All Blog Posts
Inclusive ENDA: Passage is Essential
The first Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) bill that would create a federal law prohibiting workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was introduced into Congress fifteen years ago. Fifteen years feels like a very long time given the progress that has been made generally on LGBT social issues and understanding during that same time span.
From Kitchen Talks to Advocacy
Today’s WPATH symposium wrapped up with a plenary session on human rights. My role was to talk about the legal, medical, and ethical responsibility that all health care providers have to provide appropriate and adequate documentation to ensure that their transgender patients can secure proper identity documents. The WPATH Standards of Care and public policy statements make crystal clear that there is no one specific surgery that constitutes sex reassignment surgery so that any surgeon who performs any of the multitude of procedures that constitute sex-reassignment must provide a properly worded letter to that patient documenting the experience.
Norwegian Royalty and Transgender Health
Dagfinn Hoybraten, Norway’s former minister of Health and current leader of the Christian Democratic Party spoke at yesterday’s plenary session at the Biennial Symposium of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health currently taking place in Oslo. He had some basic but eloquent things to say about transgender people and the humane provision of health care to the community.
To Be or Not To Be GID
Transgender Rights Project Director Jennifer Levi blogs from Oslo at the Biennial Symposium of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. First up: debating whether or not the diagnosis of gender identity disorder (GID) should be included within the DSM.
From the Atlantic: Challenges to DOMA Have Only Begun
Wendy Kaminer blogs at the Atlantic about GLAD’s DOMA challenge:
Boston Pride 2009
What a beautiful day for Boston Pride 2009! We had a great group of marchers: staff, board, current and former plaintiffs, supporters and volunteers, and several first-time marchers.
Photos from the New Hampshire State House
Here are some photographs from yesterday’s passage of the amended marriage equality bill in the New Hampshire State House yesterday. Enjoy!
All Kinds of Families: Maine’s Marriage Equality Hearing
You really had it all inside the Augusta Civic Center yesterday. On our side, Catholic church ladies opposing the bishop; couples together for 30, 40, 50 years; crusty Mainers supporting their gay children; Republicans, veterans, couples with kids. But for me, a highlight was the testimony of Steve Wessler, head of Maine’s Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence.
Transgender Rights Legislation Impacts All Of Us
Massachusetts’ Transgender Civil Rights Lobby Day demonstrated that our community is organized and deeply committed to securing legal protections for transgender and gender non-conforming people in Massachusetts. On Tuesday, the marble of the State House echoed with our stories about why we need to pass “An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes” this year (read more about this legislation and how to get involved).
The transgender rights movement and the work to pass this legislation are deeply personal to me. I have a sibling who is transgender, and I have watched first-hand the hostility and discrimination that he has faced because of his non-conforming gender identity.