Transgender Day Of Remembrance (TDOR) 2019 (21st annual)

TODAY, Wednesday November 20th, 2019, is the 21st annual Transgender Day Of Remembrance (TDOR), the center of Trans Week and Trans Month.

In 1998, the murder of Rita Hester, a Black transgender woman, in my hometown of Boston, led to the creation of this Day. The other trans people murdered in my home state of Massachusetts that we know of are Denise Pugliesi, Georgette Hart, Diane Carter, Monique Rogers, Debra Forte (the aunt of a trans colleague), Chanelle Pickett, Monique Thomas, and Lisa Daniels.  I also remember CJ Garber, the trans son of two ally colleagues (one of whom has since 

passed away), who died of an overdose.

When Rita was murdered, I was 22, and living in Boston, as I always had; born there in 1976, I had been out and about for several years as a trans person and advocate at the time she was taken.  In 2014 I moved here to Gaithersburg (Maryland) to begin living with my spouse.

At least two trans people were murdered in this country between last TDOR and the end of 2018 -- Tydi Dansbury and Keanna Mattel. In 2019, at least 22 have been murdered here -- and all but one are Black, all but two are women, and most are young. Hundreds more have been murdered in the rest of our world, and most of them are Latina and Latinx.

• Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th.
• Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March.
• Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- like Zoe, who she knew, right here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, March 30th*.
• Claire Legato, 21, Cleveland, shot April 15th and died May 14th.
• Muhlaysia Booker, 23, Dallas, May 18th -- having survived a transphobic attack by a group on April 12th.
• Michelle ‘Tamika’ Washington, 40, Philadelphia, May 19th.
• Paris Cameron, 20, Detroit, May 25th -- Alunte Davis, 21, and Timothy Blancher, 20, both Black gay men, were also killed, and two other people were injured.
• Chynal Lindsey, 26, Dallas, June 1st**.
• Chanel Scurlock, 23, Lumberton, North Carolina, June 6th.
• *Zoe Spears, 23 -- like Ashanti, who she knew, right here in Maryland, also in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, June 13th.
• Brooklyn Lindsey, 32, Kansas City, Missouri, June 25th.
• Denali Berries Stuckey, 29, North Charleston, South Carolina, July 20th.
• Tracy Single, 22, Houston, July 30th.
• Bubba Walker, 55, Charlotte, North Carolina, end of July.
• Kiki Fantroy, 21, Miami, July 31st.
• Jordan Cofer, 22, Dayton, August 4th -- by his own brother, along with eight other people and almost many more.
• Pebbles LaDime “Dime” Doe, 24, Allendale County, South Carolina, also on August 4th.
• Bailey Reeves, 17, Baltimore -- only an hour from us here in Gaithersburg.
• Bee Love Slater, 23, Clewiston, Florida, September 4th.
• Jamagio Jamar Berryman, 30, also Kansas City, September 13th.
• Itali Marlowe, 29, Houston, September 20th.
• Brianna “BB” Hill, 30, also Kansas City, October 14th.

**Johana ‘Joa’ Medina, 25, a Latina trans woman from El Salvador, also died on June 1st, in El Paso, Texas -- just hours after being released from ICE custody.  Layleen Polanco, 27, an Afro-Latina trans woman, was found dead in her cell at Rikers (Island Jail, New York City) on June 7th.

Too, very little attention is given to the murders, assaults and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people. November is Trans Month and also Native Month -- and next Thursday, “Thanksgiving” Day, is the 50th annual Day Of Mourning.

We also lose many siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And there are unreported trans deaths, reported deaths where the victim is not identified as trans, non-fatal assaults and much more. Trans people are not included in even basic civil rights laws in most states, and several states have anti-trans laws or are attempting to pass them -- and the Trump administration is attempting to undo trans rights progress on a national level.

And while I say little here or elsewhere about the death details -- primarily to avoid further traumatizing my trans followers, especially those living at similar intersections as the victims -- it is vital to say that the great majority are shootings, and that this is yet another reason we desperately need gun control, and it is an LGBTQ+ and racial justice issue.

May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be blessings (as we say in Judaism) -- and call us to act! Today and every day, may we schlep ever closer to tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice! May we never forget that white supremacy has always included cis and male supremacy! Amen!

(The image is a collage I made today with Pixlr Express -- photos of everyone except Jazzaline, with four copies of a photo I took (a trans-symbol pendant with a tealight and stones).)

#TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter #NativeLivesMatter #TwoSpiritLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter 

Gmar chatima tova (may we be inscribed for good)!!!

Gmar chatima tova -- may we be inscribed for good! Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (At-One-ment), the Shabbat of Shabbats, begins at sunset, with Kol Nidre, All Vows...and ends tomorrow at sunset with a festive break-fast meal. And my tradition teaches that our fates for the next year are written on Rosh Hashanah and sealed on Yom Kippur, in the Book of Life.

I took these four photos last month at sunset, as I sat on a bench outside the Gaithersburg Aquatic Center (also known as the Middle School, which my Julia and her mother attended) after my swim, waiting for my Bashert Julia. She loves to help me by picking me up on her way home from work -- I enjoy walking home, and the weather is usually good enough for me to do that, but I’m also usually quite tired and hungry at that point, and her schlepping gives us some rare time alone together, and enables us to come home together.

These clouds make me think of the Gates of Heaven, and how they are especially open to us during these High Holy Days. And how ever since I was a child, I’ve looked at heavenly clouds and felt especially close to my loved ones in the next life. And how we are drawing near to Samhain, when my Julia’s Celtic tradition teaches that the border between our world and the next is most easily crossed.

May we have meaningful fasts, and feasts -- however we define those things! And may we be mindful of those who are not fasting, and those who are harmed by shaming, shameful words around fasting and feasting -- especially fat people and those with eating disorders. May we encounter, experience and expand teshuvah, tefillah and tzedakah -- re/turning, prayer and justice! Amen!

#YomKippur #YomKippur5780 #YomKippur2019 #ErevYomKippur #KolNidre #GmarChatimaTova

SHANA TOVA (GOOD YEAR)!!

SHANA TOVA!! Good Year!! Today is Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year’s Day -- last night at sunset we entered Erev Rosh Hashanah, New Year’s Eve, transitioning (ha) from 5779 to 5780.

Today is also my second first wedding anniversary with my Bashert Julia -- we married last year on September 10th, which was then Rosh Hashanah (because the next day was the ninth anniversary of our first in-person meeting); the two calendars rarely align, so we will almost always have two wedding anniversaries every year (and two of most everything else).

Nu, here is a gift my Julia gave me during the first September of our partnership, ten years ago. We first met in an online fat community in July of 2009 -- she had always lived in Maryland or DC and I had always lived in Boston, and that September she visited me for the first time. I took her to my hometown of Brookline (Massachusetts), and she bought me this pendant at Israel Book Shop. It combines two of my most favorite Jewish symbols, the Magen David and the pomegranate (and the latter is a significant symbol of Rosh Hashanah and the rest of the High Holy Days).  It’s pewter with enamel, 2 1/4" including the first bail (I added the second), and was originally part of a keychain. And it has a bit of Hebrew on the back -- transliteration: l'mazal bri-ot l'hatzlachah, translation (loosely): luck for health and success.

May this year be your sweetest, fruitiest, best beJeweled yet! This year and every year, may we schlep ever closer to tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQI+, climate, immigration, racial, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other shades of the spectrum of justice! Amen!

#ShanaTova #RoshHashanah #RoshHashanah2019 #RoshHashanah5780 #MagenDavid #pomegranate #rimon #Jewelry ✡️🍏🍯🍎🔯

Best Wishes for Bi Day 20BiTeen!

         Best wishes for a graight Bi Day 20BiTeen from my bi+ self and spouse! ❤️💜💙

(A meme of the bi flag with the text “Bisexuals are great. They aren’t gay. They aren’t straight. They’re graight.”)

#BiDay #BiVisibilityDay #CelebrateBisexualityDay #BiWeek #BiMonth #20BiTeen #BiDay2019 #BisexualsAreGreat #BisexualsAreGraight #MondayMorning #MondayMotivation #MondayMood

Merry Bi Day 20BiTeen from Maryland! Did you know that Route One Apparel has bi flag stickers and magnets?! They also have trans and rainbow flag ones, and we have both on our car.

#BiDay #BiVisibilityDay #CelebrateBisexualityDay #BiWeek #BiMonth #20BiTeen #BiDay2019 #RouteOneApparel #biflagcrabcrab #bicrab #Marylandcrab #bluecrabs #crabs ❤️💜💙🦀

17 trans people murdered in 2019 in US - 16 Black trans women!

Erev tov, good evening. This erev, this evening, is the first havdalah of September 2019, Elul and Tishrei, when we transition from Shabbat to a new week. Near the end of this month, we will transition to a new season, with the Fall Equinox. At the end of this month, we will transition to a new year, from 5779 to 5780, with Rosh Hashanah.

And yet my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings continue to be taken from this life. Here in the US at least 17 have been stolen -- and all but one are Black trans women -- and they join dozens more in the rest of our world. This past Monday September 2nd, Labor Day, Bailey Reeves, 17, a Black trans teen, was shot to death in Baltimore -- only an hour from us here in Gaithersburg.

Our 16 other stolen siblings are Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th.
Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March.
Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- like Zoe, who she knew, right here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, March 30th*.
Claire Legato, 21, Cleveland, shot April 15th and died May 14th.
Muhlaysia Booker, 23, Dallas, May 18th -- having survived a transphobic attack by a group on April 12th.
Michelle ‘Tamika’ Washington, 40, Philadelphia, May 19th.
Paris Cameron, 20, Detroit, May 25th -- Alunte Davis, 21, and Timothy Blancher, 20, both Black gay men, were also killed, and two other people were injured.
Chynal Lindsey, 26, Dallas, June 1st**.
Chanel Scurlock, 23, Lumberton, North Carolina, June 6th.
*Zoe Spears, 23 -- like Ashanti, who she knew, right here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, June 13th.
Brooklyn Lindsey, 32, Kansas City, Missouri, June 25th.
Denali Berries Stuckey, 29, North Charleston, South Carolina, July 20th.
Tracy Single, 22, Houston, July 30th.
Kiki Fantroy, 21, Miami, July 31st.
Jordan Cofer, 22, Dayton, August 4th -- by his own brother, along with eight other people and almost many more.
Pebbles LaDime “Dime” Doe, 24, Allendale County, South Carolina, also on August 4th.

**Johana ‘Joa’ Medina, 25, a Latinx trans woman from El Salvador, also died on June 1st, in El Paso, Texas -- just hours after being released from ICE custody. Layleen Polanco, 27, an Afro-Latinx trans woman, was found dead in her cell at Rikers (Island Jail, New York City) on June 7th.

Again, the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young -- elsewhere, they are Latinx trans women and transfeminine people. Too, very little attention is given to the murders, assaults and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people.

We also lose many siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And there are unreported trans deaths, reported deaths where the victim is not identified as trans, non-fatal assaults and much more. Trans people are not included in even basic civil rights laws in most states, and several states have anti-trans laws or are attempting to pass them -- and Trump administration is attempting to undo trans rights progress on a national level.

And while I say little here or elsewhere about the death details -- primarily to avoid further traumatizing my trans followers, especially those living at similar intersections as the victims -- it is vital to say that the great majority are shootings, and that this is yet another reason we desperately need gun control, and it is an LGBTQ+ and racial justice issue.

May all of my trans siblings’ memories be blessings (as we say in Judaism) -- and call us to act! Today and every day, may we schlep ever closer to tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice! May we never forget that white supremacy has always included cis supremacy, misogyny and transphobia! Amen!

#TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter #NativeLivesMatter #TwoSpiritLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter 

DMV Fat Friendly Community @ G-Burg's Water Park

TODAY my Julia and I hosted the DMV Fat-Friendly Community’s second annual field trip to Gaithersburg's Water Park -- and it was a second success (if I do say so myself)!

Thanks, everyone!!

Pictured, the view from Camp DMV FFC at the end of our day, and my lunch.


#DMVFatFriendlyCommunity #DMVFFC #fatfriendly #fatcommunity #fatjustice #fatliberation #fatlib #fatpower #fatacceptance #fatactivism #GBurgMD #Gaithersburg #Gaithersburgers #IAmGaithersburg #GaithersburgWaterPark #GBurgWaterPark #WaterPark #BohrerPark #GaithersburgAquatics #GBurgParksAndRec #TuesdayThoughts #TummyTuesday #TransformationTuesday #TipTuesday #fieldtrip #daytrip #September1st  

🌳💑🏝

6th Annual Eerie Art Starts TODAY!

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF MY FRIEND Sarah B Guest Perry’s 6TH ANNUAL EERIE ART! 

One of Sarah’s three free annual art shows on Facebook (and to some extent on Twitter) -- she art directs, and I and a few others art assist! Today through Halloween, daily multi-image posts complete with intros and descriptions! Let us know if you want to be tagged in the posts’ comments -- so you don’t miss a trick, or treat.

Sarah's 4th annual Theatrical Set Designs & Other Fripperies starts in December -- as does my own show, the 4th annual Mycroft’s Menorah Mishigas -- and her 4th annual Dollhouses & Other Miniature Worlds will be next Spring.

#EerieArt #HalloweenArt #September1st #ShakespeareSunday #SundayMorning #SundayThoughts #SundayMotivation 

🎨🎃🖼

Shabbat Shalom

Shabbat shalom.

For this Erev Shabbat, something unusual and unpleasant, yet also important. My photo of a display at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, taken during my Julia’s and my first visit (as the centerpiece of our first visit to Saint Michaels) on Monday August 5th. A black and white photo of a woman posing in front of a big “GENTILES ONLY” sign somewhere on the Chesapeake Bay (photo courtesy of the Maryland State Archives). And a police badge from Anne Arundel County’s Beverly Beach. Both from circa 1950. The Museum has also added a little sign asking “As the Chesapeake Bay became a tourist destination, was it the buyer or the seller that first suggested segregation?” 

We have rarely seen anything about anti-Semitism included in our travels together, so this was...bittersweet? I included this photo in the album of our visit I published on Facebook this morning. And it’s especially interesting as we welcomed this Shabbat at the Gaithersburg Water Park (which was the subject of my next Facebook post).

This day and every day, may we discover, create and share more shalom -- rest, cessation, peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare, tranquility -- schlepping ever closer to tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQI+, climate, immigration, racial, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other shades of the spectrum of justice. Amen!

#ShabbatShalom #ErevShabbat #Shabbat #ShabbatThoughts

Happy 20th Birth Day, Transgender Flag!

Happy 20th Birth Day to the Transgender Flag, and happy Trans Flag Day to everyone else! The trans flag was created on August 19th of 1999 by Monica Helms (todah rabah, many thanks). And five years ago today, August 19th of 2014, it was donated to the National Museum of American History (part of the Smithsonian).

I'm doing at least seven trans-flag-themed posts on Facebook today (!). Including a reminder / FYI that the planet Jupiter is trans (according to NASA and the United States Postal Service), the trans-flag-themed stained glass panel I made at VisArts in February (and the ocean-inspired one my spouse Julia made), and our new trans flag crab magnet from Route One Apparel (because we're meshuggah Marylanders, though I lived in Boston until 2014). 

And yet no observance can be complete without our stolen sisters and other siblings -- at least 16 trans people have been murdered in 2019 in the US (joining hundreds more elsewhere), and 15 are Black trans women. Dana Martin, Jazzaline Ware, Ashanti Carmon, Claire Legato, Muhlaysia Booker, Michelle ‘Tamika’ Washington, Paris Cameron (along with Alunte Davis and Timothy Blancher, Black gay men), Chynal Lindsey, Chanel Scurlock, Zoe Spears, Brooklyn Lindsey, Denali Berries Stuckey, Tracy Single, Kiki Fantroy, Jordan Cofer, Pebbles LaDime 'Dime' Doe. We have also lost siblings to ICE, prison, suicide, and other plagues. May their memories be blessings -- and call us to act! Amen!

#TransFlagDay #TransFlagDay2019 #transgenderflag #transflag #MonicaHelms #MondayMorning #MondayMood #MondayMotivation 

15 trans people murdered in 2019 in US - 14 Black trans women!

Erev tov, good evening, on this second Sunday of August 2019, as Tisha B’Av is ending and Eid Al-Adha beginning.

My mourning, prayer and work includes two more of my trans siblings murdered here in the US since my last post of this kind -- and there have been dozens more in the rest of our world. The total in this country in 2019 is now at least fifteen -- and all but one are Black trans women. Jordan Cofer, 22, was among the nine victims killed in the mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, last Sunday August 4th -- and was the brother of the shooter. Pebbles LaDime “Dime” Doe, 24, was killed in Allendale County, South Carolina, that same day.

The other stolen sisters are Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th.
Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March.
Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- like Zoe, who she knew, right here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, March 30th*.
Claire Legato, 21, Cleveland, shot April 15th and died May 14th.
Muhlaysia Booker, 23, Dallas, May 18th -- having survived a transphobic attack by a group on April 12th.
Michelle ‘Tamika’ Washington, 40, Philadelphia, May 19th.
Paris Cameron, 20, Detroit, May 25th -- Alunte Davis, 21, and Timothy Blancher, 20, both Black gay men, were also killed, and two other people were injured.
Chynal Lindsey, 26, Dallas, June 1st**.
Chanel Scurlock, 23, Lumberton, North Carolina, June 6th.
*Zoe Spears, 23 -- like Ashanti, who she knew, right here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, June 13th.
Brooklyn Lindsey, 32, Kansas City, Missouri, June 25th.
Denali Berries Stuckey, 29, North Charleston, South Carolina, July 20th.
Kiki Fantroy, 21, Miami, July 31st.

**Johana ‘Joa’ Medina, 25, a Latinx trans woman from El Salvador, also died on June 1st, in El Paso, Texas -- just hours after being released from ICE custody. Layleen Polanco, 27, an Afro-Latinx trans woman, was found dead in her cell at Rikers (Island Jail, New York City) on June 7th.

Again, the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young -- elsewhere, they are Latinx trans women and transfeminine people. Too, very little attention is given to the murders, assaults and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people.

We also lose many siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And there are unreported trans deaths, reported deaths where the victim is not identified as trans, non-fatal assaults and much more. Trans people are not included in even basic civil rights laws in most states, and several states have anti-trans laws or are attempting to pass them -- and Trump administration is attempting to undo trans rights progress on a national level.

And while I say little here or elsewhere about the death details -- primarily to avoid further traumatizing my trans followers, especially those living at similar intersections as the victims -- it is vital to say that the great majority are shootings, and that this is yet another reason we desperately need gun control, and it is an LGBTQ+ and racial justice issue.

May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be blessings (as we say in Judaism) -- and call us to act! Today and every day, may we schlep closer to tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice! May we never forget that white supremacy has always included cis supremacy, misogyny and transphobia! Amen!

#TishaBAv #TishaBAv2019 #TishaBAv5779 #TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter #NativeLivesMatter #TwoSpiritLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter

12 trans people murdered in 2019 in US - all Black trans women!

Laila tov, good evening.

Two more of my trans siblings have been murdered here in the US this year (and dozens more in the rest of our world), bringing the total to twelve -- and all twelve are Black trans women. Brooklyn Lindsey, 32, Kansas City, Missouri, June 25th; Denali Berries Stuckey, 29, North Charleston, South Carolina, this past Saturday July 20th.

The other ten stolen sisters are Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th.
Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March.
Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- like Zoe, who she knew, right here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, March 30th*.
Claire Legato, 21, Cleveland, shot April 15th and died May 14th.
Muhlaysia Booker, 23, Dallas, May 18th -- having survived a transphobic attack by a group on April 12th.
Michelle ‘Tamika’ Washington, 40, Philadelphia, May 19th.
Paris Cameron, 20, Detroit, May 25th -- Alunte Davis, 21, and Timothy Blancher, 20, both Black gay men, were also killed, and two other people were injured.
Chynal Lindsey, 26, Dallas, June 1st**.
Chanel Scurlock, 23, Lumberton, North Carolina, June 6th.
*Zoe Spears, 23 -- like Ashanti, who she knew, right here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, June 13th.

**Johana ‘Joa’ Medina, 25, a Latinx trans woman from El Salvador, also died on June 1st, in El Paso, Texas -- just hours after being released from ICE custody. Layleen Polanco, 27, an Afro-Latinx trans woman, was found dead in her cell at Rikers (Island Jail, New York City) on June 7th.

Last year in 2018, more than 30 trans people were murdered here in the US, and well over 300 others elsewhere in our world. And the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young -- elsewhere, Latinx trans women and transfeminine people. Too, very little attention is given to the murders, assaults and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people.

We also continue to lose many siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And there continue to be unreported trans deaths, reported deaths where the victim is not identified as trans, non-fatal assaults and much more. Trans people are not included in even basic civil rights laws in most states, and several states have anti-trans legislation in process -- in addition to the Trump administration’s attempts to undo trans rights progress on a national level.

And while I say little here or elsewhere about the death details -- primarily to avoid further traumatizing my trans followers, especially those living at similar intersections as the victims -- it is vital to say that the great majority are shootings, and that this is yet another reason we desperately need gun control, and it is an LGBTQ+ and racial justice issue.

May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be blessings (as we say in Judaism) -- and call us to act, particularly at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice! This month and every month, may we schlep towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice! May we never forget that white supremacy has always included cis supremacy, misogyny and transphobia! Amen!

#TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #BlackLivesMatter#BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter#NativeLivesMatter #TwoSpiritLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter 

MY 10TH ANNIVERSARY WITH MY SPOUSE!

TEN YEARS AGO TODAY, on July 5th of 2009, I met my Julia! In an online fat community. I had always lived in the Boston area, she had always lived in Maryland or DC. A direct message led to e-mails, Facebook, phone calls, postal mail and more. That September, we met in person for the first time, when she came to visit me in Boston. In August 2012, we adopted our dogter Ursula. We remained long-distance for our first four and a half years (!). In January 2014, I moved here to her hometown of Gaithersburg so that we could begin living together. Last September, we married.

Julia has been and is the most wonderful person and partner, and I am oh so amazed, happy, grateful and proud that she is, and is mine! Her beauty, handsomeness and style are wondrous as well. (Our Ursula has turned out to be all-too-aptly named after the Sea Witch from the Little Mermaid, but thus she has her own Facebook Group, so we’ll continue that discussion there.)

This family portrait was taken in April, by Bill MacFarland at Paws In The Park (see also) -- an annual MoCo Humane Society and City Of Gaithersburg event that benefits the Society, from whom we adopted Ursula.

Todah rabah, many thanks, for your decade of support, MyJul / JulCroft family, friends and fans!

AFSCME Pride 2019 (the union my spouse works for)

I’m so proud of my spouse Julia, who works at AFSCME and was on their Pride Month committee for the first time this year, working very hard to help organize the in-house Pride programming (which I was privileged to attend)! AFSCME President Lee Saunders spoke, and Julia wrote and delivered remarks to introduce him. There was a showing of “Stonewall Uprising” (a 2011 episode of PBS’ American Experience), a Pride-themed cake and stickers, lots of other fun food (including ice cream and candy, and much of it was rainbow-y), an LGBTQ history handout, and more.

#AFSCME #AFSCMEPride #AFSCMEProud #UnionPride #Union #1U #1UPride #PrideMonth #PrideMonth2019 #Pride #Pride2019 #WeMakeAmericaHappen #WeMakeEqualityHappen #StonewallUprising #Stonewall50 #kvelling 🌠🏳️‍🌈✊

HEARING TODAY - Massachusetts' Height & Weight Anti-Discrimination Bill

TODAY AT 1:00 (EST) IN BOSTON (my hometown!!), Massachusetts' House Bill 3413, An Act Making Discrimination on the Basis of Height and Weight Unlawful, has a hearing!  The contact person is Caroline Sherrard, Chief of Staff of the Office of Senator Becca Rausch -- Caroline.Sherrard@masenate.gov and 617.722.1555 (internal x1556). I lived in MA until 2014 (when I moved here to Gaithersburg, Maryland), and have been supporting this bill for several years, though it is older than that. #MondayMotivation #MondayMorning #fatjustice#fatliberation #fatacceptance #fatactivism 💁‍♀️📜🙋‍♀️

This is the supportive testimony I submitted:

June 17th, 2019

Senator James B. Eldridge, Senate Chair, Joint Committee on the Judiciary
Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, Senate Vice Chair
Representative Claire D. Cronin, House Chair
Representative Michael S. Day, House Vice Chair

Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon Street -- Rooms 320, 136, and 111
Boston, MA 02133

Via email: James.McCarthy@mahouse.gov
Caroline.Sherrard@mahouse.gov
Gretchen.VanNess@masenate.gov
Tobin.Abraham@mahouse.gov

Dear Senators Eldridge and Chang-Diaz and Representatives Cronin and Day --

My name is Mycroft Masada Holmes, and I lived in greater Boston for more than 37 years, from my birth in 1976 until January of 2014, when I moved to Gaithersburg, Maryland to begin living with my partner. I love and miss Boston and the rest of Massachusetts, though I have visited a few times, and I have always been proud to call them my home.

I write to you today primarily as a faith leader called to advocate for social justice, particularly LGBTQ+ and fat justice. Before my move, I was the Chair of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition’s Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE), and a board member at Congregation Am Tikva. I was one of the leaders of the interfaith campaign for both of Massachusetts’ transgender civil rights laws.

Today, I testify in support of House Bill 3413 -- An Act Making Discrimination on the Basis of Height and Weight Unlawful -- as I have done in person and/or in writing for a few legislative sessions. At one hearing, I also read the written testimony of attorney Sondra Solovay. This bill and the second trans rights bill actually shared a hearing a few years ago.

In my personal and professional life, I have experienced and witnessed a great deal of discrimination – especially in employment -- and much of it has been based on physical appearance and information, including height and especially weight. This discrimination is wrong, profoundly damaging, pervasive, and rapidly increasing -- in Massachusetts and the rest of our country -- especially since the November 2016 elections; those who would discriminate in these ways are among those who have been empowered by the current presidential administration. We must do what we can to change this as soon as we can, and HB 3413 can help. This bill is also an critical educational tool – its implementation process will help dispel the widespread and increasing ignorance, misinformation and fear about weight. You will be given expert testimony about these issues today and during the rest of this session – ample evidence of the significant and urgent need for this legislation.

My faiths teach that like the Adam, the first human being, all people are made b’tzelem Elohim – in the image of God -- people of all weights, heights, sizes and shapes. Our infinite diversity of bodies and their changes over our lifetimes are gifts and blessings, meant to be lived and shared with joy and pride. God creates and loves all of us, equally, in body and spirit. And all of us should be equally recognized and protected by the law.

And as much as I speak to you as a person of faith, I also speak as a spouse. My wonderful partner of ten years next month, Julia McCrossin, and I are the same height, and she weighs well over twice what I do; I’ve always been thin, she has always been fat. Julia is a lifelong resident of Maryland and Washington DC, and visited me in Massachusetts several times. After her father passed away, I moved to Maryland to begin living with her, largely so that we could help care for her disabled mother and the family dog.

We are very privileged to live in Maryland, not to mention Montgomery County, for many reasons. Our county, state and neighboring Washington DC have trans-inclusive civil rights laws, and DC’s Human Rights Laws consider height and weight included in “physical appearance”. We are privileged in other ways as well – as much as we and those like us struggle, daily life is far more challenging for those directly facing other intersecting oppressions, such as racism, classism and ableism. At the same time, we worry about moving to and through places where we are legally unprotected, which we often need and want to do. We and so many others need An Act Making Discrimination On The Basis Of Height And Weight Unlawful to pass into law as soon as possible. I pray that this can be another way for my home state to provide social justice leadership to the rest of the country.

My partner and I want to visit Massachusetts together more -- especially to see our family, friends and colleagues there -- and perhaps make a home there one day. And we have much to offer my great state. I want her to have full civil rights wherever she is. I want her to be able to continue to live, work and play better than she has done, contributing even more to our communities than she already has. I want this for all residents of and visitors to Massachusetts. I don’t want anyone to experience discrimination – and yet I know that some will, and I want them to be able to take appropriate action to address it.

I urge you to do everything you can to further this vital and long overdue legislation so that it can be passed into law this legislative session.

Thank you,

Mycroft Holmes
[My home & e-mail addresses]

10 trans people murdered in 2019 in US - all Black trans women!

Shabbat shalom. Today is the 15th day of LGBTQ+ Pride Month 2019, and Pride Day in our county capital Rockville and in Baltimore -- and yet yesterday the at least TENTH transgender person was murdered in this country in 2019, which was the THIRD just this month. Zoe Spears, 23 -- right here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border -- the same location as Ashanti Carmon* in March, and they knew each other. And ALL TEN are Black trans women.

The other nine stolen sisters are Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th. Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March. *Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- again, like Zoe, who she knew, here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, March 30th. Claire Legato, 21, Cleveland, shot April 15th and died May 14th. Muhlaysia Booker, 23, Dallas, May 18th -- having survived a transphobic attack by a group on April 12th. Michelle ‘Tamika’ Washington, 40, Philadelphia, May 19th. Paris Cameron, 20, Detroit, May 25th -- Alunte Davis, 21, and Timothy Blancher, 20, both Black gay men, were also killed, and two other people were injured. Chynal Lindsey, 26, Dallas, June 1st. Chanel Scurlock, 23, Lumberton, North Carolina, June 6th.

Johana ‘Joa’ Medina, 25, a Latinx trans woman from El Salvador, also died on June 1st, in El Paso, Texas -- just hours after being released from ICE custody. Layleen Polanco, an Afro-Latinx trans woman, was found dead in her cell at Rikers (Island Jail, in New York City) on June 7th.

The photo collage at the bottom of this post shows Dana, Ashanti, Claire, Muhlaysia, Michelle, Paris, Chynal, Chanel and Zoe -- I am not finding a photo of Jazzaline yet (and I used Pixlr's Express).

Last year in 2018, more than 30 trans people were murdered here in the US, and well over 300 others elsewhere in our world -- and there have already been dozens of murders in other countries this year. And the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young -- elsewhere, the majority are Latinx trans women and transfeminine people. Too, very little attention is given to the murders, assaults and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people.

We also continue to lose many siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And there continue to be unreported trans deaths, reported deaths where the victim is not identified as trans, non-fatal assaults and much more. Trans people are not included in even basic civil rights laws in most states, and several states have anti-trans legislation in process -- in addition to the Trump administration’s attempts to undo trans rights progress on a national level.

And while I say here on my blog or on social media about the death details -- primarily to avoid further traumatizing my trans followers, especially those living at similar intersections as the victims -- it is vital to say that the great majority are shootings, and that this is yet another reason we desperately need gun control, and it is an LGBTQ+ and racial justice issue. Too, this past Wednesday June 12th was the 3rd anniversary of the mass shooting at the Pulse LGBTQ+ nightclub in Orlando, on Latinx Night, which took the lives of 49 people, most of them LGBTQ+, Latinx and young.

May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be blessings (as we say in Judaism) -- and call us to act, particularly at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice! This month and every month, may we schlep towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice! May we never forget that white supremacy has always included cis supremacy, misogyny and transphobia! Amen!

#Pride2019 #PrideMonth2019 #TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #DanaMartin #JazzalineWare #AshantiCarmon #ClaireLegato #MuhlaysiaBooker #MichelleWashington #ParisCameron #ChynalLindsey #ChanelScurlock #ZoeSpears #JohanaMedina #LayleenPolanco #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter #NativeLivesMatter #TwoSpiritLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter

HEARING SCHEDULED - Massachusetts' Height & Weight Anti-Discrimination Bill

THIS JUST IN!!! News about Massachusetts’ height & weight anti-discrimination bill! HEARING NEXT MONDAY JUNE 17TH! I got this e-mail today at 5ish EST -- e-mail Caroline to get on her list. MA is my home state (I lived there until 2014, when I moved here to Gaithersburg, Maryland), and I have been supporting this bill for several years, though it is older than that.

#fatjustice #fatliberation #fatacceptance #fatactivism #HealthAtEverySize #HAES #SpiritualityAtEverySize

📜🙋‍♀️📜

"Height and Weight Anti-Discrimination Legislation

Good afternoon everyone,

I am writing to let you know that the bill hearing for S. 1012/H. An Act making discrimination on the basis of height and weight unlawful has been scheduled for a hearing next Monday, June 17th at 1 pm in Gardner Auditorium at the State House.

If you could come to testify in person and/or submit written testimony to the committee, that would be much appreciated. Testimony can be submitted by email to James.McCarthy@mahouse.gov. If you could also send a copy of your testimony to my office for our records, we would appreciate it. Please let me know if you have any questions on this process.

I will update you later this week on Senator Rausch and Rep. Nguyen’s plans for submitting testimony or attending in person. Gretchen, our legislative director, and Tobin, Rep. Nguyen’s staff person are both cc’ed on this email.

You can view the hearing notice here: https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/3171.

Best,
Caroline

Caroline Sherrard, Chief of Staff
Office of Senator Becca Rausch
Massachusetts Senate
Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District
State House Room 218
617-722-1555 (internal ext. 1556)
Pronouns: she/her/hers"

9 trans people murdered in 2019 in US - all Black trans women!

Boker tov, boker or -- good morning, morning light. Today, Sunday June 9th, is the ninth day of LGBTQ+ Pride Month 2019, and Pride weekend in neighboring DC and my hometown of Boston -- it also Shavuot and Pentecost. And yet there have been at least NINE transgender people murdered in this country this year -- TWO this month -- and all are Black trans women.

Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th. Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March. Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, March 30th. Claire Legato, 21, Cleveland, shot April 15th and died May 14th. Muhlaysia Booker, 23, Dallas, May 18th -- having survived a transphobic attack by a group on April 12th. Michelle ‘Tamika’ Washington, 40, Philadelphia, May 19th. Paris Cameron, 20, Detroit, May 25th -- Alunte Davis, 21, and Timothy Blancher, 20, both Black gay men, were also killed, and two other people were injured. Chynal Lindsey, 26, Dallas, last Saturday June 1st. Chanel Scurlock, 23, Lumberton, North Carolina, this past Thursday June 6th.

Johana ‘Joa’ Medina, 25, a Latinx trans woman from El Salvador, also died last Saturday June 1st, in El Paso, Texas -- just hours after being released from ICE custody; she suffered severe health complications that went untreated during detention. Last year Roxana Hernández died in ICE custody after being abused there. And Nikki Enriquez was one of four women murdered by of an intel supervisor for US Border Patrol.

The photo collage at the bottom of this post shows Dana, Ashanti, Claire, Muhlaysia, Michelle, Paris, Chynal, Chanel and Johana -- no photo of Jazzaline seems to be available yet (and I used Pixlr's Express).

Last year in 2018, more than 30 trans people were murdered in this country, and well over 300 others were murdered elsewhere in our world -- there have already been a few dozen murders in other countries this year. And the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young -- elsewhere, the majority are Latinx trans women and transfeminine people. Too, very little attention is given to the murders, assaults and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people.

We also continue to lose many siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And there continue to be unreported trans deaths, reported deaths where the victim is not identified as trans, non-fatal assaults and much more. Trans people are not included in even basic civil rights laws in most states, and several states have anti-trans legislation in process -- in addition to the Trump administration’s attempts to undo trans rights progress on a national level.

I say little here or on social media about the details of these murders -- primarily to avoid retraumatizing my trans followers, especially those living at similar intersections as the victims -- but it is vital to say that the great majority are shootings, and that this is yet another reason we desperately need gun control.

May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be blessings (as we say in Judaism) -- and call us to act, particularly at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice! This month and every month, may we schlep towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice! May we never forget that white supremacy has always included cis supremacy, misogyny and transphobia! Amen!

#Pride2019 #PrideMonth2019 #TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #DanaMartin #JazzalineWare #AshantiCarmon #ClaireLegato #MuhlaysiaBooker #MichelleWashington #ParisCameron #ChynalLindsey #ChanelScurlock #JohanaMedina #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #LatinxLivesMatter #LatinxTransLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter 

8 trans people murdered in 2019 in US - all Black trans women!

Erev tov, good evening. Today, Monday June 3rd 2019, is the third day of LGBTQ+ Pride Month 2019. And yet there have been at least EIGHT transgender people murdered in this country this year -- FOUR last month in May and one already this month -- and all eight are Black trans women.

Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th. Jazzaline Ware, age unknown, Memphis, sometime in March. Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, March 30th. Claire Legato, 21, Cleveland, shot April 15th and died May 14th. Muhlaysia Booker, 23, Dallas, May 18th -- having survived a transphobic attack by a group on April 12th.  Michelle ‘Tamika’ Washington, 40, Philadelphia, May 19th. Paris, 20, Detroit, May 25th. Chynal Lindsey, 26, Dallas, this past Saturday June 1st. 

The photo collage at the bottom of this post shows Dana, Ashanti, Claire and Muhlaysia, Michelle, Chynal (I made it using Pixlr's Express site).

Johana ‘Joa’ Medina, 25, a Latinx trans woman from El Salvador, also died this past Saturday June 1st, in El Paso, Texas -- just hours after being released from ICE custody; she suffered severe health complications that went untreated during detention. Last year Roxana Hernández died in ICE custody after being abused there. And Nikki Enriquez was one of four women murdered by of an intel supervisor for US Border Patrol.

Last year in 2018, more than 30 trans people were murdered in this country, and well over 300 others were murdered elsewhere in our world -- there have already been a few dozen murders in other countries this year. And the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young -- elsewhere, the majority are Latinx trans women and transfeminine people. Too, very little attention is given to the murders, assaults and disappearances of Native / Indigenous people -- especially girls, women, and/or Two Spirit people.

We also continue to lose many siblings to suicide -- the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And there continue to be unreported trans deaths, reported deaths where the victim is not identified as trans, non-fatal assaults and much more. Trans people are not covered by even basic civil rights laws in most states, and several states have anti-trans legislation in process -- in addition to the Trump administration’s attempts to undo trans rights progress on a national level.

I say little here or on social media about the details of these murders -- primarily to avoid retraumatizing my trans followers, especially those living at similar intersections as the victims -- but it is necessary to say that the great majority are shootings, and that this is yet another reason we desperately need gun control.

May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be blessings (as we say in Judaism) -- and call us to act, particularly at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice! This month and every month, may we schlep towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice! May we never forget that white supremacy has always included cis supremacy, misogyny and transphobia! Amen!

#Pride2019 #PrideMonth2019 #TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #DanaMartin #JazzalineWare #AshantiCarmon #ClaireLegato #MuhlaysiaBooker #MichelleWashington #ChynalLindsey #JohanaMedina #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter #TransLivesMatter  

5 trans people murdered in 2019 in US - all Black women

Last Friday May 17th was the 15th annual Day Against LGBTQ+-phobia and the House passed the Equality Act, and this past weekend was Capital Trans Pride. And yet today I am learning that this month has included the third, fourth and fifth murders of transgender people in this country in 2019. And all five are Black trans women.

Dana Martin, 31, Montgomery, Alabama, January 6th. Ashanti Carmon, 27 -- here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border, March 30th. Claire Legato, 21, Cleveland, shot April 15th and died last Tuesday May 14th. Muhlaysia Booker, 23, Dallas, this past Saturday May 18th -- having survived an attack by a group of people on April 12th, also in Dallas. And Michelle Tameka Washington, 40, in Philadelphia yesterday. May their memories be blessings, as we say in Judaism, and ones that call us to act!

Last November 20th was the 20th annual Transgender Day Of Remembrance (TDOR), when we remembered almost 30 trans people murdered in this country in the past year, and more than 360 more murdered elsewhere in our world. And the great majority of our stolen siblings here are Black, women, and young (and there have been multiple murders in several locations); elsewhere, the majority are Latinx trans women and transfeminine people. Too, very little attention is given to the murders of and assaults on Native / Indigenous people who are Two Spirit.

Last year included a murder in my home state of Massachusetts -- Christa Steele Knudslien in North Adams; she was a trans advocacy colleague, and we were Friends here. And a murder here in Maryland -- Tydi Dansbury, in Baltimore, an hour from me here in Gaithersburg. Roxana Hernández died in ICE custody after being abused there, and Nikki Enriquez was one of four women victims of an intel supervisor for US Border Patrol.

I also remember Nicole Hall, a Black trans woman found dead in Dallas last May. And my siblings lost to suicide, as the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And every year there are unreported deaths, and reported ones where the victim is not identified as trans.

May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be a blessing -- and one that calls us to act, particularly at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice! May we continue schlepping towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice! May we never forget that white supremacy has always included cis supremacy, misogyny and transphobia! Amen!

#TDOR #TDOR2019 #TransDayOfRemembrance #DanaMartin#AshantiCarmon #ClaireLegato #MuhlaysiaBooker#MichelleTamekaWashington #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter#TransLivesMatter 🏳️‍⚧🕯💔

At least two trans people have been murdered in 2019 in the US

Yesterday was the 11th annual Transgender Day Of Visibility (TDOV), and a week ago was the 385th Maryland Day. And yet this past Saturday March 30th included the second murder of a trans person in this country in 2019. Ashanti Carmon, a 20-something Black trans woman, was murdered here in Maryland, in Prince George’s County’s Fairmount Heights at the DC border. On Sunday January 6th (Epiphany / Three Kings Day), Dana Martin, 31, also a Black trans woman, was murdered in Montgomery, Alabama. May their memories be blessings, as we say in Judaism, and ones that call us to act!

Last November 20th was the 20th annual Transgender Day Of Remembrance (TDOR), when we remembered almost 30 trans people murdered in this country in the past year, and more than 360 more murdered elsewhere in our world. And the great majority of our stolen siblings are Black, women, and young (and there have been multiple murders in several locations); elsewhere, the majority are Latinx trans women and transfeminine people. Too, very little attention is given to the murders of and assaults on Native people who are Two Spirit.

Last year included a murder in my home state of Massachusetts -- Christa Steele Knudslien in North Adams; she was a trans advocacy colleague, and we were Friends here. And one here in Maryland -- Tydi Dansbury, in Baltimore, an hour from me here in Gaithersburg. Roxana Hernández died in ICE custody after being abused there, and Nikki Enriquez was one of four women victims of an intel supervisor for US Border Patrol.

I also remember Nicole Hall, a Black trans woman found dead in Dallas last May. And my siblings lost to suicide, as the attempt rate in our community is over 40%. And every year there are unreported deaths, and reported ones where the victim is not identified as trans.

May all of my trans sisters, brothers and other siblings’ memories be a blessing -- and one that calls us to act, particularly at trans justice’s intersection with racial, immigration and economic justice. May we continue schlepping towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersection of LGBTQ+, climate, racial, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice. May we never forget that white supremacy has always included cis supremacy, misogyny and transphobia. Amen!

And as always, there is much more information at Monica Roberts' TransGriot -- https://transgriot.blogspot.com/2019/03/number-2-rest-in-power-and-peace-ashanti.html.

#TransDayOfVisibility #TDOV #TDOV2019 #TDOR #TDOR2019#TransDayOfRemembrance 🏳️‍⚧

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital’s “Primary Care for Gender Minorities” lecture & panel

Nu, the Transgender Day Of Visibility is this Sunday (March 31st, the 11th annual), but I'll be on vacation, so I started my observance today, by being on a panel about trans healthcare with Lee Blinder and Lily Amara Pastor of Trans Healthcare Maryland, and the mother of a trans teen. I was on this panel in 2017, in a different part of this medical system, with mostly different fellow panelists.  Below is the flyer -- MedStar Georgetown University Hospital’s Medical Grand Rounds lecture and panel on “Primary Care for Gender Minorities” presented by Dr. Leon L. Lai (see also here). 🏳️‍⚧🏥     

#transhealth #transhealthcare #TransHealthcareMD 

#TransDayOfVisibility #TDOV #TDOV2019

The United Methodist Church and their "Traditional Plan"

Nu, I had mentioned the United Methodist Church’s latest LGBTQ+ news in my calendar posts on Facebook, and I wanted to say more about it.

As many of you know, on the last day of the UMC’s Special Session of their international General Conference, last Tuesday (March 26th), the delegates passed the Traditional Plan 438 to 384, or 53.28% to 46.72%. And that Plan not only continues but in some ways intensifies the Church’s ban on hosting or officiating at same-sex marriages, and on LGBTQ people remaining or becoming clergy. The One Church Plan would have at least let each congregation decide how to handle these issues. Some parts of the Traditional Plan were ruled unconstitutional, and the Plan will be discussed by the Judicial Council at their meeting next month (April). Whatever becomes law will go into effect next January 1st (2020) in the US, and next May in the rest of the world (after GC 2020). Some UM churches are already resisting and planning to.

As fewer of you know, my spouse Julia was raised in the United Methodist Church, here in her hometown and our current home of Gaithersburg, Maryland -- a city with a very long and rich Methodist history, including churches founded by formerly enslaved Black people (indeed, her first  church was in the town of Washington Grove, which started life as a summer retreat for Methodists in Washington, DC).  She left the Church as a teenager, to explore other faiths / religions / spiritualities, and came to identify as an agnostic; since we met a decade ago, she has found meaning in my traditions, Judaism and the Episcopal Church.

I lived in the Boston (Massachusetts) area until moving here in 2014 -- for most of my life there I had little awareness of the UMC there or elsewhere, though it is one of the largest religions in my home state (not that much smaller than my own, though all are much smaller than the Roman Catholic Church). Though there were moments -- including hearing that a young trans colleague had found a spiritual home in a local UM church.

However, in 2007, I became one of the founders of the Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE) -- Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition's (MTPC) project which led the faith campaign for MA’s first trans rights law and part of the second. One of my fellow ICTE founders was a trans Methodist leader, and brought an allied Methodist colleague aboard, and they brought others, and many Methodist churches worked on ICTE’s campaign -- though most could not publicly acknowledge their work.

Julia and I have visited a few of our local UMC communities, including the ones that hold some of her family’s history, and we would like to visit more, but the LGBTQ issue is our primary barrier. The UMC’s painful process, including this week’s news, has been much less hurtful to us than many other people inside and outside of the UMC, but it has been hurtful.

I also want to second a few of the less common emotions I’ve seen, on social media and elsewhere.
It’s not okay to say “LGBTQ(I)(+)” (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex…) and then only talk about cis (non-trans) gay men and possibly lesbians.
"LGBTQ" =/= "gay".  Sex =/= gender =/= sexuality.
If you say “brothers and sisters” instead of “sisters, brothers and other siblings” or just “siblings”, you are not including non-binary people such as myself (and, family language doesn’t work for everyone).
Not all LGBTQ people (or allies) are able or willing to leave the United Methodist Church, for a variety of reasons. (Yes, for many it is an abusive relationship -- and those are extremely hard to leave, whether they’re with groups, individuals, or other things; I’m an abuse survivor myself.)
The rest of the Church also has a lot of LGBTQ+ work to do -- including the Episcopal Church. So does the Jewish community. So does the rest of the faith / religion / spirituality community. (Yes, even the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), and Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).)
The UMC also continues to struggle with white supremacy and all its components, and with intersectionality -- and so does the rest of the Church and the faith / religion / spirituality community (as always, I’m thinking especially of ableism and fatphobia).
LGBTQ-phobia in communities and countries of color is largely the result of Church and secular colonization (which have rarely if ever been separate), in this country and many others.

And I want to pray for and with my LGBTQI+ sisters, brothers, sothers, bristers, and other siblings in the United Methodist Church.
May you know that these Plans are not God’s, and that you are, always have been, and always will be part of Their Plan.
May you find healing, hope, and a home, in the UMC and/or elsewhere.
May the UMC find a true Way forward, with and/or without you.
Amen.

#UnitedMethodistChurch #GC2019 #UMC #UMCGC

✝️🔥💔

Massachusetts' An Act Making Discrimination On The Basis Of Height And Weight Unlawful - today’s update!!

This is my home state, where I lived until 2014; if you didn’t get this e-mail today, e-mail Caroline.Sherrard@MASenate.gov.

"Height and Weight Anti-Discrimination Update

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to let you all know that the bill has been filed in both the House and Senate as SD. 1581/HD. 1683 An Act making discrimination on the basis of height and weight unlawful. I’ve attached the text of both bills, which is slightly modified from last session to address the concerns of an amusement park industry group that has brought up concerns in the past. There is now specific allowance for restrictions on height and weight due to federal, state, or industry safety standards.

The next immediate action will be to gather cosponsors on this legislation. If you live in Massachusetts, sending an email or calling your state Senator and state Representative asking them to sign on to SD. 1581/HD. 1683 An Act making discrimination on the basis of height and weight unlawful as a cosponsor would be very welcome. This is most effective when the action comes directly from constituents of that legislator, so I ask that you only email legislators who represent you (or, if relevant, ask members of your organization only to contact their own State Senator or State Representative).

You can find out who your elected officials are and their contact information at: WhereDoIVoteMA.com.

Once the clerk has finished processing all of the legislation that was just filed, both bills will be assigned a new number and sent to a committee (the current number is the docket number). We expect this bill to be sent to the Judiciary Committee, where it has gone in recent years. The Judiciary Committee will then sent out a notice for a hearing. We will update the group when a hearing has been scheduled. At that point, we would love if anyone who is available to come testify in person do so and will also be asking interested parties to submit written testimony.

In addition, we heard from a State Rep in Kentucky that she is interested in filing similar legislation in her state. If you/your organization is able to work nationally or has connections with Kentucky, please email Josie.Raymond@gmail.com.

Thank you all so much for your efforts! Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Best,
Caroline

Caroline Sherrard, Chief of Staff
Office of Senator Becca Rausch
Massachusetts Senate
Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District
State House Room 419
617-722-1555 (internal ext. 1556)
Pronouns: she/her/hers"

Tu BiShvat & Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Shana Tova, Good Year. Yom Huledet Sameach, Happy Birth Day. It is Erev Tu BiShvat and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Night, and last night there was a Super Blood Wolf Moon, a total eclipse of the Moon but not the heart. Ḥamisha Asar BiShvat, Fifteenth Of Shvat; Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot, the New Year of the Trees; the Birth Day of the Trees. Last April it was 50 years since Rev. Dr. King was assassinated, and this month he would have been 90; next month is Black History Month. May his memory be a blessing, and blessed be the True Judge, as we say in Judaism.

Nu, the Birth Day of the Trees is not to be confused with the birthday of the Trews – the trans Jews. We were born on the Sixth Day along with everyone else – including people of all body sizes and shapes, dis/abilities, sexes / genders / sexualities, races, spiritualities and so on. And yet even when everyone is included in the Beloved Community, the human community remains but a small branch of the Tree of Life, on this our Earth and probably in the rest of our Universe as well. Yet although there are still many more trees than people, there are less trees today than at any time since humans began to exist, and we take the lives of billions of trees every day.

Tonight, tomorrow, and every day and night, may we center climate justice and racial justice as we schlep towards tikkun olam, world repair, at the intersections with LGBTQI+, immigration, spiritual, fat, disability, and all other stripes of the rainbow of justice. Amen!

#TuBiShvat #TuBiShvat5779 #MLK #MLKDay #MLK2019 #MLK90

🌲🌳🌴🌵🎄