Amnesty International has taken up the cause of two trans women alleging abuse by the NYPD. From the AI site:

"Mariah Lopez and Christina Sforza, two transgender women, have come forward with allegations of abuse by the NYPD that may constitute discriminatory behavior, torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and in Ms. Sforza's case false arrest, failure to exercise due diligence, and denial of access to justice. AI is also concerned that in Ms. Sforza's case, she may have been denied access to essential medication that could have posed a serious threat to her life and well being."

You can add our voice to the call for a full and fair investigation into this incident by clicking here.

Here's an interesting new movement: people committed to living entirely outside of the corporate cocoon. They self-describe as people who "employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources. Freegans embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed." Sounds entirely compatible with transgenderism, feminism, and a lot of other good things.

Their website provides lots of resources on things like dumpster diving, recycling, food and waste facts, community programs, and much more. It's nice to see some people taking environmental responsibility personally. A refreshing alternative to the mindless cycle of shopping, consumption, and overproduction into which we've all been trained to fall.

Check it out: freegan.info

Check out this well-done video about Hate Crimes, prominently including trans-identifed Fred Martinez.

According to HRC president Joe Solomenese, opponents to adding GLBT folks to hate crimes law have been contacting congress 5 times as much as those in support of this law. Our legislators cannot ignore their constituents; they must hear from those who support this bill, if it is to pass. This act is the first step towards obtaining full federal protections for all GLBT persons. If you care, please weigh in with your elected officials by email, phone, or letter.

Sign HRC's Petition

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OK, so I'm human. When the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Massachusetts was defeated yesterday, not only was I overjoyed, but a part of me wanted to shout out at all those who had tried to enshrine this bit of fear-based bigotry in our constitution, "Hey, you bigots, see? You don’t get to vote on my rights!" Fortunately, I had neither the opportunity – nor the inclination – to act on this bit of ill humor. And, I am mindful of the words of Carl Sciortino, state rep and lead sponsor of our transgender civil rights bill, who urges us to be considerate of the feelings of the losers in this, our time of victory.

The good news is, Massachusetts has upheld the legality of same-sex - effectively, gender-blind - marriage. This is a great thing for all people whose gender expression or identity, or sexual orientation, does not fit the narrow, presumed obligatory heterosexual model.

The bad news is, same-sex marriage was preserved over the strenuous objections of some of our citizens. Which means that their fears and self-righteous anger, justified or not, rather than being dissipated, will in many cases only be driven deeper.