,

My name is Mycroft Holmes, and I am a transgender person and leader who lives and works in greater Boston, where I was born and have always lived. I love Boston and the rest of Massachusetts; this has always been my home and I hope it always will be.

I’m an interfaith transgender leader -- Chair of the Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE), member of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition’s (MTPC) Steering Committee, and Emeritus Founding Chair of the Keshet’s Transgender Working Group (TWiG); I’m also a board member of Congregation Am Tikva (Brookline).

Founded in 2007, ICTE is a gathering of clergy, lay leaders and organizations that organizes the Massachusetts faith community in support of transgender social justice. As the interfaith partner of MTPC, ICTE focuses on faith-based work in support of the Transgender Equal Rights Bill (An Act Relative To Transgender Equal Rights, House Bill 502 / Senate Bill 764).

ICTE created and has submitted to you several updates of our Declaration Of Religious And Faith-Based Support for the bill – you received the latest version today, signed by hundreds of Massachusetts faith communities, clergy, lay leaders and other individuals. We organized Transgender Faith Action Week in April – more than 100 faith communities participated. The Week included a clergy press conference at the Statehouse where four faith leaders -- the Episcopal Church’s diocesan bishop, an Episcopal priest, a United Methodist pastor, and a rabbi – spoke in support of the bill. You will hear testimony from some of our other supportive clergy at today’s hearing, and at Transgender Equal Rights Lobby Day on the 23rd. The Massachusetts faith community wants to see this vital legislation passed this session.

Ever since I was a small child, I wanted to work in criminal justice. After public school in Brookline and Newton, I attended Northeastern University as a Criminal Justice major. The university was supportive, but classes, campus life and housing were very challenging. After my sophomore year, I tried to participate in the cooperative education program -- students are placed in jobs in their majors during their next three years, helping them pay tuition and living expenses and find employment in their field after graduation. The co-op department was supportive, but the employers wouldn’t even communicate with me, never mind interview me.

Because I was transgender, I was the only one of the 200 criminal justice students who wasn’t placed in a job. Without the financial support and experience of co-op, I had to leave Northeastern.

It was devastating to learn that I couldn’t pursue my dream because I was transgender, and that I had no legal recourse. The day my co-op advisor called to tell me I couldn’t be placed, and the details of the discrimination, I understood what it meant to be a member of a group of citizens that don’t have civil rights.

And I realized that my calling was to be a transgender leader. I’ve had a wonderful career, and have a bright future. But very little of my career work has been or is funded – I’ve always needed other full-time paid work, and I’ve continued to experience employment discrimination because of my gender identity and expression, leading to underemployment and unemployment.

My life partner is a Maryland native and lifelong resident who graduated from George Washington University (Washington, DC) last month. We want her to move to Boston this year so that we can find our first home and begin the next part of our life together. We have much to offer my great state. But we are both challenged by employment discrimination, and we fear discrimination in credit, housing, public accommodations and public education. We need the Transgender Equal Rights Bill to pass into law.

I urge you to vote the Transgender Equal Rights Bill out and on so that it can be voted on by the full legislature and pass during this legislative session. This bill would finally give transgender people our civil rights. This is so vital, so long overdue, and we are so close.

Thank you,

Mycroft Holmes

{address}

Mycroft Masada Holmes

Celebrating Victory, Pursuing Truth

MLK / Trans Service at All Souls UU church (Greenfield MA) THIS SUNDAY

MA Trans Equal Rights Bill public signing next Thursday January 19th!

Thurs. Jan 19th, Gov. Deval Patrick to hold a Ceremonial Signing of the Transgender Equal Rights Bill

Lowell Sun's anti-trans editorial -- faith community response

Trans & a patient at Fenway Health within the last 3 years?

Marilyn Wann's wannderful work

Cartoonist Barry Deutsch & his toons re: fat, LGBT people, & much more

LGBTQ Kabbalat Shabbat Service & Potluck - Cambridge MA - THIS FRIDAY

Celebrate LGBTQ Kabbalat Shabbat and Potluck

My partner Julia McCrossin now has a blog too!

Popular & American Culture Associations conference (2012) - Fat Studies area - update!

11th annual Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference (May/June 2012)

Governor signs MA Transgender Equal Rights Bill

Governor Deval Patrick Signs Transgender Equal Rights Bill Today, Public Signing To Be Held in Near Future

THE MASSACHUSETTS TRANSGENDER EQUAL RIGHTS BILL PASSED TODAY!

My "I AM : Trans People Speak" video is online

New national survey - majority of Americans support transgender equal rights

New Survey: Strong Majorities Favor Rights and Legal Protections for Transgender People

Americans have Solid Understanding of Transgender Identity

Boston Transgender Day of Remembrance - press release

THIS THURSDAY - PFLAG transgender event w/ Joanne Herman - Wayland MA

THIS SUNDAY - Fat Clothing Swap in Somerville MA

TOMORROW - interfaith Transgender Education Panel at Tufts University

Ordered business cards and stickers from VistaPrint!

ICTE's latest message to our supporters

ICTE's latest message to our supporters, published today:

Transgender Equal Rights Bill faith campaign

TOMORROW - LGBTQ Community Meeting on Trans Equal Rights Bill

Happy belated National Coming Out Day!

TUESDAY - National Coming Out Day at the MA Statehouse

MTPC's 10th anniversary - press release

MTPC celebrates 10 years of serving the transgender community

THIS SUNDAY - Squawk & Gobble : A Rad Fatty Fun(d)raiser - Oakland, CA

"Queering Fat Embodiment" (tentative title) - anthology - call for papers

Popular & American Culture Associations conference (2012) - Fat Studies area - call for papers

The 5th annual Transgender Religious Leaders Summit is November 3rd through 5th, in Berkeley California!

MTPC - 10th anniversary event - October 6th

National NAAFA convention - today through Monday!

Massachusetts anti-discrimination bill would add weight & height!

"Fat Studies: A Journal Of Research" - call for papers

"Trans Forming Faith" service - First Parish Milton (UU) - this Sunday

TransFaith Peer Support Networks -- for seminarians & clergy

Help the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition win $25,000!

MTPC has the chance to win $25,000 in the Pepsi Refresh Project andYou Can Help!

"Fat Shame (Stigma & the Fat Body in American Culture)" - Amy Farrell's new book

ASDAH -- the Association for Size Diversity And Health

Transgender Equal Rights Bill UPDATE

Keshet has created Jewish LGBT Heroes Posters

Village Voice article - "Guys Who Like Fat Chicks"

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The MA Transgender Equal Rights Bill's hearing is TODAY!

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You Can Help!