Transgender NYC Rally & March

There have been 22 known murders of transgender women in the United States in 2015 & unfortunately other murders of transgender people have gone unreported & unnoticed. This year we have had more known murders of transgender people than any other recorded year. On Monday November 2nd at 5:30P transgender activists & their allies will hold a rally at Christopher Park in the heart of Greenwich Village in New York City & then march to the African Burial Ground in the Financial District to mark the series of violent murders that continue at an alarming national rate. Jennifer Louise Lopez, Executive Director of Everything Transgender in NYC (ETNYC) stated, “This march & rally will let the nation know that we are sick & tired of being sick & tired. We need the nation to understand the underlying reasons why trans people are being murdered. Poverty, sex work & domestic violence are the foundational reasons for many of the murders that have occurred this year.” Following the march & rally ETNYC will be available to help community members & organizations facilitate their own public meetings to address the issue of violence in the transgender community. The demonstration will begin with a rally at Christopher Park at the corner of Grove & Christopher Streets, across from the Stonewall Inn at 5:30P then at 6P activists will march East down Waverly Place to the Northwest corner of Washington Square Park, then crossing to the Southeast corner of the park. Activists will march East on East 4th Street to Broadway & march South along Broadway to the African Memorial Burial Ground at 290 Broadway and Duane Street. Estimated time of arrival at the African Memorial Burial Ground is 7P where another rally will be held until 8P.
For More Info: etnyc.org
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Equality For Transgender Students

An amicus brief has been filed on behalf of medical & mental health associations by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) & Goodwin Procter LLP in G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board. The case filed in federal district court in Virginia by the American Civil Liberties Union involves Gavin Grimm a 16-year-old transgender Virginia boy whose use of the boys’ room prompted the school board to enact a policy excluding transgender students from using the same restrooms as their peers. Jennifer Levi, Transgender Rights Project Director for GLAD stated, “When a school separates a transgender boy from his peer group it does terrible damage. The school’s actions stigmatize & isolate the boy, telling him & his peers that he is different from all other boys thereby disrupting social relationships. All of this compromises his educational opportunities, in violation of Title IX of the Civil Rights Act and constitutional guarantees of equal protection.” Asaf Orr NCLR Transgender Youth Project Attorney concluded, “Schools must take a proactive role in supporting transgender students. Unfortunately, in this case, the school board allowed their own misconceptions & fears about transgender youth, as well as those of the community, to drive policy. As a result, the school board’s policy perpetuates negative stereotypes, isolates & harms transgender students instead of creating welcoming school environment for all students. This is not only contrary to the professional obligation of educators & administrators but ignores the medical & mental health research on child development & the standards of care for transgender youth. Stigmatizing transgender students is not only wrong, but illegal.”
Read Amicus Brief…
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Janelle Monáe To Be Honored

In a celebration of artistry, activism & advocacy The Center will honor international recording artist Janelle Monáe with its Equality Award at the 18th Annual Women’s Event on Saturday, November 7th at Capitale in New York City. Hundreds of guests will join The Center to applaud Ms. Monáe’s support in the fight for LGBT equality & to recognize the contributions of legendary producer Barbara Gaines who worked for David Letterman for 35 years & Citi Managing Director Lisa Davis. The program will also pay special tribute to Edie Windsor of the landmark Supreme Court marriage equality case United States v. Windsor for the historic role she has played in the fight for marriage equality. The Women’s Event 18, an annual gala fundraiser to support The Center’s year-round programs & services for lesbians, bisexual women & transgender people. Over the next year, The Center will launch LGBT-SAINT, a substance use treatment intervention specifically designed for LGBTQ youth ages 13 to 27. The Center will also introduce T:FIRE, a new program of support & empowerment that tackles poverty in the transgender community. In addition to these new initiatives The Center is currently developing programming specifically for women to tackle economic attainment, a substantive issue that particularly impacts LBT women. The Women’s Event is hosted by The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center’s Board of Directors, Executive Director Glennda Testone, The Women’s Event Host Committee, Honorary Chair H. Gwen Marcus, Esq. & Event Co-chairs Lisa A. Linsky, Esq., Kerryann M. Cook, Esq. & Claire M Shanley.
For Info & Tix: gaycenter.org
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New TV Season LGBT Roles

We always look forward to GLAAD’s “Where We Are on TV” their comprehensive report of LGBT primetime characters in the new television season. This 2015-16 season marks the 20th year that GLAAD has tracked the presence of LGBT characters on television & this year includes LGBT characters on original series which have premiered on the streaming content providers Amazon, Hulu & Netflix. On broadcast primetime scripted programming out of 881 characters expected to appear only 35 or 4% were identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. There were also an additional 35 recurring LGB characters. The highest percentage of LGBT characters GLAAD has ever counted on primetime scripted broadcast programming was 4.4% back in the 2012-13 season. So unfortunately we have some slippage. However the number of regular LGBT characters counted on cable increased from 64 to 84, while recurring characters increased from 41 to 58. For the first time, GLAAD counted LGBT characters on original series that premiered on Amazon, Hulu & Netflix & GLAAD found 43 series regulars & 16 recurring LGBT characters across 23 series. Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO & President of GLAAD stated, "Each of us lives at the intersection of many identities & it's important that television characters reflect the full diversity of the LGBT community. It is not enough to just include LGBT characters; those characters need to be portrayed with thought & care to accurately represent an often tokenized community." Surprisingly with all the success of Amazon’s “Transparent” & the media blitz surrounding Caitlyn Jenner there weren’t any transgender characters counted on primetime broadcast programming, while only three recurring trans characters were counted on cable (2%). Streaming series boast the highest percentage of trans characters at 7% (4) with two notably being series leads.
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Simon Townshend US Tour

Simon Townshend has been performing with The Who since the mid 90’s. When Roger Daltrey became ill with viral meningitis The Who had to reschedule their US "The Who Hits 50!" tour to 2016 so guitarist Simon decided to use those plane tickets & is continuing with his series of East Coast dates. I have a personal connection with Simon. In 1983 when he released his first solo album “Sweet Sound” I was brought over to create the video for the MTV hit “I Am The Answer” which he actually performed in 2014 with Pearl Jam at Milton Keynes Bowl in the UK. Simon stated, “It’s strange not being on the road when for months you’ve been mentally preparing yourself for it. Being away from home isn’t easy so the wind up is considerable. The unexpected late-in-the-day let down leaves one a little out on a limb ... So, I’ve been scheming… I can tell you that I’ve got a few more U.S. solo shows on the go. Maybe some of you dedicated Who fans will feel some solace in the fact I’ll be passing through your area with my acoustic guitar”. So the British invasion is still on, albeit a one-man affair & Simon hopes that Who fans will come out to his shows ahead of the band’s rescheduled dates. On October 28th he playing The Cutting Room in NYC, then on October 29th at Daryl’s House in Pawling New York, followed by October 30th at The Burren Backroom in Somerville, MA, then on to Tin Angel in Philly on November 1st & concluding at Jammin’ Java on November 3rd in Vienna, Virginia.
For More Info & Tix: simontownshend.com
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New York Transgender Rights

New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his executive order to protect transgender people from discrimination in housing, employment & other areas at a dinner for the Empire State Pride Agenda. Mara Keisling Executive Director, National Center For Transgender Equality stated, “This is a step forward for transgender rights. Governor Cuomo is the first governor to exercise this power & while we are anxious to see the draft rules, we fully support this approach given the current lack of clear legal protections for transgender people under New York law. The U.S. Justice Department & many Federal courts & agencies, including the Departments of Labor, Education, Health & Human Services & the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have also affirmed that sex discrimination laws include protections for transgender people.” Rea Carey, Executive Director, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund added, “Millions of New Yorkers have been waiting for this day. We thank Governor Cuomo for his leadership in extending protections to the Empire State’s transgender & gender nonconforming communities who face discrimination in almost every area of their lives at levels much higher than LGBQ people & the general population. We want to thank all the LGBTQ organizations in New York State who have worked so diligently for this day.” Kris Hayashi, Executive Director of Transgender Law Center concluded, “Transgender Law Center applauds Governor Cuomo for taking this action to ensure transgender New Yorkers can live safely & freely as their authentic selves. As we’ve painfully witnessed again & again this year, transgender people face epidemic rates of violence, harassment & discrimination in this country. Explicit protections based on gender identity & expression, like those New York is adopting & which 19 other states have in place, are a critical part of creating a society where all people can survive & thrive.”
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Religious Liberty & Discrimination

A new report released by the Center for American Progress this week shows that a year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision, state legislators, organizations & for-profit corporations are using religious liberty to infringe upon the rights of women, religious minorities & our LGBT community. The report also makes legal & policy recommendations to protect religious liberty while also preventing harm to third parties by ensuring that the rights & well-being of others are not compromised because of another person’s religious beliefs. Carmel Martin, Executive Vice President for Policy at the Center for American Progress stated, “In a pluralistic society such as ours, respecting religious liberty & protecting the general welfare of every citizen requires a balance. The dangerous precedent established by Hobby Lobby has disrupted that balance, protecting a favored few who seek to impose their religion on others. Ironically, the decision condoned the infringement of the religious freedom of Hobby Lobby employees in the name of respecting the religious identity of a for-profit company.” Carolyn J. Davis, Policy Analyst for the Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative at the Center for American Progress. Laura E. Durso, Director of the LGBT Research & Communications Project at the Center for American Progress concluded, “From Indiana’s controversial super-RFRA to Kim Davis’ refusal to issue marriage licenses to gay & lesbian couples, we’ve seen an overly expansive & harmful view of religious liberty used in an attempt to thwart LGBT equality. But the damage caused by these religious liberty claims is not limited to the LGBT community. Whether in the context of infringing on a woman’s access to health care or abdicating a witness’s obligation to testify in court in a child labor case, the precedent established by Hobby Lobby enables dangerous third-party harm.”
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