Danica Roem (Photo by PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)
Republicans have abruptly taken the decision to stop using gendered language in the Virginia House of Delegates – so they don’t have to refer to groundbreaking trans politician Danica Roem as a woman.
Democratic delegate-elect Danica Roem made history earlier this month as the first openly transgender lawmaker to be elected to a state legislature, after unseating GOP incumbent Bob Marshall, who penned anti-transgender ‘bathroom’ legislation.
Roem is set to take up her seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in January.
But ahead of the new session, the Republican-controlled body has opted to make drastic changes to the chamber’s 400-year-old rulebook.
Under the changes, politicians speaking on the floor of the House will no longer have to refer to eachother as ‘Gentleman’ or ‘Gentlewoman’, and will instead use the term ‘Delegate’ as a gender-neutral address.
While the removal of unnecessarily-gendered language might be cheered by liberals in other occasions, the GOP’s actions appear to be preventing lawmakers from having to refer to Ms Roem as a ‘Gentlewoman’.
House Majority Leader M. Kirkland Cox (R-Colonial Heights) confirmed the change.
In a statement to the Washington Post, his spokesperson said: “All members will be afforded the same respect and courtesy that this nearly 400-year-old institution commands.
“Speaker-designee Cox believes the ‘gentlelady’ and ‘gentleman’ terminology is outdated, and that referring to everyone as ‘delegate’ is more timely and appropriate.”
Republicans repeatedly referred to Ms Roem as male during the campaign, with Marshall focussing much of his campaign on attacking his opponent’s gender identity.
Delegate-elect Roem, who focused her campaign on local infrastructure issues, did not rise to her opponent’s jibes.
After the election result, she said: “Bob is my constituent now. I don’t attack my constituents.”
Politics professor Bob Holsworth told the Post that the Republicans are “trying in some way to thread a needle with their own base”.
He added: “They’re willing to change the tradition in this sense before they will explicitly acknowledge Danica Roem as a woman.”
Delegate-elect Roem said: “What matters the most is that I’m there.
“What matters the most to the people of the 13th District is that the woman they elected to serve them will be working on their behalf.
“I will be the delegate from Prince William, and I will conduct myself as the gentlewoman from Prince William while I’m in Richmond and in any other official capacity in which I serve.”
Marshall, who will be unemployed in January, co-authored the state’s now-defunct constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
In her victory speech, Roem said: “This election has to prove nationwide that discrimination is a disqualifier.
“When you champion inclusion, when you champion equality, when you champion equity and you focus on the issues that unite us, like building up our infrastructure…those are the issues that you have to focus on,” she added.
“I believe in building up our infrastructure instead of tearing down each other. That is fundamental.
“When the negative ads started coming out, attacking transgender kids…we stayed on our message while decrying discrimination.”
Roem told everyone watching: “We can’t get lost in discrimination, we can’t get lost in B.S., we can’t get lost tearing each other down.
“No matter what you look like, where you come from, how you worship, who you love, how you identify – and yeah, how you rock – if you have good public policy ideas, if you’re well-qualified for office, bring those ideas to the table, because this is your America too…and we are stronger together,” Roem told the crowd.
She dedicated her win to everyone who’s been discriminated against.
During the campaign, she championed LGBT rights, saying: “We are unabashedly pro-equality & anti-discrimination.
“It’s time we put LGBTQ kids front-and-centre, and I’m standing with them.
“As a trans woman, I know representation matters.”
In contrast, Republican Bob Marshall, who has been in office since 1991, has a long history of introducing hateful anti-LGBT bills to the Virginian legislature.
In May, Roem said: “When the people of the 13th District elect a transgender woman to replace the most anti-LGBT legislator in the South, it will be an act of certainty, and it will be a defining moment that will resonate across the country.”
Hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Russia have doubled in five years, researchers said on Tuesday, in the wake of a law banning “gay propaganda”.
Murders accounted for almost 200 out of 250 crimes analyzed, the Center for Independent Social Research said, attributing the surge to Russia’s 2013 ban on the spreading of “propaganda for non-traditional sexual relations” to minors.
“(Offenders) have become more aggressive and less fearful,” said Svetlana Zakharova, a board member with Russian LGBT Network, the country’s most prominent gay rights campaign group, which has noted the same trend.
“It seems to them that, to some extent, the government supports their actions. Many perpetrators openly talk about their crimes as noble deeds.”
The police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The number of sentences for crimes against LGBT people increased to 65 in 2015 from 18 in 2010, the St. Petersburg-based researchers said, drawing on court records and data from judicial watchdog RosPravosudie. Most victims were gay men.
Homosexuality in Russia, where the influence of the socially conservative Orthodox Church has grown in recent years, was a criminal offence until 1993 and classed as a mental illness until 1999.
Researchers said the figures are an underestimate as many hate crimes are not reported, investigated or prosecuted.
The ‘gay propaganda’ law, which has been used to stop gay pride marches and to detain gay rights activists, is seen by many as a move by President Vladimir Putin to crack down on dissent and draw closer to the Russian Orthodox Church.
Russia was ranked Europe’s second least LGBT-friendly nation in 2016 by ILGA-Europe, a network of European LGBT groups.
Joyline Maenzanise responds to the resignation of Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe
Joyline Maenzanise, a queer writer based in Zimbabwe, responds to the resignation of the country’s long-serving homophobic President Robert Mugabe.
I must say, I never thought I would see the day when President Mugabe would be removed from office. I sincerely hope that this can only mean the dawn of a brighter era.
The ordinary Zimbabwean has borne the brunt of his tyrannical Presidency and we all hope that his successor will fulfil the promises they are making during their campaigns leading up to the elections next year.
We want a leader who will uphold our right to hold their conduct to account; a leader who will serve the people and not one who will place their own interests and those of loyalists above the ordinary citizenry. But yes, there seems to be a glimmer of light at the end of what has been very long and very dark tunnel for the ordinary cisgender, heterosexual Zimbabweans.
As a queer person based in Zimbabwe, I would be lying if I said I share the same excitement that has been exuded by fellow countryfolk. Zimbabwe is a country that is generally homophobic. Homosexuality is not only a punishable crime but is also frowned upon as being un-African, a Western neo-colonial imposition, an act of sin against the deity or an illness requiring conversion therapy.
President Mugabe is known for his blatant homophobic utterances where he compared queer folks to pigs and dogs. Unsurprisingly, many Zimbabweans applauded him when he uttered such vitriol which only served to strengthen the hatred targeted towards the LGBT+ community.
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No amount of activism – or warnings of conditional aid from the West – has worked to change the old man’s stance regarding the queer community. I’m sure many will agree with me that President Mugabe is diehard and defiant – he is not one to be easily swayed into relinquishing his deeply-held beliefs. It is this defiance which has been seen at play as he brazenly held on to his Presidential seat.
It makes for an interesting speculation how the same people who would stand with him in condemning the LGBT+ community are the ones who now call for his resignation.
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One would think that since it is crystal clear that it is not the interests of the ordinary Zimbabwean (queer or not) that this old man had at heart, it would be easier for the masses to see how we all need to stand together and help each other eradicate the different forms of oppression that we have all endured informed by class, gender or sexual orientation. Sadly, that has not been the case.
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The issues faced by the queer community are regarded as unimportant and not needing urgent attention. It is clear that the cause at the forefront is to fight for the liberation of cis heterosexual folks from the tyrannical rule of despots such as President Mugabe. And, Zimbabwe being a “Christian nation”, many folks also remain adamant about their stance concerning the queer community. We are still seen as sinners in need of religious intervention. We are not regarded as humans whose existence needs to be acknowledged and whose rights need to be upheld.
As Zimbabwe looks set to start a new chapter with a new face at the helm of the country, what happens going forward – especially the upcoming Presidential elections – makes for an interesting analysis. However, even as a registered voter, I am still unconvinced by the candidates vying for the Presidential seat. As a Zimbabwean, I do not trust any of them. I have learnt not to trust politicians. History
has shown us that politicians will sell us a dream in exchange for our votes only to crush those dreams before our eyes once they are in power.
As a queer person, my deepest fear is that we may only be replacing one homophobe with another, even if they may not be as dramatic. I highly doubt that that new leader will express sentiments that are any different from what President Mugabe has staunchly believed about the LGBT+ folks.
(Getty)
They may not publicly condemn us and compare us to animals – which have also been shown to have homosexual species, thus refuting the dehumanising comparison – but they will, most likely, not be a champion for the queer community.
I know none of those candidates have the best interests of people like me at heart. I know that if I am ever attacked by queerphobes or if I am refused a job because of my gender identity, none of those candidates will come out to publicly condemn oppression of others on the grounds of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
Until Zimbabwe has a leader who will recognise the rights of the LGBT+ community, I am always going to feel like an alien in my own country; a part of me will always feel caged even as I have accepted my queerness. I am always going to worry about possible eviction by landowners who mind having a queer person under their roof.
I am always going to harbour a fear of finding myself as just another victim of queerphobic attacks. And should what I fear happen, I wonder what the chances are that the if the justice system will not fail me as a queer person. I am always going to be looking over my shoulder one can never be sure what people will do out of hate.
I am always going to wonder if getting married is a dream I cannot afford to have. Sadly, a part of me is also going to wonder if being true to myself is worth it.
While I may not see a brighter future for my life as a queer person living in Zimbabwe, I can only hope that whoever succeeds President Mugabe will work to improve the current cash crisis. I would love to stop waking up at 3 AM to prepare for my trip to the bank…
Joyline Maenzanise is a queer, gender non-conforming writer and poet based in Zimbabwe.
Collecting information on these deaths is complicated by the fact that many trans people are misgendered in reports following their death.
There have been over 270 reported murders of trans and gender non-conforming people in the past year.
There has been a total of 2,609 reported cases in 71 countries worldwide since Transgender Day of Remembrance began in January 2008.
The names on this list are only of cases that have been reported and have attracted local media attention. The more accurate number is likely much higher, according to the Trans Murder Monitoring Project.
Argentina
Sofía Mailén Santillán
Mercedes, Argentina
1-Dec-16
Beaten to death
A. Villegas
Quilmes, Argentina
14-Jan-17
Shot in the head
Cindy Crawford Revlon
Buenos Aires, Argentina
1-Jun-17
Decapitated
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Pamela Tabarez
Rosario, Argentina
25-Jul-17
Shot multiple times
Eyelen
Tucuman, Argentina
18-Aug-17
Beaten
Brazil
Juninho da Mangueira
Guarus, Brazil
21-Nov-16
Shot at least five times.
Paola Bracho
Manaus, Brazil
24-Nov-16
Suffocated
Michele Rios
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
26-Nov-16
Cause unclear
Patricia Araujo not reported
Sao Paulo, Brazil
27-Nov-16
Shot in the head and burned
Dandara
Natal, Brazil
28-Nov-16
Shot in the head
Name unknown
Joao Pessoa, Brazil
2-Dec-16
Asphyxiation
M. Dias Machado
Pontal do Parana, Brazil
3-Dec-16
Shot at least three times
Will Rhillary Silva
Viamao, Brazil
7-Dec-16
Shot
Name unknown
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
7-Dec-16
Shot
R. da Silva de Sá
Maceio, Brazil
10-Dec-16
Shot in the head
G. Aquino de Godoy
Curitiba, Brazil
14-Dec-16
Shot in the head
D. de Souza
Campos, Brazil
17-Dec-16
Shot in the neck and back
J. R. T. Gomes
Crato, Brazil
18-Dec-16
Stoned to death
Gabriel Gomes
Goiania, Brazil
21-Dec-16
Shot multiple times at the same incident as F. Braz
F. Braz
Goiania, Brazil
21-Dec-16
Shot multiple times at the same incident as Gabriel Gomes
Paula Raio Laser 50
Fortaleza, Brazil
23-Dec-16
Shot
Jake Helen
Contagem, Brazil
31-Dec-16
Shot five times
Flávia Victoria Lima
Sorocaba, Brazil
31-Dec-16
Cause unclear
L. C. Marinho
Nova Cruz, Brazil
4-Jan-17
Stabbed
W. H. Soares dos Santos 16
Teresina, Brazil
6-Jan-17
Shot
Mierala da Silva
Bauru, Brazil
13-Jan-17
Beaten
Moranguinho
Paranangua, Brazil
15-Jan-17
Shot
Agatha Lios
Brasilia, Brazil
18-Jan-17
Cause not reported
Sandra
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
19-Jan-17
shot
Lady Dyana
Manaus, Brazil
19-Jan-17
Stabbed
J. A. dos Santos
Itabaianinha, Brazil
26-Jan-17
Shot to death
Paola Oliveira
Russas, Brazil
30-Jan-17
Stoned to death
Name unknown
Recife, Brazil
3-Feb-17
Drowned; legs were tied down
Agatha Mont
Itapevi, Brazil
4-Feb-17
Suffocated
Name unknown
Guaruja, Brazil
8-Feb-17
Stoned to death
Dandara dos Santos
Fortaleza, Brazil
15-Feb-17
Beaten and stoned to death by a mob
Name unknown
Caçapava, Brazil
17-Feb-17
Shot to death
A. da Silva Maciel
Distrito de São Sebastião, Brazil
18-Feb-17
Shot
Mirella de Castro
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
19-Feb-17
Suffocated
Camila de Souza Magalhães
Sao Gonçalo, Brazil
25-Feb-17
Beaten
Emanuelle Muniz
Anapolis, Brazil
26-Feb-17
Stoned to death
Lorrane
São Luiz, Brazil
26-Feb-17
Shot to death
Z. Marrocos
Guarabira, Brazil
28-Feb-17
Stabbed to death
Michelly Garcia
Pelotas, Brazil
3-Mar-17
Shot
Name unknown
Goiania, Brazil
6-Mar-17
Shot
Rubi
Luziania, Brazil
6-Mar-17
Shot
Sandra
Laranjeiras do Sul, Brazil
8-Mar-17
Beaten
Jennifer Celia Henrique (Jenni)
Florianopolis, Brazil
10-Mar-17
Beaten
Name unknown
Cachoeirinha, Brazil
12-Mar-17
Burned to death
Lexia
Santa Fe do Sul, Brazil
13-Mar-17
Stabbed
Camila Albuquerque
Salvador, Brazil
15-Mar-17
Shot
Bruninha
Ourinhos, Brazil
16-Mar-17
Stabbed
Paola
Street Joao Candido do Camara, Brazil
22-Mar-17
Stabbed
Paulina
Recife, Brazil
23-Mar-17
Shot multiple times
Uilca or Wilka
Loteamento Luiz Gonzaga, Brazil.
26-Mar-17
Stabbed
Stephanie Montez, who was killed in October of this year
Name unknown
Acara, Brazil
2-Apr-17
Beaten
Name unknown
Campo Grande, Brazil
3-Apr-17
Not reported
R. Félix da Silva
Guarariba, Brazil
4-Apr-17
Shot to death
Bianka Gonçalves
Primavera do Leste, Brazil
7-Apr-17
Shot to death
Camila
Sao Jose do Campos, Brazil
10-Apr-17
Beaten
Vitoria Castro
Araguaina, Brazil
10-Apr-17
Beaten
Hérica Izidório
Fortaleza, Brazil
12-Apr-17
Beaten
Name unknown
Curitiba, Brazil
12-Apr-17
Beaten
Gaby
Feira de Santana, Brazil
12-Apr-17
Shot to death
Name unknown
Itabuna, Brazil
16-Apr-17
Shot to death
Samilly Guimarães
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
20-Apr-17
Shot to death
Marooni
Belem, Brazil
22-Apr-17
Stabbed
A. Ribeiro Marcossone
Curitiba, Brazil
23-Apr-17
Shot over 25 times
Eloá Silva
Joao Pessoa, Brazil
27-Apr-17
Shot multiple times
Name unknown
Barcarena, Brazil
29-Apr-17
Stabbed
Uilca
Vitoria de Santo Antao, Brazil
29-Apr-17
Shot to death
Layza Mello
Vilha Velha, Brazil
30-Apr-17
Shot to death
Name unknown
Belem, Brazil
30-Apr-17
Shot to death
Samaielly
Lauro de Freitas, Brazil
30-Apr-17
Shot to death
Sophia Castro
Contagem, Brazil
3-May-17
Cause unclear
C. A. Lima da Silva
Monhangape, Brazil
6-May-17
Shot to death
R. C. Silva Pereira
Barretos, Brazil
7-May-17
Deliberately struck by a vehicle
Thadeu Nascimento
Grande do Retiro, Brazil
7-May-17
Shot and beaten
Jennifer
Itaitinga, Brazil
9-May-17
Shot multiple times
Fernanda
Ponta Grossa, Brazil
10-May-17
Shot
Chaiane
Cachoeira do Sul, Brazil
13-May-17
Stabbed
Ketlin
Juazeiro do Norte, Brazil
13-May-17
Stabbed
Name unknown
Fortaleza, Brazil
13-May-17
Stabbed
Name unknown
Morro Agudo, Brazil
15-May-17
Beaten to death
Pâmela
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
21-May-17
Stabbed to death
Lalá
Feira de Santana, Brazil
25-May-17
Shot to death
Grace Kelly
Lauro de Freitas, Brazil
25-May-17
Suffocated
Joyce Jane Padilha
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
26-May-17
dismembered
Sheila Medeiros
Tres Pontas, Brazil
29-May-17
Cause not reported
Laryrssa Moura
Governador Valadares, Brazil
31-May-17
Shot in the back
Natasha
Castanhal, Brazil
5-Jun-17
Multiple gunshot wounds
A. Alves Nascimento
Criciúma, Brazil
5-Jun-17
Shot to death
Trans day of remembrance, 2006 (HECTOR MATA/AFP/Getty Images)
Natasha
Varginha, Brazil
6-Jun-17
Shot multiple times
Name unknown
Salvador, Brazil
10-Jun-17
Shot in the neck, belly, shoulder, and back.
Renata Vieira
Uberlândia, Brazil
14-Jun-17
Beaten to death
E. Shyne
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
15-Jun-17
Tortured
Julhão Petruk
Fortaleza, Brazil
15-Jun-17
Shot multiple times
Name unknown
Caraguatatuba, Brazil
16-Jun-17
Stabbed
Bárbara
Maceió, Brazil
18-Jun-17
Struck by a vehicle
Name unknown
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
19-Jun-17
Shot to death
Camily Victoria
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
22-Jun-17
Shot to death
Denise
Aracaju, Brazil
24-Jun-17
Shot to death
C. Barroso de Oliveira
Ananindeua, Brazil
24-Jun-17
Shot to death
Nicolly Santos
Vitória de Santo Antão, Brazil
24-Jun-17
Stabbed multiple times
Ney Oliveira
Apuarema, Brazil
25-Jun-17
Stabbed to death
Salomé Bracho
São Luís do Curu, Brazil
25-Jun-17
Shot to death
Tabata Brandão
Rondonópolis, Brazil
25-Jun-17
Shot to death
Carla
Maceió, Brazil
28-Jun-17
Stabbed to death
Lola
Sorriso, Brazil
2-Jul-17
Cause not reported
Rayane
Fortaleza, Brazil
2-Jul-17
Shot
Larissa
Fortaleza, Brazil
2-Jul-17
Multiple gunshot wounds
Vicky Spears
Diadema, Brazil
3-Jul-17
Shot
Anna Sophia
João Pessoa, Brazil
8-Jul-17
Shot in the head
Bruna dos Santos
Pelotas, Brazil
9-Jul-17
Beaten and shot
Derricka Banner, who was killed in September of this year
Cauã
Porto Alegre, Brazil
9-Jul-17
Shot
Thalia
Rio Verde, Brazil
14-Jul-17
Shot
Sophia
Campo Mourão, Brazil
17-Jul-17
Stabbed to death
Michele
Caxias, Brazil
17-Jul-17
Shot
Leona Albuquerque
Salvador, Brazil
17-Jul-17
Shot multiple times
Camila Guedes
Monte Mor, Brazil
20-Jul-17
Stabbed
Gil Pereia da Costa
Rio Branco, Brazil
20-Jul-17
Shot twice
Gabriela Sousa
Maracanaú, Brazil
21-Jul-17
Shot
E. A. da Silva
Maceio, Brazil
21-Jul-17
Shot
Name unknown
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
22-Jul-17
Stabbed to death
Natalia Pimentel
Várzea Grande, Brazil
25-Jul-17
run over multiple times
Aurinete
Patos do Piauí, Brazil
31-Jul-17
Stabbed
Name unknown
João Pessoa, Brazil
1-Aug-17
Shot in the head.
Mary Monttila
Palmeira dos Índios, Brazil
2-Aug-17
Stabbed
Charliane
Itabuna, Brazil
2-Aug-17
Shot
Bruna Laclose
Pinheiro Machado, Brazil
6-Aug-17
Stabbed
Paulinha
Palmares, Brazil
8-Aug-17
Stabbed
T. J. Gomes da Silva
João Pessoa, Brazil
12-Aug-17
Shot
Dianna
Limoeiro, Brazil
18-Aug-17
Shot
Evelin Ferrari
Caruaru, Brazil
22-Aug-17
Shot
Lilly
Cachoeira, Brazil
27-Aug-17
Shot to death
Daniele Jesus Lafon
Poços de Caldas, Brazil
2-Sep-17
Stabbed with a pair of scissors
Flávia
Santos, Brazil
3-Sep-17
Shot
Rai
Petrolândia, Brazil
3-Sep-17
Stoned to death
Ana Carolina Nascimento
Araraquara, Brazil
5-Sep-17
Beaten to death
Nicole
Sorriso, Brazil
5-Sep-17
Stabbed
Alessandra
São Paulo, Brazil
7-Sep-17
Shot
Bruna Monteiro
Taguatinga Sul, Brazil
8-Sep-17
Shot to death
Lorane
Camocim de São Felix, Brazil
9-Sep-17
Shot
Larissa Paiva
Serra, Brazil
14-Sep-17
Serra, Brazil
Safira
Salvador, Brazil
15-Sep-17
Shot to death
Name unknown
Camaçari, Brazil
16-Sep-17
Shot
Ana Coutti
Cabo Frio, Brazil
18-Sep-17
Multiple gunshot wounds
Kaleane
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
20-Sep-17
Shot in the head
Spencer
Campinas, Brazil
23-Sep-17
Beaten and stabbed
D.R.P.
Campinas, Brazil
24-Sep-17
Stabbed to death
Pâmela
Moreilândia, Brazil
25-Sep-17
Shot and beaten
Danhy Zn
Leme, Brazil
25-Sep-17
Not specified
Rayssa
Uberaba, Brazil
26-Sep-17
Shot twice
Lu Brasil
Altamira, Brazil
26-Sep-17
Cut and strangled
Renatha Lemos
Nova Mamoré, Brazil
30-Sep-17
Burned
Natália
Fortaleza, Brazil
30-Sep-17
Shot
Canada
Sisi Thibert
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
18-Sep-17
Stabbed to death
Chile
Vanessa Valenzuela
Viña del Mar, Region Valparaiso, Chile
28-Apr-17
Beaten with hammers and sticks by five people who yelled “kill the fag.”
Colombia
Alejandro Polanco Botero
Risaralda, Colombia
30-Nov-16
Shot four times in the head
Vikichy
Cali, Colombia
20-Jan-17
Stabbed in the chin and stomach
Silvana Fabian Pineda
La Dorada, Colombia
28-Jan-17
Multiple gunshot wounds
Angelo Ramos
Garzon, Colombia
9-Feb-17
Not reported
Name unknown
Chaparral, Colombia
16-Feb-17
Beaten to death
C. Camilo Valencia
Valle del Cauca, Colombia
19-Feb-17
Shot
Late September, the last transgender Central American woman who arrived at the US-Mexico border over the summer seeking asylum as part of a caravan was granted parole and released from the Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan, New Mexico. The women and their attorneys now call on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to exercise similar discretion and release three gay men who also were members of the caravan, and continue to face risk to their health and safety in custody at the Otero Processing Center in Chaparral, New Mexico.
The asylum seekers were part of the Rainbow 17 Caravan, a group of 11 transgender women and 6 gay men from Central America and Mexico who arrived at the border in Nogales, Arizona, on August 10, 2017, and requested asylum after experiencing extreme forms of violence in their home countries.
ICE’s decision to release the women abides by the government’s long-standing parole guidance favoring release for asylum seekers who are not flight risks nor pose threats to the community. But since President Trump took office, ICE has failed to grant parole to the vast majority of individuals who have been locked up after requesting asylum at the border or a port of entry, and decisions on parole requests vary greatly between different regions of the country.
“My experience being locked up in the detention center was awful,” said a translatina caravan member who was released last month. “Never in my wildest thoughts did I imagine the conditions would be that unbearable. I am very happy to be out and grateful for where I am in the process now and for the family I am staying with, who are making me feel welcome.”
The women, along with their advocates and lawyers from the National Immigrant Justice Center, Transgender Law Center, and Instituto Legal, remain extremely concerned about the gay men who still are detained. Those individuals have reported they are being harassed by jail guards and other detainees, have been denied medical treatment, and fear for their safety because of their sexual identity.
“The lack of oversight in this parole process is really unfair,” said Keren Zwick, associate director of litigation at the National Immigrant Justice Center. “If you ask for protection at the border, ICE can send you basically wherever it wants, and the decision as to where they send you can mean the difference between release and detention, as we are seeing in these cases. On the court side, when you have an LGBTQ-based claim, where you are detained also can make a difference between winning or losing your asylum case.”
“We are relieved that these brave women, who came to the U.S. seeking safety from persecution, have finally been released from immigration detention centers that we know are horrifically violent and abusive of transgender women,” said Flor Bermudez, legal director at Transgender Law Center. “Unfortunately, there is still a long road ahead for the men still in Otero and for the transgender women who have been released, as they fight deportation back to the countries where their lives have been threatened. They are not facing this journey alone, though, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to ensure they, and all transgender immigrants seeking safety from torture and abuse, remain safe and free.”
“New Mexico has a long history of welcoming asylum seekers,” said Joaquin Sanchez-Leal, director of programs for Instituto Legal, a non-profit legal organization based in Albuquerque. “Placing those who are fleeing violence because of their gender identity or sexual orientation behind bars, even though they are eligible for immediate release, goes against our long-held tradition. We are all watching and will continue working to ensure the remaining caravan members are released from detention.”
The freed caravan members still each have a long road ahead of them as they pursue their asylum cases. In the United States, asylum seekers must wait months or years for permission to work and for access to housing or food support. They also have no right to appointed attorneys, so are left to find legal counsel on their own. Advocates must continue to work to support the women and improve the system in a way that gives bona fide refugees a fighting chance to prevail on their applications for protection. The human rights violations inherent in the ICE detention system have gained increased attention in the past month in Washington, D.C. In early October, U.S. House Representatives Adam Smith (WA-09) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) introduced the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, which would hold ICE accountable to protect detained immigrants and ensure access to release for asylum seekers and other immigrants. Also this month, the U.S. Supreme Court heard re-argument in Jennings v. Rodriguez, which challenges ICE’s prolonged detention of immigrants fighting deportation.
“I cannot find the words to express how happy I am to be out of that horrific detention center,” said a translatina caravan member. “When I started my journey, I was very scared. I needed to flee the violence and transphobia in my country of origin, but had heard many stories of trans women who didn’t make it through the journey or were trapped for months in terrible detention centers. I know my release is not typical, and I thank God I have a great team fighting for my rights and safety. I feel like a new woman, secure and ready to take on the world.”
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) aimed a bright spotlight on five federal judicial nominees — Jeff Mateer, Damien Schiff, Leonard Steven Grasz, Mark Norris, and Stephen Schwartz. If confirmed by the Senate, the nominees could seriously threaten the future of LGBTQ equality in America. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Grasz and Norris on Thursday.
“In their crusade against the LGBTQ community, Donald Trump and Mike Pence are doing everything they can to stack our federal courts and all agencies of the government with anti-LGBTQ nominees and appointments,” said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow. “This is a deliberate attempt to undermine the progress we’ve made and weave discrimination into every part of our government. There are scores of under-qualified nominees with terrible anti-equality records, and Jeff Mateer, Damien Schiff, Leonard Steven Grasz, Mark Norris, and Stephen Schwartz are among the worst of the worst. The Senate must reject their nominations to lifetime appointments to the federal bench.”
In less than one year, the Trump-Pence Administration has unleashed a torrent of attacks on the LGBTQ community and undermined the rights of millions of Americans. Through rollbacks, rescissions, and re-interpretations, Donald Trump and Mike Pence have systematically and meticulously eroded years of progress and protections. What’s more, Trump and Pence have appointed and nominated scores of extreme and unqualified anti-LGBTQ officials to crucial agencies and court benches — some of whom will serve lifetime appointments.
Jeff Mateer has been nominated to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. In a 2015 speech titled “The Church and Homosexuality,” Jeff Mateer objected to a transgender student using a restroom consistent with her gender identity, saying “I mean it just really shows you how Satan’s plan is working and the destruction that’s going on.” He defended then-Indiana Governor Mike Pence’s ‘license-to-discriminate’ bill and objected to efforts to alter the legislation. Mateer fought against non-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community in Plano and San Antonio, Texas, and he even supports the dangerous and debunked practice of so-called “conversion therapy.” Mateer also claimed that marriage equality will lead to bestiality.
Damien Schiff, nominated to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, has been unabashed in his anti-LGBTQ views. He called Anthony Kennedy a “judicial prostitute,” opposed anti-bullying policies, opposed the decriminalization of same-sex relationships, and has been a longtime critic of marriage equality. In his writings, Schiff has encouraged parents to opt out of public schools in response to new curriculum that discouraged LGBTQ bullying and normalized families with same-sex parents; opposed the Supreme Court ruling decriminalizing same-sex relationships; defended supporters of Prop 8, falsely claiming same-sex couples had the same legal benefits as married opposite-sex couples before Prop 8.
Steven Grasz, nominated for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, served on the board of a non-profit that backed the abusive practice of conversion therapyon LGBTQ minors and was unwilling to clarify his own views during his confirmation hearing. Grasz said that language protecting people on the basis of “sexual orientation” opened the door for protections for pedophilesand argued Nebraska should not recognize marriage equality in other states. Grasz also opposed allowing same-sex parents to adopt. The American Bar Association has deemed Grasz unqualified to serve in the position Trump has nominated him for.
Mark S. Norris has been nominated to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Currently the Senate Majority Leader of the Tennessee General Assembly, Norris has voted to support legislation giving business a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people and supported a state law preventing local municipalities from passing LGBTQ non-discrmination protections. Among a host of other positions supporting discrimination, Norris opposed federal guidance from the Obama administration helping to protect transgender students from discrimination and harassment in public schools.
Stephen Schwartz, nominated to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, has a demonstrable anti-LGBTQ record. HRC joined in an opposition letter with 27 LGBTQ groups, including Lambda Legal and the National Center for Transgender Equality, opposing Schwartz. His work opposing equality includes defending North Carolina’s discriminatory HB2. He also notably served as co-counsel to the Gloucester County School Board in Virginia after it was sued by transgender student Gavin Grimm for discrimination. Grimm challenged the school board in court for denying him use of the boy’s restroom.
Thursday, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, released Promising Practices for Serving Transgender & Non-Binary Foster & Adoptive Parents, a groundbreaking new guide designed to help foster care and adoption agencies recruit, certify and support qualified transgender and non-binary adults to become resource parents for young people who need safe, welcoming homes.
“With more than 100,000 young people awaiting adoption across the country, it is urgent for all prospective foster and adoptive parents, including trans and non-binary adults, to feel safe and welcomed in our nation’s foster care system,” said Mary Beth Maxwell, HRC’s Senior Vice President for Programs, Research, and Training. “Discrimination and disrespectful treatment too often create significant barriers for transgender and non-binary people wishing to become resource parents. All parents, no matter their gender identity, deserve the same opportunities to welcome youth into their families, and this detailed resource provides agencies with the information and tools they need to make that a reality.”
The guide offers information on inclusive policies, practices, terminology, and the current legal landscape for LGBTQ prospective parents. It also provides safe and affirming techniques for trans-inclusive data collection, recruitment, and training for agency staff and volunteers. It’s release coincides with National Adoption Month, which is marked every November.
“From Florida to California, foster care and adoption agencies have been reaching out to us, seeking more information on including and supporting both transgender and non-binary parents and youth,” said Alison Delpercio, Deputy Director of HRC’s Children, Youth and Families Program. “Through trainings, the implementation of inclusive policies, and the information contained in this guide, practitioners will gain a fuller perspective on the challenges facing transgender and non-binary adults and learn best practices on how to better welcome them.”
Delpercio continued, “Transgender and non-binary people are fully equipped to be loving and caring resource parents and many bring unique strengths to supporting children and youth with experiences in the foster care system. We just need to create the structures to support these parents.”
The guide also features the personal accounts of transgender and non-binary adoptive parents across the country. A transgender foster dad from California shares the fears he had before becoming a foster parent: “I was afraid of the process because I was certain I would have been humiliated for being transgender. In the past, I had to endure a lot of negative attitudes and verbal harassment simply for being transgender, and I was afraid of disclosing my gender history to my case manager for similar reasons. Since there were no other visible transgender and non-binary foster parents, I wasn’t sure what I was going to encounter.”
An estimated two million LGBTQ adults in the U.S. are interested in adoption, but the LGBTQ community often remains an untapped resource when it comes to finding families for children and youth in foster care. This guide will help agencies increase their pool of prospective foster and adoptive parents by ensuring they have the policies and practices in place to welcome and support LGBTQ resource families.
HRC’s All Children – All Families project promotes LGBTQ cultural competency among child welfare agencies through innovative resources, including an online agency self-assessment tool, comprehensive staff training, free technical assistance and more. Agencies across the country recognize the importance of this work and use ACAF resources to improve practice with LGBTQ youth and families.
Deeply red Oklahoma elected a state senator this week who breaks the mold of the typical Sooner State politician. Democrat Allison Ikley-Freeman, a 26-year-old lesbian, bested Republican Brian O’Hara in Tuesday’s special election to win a seat in west Tulsa’s conservative Senate District 37.
Complete but unofficial election results show Ikley-Freeman, who is a therapist at a nonprofit mental health agency, won by 31 votes. Her win is the fourth pickup for state Democrats in special elections this year in Republican-dominated Oklahoma, which has seen years of state budget shortfalls and the scandal-fueled resignations of several Republican incumbents.
Ikley-Freeman, a wife and mother of three, said she was “shocked” upon hearing she had won.
“The odds were not in our favor, and we knew it, but we knew if we could fight hard, we had a chance,” she told NBC News. “It was worth fighting for.”
Ikley-Freeman attributed her victory to “a lot of hard work” and “getting out and knocking on doors.”
“That voter-to-voter contact really made a difference,” she said, adding that she and her campaign team even mailed out handwritten postcards to people in the district.
Once she assumes office, Ikley-Freeman said she plans to focus on the “most vulnerable Oklahomans” who are “struggling every day.” Her campaign website lists public education, mental health, police accountability and chronic homelessness among her priority issues.
Toby Jenkins, executive director of Oklahoman’s for Equality, an LGBTQ advocacy organization based in Tulsa, told NBC News Ikley-Freeman is “the first openly LGBTQ individual elected to an office in Tulsa County.”
“It’s a huge historic step for us,” Jenkins said. “It’s going to be really inspiring to our young people.”
Jenkins called Ikley-Freeman a “no-nonsense person,” a “worker bee” who’s not afraid to “roll up her sleeves” to get the job done.
While Ikley-Freeman is set to be the first out lawmaker in Tulsa County, Jenkins noted other parts of the state have elected openly LGBTQ politicians. Kay Floyd, who represents parts of Oklahoma City, was the first out lesbian elected to the Oklahoma Legislature. Floyd’s predecessor, Al McAffrey, a gay man, was the first openly LGBTQ person elected to serve in the state Legislature.
Ikley-Freeman will likely have to wait until Feb. 1 to take office, according to Tulsa World, because the resignation of the incumbent, Dan Newberry, a Republican, does not become effective until Jan. 31.
Today, Pride Foundation announced $507,000 in grants to 81 organizations in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington—investing vital resources into local organizations working to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people and their families can live fully and safely in their home communities.
This year’s award amount is the highest Community Grants funding total in Pride Foundation history and comes at a time when LGBTQ communities are facing enormous challenges and opportunities at local, state, and federal levels.
Here are a few highlights of the remarkable grant recipients:
Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic R.E.C. Room (Homer, Alaska): For addressing the needs of LGBTQ youth, adults, and families on the southern Kenai Peninsula, including strengthening their peer-taught sexual health and wellness programs for grades 7-12, both in-house and community-based youth programs.
North Idaho Pride Alliance (Post Falls, Idaho): For creating a resource referral network—especially for LGBTQ youth and seniors in North Idaho—including developing education and training programs for mental health services, health care, and senior services providers.
Salish Kootenai College – Spirit of Many Colors Gay Straight Alliance (Pablo, Montana): For developing and implementing leadership training for LGBTQA and Two Spirit students to support them as they take on more visible roles on the SKC campus and across the Flathead Reservation.
Immigration Counseling Service (Portland and Hood River, Oregon): For the expansion of legal support for LGBTQ immigrants who are vulnerable to deportation and for expanding outreach for immigration law 101 trainings within the LGBTQ community in Oregon and SW Washington.
Blue Mountain Heart to Heart (Walla Walla, Washington): For HIV and Hepatitis C prevention programs, outreach, and testing services stretching across Eastern and South Eastern Washington, and into Oregon.
Queer the Land (Seattle, Washington): For strengthening the organization’s capacity, as it works to develop a LGBTQ people of color-led cooperative network, community center, and transitional housing space.
“The number of organizations engaged in critical life-saving and life-affirming work is truly inspiring,” said Kris Hermanns, Pride Foundation Chief Executive Officer. “Today, and since 1985, Pride Foundation and its partners are committed to supporting and growing this movement—a grassroots movement based in love, courage, and empowering people to be their full selves.”
In addition to these community grants, Pride Foundation awarded a total of nearly $850,000 to impactful organizations and student leaders in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington in 2017 through our scholarship program, sponsorships, Rapid Response Fund, and Donor Advised Grants.
Since the foundation began in 1985, Pride Foundation has awarded more than $70 million to promote the safety, health, and well-being of LGBTQ individuals and families across the Northwest region—with a focus on those who are most impacted by disparities and inequities.
Founded in 1985, Pride Foundation is a regional community foundation serving Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Its mission is to inspire giving to expand opportunities and advance full equality for LGBTQ people in the Northwest. Learn more at pridefoundation.org
Taiwan could soon become the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, while Hong Kong this month won its bid to host the Gay Games in 2022, another Asian first.But in mainland China, LGBT people are still being subjected to forced confinement, medication and even electric shock therapy to “convert” them into heterosexuals.
The “treatment” takes place in public, government-run hospitals and in private clinics, according to a report by Human Rights Watch released Wednesday.
The organization interviewed 17 people who were threatened, coerced and sometimes physically forced by their parents to submit to conversion therapy, as adults or as adolescents. Five were subjected to electric shocks while being shown images or videos — or given verbal descriptions — of homosexual acts. One described it as like “having needles stabbing my skin.”
Eleven were forced to take medication orally or given injections, with medical staff ensuring they take the treatment “even when they resisted. Three tried to escape, and almost all were subjected to verbal harassment or insulting language by doctors and psychiatrists, including terms such as “sick,” “pervert,” “disease,” abnormal” and “dirty.”
One said the doctor had described homosexuality as promiscuous and licentious. “If you don’t change that about yourself, you will get sick and die from AIDS,” the doctor reportedly said. ‘You will never have a happy family. … Have you ever considered your parents’ happiness?”
Indeed, Chinese society strongly favors children who can pass on the family name. Gay children often face intense family pressure to enter heterosexual marriages and have children.
“It’s been more than 20 years since China decriminalized homosexuality, but LGBT people are still subjected to forced confinement, medication and even electric shocks to try to change their sexual orientation,” said Graeme Reid, LGBT rights director at Human Rights Watch.
China officially decriminalized homosexuality in 1997, while the Chinese Psychiatric Society removed “homosexuality” from its Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders in 2001. Human Rights Watch said a 2013 mental health law effectively renders conversion therapy illegal, yet it still continues to take place.
Chinese courts have in recent months handed down two verdicts that were considered small steps forward for the LGBT community.
In July, a 38-year-old gay man in central China successfully sued a psychiatric hospital, after alleging that staff members detained, drugged and beat him in an attempt to “cure” him of his homosexuality.
The man, surnamed Yu, won 5,000 yuan ($750) in compensation, with a court in Zhumadian, in Henan province, ordering the hospital to publish an apology in local newspapers.
The same month, a transgender man won a case against his former employer for unfair dismissal, alleging that he was fired for wearing men’s clothing. And in 2014, another gay man successfully sued a psychiatric hospital for administering electroshock treatment.
But gains are hard won in a country where LGBT activists still face suspicion, surveillance and sometimes harassment by the authorities. China also has no laws protecting people from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender, a gap that Human Rights Watch could prevent victims of conversion therapy from seeking justice.
In May, Chinese authorities shut down a popular dating app for lesbians, while the following month, the government included homosexuality in banning “abnormal sexual lifestyles” from online video programs.
In Hong Kong, where civil groups are much stronger, the campaign to win the Gay Games was organized by volunteers rather than the territory’s government. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam reportedly said she does not condone same-sex marriage, citing her Catholic faith.
But the island of Taiwan, in particular, has become a beacon for LGBT rights in the region. There, Tsai Ing-wen, the democratically elected president, welcomed a court ruling in May that a current law banning same-sex marriage is illegal, and she called on her government to begin drafting legislation to legalize it.
