Donald Padgett

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Transgender Woman Violently Attacked in Palm Springs

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A trans woman was stripped of her clothing and viciously attacked outside a nightclub in Palm Springs, Calif., on Saturday evening, and police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.

Video of the shocking incident obtained by KPLM-TV showed a crowd gathering as trans woman Skyy Perez, staggering and wearing only her underwear, was brutally punched outside the Village nightclub on Saturday night.

Perez said she was at The Village with friends when her phone was stolen. She said she attempted to search the bag of a woman at a nearby table but security intervened and escorted her from the club. Once outside, Perez said she was attacked by another woman.

“She hit me with a sandal in the back of my head, and I fell to the floor, I kind of lost consciousness,” she told KPLM-TV. “And then the other two girls that were with her came and they were like basically jumping me and tore my clothes. I was in disbelief and a rage that I got hit for simply existing.”

The video, which has widely circulated on social media, shows a half-naked Perez staggering and attempting to spit at her assailant off-camera when a man approaches from behind and punches her in her jaw sending her sprawling to the pavement.

A friend who was with Perez, Daniella Pineda, believes Perez was targeted and attacked because of her gender identity.

“Those people were hating because we were trans,” Pineda told KPLM-TV. “And they couldn’t just wrap their brains around us being able to live our lives out authentically.”

The Village released a statement following the attack, expressing shock at the incident.

“For this to happen near our establishment makes us truly upset as we strive to be a leader in forward thinking,” general manager David Mariner, wrote in a statement. “We are all inclusive. We don’t stand for anything that is hateful.”

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Gay Chechen Singer Killed on Order of Strongman Ramzan Kadyrov: Report

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Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov ordered the torture and murder of a popular Chechen singer because the Putin ally was personally insulted to have unknowingly shaken hands with the gay man, according to a new report.

Zelimkhan Bakaev went missing within hours after returning to Chechnya for his sister’s wedding in 2017. The popular singer had fled to Moscow due to the gay purge taking place in his home region. The new report from SK SOS said Kadyrov was aghast a photo existed of the two men shaking hands. SK SOS reports he ordered security forces to “deal with” Bakaev, who was tortured during much of the 13 hours he was in custody before he was executed.

The report also said Bakaev’s body was returned to his family with the order to “bury him like a dog.”

Months after Bakaev went missing, Kadyrov gave a speech to service members accusing Bakaev’s family of killing him because they learned he was gay.

“They told him, ‘Come over,’ and when he arrived, apparently his cousins or second cousins confronted him and said, ‘You’re gay,’” Kadyrov claimed in the 2018 speech.

Despite the denial of involvement, the speech was the first official admission that Bakaev was dead.

The torture and execution of Bakaev took place during a notorious purge of gay and bisexual menin the semi-autonomous Russian region, where scores were arrested and sent to camps where they were tortured and often killed.

During this same period, Kadyrov denied gay people existed in the country. During an interview with HBO’s Real Sports in 2017, he took offense at questions from reporter David Scott on his nation’s imprisonment and killing of gay and bisexual men.

“We don’t have those kinds of people here,” Kadyrov responded after scolding Scott for asking the question. “If there are there take them to Canada… Take them far from us so we don’t have them at home… To purify our blood, if there are any here, take them.”

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Trans Woman Living with HIV Held in Solitary Confinement for Six Years Sues

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A transgender woman and former inmate who was held in solitary confinement for six years is suing the Missouri Department of Corrections (MODOC) for what is described as its “unconstitutional and discriminatory policy against people living with HIV.”

The plaintiff, identified only as Jane Roe, claims in the lawsuit filed last week she was held in solitary confinement between 2015 and 2021 at the Jefferson City Correctional Center (JCCC) because she was living with HIV. She is represented by Lambda Legal, the MacArthur Justice Center, and the law firm Shook, Hardy & Bacon

“No person should be subjected to the inhumane and devastating effects of long-term solitary confinement, conditions that Ms. Roe faced every day for more than six years,” Richard Saenz, Lambda Legal senior attorney, criminal justice and police misconduct strategist, said in a statement. “We filed this lawsuit to hold the Missouri Department of Corrections accountable for its use of an unconstitutional and discriminatory policy that singles out people living with HIV.”

“Ms. Roe was trapped in isolation with no way to challenge her conditions,” MacArthur Justice Center attorney, Shubra Ohri, said. “Six years of that led Ms. Roe to self-harm, suicidal ideation, and actual suicide attempts. This tracks with widespread consensus among the human rights experts, psychologists, physicians, and mental health authorities who say solitary confinement is torturous and should be abolished.”

“We seek justice for our client who endured six years of unwarranted solitary confinement. We will work to prevent this from ever happening to another human being,” Gregory Woo, a Shook partner, said in a statement.

The lawsuit, Roe v. Precythe, et. al., was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, and claims “MODOC’s policy on incarcerated people living with HIV lacks any consideration of modern medicine and does not engage in individualized assessments.”

The lawsuit alleges that MODOC’s policies and actions violated Roe’s Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Roe claimed she was denied the services, programs, and activities offered to other inmates because of her HIV status. Roe is seeking policy changes by MOCOD, monetary damages, and other unspecified relief.

If you are having thoughts of suicide or are concerned that someone you know may be, resources are available to help. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 is for people of all ages and identities. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.

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Trans Woman Inmate Reaches Landmark Settlement with Minnesota Prison System

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The legal team of a transgender woman incarcerated in Minnesota on Thursday announced she will be transferred to a women’s prison as part of a landmark settlement with the state’s Department of Corrections. The settlement also guarantees affirmative medical care and appropriate housing for other trans prisoners.

Christina Lusk, 57, sued the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) last year when they denied her gender-affirming medical care and housed her in a men’s prison after she pled guilty to a drug charge in 2019. Lusk came out as transgender and started hormone replacement therapy in 2008, and legally changed her name in 2018. At the time of her arrest the following year, she was consulting with doctors regarding gender-affirming surgery at the time of her arrest.

As part of its settlement, the DOC agreed to move Lusk from MCF Moose Lake, a men’s prison facility to MCF Shakopee, a women’s facility. The DOC also agreed to provide Lusk with an objective third-party medical provider to determine Lusk’s suitability for gender-affirming surgery. If deemed suitable, the DOC agreed to pay for the treatment and cover out-of-pocket expenses after her release from prison if certain conditions are met, such as obtaining health insurance. The DOC also agreed to abide by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s (WPATH) standards of care for other trans inmates, and contract with a WPATH certified health care provider to provide training and support.

Lusk was in represented in her suit by lawyers from Gender Justice and Robins Kaplan LLC.

“As part of settling the lawsuit and in accordance with the DOC’s new transgender policy, the DOC has agreed to provide [Lusk] access to a transgender healthcare specialist to determine if gender-affirming surgery is medically necessary,” the DOC said in a statement. “The DOC will also assist her in obtaining surgery if the specialist determines it is necessary.”

“With this settlement, the Department of Corrections takes an important and necessary step toward fulfilling its responsibilities to the people in its care,” Jess Braverman, legal director for Gender Justice, said in a statement. “Thanks to Christina Lusk’s willingness to speak out, transgender people in custody will now have expanded access to the housing and health care they need, and the legal protections they deserve.”

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Electric Shock Treatment, Overt Homophobia in U.K. Armed Forces: Repor

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An upcoming government report on homophobia in the U.K. armed forces will show a climate of blatant homophobia, incidents of blackmail and sexual assaults, and a campaign of drugs and electric shock treatment to “cure” LGBTQ+ service members of their homosexuality.

The report, which covers 1967 to 2000, when the country’s ban on LGBTQ+ service members ended, is set for release next month and an advance copy was seen by Bloomberg. Commissioned last year by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the report contains over a thousand anonymous submissions from individuals who served in the U.K. military between 1967 to 2000. Terence Etherton, the independent or crossbench member of the House of Lords who led the investigation, said many service members were left “severely traumatized” by their experienced.

The accounts from former service members “paint a vivid picture of overt homophobia at all levels of the armed forces…and of the bullying that inevitability reflected it,” Etherton said.

Many veterans said they were told they had to take medication and undergo psychiatric treatment to remain in the military. One person said his treatment took place while he was seated on a toilet and the medical staff questioning him were drinking beer. Another said they had electrodes placed on their head and received electric shocks when shown naked pictures.

“I had some type of bruising/burn marks where they put the electrodes,” the unnamed person revealed in the report.

Other accounts reportedly detail how LGBTQ+ service members were singled out for abuse. One female veteran said she was assaulted by two male service members, then placed in a psychiatric ward and later discharged when she complained. Another said her superior threatened to have her discharged for being gay if she reported his attempt at raping her. Others reported being followed by military police, having military police show up at local gay bars.

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